Some Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery and the New Lakers Coach

Before I get into movies and TV the next 2 days, I’ve got 2 more basketball things I want to touch on today.

First, I want to talk about the NBA lottery last night.

The NBA won last night. More clearly, the commissioner, and the new flat odds rule won last night. The Knicks, Cavs and Suns tanked all year. The Lakers, when they realized their season was over, tried to tank. The Hawks, while fun to watch, didn’t win too many games. Despite all this, the Pelicans got the first pick, and Memphis got the second pick. The Knicks and Lakers finished out the top 4, but neither got the pick they were hoping for. The Pelicans now hold every single advantage in the whole AD thing now. They can ask for a kings ransom to any team trying to get AD, or a team that may want presumed number one pick, Zion Williamson. This was the absolute best thing that could’ve happened to New Orleans, David Griffin and Alvin Gentry. They don’t have to tear it all down now. They can get a tremendous package now, stay relevant and get back in the playoff picture ASAP. Also, I don’t think this was rigged at all. If it was rigged, the Knicks or Lakers would’ve gotten the number one pick. The fact that neither is in the top 2, of a seemingly 2 player draft, speaks volumes to the possibility of this lottery being rigged. I think it’s hilarious that some think it was fixed. I don’t think the NBA was begging for Zion to go to New Orleans. That’s nonsense. Anyway, congrats New Orleans. You not only won the draft lottery, you regained, and added, a ton of power in the AD saga. Hilarious.

Secondly, I want to talk about this whole Frank Vogel being named the new head coach of the Lakers. I mean, what the hell? This is absolutely absurd. This is a consolation “prize”, after Monty Williams took the Phoenix job and Ty Lue walked away. Frank Vogel was an okay coach when he was in Indiana, but basketball was much different back then. Roy Hibbert was an all star and a guy you needed on the floor. He’d be unplayable in the modern NBA. After getting fired from Indiana he took the Orlando job, and boy oh boy was their team not very good. He didn’t work well with the young talent, and they let him go after only three years. And when you look at the Pacers and Magic now, they’re both better off. They’re both playoff teams. Hell, the Pacers fought for homecourt in the first round until Victor Oladipo got hurt. Frank Vogel is an okay coach, but not worthy of coaching a team LeBron is on.

Which brings me to my next point. The fact that Jason Kidd is the lead assistant is very prophetic for who will be the head coach by Christmas Day. This is almost exactly what happened in Cleveland when LeBron came back. David Blatt was hired before he decided to come back, took them to the Finals, then the next season Ty Lue was named lead assistant, and 20 games into the year, he was the new head coach. LeBron may not be saying anything about this hire right now, but a few months into the year, if the Lakers are still struggling, LeBron will say some stuff to the media, and within a week Kidd will be the new head coach. It’s so easy to see this in the tea leaves. Vogel is a scapegoat. He’s a figurehead. Since James signed with LA, Jason Kidd’s name has come up for head coach a bunch. It is clear that he, Maverick Carter and Klutch Sports are running this Lakers team. That’s what LeBron does. Teams that sign him should know that the moment they sign him, he’s in control. Much like the lottery, the Frank Vogel hire is hilarious to me. He’ll last one full season if he’s lucky. Honestly though, I think he’s gone before Christmas, and Kidd is introduced as the head coach. And I think both LeBron and the Lakers will seriously regret it in about 2 years.

This has been a wild few days in the NBA. But, it’s also been fun to watch since I have no rooting interest in most of the teams I mentioned today. Gosh, the NBA is so much fun. 

Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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