ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst joined Wes and Walker on Friday to discuss Charlotte Hornets’ star LaMelo Ball and his perception around the NBA. Is there a shot he could decline the rookie max extension? David Walker helps discuss the latest audio and the guys debate how many jerseys is too many jerseys?
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#Hornets #LaMelo #LaMeloBall #CharlotteHornets #NBA #MichaelJordan
ESPN NBA Insider Brian windhorst joined Wesson Walker last week to talk about The Charlotte Hornets the perception About lamelo ball and a potential sale Of the Charlotte franchise we'll get to All of that with David Walker today on Lockdown Hornets we're locked on hornets Part of the locked on podcast Network Your team every day in America we live It's locked on hornets part of the Locked on podcast Network it's your team Every day thank you for making us your First list and we're free and available Anywhere you get your podcast that Includes YouTube That's Doug Branson you Can find a sub stack every Hornets box Score on every hornetsboxgor.com and you Can also check out David Walker on Twitter at David B Walker sometimes People call him the Sultan of sneakers Sometimes people call them Pharaoh a Foot candy and sometimes people just Call them David it doesn't matter he is The man and he joins US Weekly David we Appreciate you man how are you doing That would be a first for the Pharaoh of Foot candy but uh let's try them all on Let's see how they I think it's anyway Guys it does camera Every time I come on here during beard Season it looks like I have a massive Just 80s baseball player goatee for Those not Washington it looks like a Reliever from 1984. yeah the rest of
This is just gray but um it looks good Yeah David David only brings one pitch To them out and that's a fastball with That facial hair there's no curve ball He's throwing right down the middle and Some steam speaking of steam are you Ready for spicy bee Doug Branson because He's here he's standing up these days I Mean this season has gotten to Doug I Mean look I can't blame him it's gone to All of us Are you ready for spicy B I am of course yeah this is why I'm here This morning first first morning first First I'm ready to hear from David I Talked to I talked too much on the last Episode I'm gonna I'm gonna really just Try to seed some ground here to David And his wisdom because I talked a lot in The last episode all right well let's Talk a lot about lamelo ball I'm sure People want to hear about him because You know last last game against the Boston Celtics we know the same problem Here of of personal fouls he had five Personal fouls in the last game against Boston I mean it's becoming kind of Ridiculous I don't want to talk about it Anymore right like we we've already Dissected it as much as we can because He gives us so many games to discuss but Still lamelo is your franchise player he Scored 25 points he gave you six assists And five rebounds it wasn't a very
Efficient game from the field but it Pretty much was from the perimeter Shooting five of 12 from Beyond The Ark 12 no matter how you know how many Threes that is it's actually one three Above his average so only one three Above his average and how many field Goal attempts from Beyond The Arc he's Taking per game it's pretty ridiculous What he's doing and so Brian windhorst Joined us last week on Wesson Walker 12 To 3 P.M 92 7 FM so we talked with Brian And we asked him a whole bunch of Questions about lamelo ball miles Bridges and all that we'll play some of Those sound bikes or sound bites Throughout the week but but here he is Talking about the perception of lamelo Ball around the NBA The view of him is very very high people Like his makeup they like the way he Plays I think players want to play with Him I think there is an attraction there Um obviously this season's been totally Wrecked by those two you know ridiculous Ankle injuries Um but uh there's a a lot of a lot of Respect for lamello ball in the NBA No Doubt So when you talk about the kind of Positioning that he has surrounding Other players in the NBA it's Interesting right because his point per Game average has gone up to 24. I was
Looking at 25 for him to flirt with some All NBA range type stuff with the Hornets absolutely contending for a play In spot but the efficiency is starting To go down the the three-point volume is Up and he's still a great shooter but You know they're they're certainly the Foul problems the defensive problems What do you make of that sound by David To hear from Brian windhorst that no the NBA still values him you know towards The top of any of the young stars in the League yeah I'm not saying it's it's Surprising I just thought there would be A little more of a hesitation just Because of like the refs for one thing With now was Brian speaking more from a Overall from a player's perspective from A coach's perspective was there any Context on the background of that or is He just saying kind of overall how Everyone sees them so so Wes asked him Just the perception around the NBA him As a leader him as a young player what His ceiling can be just the overall Value I think and so he didn't specify Whether that was GMS or authority Figures or players so I just think he Was just answering the overall value Well that's good to hear I mean honestly Because I got the feeling I was getting The feeling that it was kind of Dipping And you know when you dip in on podcasts Or blog posts or things like that it
Feels like there's some negative energy Around lamello now a lot of that is just Collateral from the Hornets I feel like But I do feel like some people are Starting to look at him like maybe he Shoots too much you know the fouls are An issue and I think he's definitely got To clean that up some of the well a lot Out of that is his fault now but he's to The point now where you can look at some Of those fouls right and you say well Other stars aren't going to get aren't Getting called for that but he has made His bed now with us he's got to clean That up but I think it's it's Encouraging to still hear that you know Uh he's thought of Highly across the NBA Because he's still growing he's still You know learning he's still getting his Feet under him from an NBA standpoint so Uh no one's more plugged in than Windows So I think it's encouraging from a Hornets fan standpoint to hear that he's Still regarded highly just because the Negativity around this team it's hard to See out from under that I think this Season especially so overall I mean it's A good thing to hear that he's still you Know up on the upper echelon of that Young star tier well yeah that's where I Was kind of getting at you took it right There it's well it's the fact that there Is so much negativity surrounding the Franchise you do see the Zach Lowe
Article about his defense but you also See the caveat at the beginning of that Breakdown that lamello is so young and He's going to be fine but they're just So many negative things surrounding the Franchise and most you know pretty much All pretty much all of it's not lamelo's Fault right lamella has stopped fouling You know no player is perfect in the League you have these very very little Things but still there's just so much uh Who cares it's the horn it's their you Know bottom team so I am happy to hear That the perception is still very high What did you take away from that Um comment from I'm not happy at all I Don't want anyone I don't want anyone Around the league respecting lamello Ball or liking lamello ball or doing eye Emoji tweets to lamel everyone keep your Eyes on your own team your own players Your own don't even look at lamelo ball We know how talented He is we don't need Any of that validation from NBA GMS who Hate the Hornets anyway we don't need Validation from LeBron James or any of These players looking at lamel no Everybody keep your eyes on your own Team leave lamelo ball alone we Understand that there are concerns here In Charlotte with with some of the Things that's happening around lamelo Ball but we also understand the context And the con context is he's not
Surrounded by a lot of talent the Context is he's had several injuries in His pro career so far the context is This team has been extremely injured and So I don't think that we I don't think That people are being like overly Judgmental of lamelo ball this season I'm glad he's going through it this Season I'm glad he's working out some of These foul issues in that last game Against Boston he did let the Frustration get to him ultimately but I Saw lamelo ball in the first quarter who Was actually starting to think a little Bit about fouling and different things And look If This Were a season that was On the margin like they were actually a Playoff or play in threat and he was Making these mistakes I go oh man that's That's really devastating when your team Leader is is is not performing in a way That could could get you over the hump But but the Hornets are not even like in The same zip code of the hump right and They're not even the same state as the Hump okay so that there's no getting Over the hump there's they don't even See the hump I've said a lot I've said The word hump a lot I'm sorry I'm gonna Go ahead and stop talking now and Walker You hit on something I don't even Mention uh which is ridiculous is his Age you know how young he is he's still What 20 or is he turned 21 yet okay yeah
So congrats happy birthday uh lamella But you know you don't think about that And you think about his growing up he Always played he was always the smallest Guy he's had to learn he's this Finishing thing right at The Rim I think That comes from him being the the little Sky on the court forever having to flip It up around taller guys maybe not being As used to going through guys and and Driving through traffic getting that Contact and so he's had to still learn How to play defense I mean guys think He's he what he didn't go to college This is by far the best coaching Obviously he's ever ever had I mean that Goes for about everyone who gets into The NBA but I mean look he's being Taught how to play the game on a Different level now he's still learning He's still get and he's leading the team He's the face of the franchise he's the Face of Charlotte Sports at this point I Mean it's a lot for a 21 year old and He's still performing at least Individually at a very very high level And to Doug's point you know maybe it's A good thing they're crapping out this Season and he's getting these Kinks Worked out so that he can just throw it Into you know a second gear when they Start getting some going the weird thing About lamelo's defense is that like the Few possessions that he got switched out
Onto Jason Tatum there was one where he Got burnt by Tatum look potatoes burning Everybody everyone but there were a few Possessions that he got one on one with Tatum where he actually did a really Good job defensively he locked in he was Focused he didn't get blown by I would Like there were two things that I'd like To see moving forward because the Season's over let's just say that the Season's over I'd like to see you more Quick with that Doug okay yeah I think The record is the record is indicating That the season is over okay so I'd like To see them shift to youth I'd like to See them move more of these young guys James book Night Kai Jones we haven't Seen in a while I'd like to see more of Them but I'd also like to see them play Lamello and not hide him as much on Defense give him the challenge if if Winning suddenly becomes not the the First objective then I'd like to see Them challenge him a little bit more Defensively and help him you know Develop some of those habits that that Can help him defensively in Seasons to Come well just what you were talking About I tweeted it out very visibly not Fouling was going like this there was a Missed shot and then he went after the Rebound it was already possessed by Boston he's about to do it you can tell He wants to foul that guy so hard he
Wants to push him because of the Frustration and then he's like all right Nope yeah I'm not doing it there was two Times he did that right in a four or Five possession uh and then and then What happened he got he played with the Bench the bench can't shoot he had to do Everything and then when he tries to do Everything and and and fails to do so he Gets super frustrated and he falls back Into the the same habits so this is all I think it's all growth for him and you Know I'm not worried about lamello you Know but we but we have to point out the Concerns we have to you know when we see Something we have to say it all right But I think one last thing if I could I'm fine shoot all the shots shoot every Shot especially when he's playing with That bench unit as you to your point Doug like he he's playing with One-handed behind his back a lot of These games and so for him to take those Shots and your point about the Tatum Thing Doug I think that was just I'm Sick of this I'm sick of the Boston fans Booing me in my home building of the MVP Channel oh my God I think yes exactly I Think that's a good sign that's his Competitive nature uh we know he loves To play basketball I think this is all Good stuff uh if they could just get the You know the team cleaned up you know We'd be right back where we want to be
Yeah by the way we didn't talk about Tatum yesterday but just real quickly Going over his numbers the last four Games 51 points 33 31 44. those are the Last four points and then he's 32 of 32 From the free throw line his last five Games I was real high on Tatum no one Else was I was real high you know I kept Telling people like Tatum he's going to Be a big story but he was like no no Just like Walker Kessler I was high on Walker Kessler look at him put in 2020s There we go up for YouTube nobody Listens to me around draft time they Should though I'm gonna talk less I'm gonna talk Less In the second segment I promise I'm not Gonna Bogart the show I apologize was Was Kessler the 15th throws or was that Like in the single digit was that the Ninth throws you gave out oh I love I Loved war I said Walker Kessler would be A good drop down in the draft a little Bit grab Walker Kessler perfect huge There you go yeah Doug if we if we only Had you as the GM then we'd have Walker Casper we'd have three centers you'd Have gone after during Mark Williams and Kessler because look look you're just Giving yourself more of a chance to hit On one I mean the Hornets is right on Almost none I mean Mark Williams looks Good though all right speaking of the Context of the situation there's another
Brian windhorst sound bite I want to get To unless Doug wants to talk over it That's fine as well coming up next on The lockdown Hornets podcast don't go to Sleep on the Hornets just yet we did ask Brian me and Wes about the chances of Lamelo possibly turning down a rookie Max extension to go to a different team Because of said context because there's Not enough Talent around him right now Would that frustrate him enough to Actually leave the franchise we'll get To that sound bite in just a moment but Not before we discuss rocket money this Episode is brought to you by rocket Money rocket money was formerly known as Such as true bill and it's a personal Finance app that finds and cancels your Unwanted subscriptions it monitors your Spending and it helps you lower your Bills all in one place over 80 percent Of people have subscriptions they forgot About like that streaming service you Bought to just watch one show or that Free trial that you actually never used Rocket money will quickly and easily Identify your subscriptions for you so You can stop paying for the ones that You don't want anymore over three Million people have used rocket money Saving the average person up to 720 a Year that's right 720. stop throwing Your money away cancel unwanted Subscriptions and manage your expenses
The easy way by going to rocketmoney.com Locked on NBA that's rocketmoney.com Locked on MBA one more time Rocketmoney.com NBA more windy coming up next Walker can I say one thing thing before we start Because I it's on Jason Tatum that's What we just talked about okay Jason Tatum I meant to say this in the last Episode Jason Tatum 51 points congrats Sir MVP caliber stuff but you know nine Rebounds like come on you didn't even Get a double double like is that really A great performance if you don't get a Double double I think not That's what you wanted to interrupt me With then the Jason Tatum I just wanted To point it out you know you look at 51 Points you go wow that's that's great And then you have nine rebounds like get The 10th rebound Tatum is a scrub put that on the title Of this episode uh lamella was not and That is not the perception around Lamello across the NBA but we are Worried about him possibly leaving even If it's unprecedented as far as somebody Turning down a rookie Max extension but Because of what you talked about Doug The lack of talent the lack of Well positioning for this team to try to Contend for not even a play in spot this Year but an actual playoff spot because They got drugged the last two times they
Got into the play and it was awful Against the Pacers and surprisingly even Worse against the Hawks and so is all That losing is the lack of doing Something as you might say in the off Seasons going to lead lamello to be the First rookie of that magnitude to turn Down the rookie Max extension well I Asked Brian windhorst about that and Here's what he had to say typically you Get that first max contract I have Branded it the fun Max it's it's Um first off it's a lesser amount of Money than than guys who are in their Mid-20s in the back of the year at the Back of their careers it is usually the Player signs it usually the player is in A good spot Um I don't think the Hornets can operate Their lives worried about that but they Should operate their lives worried about Not having executed bringing in players Around lamello This is the task that the Hornets have And this is the the task that any team Has when you hit on a draft pick it's Exactly what's happened with Dallas the Pressure mounts on them they get to a Western Conference Finals despite maybe Bringing in Talent around them and Jalen Brunson he has the early meeting with The Knicks and eventually you lose what Was an important player but I don't know How much they were able to help
Themselves this off season and we'll see What they're able to do in the Postseason but if they are able to do Anything then it's probably going to be Because Luca is just so damn good so you Want to get to that title execution you Want to get to places you haven't really Been before or been in a while and we Know the Hornets they're a lack of Conference finals history zero Conference Finals appearances you want To get to the postseason because it's Been a long time since you've done that What did you make of Brian windhorse's Sound by David and just how important is It for Charlotte to get Talent around Him maybe even as soon as this off Season like when we say do it quickly it Might give you a window but how big is That window for Charlotte yeah uh it's It's time it's way past time I mean We've talked about this now look the Last season's disaster you know uh that Was a lot of their hands but uh this off Season they have to have to have to have To have to have to address getting Lamelo help uh he's got to be probably Included on at least some of these Cursory conversations you know I think They've done a good job of making him Feel like he's heard I I you know that He's a part of what's going on with this Franchise but it's Fallen apart so badly Over the last six months that uh that
It's brought this into question now I Think the advantage the NBA gives the Teams on this is still going to be in Their back pocket like Wendy didn't Sound even a little bit uh concerned That this may not happen but it's never Happened but as Doug you know commented Lamella's rare right he's one of one Um so he could be the first one to do it But it would still be shocking I think At this point as bad as it is right now It would still be shocking for him not To take that next step and commit to the Hornets but they've got to show Something the draft pick can help a lot But dude they have to do something they They got to do something in the front Office they gotta make some moves to Shake this things up you know we'll see What happens with players they've have Or have not had conversations with that Could go a long way into coaxing lamella To feel like this is a place to spend a Few more years but overall I think I I've backed off being super concerned About that for right now just because You know how many things we be concerned About at one time so I think it's a good Point though they can't operate like That they've got to operate as if They're continuing to build which they Need to start showing us pretty soon Doug what do you uh I saw you shrug your Shoulders when we talked about being
Concerned about it maybe how worried are You about the possibility of lamelo Leaving well I don't worry about things That I can control so that's that's Number one I'm not necessarily worried About it but at the same time I've said For many seasons What was that David It was extra deep it's extra level I Wasn't expecting neither was I mean uh Yeah that got to me too to be honest That's funny all right my bad okay so What I was saying is that uh for many Seasons now I've said the Hornets should Be waking up every morning thinking About how can we put a team around Lamelo that will convince him to be here Long term now he said nothing or really Operated in any way that would suggest That he would do something that is Unprecedented which is turning turning That down uh but but you can't rule it Out but I don't you know the Hornets I Think it's a weird thing too in the NBA As they continue to draft players Younger and younger And and put these put these players on a Trajectory I guess it's fine when the Player is a raw Prospect like Kai Jones And is going to take many many years to See like what he's actually going to Become but it's but it's stranger when It's a player like lamelo who is Young And but you treat him like he's young
Like we've seen the the horness as an Organization be a little wary about you Know going all in on lamello and saying Lamello is like the face of this Franchise he's the immediate star like They just haven't done that they they You know when they did the All-Star Campaign they paired him with two other Players Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges And the comments you know during the off Season uh you know in terms of have you Been Consulting lamelo ball on the Coaching you know they're very careful Saying no we don't we don't consult any Players but they've just been very Careful not to put any kind of Aura Around lamello ball and I think a lot of That has to do with their concern that You don't want to do that with a player That young and and immature and yet he The clock has started it on lamello Ball And his you know being with the Franchise that timeline has started Whether he's 19 or 24. the timeline is The timeline and and this team has not Been focused enough on putting enough Talent around lamelo ball because this Is a process right it's not just about Like they're not just going to one one Year go to the Conference Finals you Know you you've got to get Talent around Tim that takes you know a season or two To develop to get into the playoffs to Win a series and then and then get
Bounced in the second round and then Come back again like this thing takes Years and if you wait uh too long you're Going to run out of time and then you Know it's going to be on lamello to find A place that is legitimately concerned About going through that long process of Getting to an NBA Finals well you're Right I mean Mitch cup check when he Takes answers or questions from the Media you know he discusses and says no Lamella is not consulted on any of these Moves I don't consult any player you Know I'm I'm choosing this and we heard Steve Clifford say yesterday Scott Fowler I think he wrote a piece on the Charlotte Observer about this but he Asked Um Steve Clifford if there was ever a Time to shift to youth where you weren't Necessarily worried about winning and Clifford actually said yeah there is a Time for that where you want to shift to Youth and want to make sure that these Guys are producing and he said summer League you said what he said summer League that's the time when you really Want to shift to you well he said summer League as far as these guys not he had Some interesting I'm kidding I'm kidding That was a joke oh well no but he did Talk about summer league you know with The James book night which I thought was Hilarious uh I mean with some of these
Players but clearly book Night is one of Them no those those comments were Interesting we can get to those you know Maybe later on in the week but the point Being is that he also said Mitch Cupcake's old school that he's not going To hand the franchise over to somebody You know that young like lamelo and Honestly I don't think lamella was Bothered by it I mean we I don't think Lamello is angry at the front office for Not having the All-Star campaign solely Be about him I don't think lamelo we Haven't heard anything saying that he's So angry about the team not allowing him To make decisions for this franchise I'm Sure he's frustrated with not having Enough talent to win you know even look I mean the miles Bridges stuff that was His friend and we've heard him say some Comments since he was arrested for Felony domestic violence and how he's Kind of welcomed him back I mean he Would he would love to have miles like He he wants some of that Talent back on This team so I get the frustration there But I don't get the sense that lamella Was so fed up with everything in the Organization now the ultimate goal is to Provide him that Talent so you can win And give him as much you know as much as Advantage as you possibly can it's not Allowing him to pick the coach it's not Solely giving him the All-Star campaign
You're right Doug it is making sure that You build a roster around him now do you Want to get to the other windy sound Bite or do you want to go to the other To the to the last segment and do that Yeah soon in the last segment okay let's Do it in the last segment coming up next On the lockdown Hornets podcast don't go To sleep I'm the Hornets just yet Remember when Bill Simmons of the ringer Casually threw in that Charlotte was Going to be available for sale I brought That comment all the way back from September and asked I asked Brian Windhorst about it on Friday and and Kind of got an answer we certainly got An interesting one but I'm not sure we Got an answer if that makes sense we'll Tell you all about it in just a moment But I did want to tell you that this Episode is brought to you by BetOnline At online.net is your Source your number One source for sports betting info stats News and Analysis and you can get the Latest odds and the trends for every Professional and amateur League out There if you love sports podcasts you Can even find those on that online as Well they're always the fastest and the Easiest way to get your betting info you Can head to the website today or use Your mobile device to learn more bet Online where the game starts more Wendy Shoes Jersey talk we'll get to all of it
Coming up next All right last sound bite from Brian Windhorst was really interesting I and I I think I I shared it I you know we Played it on Friday of course that Interview is out there on wfnz.com but The Bill Simmons comment from September Where he was talking about the sale of The Phoenix Suns Robert Sarver you know Agreeing after all of the problems that He has brought about himself decides to Sell the Phoenix franchise and Bill Simmons was talking about just how Valuable it was going to be that market That Talent even with Chris Paul on his Way out of the league you still have Quite a bit of talent to work with And He was discussing what like four and A half billion is what the franchise is Worth and that was surprising he was Projecting it and it ended up being you Know quite a bit right so anyways when He's talking about the sale In passing I mean it was it was weird But in passing said and you have Charlotte that's going to become Available and you might have thought About them being in the same value as Minnesota but you know who knows what That franchise is going to be worth and Then he just kept going on And then wait hold on Charlotte's gonna Become available The goat Michael Jordan is about to sell
This and we've always had A little inclination because of the Minority sale that he had with gay Plotnik of course and you know a Minority stake but still Michael Jordan Operated most of everything else but we Didn't know that he was going to sell Everything in fact the late great Rick Bonnell reported that it was only a sale For you know a minority stake and that Michael still operated most of the whole Shebang over there so I asked Brian what That sound bite was about and you know Charlotte becoming available and here's What Brian had to say I can't directly Answer that question without risking Being aggregated the same way that bill Would be so as far as I know as of right Now the Hornets are not for sale Definitive I mean he said it all right The speculation music is is just all About in my head right now from that Answer I don't want to speculate yes Perfect it's been a while since we've Played it but I think it's worth it here I mean David I hear that and my Speculation meter goes through the roof Does your meter go through the roof as Well Yeah a little bit I mean it's always Been kind of flooded out there right Um who knows I I don't know I mean I Know there's not a lot to do with it but At the same time I feel like there is a
Lot I I don't know what to do with the Sound bite Yeah I mean we don't get much word from Anyone uh from the horn it's certainly Not MJ on this subject I mean uh the Rumblings have always been that way but I think as a Hornets fan you don't want Him to sell I think he's a well let me Say this there are some horse fans that Definitely wanted to sell I think if you Want the team to stay here forever and Ever and ever uh it's a good you'd have A better shot of doing that if he Remains the owner Um but you know who knows uh it's just So odd to me that you know I looked at His his race team and how he's Approached that and I know it's not Apples to Apples but it's a very Different approach as far as like he's Brought in older Superstars they've Actually won races which I think winning A NASCAR race I guess would be like the NBA equivalent of of making the playoffs Or maybe winning a playing game I don't Know that's a good question but but but That's been a very different approach um It's a you know he's it's it's harder to Win in the NBA so I think ultimately you Want him to remain you want him to get Some Management in here and and reshape The front front office in a more Aggressive fashion but it doesn't sound Like I don't know I don't know how to
Take it how did you guys take it on the Air because it didn't say much well I Mean we moved on he said he didn't want To be aggregated and I'm not about to Poke the Bear by any means and so we Just moved on and I think Wes asked some I don't know what question was after That but I did so at the end of that Interview I said Brian I promise we Won't aggregate you and I said that you Know and then it was about to do the Outro and then he said all right thanks Bye and he's a nice guy I mean any so Accommodating Brian is is great anytime I've ever had him on but you know just Didn't want to be aggregated Doug maybe When you couple that when you couple That with the Simmons drive-by and That's about that's how he usually References the Hornets it's just a Straight drive by Um right I mean it starts adding up to a Weird feeling right I mean I think That's what you take away from it Absolutely Doug your thoughts on it yeah Well I think a lot of people are putting Puzzle pieces together and and coming up With some kind of angle that the the Hornets would be a likely candidate to Sell but I don't think there's any like Strong reporting on it so I think that's Why windwards being is being careful Because if he if Wind Horse goes on a on A thing and says well if you think about
This thing if you think about the Phoenix sale if you think about the fact That he did sell a piece of his of the Team already and you put all of these Things together and you understand that Hey there's a new TV deal coming a lot Of these franchises you know the the Value of them is going to go up and and There's it's going to be a great time if You did want to sell to sell Um and so if you put all that together With I think anyone could look at this Situation and go like okay Michael is Not an activist owner like he's he's not As as you know there are points at which He inserts himself into the conversation You know maybe around draft time and Other things but but he's not as like Hands-On as some some other owners are And so you know I think if you if you Want to put all those puzzle pieces Together to make some speculation you Could easily do that when horse being Careful here I would say you know I Think if if you could guarantee me the Hornets would stay in Charlotte you know I think an ownership change would Benefit the Hornets if you could bring In an owner who was like actively Focused on getting as much talent as Possible and not as concerned with Luxury tax considerations you know I I Would say that that would be a benefit But I also look at this situation that
You know the NBA is going to look to Expand really soon uh you finally got Adam Silver talking about it and he's Going to start talking about it more Once they get the TV deal done and the Next CBA done Then anything's possible because you Know a lot of the speculation is that It's going to be two uh teams out west Seattle and Las Vegas it would be it Would make things really easy you know That's two Western Conference teams then You got to do some shuffling around to Bring a team over to the Eastern Conference like it would be super easy If instead of expanding the two teams One of those teams jumped over to the Western Conference from the East so I Would just say like be careful because If if this team sells to somebody who's Not concerned about keeping the team in Charlotte and boy I mean the the market Here for basketball is already a little Bit tainted by the first move this would Be like you know nuclear warhead kind of Situation so there's no coming back is The NBA really going to take a second Team away from Charlotte and move it out To another city I mean I I suppose it's Possible it just seems like it would be A lot of of Goodwill just thrown away on That one and I think you got to be Careful when you're dealing with Billionaires you you never know what
You're going to get I mean look at the Panthers uh you know you never know what You're gonna get when you when you bring A new guy in here who you have no idea What their motivation is that's fine David that's fine but my argument I hear You on that but my argument would be I Would rather Go after something and and stop being Irrelevant because right now they're Irrelevant and I don't think there's Anything worse than being the carpenter Be a relevant non-threat like if at Least if you got somebody in there and They made some mistakes early in the Process I'm willing I would be willing To give them you know a little bit of a Pass if I could see that there was an Intent to actually do something to put a Championship team on the floor but I Don't know I don't want to make a Mountain out of a molehill but when I Hear Brian windhorst say that when I Hear Bill Simmons say that if you were To put a group of media members or just People that are tapped into the NBA that Are a messenger to everybody else that Consumes that product they're as tapped In as anybody and especially when I go To the Michael Jordan sourcing maybe People around them whatever but also When Bill was talking about Phoenix Possibly not forcing Robert Sarver out But the league forcing Robert Sarver out
After the explosive article that came Out about him Bill Simmons on his Podcast mentioned that the last thing They were going to do if Sarver did not Relent and decide to sell the franchise Was Michael Jordan the goat such a Powerful figure there was going to be Something from Michael there was going To be a letter saying from Michael that Robert Sarver needs to be out of the League and so when bill has that Sourcing from around him you know that Involves Michael and then he passingly Says through you know Charlotte's going To become available and then you have This from Brian two guys that are as Tapped in as anybody yeah I'm I'm going To read into that and maybe it's maybe It's irresponsible but I'm just telling You right now like for me I I take a lot From that so we'll see what I also think I also think the NBA values having MJ oh They absolutely in that group right yeah On that ownership group for sure uh 100 He's the only black owner in a black Lady yeah so that's one I think I think Michael will sell the team and become Commissioner of the NBA there you go and Aggregate that aggregate that one Aggregate that both of you um last thing All right I know you guys wanted to talk About the uh this jersey opinion right What was the tweet that was sent out That you guys wanted to discuss as far
As marketing goes within the association And the jerseys where you just have all Of these courts all of these jerseys That franchises are releasing now David What was it you wanted to discuss well I Think Doug you sent it to me I actually Replied to that Nate Jones tweet he was Going off about there's too many jerseys Too many chords basically no one can Tell if you're not a day-to-day NBA fan You turn a game on you're like who the Heck is playing this game where are they Playing it and what are these colors They're wearing it and I agreed with it I mean I said back at the start of the Season when the Hornets rolled out their Newest whatever you don't even know the Names of these Jersey City whatever the Purple jersey it looks very similar Statement and City uh it breaks up all The time I have zero clue which one is Which because it's about marketing it's Dumb Nike marketing language like Doesn't make any you know it doesn't Mean it's it's nonsense Um but his point was that you know There's no real feel or branding to any Of these teams they're losing a lot of The identity that comes with them Inherently and I I agree it's it's too Many jurors I never thought it'd be the Guy to say too many jerseys I love a Good New Jersey but every year there's Not one New Jersey there's at least two
You know with every team and so unless You're the Celtics or or maybe the the Bulls or the Knicks or somebody I mean You don't know what the team is going to Look like from night to night and then Another person replied they're like yes They're doing this for marketing and you Can hardly get in these new jerseys for Purchase too it doesn't make a lot of Sense as to what they're doing I like Having a fresh take on things and I like Having a cool New Jersey every once in a While but they have really gone off the Defense deep end in my opinion on some Of these uh and they just need to scale It back and and again the Y teams where Can the home teams wear white at home Let's just go back to that on any level Of basketball though the home team or is White it still throws me off when I see The home team in the color jerseys but That was my thought Doug what did you Have to say I disagree and I'll tell you Why I disagree because I think you know The the NBA I think understands on a Fundamental level that the youths the Kids Are not as they're not engaged with Watching entire NBA games they're Engaged with watching highlights they're Not engaged in like being lifelong fans Of a team they're much more star focused Now they follow their favorite players On Instagram and Tick Tock and like
Think about like just what about sort of Young culture would lead you to believe That they really want to like watch one Thing over and over whether it be a Jersey or a video like that's the whole Thing with Tick Tock is like Boom video Scroll Boom video scroll Boom video Scroll like it's all about changing and Just you know color fantastic let's Throw as much against the wall as Possible sell a couple of jerseys and Move on you know again you can you can Love that or not love that but that's Kind of the reality that I think the NBA Is embracing here and Nike is embracing And saying you know let's just do Something different every year so that People have something new to look at and I don't I think we can sit here and go Well we we love the days when there were Only three jerseys and we could really Identify with something but I'm not I'm Just not sure that that's how people That are 10 years younger or 15 years Younger than us are really thinking About things yeah and I think winning Tradition is the thing that helps Because David you mentioned the Celtics And and then you go to the Lakers and Those are the teams that can get away With the purple and gold that has been There for a while and the Celtics can Get away with the traditional green that Is not loud by any stretch and they can
Get away with that because they win and You wonder if these franchises are Trying to flip over a new Leaf so to Speak to try to figure all right well Let's just put all that in the past and Then let's move on and then we can give Those loser teams something to sell yes Yes exactly Um you know but I think I'm gonna do the Whole fence sitting thing and fall in The in between I I think I don't I don't Know if it matters so much that it takes A little longer to watch a game and then Figure out who's playing so much I do Think that the NBA is clearly marketing Individual players but I do think that There is so many jerseys that I I just Don't understand the point so to speak You know like I don't understand like Why why there is so many Beyond if you Also it's not like I see all of these Jerseys all the time I see the mid city Edition jerseys here in Charlotte I see The classics I see the current ones and I that's pretty much about it and you Know I I mean and even some of the other City Edition I'll tell you what I don't See a whole lot of I remember the the One I forget of their city or statement But the gradient Jersey I don't see that A whole lot right like you got a hit and And then so and then they go away from It here's the here's the only thing you Need to know about they have too many
Jerseys the Hornets in this rotation This year they don't have any of the Classic the Retro the throwback like the Best uniform I think in their Arsenal Right the ones they wore uh the the Inaugural year they don't even wear Those anymore this year uh but I guess They have too many so I think they Should always have that in the rotation And maybe a couple other ones so it just Gets out of hand at some point look no One likes a good Jersey reveal you know The leaks around the beginning of the Season always fun duck always a good Time but it's just you can't get your Hands around all of them and you should Have some of them all the time you know And why are both teams wearing jerseys You know let's just go shirts and skins I mean that's you know let's go limes Sleeves No hey you know you know the one Jersey I I haven't seen in a while the Charlotte Hornets Christmas edition Journey Jersey oh my God yeah That that's one okay thank you Doug I Think your disbalance every segment have Been awesome and like every single hot Take Christmas Jerseys it's fantastic Jerseys how about we focus our energy on The All-Star jerseys guys come on I was Thinking get back to good All-Star Jerseys oh yeah it's been forever I I Get zero hope now when they reveal the
NBA All-Star jerseys it's all very very Bad all right thanks for making us your First listen that'll do it for lockdown Hornets that's Doug Branson I just saw The post go up go check out a sub stack Every hornetsboxcor.com that's David Walker the Pharaoh of foot candy we need To talk Jordan's next I want to talk About Jordans because I'm finally hooked On the narcotics so we need to get on That as well thanks for making us your First listen we're free and available Anywhere you get your pods now make your Second listen game to game NBA every Moment every top performance every Result locked on game to game covers Every single game from across the NBA With local analysis that only lockdown Can deliver follow game to game unlocked On NBA available on the Odyssey app YouTube and wherever you get your Podcast have a great rest of your day And we'll be back with you tomorrow
Charlotte North Carolina Offers Plenty of Things to Do
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Charlotte North Carolina Offers Plenty of Things to Do
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