JellosJigglin wrote:Pels are now my 2nd favorite team in the league. I grew a bit attached to these young guys over the years and went to bat for them against the haters. Watching them develop was both a frustrating exercise in patience

and a dad-like sense of pride

. I know this last season playing with Lebron took a toll on them and they're probably relieved to get a fresh start. Most of you have no clue how good they really are. The Lakers overpaid but that's what it takes to get a player like AD.
Pelicans fans, trust me when I say this but you don't realize how lucky you are. Lonzo is a quiet, humble, unselfish dude. He plays winning, unselfish basketball and doesn't give 2 **** about his numbers. He's going to be a perennial all-defensive player. I've always called him the Draymond Green of point guards. He isn't your protoypical PG who handles the ball, but a ball-mover who plays hot potato and allows your stars to shine. He's the rising tide that lifts all boats. He's a straight up maestro in the open court. The noise surrounding him is literally all Lavar and he's just a clown with no real power.
Ingram has a Kawhi-like personality in that he's quiet off-court but his game is all business. He was the only player who was unaffected by all the trade rumors. In fact he stepped up and played like an all-star
(27/6/6 in the last ~14 games before injury on high efficiency). His defense also looked elite at times. See the highlights when he switched onto Kyrie. I'm willing to bet he's going to be the better player between Tatum. It hurts to lose him.
Hart is a big-time role player. I used to call him "the wall" because he'd switch onto a big man in the paint and they had no chance of backing him down. It was hilarious to watch them when they thought they could take advantage of a smaller player. See David West's comments about how he knew it was time to retire when he couldn't back down Hart. We affectionately called him Josh Barkley on Lakersground because he's a fantastic rebounder for a guard. He will give you 40% shooting from 3. That's what he shot last season and this season up until late December when he had a knee issue. His shooting tanked after that. I'm confident after a summer of rehabbing he'll be one of the best 3/D players in the league. Similar game to Danny Green, except his perimeter defense is bad and his post defense is excellent.
Of course, this is all without mentioning the picks. Damn, I'm really going to miss those guys and will be rooting for them. Now that they're no longer wearing Laker jerseys people will really start to appreciate their talents more. Pels have a bright future. I don't like the games their front office played but the players have nothing to do with that. I think the Pels have the best young team in the NBA and they're going to be fun as hell to watch with Lonzo pushing the tempo. Congrats and good luck to you guys.