LaMelo Ball may or may not have bought his old team, the Illawarra Hawks. His manager says that he has, the league says that the deal is not yet complete. Andrew Bogut already part owns the Sydney Kings. Zach Randolph, Al Harrington, and Josh Childress already part own the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
What a nightmare for the team that drafts him. Old man Ball will be their back seat driver barking and trumping fake news.
All great players, in some form or fashion, use basketball as a gateway to greater fame. LaMelo might be the first to run that equation in reverse. "I feel like one of a kind, the first one to take this whole route I did," LaMelo says. "I definitely feel like I'm a trailblazer." https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/29687839/the-mystery-lamelo-ball
There are two very solid picks in that top 10 that i would go with but it's hard to argue against a 7+ footer in Wiseman. The other two are Jaden McDaniels and Deni Avdija. Reports on Ball are good but he is not gonna bring much defense. Been saying it for a long time. You got to take the best pick available. Picking for position never seems to work out well.
scouts seem to have concerns about mcdaniels especially concerning the 6 technical fouls and 8 disqualifications in the shortened season. red flags about body language/attitude. turnovers on nearly one in five possessions. needs the right team/culture/coaching.
"maligned at times for his work ethic and lack of focus" Why would anybody consider drafting a guy like that at #1?