Well, except not playing.
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Yes the kid who has played professional basketball since he was 16 hates basketball.
For the people who are angry with LaMelo not wearing an ankle brace because he says itās uncomfortable. What do you guys think he means? That itās just a little tight or wonky feeling? Or that itās actually very painful for him to wear because of the metal in his ankle?
Do you guys think he should play with an ankle brace even if it causes immense pain?
He definitely should have played through a broken ankle to prove he likes playing basketball
I take your point, and none us know. Seemingly nobody in the media does either.
The issue I see is weāre so used to dealing with information, with hearing/reading whatās happening. With having āreturn to playā protocols given to us, that the contrast with LaMelo, and this organization, is so stark, that we fill in the blanks.
Two sides here ā¦ I donāt know if heās so immature and nonchalant that ankle braces not looking cool, and him not quite feeling himself in the 30 minutes heās tried them on, means he simply isnāt willing to give them a go. The other side ā¦ LaMelo still has screws in, and heās tried every ankle brace on the market, all of which rub against these screws and cause him pain to the point he canāt play with them.
My āfilling in the blanksā thoughts take me much closer to the first version of events than the second, but thatās my bias. I simply donāt know, and thatās a huge frustration. That said, Iād be willing to bet Miller would have done more and probably found a way to get on the court and play, were he in LaMeloās position. Thatās my purely speculative, gut feel, but thatās where my mind is at on LaMelo. Iād absolutely love to be wrong, and for him to make me look a fool for doubting him. But I hate all these questions about our best player, whoās about to starting a max contract, which could derail any chances the Hornets have of becoming a playoff team in the next few years.
Told everyone on here the last two drafts that we should have traded him.
If he comes back and has a good start to the season, we should trade him for 2-3 firsts and play the long game like OKC did.
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Do you have a feel or any info on how the FO (and new FO) sees the situation? Are the ok with it? Worried? Fed up? Did they intentionally keep him out towards the end to play the lotto odds game?
No idea Chef. Not much talk at allā¦ mostly FO speak about building around our core ā¦blah blah.
Iām fine with the decision to not play actually. Guy should be healthy before he plays for sure.
I think the larger question is if heās doing what he needs to do to be healthy and strengthen his body. Itās one thing to want to play. Itās another thing altogether to put in the work to make sure your body is best prepared for the grind of NBA basketball. And I think thatās where the attitude question comes into play: is Melo really pushing himself to make sure heās getting better and putting himself and the team in a position to be successful.
Iām 50/50 on the guy. There are things that rub me the wrong way, but I also get heās from a different generation and had a playful spirit which can be deceiving of the attitude he brings to preparation. Certainly it appears that coaches and players say he wants to be coached and get better.
Weāll see. Itās just frustrating to have a core player with the investment we have in him seem like he could go either way with playing again. But Iāll certainly agree that can be bad interpretation and not his actual attitude or behavior.
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LaMelo wore an ankle brace for the first few games to start the year and said he stopped wearing them because they were āuncomfortableā and āhurt.ā
LaMelo currently has large amounts of metal in his ankle and wearing an ankle brace can rub against that and be extremely painful.
Nothing to worry about at all
Im on my phone and can expand later, but he reminds me of someone who grew up with money and never had to worry about anything. Because regardless, itās all going to work out just fine. Itās what happens when you live without consequences.
Iām not saying all people with money are like this-so people, donāt flame me. That attitude certainly isnāt exclusive to people growing up with money. Itās just what can happen when life decisions lack gravity.
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You may well be right, but do we know this to be true? Iāve heard and read speculation, but I donāt know of anything definitive having been stated. I just wish the team would come out and state the facts of the situation.
Makes a lot of sense. Seems to fit with āplaying without fearā because, what he does he actually have to fear? Fits very well with his general, laissez-faire attitude. I canāt help but think a little dose of maturity would do him the world of good. Keep that lack of fear on the court, itās absolutely a strength, but behave more like an adult off the court and with the press.
Itās not that Iām a Melo superfan, I just tend to super back guys while theyāre here unless they quit on the team, or are just awful to watch.
I have a feeling that if he never broke his wrist or ankle, nobody would care about his clothes, his jokey manner with teammates, his terrible driving, his unrefined interviewing techniques. But because heās been unable to play, all these little, non consequential things are built up as character flaws.
It reminds me of the whole stupid ācontroversyā of Cam Newton wearing a towel over his head, or doing the Superman, or the dab. None of that shit matters, never did. Yes, we all love the idea of the blue collar, hometown star athlete who shuns the spotlight, gives all his money to orphans, pulls old ladies and their cats out of burning buildings, focuses only on the game and never hangs out with friends because theyāre studying film.
Most players, stars or not, arent like that, and thats fine. Be committed to your craft and the team, play hard, and Iām good, regardless if youāre a crusty old curmudgeon like Zo, Steve Smith (football one), Stephen Jackson, or a fun loving guy like LJ, Baron, Cam, and Melo.
Melo is not as mature in the sense of a polished professional, but heās not immature as far as getting into major trouble outside the game. He always plays hard, and has been willing to play hurt in rushing back from his wrist and ankle injuries.
Heās not above criticism, especially with being the highest paid player now, I just feel sometimes we read too much into his quirky personality as not being serious and therefore not worth keeping around, I think thats silly. Maybe having his first full offseason not in rehab will allow him to attack his strength training, rhythm, and synergy with teammates.
If he turns into Ben Simmons, Iāll join the chorus, but I donāt think heās anything like him. I donāt think Ben actually likes the game of basketball, where I do think Melo is a basketball junkie, who likes to do other things too.
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Excellent post
Heās talked about it in multiple interviews over the past year.
https://x.com/meloleague/status/1725203774015488080?s=46&t=azHGzG9z8IQuqedu8I9s6g
That link reinforces my frustration, as thatās a fan account, with generic x-rays. Nothing there is a quote from, or a pic of, LaMelo.
This is the issue I have, there isnāt anything definitive that I have seen. I know LaMelo was interviewed by Walker from LOH, and he talked about trying, but not getting on with, ankle braces. I assume he has some hardware still in his ankle, but I donāt know.
Anyway, Iāll just accept āit is what it isā and hope things get sorted over the off-season.
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The other tweet quoted included a quote from LaMelo
Something more fun to think about than LaMelos ankle.
Bill Simmons voice: This wonāt happen but letās say the Warriors say fuck it and blow it up, they call the Hornets and say weāll give you Steph for your pick this year, a 2026 unprotected and the Miami and Dallas picks. Would you say yes?