Ball Don't Lie: The LaMelo Ball Thread

[yosemiteben]

:roll:

I'm sure LaMelo is fine, Lavar must be off his meds again

Nah i noticed he wasn't pleased when Barrego pulled him when Zeller couldnt catch one of his passes which led to a turnover...you could see it in his face. I don't think he saw the floor again.

Players usually have someone in the media or "sources" talk for them..the beauty with lavar is melo doesnt need that.

Melo is a 19 year old, if he can't handle getting pulled then he needs to grow up.

I like JB sticking to his guns, if I were him I wouldn't care at all about "the media" or Lavar. Just needs to communicate expectations with LaMelo so he knows what's going on.

[BigSlam]

I’m ok with how Melo is being used as well. For now at least.

Let him keep doing what he’s doing, which he is doing well. There’s little doubt he’ll be starting before too long and likely the legit face of the franchise not long after. It’ll come.

I’m ok with not putting him in a position just yet where he thinks he needs to do more than he can or has to just yet.

I think could be more detrimental to his development than what’s happening now.

[johanliebert]

Lastly the team is lucky melo is very confident cause harping about turnovers with a young PG is never a good thing it kills their development.

Any examples of this you'd like to share?

if you have to ask..

tell a young point guard to stop taking risks/be creative what do you think happens? like i said fortunately hes a very confident kid.

[johanliebert]

:roll:

I'm sure LaMelo is fine, Lavar must be off his meds again

Nah i noticed he wasn't pleased when Barrego pulled him when Zeller couldnt catch one of his passes which led to a turnover...you could see it in his face. I don't think he saw the floor again.

Players usually have someone in the media or "sources" talk for them..the beauty with lavar is melo doesnt need that.

Melo is a 19 year old, if he can't handle getting pulled then he needs to grow up.

I like JB sticking to his guns, if I were him I wouldn't care at all about "the media" or Lavar. Just needs to communicate expectations with LaMelo so he knows what's going on.

It's not about growing up the kid know's hes better than the guys ahead of him. He'll never outright say he's disappointed his father will but the body language was evident.

[yosemiteben]

Nah i noticed he wasn't pleased when Barrego pulled him when Zeller couldnt catch one of his passes which led to a turnover...you could see it in his face. I don't think he saw the floor again.

Players usually have someone in the media or "sources" talk for them..the beauty with lavar is melo doesnt need that.

Melo is a 19 year old, if he can't handle getting pulled then he needs to grow up.

I like JB sticking to his guns, if I were him I wouldn't care at all about "the media" or Lavar. Just needs to communicate expectations with LaMelo so he knows what's going on.

It's not about growing up the kid know's hes better than the guys ahead of him. He'll never outright say he's disappointed his father will but the body language was evident.

Uh yeah it is about growing up if he thinks he deserves PT just because of who he is at this point.

He played like **** last night. He doesn't get to act like he's proven himself and earned a starting role 10 games in to his rookie season regardless of how he plays. If he wants to be great, he needs to learn to play with discipline. I'm 100% behind a development regime oriented around teaching him that.

I don't understand making excuses for him. He had a bad game and didn't get much PT because of it. On to the next one.

ETA: I know dy is gonna respond saying Graham played like crap and still got PT and worrying about a double standard, but I don't see it like that. I think Graham does a good job organizing the offense when he's out there, and he just went through a shooting slump. I see that as different than not following the coach's game plan and making bad decisions, which seems to be what landed Melo on the bench.

[DY_nasty]

our starting unit collapses with a single defensive adjustment (jumping out at graham high makes him stop dead in his tracks and starts the passing in circles) and has been suffering from the same issue since opening night. the same issue graham is still dealing with the wall he ran into last season

even when graham shoots well, like last night, the offense was completely disjointed and not even hayward could stabilize it. how you gonna call yourself a PG when you can't even get one of the top scorers on the team more than 2 shots at the half?

you can't pick and choose when to apply scrutiny - then conveniently apply it on the one person who's actually had less time with the team than anyone else. that's jacked up :/

yal really can't tell me anything about 'deserving' playing time after miles man lol....

[luciano-davidwesley]

Watching the Graham last second on the shot clock airball heave is cringe. As soon as the defense gets up in his grill he isn't athletic enough to create his own shot and he gets choked. It only goes down as a missed FG but it is essentially a turn over. He should NOT be trying to create off the dribble.

[DY_nasty]

I mean, Melo had 5 tos in 16 minutes. If there is one thing I'm worried about with him, it's that he's going to feel like he's too good to need to play disciplined. I have no problem with teaching him that he needs to play under control.

Graham's shot has been off, but dude is sporting almost a 6:1 a:to ratio. He's been fantastic handling the ball.

we really want to count bad games from guys?

cmon now. lets not even start that bus up....

it wasn't even that long ago where PJ was allowed to close a game and be forcefed when he turned the ball over, fouled, gave up rebounds, or put up garbage down the stretch - and if borrego was okay to sink or swim with a guy who showed up out of shape, then he should be okay with a guy turning the ball over trying to create something where the rest of the team has failed to get started. this "coach knows best" fallacy is a crutch.

again, i like borrego, but the same confidence he showed in starting bacon (and then benching him) is not here this year. if he wants to fix anything about the team right now it should be this zone that got bombed out 3 games in a row.

graham's ast:to ratio just means he's protecting his stats there by playing extremely conservative - not being efficient or running a solid offense. there's a dramatic difference in that. there's no one else on the team more comfortable dumping the ball off for a biyombo post up.

[Rich4114]

I don’t have an issue with Ball coming off the bench for now, but he is our best player behind Hayward already. Our roster is just so guard heavy. Mitch has to consolidate and I can’t see us keeping both Terry and Devonte. Until then, I’d just like to see LaMelo keep doing what he’s doing. What I would criticize JB for the most is his ridiculous lineup packages that just put everyone in position to fail.

[yosemiteben]

I mean, Melo had 5 tos in 16 minutes. If there is one thing I'm worried about with him, it's that he's going to feel like he's too good to need to play disciplined. I have no problem with teaching him that he needs to play under control.

Graham's shot has been off, but dude is sporting almost a 6:1 a:to ratio. He's been fantastic handling the ball.

we really want to count bad games from guys?

cmon now. lets not even start that bus up....

it wasn't even that long ago where PJ was allowed to close a game and be forcefed when he turned the ball over, fouled, gave up rebounds, or put up garbage down the stretch - and if borrego was okay to sink or swim with a guy who showed up out of shape, then he should be okay with a guy turning the ball over trying to create something where the rest of the team has failed to get started.

graham's ast:to ratio just means he's protecting his stats there by playing extremely conservative - not being efficient or running a solid offense. there's a dramatic difference in that. there's no one else on the team more comfortable dumping the ball off for a biyombo post up.

My point was that if you go against the coach's game plan, you should sit.

PJ is actually playing less mpg this season than last, even with Cody hurt. I don't think JB is sink or swim with PJ, against PHI a few weeks ago he played 21 minutes. He played 21 minutes in our season opener.

I disagree with your point about Graham and honestly I have a hard time believing you think he's too conservative with the ball. He's averaging almost 7 assists per game, 15th in the league. He just doesn't make bad passes, which clearly is something JB cares about. If you think he's posting those stats while also avoiding assists to maintain that ratio...jesus how many assists do you think he should be getting?

[DY_nasty]

counting assists is not the same as measuring effective offense

you would never say coby white and curry are the same level of offensive engine because they both average the same number of assists per game man.

i mean hell, we wouldn't even be talking up lamelo if he wasn't coming into the game completely changing the tempo this season in the first place. lets not dismiss what we all know because graham would rather take a bad shot or make someone hold a grenade than turn the ball over like a normal person.

dude was going 1-10 chucking hard but 9 assists no turnovers.... good game taking care of the ball as we were down double digits out the gate? what?

[DY_nasty]

just wanted to share the borrego quote. i'm not even sure how you guys can defend how shaky he's been this year man....

if he can allow quotes like that to get airplay without talking about how this team gets bombed into oblivion due to his zone - then his priorities in accountability are plainly out of order.

[yosemiteben]

counting assists is not the same as measuring effective offense

I didn't say it was, you said he was too conservative so he could preserve his ato ratio and now you're moving the goalposts a bit.

I just am not as low on Graham as you are. Even if I was, I don't have any issue with showing Melo tough love to help him develop.

[SWedd523]

Lastly the team is lucky melo is very confident cause harping about turnovers with a young PG is never a good thing it kills their development.

Any examples of this you'd like to share?

if you have to ask..

tell a young point guard to stop taking risks/be creative what do you think happens? like i said fortunately hes a very confident kid.

I asked you to share an example or three.

... And I'm still waiting

[DY_nasty]

counting assists is not the same as measuring effective offense

I didn't say it was, you said he was too conservative to preserve his ato ratio and now you're moving the goalposts a bit.

I just am not as low on Graham as you are. Even if I was, I don't have any issue with showing Melo tough love to help him develop.

i'm not moving goal posts i'm saying that a guy's ast:to ratio isn't some start to finish clear indicator of his offensive impact. especially when you have countless examples of graham actively giving the ball away in ways other than expecting cody zeller to catch an easy lob...

i was probably the only guy here who actually liked graham back when he was our 3rd pg. i promise i'm more disappointed in him than anyone else.

if borrego wants to hand out some tough love he can spread it around evenly. that makes sense to everyone, no?

two weeks ago lamelo would've been the youngest kid in history to put up back to back triple doubles if it wasn't for him being stubborn and we were all cool with it because we thought borrego would show consistency like he has in the past.

he's not. dude isn't some hall of fame coach, he's on his rookie contract too.

[DY_nasty]

Any examples of this you'd like to share?

if you have to ask..

tell a young point guard to stop taking risks/be creative what do you think happens? like i said fortunately hes a very confident kid.

I asked you to share an example or three.

... And I'm still waiting

hell we did it to felton

[iconoclastism]

[quote="DY_nasty"]

Read on Twitter

His fancy sloppy Globe Trotter handle may work outside NBA. His behind the back pass is just so ripe for picking.

[SWedd523]

I mean, Melo had 5 tos in 16 minutes. If there is one thing I'm worried about with him, it's that he's going to feel like he's too good to need to play disciplined. I have no problem with teaching him that he needs to play under control.

Graham's shot has been off, but dude is sporting almost a 6:1 a:to ratio. He's been fantastic handling the ball.

we really want to count bad games from guys?

cmon now. lets not even start that bus up....

it wasn't even that long ago where PJ was allowed to close a game and be forcefed when he turned the ball over, fouled, gave up rebounds, or put up garbage down the stretch - and if borrego was okay to sink or swim with a guy who showed up out of shape, then he should be okay with a guy turning the ball over trying to create something where the rest of the team has failed to get started. this "coach knows best" fallacy is a crutch.

again, i like borrego, but the same confidence he showed in starting bacon (and then benching him) is not here this year. if he wants to fix anything about the team right now it should be this zone that got bombed out 3 games in a row.

graham's ast:to ratio just means he's protecting his stats there by playing extremely conservative - not being efficient or running a solid offense. there's a dramatic difference in that. there's no one else on the team more comfortable dumping the ball off for a biyombo post up.

After the first few games people were losing their **** about Devonte and PJ playing like hot doo doo and how JB would comes out and say "trust me, they're getting there". Not sure if you've noticed, but those two have been much better over the most recent handful of games.

Now we're freaking out because Melo got pulled because he was playing like ass? To start, it's a little amusing to see the hypocrisy there.

Graham plays like ass and stays in = WTF take him out if he plays bad!
Melo plays like ass and gets taken out = WTF you gotta let him play through it!

Maybe JB knows his guys better than we do? It's starting to look like he was right about Graham and PJ, so why don't we give him a little faith and trust that he isn't actively trying to sabotage his star rookie (and his career as a result)?

We aren't really going to play this game every time he isn't treated like an All-NBA player, are we?

[DY_nasty]

I mean, Melo had 5 tos in 16 minutes. If there is one thing I'm worried about with him, it's that he's going to feel like he's too good to need to play disciplined. I have no problem with teaching him that he needs to play under control.

Graham's shot has been off, but dude is sporting almost a 6:1 a:to ratio. He's been fantastic handling the ball.

we really want to count bad games from guys?

cmon now. lets not even start that bus up....

it wasn't even that long ago where PJ was allowed to close a game and be forcefed when he turned the ball over, fouled, gave up rebounds, or put up garbage down the stretch - and if borrego was okay to sink or swim with a guy who showed up out of shape, then he should be okay with a guy turning the ball over trying to create something where the rest of the team has failed to get started. this "coach knows best" fallacy is a crutch.

again, i like borrego, but the same confidence he showed in starting bacon (and then benching him) is not here this year. if he wants to fix anything about the team right now it should be this zone that got bombed out 3 games in a row.

graham's ast:to ratio just means he's protecting his stats there by playing extremely conservative - not being efficient or running a solid offense. there's a dramatic difference in that. there's no one else on the team more comfortable dumping the ball off for a biyombo post up.

After the first few games people were losing their **** about Devonte and PJ playing like hot doo doo and how JB would comes out and say "trust me, they're getting there". Not sure if you've noticed, but those two have been much better over the most recent handful of games.

Now we're freaking out because Melo got pulled because he was playing like ass? To start, it's a little amusing to see the hypocrisy there.

Graham plays like ass and stays in = WTF take him out if he plays bad!
Melo plays like ass and gets taken out = WTF you gotta let him play through it!

Maybe JB knows his guys better than we do? It's starting to look like he was right about Graham and PJ, so why don't we give him a little faith and trust that he isn't actively trying to sabotage his star rookie (and his career as a result)?

We aren't really going to play this game every time he isn't treated like an All-NBA player, are we?

PJ and Devonte are still playing like doodoo tho

i mean again - the whole team looks bad and unprepared while taking repetitive Ls of the same style

that's on who?

[SWedd523]

if you have to ask..

tell a young point guard to stop taking risks/be creative what do you think happens? like i said fortunately hes a very confident kid.

I asked you to share an example or three.

... And I'm still waiting

hell we did it to felton

Okay... I want to see you try to defend this garbage lol come on man you're better than this

Please explain to me how Felton was ever in a similar situation to Melo, then was called out by a coach for playing too sloppy and/or turning it over too much, then it stunting his development

He had 5 games of 5+ turnovers his first season (roughly 1 every 16 games). Melo has already had 2 (or roughly 1 every 8 games). Let's just ignore the fact that Felton and Melo are two completely different players with completely different trajectories.