The Timberwolves, who hold the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft, met with potential top pick LaMelo Ball on Tuesday in Southern California, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
While the meeting provided the Timberwolves – including president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and head coach Ryan Saunders – an opportunity to interview Ball in person, no basketball activities were conducted as part of the visit, a source tells Givony.
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Ball confirmed earlier this month that he conducted virtual interviews earlier this year with the Warriors and Knicks. However, his Tuesday meeting with the Timberwolves is the first time he has met with a club in person, per Givony.
According to Givony, Ball is also tentatively scheduled to interview in person with the Warriors early next week, and will likely meet with the Hornets and Bulls as well. Those clubs hold the second, third, and fourth overall picks in the 2020 draft.
The NBA recently allowed teams to conduct in-person visits with draft-eligible prospects, after having prohibited such meetings for most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams are allowed to conduct a total of 10 meetings.
Although a number of clubs are getting a chance to work out prospects during those meetings, it’s not unusual for presumed top picks like Ball to decline to work out, Givony notes. Still, the Wolves and the other teams at the top of the draft are probably disappointed not to get an in-person look at Ball, since he hasn’t played in a competitive game since November 30, 2019, having been sidelined with a foot injury for much of Australia’s NBL season.
Knicks fall in love with Ball?
Trade 8 and 2 Mavs picks
Strange. Lots of guys in this draft have missing lines on their resume (injury, grades/eligibility, abbreviated season, etc.). You’d think a guy like him would be dying to give a private workout to the team holding #1. Teams can factor in the layoff. He’s either been well scouted by the Wolves (at one point they were quite good an international scouting) and they are sold on him as worthy of #1, or he’s trying not to be picked by them. Or he’s just being his father’s son.
After his father Lavar was outspoken and critical of Luke Walton, I’m not seeing Steve Kerr being on board with drafting Lamelo, if he is still on the Board at the 2nd pick. Kerr and Walton are best buds so him and Lavar could be a toxic partnership. Rather have James Wiseman become the Warriors draft pick anyways.
Well Kerr will tell Lavar to shut up or be banned and the warriors players would have his back in doing they don’t want that cancer. Even if he fell to 2 the warriors aren’t taking him
Kerr could care less what Lavar said/thinks. He will just tell him to shut up like the rest of the NBA.
Knicks have no idea to trade up or down
Hesitate？
It would just be funny to see Mr Big Baller have his two kids in two of smaller markets in the NBA. Maybe Lavar can start marketing BBB overalls.
Good news is, Lavar has mostly disappeared from the scene, as has BBB. I think Melo should be thankful that Lonzo had to go first in dealing with their overbearing father in the public eye.
With lessons learned, I don’t think Melo will have the perceived baggage of Lavar that Lonzo had.
It seems to me that with the Malik Beasley situation that the Wolves now are locked in on Lamelo Ball. Seems like a no-brainer.
From what I read, LaMelo flopped in his interview with the Wolves. Like massively flopped. Depending on how reliable the report is, I don’t think there is any way at all Minnesota picks him. And since they have the #1 pick, I don’t think this is a smoke screen, unless they are doing it to scare the Hornets into trading up for Wiseman so they can get Edwards or Ball at 3.
I don’t think Ball is a legitimate 1:1 in any draft. Too many off court red flags. His on court game….well, it would be great if this were the And1 mixtape tour. But this is the NBA, and he is headed for a career as a poor man’s Jason Williams. Flashy passer with limited shooting ability and barely any defensive value. At least Lamelo is 6’7 so he can matchup with real NBA guards. I’m just not convinced Ball is a lock…by any means.
No one in this draft is a lock, that’s why everyone calls it weak. Every prospect at the top has warts. A lot of them will end up as toads, but one or two will eventually become princes. The problem is that when there are only 2 princes in a tank full of frogs, you have a much better chance of kissing Kermit than getting what you want.
If you were Rosas and had zero trade offers for the #1 overall, who would you take?
I’m hoping Ball goes first, Wiseman second and the Hornets can land Edwards at the three spot. I know Edwards’ game isn’t perfect, but he’s the guy I like the most of the three.
I would like to see Wiseman play alongside Towns…like Duncan and Robinson. But I don’t James sees it that way.
Whoever is chosen by the Timberpuppies,
Or whoever is traded for,
Or whatever picks are traded for,
The transaction will be a FLOP.
This franchise is CURSED.
They are most in need of an EXORCIST !!
sure he has been advised to want to be skipped by MIN where the brash Balls would not fit in a community so divided, the council schemes to defund their own police. Hate to go political but having typed “the brash Balls”, it stays! Also of course MIN is historically poorly run; and Rossas has been impatient turning over the roster; and he already has a guard who will want his way with the ball.
Predict: if MIN picks Ball, him & Russell will trade possessions as lead guard; but Ball will continue de-marketing himself to them.
I predict MIN will not take Ball #1 overall. More likely they take Edwards at #1 or trade down to try for Toppin or Okoro, or a number of guys that would be a better fit than Ball.