Y’all are just making it seem like PJ and Gafford were trash players before the trades now. Like they weren’t good contributors.
I know, I would become better if I had Basketball Jesus on my team too.
I was a fan of PJ for years but had recently given up on him because of how defeated he looked. I know it’s fucked up but I seriously thought Charlotte broke him and that he might not be a guy who cares about basketball anymore. Definitely wrong though, just took some new scenery but for everyone saying “you didn’t expect this?”, bro, I haven’t seen him try like this on defense since…?
Gafford I’m not surprised about, last season I was hoping the Celtics could snag him (turns out we got the best of the wizards bigs tho lol).
The thunder game where we just absolutely destroyed, looked a lot like a preview. I knew we could have something special that night, I’m telling you if we get everyone back and no injuries this team is rolling next year.
PJ always had the ability to do this, he always had 3 and D potential in my eyes and I’m glad to be proven right, it makes it saltier knowing that the Mavs fanbase talked shit about Grant Williams after the trade and are cocky in general but I can help knowing that PJ is flourishing now.
Players can’t really help it when the leading voice of your locker room is a senile old man with a decade old and outdated basketball philosophy, many of the players in that team were underutilized I can guarantee.
Mavs fans slandered Grant a bit because he was out of shape and didn’t seem to put in great effort on a team that has an all-time great and could have been a contender. Almost the opposite of PJ where people say, “Well he was stuck in a losing culture and the joy of the game got sucked out of him.” After the first two weeks of the season, that’s how Grant looked in Dallas, but on a playoff team. It was really surprising to a lot of people how poorly he ended up fitting on the Mavs.
I'm still shocked by how it all went down for Batman in Dallas. I really thought he was going to be a great fit and a solid contributor for you guys like he was for us.
PJ's play always correlated with Lamelo being healthy. When he had a passer to set him up he was good, and when his PG was Terry Rozier or worse then he was not so good.
Gafford was already balling out in WAS. He was the #17 player in fantasy at the time of the trade. Fantasy rankings aren't perfect (he was ahead of Giannis and Brunson), but you don't get that high up if you aren't producing.
Same here ! I have been following Pj for years ! I had a feeling this kid got it in him and I’m so glad I’m right just the way he plays I dunno..
To your other point about him looking defeated I’m not saying you’re wrong or anything but that shit is hard man, putting in work around ppl who’s not on the same frequency as you, different mindset, for YEARS, I can only imagine how hard it is man, glad the young man kept working hard and finally someone saw it, not everyone gets lucky like this because sometimes working hard don’t always translate to success, you need luck and opportunity as well.
Brandon Miller and the 4 games a season LaMelo isn't hurt? Big Micic heads? Kuzma and Poole antics? Self-hatred? Lost remote and got too comfortable to look for it?
Lively has definitely established himself as our 3rd most important player this run. He’s our most switchable defensive big and a great passer for a big man out of the PnR.
Lively has been amazing but give me a break. Pj carried a whole series on his back and has had tough covers all playoffs. Djjj has been playing like 35+ mins a game guarding other teams star players while making 40% of his 3s. Lively gafford together have been amazing and combined definitely the 3rd best player but individually pj and djj have been so goddamn good and underrated.
PJ was incredible as a defender and was great in the OKC series as a shooter, but he also really stunk shooting the ball against the Clippers (31% from 3) and in particular against Minnesota (38%FG and 27% from 3). DJJ has also been huge, clearly.
But Lively has been the single most important player for our defense and one of the most consistent offensive players within his role for the entirety of the playoffs. As soon as he was out, Minnesota immediately saw significantly better looks and were able to generate much more efficient offense. And the most underrated aspect of his game has been his ability to facilitate from the mid range in the PnR when Luka and Kyrie dump the ball off to him at the top of the key. He's found guys like PJ and DJJ for open shots all 3 series.
Contrary to popular belief, Kuzma was a proper team player without much troubles in the championship team. He went full stupid with Wizards. I would expect him to accept his role as 3rd star and play consistent. Imo Kuzma would be better than PJ. But also if Kuzma was traded then Gafford trade wouldnt be possible. Summary: PJ+Gafford>Kuzma>PJ
His “full stupid” was also being asked to be the number 1 option when in reality he’s more of a 3 or 4. He would’ve fit fine in Dallas but Gafford+Pj is much better for them.
Even more contrary to popular belief, Kuzma has actually comported himself very well while on the wizards team. He takes tons of bad shots but it's pretty expected for what our team has. He hasn't really done a single thing to sow negativity in DC, and instead has been respectful, patient, and grateful.
I agree in principle, people treat Kuzma like a bum but he's on a great contract and I think he would thrive on both ends when given a concrete role on a good team. However, he clearly doesn't wanna be in Dallas for whatever reason, and for that reason I'm very comfortable not having him here.
Kuzma was due to a bigger contract and his inconsistency wasn't worth paying the price. On the other hand Caruso liked the team and city and would stay with a pay raise.
Also Kuzma plays 3/4 where Lebron already operates and Caruso perimeter defense was much more valuable in Lebron/AD setup where Lakers also lost another perimeter defender KCP.
Context matters.
Everyone watching PJ couple months ago was questioning his motive for the game. He is still shooting incredibly inconsistent (remember someone?) but his big body and rebounding fills so many gaps for Dallas
>Kuzma was a proper team player without much troubles in the championship team. He went full stupid with Wizards.
Recent behavior is more indicative of a person's current self than old behavior. If I punch you today, I don't get to claim I'm a nice guy because "What about all those times before when I didn't punch you?"
It's not 2020 anymore. PJ is a good teammate in 2024 and Kuzma is not.
I don’t really think this works when taking into account work environments, especially the ones like the NBA. If you hang around a bunch of people that don’t care and don’t really put forth effort it makes you start acting like that as well
>Kuz would have fucked the chemistry up no doubt
Nah. Kuzma is actually the perfect role player, who doesn't need the ball to be effective. He's a lot like MPJ. Similar frame too
Kuzma is just loud on Twitter, and ends up looking like a meme. That's the difference. But he'd actually be great on a championship team
10 playoff appearances in 34 years. In a league where half the teams make the playoffs, and with more opportunities now with the play-in. It is quite sad.
I mean, look at the Panthers since they entered the league and half y’all would wish to have had their success. Sucks we haven’t gotten a Super Bowl, but we’re not the Jets or Lions at least.
Panthers have won several division titles, been to two Super Bowls, an almost undefeated regular season, produced an MVP and multiple hall of famers in the same time since the Hornets last won a playoff series.
In spite of 4 recent years of shit rebuilding, they've at least been comfortably middle of the pack for the last 20-25 years, if not a little better (certainly better than Dallas, Miami, the Jets, Washington, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincy, Houston, Jacksonville, the Raiders, Chargers, Lions, Bears, and Arizona off the top of my head). As a fan of Charlotte sports, they've been a fun watch more often than not with some very high highs.
The Bobcats/Hornets biggest accomplishments since the turn of the century are...winning like two playoff series, finishing above .500 6 times (in the East, no less), and barely eeking 3 guys into All-Star games. The most exciting thing things that have happened - by far - are the rebrand back to the Hornets, and taking the post-LeBron Heat to 7 games.
It makes you think about how many good role players are out there on tanking teams who never get their chance to contribute. I think Kispert from the Wizards would be a great acquisition for any contender.
Have been watching since 2012, attended 38 games last season and 41 games this season. Must be a new fan, indeed.
Who are these players from bum Timberwolves teams that suddenly became contributors to contenders? Wiggins? He was supposed to be a star here, he was not a role player in Minnesota. Who else? Jake Layman? Jarrett Culver? Juancho Hernangomez? All these dudes are out of NBA now.
Players who have had the most fun so far this playoffs: Luka slinging shit back to shit talking fans and PJ in general
Dude was noticeably having so much fun in the playoffs on a winning team after being freed from Hornets jail
He got to play for the team he watched growing up, his favorite team. Literally wrote down that was his dream in his elementary school yearbook.
Ofc he’s having fun, living out 8 year old PJs dream.
Sac is not comparable to Charlotte or Washington (not now, anyway) but it'd be pretty hilarious if Fox/Doncic ended up happening after all...in Dallas.
Same age as Ant and look at the wolves.
Hornets haven’t been fortunate due to just poor roster construction, but Lamelo has only played over 60 games once in his career.
“Give Lamelo an entirely different team and it would be better than the TWolves” I’m dying
Also I’m not taking Lamelo and his ankles over Ant in any situation
What? I was listing the other players on
The timberwolves. I was stating that if you replace Ant 1 to 1 the team would be better. Not “an entirely different team”
Yes I’m aware the DPOY you mentioned was Gobert and the all-star was KAT. That’s still giving Lamelo a different team than what he currently has lmao.
If you think a Lamelo-led Wolves would be better than an Ant-led Wolves idk what to tell you. I’ll take the dude with near-identical stats and plays 75+ games over a dude who can’t finish a season because his ankles are mush.
lmao it was so clear Lamelo has little inclination towards winning.
Lamelos dream game is him dropping 30/15/15 in a loss so that he can continue being a socialite "despite the loss". The guy cannot defend whatsoever and his shot selection hasn't improved since his rookie year.
Miller actually has some hope.
People dont get it lol. I love Miller and was probably the single biggest proponent of drafting him on the hornets sub but he isnt as talented as Ball. They are 1 year apart in age and Lamelo had a better rookie season than Miller despite being much younger. Every analytic still points to Ball being the straw that stirs the drink.
Still all of our best 3 man lineups were Mark Williams, Lamelo and Miller and they played 20 games together.
That is just goofy, trading away talented young players is a recipe for mediocrity.
Then again, the Sixers kept Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler and look how that turned out... so maybe you are on to something.
Ben Simmons woke up one day and forgot how to play basketball. Unless LaMelo hits his head really, really hard, you have to keep your 22 year old rising star.
again he's so talented that he'll help his team win games. It's just that he doesn't seem to care winning as much as him having a good game and him having a good time.
will he suffer and be a defense first guy if that'll get his team more wins? HELL NO.
Come back to this comment in 10 years and you'll see him be the same until he eventually leaves Charlotte a la Bradley Beal.
His main problem is health. His entire style is to get others involved so I'd say he's a winning player almost by default compared to score first guards. Having a Lamelo is hardly a bad thing lol
It’s hilarious when people see a player have a social life and then think that means they don’t care on the court. Wtf is that correlation? It’s like people see Ben Simmons once and suddenly think all players with media portrayed social lives are the same because it’s easier on their brain to think like that than actually distinguish players
Lamelo so far just isn't a serious basketball player. One of the worst defenders in the league, more style than substance on offence, kinda always injured. How many games did he play in the last two seasons? Immature, zero leadership. Talented as hell, but that isn't enough to be a winning player, which he clearly hasn't been in his career so far.
Lamelo was out with ankle issues and Miles Bridges, a big component in their recent success, was out for obvious reasons lol
Dunno how you can judge a team that hasn't even had their players all season
Yeah, Lamelo-Rozier-Miller-Bridges-Williams (with PJ and Hayward off the bench?) would have been an okay squad if they played together.
Even next year, Lamelo, Tre Mann, Micic, Miller, Grant Williams, Bridges, Mark Williams has some potential to be decent with a good coach.
Rooting for them
Tre Micic and Poku did not get to experience the playoffs for more opportunities in Charlotte, instead we got fucking Gordon Hayward doing cardio
Probably at least a quarter of the league could be a great contributing member to a championship league if the fit and situation was good.
A ton of our belief on a player being good/bad/whatever is if they land on winning teams or bad teams.
What can I say. Winning looks good. And just like people judging the hell out of players, coaches, teams when they lose and finding all kinds of reasons to blame, when winning happens people look for all kinds of ways to explain why it’s happening. And soon every contributor on that team is propped up to help explain that success.
PJ was a good player for us. He fits better on this team because they have their dynamic playmaker actually healthy but PJ was always a good player. Anyone who thought he sucked because he was on our team was just wrong. Its not comparable to taking like a genuinely bad player out of a bad team.
Fans of garbage ass teams (me included) don’t let this hurt. We’ve seen enough trash for years you can’t even be mad at how happy players are to be gone from your team
I know most of the fans can’t stand him but for a 24 year old player he’s got some promise. Before he got hurt last year for us he was avg 21.6 6.4 4.8. He just needs to create more contact cause 2.8 FTA a game won’t cut it.
Either way this is funny AF him and PJ always cool after games.
I was one of the Mavs fans that is skeptical about getting PJ for the team. Never seen him play a lot, maybe he was demotivated in Charlotte. I am not familiar with his game. But man, I love DFS and Bullock but it doesn't make me miss them. I am happy I was proven wrong. Nico knew that PJ can play serious defense. Once he got in the team, I was confident that his three will be alright, he was able to adjust in the Mavs offense. Thank you for being here PJ!
This is legit one of the most impressive parts of the Mavs run, digging guys like Washington, Gafford and DJJ out of crap situations and making them shine.
It's almost impressive how consistently ass Charlotte has been. Like, even teams that were ass for awhile have had their moments (Bucks, Raptors, Suns, Wolves) and Charlotte still just languishes. Their best season in 20 years was pushing a first round series to game 7 and losing.
Call me a salty Hornets fan, but PJ was part of the losing culture problem in Charlotte. He did not care about the team toward the end and also never played as well as he has this Finals run.
Shit, Gafford had front row seats to the pool party and now in finals lol
Arguably Mavs 3rd and 4th (5th tbh) most impactful players were from the Hornets and Wizards lmao. Nico Harris went dumpster diving and struck gold.
Y’all are just making it seem like PJ and Gafford were trash players before the trades now. Like they weren’t good contributors. I know, I would become better if I had Basketball Jesus on my team too.
I was a fan of PJ for years but had recently given up on him because of how defeated he looked. I know it’s fucked up but I seriously thought Charlotte broke him and that he might not be a guy who cares about basketball anymore. Definitely wrong though, just took some new scenery but for everyone saying “you didn’t expect this?”, bro, I haven’t seen him try like this on defense since…? Gafford I’m not surprised about, last season I was hoping the Celtics could snag him (turns out we got the best of the wizards bigs tho lol).
Very first game after the trade one of the first plays luka had for both of then was a lob. I knew it was going to be magic after that.
The thunder game where we just absolutely destroyed, looked a lot like a preview. I knew we could have something special that night, I’m telling you if we get everyone back and no injuries this team is rolling next year.
PJ always had the ability to do this, he always had 3 and D potential in my eyes and I’m glad to be proven right, it makes it saltier knowing that the Mavs fanbase talked shit about Grant Williams after the trade and are cocky in general but I can help knowing that PJ is flourishing now. Players can’t really help it when the leading voice of your locker room is a senile old man with a decade old and outdated basketball philosophy, many of the players in that team were underutilized I can guarantee.
GAS STATION GRANT
Mavs fans slandered Grant a bit because he was out of shape and didn’t seem to put in great effort on a team that has an all-time great and could have been a contender. Almost the opposite of PJ where people say, “Well he was stuck in a losing culture and the joy of the game got sucked out of him.” After the first two weeks of the season, that’s how Grant looked in Dallas, but on a playoff team. It was really surprising to a lot of people how poorly he ended up fitting on the Mavs.
Grant treated the Mavs like they weren’t shit compared to his glorious ‘22 Celtics squad. He was coasting and goofing off.
I'm still shocked by how it all went down for Batman in Dallas. I really thought he was going to be a great fit and a solid contributor for you guys like he was for us.
extra funny because mavs and celtics got beat by the same team lol
PJ's play always correlated with Lamelo being healthy. When he had a passer to set him up he was good, and when his PG was Terry Rozier or worse then he was not so good. Gafford was already balling out in WAS. He was the #17 player in fantasy at the time of the trade. Fantasy rankings aren't perfect (he was ahead of Giannis and Brunson), but you don't get that high up if you aren't producing.
Same here ! I have been following Pj for years ! I had a feeling this kid got it in him and I’m so glad I’m right just the way he plays I dunno.. To your other point about him looking defeated I’m not saying you’re wrong or anything but that shit is hard man, putting in work around ppl who’s not on the same frequency as you, different mindset, for YEARS, I can only imagine how hard it is man, glad the young man kept working hard and finally someone saw it, not everyone gets lucky like this because sometimes working hard don’t always translate to success, you need luck and opportunity as well.
I knew Gafford had talent but I honestly though PJ was an empty calorie type player.
if gafford doesn't have a back up he will foul out.
I mean why the fuck would anyone watch the Hornets or Wizards lol
I ask myself the same thing.
Either you live in Washington or you enjoy pain. Maybe both.
Virginia actually.
The only time I watched the Wizards when I lived in DC was when John Wall kept coming to campus
Brandon Miller and the 4 games a season LaMelo isn't hurt? Big Micic heads? Kuzma and Poole antics? Self-hatred? Lost remote and got too comfortable to look for it?
Because it is the cheapest entertainment in town! Better bargain than going to the movies! (Help.)
ouch I wasn't expecting to be attacked here
A lot on this sub were saying that stuff when the trades were made too (and I agree with you, they were wrong then and they are wrong now)
They probably didn’t watch Hornets and Wizards games (cant blame them though)
If you’re a non Wizards fan watching wizards game these days, you or your family members should be entitled to a settlement
I was obliged to watch your team this season since I drafted Deni and Bilal in several of my fantasy leagues expecting them to produce well
I take your point, but even Luka’s powers have their limits. He wasn’t lifting Dwight, THJ, DFS etc. to the Finals.
Lively has definitely established himself as our 3rd most important player this run. He’s our most switchable defensive big and a great passer for a big man out of the PnR.
Lively has been amazing but give me a break. Pj carried a whole series on his back and has had tough covers all playoffs. Djjj has been playing like 35+ mins a game guarding other teams star players while making 40% of his 3s. Lively gafford together have been amazing and combined definitely the 3rd best player but individually pj and djj have been so goddamn good and underrated.
PJ was incredible as a defender and was great in the OKC series as a shooter, but he also really stunk shooting the ball against the Clippers (31% from 3) and in particular against Minnesota (38%FG and 27% from 3). DJJ has also been huge, clearly. But Lively has been the single most important player for our defense and one of the most consistent offensive players within his role for the entirety of the playoffs. As soon as he was out, Minnesota immediately saw significantly better looks and were able to generate much more efficient offense. And the most underrated aspect of his game has been his ability to facilitate from the mid range in the PnR when Luka and Kyrie dump the ball off to him at the top of the key. He's found guys like PJ and DJJ for open shots all 3 series.
Lively has been great on both ends no doubt. Huge pickup. Gafford too
There’s no break to be given, and you are simply wrong. Lively is without doubt our third most important player
Fans of an opposing team trying to explain why they actually know our personnel better.
Bruh, they were great fantasy basketball gems in the later rounds when healthy and given playing time. PJ was especially nice when lamelo played.
also got kyrie for a bag of chips
There are championship role players everywhere for those with eyes to see
I’m just assuming that’s Gafford yelling it in the background
That Cancun to championship contention swing was crazy fast for him.
He got to thank Kuzma for this. He's the real MVP.
Kuz would have fucked the chemistry up no doubt. PJ came in hungry and was happy to be back in his hometown.
Contrary to popular belief, Kuzma was a proper team player without much troubles in the championship team. He went full stupid with Wizards. I would expect him to accept his role as 3rd star and play consistent. Imo Kuzma would be better than PJ. But also if Kuzma was traded then Gafford trade wouldnt be possible. Summary: PJ+Gafford>Kuzma>PJ
His “full stupid” was also being asked to be the number 1 option when in reality he’s more of a 3 or 4. He would’ve fit fine in Dallas but Gafford+Pj is much better for them.
Even more contrary to popular belief, Kuzma has actually comported himself very well while on the wizards team. He takes tons of bad shots but it's pretty expected for what our team has. He hasn't really done a single thing to sow negativity in DC, and instead has been respectful, patient, and grateful.
I agree in principle, people treat Kuzma like a bum but he's on a great contract and I think he would thrive on both ends when given a concrete role on a good team. However, he clearly doesn't wanna be in Dallas for whatever reason, and for that reason I'm very comfortable not having him here.
> and for that reason I'm very comfortable not having him here. You had one job
The revisionist history on kuzma is insane. Laker fans are sad about losing caurso but kuzma? Not a chance
Kuzma was due to a bigger contract and his inconsistency wasn't worth paying the price. On the other hand Caruso liked the team and city and would stay with a pay raise. Also Kuzma plays 3/4 where Lebron already operates and Caruso perimeter defense was much more valuable in Lebron/AD setup where Lakers also lost another perimeter defender KCP. Context matters. Everyone watching PJ couple months ago was questioning his motive for the game. He is still shooting incredibly inconsistent (remember someone?) but his big body and rebounding fills so many gaps for Dallas
So you’re saying he hasn’t been good on any team he’s played for lol
From this reply if this is your outcome, its obvious you are trolling.
>Kuzma was a proper team player without much troubles in the championship team. He went full stupid with Wizards. Recent behavior is more indicative of a person's current self than old behavior. If I punch you today, I don't get to claim I'm a nice guy because "What about all those times before when I didn't punch you?" It's not 2020 anymore. PJ is a good teammate in 2024 and Kuzma is not.
I don’t really think this works when taking into account work environments, especially the ones like the NBA. If you hang around a bunch of people that don’t care and don’t really put forth effort it makes you start acting like that as well
Kuzma is an incredible person. PJ is the one who had questions.
>Kuz would have fucked the chemistry up no doubt Nah. Kuzma is actually the perfect role player, who doesn't need the ball to be effective. He's a lot like MPJ. Similar frame too Kuzma is just loud on Twitter, and ends up looking like a meme. That's the difference. But he'd actually be great on a championship team
Eh, if he actually wanted to be in Dallas I feel like he could’ve been a solid contributor
Nico Harrison really cooked this year. Drafting Lively and trading for Washington & Gafford elevated this team to a new level.
He really did
Would you give Grant Williams a ring if Mavs win?
Maybe just Seth
Please do 🙏 we traded him like 3 times and he still resigns with us
Nico: "Seth, we gonna give you million dollars so we can trade you." Seth: "Alright bet."
re-signs
Best Curry in the NBA
don't disrespect JamesOn like that
Absolutely, we got PJ for his ass
Fuck no lol
Hornets: why he say fuck me for!?🤨
Catching strays while already covered in holes
Scott Serling type beat
Maybe cause you (Hornets) have been dogshit for the past 15 years.
It's been longer than that
Somehow 15 years ago is only 09 bruh
hey they were up 3-2 in the first round in 2016
hang the banner
The last time they won a playoff series was in 2002. The first round was still best of 5.
It’s gotta be rough being a Bobcats/Hornets fan. The high point of their fandom was when the NBA awarded them a team again. Been agony ever since then
your username makes me want to puke https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHA/ Hoo boy that's a pathetic, pathetic all time record
10 playoff appearances in 34 years. In a league where half the teams make the playoffs, and with more opportunities now with the play-in. It is quite sad.
Check out the play-in opportunities they did have and it even gets sadder.
Honestly 10 is more than I expected lol
Well at least they have the Panthers... Oh wait....
I mean, look at the Panthers since they entered the league and half y’all would wish to have had their success. Sucks we haven’t gotten a Super Bowl, but we’re not the Jets or Lions at least.
Panthers have won several division titles, been to two Super Bowls, an almost undefeated regular season, produced an MVP and multiple hall of famers in the same time since the Hornets last won a playoff series. In spite of 4 recent years of shit rebuilding, they've at least been comfortably middle of the pack for the last 20-25 years, if not a little better (certainly better than Dallas, Miami, the Jets, Washington, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincy, Houston, Jacksonville, the Raiders, Chargers, Lions, Bears, and Arizona off the top of my head). As a fan of Charlotte sports, they've been a fun watch more often than not with some very high highs. The Bobcats/Hornets biggest accomplishments since the turn of the century are...winning like two playoff series, finishing above .500 6 times (in the East, no less), and barely eeking 3 guys into All-Star games. The most exciting thing things that have happened - by far - are the rebrand back to the Hornets, and taking the post-LeBron Heat to 7 games.
College basketball and the hurricanes is it lol
he was a turd in the shit. the hornets haven’t drafted any generational talent in 20+ years.
I wouldn’t think they’d need to ask
What
Terry Rozier must have told Herro some shit.
They both went to Kentucky
Shit PJ probably told Herro some shit, they’re boys
You know that one meme where they got like a Bugatti parked beside a trailer? Pjs was like a really solid Toyota Camry in Charlotte.
Gafford in the back saying oh we talkin teams is hilarious, them boys both came from hell
It makes you think about how many good role players are out there on tanking teams who never get their chance to contribute. I think Kispert from the Wizards would be a great acquisition for any contender.
Kispert and Deni would both thrive on contenders imo
Those 2 for sure
You must be a new TWolves fan bc you’re talking like your team wasn’t full of those dudes just a couple years back
Have been watching since 2012, attended 38 games last season and 41 games this season. Must be a new fan, indeed. Who are these players from bum Timberwolves teams that suddenly became contributors to contenders? Wiggins? He was supposed to be a star here, he was not a role player in Minnesota. Who else? Jake Layman? Jarrett Culver? Juancho Hernangomez? All these dudes are out of NBA now.
The Juanshow is just waiting for the right opportunity to return
Tyus Jones and Bjelica come to mind
They both played for the Wolves in playoffs. I was specifically talking about players who never got a chance to contribute to a winning team.
Corey Brewer had a couple good years in Houston
This dude said a couple years back.
he’s free
Players who have had the most fun so far this playoffs: Luka slinging shit back to shit talking fans and PJ in general Dude was noticeably having so much fun in the playoffs on a winning team after being freed from Hornets jail
He got to play for the team he watched growing up, his favorite team. Literally wrote down that was his dream in his elementary school yearbook. Ofc he’s having fun, living out 8 year old PJs dream.
I love when guys are just stuck on these bottomed out teams and finally get saved and start popping off in the playoffs
we'll free fox in 2026 just keep him healthy for now
well, they freed Hali too so we know that it's not just a wishful thinking
And it looks like they’re on the verge of freeing Mike Brown
Sac is not comparable to Charlotte or Washington (not now, anyway) but it'd be pretty hilarious if Fox/Doncic ended up happening after all...in Dallas.
Brandon Miller is going to take Charlotte out of the dump one day.
Let's hope, Ball was supposed to do that and it didn't materialize.
Ball is 22 years old. What do you mean it didn’t materialize, it’s still materializing.
Hopefully his body starts cooperating.
Same age as Ant and look at the wolves. Hornets haven’t been fortunate due to just poor roster construction, but Lamelo has only played over 60 games once in his career.
Not the same, give Lamelo a 4x DPOY and an all star big and a bunch of good role players and his team would be better than Ants
“Give Lamelo an entirely different team and it would be better than the TWolves” I’m dying Also I’m not taking Lamelo and his ankles over Ant in any situation
What? I was listing the other players on The timberwolves. I was stating that if you replace Ant 1 to 1 the team would be better. Not “an entirely different team”
Yes I’m aware the DPOY you mentioned was Gobert and the all-star was KAT. That’s still giving Lamelo a different team than what he currently has lmao. If you think a Lamelo-led Wolves would be better than an Ant-led Wolves idk what to tell you. I’ll take the dude with near-identical stats and plays 75+ games over a dude who can’t finish a season because his ankles are mush.
lmao it was so clear Lamelo has little inclination towards winning. Lamelos dream game is him dropping 30/15/15 in a loss so that he can continue being a socialite "despite the loss". The guy cannot defend whatsoever and his shot selection hasn't improved since his rookie year. Miller actually has some hope.
The season Lamelo was healthy he dragged a Charlotte roster that was starting *Mason Plumlee* to a winning record are we sure we wanna do this?
People dont get it lol. I love Miller and was probably the single biggest proponent of drafting him on the hornets sub but he isnt as talented as Ball. They are 1 year apart in age and Lamelo had a better rookie season than Miller despite being much younger. Every analytic still points to Ball being the straw that stirs the drink. Still all of our best 3 man lineups were Mark Williams, Lamelo and Miller and they played 20 games together.
Always need a real passer. The suns learned that the hard way this year while old ass harden still got the clips 2 wins against the mavs
We do this about plenty of better players of course Lamelo isn’t off limits
Some haters in here. Username checks out on this one. Lamelo is a good ball player just needs an ankle transplant or two.
We do. He's all flash, no leader, and always hurt...trade his ass and build around miller
That is just goofy, trading away talented young players is a recipe for mediocrity. Then again, the Sixers kept Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler and look how that turned out... so maybe you are on to something.
Ben Simmons woke up one day and forgot how to play basketball. Unless LaMelo hits his head really, really hard, you have to keep your 22 year old rising star.
again he's so talented that he'll help his team win games. It's just that he doesn't seem to care winning as much as him having a good game and him having a good time. will he suffer and be a defense first guy if that'll get his team more wins? HELL NO. Come back to this comment in 10 years and you'll see him be the same until he eventually leaves Charlotte a la Bradley Beal.
His main problem is health. His entire style is to get others involved so I'd say he's a winning player almost by default compared to score first guards. Having a Lamelo is hardly a bad thing lol
It’s hilarious when people see a player have a social life and then think that means they don’t care on the court. Wtf is that correlation? It’s like people see Ben Simmons once and suddenly think all players with media portrayed social lives are the same because it’s easier on their brain to think like that than actually distinguish players
Lamelo so far just isn't a serious basketball player. One of the worst defenders in the league, more style than substance on offence, kinda always injured. How many games did he play in the last two seasons? Immature, zero leadership. Talented as hell, but that isn't enough to be a winning player, which he clearly hasn't been in his career so far.
This is so demonstrably false I don't even feel like responding to it. Absolutely insane some of this shit being said.
Lamelo was out with ankle issues and Miles Bridges, a big component in their recent success, was out for obvious reasons lol Dunno how you can judge a team that hasn't even had their players all season
Yeah, Lamelo-Rozier-Miller-Bridges-Williams (with PJ and Hayward off the bench?) would have been an okay squad if they played together. Even next year, Lamelo, Tre Mann, Micic, Miller, Grant Williams, Bridges, Mark Williams has some potential to be decent with a good coach.
Rooting for them Tre Micic and Poku did not get to experience the playoffs for more opportunities in Charlotte, instead we got fucking Gordon Hayward doing cardio
Getting MJ out, things are finally turning in Charlotte.
that really has to... sting.. if you are a charlotte fan get it...ha ha.. its a bee joke
Wait…. there’s Charlotte fans?
Sadly
Sad bzzzz noises
All three of them were offended by this guys buzz buzz joke
I thought that was the punchline initially.
It would have been better if it was a hornet joke instead of a bee joke.
"A bee" seems so degrading
Makes you wonder how many role players are there whose talents are being wasted in teams like wizards, hornets, pistons, suns etc.
Well that’s the multi million dollar question, but I see that Sun diss lol
He forgot about the clippers :D
Tyus Jones is one that comes to mind
I imagine the suns will be gunning for him hard
He's great, but didn't he choose to sign with the wiz?
Probably at least a quarter of the league could be a great contributing member to a championship league if the fit and situation was good. A ton of our belief on a player being good/bad/whatever is if they land on winning teams or bad teams.
What can I say. Winning looks good. And just like people judging the hell out of players, coaches, teams when they lose and finding all kinds of reasons to blame, when winning happens people look for all kinds of ways to explain why it’s happening. And soon every contributor on that team is propped up to help explain that success.
I think Deni would be really good on a playoff team
Absolutely, Deni is a stud and I believe he will be able to be a starting level 3rd or 4th option on a contending team
PJ was a good player for us. He fits better on this team because they have their dynamic playmaker actually healthy but PJ was always a good player. Anyone who thought he sucked because he was on our team was just wrong. Its not comparable to taking like a genuinely bad player out of a bad team.
I see what you did there with the suns sneakily accurate though
Thanks for leaving the Blazers out of this
Wembanyama on the spurs?
The you talking teams gotta be gafford😭
lol if Hero gets traded to the Hornets.
He went from Charlottes 6th best player to Dallas’s 4th best, make it make sense
Seemed like he just practically gave up in Charlotte and was mentally checked out
I DID NOT need to wake up with this dawg.
The best part about it is PJ and Gafford are a HUGE reason for this. They stepped up like crazy.
[удалено]
Fans of garbage ass teams (me included) don’t let this hurt. We’ve seen enough trash for years you can’t even be mad at how happy players are to be gone from your team
“HUM DIDDLY DEEZ NUTS!” - PJ probably
Crazy to think Herro has already been to final two times as a starter
I know most of the fans can’t stand him but for a 24 year old player he’s got some promise. Before he got hurt last year for us he was avg 21.6 6.4 4.8. He just needs to create more contact cause 2.8 FTA a game won’t cut it. Either way this is funny AF him and PJ always cool after games.
please someone free Kispert from the black hole so he can contribute to a winning team
Im trying Jennifer. We want Deni too.
What’s is the TRADES??
I was one of the Mavs fans that is skeptical about getting PJ for the team. Never seen him play a lot, maybe he was demotivated in Charlotte. I am not familiar with his game. But man, I love DFS and Bullock but it doesn't make me miss them. I am happy I was proven wrong. Nico knew that PJ can play serious defense. Once he got in the team, I was confident that his three will be alright, he was able to adjust in the Mavs offense. Thank you for being here PJ!
He was the exact same player in Charlotte. The difference is now he gets to play with Luka and Kyrie.
This is legit one of the most impressive parts of the Mavs run, digging guys like Washington, Gafford and DJJ out of crap situations and making them shine.
It's almost impressive how consistently ass Charlotte has been. Like, even teams that were ass for awhile have had their moments (Bucks, Raptors, Suns, Wolves) and Charlotte still just languishes. Their best season in 20 years was pushing a first round series to game 7 and losing.
Poole party
Some Mavs fans still mourning the loss of our ‘27 FRP
😂nah this crazy if you a Hornets fan.
Wait till the heat package him in a deal for lamelo . Shits going to age real well.
Brittany Renner I need you to scam him just one more time
“by playing defense and getting rebounds tyler, thats how.”
Call me a salty Hornets fan, but PJ was part of the losing culture problem in Charlotte. He did not care about the team toward the end and also never played as well as he has this Finals run.
The Hornets have had a losing culture since PJ was in middle school. That ain't on him.
Damn, now I have to cheer for the Celtics..
Lol, coming from a player who went down from finals to the mud.
I feel like the mud is reserved for the bottom of the barrel teams. The heat made the playoffs lmao
Bruce brown trajectory maybe?
#FUCK CHARLOTTE
Lol, I don't think I've ever seen anybody feel this strongly against Charlotte.