I’m kinda-sorta super excited to get to that weird Pelicans-Wizards trade, but I was taught that you gotta do the things you have to do to do the things you want to do. I’m pretty sure that was what Russell Crowe’s squire told him in Gladiator, so you know the sourcing is good here.
In that regard, we’ll first have to chime in on this kinda weird-in-its-own-right type of trade between the Bulls and Cavaliers, with the Cavs netting one of the Ball brothers (I’m sure that’s not what they’re referred to) in Lonzo Ball and the Bulls getting Isaac Okoro in the their forever quest to be that one dude who’s mediocre in Mad Max (The Fury Road one. The road has much furiosity…) Lotta movie references with this one already, I know.
Okay, so we kinda know what we’re getting with Ball, and that’s a robust spread of stats, all built on the strong foundation of one single knee. At least one, right? Right. Averaging a smattering of this and that (nearly 8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists) which carries with it some sort of value to some sort of league somewhere. But for what it’s worth, while an interesting move for all involved, the Cavs now have some guard depth who can play-make. An okay depth piece to have, Ball can’t really hurt you on the bench, but certainly can help certain weeks and certain match-ups.
I do kinda like Isaac Okoro as a Bull, if only because he seems exactly the type of players the Bulls really crave, and that’s a fringe-something that does a few things okay-ish. Yeah, that’s a long way of saying average to below-average contributor, but he certainly get a bit of a longer leash than Kenny Atkinson gave, so there’s that.
Look, it’s been five years since he was selected number 5 overall and is coming off a season where he went 6/2/1 basically. I think he can improve on that if give the minutes, and if of course, stays healthy (Okoro does have some injury issues himself), bringing some value in minimal situations, but someone to keep an eye on just in case they respond to receiving more playing time, if that indeed is possible here, which I think that it is.
So the final thoughts are basically it was a fringe trade for fringe players that will most likely have fringe results. FRINNNNGE.
Until next time!
