I was just about to say that Melo showing great defensive effort in a preseason game is a night & day revelation to me
āLaMelo Ball led the way for Charlotte in his return from last seasonās ankle injuries and finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-10 from outside the arc, to go with seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. The defensive mindset was evident in Ball early, as he blocked OG Anunobyās shot on New Yorkās first possession leading to the Hornets first bucket and setting the tone for a hard-fought preseason opener by both teams.
āHe also took on the challenge of guarding Jalen Brunson at the beginning of the game,ā Lee said of Ball. āWe talked about this isnāt just a preseason game, this is a hell of an opportunity to get better and to play someone else. And this is a playoff caliber team. He took the responsibility. He wanted that matchup at the beginning of the game. And I thought that you just saw him refusing to be screened. Having multiple efforts if it is an off ball screen or denying Brunson the ball, but then also being able to guard different people and being able to switch a little bit more. Weāve talked a lot about him embracing the individual pride and it was it was on display tonight.ā
He wasnāt flashy like in his prime but yeah I liked what I saw
Pretty bad sequence for Vasa there. Yikes
Also, it bothers me a lot that they donāt get people to chant ābee fenseā instead of D fenseā
Iām with you
Something needs to bee done
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HP fam, weāve got to set a fun HP betting line on nic Richards bad screen+goal tending calls per game
Unicorn fellasā¦ I was not a huge fan of drafting him but as I said on draft night, he is the only player with Unicorn characteristics in the draft.
Was at the game, couple thoughts.
-Salaun was fun. Not shy. His stroke reminds me of meloās. Flashes the physical tools to be good on defense and the boards. Has a lot to learn. Letās not get ahead of ourselves. Would love to see him take it to the rim. Not saying heās settling for threes, but I want to see him continue to diversify his offensive game as time goes on. Heās 7/12 from three in two games, Iām not complaining. Not sure his role when bridges plays full minutes and grant Williams is back. Why draft Salaun and then re sign bridges for three years? Donāt get me started.
-Mann. Itās a two game sample in the preseason, but he could be on his way towards a very special season. Could earn a few 6th man votes if this isnāt he norm. Shooting, driving, defense, point guard, off ball. When he was on the floor he was electric.
-Melo second game in a row that announces āIāM BACK!!ā. A couple of classic heat check shots, but there were a few defensive plays and overall defensive engagement that should get hornets fans excited. This coach Lee defense thing might be real instead of the old terry rozier/Cliff talk of āwe need to get better on defenseā, which never happened. But it is actually happening.
-Diabate looks like a good depth NBA player. Strong boards, no nonsense.
-canāt believe Giles is still anywhere near the NBA.
-Keyontae Johnson is a good Greensboro stash. Like it.
-Micic was bad. Bad bad. Horrendous stretch of 4 minutes. And Iām a Micic super fan. That shit sucked.
I agree with everyone who is high on Mann, however I donāt see these last two games as a marked improvement over what we saw from him last year. He had a number of breakout performances I thought after coming over last season. I think his play thus far has further solidified that heās worth resigning and being viewed as a part of our future. Iām not sure if Green is better suited as a starter or 6th man, but I do like the pairing of Mann and Lamelo together in the backcourt. They seem to play off each other well.
We are talented and deep. I would trust any of our guys 1-14 to play meaningful minutes in the rotation, which has almost never been the case. I love having a guy like Seth. Heās more than just a feel good story. I donāt know how consistent of a role heāll have, but itās such a luxury to have a 3-pt assassin whoās also a savvy vet who knows what heās doing. Love how Salaun is developing. Lots of different combinations we can throw out there. And even though all the guys said how much they respected Cliff, Lee definitely brings an energy we havenāt had and seems to connect in a way that Cliff wasnāt able to. Much to be excited about!
Havenāt watched much of the 2 games so far. What is the opinion on Shannon Spake on the TV side, and the PA announcer in the Spectrum Center?
To be fair to her sheās been very professional, you can tell sheās done it before very accomplished
These last two preseason games were an absolute improvement from Mann in comparison to last year. And I thought he was quite good at times last year. These two preseason games heās looked incredibly sharp. And I really liked what I saw from Mann last year.
But nothing I saw last year gave me the thought of āwow, if he keeps this up during the span of a full season he could garner a few 6th man of the year votesā, or at least get a few appreciations. Heās been electric in the preseason.
This is probably a poor comparison, but itās what immediately came to mind. These last two preseason games, tre mann has looked like a version of terry rozier that has a wider wingspan, a little taller, and was a good defender. Not quite the streaky shooter/high end scorer like terry can be, but he can certainly hit an outside shot.
If Mann can maintain 38-42% three point shooting, be a decisive scorer, continue to be a high quality defender I really do think he could warrant a few votes or at least an appreciation for 6th man.
Itās two preseason games, so who gives a shit. But I want to manufacture something to be excited about.
I guess my point is, there seems to be a lot of shock and surprise that Mann is really talented, and I think he showed us that on numerous occasions last season. We saw his ability to score from inside and out, make difficult finishes as well as flashes of good D. He, along with Micic were an absolute steal for what we gave up to get them.
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Is there a lot of shock heās talented? Maybe for the most casual fans? I mean, most hornets fans are casual fans and still think miles bridges should be the starting SF.
Anyways, Mann just looks physically stronger and his game has been dialed to a different level. He looks like an alpha player out there who dictates what happens.
Thatās what I saw but did not want to jump to conclusions
Iām very impressed with what Iāve seen so far from coach Lee and how he has this team bought in.
I was also thinking we basically found a replacement for Rozier with even more upside in Mann and yet he doesnāt have the cachet to command a spot in the starting lineup. Much easier to ask him to come off the bench as a spark, just as many felt was the ideal role for Terry but it was impossible to ask that of him under the circumstances. Getting way ahead of myself but Iām a little concerned what the cost will be to resign him if he has a standout/career year in his contract year the way heās trending. Will we be able to afford it.
Back to coach Lee and having the players buy in, itās been clear that coach and Jeff Peterson have been on the same page creating a roster and a team culture of hard work, competitiveness and togetherness. But it has crossed my mind that perhaps one of these kids is doing his own thing, one of these kids is not the same. That kid is Micic. From the offseason questions if he wanted to be here, to the comments about wanting to play with Jokic, to whatever that was he put on the floor last night, just makes me question a little if he has the same level of buyin as the rest of the team. Again, probably way ahead of myself but just a thought.
I totally agree. I was very excited about the addition of Mann. He seemed like one of those classic good players who gets buried at that end of a good teams bench.
And heās still 23!
I donāt think we can get too concerned about ācan we pay himā for anyone yet. At the end of the day, we just need to develop talent and a cohesive team, and then make the most of player assets when the opportunity arises. Winning will solve a lot of problems, including the teamās willingness to invest in players.
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No doubt! I agree 100%. And my thought is not so much can we pay him, rather it will be should we pay him. Keeping in mind the balance of all the salary cap implications and other core pieces that will need to be paid in the coming years. Iām confident that the ownership will be willing to invest in the team and equally confident that the leaders in place now will use that investment wisely. Again, wayyyy too early to even go there. Time to enjoy the ride now and itāll be a good problem to have if Mann continues to trend in this direction.