Ball Don't Lie: The LaMelo Ball Thread

[MasterIchiro]

I mean it literally took 12 minutes of playing time in his first game and he’s written off. People should adopt the MKG approach and give him seven years of “just wait he’s about to turn the corner”

I didn't give MKG 7 years and I don't plan on giving LaMelo more than 3. I gave Monk 3. I think I'm don't there. Miles is in year 3 for me. He's winning me over. He has to hit his open threes at a better clip. PJ is in year 2. He lost ground with me. He looks very stationary and the game is moving away from him. He just doesn't seem smooth in motion and with sharing the ball in a fast paced system. Graham won me over. And I want to keep Rozier and Hayward through their contracts.

I don't think Kupchak would trade LaMelo for anyone else from this class. I think we had him #1 for his elite playmaking and ability to elevate the play of developing players. He has exponential value.

[Robot Rock]

I mean it literally took 12 minutes of playing time in his first game and he’s written off. People should adopt the MKG approach and give him seven years of “just wait he’s about to turn the corner”

I didn't give MKG 7 years and I don't plan on giving LaMelo more than 3. I gave Monk 3. I think I'm don't there. Miles is in year 3 for me. He's winning me over. He has to hit his open threes at a better clip. PJ is in year 2. He lost ground with me. He looks very stationary and the game is moving away from him. He just doesn't seem smooth in motion and with sharing the ball in a fast paced system. Graham won me over. And I want to keep Rozier and Hayward through their contracts.

I don't think Kupchak would trade LaMelo for anyone else from this class. I think we had him #1 for his elite playmaking and ability to elevate the play of developing players. He has exponential value.

I think he’ll be more than a fringe rotation player this year, as some have implied. Judging any rookie off three months (with a truncated, rushed camp and preseason) is excessively absurd. One game is even more ridiculous. He’d have had six assists last night if his teammates could hit 3s, but we don’t have anyone who can truly do that with regularity except Hayward and one of Terry/Graham most nights. I’m fine with him making dumb rookie mistakes sometimes. He has more promise than any rookie we’ve had since that one midget chucker guy who was supposedly a poor man’s Nate Robinson...

[DY_nasty]

bruh.

i was saying months ago that every rookie was gonna get it bad this year. maybe he plays more in the second if he doesn't get ripped twice in the same possession and not let sexton walk to the rim on him

You gonna bench every player for the night after they screw up? Two players on the court?

No one is singling the guy out. It just happened to be that 2 of the 3 best players last night happened to be guards (Martin and Rozier). The majority of the team played like trash.

Its long a season and no one is throwing the kid in the dumpster for having a bad game against a team that punched our entire roster in the mouth.

I really hope we're not gonna be having "the sky is falling" moments every time the guy has a rough night.

[BigSlam]

I really hope we're not gonna be having "the sky is falling" moments every time the guy has a rough night.

There is some epic sensitivity when it comes to Melo - it’s incredible to watch, especially considering his lack of a body of work to support the snap back.

It’s honestly approaching Lin levels. There aren’t as many voices as there was with Lin, but the sensitivity is just as high.

Maybe even higher?


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[GoBobs]

I mean we have seen 5 games now. 2 have been pretty good and the other 3 were terrible. We need to send him to the d league and let him develop without the pressure of sinking the team during his growing pains.

[MasterIchiro]

I mean we have seen 5 games now. 2 have been pretty good and the other 3 were terrible. We need to send him to the d league and let him develop without the pressure of sinking the team during his growing pains.

That's not happening. LaMelo is not going to be consistent but he's the best playmaker on the team and best ball handler. With Devonte' and Rozier starting and Rozier being more of a combo guard, we need a backup on the team. LaMelo is the backup PG, not Rozier. I'm relieved LaMelo has Rozier + Hayward + Graham as role models because their games are advanced and they all play well within team concepts. They're likely great teachers. LaMelo isn't going to try to take over games after witnessing their talent and effort on a nightly basis.

The hardest thing to do for a point guard is determine when to shoot and when to share. Hayward is one of the best in the game at it, imo. Once LaMelo learns his limitations on offense and develops a sense of his teammate's style he will start to grow as a playmaker and scorer, because he will immediately identify situations where he can score or create for them. I think the Cavs play faster than the Raptors and Magic and LaMelo got a little shell-shocked from it. Hayward and Rozier really calmed down the pace in the second half and JB had LaMelo observing. Given LaMelo's playmaking gifts I'd rather have him observing pros from the bench and playing 20-25 minutes rather than playing 35 in the G-League.

[yosemiteben]

It’s actually a great thing for LaMelo’s future if he’s poorly regarded by this board. It’s the same one who anointed DJ Augustin and, a year later, Ramon Sessions as the point guards we needed to start over that talentless chucker. You know, the one who became a 3-time NBA All-Star and is, on the low end, a top-2 all-time Hornets player.

2012 RealGM Bobcats forum pegged MKG as a stud and Kemba as a dud. Truly hilarious times then. But while we’re at it, Terry had 42 last night. So he’s MVP, right?

The "everyone here is stupid" take is not a good one.

[DY_nasty]

I mean we have seen 5 games now. 2 have been pretty good and the other 3 were terrible. We need to send him to the d league and let him develop without the pressure of sinking the team during his growing pains.

We've seen 1. Preseason is an entirely different speed than regular season for the most part - clear as day when the difference in physicality had all but 4 guys on the roster folded up.

And I don't even want to count this year for the guy when the schedule is gonna be a blitz. If he plays great, cool, but I expect nothing out of any rookie of this class this season. Barely any camp worth mentioning, no summer league, an insane pace which prevents any real substantial week to week developmental changes to take effect, crazy schedule that's gonna wear out even the most prepared vets, etc....

Bad games are okay.

[Keetch]

Of the top 3 in this years draft LaMelo was the least physically ready to play right away. The speed and physicality of that first game appeared to catch him by surprise. He’ll learn that he can’t non-chalantly slow, high dribble nor blind pass into groups of long players. It’s real now. Defenses are going to target him. Hopefully he’ll adjust.

He also should try to finish at the rim now and then instead of always passing out.


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[Soul Rebel]

Welp, first shots fired from Daddy.... Blah...Blah....Blah.

Read on Twitter

[BigSlam]

Welp, first shots fired from Daddy.... Blah...Blah....Blah.

Read on Twitter

I’m committed to not allowing this jackass to have an impact on how I feel about his son.

Everything I’ve read and heard out of Melo’s mouth since being drafted and everything I’ve read and heard his team mates and front office say about him has been nothing but outstanding - so that’s all that matters to me.


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[Robot Rock]

It’s actually a great thing for LaMelo’s future if he’s poorly regarded by this board. It’s the same one who anointed DJ Augustin and, a year later, Ramon Sessions as the point guards we needed to start over that talentless chucker. You know, the one who became a 3-time NBA All-Star and is, on the low end, a top-2 all-time Hornets player.

2012 RealGM Bobcats forum pegged MKG as a stud and Kemba as a dud. Truly hilarious times then. But while we’re at it, Terry had 42 last night. So he’s MVP, right?

The "everyone here is stupid" take is not a good one.

Yeah, people suggesting he get demoted to the G-League after his first game are the real big brains.

[Robot Rock]

I mean we have seen 5 games now. 2 have been pretty good and the other 3 were terrible. We need to send him to the d league and let him develop without the pressure of sinking the team during his growing pains.

This is a Hall of Fame post. Let’s break it down:

1) No. 3 overall pick in the draft, 16 minutes into a career the national media have picked to be Rookie of the Year and he should be in Greensboro because he’s costing the team.

2) This being a minimum 55-60 win team, the pressure of a rookie PG with no summer league and a truncated preseason will be too much for this ultra-talented title contending team to handle.

Look, I get that many basketball fans are casual fans and many have opinions they feel they need to share. I’ve had some garbage opinions before, too. But some of the posts in here are nothing short of an absolute joy to behold.

[Rich4114]

The kid is 19 and this is far from a normal year. This is a developmental year for him and he will be a rotational player for us it seems but it’ll be ugly at times with flashes of what we will get in the future. It will be really hard for me to change my outlook on him based on anything that happens this season. You can see why our front office likes him though. He’s got the natural playmaking and ball handling skill but he’s still a bit skinny and his shot is weird. Weight training and age will fix the first one easily. The shot is the wild card and I’d expect that to improve over the next two seasons. All he’s got to do is be respectable from a shooting perspective or model himself after Ben Simmons who relies mostly on getting to the basket and finishing along with the rest of his top notch skillset. LaMelo is our best PROSPECT but won’t be our best player this season and likely next.

[DY_nasty]

a g-league stint never killed anyone

[yosemiteben]

It’s actually a great thing for LaMelo’s future if he’s poorly regarded by this board. It’s the same one who anointed DJ Augustin and, a year later, Ramon Sessions as the point guards we needed to start over that talentless chucker. You know, the one who became a 3-time NBA All-Star and is, on the low end, a top-2 all-time Hornets player.

2012 RealGM Bobcats forum pegged MKG as a stud and Kemba as a dud. Truly hilarious times then. But while we’re at it, Terry had 42 last night. So he’s MVP, right?

The "everyone here is stupid" take is not a good one.

Yeah, people suggesting he get demoted to the G-League after his first game are the real big brains.

What does that have to do with dissing the entire board because of opinions expressed like 10 seasons ago, largely by posters who are no longer here? Bush league argument.

I also have no issue with the view that maybe run time in the G league would be good for Ball. I'm not pushing for it, but at some point it shouldn't be viewed as an insult to suggest that a 19 year old project (which is what Ball is) might improve by getting G league PT in addition to Hornets PT.

[Emhoward]

He's a two year project minimum before he becomes an accomplished scorer and adequate defender. Does that make me feel uneasy? You bet your ass. It would be so nice to draft a player who starts day one and looks like a legit star. I don't think it's off base to expect that from pick 3. This was a tough draft. You could argue projects were unavoidable in this one. Given how many directions/variables in a successful project, I think I'd be thrilled if LaMelo turned out to be a complementary player. How often do teams get cornerstone players out of projects? I'm legit wondering if someone can cite some examples.

I'm thinking now just so I can feel better about the situation.

Kawhi was a bit of a project, although he had a strong pro ready attribute - defense, but so does Lamelo with his playmaking.
Kyle Lowry isn't a star but it seemed to take a while before he hit his stride, I think the same with Billups.

Giannis obviously as well.

Kemba, Beal, and Russell were all thought of pretty negatively early on and they turned it around and became all stars.
I wouldn't say all of these are "projects" in the traditional sense, but they weren't impressive as rookies... I don't think, didn't look up any stats just going from memory.

Yes, feels like a 2-year project is a longshot to develop into a cornerstone player. It almost never happens. So yeah, I'm feeling a little bit stressed about it. I'm looking at Ja Morant and thinking, Jesus, how long will it take for LaMelo to reach that level of ever? Morant is a cornerstone player. Just a terrible draft for cornerstone players. There might be zero. So if you looked at this draft as a hunt for complementary players, maybe you should have leaned towards someone more polished like Avdija. We definitely swung for upside and must be thinking big. But I don't see cornerstone early. I don't see Morant. So I guess pray for a Giannis type of transformation?

Us needing a high upside cornerstone player, I get drafting Melo, but perhaps we should have went for the solid rotational piece. We'll see. That said due to covid and all of the adjustments being made, I'm willing to give these rookies some rope regarding their developmental curve, rookies in previous classes didnt have to go through all of this.

[GoBobs]

I mean we have seen 5 games now. 2 have been pretty good and the other 3 were terrible. We need to send him to the d league and let him develop without the pressure of sinking the team during his growing pains.

This is a Hall of Fame post. Let’s break it down:

1) No. 3 overall pick in the draft, 16 minutes into a career the national media have picked to be Rookie of the Year and he should be in Greensboro because he’s costing the team.

2) This being a minimum 55-60 win team, the pressure of a rookie PG with no summer league and a truncated preseason will be too much for this ultra-talented title contending team to handle.

Look, I get that many basketball fans are casual fans and many have opinions they feel they need to share. I’ve had some garbage opinions before, too. But some of the posts in here are nothing short of an absolute joy to behold.

G leauge isnt a bad thing. I dont care about the teams record i want melo to be in the best situation to improve his game. He needs reps and enough rope to make some mistakes in order to improve.

Putting a young player in a role he isnt ready for can set him back. If he goes 0-5 or similar every other game it is going to get in his head and give him a complex an ruin his relationships with teammates

[Robot Rock]

The "everyone here is stupid" take is not a good one.

Yeah, people suggesting he get demoted to the G-League after his first game are the real big brains.

What does that have to do with dissing the entire board because of opinions expressed like 10 seasons ago, largely by posters who are no longer here? Bush league argument.

I also have no issue with the view that maybe run time in the G league would be good for Ball. I'm not pushing for it, but at some point it shouldn't be viewed as an insult to suggest that a 19 year old project (which is what Ball is) might improve by getting G league PT in addition to Hornets PT.

At some point the Hornets need to get off their collective asses as a staff and develop a player. I’ve read for years how Charlotte is where rookies’ careers go to die and they’re absolutely right. Donovan Mitchell would be just like Malik Monk in Cliff’s hands for a year. It’s no longer a valid excuse to say “oh we just picked the wrong player.” Maybe it’s not the players. Maybe the coaches can’t do their jobs and make players better.

[Diop]

He’ll learn that he can’t non-chalantly slow, high dribble nor blind pass into groups of long players. It’s real now. Defenses are going to target him. Hopefully he’ll adjust.

These are the parts that bothered me last year in the Aussie league. Just looked too casual and reckless at times.

I don’t want him going to the g league where he might be able to get away with it against lesser competition. I’d prefer him getting smashed a bit , so he can learn and adjust.

Like sending bacon to g league last which just allowed him to chuck a million shots, I don’t think the g league would be the best move for him.