The Zach Lavine Problem

[bennjuiced34]

You can make excuses until the cows come home about LaVine's negative rating on the floor, but I'll keep pointing to the fact that right now, he's one dimensional. Until that changes, I doubt a team will be much better with him on the floor if he's the main piece.

He needs to improve defensively and/or develop his playmaking ability.

I'd imagine for him to have a positive net rating, he'd need to score a **** load every game and I don't believe that's how you build a winning team. With LaVine as your best scorer.

Which is why I still believe if those areas of his game don't improve, he's best off the bench where defense/playmaking aren't nearly as important as they are as a starter.

Kid has a lot of potential. But I'm sorry, 3 years of numbers don't lie.

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

[bennjuiced34]

I'm hoping he makes strides on his defense and playmaking abilities. His offensive tools is definitely there. I'm sure he's even more motivated now that he's the alpha-male of the team.

I hope so too because if he does, he has monster potential.

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[kulaz3000]

I know people are worried about Zach's defense, but if he became an elite offensive player without improving his defense, I'll take it. There are plenty elite one-dimensional players who are considers stars in this league currently. Is it ideal? No. But if he makes a jump on the offensive end where he becomes an elite 25 point per game scorer, while being a decent playmaker and defender, I'll still be extremely happy.

[kulaz3000]

There are plenty one-dimensional (players who predominately make an impact only on one side of the floor) players in this league that I'd bet we'd love to have on this team. Harden, Kyrie, Lillard, DeAndre, Lowry, Cousins, LeBron etc. As I said above, it's a matter of how much Zach can improve on the offensive end that makes him a worth while one-dimensional player is the true question, at least for me. Is he capable of becoming such a great offensive player, where we can build a solid defensive team around him to cover his deficiencies, is a lot easier than continuing to dump, trade and draft players waiting for that perfect player who is great on both ends of the floor.

[BullsFTW]

I know people are worried about Zach's defense, but if he became an elite offensive player without improving his defense, I'll take it. There are plenty elite one-dimensional players who are considers stars in this league currently. Is it ideal? No. But if he makes a jump on the offensive end where he becomes an elite 25 point per game scorer, while being a decent playmaker and defender, I'll still be extremely happy.

LaVine will never be a shut down defender, but he has the physical tools to be a respectable one. Kris Dunn will be our ball-hawk and the guy who will guard the opposing team's best backcourt player. That should make life easier for LaVine.

[GimmeDat]

'One trick pony' - if that trick is scoring an efficient 20-25ppg, I think that's definitely a positive for your basketball club.

Yes, he may not impact the game in other areas at a high level, but if he did, he'd be a player on the level of Butler's caliber already. He's an elite scorer, and that brings considerable value.

I think you're going to be let down if you're hoping Zach will be our 'guy', or the next Jimmy, but what he can be is the 2nd or 1B offensive option, which will be perfect, if we can land *our guy* in the next 2 drafts.

[League Circles]

I was just listening to his radio interview from today on ESPN 1000 and he seemed to indicate that he didn't know what Lake Michigan was. That when he saw it he was confused as to whether or not it was the ocean. Most likely a flat earther.

You are doing your best to find the most petty, inconsequential things to criticize. Seriously who gives a flying crap if this guy isn't familiar with Midwest or wasn't thrilled moving to Minnesota after growing up on the West coast?

Well I know he's a hard worker which is good, but if he was serious, this shows profound ignorance and lack of preparedness which aren't good things. It's absurd enough to not know the great lakes by the time you're an adolescent no matter where you are in the U.S., but to be unsure of it in your 20s after you've been to Chicago a number of times is kind of a scary lack of awareness IMO.

[Mattya]

I was just listening to his radio interview from today on ESPN 1000 and he seemed to indicate that he didn't know what Lake Michigan was. That when he saw it he was confused as to whether or not it was the ocean. Most likely a flat earther.

You are doing your best to find the most petty, inconsequential things to criticize. Seriously who gives a flying crap if this guy isn't familiar with Midwest or wasn't thrilled moving to Minnesota after growing up on the West coast?

Well I know he's a hard worker which is good, but if he was serious, this shows profound ignorance and lack of preparedness which aren't good things. It's absurd enough to not know the great lakes by the time you're an adolescent no matter where you are in the U.S., but to be unsure of it in your 20s after you've been to Chicago a number of times is kind of a scary lack of awareness IMO.

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

[League Circles]

You are doing your best to find the most petty, inconsequential things to criticize. Seriously who gives a flying crap if this guy isn't familiar with Midwest or wasn't thrilled moving to Minnesota after growing up on the West coast?

Well I know he's a hard worker which is good, but if he was serious, this shows profound ignorance and lack of preparedness which aren't good things. It's absurd enough to not know the great lakes by the time you're an adolescent no matter where you are in the U.S., but to be unsure of it in your 20s after you've been to Chicago a number of times is kind of a scary lack of awareness IMO.

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

[Mattya]

Well I know he's a hard worker which is good, but if he was serious, this shows profound ignorance and lack of preparedness which aren't good things. It's absurd enough to not know the great lakes by the time you're an adolescent no matter where you are in the U.S., but to be unsure of it in your 20s after you've been to Chicago a number of times is kind of a scary lack of awareness IMO.

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

You don't think there may be people you think you sound dumb or unaware, but you might be really smart in other areas. I would bet there are a lot of players who will say or do things you find dumb, but are still great basketball players. Kevin Garnett couldn't get an SAT or ACT score high enough to be college eligible. Dennis Rodman does some really stupid unware things and he is an all time great basketball player. Charles Barkley says a ton of stupid things that are great for television, but meant nothing toward his basketball skill. Derrick Rose isn't particularly smart. It isn't the dumb players who are unaware of things like general geography or whatever that you should be wary of. It is the players who don't take the game seriously and don't put in the work. Zach LaVine is absolutely a hard worker.

[BullsFTW]

Well I know he's a hard worker which is good, but if he was serious, this shows profound ignorance and lack of preparedness which aren't good things. It's absurd enough to not know the great lakes by the time you're an adolescent no matter where you are in the U.S., but to be unsure of it in your 20s after you've been to Chicago a number of times is kind of a scary lack of awareness IMO.

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

Draymond Green shared his Johnson on Snapchat and he's a world champion and DPOY.

[League Circles]

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

You don't think there may be people you think you sound dumb or unaware, but you might be really smart in other areas. I would bet there are a lot of players who will say or do things you find dumb, but are still great basketball players. Kevin Garnett couldn't get an SAT or ACT score high enough to be college eligible. Dennis Rodman does some really stupid unware things and he is an all time great basketball player. Charles Barkley says a ton of stupid things that are great for television, but meant nothing toward his basketball skill. Derrick Rose isn't particularly smart. It isn't the dumb players who are unaware of things like general geography or whatever that you should be wary of. It is the players who don't take the game seriously and don't put in the work. Zach LaVine is absolutely a hard worker.

I do believe he's a very hard worker and also skilled so I'm hoping that may offset whatever lack of smarts he may possibly have.

[League Circles]

There are plenty of dumb athletes who don't know general unimportant things. I have been to Phoenix a bunch of times and I couldn't tell you pretty much anything about Arizona landmarks. That has nothing to do with my job though. So, if you are implying that this somehow impacts him as a basketball player, then I really don't even know how to respond. I'm guessing when Jimmy Butler was on the court playing for the Bulls he didn't think about Lake Michigan at all.

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

Draymond Green shared his Johnson on Snapchat and he's a world champion and DPOY.

Those aren't awareness issues. They are judgement/personality issues.

It's not like Zach has been heralded as a bright player or as if awareness isn't a desirable trait in basketball.

[BullsFTW]

It's just a sign of a very unaware person. Obviously you don't think about the lake while your playing. But maybe in 20 years of going to school, living life, glancing at maps, and visiting Chicago, a person of normal baseline awareness and curiosity would be pretty conscious of the difference between the great lakes and the ocean, and where Chicago is.

And lack of awareness may not be a good thing for playing winning basketball.

There's also this I just found:

"There is a video of Zach throwing a shoe at his dog's genitals and laughing about it."

Not saying he's necessarily dumb, but these things are eyebrow raising to me.

Draymond Green shared his Johnson on Snapchat and he's a world champion and DPOY.

Those aren't awareness issues. They are judgement/personality issues.

It's not like Zach has been heralded as a bright player or as if awareness isn't a desirable trait in basketball.

I see what you mean. But he is only 22, so hopefully he matures.

[Paxson43]

A 22 year old doing stupid things and laughing about it? Get outta here...

[Evil_Headband]

Anyone else get a chuckle out of how many times LaVine told us he was humble? I think truly humble people don't have to tell you that.

[sco]

Anyone else get a chuckle out of how many times LaVine told us he was humble? I think truly humble people don't have to tell you that.

Yeah, I'm of the mind that NBA players are just mouthpieces for their "brands". I'm sure one of LaVine's brand team saw that Chicago liked Rose's humbleness.

I've learned that guys who say the right things at pressers aren't the guys who are doing the right things on the court.

[Paxson43]

Anyone else get a chuckle out of how many times LaVine told us he was humble? I think truly humble people don't have to tell you that.

Never crossed my mind... seems like a good-hearted kid from what I gathered

[Chi]

I wish people would get off this "He's one dimensional" garbage...

What do you think NBA Champion Steph Curry is? Oh, is he to great to compare? How about NBA Champion Andrew Bogut? Tyson Chandler? Dirk Nowitzki? Andre Iggy? Kyrie Irving? Kevin Love? Dennis Rodman? Ray Allen? Bruce Bowen? Tony Parker? Kendrick Perkins? ("One Dimensional" players who matter come in all shapes, sizes and skill level)

What about MVPs and MVP candidates like Westbrook? Harden? Nash? Iverson?

Joakim Noah, Ben Wallace, Mutumbo, BILL RUSSELL!

The list of extremely valuable "ONE DIMENSIONAL" players as you call them is ridiculous. I wish we could all let go of that thought process.

You don't need a roster full of nothing but 2 way players to succeed... No team has ever had that... And no team probably ever will...

You just need them to collectively cover each others flaws and be great together.

[rtblues]

I was just listening to his radio interview from today on ESPN 1000 and he seemed to indicate that he didn't know what Lake Michigan was. That when he saw it he was confused as to whether or not it was the ocean. Most likely a flat earther.

I heard that and to me it sounded more like he was so impressed by how large the lake was and likening it to the ocean.
Are we doing this all year? Like dissect everything any one of these 19-20 year olds says? I know there's no games and people are bored, but, wow....