Chris Yeh returns to talk the Lakers and the upcoming NBA draft, which should net them Lonzo Ball. We also talk the NBA Finals and some other NBA stories.
Hosts
- Special guest Chris Yeh (@chrisyeh)
- Andres Alvarez (@nerdnumbers)
- Produced by Brian Foster (@boxscorebrian)
Sources
You can watch us live at twitch.tv/nerdnumbers; we usually go Tuesday or Wednesday at 9:30 pm EST. Follow us on Twitter, and we'll keep you posted!
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You can download the show direct here.
Video Show
Show Notes
Chris Yeh
Chris is a Bay Area venture capitalist and New York Times best-selling co-author of The Alliance. He also has another upcoming book coming out in 2018 called Blitzscaling! He's a huge Lakers fan too!
If you like Chris' insights and books, you should check out the Masters of Scale Podcast with Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn, and co-author of the Alliance), which includes interviews with some of the best names in tech (the most recent interview is with Mark Zuckerberg).
Also, Chris Yeh's blog Adventures in Capitalism is great. Sadly the output has dropped since Chris started writing bestselling books.
Lonzo Ball on the Lakers
Dave and Arturo crunched the NCAA Wins Produced numbers, and we've talked some sleepers.
Arturo has posted a poster of college numbers next to DraftExpress' top 100.
We didn't really go in depth on the other Lakers' top prospects, but here are the links to their draft grades
2016 NBA Draft (Brandon Ingram)
2015 NBA Draft (D'Angelo Russell)
We discuss Lonzo Ball's shot release and an ESPN Sports Science on this.
Is it a weakness or strength that Lonzo Ball's shot selection is MoreyBall at 99.9%?
The Lakers were a bad team, but there are some pieces that can shoot from deep, so maybe Lonzo Ball can help out quickly.
We note Markelle Fultz has the "looks like a basketball player" benefit (which Kobe Bryant did as well). Chris compares this to the gender bias in orchestras. I first heard about this in the book "Blink."
I thought we'd discuss the possible issues with LaVar Ball and his relationship with Lonzo. Chris isn't worried in the slighted. In fact, the example is Kobe Bryant's relationship with his father, Joe Bryant. Joe Bryant said he was as good as Magic Johnson and definitely tried to profit off his son's name.
We discuss if Magic Johnson failed as an NBA coach and TV host. Tune in to hear our thoughts!
Chris isn't biting on the stories about the Lakers passing on Ball. After all, the media does need stories to fill headlines until the draft.
The Lakers also have the 28th pick in the draft (from the Lou Williams trade), and Chris hopes they grab Jordan Bell with it.
The Finals
We recorded this show on Friday after game one was in the books. Things look even more dire for the Cavs since then.
We discuss Tristan Thompson's low minutes in game one. Despite poor play, going small is not the way to beat Golden State.
Cool video from FreeDawkins on the Warriors impressive playoffs defense.
Lightning Round
Adam Silver still wants to raise the minimum age for NBA players. We disagree with this of course.
Could Chris Paul end up in San Antonio?
Chris isn't buying David Stern's comment that Mitch Kupchak got cold feet in the Chris Paul trade.
Will the Bucks grab Becky Hammon as their next GM? We're a fan.
I shout out Michelle Wolf's take on the Wonder Woman movie. Also, it turns out everyone on this episode is a big Ryan Reynolds fan! Tune in to hear more.