Ball Don't Lie: The LaMelo Ball Thread

[chabber]

With all the attention on Ball playing well, people in the league finding the Hornets fun to watch again and the fact that the NBA specifically wanted Lamelo for the skills challenge, do you think this leads to more Nationally televised games in the second half of the season? What are your best guesses? You think we’re still just the Hornets and keep with the obligatory 1 game?



This is a list from the first half of the season. Just a few examples. Zions team has 14 games. Lillard has 5. Trey has 1.

My guess is they’ll definitely want to get him out there more, but won’t go all in like they did with Zion. I think we’ll swap with the Rockets and get 6-7 games.

[DY_nasty]

all that's nice but i wonder why lamelo gets **** respect from refs when trae young goes to the FT line if he gets too much eye contact from opposing defenses

if the nba actually loves and respects his game/draw, then why is he getting zero love from officials on a regular basis?

[Rich4114]

all that's nice but i wonder why lamelo gets **** respect from refs when trae young goes to the FT line if he gets too much eye contact from opposing defenses

if the nba actually loves and respects his game/draw, then why is he getting zero love from officials on a regular basis?

He is constantly getting hit on his drives to the hoop without calls and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's a strength thing and the contact is too light for NBA but moves him more. I'm thinking once he puts weight on in coming seasons and bulks up, it would make a big difference.

[Hornet Mania]

Officiating in the NBA just systemically sucks. Rookies get roughed up, stars get their stats fluffed, there is nothing even close to an even-handed judgment when it comes to what gets called and what doesn't. This unfortunately isn't new, it's been this way for decades and the league just doesn't care about consistency.

I have no doubt Ball will get a lot more calls next year and there will be no real justification for it aside from the arbitrary rookie hazing period expired. If he becomes a player the league wants to push his foul draws will go up even more dramatically.

[Soulcatcher33]

Ball needs to stop taking those pull up 3pters. Every time he does that I cringe. Only Hayward, Rozier, and Monk should have the greenlight to shoot those.

[wilson115]

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[euphorbus]

I wonder how well LaMelo would do if he had someone to run the pick-and-roll with? On most NBA teams, it's a staple, but not on this one. He connects with Zeller on occasion, but not with anyone else.

Also, he seems to prefer to shoot the three-pointer two steps behind the line. I am guessing that is a result of competing with his older brothers. The main problem occurs when he tries to shoot from even farther out, like Steph Curry. It would help if he could shoot it from right at the line more often.

[DY_nasty]

i deliberately do my best to not think too hard about lamelo's form or shot selection lol...

[BigSlam]

I wonder how well LaMelo would do if he had someone to run the pick-and-roll with? On most NBA teams, it's a staple, but not on this one. He connects with Zeller on occasion, but not with anyone else.

How do the AirB&B alley oop thunder dunks happen with that play from we run (often) that starts at the right elbow and finishes down the lane if LaMelo only connects with Zeller on the P&R and not with anyone else?

[yosemiteben]

i deliberately do my best to not think too hard about lamelo's form or shot selection lol...

Seriously. At this point I'll just shut up and hope it's worth building on.

[DY_nasty]

I wonder how well LaMelo would do if he had someone to run the pick-and-roll with? On most NBA teams, it's a staple, but not on this one. He connects with Zeller on occasion, but not with anyone else.

How do the AirB&B alley oop thunder dunks happen with that play from we run (often) that starts at the right elbow and finishes down the lane if LaMelo only connects with Zeller on the P&R and not with anyone else?

the 'air bnb' thing is the most low value, forced connection on the team

miles is good for two of those a game on a good night. at least with zeller the screens are good enough for lamelo to have an option other than throwing it up.

[BigSlam]

I wonder how well LaMelo would do if he had someone to run the pick-and-roll with? On most NBA teams, it's a staple, but not on this one. He connects with Zeller on occasion, but not with anyone else.

How do the AirB&B alley oop thunder dunks happen with that play from we run (often) that starts at the right elbow and finishes down the lane if LaMelo only connects with Zeller on the P&R and not with anyone else?

the 'air bnb' thing is the most low value, forced connection on the team

miles is good for two of those a game on a good night. at least with zeller the screens are good enough for lamelo to have an option other than throwing it up.

You’ve said plenty of times previously that Cody’s screens hamper LaMelo and don’t help him - because LaMelo doesn’t need the help getting free and the Cody screen just gets in his way.

I remember you saying Cody’s screen are only good for players like Walker and Tae who need that open space in the mid range.

That would appear to be the most low value.

[Roll Tide 09]

LaMelo has a good feel for the game. Outside of general growth, the only thing he and this team is missing is a Center who can run the pick & roll well with respectable defense.

Again, this team needs to package Washington, Graham, both Martins, and a 2nd round pick for a Center who is respectable on both ends and not injury prone.

Personally, although expensive, I’d try to get Andre Drummond because he has everything we need and everything we severely lack. Plus, he has pretty much put up the same numbers during his entire career.

At the end of the day, this team is too good for us to continue giving up so many easy inside points. McDaniels can give us similar production at Power Forward as Washington...it’s time to move on from someone who still has a bit of value but is NOT producing much at all.

[BigSlam]

Again, this is NOT the fake trade thread...

[Rich4114]

Watch on YouTube

[DY_nasty]

How do the AirB&B alley oop thunder dunks happen with that play from we run (often) that starts at the right elbow and finishes down the lane if LaMelo only connects with Zeller on the P&R and not with anyone else?

the 'air bnb' thing is the most low value, forced connection on the team

miles is good for two of those a game on a good night. at least with zeller the screens are good enough for lamelo to have an option other than throwing it up.

You’ve said plenty of times previously that Cody’s screens hamper LaMelo and don’t help him - because LaMelo doesn’t need the help getting free and the Cody screen just gets in his way.

I remember you saying Cody’s screen are only good for players like Walker and Tae who need that open space in the mid range.

That would appear to be the most low value.

he doesn't need cody

but that doesn't mean cody is value lost on the offense end for everyone else when he's out there. miles being completely offense adverse on and off ball is a massive issue man. pairing him with lamelo isn't doing anything other than making highlights and creating bad habits

hayward and cody play well together - and hayward and lamelo NEED to play well together long term. miles is completely content doing nothing the vast majority of the time he's on the court when it comes to offense.

[yosemiteben]

So apparently Melo put up a career high in assists last night? Kind of wild, didn't feel like he had that many when I was watching.

[yosemiteben]

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[LofJ]

LaMelo Rookie of the Month (again) for February:

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[countryboi]

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the writers of these jokes clearly had some ties to NC, no one else would get that Gastonia joke.