LaMelephant: The LaMelo Ball Thread (#2)

SWedd523 · Post #1461 » by **SWedd523** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:36 pm

yosemiteben wrote:
SWedd523 wrote:Can you go ahead and translate that for me

Melo don't like red lights when he's driving

To the lane or leaving the arena?

Post #1462 » by **yosemiteben** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:53 pm

SWedd523 wrote:
yosemiteben wrote:
SWedd523 wrote:Can you go ahead and translate that for me

Melo don't like red lights when he's driving

To the lane or leaving the arena?

I assumed the latter but open to interpretation I guess

GiggitySmalls · Post #1463 » by **GiggitySmalls** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:36 pm

Give me giddey and dosanmu or however you spell it. Id love to gwt melo off this roster.

Sent from my SM-S936U using RealGM mobile app

dmutombo321 · Post #1464 » by **dmutombo321** » Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:01 pm

Snidely FC wrote:I am curious in these dog days and given the decent amount of negativity toward LaMelo on here, for those who think LaMelo either won’t be able to stay healthy or because of his personality can’t lead the team to the highest levels, and while the Chicago-Giddey stalemate is ongoing, would people rather have Josh Giddey and sanction some sort of Melo - Giddey trade?

Chapelchilla wrote:
Walt Cronkite wrote:I would prefer to keep LaMelo over Giddey. Without comparing numbers, feels like LaMelo has a much higher possible ceiling and I'd like to see how the additions to the roster positively impact his game. It is an interesting idea though and I could probably be talked into it without a lot of arm twisting if it seemed apparent that Giddey would always be available for more games than Ball going forward. Would be bummed to move LaMelo though.

It would need to be Melo for Giddey and other REAL assets for this to make sense for the Hornets. Picks and/or good players. If they sweetened the offer it could be worth exploring.

If Giddy is being signed for 10 to 15 million dollars a year less than lamelo and there is another asset thrown in, it would be worth considering, especially with Giddy likely to miss far less time due to injury. I believe Giddy is also a couple years younger

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

Post #1465 » by **JDR720** » Mon Aug 18, 2025 12:13 am

Giddey is a year younger than Melo is.

I wouldn't trade Melo for him straight up but if Melo can't stay healthy than Giddey + for Melo wouldn't be awful. He's probably the closest thing to Melo as far as tall PG who can pass/rebound. He won't score like Melo does, but he's healthy. He's played 50 more games than Melo has for his career.

GoBobs · Post #1466 » by **GoBobs** » Mon Aug 18, 2025 12:59 am

dmutombo321 wrote:
Snidely FC wrote:I am curious in these dog days and given the decent amount of negativity toward LaMelo on here, for those who think LaMelo either won’t be able to stay healthy or because of his personality can’t lead the team to the highest levels, and while the Chicago-Giddey stalemate is ongoing, would people rather have Josh Giddey and sanction some sort of Melo - Giddey trade?
Chapelchilla wrote:
Walt Cronkite wrote:I would prefer to keep LaMelo over Giddey. Without comparing numbers, feels like LaMelo has a much higher possible ceiling and I'd like to see how the additions to the roster positively impact his game. It is an interesting idea though and I could probably be talked into it without a lot of arm twisting if it seemed apparent that Giddey would always be available for more games than Ball going forward. Would be bummed to move LaMelo though.

It would need to be Melo for Giddey and other REAL assets for this to make sense for the Hornets. Picks and/or good players. If they sweetened the offer it could be worth exploring.
If Giddy is being signed for 10 to 15 million dollars a year less than lamelo and there is another asset thrown in, it would be worth considering, especially with Giddy likely to miss far less time due to injury. I believe Giddy is also a couple years younger

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

If we sign and trade for Giddey it will be Sexton and a late first. You don’t get a better player back in a sign and trade where you aren’t willing to pay your guy.

The Bulls are to cheap to pay Giddey, why would they pay LaMelo?

The Bulls are playing hard ball with Giddey because they plan to trade him and tank. Even if he is good they don’t have any assets to build around him. They are stuck in the middle, worst place to be in the NBA. Only way out for them is to bottom out.

Chapelchilla · Post #1467 » by **Chapelchilla** » Mon Aug 18, 2025 5:55 pm

From ESPN "key stats" today -
Charlotte Hornets: 35.9%
LaMelo Ball led the league with a 35.9% usage rate this past season, the 23rd-highest single-season mark ever. Typically, players with such heavy workloads are superstars putting up big numbers; 19 of the 22 players ahead of LaMelo made an All-NBA team in the season in question. (The exceptions are DeMarcus Cousins the year that he was traded from the Kings to the Pelicans, Jermaine O'Neal the year that he was suspended following the Malice at the Palace and Michael Jordan in his first Wizards season.)

But even if Ball had played enough games to qualify for All-NBA consideration, he wouldn't have come close. His PER was the worst for any player with a 35% usage rate in NBA history. Factor in his frequent injury absences, and it's unclear if Ball is still a franchise player the Hornets should build around, or rather a ball-dominant entertainer who doesn't win games.

Ouch, but the answer is up for debate.

HornetJail · Post #1468 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Aug 18, 2025 6:45 pm

Chapelchilla wrote:From ESPN "key stats" today -
Charlotte Hornets: 35.9%
LaMelo Ball led the league with a 35.9% usage rate this past season, the 23rd-highest single-season mark ever. Typically, players with such heavy workloads are superstars putting up big numbers; 19 of the 22 players ahead of LaMelo made an All-NBA team in the season in question. (The exceptions are DeMarcus Cousins the year that he was traded from the Kings to the Pelicans, Jermaine O'Neal the year that he was suspended following the Malice at the Palace and Michael Jordan in his first Wizards season.)

But even if Ball had played enough games to qualify for All-NBA consideration, he wouldn't have come close. His PER was the worst for any player with a 35% usage rate in NBA history. Factor in his frequent injury absences, and it's unclear if Ball is still a franchise player the Hornets should build around, or rather a ball-dominant entertainer who doesn't win games.

Ouch, but the answer is up for debate.

LaMelo pre-calf injury (first 18 games) was a legitimate All-Star caliber player. He was being forced into a role too big for him, and was far from perfect in that role, but he was absolutely carrying us.

LaMelo after he came back from injury, played the worst 29 game stretch of his career, by far. 21.6ppg, 7.6apg, 3.0 to, putrid shooting splits of 38.4/32.5/83.9.

He should've been shut down a month before he was. Nothing good came from anything he did after the all-star break. All it did was reinforce bad habits and wear him down

GoBobs · Post #1469 » by **GoBobs** » Wed Aug 27, 2025 3:00 am

If you took SGA off the Thunder and replaced him with LaMelo would they still win?

Lamelo/Casson Wallace
Caruso/Dort
Jalen Williams/Wiggins/Joe
Chet/Jaylin Williams
Hartenstien

I like their chances.

Lamelo is not the problem. Lamelo has been here for 5 years. The problem has been here for 20 years and counting.

SWedd523 · Post #1470 » by **SWedd523** » Wed Aug 27, 2025 3:40 am

No, they don't

Post #1471 » by **yosemiteben** » Fri Sep 5, 2025 8:36 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #1472 » by **yosemiteben** » Fri Sep 5, 2025 8:40 pm

Read on Twitter

Looking at that table and Melo is ranked 11th in the league in "dirty work" among players < 6'10" with 25% usage. Miles is actually ranked 7th, and Sexton ranked 9th.

Kind of an odd stat, and not sure how meaningful it is with Poole ranked 8th.

HornetJail · Post #1473 » by **HornetJail** » Fri Sep 5, 2025 8:47 pm

very odd stat indeed. contested rebounds should be considered dirty work, you could consider deflections that aren't steals dirty work... lots of things missing here, and for some reason a single charge drawn is equal to 6 recovered loose balls. just a confusing stat all around that's missing a little too much to mean anything.

LofJ · Post #1474 » by **LofJ** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 10:58 pm

LaMelo isn't a scrawny shrimp anymore.

SWedd523 · Post #1475 » by **SWedd523** » Wed Oct 1, 2025 12:04 am

season is definitely getting close

"Buff Melo"

Show the pic of him and Miller posing. still as scrawny as ever

Post #1476 » by **Diop** » Sat Oct 4, 2025 8:31 am

Read on Twitter

Post #1477 » by **fatlever** » Mon Oct 13, 2025 8:57 pm

Read on Twitter

?t=hL3PHvnu0_97hyBv5x8m3w&s=19

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

SWedd523 · Post #1478 » by **SWedd523** » Tue Oct 14, 2025 2:56 am

Entering year six of his career. At some point we need to admit to ourselves that it's more "he is who he is" than "next year he'll put it all together"

GoBobs · Post #1479 » by **GoBobs** » Tue Oct 14, 2025 3:05 am

SWedd523 wrote:Entering year six of his career. At some point we need to admit to ourselves that it's more "he is who he is" than "next year he'll put it all together"

We need to admit who we are, or at least who we have been. We asked LaMelo to go out there with a bunch of nobodies at the end of last year. We were not trying to win at that point.

Lets at least give him half a chance. At least give him some reason to see if he can play through some of those ankle injures. We have given him no reason so far.

LaMelo has never complained. He has never badmouthed the Hornets even though we probably have deserved it.

HornetJail · Post #1480 » by **HornetJail** » Tue Oct 14, 2025 4:31 am

ehhhhhh, this is right in parts. We've done absolutely jack **** to put a team around Melo since the 43-39 season and this was the offseason we should have changed that with the East in such disastrous shape. Peterson purposely tanking again is inexcusable, and shows he has no idea what we have.

But we've also seen plenty what Melo looks like trying to power through injuries. I want no part of his post all-star break form from last season. Everything from that Portland blowout forward was absolutely disgusting and he should've been shut down a month before he was. Nobody benefited from that.