Now, what we’re not going to do is call me insane, stupid, an idiot, or arguably the worst insult, say I don’t know basketball, because I’ve spent more time watching this sport than anyone you know. What we WILL do here is call me a visionary. I’m going to explain to you how LaMelo Ball coming off the bench this year will save his career, Michael Jordan’s ownership stake, the entire franchise of the Hornets, and team chemistry. Give me just a few minutes of your time, and I think you’ll be bought in too.
Chemistry
As we all know, there have been plenty of NBA teams that were less talented than their competitors, but have won games and even championships due solely to the fact that the team chemistry was so good. The 2004 Detroit Pistons, the 2011 Dallas Mavericks, the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, the list goes on and on. Do I think that the Charlotte Hornets as currently constructed can win a championship? No, I do not. I do, however, think this team has the ability to attract players to play for them as long as they keep a sense of culture and chemistry with them. Through three games of the season, the starting line up has been Devonte Graham, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington, and Bismack Biyombo. They are 1-2 so far, and conventional wisdom would dictate that the coaching staff make changes to the lineup to improve the chances of winning, and for most circumstances, I would agree. In this case, I don’t, because they beat the Nets WITH Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and their two losses were to Cleveland who right now has the best record in the league, and they lost on a game winner from Shai Gilegous-Alexander. You live with those results as far as I’m concerned. The team has looked pretty good all things considered. Terry Rosier had himself again against the Nets with 42 points, Graham is averaging basically 12 points and 8 assists a game, Gordon Hayward is playing well despite how sad it makes me, and there seems to be steady improvement from players like PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, and Cody Martin. The back court of Graham and Rosier doesn’t pop off as a “must see” game, but they work well together. They both can get a bucket, and they both know how to facilitate an offense. They have the ability to get their own shots, while keeping others involved, and not damaging any flow of the game while they are on the floor. This works. Unless you’re playing super small, using PJ Washington at the 5, and Hayward at the 4 to run three point guards, I wouldn’t recommend changing the lineup at all. Everyone has their role and they know how to play in it to maximize everyone else on the floor.
MJ’s Ownership Stake
This shouldn’t be a hot take at all. Michael Jordon, while on everyone’s top three basketball PLAYERS of all-time, has not done so great being able to draft talent to the Hornets. The only absolute no-brainer pick he has made, and kept, was Kemba Walker, being a 3x All-Star in his stint with Charlotte. He did draft Tobias Harris, who he traded to the Bucks, and he did draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but that pick was sent to the Clippers. LaMelo Ball has the potential to be the first “no-brainer” pick since 2011. Nine years is a very long time to go without a good to great pick from your ownership group. What you don’t want to do is rush a draft pick into a position that he is not ready for, and in turn, make yourself look bad for rushing the process. Trust the Process, if you will. If MJ is willing to let LaMelo be a long-term project, rather than being the face of the franchise from day one, I think it would give the rest of the ownership group, or the board of directors, or whoever more confidence in the decision to draft LaMelo. Let Ball come into the game at his own pace. With lower expectations, he is able to break any glass ceilings there may be for him, and exceeding expectations makes LaMelo, James Borrego, and Michael Jordan look very, very good.
Charlotte’s Franchise Future
I have a pretty unique and harsh take on the NBA and who should and should not be allowed to own an NBA franchise. If it were up to me, right this second, the Timberwolves, the Clippers, the Magic, the Wizards, and the Knicks would lose their teams. There would be five new NBA teams implemented in the league tomorrow. What cities would get a franchise? Seattle for sure, but right after that, I don’t know. All I know is that the above-mentioned teams have not won anything significant in the past 20 years, if they’ve done anything at all. These teams don’t have a “rabid” fanbase, they don’t have a culture, and they don’t win. I’d be more than willing to give other cities a chance to prove they can be a good franchise, because it is clear to me that so far, these teams have proved the opposite. I’m afraid that if the Hornets push LaMelo Ball into the starting lineup too fast, and he doesn’t produce as well as he “should,” then it won’t be long until the league may force the ownership group to sell. Charlotte isn’t technically a basketball city, they aren’t in the top levels of revenue for the league, and just because a NBA legend owns the team, it might not be enough for the team to stay above water. The NBA and Adam Silver have gone on record recently that they are looking to expand the number of teams, but that doesn’t mean that some cities might lose their teams. You have to break some eggs to make an omelet, as they say.
LaMelo’s Well-Being
I’ve said before in previous articles that I am a HUGE Ball Family fan. Some of the BBB merch is absolute FIRE and I want nothing more than to have the whole collection of shoes. Lavar has done a great job in building a brand, and Lonzo has done a good job so far in being a competent NBA player. I want what Lavar wants; all his boys make an NBA roster, preferably the same team, and they run a Chino Hills offense and win a championship someday. This is exactly why I’m suggesting LaMelo come off the bench this year. The Hornets stagger their minutes amongst the roster, meaning while LaMelo is on the floor, sometimes he plays with starters, sometimes he plays with bench guys. You’ve seen multiple clips of him playing with Hayward and Rosier, but also Cody Martin and Miles Bridges. So far this year he’s averaging 6.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, and it feels sort of… subpar. I mean, we’ve seen this kid play basketball since he was 12 years old. We’ve seen him do some incredible things, namely the 92 point game he had at Chino Hills. We know that he is able to do great things if put in the right position, so I think that he should not be rushed into anything too fast. Let him run with the bench guys. Hell, let him take a shot at the 6th Man of the Year. Why not? If you’re able to figure out what positions that guys like Cody Martin and Miles Bridges like being in to score, it’ll be just a matter of time before you’re letting Graham and Hayward explode in points too. Let LaMelo ease into his career. He’s going to be a special talent in this league, hopefully for decades to come. Don’t allow him to get off on the wrong foot; let him come off the bench this year to find himself, and one day, he can lead your franchise to the promised land.
Round The Game 
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