Liberty Links: Lakers are “enamored” with Lonzo Ball

Check out the links!

Your quick guide to every team, pick and trade in the 2017 lottery - ESPN In$ider

Chad Ford lays out some scenarios for lottery-bound teams and their potential draftees. Ford says that Malik Monk is the “most likely” pick for the Sixers given their draft status as the team with the fourth-worst record, but assumes they would draft Markelle Fultz if they got the first-overall pick.

He also remarks that the Lakers are “enamored with” Lonzo Ball and would lean toward selecting him if they ultimately keep their pick. There’s a 53.1 percent chance, however, it falls out of the top three and into the Sixers’ laps.

Though I’d certainly prefer Lakers fans being upset at the thought of losing their pick this year and in 2019, not to mention the negative effect it would have on their 2018 pick, the idea of a Lakers and Sixers cross-country rivalry with Fultz and Ball is definitely entertaining.

Markelle Fultz meets with adidas - Twitter

Speaking of Fultz:

Depending on how the lottery shakes out, Fultz could join Joel Embiid as another Sixers star who rocks the three stripes. With the way adidas has taken a share of the sneaker market through their “athleisure” style and Kanye West’s Yeezy line over the last year or two, having a potential superstar guard in Fultz could be a huge addition.

Adrian Wojnarowski Finally Won His War Against ESPN - Deadspin

The way Woj is asserting his influence at ESPN is staggering:

The question, then, is this: Did Wojnarowski explicitly tell ESPN to clear out employees to make room for his arrival, or did ESPN simply do it for him? (Wojnarowski didn’t respond to requests for comment.) Several—though not all—ESPNers in the NBA group I spoke with believe it is the former. Abbott is close with Grizzlies exec and former ESPNer John Hollinger, a notorious Wojnarowski enemy, they say, and Stein has been his biggest competitor for years. A piece Sherwood Strauss penned seven years ago criticizing Wojnarowski has been passed around ESPN the last several days as if to say Look, that’s why he’s gone.

In all, ESPN has wreaked havoc on its NBA group, sowing divisions, leaving employees fearful there will be more cuts, and, most of all, confusing them. Stories are circulating about people calling and emailing colleagues about routine matters, not knowing they’d been laid off; confusion over who to turn to about story ideas and whether certain expenses would be approved; uncertainty over who to report to; and disappointment at having received little to no communication from those above explaining what was going on.

LeBron James has beef with the brewery whose bottle he held in Game 1 - SB Nation

James’ fake beer-drinking move against the Raptors was pretty funny to me. It doesn’t look like he’s about to let the brewer of that beer to make some money money off his name though:

"This is about the last thing I'm trying to worry about right now, my agent and my legal team will take care of it, but yeah I know (Great Lakes) is trying to benefit off of me," James told Cleveland.com. "And I heard they were the same company that made all those 'Quitness' beers, and now they're trying to benefit off me this way? Yeah, it's pretty funny."

Hawks expect to part ways with general manager Wes Wilcox - ESPN

Wilcox previously severed as general manager under head coach Mike Budenholzer, who is also the President of Basketball Operations. Maybe this leads to a promotion for former Sixers color commentator Malik Rose, who’s a part of the Hawks’ front office?

The Worldwide Leader and the Cap Jump - Cleaning the Glass

Former Sixers VP of Basketball Strategy Ben Falk recently started a basketball site. The work has been fantastic so far, including this piece on the economic effects of the NBA as it relates to the state of ESPN. I’d recommend giving Falk a follow on Twitter as well.