Joel Embiid tweeted last night, then was deleted.
https://twitter.com/BucketsNBA/status/482028481639743488/photo/1
It is draft day, and there are no credible sources from other teams. Scouts and executives will say anything to have a certain player land to their respective pick. This, though, was a player who may have just leaked out the Lakers’ interest in him.
Blake Griffin didn’t play his first year in the NBA. He played his second year as a rookie. That allowed him to heal, develop his body, and have an impactful rookie season. The Lakers may have high interest in Joel Embiid, as he is the most talented overall prospect of the group, but they need a productive rookie player as well. A year-long wait is too long for Kobe Bryant to wait. A year-long wait is too long for Laker fans to see more wins. There is no doubt though, that Joel Embiid wants to be a Laker.
This isn’t the first time Embiid has shown interest in Los Angeles.
I want to live in LA so bad #beautiful
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 9, 2014
It is a sad state of affairs, when, despite all of the Laker injuries that happened all season last year, they may bet the house on a player who is considered injury-prone and recovering. The Lakers are the type of franchise to shoot for the stars and take high-risk players. When they have drafted conservatively, it didn’t work in their favor. Luke Walton, Brian Cook, and Sasha Vujacic didn’t pan out as well as Leandro Barbosa, Jordan Farmar, and Andrew Bynum. Why is Barbosa’s name there? Ron Harper was his mentor for the summer leading up to the draft. Barbosa had the speed, 3-point shooting ability, and elite point-guard length. He was an excellent contrast to Derek Fisher’s talent. Instead, the Lakers drafted safely in the 1st round, opting for Brian Cook. Barbosa didn’t last into the second round, and had a far more successful career.
Maybe, this is a risk worth taking after all.