The Charlotte Hornets’ season is all but over.
The team shut LaMelo Ball down for the remainder of the campaign last week due to his ankle injury. And it’s beginning to seem like we might never get to see a full season from one of the most exciting youngsters in the NBA.
Injuries have nagged at LaMelo for all of his four years in the league, though they won’t affect his bottom line as he signed a five-year deal last summer that could pay him as much as $260 million.
Meanwhile, his older brother Lonzo Ball hasn’t played a single game in over two years but has a player option on his deal with the Chicago Bulls that would have paid him $80 million by the time it’s over.
The Ball brothers have spent a lot of time off the court, and their dad reckons it’s the league’s fault.
“They say, oh, LaVar, you worked the boys out too hard — that’s why they hurt,” he told CBS Sports this week. “No, the reason they hurt is because they got away from me. And they start doing these roody-poo workouts. Because if you keep running them hills, you’re going to keep that power and that strength. But you start dealing with these rubber bands and doing this lightweight stuff, of course, you’re going to start breaking down.”
Michael Jordan is no longer the owner of the Hornets, but not much has changed since he sold his majority stake. The team is 13th in the Eastern Conference with just 18 wins, and it’s too late for Lamelo to come back and save them now.
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LaVar Ball is also blaming LaMelo’s shoes for his ankle woes. The Ball patriarch has his own clothing and sneaker line, the Big Baller Brand, which he tried to get going in the NBA. Although it’s still alive, business hasn’t quite gone the way LaVar would have liked.
“They’ve been trained hard enough? No, no, no,” he added. “Because you condition your body for running and jumping. You’ve got to condition your legs. So that’s why I always have my boys in them hills and running hard in them hills. That will make you run like a deer when you get on that court, so you won’t be getting hurt. A lot of things have to do with them raggedy shoes that Melo be wearing. Them shoes are not made the right way for him. That’s why he keeps tweaking his ankle every single time.”
LaVar has backed his sons to be back stronger next season, and he’s tipped them both to have success. Even in the absence of basketball achievements, the proud father reckons his boys have already won.
“Well, mentally, they got a strong mindset,” he declared. “They Balls. So they’re going to come back. They’re going to rehab. They’re going to do their thing.”
“As long as my boys are taking care of themselves and doing what they’re supposed to do, and get to do something that they love to do for as long as they can, it’s a beautiful thing,” he says. “A lot of people don’t get this opportunity, and I look at it with a different perspective, which is, A) even conditioning and even coming back, at least you get to do something that you love to do.”
Still, the Ball brothers have been sensational on the court. LaMelo is undoubtedly one of the most exciting players to watch when he’s healthy while Lonzo has shown supreme talent as well.
The Bulls were leading the pack in the Eastern Conference when he went down injured midway through the season two years ago. They haven’t been as good since, suggesting he was the difference-maker.
The point guard has only played 35 games with the Bulls, and they’ve only lost 13 games with him on the roster.
“He made Zach Lavine better. He made DeMar DeRozan better. (Nikola) Vucevic. Everybody. And now they see when you take him out of the puzzle, look what happens,” Lavar claimed.
Fans are looking forward to the returns of LaMelo and Lonzo. Everyone’s hoping they could have a fully healthy season, especially Hornets and Bulls fans as both teams are way more competitive when they’re around.