"We knew he could handle the pressure of being a Laker and Los Angeles and Hollywood all at the same time", Johnson said.
It's nearly a sure-fire bet that Brady and Rodgers will be playing in the postseason, but we can't quite vouch for Ball and the Lakers.
"We're fine. We want expectations". He's a leader. He treats people the right way. And somebody that can make their teammates better, somebody who has incredible basketball IQ - his IQ is off the charts - and somebody who can get their teammates to follow them and want to get out on that wing like James Worthy and Byron Scott and Michael Cooper used to do back in the day. "I said, OK, we've got our man now". The Lakers figure to be interested in all of them.
"D'Angelo is an excellent player", Johnson explained the trade that shipped out Russell and Timofey Mozgov's handcuffing contract. We know who will be running the offense, and that will be none other than Ball, who carries himself as a leader and, unlike Russell, is considered the consummate point guard.
Ball's performance on the court in his lone season at UCLA was enough for general manager Rob Pelinka to deem him as being a "transcendent talent" while comparing him to the likes of two all-time greats in another sport.
CNN used a sketch artist at Friday's off-camera White House press briefing
Hennessy's presence highlighted the significant change in White House access that has taken place recently. He didn't have his usual easel, but he stood in the back of the briefing room to document the scene.
Pelinka said that Ball's play will be "infectious" and make his teammates more willing passers as well.
"When you have this much cap space, we're going to be major players next summer", Johnson said. "But my dad definitely had some tape of him".
His outspoken father, LaVar, sat front and center at Friday's news conference, watching his son raise a crisp No. 2 Lakers jersey. "You see yourself. You see Jason Kidd".
On Friday, LaVar was asked about his remark.
Russell would also have complemented Ball well as he would slide into the 2 spot permanently just as he did in the latter part of the season and it worked but it seems that he wasn't in Magic Johnson's plans anymore. I talked to, I think, four teachers, they all said at different times, this guy, everybody attracts to this guy.
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