The Lakers Want Everyone To Think That Jahlil Okafor Can Be One Of The Greatest Lakers Of All Time

BSO- We spoke with a high ranking source in the Lakers organization who tells us the team put Jahlil through an up close and personal workout this morning — just like they did with Kobe back in ’96 — and the 19-year-old was nothing short of spectacular.

“Just off what we saw out of today’s workouts, Jahlil has the potential to not just be one of the best big men in the league but one of the best to put on a Lakers jersey.”

In fact … we’re told that the team is so enamored  with Okafor that they plan to have reps spend the entire day with him … culminating with a wine and dine sesh at a fancy L.A. restaurant later tonight.


Well, I learned one thing from that little Okafor dick sucking session. The Lakers definitely want Karl Anthony Towns. I know the Minnesota Timberwolves don't have a solid track record of having the keenest eye on draft, but if I, as a casual fan, can see through this smokescreen then they certainly can too. I'm not a huge poker player, but I'm pretty sure this is a vintage example of overplaying your hand. It's like when you are trying to make a trade in fantasy football and you keep including  the player that had a career game for you the week prior. However, Okafor's '4 touchdown game' was apparently the best pre-draft workout in NBA history. Sorry, but I'm calling bluff. Why else would you put unnecessary pressure on a kid that you want to help turn the franchise's fortunes around? Lakers fans are already expecting the world of him without you mentioning that his ceiling is his own banner hanging from the ceiling. Was the burden of winning in the city of LA not enough weight to put on the kid's shoulders?

Analyze that statement for a second. Think about the talent that has come through those doors. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal. That's an all time, all-NBA team. By saying that Jahlil Okafor has the potential to be one of the greatest Lakers of all time you are saying that he could eventually start in that lineup. I'm not saying that Jahlil Okafor isn't a great player. I'm not saying that the Lakers wouldn't be happy to have him. However, the reality is that he is a few notches below being a surefire NBA superstar. If he had the upside that the Lakers brass claims he does it wouldn't be a secret. He would be the consensus #1 draft pick a la LeBron James. The Lakers wouldn't even be working him out because all that would separate him from Minnesota would be the time remaining until the draft. I respect the attempt, but even a franchise as blind as the Timberwolves can see through that thinly veiled gamesmanship.