Is Ebanks THAT bad

That he can't get playing time on a team with no backup for MWP??

I think he is in the doghouse after the DUI incident, and maybe there is something else we don't know about. He's not very good, but he's not horrible either. In any case, he is probably not going to stay on this team.

It's amazing what a little time does for the heart......

Ebanks has marginal NBA athleticism and way below NBA level skill. He's in the league because we don't draft or develop players and we have probably the least talented team 9-14 in the league.

He had a chance to find a place in the league but his mental approach and complete lack for understanding the complexities of the game at this level has relegated him to a couple more months of a NBA Career IMO.

on a scale of 1-1437, with 1257 being really great, 2 being perfect, and 194 being terrible, ebanks rates a -47p.

he's incredibly average

and that's being nice. he's just not nba ready by any means

a decisive YES.

Ebanks is TRASH

I think it's more a matter of Ebanks not caring THAT much and being THAT dumb

His role should only consists of handing out their gatorades and collecting used towels...

I think he can develop into a reliable backup. His D has been spectacular at times (particularly against Durant in what I remember to be an OT win). But he doesn't have range, doesn't have the body control so many people said he did when they compared him to Ariza. Struggles to create. Really needs to be hit streaking toward the basket to be most effective. Disappears on the boards, too.

He's garbage. I mean, every NBA player has had a 'good game' at one point or another in their career. It means squat. He had a lucky game against Durant when Durant was off ok, wonderful.

But a player has to either show the ability to contribute consistently, or, show improvement over time. If you're not getting either of those, then in to the garbage can they should (and will) go!

He has potential, but he never puts it to use when he's on the floor on a consistent basis.

JGC wrote:He's garbage. I mean, every NBA player has had a 'good game' at one point or another in their career. It means squat. He had a lucky game against Durant when Durant was off ok, wonderful.

But a player has to either show the ability to contribute consistently, or, show improvement over time. If you're not getting either of those, then in to the garbage can they should (and will) go!

Why do you do that? What do you hope to gain or impress upon others by taking what someone said and putting that spin on it?

I don't remember making any recommendations about whether we should hold onto him, or whether he was or wasn't garbage at this point in his career. But the tone of your post suggests that you disagree with something I said. I'm interested to hear which part that was, specifically. Do you think that it is unlikely that he can develop into a reliable backup in the NBA? Do you disagree that he played good D against Durant in that game? Do you disagree that he has shown "spectacular" D at times?

trodgers wrote:

JGC wrote:He's garbage. I mean, every NBA player has had a 'good game' at one point or another in their career. It means squat. He had a lucky game against Durant when Durant was off ok, wonderful.

But a player has to either show the ability to contribute consistently, or, show improvement over time. If you're not getting either of those, then in to the garbage can they should (and will) go!

Why do you do that? What do you hope to gain or impress upon others by taking what someone said and putting that spin on it?

I don't remember making any recommendations about whether we should hold onto him, or whether he was or wasn't garbage at this point in his career. But the tone of your post suggests that you disagree with something I said. I'm interested to hear which part that was, specifically. Do you think that it is unlikely that he can develop into a reliable backup in the NBA? Do you disagree that he played good D against Durant in that game? Do you disagree that he has shown "spectacular" D at times?

That spin? It isn't spin. Just my opinion of that game. Just a fluke, something that isn't highly unlikely to ever be repeated again let alone on any consistent basis.

I suppose I don't think it is likely he'll ever develop in to a reliable backup player in the NBA. To be reliable, you have to be consistently productive. He hasn't shown that at all. He hasn't shown improvement and he hasn't shown any level of consistency (other than the DNPs, haha). He had multiple chances to shine in the starting rotation and failed (unlike Clark, who thrived). He doesn't even do a single thing well.

I don't necessarily disagree that he has shown spectacular D at times, but, I think just about every NBA player has at one point or another in their career, shown spectacular D (or O) at times. But they're NBA players. That's going to happen.

The bar (for me) to being considered as having the potential to be a reliable backup is that you have to either show some form of consistency or you have to show improvement over time. He hasn't displayed either.

If you take out that one game where Durant struggled to make shots which let's be real, is an outlier more than a rule, we have just about nothing to really hang our hat on with Ebanks.

I'll chime in because my opinion on this kid has gone from fairly high to rock bottom.

He's got a TON of physical tools. He's fairly athletic, he's actually faster than you'd think, he has continued to develop a jump shot, and obviously he's got a bit of a nose for defense.

But his attitude is among the worst I've seen. He doesn't consistently bring energy and effort. Sometimes he'll get lost on the court because he doesn't move and he doesn't cut and he doesn't work. He's been given a lot of opportunities and he'll take some of them and he'll let some of them just go.

I think the culmination in his DUI this season really sealed his fate. He's immature. He's not focused and he's not the guy we need on this team. He's not who he advertised himself to be.

therealdeal wrote:I'll chime in because my opinion on this kid has gone from fairly high to rock bottom.

He's got a TON of physical tools. He's fairly athletic, he's actually faster than you'd think, he has continued to develop a jump shot, and obviously he's got a bit of a nose for defense.

But his attitude is among the worst I've seen. He doesn't consistently bring energy and effort. Sometimes he'll get lost on the court because he doesn't move and he doesn't cut and he doesn't work. He's been given a lot of opportunities and he'll take some of them and he'll let some of them just go.

I think the culmination in his DUI this season really sealed his fate. He's immature. He's not focused and he's not the guy we need on this team. He's not who he advertised himself to be.

^^ I'll jump in, too. I was one of his more steadfast supporters here with realdeal, and I was really intrigued by this kid. I thought he might slip into the Ariza role - young SF with length who gets after it on D, but can also score a bit with a nice mid-range game.

He has shown some flashes of brilliance (some great D on Durant and some nice offensive games), but I agree that his attitude and mental weakness were his undoing. To be completely fair, we never developed him. Brown did that thing where he started him for a week then gave him DNP coach's decision for the next three months. When he came back he was at a different position, shooting guard, that he really had no business playing. That's never been his skill set. He's always played like a 3.

So he got some minutes last year at the wrong position and then dropped out this year with the coaching change.

However, he got way too caught up in extracurriculars over the summer and into this season, which culminated in the DUI charges.

To me, and obviously to the Lakers staff, that was the end of the line for Ebanks. Too bad. But that aspect was his own doing, or really his own undoing, sadly.

It's too late to give the kid minutes now as there's no time to develop a player this deep into the season with every game counting so much. We need to make the playoffs and that means winning at all costs. An unready player on the court is too distracting.

It's a shame that he didn't have the mental toughness of someone like Ariza. Trevor is a guy who kind of maximized his potential and rose to the occasion. The kid had to deal with the horror of the accidental death of his baby brother. But he was able to focus on refining and strengthening his game and helping the Lakers to win a championship. No way we would have won that year without Ariza's contributions.

Right now Devin is just another what could have been type of player. He has really good potential but he's going to have to focus all of his energies on the court in order to bring a new contract for himself.

^ Imagine if he approached the game with the hunger and professionalism of Clark and Hill? Guys that got a chance and took full advantage of it.

I don't think Ebanks is that bad. If he had a different attitude and worked hard, I think he can be productive in this league even in a reduced role. He's had his opportunities the last two years. I believe this was the perfect situation coming into him this season. Now, I don't think there's a chance he even comes back to this team or the NBA for that matter...

I totally understand your POV, JGC (and therealdeal and Lakerjones, too!). I've been up and down a great deal in my thoughts on Ebanks. I wouldn't be surprised if we cut him loose, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him become a solid backup with another team. And I wouldn't be surprised to see us hang on to him and see him never do anything. So it's not that I have a high opinion of what he is right now, but I do think that he could contribute minutes at the SF spot on this team.

I don't see him as a 6th man, by the way. A 9th, 10th, 11th man? Sure. A guy who can play a few minutes here and there to show MWP to calm the F down? Definitely.

If he had heart his ceiling would be a Trevor Ariza type(average NBA player). However, he's an idiot, and he does not have the focus it takes to become successful at a professional level.

He just hasn't shown enough fight as a borderline player. He's not exactly the type of guy you want on your team. In contrast, look at what Earl Clark has become. He worked hard, was ready when his number was called, and plays his damn [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] off when he's on the court.

Ebanks can't be off this team soon enough. At least he wont have Laker games in the way of his "music career" anymore

When your own teammate on your bench laughs when you're down like 20 something points, you deserved to be labeled "bad" and cut.

There's a reason why he doesn't play, bad attitude, bad judgement, just bad.

He's got ability, tools, and potential. However he doesn't have a team first mentality, hasn't matured into adulthood, and the off court trouble was a no-no. At best, his ceiling is a poverty stricken Trevor Ariza. There are a dozen forwards you can find like him every year in the 2nd round of the draft.