Welcome to Charlotte: The Frank Ntilikina Thread

[Robot Rock]

Backup PG Theo Maledon, come on down.

[JDR720]

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So, he fractured his tibia. Out at least 4 weeks.

[fatlever]

It took 48 hours to learn he broke his leg? Must be a hairline fracture that only showed up on mri. That's why 4 week timeline.

If it was me as gm, I'd cut him and move on. Not locking up a roster spot for an injured frank. But that would require extra work from mitch and staff.

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[Soul Rebel]

Does Kendrick Nunn replicate what Frank brought to the table as a backup PG?

[JMAC3]

Our front office is horrible at finding talent in the NBA off other teams.

I have a little hope in finding a decent replacement.

We are pretty good in draft, pretty solid at getting value in FA, but our internal scouting of the rest of the NBA might be dead last.

[HornetJail]

Does Kendrick Nunn replicate what Frank brought to the table as a backup PG?

Nunn has a busted knee and sucks at basketball so yeah

[Soul Rebel]

Yeah, disregard the Nunn comment. Didn’t realize it was only 4 weeks….thought it was season-ending.

[JMAC3]

Saben Lee is a guy I would love to get if he gets cut by Suns.

Super fast, can get in the lane. Reminds me of a younger Ish Smith.

[Bassman]

It would be ridiculous to NOT cut Frank given this circumstance along with his below mediocre performance. But…it’s stupid Clifford, the guy who wanted him from the get go…and stupid Mitch, the most worthless GM in the league who’s coasting toward retirement.

New owners are preoccupied with…being new owners.

[Rich4114]

How is a fracture being listed as 4 weeks? FOH with that, he’s done. And honestly, watching him in preseason proved he was not the answer at backup… whatever guard spot Cliff wanted to play him at. There are two things that prevent Clifford from being a really good coach. One is his hyper fixation on players like MCW/Frank and the other is his end of game out of bounds “plays”

There are ways to solve this backup PG issue though. Mitch just doesn’t seem to feel it’s necessary for some impossible to comprehend reason.

I’d love to find a way to trade for Alex Caruso for example. Not sure how to make it work salary wise without it being a bigger / expanded trade.

But what about Cam Payne, did he ever get signed? Malcom Brogdon is surely available. There’s always Delon Wright who would be the lowest cost option but probably fits the role we want him for really well and he’s on a team tanking.

We’ve got to do something here. Backup PG has been neglected for a decade. The one season we had a quality backup PG (Jeremy Lin) was our best since the reboot but even that was a stroke of luck.

[HornetJail]

It said he'd be re-evaluated in 4 weeks... that doesn't mean he'll be anywhere close to a return, necessarily.

This injury will hopefully save Clifford from himself a little bit, but it's not like we have other good options right now unless Kupchak makes a trade (lol). I've been banging the Delon Wright and Devonte' Graham drums all summer, but would love to get in on Brogdon for sure.

[JDR720]

I think we'll try out Smith Jr and mabe Bailey.

Maledon will get a chance too.

[Bassman]

I think we'll try out Smith Jr and mabe Bailey.

Maledon will get a chance too.

Nick Jr is already a better option than Frank. Yes he will make lots of mistakes but he will also surprise at times. Now, that’s still not a preferred option by any means. Cut Frank and grab the best option among several PG’s being released.

[JDR720]

I'd put the odds that we cut Frank at about 5%.

Cliff literally just said he's the best defender on the team.

For what it' worth, I don't have an issue with keeping him. We need defenders.

But he should've been the 3rd PG that we use for defensive assignments against certain teams/players. Not the primary backup.

We've only had maybe 4 good backup PG's in the past decade. Lin, Sessions, Smith and Graham. Only Lin was starter level. Unless I'm forgetting someone else. And all of them were here for only a couple years each, if not a single year.

Our inability to have a consistent backup at the deepest position in basketball is nuts.

[Diop]

We need a decent backup, they really have nothing suitable on the bench.

It’s shithouse

[MPM]

Supposedly Maledon scrimmaged on Wednesday with the team. Not sure where Cliff’s head is at (ever) but Theo seemed like a legit backup for stretches last year - may be another case where an injury forces Cliff to make a logical roster decision.

[countryboi]

I dont wish injury on anyone but Frank was going to play way way too many mins while shooting 29 percent from the field. Im getting some serious Michael Carter Williams vibes.

[Liver_Pooty]

Maledon is perfectly fine as a backup.

[Diop]

I hope you're right Pooty, he looked solid at times, but I dont have a huge amount of faith in him creating offense.

i'd love a trade for Delon Wright as insurance.

[Liver_Pooty]

I hope you're right Pooty, he looked solid at times, but I dont have a huge amount of faith in him creating offense.

i'd love a trade for Delon Wright as insurance.

I think he's an average backup. We can definitely do better. Regardless if Lamelo goes down we're screwed anyway.