2017 NBA Offseason Thread

[shopson67]

It means he sucks and Lavar doesn't want him stinking it up in HS basketball, can't let that hurt the BBB.

Not at all. He's likely the best of the bunch offensively. Not sure what Lavar is thinking (beyond I can do it better, lol).

 

[bksballer89]

Good for him. Amazing that he was let go while there are at least a dozen ESPN personalities they could've axed instead of him.

ESPN let go some great guys. Sucks that Stein, Warder, Starks, & Clayton were all let go

 

[shopson67]

Its why I think the move to Love at Center makes so much sense while IT is out.

Love/Crowder is the perfect frontcourt combo for Rose & Wade. Froncourt provides the spacing, Wade & Rose are able to get to the paint and do what they do best.

Then when TT comes in off the bench and kills the front-court spacing, JR and Korver come off the bench too, bringing backcourt spacing.

I'm not so sure. It's going to make for some awkward defensive rotations in transition.

 

[bksballer89]

Not at all. He's likely the best of the bunch offensively. Not sure what Lavar is thinking (beyond I can do it better, lol).

Not sure if you're an UCLA fan but I'm seeing rumors that Liangelo (not sure if I'm spelling it right) won't start this year at UCLA and may only get 15 minutes per night. Would be interesting to see how Lavar takes that.

 

[gordontrue]

I'm not so sure. It's going to make for some awkward defensive rotations in transition.

Depends on the matchup (which will likely also dictate how much Lue goes to that lineup).

Heat, Pelicans, Grizzlies have the players to exploit Love/Jae on offense. Most teams really don't.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

It means he sucks and Lavar doesn't want him stinking it up in HS basketball, can't let that hurt the BBB.

Actually, he's the better of all 3, offensively.

Lavar is making a mistake.

LiAngelo is not nearly as good as the other two and the Ball stock is gonna fall when people realize Lonzo is a team guy that doesn't care about putting up 20ppg.

He's Jason Kidd, not Magic Johnson.

In 2 years, who's gonna use a 1st rounder on a kid who didn't play High School nor College ball?

 

[CitySushi]

Not sure if you're an UCLA fan but I'm seeing rumors that Liangelo (not sure if I'm spelling it right) won't start this year at UCLA and may only get 15 minutes per night. Would be interesting to see how Lavar takes that.

Gonna transfer to a D3 school so he can average 50 a game.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Not sure if you're an UCLA fan but I'm seeing rumors that Liangelo (not sure if I'm spelling it right) won't start this year at UCLA and may only get 15 minutes per night. Would be interesting to see how Lavar takes that.

^ This^

I actually feel bad for the kid.

Lavar even admits he is more likely to be a model than a pro player...lol

That's some cold shit.

He was a package deal to get Lonzo and Lamelo in a Bruins jersey.

"I told my boys that one of them wasn’t going to make it. Because if you’ve got three, only one, maybe two make it to the NBA," he confessed. And instead of letting them wonder which son that will be, LaVar admitted that he's already told his middle son LiAngelo that it will probably be him.

"He’s going to be taken care of either way," LaVar added, hinting that LiAngelo could be a model because he's "the handsomest of his sons."

LaVar Ball Told Son LiAngelo He Won't Make It to NBA

 

[CitySushi]

Actually, he's the better of all 3, offensively.

Lavar is making a mistake.

LiAngelo is not nearly as good as the other two and the Ball stock is gonna fall when people realize Lonzo is a team guy that doesn't care about putting up 20ppg.

He's Jason Kidd, not Magic Johnson.

In 2 years, who's gonna use a 1st rounder on a kid who didn't play High School nor College ball?

Yeah, Melo has the most potential as a scorer. Ball might eventually be closer to a taller Rondo if he doesn't get his shot working properly. It'll be interesting to see, but from a pure basketball perspective, it makes sense to pull LaMelo and have him work on his game 24/7. He's the one that's going to bank the big bucks if he fulfills his potential.

 

[Wamu]

Gonna transfer to a D3 school so he can average 50 a game.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Yeah, Melo has the most potential as a scorer. Ball might eventually be closer to a taller Rondo if he doesn't get his shot working properly. It'll be interesting to see, but from a pure basketball perspective, it makes sense to pull LaMelo and have him work on his game 24/7. He's the one that's going to bank the big bucks if he fulfills his potential.

Gotta disagree.

He is creating a Diva culture with these Kids.

Pulling him is basically saying " We are special. So, we don't have to follow the rules. ".

Guys with that mentality usually have issues.

* See Mike Vic, Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, Pac man Jones.....and on and on..

Or, how about having normal High School experiences?

Kids with no childhood sometimes end up like Michael Jackson.

* Damn, did you notice how many Mike's ended up in my examples?*

By all accounts, he's raising some good kids.

But, Lavar's stage mom routine is off-putting

 

[CitySushi]

Gotta disagree.

He is creating a Diva culture with these Kids.

Pulling him is basically saying " We are special. So, we don't have to follow the rules. ".

Guys with that mentality usually have issues.

* See Mike Vic, Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, Pac man Jones.....and on and on..

Or, how about having normal High School experiences?

Kids with no childhood sometimes end up like Michael Jackson.

* Damn, did you notice how many Mike's ended up in my examples?*

By all accounts, he's raising some good kids.

But, Lavar's stage mom routine is off-putting

But there's a guy you might of heard of who was also home-schooled: Blake Griffin.

Also Tim Tebow, Serena & Venus Williams, Maria Sharipova, Jason Taylor, Michael Beasley, etc.

 

[bksballer89]

But there's a guy you might of heard of who was also home-schooled: Blake Griffin.

Also Tim Tebow, Serena & Venus Williams, Maria Sharipova, Jason Taylor, Michael Beasley, etc.

I hear you but his reasoning just looks bad IMO.

 

[CitySushi]

I hear you but his reasoning just looks bad IMO.

In a vacuum though, you have to look at the move individually. If we had no clue who Lavar Ball is, and all we heard is "top recruit is withdrawing from high school to be home schooled and focus on his basketball training", what would we think of that?

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

But there's a guy you might of heard of who was also home-schooled: Blake Griffin.

Also Tim Tebow, Serena & Venus Williams, Maria Sharipova, Jason Taylor, Michael Beasley, etc.

Well played.

I concede.

Richard Williams was a fucking terror and his kids did well in life, on and off the court.

 

[LAD]

But there's a guy you might of heard of who was also home-schooled: Blake Griffin.

Also Tim Tebow, Serena & Venus Williams, Maria Sharipova, Jason Taylor, Michael Beasley, etc.

And I think what they all have in common is that we didn't know who their parents were - meaning mom or dad wasn't stealing the spot light. That is something none of them have in common with the Ball family. How could he possibly think pulling his son out of school is a good idea? He really needs to stop being so over bearing otherwise he's gonna end up like Joe Jackson.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

And I think what they all have in common is that we didn't know who their parents were - meaning mom or dad wasn't stealing the spot light. That is something none of them have in common with the Ball family. How could he possibly think pulling his son out of school is a good idea? He really needs to stop being so over bearing otherwise he's gonna end up like Joe Jackson.

Richard Williams was on the scene until they fired his ass.

But.....


Yeah, screw you @CitySushi ...

I take back my concession.

Joe Jackson Trumps all!

Good looking out, @LAD ....lol

 

[CitySushi]

And I think what they all have in common is that we didn't know who their parents were - meaning mom or dad wasn't stealing the spot light. That is something none of them have in common with the Ball family. How could he possibly think pulling his son out of school is a good idea? He really needs to stop being so over bearing otherwise he's gonna end up like Joe Jackson.

Again, you have to view the move for what it is, and not based on Lavar. If you think Lavar is going to fuck up his life by not making him get an education and simply just playing basketball 24/7, then I'd agree with you. But if you look at Lonzo, despite his dad being pretty much a dipshit, he seems like a well rounded individual.

I would estimate that would be the case too with LaMelo also.

If you again take it for what it is: Top Recruit chooses to be home schooled to focus on future basketball career, it makes sense. If you knew your son or daughter could excel in something, really be something special, would you not pull out all the stops to try to make this happen?

Yes Lavar is an ass, but in raising well rounded kids, he's shown he's already produced one.

 

[CitySushi]

Richard Williams was on the scene until they fired his ass.

But.....


Yeah, screw you @CitySushi ...

I take back my concession.

Joe Jackson Trumps all!

Good looking out, @LAD ....lol

Joe Jackson was a terrible human being. Lavar is a big mouth. Those are NOT THE SAME THINGS.

No one, not anyone that knows Lavar has come out to say he's been a bad father to those kids. Do you know how much money someone who "knew" Lavar and came out and said something negative about him as a father could profit off of that?

No one's come to the kids defense and said Lavar has been too hard on them, or doesn't have their best interest at heart. He does, and it's clear because when he's speaking out of his ass, it's for marketing.

 

[LAD]

Again, you have to view the move for what it is, and not based on Lavar. If you think Lavar is going to fuck up his life by not making him get an education and simply just playing basketball 24/7, then I'd agree with you. But if you look at Lonzo, despite his dad being pretty much a dipshit, he seems like a well rounded individual.

I would estimate that would be the case too with LaMelo also.

If you again take it for what it is: Top Recruit chooses to be home schooled to focus on future basketball career, it makes sense. If you knew your son or daughter could excel in something, really be something special, would you not pull out all the stops to try to make this happen?

Yes Lavar is an ass, but in raising well rounded kids, he's shown he's already produced one.

IMO the answer to your last question is yes & no. The problem here is that pulling him from school could be a risky move in terms of his social development. Not having that in the event his basketball career doesn't pan out could be detrimental for him. What else will there be for him to do at that point?

I get that basketball is something they'd like to focus on, but is it really a good idea to neglect other areas of development in the process? Like @Mecca has mentioned, most kids that grow up without limitations and/or boundaries have a hard time adjusting to life as an adult.