LaMelephant: The LaMelo Ball Thread (#2)

[JMAC3]

Are we just going to ignore that LaMelo was in the running for All-star? The main reason he didn't make it was people said the team was too bad and had very little to do with how he was playing as an individual- The fans and players voted him because of how well he was playing. It was the coaches that cared about team records that kept him from being a selection. At that point he was top 3 scorer in the league with fine efficiency. His efficiency went further down throughout the year as the team around him got worse and worse, which is what most people would guess would happen if you told them that would be the case.....

Nobody would be like... wow LaMelo is playing with 7 Gleaguers? I bet he takes his game to new heights and his efficiency and playmaking numbers shoot up playing on a team that ranks 28th in 3pt% for the year. With the entire defense focused on him every possession I expect his fg% to go up... I mean it is common sense.

[KembaWalker]

Jmac quit calling people trolls because they have a different opinion.

Show some accountability. Melo can't stay healthy. It's fine to admit that. You can't keep dodging the obvious season after season.

I'm not demanding we trade Melo, but at some point we have to seriously consider moving on. Not because of his game, but simply because of his HEALTH!

Not once have I every questioned the player. I was praising Melo more than anyone earlier in the season. This idea that I'm a Melo hater has to stop. Go on the GB nobody defends Melo harder than me.

I mean I am going to call people trolls who do nothing but try to stir the pot, be negative and purposefully look to take things out of context for reaction...

The personal attacks, again, are uninspired and lazy, be better

[MasterIchiro]

If we were to trade LaMelo for health reasons the buyer would be buying cheap for health reasons. All we need is for him to play healthy for his next team instead of for ours.

We'd never recover from that.

Which is why the Pelicans didn't sell low on Zion despite suffering injuries (Ingram, Zion, Murray), time missed, and being a tank team right alongside us.

Selling off LaMelo for health reasons is just not something I will ever understand.

I think this line of conversation is a huge waste of time.

[MasterIchiro]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

[MasterIchiro]

And it's the most important position on the floor so we do the roster no justice by subtracting LaMelo in these scenarios without so much as even mentioning any potential replacement.

It's shaky ground.

[KembaWalker]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

[JMAC3]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

I mean there has been no plan even mentioned other than blame LaMelo for being bad, hurt and the team being bad.
I don't even think I have seen a 10,000 ft view of a plan of what the goal in trading LaMelo would be other than him being off the team.
Does anyone think the team actually improves by trading LaMelo? because I don't see how that is the outcome.

[KembaWalker]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

I mean there has been no plan even mentioned other than blame LaMelo for being bad, hurt and the team being bad.
I don't even think I have seen a 10,000 ft view of a plan of what the goal in trading LaMelo would be other than him being off the team.
Does anyone think the team actually improves by trading LaMelo? because I don't see how that is the outcome.

I don’t think anyone thinks trading LaMelo would make the team immediately better, although I mean it could, just depends what the trade is, but it’s probably unlikely. It’s just that it’s pretty clear at this point this rebuild is a pointless spinning of tires that’s basically fully dependent on the luck of lottery balls and luck of potential talent becoming available for draft picks where LaMelo is pretty much irrelevant

[JMAC3]

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

I mean there has been no plan even mentioned other than blame LaMelo for being bad, hurt and the team being bad.
I don't even think I have seen a 10,000 ft view of a plan of what the goal in trading LaMelo would be other than him being off the team.
Does anyone think the team actually improves by trading LaMelo? because I don't see how that is the outcome.

I don’t think anyone thinks trading LaMelo would make the team immediately better, although I mean it could, just depends what the trade is, but it’s probably unlikely. It’s just that it’s pretty clear at this point this rebuild is a pointless spinning of tires that’s basically fully dependent on the luck of lottery balls and luck of potential talent becoming available for draft picks where LaMelo is pretty much irrelevant

At this point in the rebuild? I mean we suck don't get me wrong but 90% of is the choices of the front office.

It is not like LaMelo is 28, we have no other decent young players, capped out, no draft picks....

We literally have about as many future draft picks as franchise can hope for, one of which is likely a top 5 pick in a good draft.

Imagine the Bucks having 10 future firsts and saying, yeah think it is time to trade Giannis we just aren't winning right now.... No point even trying to fix this with the many assets we have laying around.

[EmpireFalls]

Selling low on a 23-year old with his level of talent before you even get a chance to see if the team you’ve put around him works would be so incredibly cynical and gross that I think it might end my interest in the franchise altogether.

And it wouldn’t even be smart cynical.

It certainly would not be the correct business decision, you’d be selling for pennies on the dollar. All it would be is pure risk avoidance and cowardice.

[KembaWalker]

Seems pointless again to speculate on whether it would be brilliant, meh, or idiotic to “trade LaMelo” because the only thing that matters is the return. Anyone who’s passionate enough to just act like there’s one right or wrong answer is being emotional.

I’m not saying it’s the right answer to trade LaMelo at any cost, but I will say that in this iteration of the build we currently have he had rapidly dropped in my standings on what the most important part of the build is, behind 2025 draft pick, future draft capital, and Brandon Miller. I don’t really have expectations for him to be the best or even second best player on an actual good team. I don’t expect him to be a consistent healthy player. I don’t expect him to play defense. I don’t expect him to be a leader. He’s not gonna just become that stuff in years 6-8 when he’s shown almost no progress in any of them up to this point, and it’s foolish to expect differently. He’s good at some stuff but the league isn’t all wrong on him, he really is just a borderline injury replacement level all star guy even when he’s on fire for 30 ppg like he was before new years. When he plays like he has been since then, he kinda sucks. So I dunno, I love the kid but he’s not THAT guy, if he was we would know by now

[JustBuzzin]

I just hope we get Flagg.


At least the excuses will stop about not putting talent around LaMelo. There is no reason if we stay healthy with a core of Melo/Miller/Flagg shouldn't be competing for a playoff spot in the weak East. Flagg has that all-around game he can fit on literally any team.

[Liver_Pooty]

I just hope we get Flagg.


At least the excuses will stop about not putting talent around LaMelo. There is no reason if we stay healthy with a core of Melo/Miller/Flagg shouldn't be competing for a playoff spot in the weak East. Flagg has that all-around game he can fit on literally any team.

We need legit depth. Actually felt like we at least sort of had that at the beginning of the season with Grant coming off the bench that could play multiple positions. If we were to get Flagg on top of just two signings in the offseason of average basketball capability it would do wonders with this team.

[MasterIchiro]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

I'd settle for one **** mention.

[MasterIchiro]

Selling low on a 23-year old with his level of talent before you even get a chance to see if the team you’ve put around him works would be so incredibly cynical and gross that I think it might end my interest in the franchise altogether.

And it wouldn’t even be smart cynical.

It certainly would not be the correct business decision, you’d be selling for pennies on the dollar. All it would be is pure risk avoidance and cowardice.

[KembaWalker]

Also, the question of who is the next point guard is never ever **** answered.

Guess we aren’t allowed to criticize the FO unless we provide a full 10 page rebuild plan with specific names?

I'd settle for one **** mention.

I mean, it’s kind of irrelevant yeah? We aren’t doing anything next year whether LaMelo is healthy for 82 games or we start KJ Simpson or we trade for Stephen Curry, so asking who the immediate replacement should be for next season..I don’t care. I’d only care about whether the assets coming back are good enough and component the next iteration of the core

[Diop]

Selling low on a 23-year old with his level of talent before you even get a chance to see if the team you’ve put around him works would be so incredibly cynical and gross that I think it might end my interest in the franchise altogether.

And it wouldn’t even be smart cynical.

It certainly would not be the correct business decision, you’d be selling for pennies on the dollar. All it would be is pure risk avoidance and cowardice.

would you trade Ball for Castle and change?

[MasterIchiro]

Selling low on a 23-year old with his level of talent before you even get a chance to see if the team you’ve put around him works would be so incredibly cynical and gross that I think it might end my interest in the franchise altogether.

And it wouldn’t even be smart cynical.

It certainly would not be the correct business decision, you’d be selling for pennies on the dollar. All it would be is pure risk avoidance and cowardice.

would you trade Ball for Castle and change?

Castle averaged 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in March.

*lights cigar*

Now that they have Fox, they do not need a floor general. Castle is also untouchable for them.

I would consider Suggs though as a potential replacement at PG. Maybe Coby White.

Not in love with either replacement.

I like LaMelo at the position more than most point guards. I think he can become a top-5 scorer and top-5 passer. And by all accounts, Lee (and Kemba) says LaMelo works his butt off trying to get better.

[Diop]

would you trade Ball for Castle and change?

Castle averaged 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in March.

*lights cigar*

Now that they have Fox, they do not need a floor general. Castle is also untouchable for them.

I would consider Suggs though as a potential replacement at PG. Maybe Coby White.

Not in love with either replacement.

I like LaMelo at the position more than most point guards. I think he can become a top-5 scorer and top-5 passer. And by all accounts, Lee (and Kemba) says LaMelo works his butt off trying to get better.

Lamelo would probably happily slide into Sg next to Fox.

Lamelo's talent is too good to let go at this young age, I know he might fizz out Greg Oden style, but I can't see how you dont hold onto him.

[SWedd523]

Melo isn't getting traded unless he asks for one.

He's functionally untradeable at this point because no team is giving value for a guy who plays 56% of games, makes $38mil, and is collecting surgeries like Pokemon cards.

Only real solution is to add talent around (behind) him so the team isn't looking at a minimum 40 losses every year simply because he isn't available.

Real easy way to see if they're worth watching next year is if they go into the season with KJ Simpson and some 10 Day Contract as his backups