Lorenzo Mata-Real-istic

by Achilles on Jul 15, 2008 1:00 PM PDT in Basketball Comment 8 comments

Brad Turner of the Riverside Press Enterprise (he is the long time Lakers beat reporter for the RPE) has a story this morning on Lorenzo Mata-Real. LoMaRe is playing this summer for the Lakers summer league team. (The story is also about former USC player Davon Jefferson, also with the Lakers this summer.)

But it's a long way from the Lakers crowded summer league roster (if you watch the games, it looks like they've got 20 players on the bench) to the regular season roster.

And LoMaRe knows it:

"I'm just trying to compete out here and see what happens," Mata-Real said recently. "My agent set it up all for me. When he said it was the Lakers, that's my team. I'm just grateful for the opportunity."

And:

"If I had gotten drafted, it would be a blessing," he said. "I'm going to continue to work hard. I'll just take the hard road in. Hopefully it pays off."

Mata-Real remains realistic about his chances of playing in the NBA.

"I'm thinking about playing in Europe somewhere," he said. "I think Spain would be my first option because of my Spanish blood. I'll know the language."

That sounds about right. LoMaRe has a long way to go as a basketball player and if he got an offer from a top Spanish team it would be great. The Spanish League is one of Europe's better opportunities and even if he never made it back to the states and the NBA, he could make a nice living as a basketball player. I could think of worse places to live than say, Barcelona.

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Lo,

I don’t care who you play for-—and I know you will be pIaying—-I will always cheer for you with great pride.

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Jul 15, 2008 2:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Lakers Summer League

Good luck to Mata-Real, he seems like a hard worker and deserves to make it on to an NBA roster. Davon, however, is another story. I have heard that he been late to practices/meetings and even missed a film session. To bad he doesn’t seize the opportunity he’s been given like Mata-Real has.

by Laughing Stock on Jul 15, 2008 11:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's too bad about Davon

I would have thought after the shock (to him) of not being drafted at all, that it would provide him the incentive needed to “fly straight”. No one doubts he has talent, and it’s really a shame that his mind is ruining things for his body.

by Tydides on Jul 16, 2008 7:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

....there is a reason he’s often referred to as Duh-von.

by norcald503 on Jul 17, 2008 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Can't Help It...

..I feel kind of sorry for Davon. I felt that he was often a bigger threat on the floor than Mayo when there was good defensive pressure. He received virtually no discipline or development, and now he is nearly “washed up” at 21. He’s sacrificed an opportunity to receive a post- high school education, and he seemingly has had no idea how to take the next step.

Who is this kid’s agent, anyway?

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Jul 17, 2008 8:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're more forgiving than I am, Bruingirl

I think young Mr. Jefferson got seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. No one with whose synapses are firing above the level of a sponge could be unaware of the situation at justsc. Sure, none of the athletes have to worry about that pesky “school” business. They all get a nice paycheck courtesy of the trOJan family of boosters. But he had to know that he would not be getting an education from anyone without Howland-esque qualities at that place.

He made a bad choice, which was compounded by his inflated sense of ego. (Nothing wrong there – I think every big-time D-1 athlete (or at least most of them) have to think they can succeed every time in order to have the right mind-set simply to be able to compete.)) He chose the easy way, which was obviously not the best way. Now he’s on the outside looking in.

But he’s 21. If he grows up a little (mentally, not physically), and puts in the work that his game obviously needs, then maybe he can get good enough to get into the NBA.

Do I feel sympathy for him? Not really. It’s not like he made a choice on the spur of the moment to commit a crime, or to start taking drugs, or something like that. He chose to get into a b-ball program that he really and truly should have known would not prepare him for major league basketball.

One more thing. I give you a chance rto revise your statement to the effect that he “sacrificed an opportunity to receive a post-high school education.” One hundred per cent of the kids (athletes and non-athletes) make that sacrifice when they take daddy’s check for a zillion dollars and decide to join the trOJan family. Jefferson sacrificed his opportunity to go to college when he opted to go to justsc, not when he opted to drop out of that place.

As I said, you’re more forgiving than I am. And I’m less forgiving when it comes to trOJies.

by Fox 71 on Jul 18, 2008 8:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bad editing job

My fingers and brain were not operating on the same wave length. Just disregard the parts that don’t make sense. (Which may mean skipping the whole thing.)

by Fox 71 on Jul 18, 2008 8:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fox,

The thing is, there are lots of crappy schools out there, but, to some extent, they all offer an opportunity to learn something more than you already know—even ‘SC. We were lucky enough to attend the greatest university on the planet, but almost any education is better than no education.

I don’t know too much about Davon’s personal history, ( a 21-year-old freshman), but I’m guessing that he couldn’t have attended ‘SC without the BBall ride. I’m also guessing that UCLA probably didn’t make him an offer, and he probably couldn’t have gotten in, anyway. It’s no guess at all that the kid wasn’t going to school to do anything other than play college basketball . All of these things are true. But he has some talent, and ‘SC wanted that.

Maybe I’m just looking for one more black mark against Tim Floyd—whom I personally believe is a lousy coach as well as being a lying, cowardly cockroach. He could have at least given the kid some decent advice (“stay one more year,”) and some realistic support. Floyd knew how old this kid when he came in, he knew he hadn’t grown up in the greatest environment, he knew he was no “scholar,” and he knew he was no Michael Beasley. How damned hard would it have been to encourage a little work ethic in him, give him some realistic expectations for his game, teach him something he could use? (Maybe I’m just sick and tired of he and his Trojie brethren thinking it’s their God-given right to constantly treat people like fodder.)

21 is pretty old to be a college freshman, but it’s awfully young to be tossed out like garbage.

Love My Bruins

Idea: If the NCAA ever gets around to actually yanking some of USC’s athletic scholarships, (unlikely, I know), what if they had to provide them , instead, to underpriveleged kids who don’t excel in sports, but who have an aptitude for math, or writing, or some other academic pursuit. Kids who will never have an opportunity to go to college otherwise, from high schools that just aren’t going to land them those rare and valuable academic scholarships. Why not?

by Bruingirl83 on Jul 18, 2008 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs