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I am not sure why everyone thinks LNJ is injury prone. He missed some games this year and last from hand issues. It happened while diving for loose balls. His 1st year in the league he had a knee issue. It was a carryover from his Jr. year in college when he tore his knee completely up. He came back for his senior year in about 7 months from major knee surgery. When he hurt his his hand this year he came back 3 weeks early. Larry is not the type to nurse his injuries.
He is a total team player and didn't fit in with the Lakers because he wasn't a shoot first player. Walton and Magic both asked Nance to start shooting more. It is not that he can't shoot 18 foot shots all day and make them, he is looking for the best option. If you watch him with the Lakers running the fast break or pick and roll, they would hog the ball and get their points instead of giving it to their best finisher. At the start of the season Magic said that Nance was one of three players that were not up for trade. He said Larry was their secret weapon. Nance was the starter for the Lakers at the 4 when the season started. When he got back from injury he was starting games again. Then Julius Randle started pouting and half assing it so Walton had Nance come off the bench. Nance lost some confidence over that and shot less than before. The Lakers had a logjam at the 4 and 5, so everyones minutes got cut . When the Lakers started winning again the last 15 games before the trade, Nance was playing most of the 4th quarter finishing out games.
I feel Nance could be a star in the NBA, more of an Al Horford type than a LeBron type. Nance just doesn't have that selfish type of game where he would put himself before others. Not saying LeBron does that as his assists show otherwise. Nance just wants to win, he doesn't have to be a focal point. He is going to be a great teammate on this Cav' team. At the dunk contest the announcers were saying he could have scored higher with his dunks if he would have been animated or a showboat. That is just not in his blood. What he did show was forced and unnatural. I have always hated the Lakers but followed them since they drafted Nance. Their fans are pathetic and unrealistic. Since Nance has been traded to the Cavs I have been following your board. It is refreshing to read, your fan base seems to know basketball. I went to school at the University of Wyoming and have followed Nance since he was a freshman there. In my opinion he hasn't come close to his ceiling. He was a skinny runt when he got there and never got to redshirt. The Crohns played into that, but other than a bout with mono his senior year, he had no health problems. Last summer he dedicated to shooting beyond the arc, he only shot a few this year, not really sure why. I hope this staff realizes what the real potential there is in Nance, because there is a lot of upside. And for those of you who don't think he can hit regular jumpshots at a 50 % clip or better, I have seen it happening for 7 years. Sorry about the long post. Just wanted to let you guys know that you have a really good board going.