Lazar

[77ncaachamps]

was waived today.

That is all.

[Markusquette]

That was a short stint.  Was he talking to the spirits in the locker room too often?

[AZWarrior]

That was a short stint.  Was he talking to the spirits in the locker room too often?

Too loudly.  The other player's thought it rude.  Evidently the spirits were being critical of the team's performance.   

[westcoastwarrior]

He...plus a bunch of other players close to getting guaranteed contacts.  I bet Lazar picks up a 10-day contract somewhere else...or Back to the Lakes NBAD team.

[bamamarquettefan]

Hey, even if this is it he will be a "former NBA player" for the rest of his life.  Butch Lee lasted less than 100 NBA games,  and Bo Ellis less than 200.

It's brutal at that level, and just making it is a huge accomplishment that the vast majority of good and even great college players wish happened to them.

[Marqevans]

I think Lazar coming out of the "spiritual closet" is going to hurt his chances.

[MerrittsMustache]

I think Lazar coming out of the "spiritual closet" is going to hurt his chances.

That will be a complete non-factor. If he can play, he'll find a spot.

For a lot of the marginal NBA players like Lazar, it's a matter of finding a good fit and getting a chance. Steve Novak is a perfect example. He's on his fifth NBA team in 6 seasons and prior to last season, he'd never averaged more than 16.4 minutes per game. Now he's getting 24 minutes a game and is a key contributor for one of the top teams in the East. The problem is that not everyone gets that chance.

[GGGG]

It also helps that Novak is really, really good at a specific skill.

But yeah, with all the knuckleheads in the NBA, Lazar talking to ghosts is a pretty tame thing.

[brewcity77]

It also helps that Novak is really, really good at a specific skill.

But yeah, with all the knuckleheads in the NBA, Lazar talking to ghosts is a pretty tame thing.

+1

I always thought Novak had a good chance to eventually catch on because he is one of the best three-point shooters on the planet and with his height it is very difficult to disrupt his shot. He may not do much else, but when you're that good at something NBA GMs covet, you have a much better shot to stick.

Lazar's skillset just isn't as ideal at this level. He's good at a number of things, but not really great at anything. If he were 6'10", he could get by like that, but at 6'5" it's a different story. I really hope he catches on somewhere else, but have a feeling he probably won't play much more than 100 NBA games in his career.

He might be better off plying his trade in Europe. Over there he could be a star, much how Dwight Buycks and Dominic James have become for their teams. Here he'll always be a 10th or 11th man.

[real chili 83]

+1

I always thought Novak had a good chance to eventually catch on because he is one of the best three-point shooters on the planet and with his height it is very difficult to disrupt his shot. He may not do much else, but when you're that good at something NBA GMs covet, you have a much better shot to stick.

Lazar's skillset just isn't as ideal at this level. He's good at a number of things, but not really great at anything. If he were 6'10", he could get by like that, but at 6'5" it's a different story. I really hope he catches on somewhere else, but have a feeling he probably won't play much more than 100 NBA games in his career.

He might be better off plying his trade in Europe. Over there he could be a star, much how Dwight Buycks and Dominic James have become for their teams. Here he'll always be a 10th or 11th man.

If he can go to Europe and make a kabillion dollars a year, good for him.  Just as long as it's not on a team in France. 

[GOO]

I think Europe would be a good destination for Lazar at some point. Give it until next year, and if he doesn't hook on with an NBA team, head to Europe and save some money.

With the talking to dead people thing, I hope he doesn't have some serious issues.  He was a really nice humble guy from my interactions with him.

[jaygall31]

I agree, Europe would be an excellent choice for Zar.

And like stated above, can't compare Zar and Novak.

Novak is a top 3 or 4 three point shooter in the NBA. And that's saying a lot.

We all saw it when he was in Milwaukee.

Don't wanna sound like I'm Zar bashing here, he's one of my favorite 4 year MU players.

[MerrittsMustache]

I wasn't making a straight comparison of Lazar to Novak. I was using Novak as an example of a borderline NBA player who needed to find a good fit and get a chance.

There have been other guys who fit that bill too. Jamario Moon made his NBA debut at age 27 and has started 157 games since then. Anthony Johnson had a nice rookie season but then bounced around the league until finding a role on Indiana at age 27. Tony Massenburg played for 4 teams, was out of the NBA for a couple years and then came back and played until age 37. Earl Boykins was on his 6th team before he started getting significant minutes. Eddie House bounced around the league and finally found his niche as a bench scorer for a champion. The Spurs were Jaren Jackson's 8th team in 8 seasons and he ended up being a part-time starter on a champion.

Like I said, it's all about finding the right fit and taking advantage of the opportunity.

[MU82]

What Sultan and brew said.

Novak has one skill that he does better than most to compensate for his shortcomings.

Neither Lazar nor DJO can say that.

There is no shame in being an outstanding college basketball player who isn't good enough to be counted among the best players in the world.

[westcoastwarrior]

Twolves resign Lazar to a Gatorade 10 day contract.  Wonder how much Gatorade paid to have their named tied to that?

He also played in the loss to Oklahoma tonight.