The Los Angeles Lakers are in year two of what will be a very lengthy re-build. L.A. might not even be done with the tear down component of the cumulative makeover project yet. Lakers fan have to brace themselves for the fact that next year could also be a very long year. Hopefully, it should be better than this season has been, but it’s going to be awhile before The Lake Show is center stage again. The L.A. Lakers need pieces.
They don’t have many building blocks right now.
How about a front line featuring Frank the Tank? If Frank Kaminsky were to move from Madison to La-la land, how would that work out?
Lakerholicz asked me to participate in their NBA Draft prospect profile e-Book. It details the vital info, measurables, scouting etc. on the biggest college basketball stars with the best NBA Draft stock in this year’s class. i chose the Wisconsin Center. If you go to this link, you can read up on how all the blue chippers would fit with the Lakers: Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, Stanley Johnson, Kelly Oubre, Willie Cauley-Stein, D’Angelo Russell and more.
Here’s a portion of the Frank Kaminsky part, and the link to the entire e-book.
The Lakers have a lot of needs, and bigs are certainly at the top of the list.
Kaminsky can step out to some extent, but he’s a true center at the next level. He’s de?nitely shown guard skills at the collegiate level, as well as the ability to guard 3s, 4s, and 5s. At the next level, and particularly with the Lakers, he wouldn’t have to display a backcourt skill set, nor guard players out on the wing. Kaminsky is a true center, and that’s where he would ?t best in L.A.
Kaminsky, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and the overwhelming favorite to sweep all the national player of the year awards is the proverbial “late bloomer.” When he scored 43 points in a pre conference game his junior season, we were all like “who?” Kaminsky wasn’t on anybody’s radar when he was being recruited, nor during his ?rst two years in school. When was asked about Kaminsky’s development, Bo Ryan gave a humorous and playful response.
“I don’t know if people in the Chicago area were saying Frank was that good when he was in high school, who were you hanging around with?” he said. “Frank said he was good.
“No, he was developing. He was developing in a very nice way, maturing. He’s grown in a lot of ways.”
Kaminsky was definitely not Kaminsky when he first got to Madison, and it’s possible he’ll continue a positive trajectory in the NBA. Whichever team selects him could see that the best of him is yet to come. He certainly hails from a region that’s known for talent.
“So many good players across the board have come out of this area and there will continue to be good players,” said Kaminsky about all the talent in the Chicagoland region.
Kaminsky has a great game, but an even greater personality. He gives great soundbites and he writes even greater blogs. He said that he developed his goofy side as a child because, due to his being so gangly and so tall, he had to do something to ?t in. He’ll bring personality to the locker room and make good copy for the media.
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Frank Kaminsky was named a finalist for the 2015 John R. Wooden Award, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Monday.
Just the third preseason AP All-American in school history, Kaminsky validated the early accolades and currently leads the Badgers in points (18.7), rebounds (8.0), assists (99), blocks (54), field goal percentage (.549) and 3-point field goal percentage (.415).
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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