Luka Garza update

Zstatman

Zstatman

Well-Known Member
Listened to Pat Harty's KCJJ interview of Luka this morning. Luka says that he is contractually a free agent at this point. He's hoping to have a contract going into fall camp and says he's talking to several teams including Portland, who he played for in the summer league. He didn't name any other teams. He says if he has to go into camp and fight for a roster spot without a contract then that's what he'll do.
 
guffus said:
What am I missing? Why is Luka Garza not wanted by NBA teams?
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Because he's not an NBA caliber player.

Garza's game was absolutely a total package for the college game itself. He was as primo as it gets.

1) The NBA is a totally different game. Resembles nothing of D1 college ball. Guys who play his position in the NBA are absolute physical beasts, for one. Taller, bigger, stronger and faster. That's genetics that he can't overcome. Watch the Twitter clips of his workouts that he and his dad have posted lately trying to sell him to NBA teams. He's good, but he looks like he's playing underwater. His body doesn't move as fast as his brain is telling it to.

2) The NBA isn't played down low anymore. It's spread out and dominated by shooters. Garza isn't a guy who flourishes in that role offensively or defensively.

Luka was made for the Big Ten. It's still a league that's basically a fist sight below the basket every night and his size and speed match up great against college players. I absolutely love the guy and I'm proud he's a Hawk. He's the 2nd best player to ever put the Iowa jersey on. But he's not an NBA guy.

If none of this has convinced you, then the NBA scouts should convince you. If he was a fit for the game at that level, he'd be scooped up.
 
Fryowa said:
Because he's not an NBA caliber player.

Garza's game was absolutely a total package for the college game itself. He was as primo as it gets.

1) The NBA is a totally different game. Resembles nothing of D1 college ball. Guys who play his position in the NBA are absolute physical beasts, for one. Taller, bigger, stronger and faster. That's genetics that he can't overcome. Watch the Twitter clips of his workouts that he and his dad have posted lately trying to sell him to NBA teams. He's good, but he looks like he's playing underwater. His body doesn't move as fast as his brain is telling it to.

2) The NBA isn't played down low anymore. It's spread out and dominated by shooters. Garza isn't a guy who flourishes in the role offensively or defensively.

Luka was made for the Big Ten. It's still a league that's basically a fist sight below the basket every night and his size and speed match up great against college players. I absolutely love the guy and I'm proud he's a Hawk. He's the 2nd best player to ever put the Iowa jersey on. But he's not an NBA guy.

If none of this has convinced you, then the NBA scouts should convince you. If he was a fit for the game at that level, he'd be scooped up.
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I suppose I agree with Fryowa on this. Luka just doesn't have the athleticism to be a rotation guy in the NBA. Someone posted once that Jarrod Uthoff is the same way.

If Luka has a chance it would be as an end of the bench role player, somewhere where he can fit a need due to injury, etc. Luka can play the 4 or 5, in fact, I see him more a 4 than a 5. Luka's best shot would be a guy who sits in the corner and pops corner 3s at a high percentage.

I saw Luka in the summer league and he's even more lean than ever. Still, he's just not quite there.

I was surprised to see Uthoff in the summer league. Still looking for someone to give him a shot I'd guess. You'd think he'd get one. His last year in the G league he was first team (as was Luka this year I think) and he averaged a double/double, still he's now playing in Japan.

Keegan has that all around game, the athleticism to make it happen. Wiesy may have the necessary traits to make it. The best thing he has going for him is being under Pops tutelage and long as Pops keeps believing in him. Luka and Jarrod need that same type situation.
 
Zstatman said:
I suppose I agree with Fryowa on this. Luka just doesn't have the athleticism to be a rotation guy in the NBA. Someone posted once that Jarrod Uthoff is the same way.

If Luka has a chance it would be as an end of the bench role player, somewhere where he can fit a need due to injury, etc. Luka can play the 4 or 5, in fact, I see him more a 4 than a 5. Luka's best shot would be a guy who sits in the corner and pops corner 3s at a high percentage.

I saw Luka in the summer league and he's even more lean than ever. Still, he's just not quite there.

I was surprised to see Uthoff in the summer league. Still looking for someone to give him a shot I'd guess. You'd think he'd get one. His last year in the G league he was first team (as was Luka this year I think) and he averaged a double/double, still he's now playing in Japan.

Keegan has that all around game, the athleticism to make it happen. Wiesy may have the necessary traits to make it. The best thing he has going for him is being under Pops tutelage and long as Pops keeps believing in him. Luka and Jarrod need that same type situation.
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That's so true for the positions they play. Uthoff is tall/long/big enough. But he's not athletic enough. He isn't nearly fast/quick enough to guard NBA level 3s or 4s and what offensive skills he does have don't compensate for it. Same with Garza. He hoped dropping however much weight he has since he was at Iowa would help him with that but it hasn't. Most NBA dudes are freaks.

Garza has a shot at being an end of the bench/3rd center on a team I think there's value in having him for that spot. He can play 5-10 mins or so a game and be asked to score a couple buckets here and there. But with him there's a diminishing return aspect. The more mins he plays the more situations on the court will arise that he can be exploited on and good teams and coaches will go at it like ants at a picnic.
 
Garza can still make a lot of money playing ball, just not in the NBA. But I said that about another former Iowa player who is still getting some contracts and all he does is dunk the ball, so it’s to early to say.
 
Fry's analysis is spot on. Its also why I largely stopped watching the NBA two decades ago. When the league made the freedom movement changes and basically legislated tough defense out of the game, it became just a 1-1 league. The NBA is largely unwatchable to me, except maybe the finals. No defense, jack up 25 footers, or go 1-1. Very little team oriented offenses and almost no midrange game that made Michael and Kobe so famous. Certainly no post passing or post offense. Hell, the 7 footers are playing point guard on some teams. I don't have a solution. Is what it is. The analytics of the 3 ball has forever changed the NBA game. Just not my cup of tea. Still love the college game.
 
Utah Jazz

Danny Ainge is blowing up that team so there are minutes to be had. They will need "cheap labor" until they find the person to build around and what direction they want to go. It is a long shot, but that is how Luka has to be thinking a "where can I get minutes" sorta of mentality.

Denver Nuggets

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but I always thought he would be a solid backup to Jokic. Grab a few rebounds, hit a couple of buckets here and there and most importantly, have a few fouls to give when they need it.

Luka will get NBA opportunities for the next year or two and if he doesn't stick, then he will likely have to make a call on what to do long term.
 
I didn't realize Danny Ainge had gone back to Utah and his Mormon roots. When Quinn Snyder quit as coach after what, 8 years?, he said the team needed a new direction and they are for sure blowing up the roster, hence the Gobert trade to Minnesota. Might be a good spot for Luka but right now it looks like they will be terrible.

And, being a Jokic backup wouldn't be bad.
 
What kind of bank did he make last season bouncing between the G League and the real League? I have not sense what marginal guys make in the NBA while fighting for a roster spot. Whatever it is, it still beats selling insurance. Not a bad lifestyle at 24 to travel around and play a game with famous people.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
What kind of bank did he make last season bouncing between the G League and the real League? I have not sense what marginal guys make in the NBA while fighting for a roster spot. Whatever it is, it still beats selling insurance. Not a bad lifestyle at 24 to travel around and play a game with famous people.
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$925K

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/detroit-pistons/luka-garza-74159/cash-earnings/

Problem is that isn't gonna happen again for him. Overseas will be more money, the other option is hanging around the G-League for not a ton of money. I'm sure part of it will be that Frank is rich so Luka doesn't have to worry about income.
 
Thanks, Fry. All it takes is one team that needs cheap space filling labor at the 5 spot to get him another year. Overseas isn't going anywhere. That is still damn good money.

There is part of me that would probably prefer being a starter in Europe to a bench warmer in the NBA. More money, being important to the team, and don't underestimate free travel to some amazing places for guy in his 20s. Those are experiences he will never get again. You can only spend so much time in Vegas before you hate Vegas.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
All it takes is one team that needs cheap space filling labor at the 5 spot to get him another year. Overseas isn't going anywhere. That is still damn good money.
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I don't know, I feel like the G-League has become kind of the 5 psot for a lot of teams. They tend to call guys up for shorter and shorter stints to fill out injuries and stuff like that, and It almost makes it like playing the lottery at that point.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
I think so too eventually. Maybe not this year coming up but yeah eventually he will because he'll want to make more $ while his window is open. I get that he wants to live the NBA dream stay here and try but I bet he can make 3 to 5 times what he's making here overseas. How long can a guy turn that down
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I really hope he finds his footing somewhere. The guy has clearly worked his ass off and is a good basketball player.
 
Fryowa said:
$925K

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/detroit-pistons/luka-garza-74159/cash-earnings/

Problem is that isn't gonna happen again for him. Overseas will be more money, the other option is hanging around the G-League for not a ton of money. I'm sure part of it will be that Frank is rich so Luka doesn't have to worry about income.
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What's Frank do? It sure seems like he's pretty well off but I haven't a clue what he does besides work outs with his own kid. I would think that if Luka doesn't really latch on this yr with an NBA team he'll go overseas and chase $. If only because there is a lot of it over there. I mean I bet Ryan Kreiner is making more then 900k over there he just went to Japan I think.

I understand giving the NBA a couple yrs or so but if you're only playing 30 ish games for sporadic mins I'm not sure if that's his aspirations. But so far Tyler Cook has been in a similar boat and he's sticking it out. The overseas life isn't for everyone either. I just figured that with Garzas background he'd be willing to do that.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
What's Frank do? It sure seems like he's pretty well off but I haven't a clue what he does besides work outs with his own kid.
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Officially he says he does "leadership training," which probably means in his former life he traveled around charging companies or CEO groups a bunch of money for workshops and seminars. I'm assuming that he just "advises" now that he's Luka's full time right hand man.

This is his company

This is also his company that he runs with the same Ganesh Khalsa guy

On the Elevate website the schedule for his Level 1 and Level 2 "classes" are from April of last year, but you can still pay for $125 for them. Gives no information on location, what's in the class, who's teaching it, and the photo of his "Sports Team" is a stock google image that you can search for and see. Looks like 100% bullshit to me.

His other "Conscious Selling" deal looks like one of those consulting deals where if you pay a metric shitload of cash they'll come to your office and put on a dog and pony show telling you how to meditate and do Yoga to improve your sales force's abilities. Obviously there's no metric to measure by, and if it doesn't work then "you weren't using our techniques." Also bullshit.

As far as Frank, I've talked to a few people who've met him and by all accounts he's an awesome guy personally. But by the sniff test he's a snake oil consultant who'll take your money and do a good job convincing you that the bull shit he just put down your throat tasted like a steak dinner.

In all likelihood he's a guy that has either some generational money or made some himself long ago, and now he has these fake side hustles to put up the front of being a visionary and guru.
 
Fryowa said:
Officially he says he does "leadership training," which probably means in his former life he traveled around charging companies or CEO groups a bunch of money for workshops and seminars. I'm assuming that he just "advises" now that he's Luka's full time right hand man.

This is his company

This is also his company that he runs with the same Ganesh Khalsa guy

On the Elevate website the schedule for his Level 1 and Level 2 "classes" are from April of last year, but you can still pay for $125 for them. Gives no information on location, what's in the class, who's teaching it, and the photo of his "Sports Team" is a stock google image that you can search for and see. Looks like 100% bullshit to me.

His other "Conscious Selling" deal looks like one of those consulting deals where if you pay a metric shitload of cash they'll come to your office and put on a dog and pony show telling you how to meditate and do Yoga to improve your sales force's abilities. Obviously there's no metric to measure by, and if it doesn't work then "you weren't using our techniques." Also bullshit.

As far as Frank, I've talked to a few people who've met him and by all accounts he's an awesome guy personally. But by the sniff test he's a snake oil consultant who'll take your money and do a good job convincing you that the bull shit he just put down your throat tasted like a steak dinner.

In all likelihood he's a guy that has either some generational money or made some himself long ago, and now he has these fake side hustles to put up the front of being a visionary and guru.
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So yeah needless to say he's got quite the resume... It's crazy to me that there's a market for stuff like that. People/companies pay exorbitant amounts to have dudes come in and sell snail oil to them with a pep talk. I bet he's loaded though. If you're good at it and it works then is what it is. Don't hate the player I guess...
 
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