re: Lonzo Ball is likely back tonight

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I don't disagree but you know darn well it'll be talked about way too much and some dudes will go way overboard on the normal athlete hate and go way too far.

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I know, but most level headed posters don't go that far. you just have to ignore the craziness.

I mean shite, ive been on the Bonzo hate train from day 1. The first post i made when the trade was completed was "welcome BI and Hart to the team, Bonzo better be going to a third team"
But despite my hate, i have always pointed out the good things he does, and i have always said that i still see the potential in him to be a good quality nba player. He just needs to mature more and recognize what he's good at, and what he's not, and when he does that, he'll be a positive on the court for whatever team he plays for. Most of the reasons he isnt' good, is his own fault. He's lazy at times and he makes stupid offensive decisions that are easily avoidable.

Something i saw this year that i think finally put the nail in the coffin for me that i absolutely don't want him anymore no matter what was a play where he poked the ball away from the defender, ball goes into the back court and he's chasing after it with the offensive guy. He's right with the offensive guy and instead of diving for the ball, which i bet you any money Kira or NAW would have, and would have gotten it, he just let up and let the offensive guy pick it up. I mean the offensive guy even turned to pick it up, giving him the perfect alley to dive for the ball, but i know that Bonzo will never dive on the floor for a ball like that, and i don't want guys on our team that aren't willing to do things like that. You could go down the roster and I'd expect everyone to have dived for that ball, but i guarantee you Bonzo didn't even think twice about not doing it. He's too cool for that.

Who needs a guard? Could we take a 1st from the Cavs for Porter and then cut Porter?

Maybe the Knicks for Bullock?

Maybe the Hornets for Monk but you have the same guard problem.

Maybe the Magic for Aminu but that would put them in the tax so not sure they want to do that.


Ideally you move him with Melli to somehow get a buy like Bjelica (who I don't think played against us the other night)

I really just don't know where we can send him.

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How y'all feel about this?

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Ideally you move him with Melli to somehow get a buy like Bjelica (who I don't think played against us the other night)

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he hasn't played much this year, and the little bit he has, he's been terrible.

Aminu is not the answer. that would be a worthless trade. I wouldn't mind getting back Aaron Gordon or Terrance Ross.

The Knicks don't want Bonzo and his enormous cap hold. That would put a big dent in their available cap space for FA next offseason.

If we are trading with the Hornets, its should be for anyone of Graham, Rozier, or PJ Washington, and the way Rozier is playing, i doubt they'd give him up for Bonzo. He's been shooting lights out from 3, and he gets that shot off quick.

Ideally we need to find a way to send him to the Kings and get back Barnes or Buddy. We need legit 3 point shooting, and both of them would provide that.

Ball upgraded to probable, he's playing

Buddy would do so much for us offensively


also, I bet you Brooklyn would love to get their hands on Bledsoe. They need that defender really bad.

Bledsoe/Redick for Harris/Dinwiddie.
I bet they'd do that, and I'd do it b/c Harris would do the same thing for us that Buddy would.
Could make it really interesting and do
Bledsoe/Redick to Nets
Bonzo/Dinwiddie to Kings
Buddy/Harris to Pels
then you do Melli/2nd to Knicks for Elfrid so Kira isn't the lone PG on the team.

Elfrid/Kira
Buddy/NAW
BI/Hart
Zion/Harris
Adams/Hayes

I hope he plays bad tbh. If he plays well, I don’t see the Pels moving him. And that will either result in an overpay or losing him for nothing in free agency.

Also, I bought a Nickeil Alexander Walker Signed Rookie Card numbered to 18 the other day, so I need him to keep on starting. For whatever reason, NAW is not a guy that plays well when he comes in off the bench.

Lonzo needs to peace out asap and the only way that happens soon is if Lonzo continues to struggle.

I honestly don’t mind Lonzo as a 3 and D type player, but his turnovers, lack of finishing at the rim, and his likely contract demands are what have me concerned.

The knock on the team has been talent not translating to winning. We’ll soon see if they can turn the corner. Season started well until the Pacer debacle that crushed the team’s confidence. They have to be more resilient. Zo, when he plays well, unlocks the teams potential but he’s been way too inconsistent. Zo’s strength is as a distributor and we desperately need to get easier looks for BI and Zion, Doing this while valuing ball security should be his focus.

I’ve settled into my feeling on Lonzo I expressed a few weeks ago, Lonzo is the player equivalent of an early career Marcus Smart: a defensive utility player with a flawed offensive game that you bring off the bench and adjust his minutes on a situational and performance based capacity. If he could be used that way, and more importantly paid that way, I’d be very happy with that type of player. In other words his role is more aligned with a ball handling Josh Hart than as a starting PG.

Problem is he has the ego and expectations of being a starter, so barring a miracle transformation, we need to move him by the deadline and just bite the bullet and put him on the bench and use him in a way that won’t magnify his flaws so much. Maybe give other teams a false sense of him again through limiting his more troubling tendencies with a narrowed role off the bench.

I can understand being down on Zo, but the truth is we are a really good team when he plays well. Maybe Kira or NAW can replicate the effect but they’re still developing. Zion and BI should be getting 50 points between them every game but it’s been an uphill battle because they have to work too hard to generate their offense. Teams basically key 3 on the two of them. Some of that is spacing but a lot has to do with point defense and distribution skills something he’s shown to be good at.