Lonzo Ball’s draft stock stays strong
LOS ANGELES — By now the entire basketball world knows Lonzo Ball is a singular talent with a unique parent.
The UCLA product with preternatural court vision is among the most intriguing prospects in the NBA draft this week. In perhaps the greatest testament to his abilities, his father LaVar Ball’s bombast and $495 shoes and racially insensitive comments don’t appear to be scaring off the Los Angeles Lakers or any other team that believes Lonzo could be the next great point guard.
Because of his headline-magnet father, Ball’s celebrity has already outpaced his talents before he plays his first professional game. Yet ever since his days leading the Big Ballers AAU team set up by his dad, Lonzo has shown nothing but maturity and calm in the face of LaVar’s audacious approaches to hoops, parenting and the business of sports.
“I think it definitely doesn’t help,” Ball said of his father’s notoriety. “Definitely makes it a little bit harder. But any good player is going to have attention on him at all times, and I’m pretty used to it by now.”
Ball’s mental steadiness is another big reason he’s almost certain to be a top-three pick on Thursday. Ever since the Lakers got the No. 2 choice in the lottery last month, most draft observers have believed Ball will wear a gold jersey in the fall, completing a serendipitous match of player and team.
76ers get No. 1 pick, chance to draft Fultz
History will say the Boston Celtics passed on the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, not only trading it away but doing so in a deal with one of the team’s fiercest rivals. Danny Ainge isn’t worried. Philadelphia and Boston completed their trade of draft picks on Monday, the 76ers acquiring the No. 1 pick from the Celtics and netting the chance to draft Washington guard Markelle Fultz. The Celtics moved down two spots to No. 3 and picked up another first-round selection in either 2018 or 2019 — with Ainge saying the deal came at no cost to Boston whatsoever.
“We’re getting the player we want. They’re getting the player they want,” said Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. “And we’re getting an additional player that we want in next year’s draft or the year after. It’s a good deal for both teams.”
The player Philadelphia wants is clear: The 76ers wouldn’t say it Monday, but they’re going to take Fultz barring something cataclysmic happening before Thursday.
“We felt like the move from 3 to 1 was worth the cost of a firstround pick in the future,” 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said.
Cavs GM’s future remains cloudy
CLEVELAND — Dethroned last week as NBA champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers are stepping into a summer already off to a strange start.
With the draft just days away, and major roster decisions — maybe even a blockbuster trade for Paul George — needing to be made, the Cavaliers aren’t certain who will be calling the shots going forward as they attempt to close the gap on the Golden State Warriors.
General manager David Griffin’s contract expires June 30, and it remains unclear if he will stay with the organization he guided to its first championship and three straight NBA Finals. Griffin has been Cleveland’s full-time GM for three years, promoted from vice president of basketball operations in May 2014 after serving on an interim basis for three months when Chris Grant was fired.
Under Griffin, and since LeBron James returned, the Cavaliers have enjoyed the best run in franchise history.
There’s no guarantee it will continue.
While owner Dan Gilbert values Griffin and his leadership, the billionaire businessman is hands-on with his basketball team and has shown a willingness to keep his line of executives moving. Griffin is the fourth GM to work for Gilbert since 2005.
Griffin and Gilbert met last week — after the Cavaliers were beaten in five games by the Warriors — to review the season and discuss their future together. And at this point, there is no indication their partnership will last.
Jerry West joins Clippers as a consultant
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — Hall of Famer Jerry West, fresh off helping the Golden State Warriors win another NBA championship, is now officially a consultant with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The former longtime Lakers player and front office executive credited Clippers coach Doc Rivers, executive vice president Lawrence Frank and owner Steve Ballmer with convincing him the other team in town was the right fit.
West called leaving Golden State one of the “saddest days of his life” because he thought he might be done. West had been with the Warriors since 2011 and the team has won two NBA titles during his time in the Bay Area.
The Clippers found a need for his help, and he found a new challenge. The Clippers have yet to win an NBA championship or advance to the Western Conference Finals
Warriors’ Kerr to pursue health care answers
OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will be given time throughout the summer to explore medical options that could alleviate the symptoms he still experiences nearly two years after a spinal fluid leak from back surgery.
General manager Bob Myers said Monday that Kerr would have time off as needed to find more options to better his longterm health, and Kerr said he would be traveling to do so. The GM said: “I think at the point we’re at now, it’s what makes you 5-10-15 percent better? And that’s what he’s going to pursue and explore with our blessing.”
The 51-year-old Kerr returned from a six-week absence for Game 2 of the NBA Finals and coached the rest of the way as Golden State won its second championship in three seasons. He stepped away after Game 2 against Portland in the first round of the playoffs.