Kon Knueppel TOPS Rookie Ladder 🏆 | Hornets CLUTCH Issues | It’s NOT the Right Time to Trade LaMelo
NOTE: This was scheduled to premiere pre-Pacers game but something went wrong with the upload. We’ll have reax to that game for you on Thursday.
Kon Knueppel isn’t just playing well for a late lottery pick; he is playing like the best rookie in the NBA. Walker Mehl and Doug Branson discuss Kon’s second straight week atop the NBA.com Rookie Ladder and why he is separating himself from the pack. We look at his high usage, efficiency, and how his play style is translating faster than anyone expected. We also touch on the contributions of other rookies like Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James.
Then, the conversation shifts to the end of games. The Hornets appear to have a “closing time” problem. We analyze recent final possessions involving Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball, specifically looking at the losses to New Orleans and Toronto. Is the issue coaching, personnel, or just injuries? With Brandon Miller out, who should be taking the final shot?
Finally, we open the “Sicko Satchel” to answer a listener question about LaMelo Ball’s long-term future. With Kon’s emergence, does it make trading LaMelo more palatable? We explain why trading a star point guard is a dangerous game for a small market team and why the goal should be pairing LaMelo with this new core rather than moving him.
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#Hornets #LaMelo #LaMeloBall #CharlotteHornets
40 Comments
I have watched all 15 games . Doug I have that hat
Former Kon critic that has been "Kon" verted. Don't forget to show love for Kalkbrenner
ROTY!!!! btw K2 is a dope ass nickname.
Tank in full swing now. Get everyone healthy and then trade Melo, Brandon, Josh, Tre, and Grant around the trade deadline. Trade for young 3 and d wing defenders, small forwards and picks. Make a run in 2027-28.
Comparing plauers to taco shells, this podcast is off the rails 😂😂😂 31:58
Time to trade lamelo
Yall need to chill out Kon is great but he is not a #1 he is a perfect #2 to work his magic. Do yall not watch the full game
But you can Trade the whole team for Giannis
They are never gonna be able to close games if they don’t consistently put out their five best players out there. They aren’t even starting their five best players. Why exactly is Sion starting? I like him as a player, but why is he starting over Collin sexton . I thought it was clear from the very beginning LaMelo and Sexton in the starting lineup is what led you to having one of the best offenses in the league, as soon as Charles Lee started messing with Collins Minutes, the constant role changing going from the starting lineup to the bench, back to the starting lineup to the bench, has ruined his confidence as a guy whose always started and his level of play. You see him literally overthinking because he doesn’t know when he’s gonna come out the game. when you are constantly looking over your shoulder, you are going to force things because you don’t know when you are coming out of the game what is one mistake is gonna cost you playing time, when that is ridiculous considering how bad this team is. He is a shell of himself and you can tell cause he didn’t even look like this at the beginning of the season. He can’t play as freely with this coach. I think he played 30 minutes just twice this entire season that is unacceptable. There’s no cohesion therefore the players don’t have good communication. Things change from night to night. They didn’t even have the same guys as they did the night before closing in the 4th quarter. That’s why they can’t win in the clutch . And not to mention why is Miles Bridges being treated like a first option?
Lamelo continues to be inefficient.
I’m usually for holding onto a coach and letting him work a bit but we are actively getting worse as a team even as you can see that the team is more talented. You have to look at coaching at some point. Especially when they can’t win close games, they can’t figure out a lineup and gain momentum and chemistry together as a team, they can’t seem to play defense in even the most elementary of ways. Coaching is clearly a problem for this team.
😂😂😂
Lamelo 🤡 🤡 🤡
I hope we that is getting to see them play comes this year or next because if he gets hurt next year I’m out
I say give Kon the steering wheel. Lamelo is just too inconsistent and unreliable. How long is charlotte gonna keep believing in the Lamelo Project. Outside of playmaking LaMelo isn’t exceptionally great at anything else to take this team to the next level.
Like e40 said konmackulations ❤
I don’t think we have to worry about not having high lottery odds this year. I really wish we weren’t everybody’s get right game 💔
I'm getting very irritated with LaMelo shot selections
Shots were not falling from anywhere or from anybody but Kon. I’ll chalk this one up to cold as ice. Every team has cold nights
Lamelo doesnt know it, but the strategy is hornets are shopping for him by playing him against weak teams. one of these games will drive his value up
generational poverty
Hornets about to betray and gut Lamelo for all of his value. Inflate his numbers squeeze it out for a few picks or rookies
Kon is the only kon(e) who hits threes
Trade Lamelo for a bag of chips
Listening to this after the game made losing to the Pacers hurt more
Lose some for Will's son!! Calling it now. Stop thinking about building around Lamelo and even Brandon, consider them important pieces around Kon and Caleb. Attract a top flight center in free agency to allow Kalkbrenner to bring his slow-footed ass off the bench, and hope Tijuan can develop into a player. Then bring Leaky Black back! I'm tired of Tre Mann in street clothes as well. Love Mousa in his role.
A Song of Ice and Fire with Kon and Caleb, with Lamelo, Brandon, and a good free agent center will begin winning almost instantly, until Lamelo, Brandon, and Tre get hurt again.
“Refried Kalkbrenner” was NOT on my 25-26 LOH bingo card 💀💀
When he was plying with g league boys, when he was playing with gordon hay, when he was playing with pumblee, when he was playing with cody martin, when he was playing with lazy centers dont even able to catch a damn ball, etc etc and dropping 50 against bucks, winning against boston, winning agaist pistons, 28ppg, etc, he was the MVP, right? When he is trash, trade please this dude. We do not delivery anyone to the lions, we support. Of course he has a fair share of guilt, not being able to stay healthy and not playing well when other stars players would have destroy this game. But we not like that, we not that coward. He will reach that level again, i promise u guys and then, if u wanna trade him, thats ok
Hey Doug and Walker….you brought up a great point Doug about Kon and Brandon being the closers…they definitely will absorb contact and finish when we need it most in the fourth. Love to hear the cadence of the fourth quarter drums while ahead at the Spectrum
It’s too early in the season for me to feel like this. Lamelo and bridges gotta go.
3:00 There should be better things to talk about less than 20% into these rookies’ first season. Lamelo is to ball dominant and inconsistent for Kon to do but so well, let’s wait until Melo goes out for the year. Again.
Until we get 10 games in a row with LMB, BMill, and Kon we will not come close to knowing what this team is.
I wanna keep melo but I wanna trade him 2 I need equal return back
Anyone else think Melo has no trust or strength in the ankle?
He plays like it's a consistent damper on his ability to cut, drive,explode and enter congested areas
Sion James reminds me too much of Cody Martin rn
We need Kalky to go Full Beans every night
Kon will become the modern day Mark Price 🔥
Yall gon regret wanting to trade melo maybe because it was during covid but if it wasn’t for the playin he would’ve made the playoffs his first and second yr he avg almost 9 ast this yr but I bet once he gon and teams start focusing on kon u gon see that he need a pg like him watch
No trades until we get an assessment of the healthy roster that we all envisioned preseason
Gotta trade miles this season. He's not in the hornets future plans surely. Only 1 year left on his contract after this season. Hornets don't need his hero ball antics. He's a good player, swiss army knife type, but a lot of low iq plays and mediocre defense. Trade him for a good 3&D PF. Jalen smith from bulls would make a lot of sense for hornets. As for melo, this season should be his last shot tbh. If he can't stay healthy (moving forward), and if he doesn't return close to all star form, hornets gotta make a move in offseason.