The OtherArena

[jdw]

Time to get this started...

[jdw]

Kevin Deng: Despite Kobe's Support of Rajon Rondo, Lakers Uncertain About Mercurial Star

For all the comments about taking him only if cheap, the comments about Jim having his own metrics and the Lakers remaining Old School is worrisome.

My other fear:

Anonymous GM: If Brook Lopez wants to stay with Nets, ‘he should be able to get whatever he wants’

I hope we don't do something stupid like sign Brook in a panic "Amar'e Stoudemire to the Knicks" type of move.

John

[JAG]

You worry too much.

They didn't panic last year, why would they this year?

They're leaking their preference is to give Rondo scraps after they sign Gasol, LMA or Love. And that's only if they don't draft Russell or Mudiay.

With Kobe's contract coming off the books and the cap spiking, the Lakers will have plenty of cap room for plenty of moves in July of 2016. Having Rondo on a one-year deal for seven figures wouldn't be my preference, but how can you honestly have a major problem with it?

Jagdip

[jdw]

A big chunk of the Lakers' future is on the line on Tuesday:

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/05/16/nba-draft-lottery-what-will-happen

Here's pulling for #1 or #3. I'd like to avoid #2 and the pressure to pick Okafor. Of course if the Knicks get #1 and are stupid enough to take Okafor... ;)

[JAG]

Why no Okafor?

Jagdip

[jdw]

Bad defense, not a rim protector. Post up game which is largely dead in the NBA. I'm not really sold on him as being a strong pick & roll guy. If we get Love, you have two issues:

* no rim protector out of your two bigs & bad defense out of both

* clogging the middle if Love wants to avoid being the 100% perimeter guy he's been in Cleveland and appears to hate

His post up game was "great" in college for a freshman, though it ran into a brick wall at times against smarter defenses (like WI in the Final).

He largely would force the Lakers to play in the Past (post up big man) rather than join the Current/Future. As the #2 Pick & Savior, you're going to build a large chunk of your team around him.

I'd rather have Towns, or "drop" to Mudiay/Russell/Winslow.

[JAG]

You're overthinking it.

Plenty of ways to build championship defenses in the modern era. An earthbound Tim Duncan and Birdman have been the rim protectors for the last two champions.

I'll take your word that Okafor isn't who we want first, but after Towns and maybe Rusell, I wouldn't pass on him.

A big Laker night in May and I'm dreading it.

Jagdip

[jdw]

Okafor isn't Timmy defensively. Not just prime Timmy, who was an exceptional defensive player, but even current past his prime Timmy.

Here's the concern on why he'll never be at that level, or even a decent rim protector:

Coach K teaches defense. It's always been a hardcore part of what he teaches at the program. He often will con high school All Americans to set aside their scoring and become defensive gurus. Battier was the Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 1997 (the year after Kobe). When he came into Duke, there wasn't a scoring role for him, so Coach K worked him instantly into a defensive dude. He was the National Defensive Player of the Year by the time he was a soph, built off his rep of being a "glove" as a freshman. By his Jr year he was given a scoring role after Langdon graduated, and the rest was history.

Any number of guys went the same route at Duke.

This team? It started the season as one of the worst defensive Duke teams in the past two decades under Coach K. Okafor wasn't the only problem, but he was a big one. By the time of the tourney the team as a whole got a lot better to the point of being good, but Okafor never got good.

Going back to Duncan:

Blocks Per Game
3.8 Duncan (as a Freshman)
3.8 Entire 2015 Duke Team
1.4 Okafor

Duncan has a rim protector mind set, and always has.

Okafor doesn't. He's extremely slow on his defensive reads, has poor footwork, and gets in poor positions. His rebounding numbers look good, but Hoback & I would comment about how he didn't attack rebounds and instead rebounds just happened to "find him", often while he was standing flat footed. He didn't really even grab them with vigor, and sometimes would get abused on the offensive glass by guys who aren't exactly Griffin & Jordan in terms of freakish strength.

It's quite frightening.


* * * * *

He's a post up center. He was an okay passer against bad teams, but his passing would vanish against quality teams. He has 1 assists in the last four rounds of the NCAA, and just 6 in his last 9 games (NCAA Tourney + ACC Tourney + UNC Game).

There are plenty of ways to win a title. He's not Shaq or Hakeem, the last two dominant centers to win titles. He's not Duncan, who is a hybrid C/PF.

I'm a Dookie. If I'd rather have someone else be a key building block for the Lakers, it's kind of telling. :/

[JAG]

Fair enough.

Three fucking hours left.

Jagdip

[jdw]

I thought it was on at 4:30 PT... but it's 5:30. I had my afternoon blocked out for it. Crap! :)

[jdw]

So far so good...

[Rian]

Here it comes, top three!

[jdw]

1 or 3... 1 or 3... 1 or 3...

[guren]

or 2...

[jdw]

I'm hoping Russell or Mudiay blow away our scouts between now and the draft. If not, we're going to get to test the theory whether you can build a championship team around a defensively lacking C... especially if we went up with a defensively lacking PF coming in as a FA.