Around the NBA 13

[Diop]

Detroit vs Charlotte is an interesting case study. Both were garbage for years, Detroit was actually in worse shape than Charlotte. The difference turned out to be Cade started giving a ****, LaMelo did not. And here we are, Detroit 6-2, Charlotte on the path to 21-61 like usual.

Look I love LaMelo and want him to succeed but when is this going to matter to him

His only issue this season has been health. We are a massively better team when he's on the floor, +13.5 points per 100 possessions.

It’s the health concerns that make me pessimistic about Lamelo, he wants to win but it’s tough if you can’t stay on the court.

[yosemiteben]

Oh yeah I get that, was more responding to the sentiment of "when is he going to care about winning." He hugely impacts winning and I do think he's trying to stay healthy.

[Liver_Pooty]

I can tell this season by Lamelos mannerisms on the court that he cares but as said it’s a moot point if he can’t play.

[JustBuzzin]

Oh yeah I get that, was more responding to the sentiment of "when is he going to care about winning." He hugely impacts winning and I do think he's trying to stay healthy.

Dude him not staying healthy is why we aren't winning many games.

It's what the few of us have been trying to tell y'all every season. Health matters!

[Walt Cronkite]

Which posters have suggested that health doesn't matter?

[fatlever]

Oh yeah I get that, was more responding to the sentiment of "when is he going to care about winning." He hugely impacts winning and I do think he's trying to stay healthy.

Dude him not staying healthy is why we aren't winning many games.

It's what the few of us have been trying to tell y'all every season. Health matters!

Everyone knows we suck because we can't stay healthy. The argument was that Melo can't stay healthy because he doesn't care about winning.

A. Melo doesn't care enough about winning do the things that would help him stay healthy like strengthen his lower body and wear ankle braces

B. His injuries are just unfortunate combination of bad luck and genetics and no amount of willpower is going to fix that.

C. The Hornets keep him out to tank

D. He's a wuss who refuses to play thru boo boos


Which is it?

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[JDR720]

It could be all the above.

Besides C, boil down the rest and the end result is the same: Melo can't be relied upon.

[HornetJail]

It's mostly B, potentially a small amount of A... with C mixed in late in seasons when the combination of his injuries and our team's inability to survive games without him force us into tanking territory.

There are many injury prone stars. Their teams don't go 3-32 in their absence.

[Walt Cronkite]

I think the team doesn't see value in playing a player that isn't 100%. They clearly believe in building through the draft, so if you can't find a way to win without a player (which you have to do long-term in an 82 game regular season), then you need to acquire further talent, in which case a loss isn't so bad. I know many fans don't want to wait to see wins, but there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency from the franchise, so I guess prepare mentally for a near future of disappointment.

[amcoolio]

LaMelo was truly AWFUL in that Miami game. Dude put below zero effort on the defensive end, and it lead to an easy victory because Charlotte couldn't recover on that end of the floor. That is what I am talking about. If he's the star you guys claim him to be, you can't play like that, not even on an off night. He's not a franchise player if he plays like that.

The injuries just compound the fact that we are wasting energy on this. I agree with LP that his mannerisms have been different, but then how do you explain that game. The dude was getting cooked over and over by white guys I've never heard of.

[amcoolio]

I mean there's just no excuse for a player like Josh Giddey to be way more valuable than LaMelo right now, when LaMelo has more athleticism and skill with the same frame. I am very certain 29 other NBA teams would take Giddey over LaMelo in a straight swap. He's so freaking disappointing and he's got to get his head out of his ass or... what are we doing here exactly?

[JDR720]

At some point you do have to pull the plug. If Melo can't stay healthy this season, then I think it's his last. You can't keep doing the same thing year after year and expect change.

We seem to have at least 3 really good rookies. Potentially drafting 3 starters in the same draft is nuts. And maybe LIam works out too. So that's 4 players, or basically 2 drafts worth, of quality selections.

But if Melo can't stay healthy, then we're just holding them back. Waiting around for Melo to get serious/healthy isn't a path forward.

[JustBuzzin]

At some point...

It's what I been preaching these last few years. For those who think I'm a LaMelo hater nope not true.

I'm getting the same vibes with Brandon Miller. At some point he has to stay on the court.

Y'all don't get tired of playing the injury game every season?

[yosemiteben]

I agree with LP that his mannerisms have been different, but then how do you explain that game.

Well he played 28 minutes and Sexton played 27 minutes. Sexton was +6 and Melo was -19, so in the few minutes where Ball was on but Sexton was off, we were terrible.

Then look at Mann, who was -31 in 27 minutes and shot 3-15. We got roasted when Mann was on the floor. That probably had something to do with it.

Similarly with Moussa, who was -22 in 19 minutes. When it was Melo + bench guys, we got destroyed.

[fatlever]

Y'all don't get tired of playing the injury game every season?

we all hate it here

[JMAC3]

8 games into the year and we are already contemplating blow it up and start over. Watch out, if we beat Miami tomorrow people will be back on the march of we can be the 6 seed lol.

[JustBuzzin]

I think we can look at the Ja trade and get a idea of what Melo's value would be. They seem to be in the same ballpark in terms of talent.

Both injury prone as well.

[Diop]

Y'all don't get tired of playing the injury game every season?

we all hate it here

And like I wrote in another post, the catch is that you can only trade him for scraps when he’s injured.

So they’re in a bit of a catch 22.

Healthy Lamelo is close to the perfect guard between Kon and Sion.

[yosemiteben]

Why is there only one game on tonight? Weird.

[Braggins]

Fun fact: Mark Williams has played more games this season than LaMelo and Brandon Miller combined.