Does LaMelo Ball have one of the worst contracts in the NBA? Should the Hornets explore trading him?

Does LaMelo Ball have one of the worst contracts in the NBA? Should the Hornets explore trading him?

We’ve been pushing it off for a while but now it’s probably time yeah lots of other people are having this conversation should the Hornets really consider trading lamelo ball we’ll get to it next locked on Hornets you are locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of

The locked on podcast Network your team every day in the minute cuz we live it’s locked on hornets part of the locked on podcast Network it’s your team every day thanks for making us your first listed we’re free we’re available anywhere you get your pods and that

Includes YouTube did want to tell you before we get started on this conversation I’m sure Doug has no problem with me procrastinating this until we get later and later into the day did want to tell you this episode is brought to you by LinkedIn LinkedIn jobs helps you find the qualified candidates

You want to talk to but faster you can post your job for free at linkedin.com loock on NBA that’s linkedin.com lockon NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply there’s Doug Branson a frowny Doug Branson you can find his work on his substack every Hornet spox score.com I’m Walker mail

Listen to me WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 3M Weston Walker 927 FM yeah we could have had this conversation a while if if we discuss what other people are talking about on their National podcast what people are throwing out there what I get on the world famous WFNZ text line

Frequently if we start to if if we discuss what everyone else is talking about Doug then this conversation is a little too late but you and I never really I don’t want to say that say it wasn’t ever realistic but we kept pushing it off because we had games to

Get to we had things that were I guess a little more interesting to us a niche daily Hornets pod even so we found a way to push this off but now with Bill Simmons having the annual worst NBA contract draft a couple of his ringer buddies join him and they go one through

Three don’t even know if it’s a snake draft whatever but they start drafting the worst NBA draft or worst NBA contracts in the game right now for instance Ben Simmons was number one understandable Bradley Beal number two maybe a little more debatable still the no trade clause is terrible whatever

Right those are the first two picks well as you go later into the pod a little past the one hour mark lamelo Ball’s name comes up and it’s Bill Simmons drafting lamelo ball as one of the worst contracts in the NBA you have some of the quotes from Bill and and his

Reasoning as to why he drafts him right what are the quotes there Doug I don’t really have the quotes I can tell you why uh he he did it and I will say you know Bill Simmons has been on a journey with lamelo ball right I mean he was

Very critical very critical of him pre-draft uh didn’t even think he should be draft drafted in the top five then essentially apologized for that later on I don’t know why he did that he should have consulted me you you never apologize there’s just no benefit to it

Didn’t consult you on that one no no but um anyway he he did and he came around on lamelo Ball and now he’s all the way back around although to his credit I think if you watch this podcast he’s not like jumping for joy that he because all

Of this is around his injuries right right it’s ankle injuries it’s really I think some of the other people on the podcast tried to make it about his unseriousness The Laughing incident on the bench when the Hornets were getting shellacked you know you you sort of put

That side by side with Brandon Miller who is always super serious and a little bit dower and you know walks away sad uh when when they when they lose and then I think um the one of the guys on the podcast mentioned wimy and how serious wimy is about

Uh you know getting San Antonio where he wants to get them to although I would say you know San Antonio does a lot of losing so but he but he’s right though wmy is like he wants to be an NBA superstar and he wants it right

Now so all that to say it was all it really was all about the ankle injuries and then the fact that the contract is five years and it starts next season and there’s just questions about both lamelo ceiling but more importantly his just general availability to play basketball

Games under that new deal yeah so all right what I don’t I don’t know where we start maybe we start if do we consider lamelo balls contract bad which I do not I do not consider it a worse contract I don’t think it should have been selected

I think there are plenty of other contracts to select we can talk about lamelo as the player who yes is injured and that complicates things a lot the guy has not played at all really the last couple of years and what’s really concerning is that when he does come

Back onto the court there’s another injury that he suffers and then he goes back to the sideline that is a real bad sign no doubt about it but the player the player is worthy of that contract in my opinion so then we get to the fact can you trade lamelo ball on that

Contract which I think is an emphatic yes and I think for that reason alone even if you don’t think lamelo was worth the rookie Max extension that he got Hornets gave it to him Nob brainer didn’t even think twice about it I thought it was a good piece of business

If you care about the people part saying we take care of the young talent that we draft and just keeping the talent from a basketball standpoint it made sense because the injury history hadn’t mounted up to what it is now and so you still give him that contract even so the

Contract would warrant What doug like multiple first round picks in return I I I think maybe I’m inflating that value a little too much but I can tell you this as a Hornets fan I would not trade Meo ball for anything less any I I wouldn’t consider it for anything less than two

First rounders and if you think that’s inflating it then we’re just not going to get a deal done so then once we start to go to is it a bad contract I think no on the player no on the trade value as far as what it would bring in a trade

Package so then we get to is he tradable would you trade him would you a lot that’s a lot of questions which would you like me to tackle first well no I’m I’m saying I I’m telling you I would not that’s where I am I don’t think it’s a

Bad contract I wouldn’t trade him now you can attack whatever you want to uh do I think it’s a bad contract no it’s concerning you know I mean I’m not going to say it’s bad because you have to take a lot of things into context you have to take the fact

That he got an All-Star bid have to take the fact that you know he Steve Clifford talks about it all the time this player this team right now literally has no one that you can run an offense through and and throw in the ball and go make a play

Like that is that’s lamelo ball that’s the impact that when he’s got his his deep shot going uh when when he’s moving defenses the way we know he can when he’s uh dribble driving the way we know he can that that’s the impact that he has offensively for this team is he you

Know super complete all-nba level player no does he have the potential to be yes and when you’re a small to midsize Market team you have to bet on potential you’re not going to be able to go out in free agency and and go get guys that are proven commodity with with much ease

Unless that you know special situation pops up and then you have to go attack that but you know you you do have to bet on potential and so that’s what the Hornets did what’s concerning is that the same injury keeps happening to the right ankle and and I think what’s

Concerning on top of that is that it doesn’t it doesn’t seem like everything is being done to protect that ankle from the players perspective because of some comfort issues with you know wearing braces or what have you and and if that’s the case if if if all precautions

Aren’t being taken to protect him and and his ability to be out on the court and play and you weigh that against the size of that contract it’s tremendous but at the same time it’s not as if they’ve committed to two other Max contracts and this this Max contract is

Really just going to weigh them down down they’re actually in a really good position and that they have a lot coming off the books or they have a lot of young players that are still on uh you know decent sized deals especially with this trade deadline and bringing in man

And meic and some of these guys that are on rookie deals like if any team was going to take on a Max contract that wasn’t going to work out the Hornets are actually probably in the best position to do that yeah so all that to say I

Agree with you I don’t think it’s anywhere near the worst contract but it’s certainly concerning and and we can talk more about my my thoughts on on trading lamelo which I think are similar to yours but slightly different yeah and and I lump those in together so we can

Talk about that more in the second segment because we can break down each of these things but no I don’t I don’t think it’s a bad contract right now you’re at to to say that you’re not concerned means you would be intentionally looking away and going la

La la la he’s not hurt I don’t see it whatsoever you got to be a little concerned because for every reason I just stated the fact that he continues to get hurt when he does go out there but also you’re right you you would probably like to see

Something a little more visible to us the public eye on he’s doing everything he possibly can to take care of himself and we don’t know that’s it we see him warming up a lot we don’t see a boots you know that is unless someone comes out and says

Like hey yes you see that but here’s what you don’t see and here’s why he’s not playing I think fans are reasonable to say why isn’t this dude playing right now like why isn’t he playing right now what’s going on yeah and and so we can

Go back to as well like the whole Saga of is he going to play is he not it doesn’t look like he’s going to with Steve Clifford’s comments in a press conference I think before Milwaukee game then we talked to him out there for a charity event on Wes and Walker and then

He’s like yeah you know he’s close he and it was very different it was a very different sound bite and he’s still not out there maybe that was just Steve saying I got a little too carried away away with the previous comments here on this show I’m just going to set the I’m

Maybe I’m intentionally leading them astray I’m just going to say something super generic and then they could take whatever they want to but this is always like this is you know pr101 as you can be as vague as you want to that’s fine but as long as you’re that vague then

We’re going to try to extrapolate we’re going to try to speculate all the eights we’re going to try to figure out what the hell’s going on because we just can’t seem to get any information to the contrary as to what we might be speaking about yeah and and every opportunity

That he doesn’t play is an opportunity wasted for him to you know get to know some of these new players get better as a player because his game does have holes you know I mean there’s just no doubt about it when when they talk about his defense on this podcast in terms of

Max player all NBA sort of aspirations they’re right like his defense is never going to be elite but you know it’s got to be better than it’s been and he doesn’t have any opportunity to work on that with Clifford with the team when he’s not playing and the questions do

Exist and they’re fair questions of does he want to play uh is he scared about the ankle about testing it you know will he will he be concerned about doing some of the things that he that make lamelo lamelo when he gets back out there uh is he serious about bringing you know

Winning basketball to Charlotte if he’s not going to play all of those questions become fair game when you don’t play when it looks like you’re kind of going to play when other PE when other people say you’re close to playing and then we don’t see

You and I think he loves the game I think he cares I think that’s the only thing we’ve seen written about him through the first few years in Charlotte I I’m not trying to say to other people like he’s it’s pretty well documented that he actually doesn’t love watching

The game but he loves being in the gym which it’s funny that’s that’s something that is a very big distinction with lamelo he’s told you I don’t really watch basketball like that which could go to the unseriousness right like he’s sitting on the bench and he’s not

Totally he’s not totally he’s like me I mean I relate to that I don’t love listening to podcasts that I’m not speaking on so I I do relate to that yeah I but but we also know at least Steve Clifford has told us that lamelo really enjoys learning and he and Steve

Have a really good relationship a basketball relationship where lamelo wants to get better and I truly believe that so it’s just frustrating that we don’t know what’s going to happen and the last thing I’ll say too is is Steve says there’s a difference in the offseason when you have a rehab

Offseason and then you also have one that you can get better because lamelo had a rehab offseason all last year we found out very late in the process that he was only cleared for training camp what like a week before and so we missed all of that info right there’s not media

Going out every day because there’s just not media availability to know what the timeline is on lamelo’s injury and then once they get to training camp Steve Clifford tells you yeah he was just cleared like you got to remember he’s still getting his legs back under him

Still getting his breath and he was only a clear a week before so all offseason last year an injury rehab offseason can we get to this offseason if you’re not going to play a game which it doesn’t look like it anymore if you’re going to

Get to this one we hope that this can be a hey we’re going to get better in a lot of different areas and he’s GNA come back rip roaring ready to go whatever that may mean we’ll see yeah maybe that’s the calculation yeah maybe all right let’s uh now have the trade Lamela

Ball conversation coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet more lamelo talk is a lamelo trade realistic we can have that discussion on whether it’s the right decision but is it realistic are the Hornets truly considering it we’ll get to it in just a

Moment on lockdown Hornets before we do that I want to tell you that this episode is brought to you by Stitch fix you know that instant confidence boost you get from an outfit that makes you look really good that’s what you get with Stitch fix with Stitch

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That’s stitchfix.com lockon stitchfix.com lockon more locked on Hornets ahead I tried to lump these two segments together here into one but now we can break it into two right bad contract we don’t think it’s a bad contract we’re concerned with lamelo but now comes the trade lamelo piece and this is the thing

I see featured more so on that WFNZ text line I was discussing every once in a while people will be in my mentions with a fake trade for lamelo or just somebody set it on a national pod whatever and this is starting to pick up some steam

Here Doug this is the real combo lots of people have been having for quite some time and I am one to tell you I do not agree with it I don’t think the Hornets should trade lamelo in my opinion you’ve done the hard thing twice now you found

Lamelo ball a guy that is an Allstar by his second season in the league at 20 years old even coming into this this year he’s going to turn what 23 this upcoming NBA season and he already has an All-Star selection under his belt he was well on his way to get another one

Before he turned 23 and I’m just not willing to give up on Talent like that even with the injuries under the microscope right now I’m not giving up on that because that’s really hard to do it’s really hard to draft an NBA Allstar two-time Allstar if everything would

Have played out correctly before 23 then they did it again when they got Brandon Miller who looks like he has an all-nba type ceiling at least right now so if you if you get both of those guys and they can fit really well together I think both of them are real malleable

Basketball players I think lamelo with his catch and shoot numbers I think with him being a taller point guard with him being a good passer I think he can play off ball as the two I think he can play on ball as the one which we’ve seen for

His entire career and then Brandon Miller is a great secondary ball handler so we we did the hard thing twice Doug we got two guys that also fit really well you could even mishmash your best player available versus position of need and find it all in one with Brandon

Miller when you selected him and so the fact that you have those two guys I’m not willing to give up on that yet if it happens again next year cool maybe i’ give that trade a little more life to it but right now I’m just not giving up on

That I think your willingness uh or unwillingness to give up on Talent is a little bit beside the point because I don’t think that there are going to be suitors out there that are going to be willing to take the risk on lamelo Ball and the size and length of that contract

Really I mean just take the money away and just say the number of years on that contract when you don’t know if this guy is going to be healthy enough to make for getet a significant impact on your team any impact at all on your team and

And you know I I don’t think it’s a huge Factor but but the idea that is and it has nothing to do because they’re different people but Lonzo ball and the situation that he’s going through that’s got to hit some kind of you know it’s

Got to pop off some kind of neuron when a GM an opposing GM is thinking about bringing lamelo ball onto the team and so I I just don’t even think that a package would materialize such that anyone would be satisfied with the return that you would get on lamelo ball

At this point and so what I would say to anyone who is interested in trading lamelo ball is that it’s kind of the same thing that I say to producer Katie when when she’s concerned about about messing up our baby you know and this is a very common

Concern that parents have oh am i g to say something am I going to do something that’s like going to have Ripple effects that that you know uh uh mess them up in the future that they’re going to think about that they’re going to talk to their therapist about and I always have

The same response we have plenty of time to mess this child up so let’s not worry about it right now and also there are so many other people that are going to have an opportunity to mess this child up that we’re probably we overinflate our ability to do that you know so that

Would be my thing to people who want to trade lamelo there is plenty of time to have that conversation now is not that time because the Hornets aren’t even good yet if the Hornets had made a playoffs without lamelo right if Brandon Miller right now were leading this team to a

Six seed that would that would have been incredible if miles Bridges was playing Better Than Miles brid if miles Bridges were a one all of a sudden then then okay I’m I I would be willing to say well hey could you get two picks you know maybe you do move on because you’ve

Got a you don’t even have a core you don’t even have anything that’s proven that could it can even get to the playoffs much Le win there and so you got to see where this road leads with lamelo and then try to find a time to

Bail if you need to bail later on well and and so I think people would argue that because they’re not even good yet this is the time to capitalize on it so if if now like all the conversations of needing to give lamelo help as soon as possible those seem to have shift

Because usually have those conversations around the head of the snake and now many people would argue that that’s going to be Brandon Miller moving forward so then we shift that convo from lamelo to Brandon hey we got to give him as much help as possible let’s get a

Couple of first round picks from lamelo and apply it now we can have the do you think he gets a couple of first round picks and if he doesn’t then you’re right it probably wouldn’t make much sense and see maybe I’m just miscalculating it you’re right like maybe I’m miscalculating the value here

I I didn’t expect him to show up in a worst NBA contracts draft I I did not expect a team to not be interested in trading for lamelo especially with like a semic contender looking to take a real risk it’s a risk but I just don’t view

It as this who buddy like Zion comes to mind where I know Zion ceiling is higher he’s playing very well right now but buddy I mean that contract was really scary we had the conversation a lot of times with the number two overall pick would you trade number two and whatever

Salary matching all that stuff to go after Zion who was overweight and also injury-ridden as well but that’s what I like that was even still going to get some real value in return so like I I think teams would be interested enough to where you could get off of lamelo if

You really wanted to at like pretty fair value or at least close to it but yeah to your point you’re probably right if you’re not then I’m just not trading him anyway so to me the you hit on the I think salian Point here which is that

The the engine of the Zion trade talks was not the was not entirely the injuries it was the being overweight it was The Whispers and rumors that would come from unnamed sources within the franchise that were questioning Zion’s willingness to reach all the potential that he could reach to date we have not

Heard any of that come out of this organization now this to me this conversation changes uh fundamentally if we do start to hear something you know pop off in the Observer from someone within the franchise that says well you know I don’t know if he was entirely as

Willing to get back on the court as as maybe you would expect a guy on a Max contract to be then all of a sudden you know red light start Red Alert Red Alert you know all that starts to happen because you go okay what’s what’s really

Going on here but but none of that’s happened and so that’s why I’m on team hey let’s wait let’s let’s get him fully healthy let’s hope and pray that he is going to take every necessary step to whether that be you know strengthening the ankle in terms of you know his

Regiment over the off season or or equipment or or whatever that he takes every precaution necessary to stay healthy and that it happens uh and and you know and continue to and continue to light candles around pictures of Steph Curry and just that whole idea of this guy who looked like

He had glass ankles and and then did things to protect those ankles and then became you know this Elite player and still hold on to hope that that’s what lamelo’s story turns out to be I I wonder what the masses think about this with Hornets fans I think I think early

On you know especially we have the the different faction of lamelo stands which is a group entirely within itself it is very different it is a a rugged aggressive Beast especially that exists within the YouTube sphere and so the lamelo stands are one fact right but

Then you have the Hornets fans also who I think early on also agreed that we shouldn’t trade him and the mass has agreed with it I I still think that’s true but I do think it shifted Doug a little bit like there are a lot more people that one continue to be concerned

At the very least which I totally understand that’s a reasonable take it’s reasonable to think that lamelo his future might be affected because of all the injuries that he suffered but I also think that they’re already like hey I’m just I don’t want to deal with this I I

Want to move on even with the lack of talent that’s been in this organiz organization for so long like they’re willing to give up on it here I would push back on that but I do think we’re starting to see more and more people infiltrate that space of hey I just

Don’t want to do this anymore I don’t want to be a part of it I’m scared I want to trade lamelo before this thing gets really dark and we have to get Pennies on the dollar and it’s just like a salary dump at that point so like I do

Think people are are more and more moving into that space and we have one more year left Doug before we might realize that Darkness like we have one year and one more injury left of realizing that Darkness as reality but the thing is it’s shifted right because

He hasn’t played yeah right because if he’s played then people see the three-pointers they see the amazing passes they see what he’s done in in little stretches post his first All-Star bid but if you see that over the longer term then you go no I I cannot deny what

My eyes see but you can so easily deny uh you know what you can’t see and the Hornet and and hornets fans cannot see they they see lamelo in Street cloes and and I don’t know you know how much Credence to give to the unseriousness

Piece of it uh you know I think we I just think we blow all that stuff out of proportion and you know we look at Miller frowning on the sideline and and we think that that means something and we think that lamelo smiling on the sideline means something yeah yeah no

Totally ridiculous you’re right so uh I I just think he’s he’s got to play and that’s why that’s why I’m so really adamant about it earlier and then that’s why I was so adamant about it earlier in the show like if if he’s not going to

Play we need to hear why he’s not playing okay we need we need a firmer understanding of that otherwise I think it’s fair for people to question what’s going on there uh but but here’s the thing because he’s not playing and this is the problem I I feel like we’re a

Little bit boxed in here because he’s not playing playing I I just don’t see another franchise going oh yeah sure three why not four first round picks for this guy that we don’t even know we don’t know what the status of his ankles are you know like there’s just there’s

No scenario in my mind where there’s a trade package that would develop that would satisfy the Hornets and the value that they’ve already invested in lamelo and that that a team would be willing to give up those two things have to match and until he plays 60 games in a season

That’s 40 I don’t I don’t know 50 like until he does that that that’s just not going to happen you you might you might be right you’re probably right for some I I think this is the teams get desperate enough mindset for me to where I think they

Would be willing to take it like you could talk yourself into he’s going to make our players better when on the floor he is yes he has a big contract coming up but he’s still very young and I feel I’m not saying that that’s true I’m saying teams talk themselves into decision

Every single offse multiple times via trades via free agents I could easily see a team doing that but maybe you’re right maybe there’s enough going on enough scuttlebutt to where that might just not happen for lamelo to the point where it’s just not realistic so well

Listen I mean you know yeah if you could uh I don’t know chloroform Daryl Mory and get Elton brand on the phone and and see if you can yeah see if you can make it happen look that’s what I’m saying if a crazy scenario like that pops

Up listen the the Hornets of old used to do this all the time they would find a little nugget and then the Nugget would want a ton of money and the Hornet and the Hornets did it then because they were cheap not because well I mean with

With Larry it was with Larry Johnson it was injuries concerned too they were concerned about giving a guy that had some back stuff they were concerned about giving him uh you know backing up the truck and giving him a truckload of cash and um so you know but the the

Hornets of old have done this before where they flipped players that were Central to the franchise that were the best players on the franchise and they flipped them for packages of players not necessarily picks but players that then vaulted them into continued playoff status the issue is what I hit on

Earlier is that the Hornets aren’t even anywhere near a team that could take on you know a Glenn rice and a and a and a package of players from from the Miami Heat or the New York Knicks or whatever and make a run they’re not even anywhere

Near that so I I just don’t know that that makes any sense either all right let’s move on we have one more segment to go coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet there are the actual games to talk about the Hornets continue

Their Road stretch three more yes they have three more Road games before they’re back at home for eight straight games it’s crazy we’ll talk about the schedule here in the last segment before we do that I want to tell you that this episode is brought to you

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Recording that you and fax have not had a great relationship the past couple of shows now you’ve had to make a couple of Corrections in previous shows but this time it’s not a correction you just said you have a clarification not a correction just a clarification to make

Yeah yeah just a clarification I am not in any way I just want to protect us legally I am not in any way advocating that Jeff Peterson the new EVP of basketball operations uh put chloroform onto a rag and and then and then chloroform Daryl

Mory yeah and and tie him up and put him in a closet Allah Celtic Pride uh no I’m not advocating that at all I’m just saying if they were to do that and Elton brand were to offer four picks for Lamela ball I just don’t think you can

Say no in that scenario and also in that scenario you are going to need uh some really good legal representation thank you for that lock on podcast did not condone that message we have our own I not endorsement yeah no I don’t just saying if it happens it

Happens it does that’s true thank you for that clarification not a correction but just a clarification Doug what do you see in the Hornets matchup against the Orlando Magic tonight we just got to see them take take on Orlando at home it got close a little bit late but then

Eventually Orlando was able to separ themselves what do you remember from that game that you might apply here to this matchup yeah and same lineup for the magic they have no injuries those sun when I when I see a team play the Hornets and none is in the injury block

I just I get so angry uh I’m I’m holding it in right now I’m smiling on the outside but I’m fuming on the inside how could the basketball gods do this to us um what I remember about that game is that the magic plays some intense on

Ball defense and they force the Hornets into like three straight turnovers to open that game it was part of a series of games where the Hornets just really came out the starters and laid an egg in the first quarter and had to fight fight fight to get back into those games and

Didn’t have enough juice uh you know to to make a 10-point comeback in the third quarter or something like that and they got off to a bad third quarter stting that game too so you know got to have more Poise when they when they put that pressure on

And the magic beat them over the head with their size what’s different in this game is is povi they did not have poku in that well they did but they didn’t play him now he’s part of this little tight eight-man rotation that the Hornets have and poku does give them not

More beef but a little bit more length down low defensively to block shots to affect shots to move guard drives out of the lane so hopefully that can make a little bit of an impact on the on on the defensive end of the floor Off the Bench

But really they’ve just got to protect the basketball miles Bridges Grant Williams in particular also love to see a bounceback game from uh Brandon Miller be just in general but off that ejection want to see that too but you have to have to have to protect the basketball

Or you’ve got no shot yeah we we we know that last time the size really bothered the Hornets which is the same thing for a lot of different teams but remember Orlando spent so many years in the first round deciding to select the 69 guy that

Can do it all and eventually it paid off once they got somebody offensively gifted like Palo bonero so then they get fron Vagner who is a very good shooter and also on the perimeter he he’s a hell of a player so okay now we’re actually starting to get real talent to realize

What also can happen with putting that Talent around just a whole bunch of athletic bodies and then they just started dunking it on our head on their head at the Spectrum Center friends Vagner got it on it Mo Vagner did too I’m all the vogner all the vogner showed

Up and slammed it I thought Jonathan Isaac defensively was really good Brandon Miller had the shake up that mid-range jumper on Isaac which was a fun highlight but Isaac’s defense was very good Grant Williams couldn’t really do anything inside I don’t expect him where he’s actually shooting pretty well

At The Rim overall in his time with the Hornets I don’t expect this to be a a strong game from Grant Williams in the paint so hopefully the three ball is falling for him and hopefully he’s making plays for others and so those are some of the thoughts but yeah but

Brandon Miller also a bounceback game from him after the ejection like how does how does he respond is do we get angry Brandon Miller um from the Hornets and uh also I remember against Orlando we had the mid-range talk with him do we get a different kind of shot diet or do

We just expect him to still try to pull up in the mid-range because of that size that might bother the Hornet those are a couple of thoughts from me hey heading into this game I’m pretty sure I saw rard vogner the German opera composer in there at one point rose from the dead

And on their head on R the Valkyries right into the teeth of the Hornets defense yeah too many Vagner got to stop those guys interesting schedule this week the Hornets play tonight and and then they have three days off and I looked at that first of all I was like

Yeah got take a breath we can talk about we talk about lamelo we can talk about you know when you you go through the grind of having to talk about these games you don’t have time to really kind of step back so we’ll have some time

This week to step back talk about some of the tournament stuff we’ll have David Walker on uh who pays attention to college basketball we’ll get him on to talk about some players that he’s watching as it relates to the Hornets draft looks like they’re going to have a

High draft pick so that’s all good but I looked at the schedule at first and I was like why did the Hornets hornets have had a grueling schedule heading into this week why suddenly the let up and then I went oh yeah Charlotte Spectrum Center I bet they’re hosting

The tournament and sure enough they are hosting uh part of the the regionals but it made me think of something that we you know we often talk about on this show this time of year which is that this is something that the organization Hornet sports and entertainment this is

Something that they’ve done for many years which is they will host not only NCAA tournament events they will host Conference tournament events and it messes with the Hornet schedule and you’ll see them play a ton of they’ll have their big big road trip around this time and then you’ve got this massive

Home stand that’s coming up a record setting home stand but that’s all because of the schedule manipulation and dance that they have to do to host these big events which is all fine and good if the Hornets are what the Hornets are right now which is not good which is not

In playoff contention but what always worries me is that when the Hornets do eventually and it will happen they will contend for the playoffs again if they continue to do this kind of schedule manipulation for financial considerations it’s it’s like a chicken in the egg kind of thing like yeah we

Have to do it because we’re not making enough money on the Hornets but you’re not making enough money on the Hornets because the Hornets aren’t winning and the Hornets aren’t winning in part or they they might miss the playoffs one year because you’re doing this weird stuff with the schedule and making it

Difficult for the team when they need it to not be difficult yeah well the thing is right so Spectrum Center the city was like hey we’ll worry about that when we get there right now we’re going to take these tournament there we’re going get this tournament money that’s what we’re

Going to do North Carolina one seed yeah they’re going to play in Charlotte yeah we’re going to go ahead and Host this first round and North Carolina fans are goingon to show up in the masses I think tip is at like 249 on Thursday so lots

Of heels fans going to be in town plus if there is a little bit of a Virginia contingency UVA if they win their first four game in then they’ll get to the first round play in Charlotte so you have some local matchups but you’re right it does manipulate this schedule

For the Hornets and it’s made it very weird to where now we have four Road games then we have eight home games it’s pretty crazy and I seem to recall and I will put a big like maybe on this because I’ve I’ve gone out on some Limbs and and you know the limb

Cracked and and I fell down to the ground but I put a big maybe on this but I seem to recall that when the Hornets were last were in playoff contention back in uh and I’m not talking about play in but back when they were actually

In the playoffs in in 156 I do call Clifford in some off seon making some kind of sort of vague reference to this idea of like you know sometimes it could be difficult late in the season because scheduling is what scheduling is and you’ve got to make some considerations

For such I’m just I’m just going to continue to fly this flag I’m going to continue to fly the airplane over the beach with this you know big thing uh Banner hanging out from behind it saying hey if the Hornets are on look if the Hornets are overwhelmingly good it’s not

Going to matter right San Antonio had the their you know big rodeo road trip or whatever it never mattered because they had Tim Duncan and because they had blah blah blah blah blah they had all these players but so if the Hornets are so good it’s not going to matter but if

They are sort of on the edge it can make a difference if you’re playing you know uh eight games in 13 nights and all and most of those are on the road because you’ve got to make some room in the schedule for this that’s all I’m saying

The good news is the tournament it’s only here like what every four years or so last time they were here it’s a while ago but maybe they’ll come up with something different that orn you’ve got you’ve got uh you’ve got a three threeyear window here window to figure

This thing out all right do with it what you will that’ll do it for locked on Hornets thanks for making us your first listen again we’re free and available anywhere you get your pods watch us on YouTube subscribe cliche smash that uh follow button make sure you’re getting

All the notifications when we do put up a video and again we’re still putting out the audible medium with no visuals whatsoever if you like that better catch us anywhere you get your podcast have a great rest of your day we’ll be back with you tomorrow

In one of the latest episodes of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons selected LaMelo Ball as having one of the worst contracts in the NBA at the moment. Does he have a point? Should Jeff Peterson consider trading him within the first year on the job? Walker and Doug break down the status of LaMelo Ball within the Hornets organization before finally transitioning into the Hornets upcoming schedule.

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