Jules

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You've got me interested in this book now. I am going to the library Friday afternoon when I go to the doctor, and if I can find it in there, I will check it out. 

You should check it out, you may end up catching things in it I missed or got wrong since I tend to read it though half asleep.

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IMO I think his dad knows deep down that Lonzo isn't going to be that great, so he's desperately trying to milk this cow for as much cash as possible. Did you see the price of those stupid Kobe ripoff shoes? The shows ARE ripoffs of Kobe's...but they run for $500 dollars, and then LaVar tells poor people on Twitter if they can't afford the shoes, then too bad they're poor...500 bucks for shoes...he knows this train is going to collapse eventually and is trying to milk it of every last penny. 

This is what Lakers fans are saying, that these shoes are cheap Kobe knock offs for 500 bucks. On their forums many are upset over this. This won't go over well with Lakers nation and the Ball family wants to go there?

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Nowadays, no one cares about this. LeBron James has tattoos all up and down his arms. Even young 19 year old Brandon Ingram has more tattoos than I can count, but it's never made into a big deal. AI did break down that wall and make it more acceptable. 

So true, the tats are not really a big deal at all and now many have them.

Kaep got way too much hell by NFL fans for his tattoos. 

Ugh, hay fever is slowly destroying me. I am going through pure hell right now. I went to the doctor yesterday, and i kid you not, the clinic; one of the doctors in there is a conspiracy theorist who tried to tell me that the government is poisoning us with high pollen right now. She was serious about this...She told multiple people who laughed, followed by "no, I'm serious" explanations of her tinfoil hat theory. 

I couldn't get an allergy shot yesterday, so I am just suffering it out. This is a local thing, apparently. That whole clinic was packed with people suffering allergy problems...hence why the conspiracy theory that da gubahment did it. (I'm sure it was OBAMA to be more exact!) 

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This is what Lakers fans are saying, that these shoes are cheap Kobe knock offs for 500 bucks. On their forums many are upset over this. This won't go over well with Lakers nation and the Ball family wants to go there?

Exactly why I do not have an account on any Laker forums. Kobe is gone, and yet it's all I ever hear about. I fear they won't move on from him. Many of them talk about Paul George as if he can be "the next Kobe". And has there ever been another player retire and get so much media attention? Kobe blinks or shaves, it becomes a news story. Kobe posts on twitter, it's a news story. 

I don't want "the next Kobe". People need to allow these players to be their own selves. This is 90% of their problem with D'Angelo Russell. They think this 20 year old kid should magically turn into Kobe Bryant over night; forgetting that Kobe himself, wasn't all that great until about 4-5 years into his career, it takes time. I seen Laker fans this past year call Brandon Ingram a bust because he didn't magically transform into a superstar in his rookie year. 

There is still a very heavy pro-Lonzo Ball crowd with Lakers fans too because it's a local thing with UCLA and the Ball family. 

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So true, the tats are not really a big deal at all and now many have them.

 

Kaep got way too much hell by NFL fans for his tattoos. 

Dak Prescott will be their next target, guarantee it. He has tattoos all over his arms....Last year, they made Tony Romo sound like a Hall of Fame quarterback who was wrongfully benched for some backup. I expect when Dak loses a game next year, they're going to go nuts blaming him, and we heard the "he looks like a thug" crap last year over the tattoos. 

Great, now LaVar is taking pot shots at Kobe....Lakers fans should love this. 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19358145/lavar-ball-says-does-not-need-advice-kobe-bryant

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"If they're at practice and he sees something and Lonzo listens to him or whatever, he's good. ... But it's just not, 'OK, I'm talking to Kobe, so now I'm going to be good.' If Kobe sees something that Zo is doing, then go from there. But I'm not trying to pattern after nobody."

I get the sense that no one is going to be able to talk about Lonzo's mechanics issues and overall problems with his game, cause his dad is going to shoot down all the criticism. His dad is 100% convinced this kid is like the new Magic Johnson or something (only naming him cause I see that comparison from people). 

I thought of something this morning about superstars and Lakers fans wanting PG so badly....is there any real Hall of Fame guys in the league today besides LeBron James? 

What I mean is, the all around AWESOME player who does it all...In the past 5 years, I think Kobe, Shaq, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett were the only true locks for the Hall of Fame after they retired. They were all around decent players who dominated on multiple levels.

In today's NBA, there is a lot more skills and talent than there used to be; players are smarter, faster, and deal with tougher shooting, but I can't think of anyone outside of LeBron James who is going to be a for sure Hall of Famer. Just look at Russell Westbrook; is anyone even going to care about that stupid triple-double record in 10 years? He got the record, but he has a reputation for being a major choke artist in the playoffs, and there are so many flaws with his game, primarily that he is a major ball hog and don't get his team mates involved on the court. James Harden, Durant and Curry also come to mind; the argument is "yeah they're good, but they have flaws" - just look at how bad Harden is in the playoffs. Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony also put up god-like stats and have crazy high basketball IQ, but are they Hall of Fame type players worth going after? 

I'm not so sure going after superstars is really worth it. I think the Lakers would be better off avoiding Paul George and sticking to this young core they've got. When you look at teams like Golden State, San Antonio, and even to a lesser extent; Cleveland, there is depth there from experience in building up around team work. Even the Cavs have done this with their role players like Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith. This past year, the Miami Heat had the 5th ranked defense, and they don't have a single star on that team with Wade gone. Just throwing away a young core like L.A. has for some star power, I think is a big mistake.