00:00:15
Speaker 1: Sports Radio ninety two to seven WFNZ macken Bone with you.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: So we did.
00:00:20
Speaker 1: We won a lot of different takes and opinions because there is such a wide variety of opinions on this LaMelo ball tray we're mentioning a national media seems to like ninety percent of them love it.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: For the Hornets fans.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: It's it's definitely even a day later, Bone, it's still the majority is like, may, why did we do this?
00:00:40
Speaker 2: So we want to keep getting different opinions on it.
00:00:43
Speaker 1: And speaking of different opinions, let's just go to a different continent man, a guy that covers the Hornets all the way from England, and we love him for it. We love his Hornets passion even when things are really bad. Bone nineteen Game Bad. This man is like up in the middle of the night over there in England watching Hornet's game. Hornet's Games. You can catch him on the Buzzbeat podcast. He is James plow Ride British Buzz on Twitter and he joins us here on the Mac and Bone Show. James, what's going on man? How you doing?
00:01:15
Speaker 2: I am okay.
00:01:16
Speaker 3: I'm recovering from a hectic and unexpected day yesterday. I thought it was went so quiet after the draft, but Jess, isn't it.
00:01:24
Speaker 4: You thought the big news was going to be the Hornets side Wyatt Fricks of Marshall and that turns out and it was bigger news to happen.
00:01:32
Speaker 1: Oh my god. So it's interesting you Bone was messaging with you like just after the shams like report, like before it even became official, and you were like, yeah, I have to be honest, I understand it. Like so when they made the deal and you saw what we got back, like, do you you think Charlotte made a good move.
00:01:53
Speaker 3: I think Charlotte No Lamellable better than anybody. As they're willing to make this difficult of a trade, which which is so bold and cut throat, then I think that they know the player. I support their decision. Look, La Mali Ball, no doubt this is going to I think make the team worse in the short term. But this team, the leadership group have talked time and time again that they're not interested in chasing the eight seed.
00:02:17
Speaker 2: And they looked at.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: This set of playoffs, they looked at the playing games and they went, we don't know if Lamali Ball is our best player is going to get us to this level, and if he's not, they need to prevent you from adding the next best player because of the way the contracts work and the way that the draft works, and they don't believe La Mali Ball is the right player to take them to the point. So look, the package was not what I think a lot of fans would have hoped to get back. But that's down to all the reasons the Hornets traded him in the first place. Injuries, leadership, maturity, contract value, defense efficiency, late game execution, his lack of improvement in certain areas. So that's why they didn't get this big hallback. It's also why they traded it.
00:03:01
Speaker 4: Do you think that the Kobe White trade in hindsight now makes sense that they got Kobe White here for this to happen, that they could move Mellow and have a guy in place already here in Kobe White.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: I think it will have been a possibility. I still think there was a world where LaMelo's Day this year and they brought Kobe White back. I think Kobe White is even pushed back on some of the reporting. This morning on his social media there was a report saying that he wanted to go start elsewhere, and he's kind of tweeted out, don't believe everything you read, So I think that was one of the options. It's one of the good additions about adding Kobe White is if something did come up with the mether ball, you've got already made replacement. But I don't think this was a galaxy brain that It's kind of been planned back in February and this is always the plan. I think. You know, as an NBA team, you have different options available to you, and in the end they have gone on through.
00:03:55
Speaker 1: James plow Right with US Buzzbeat podcast. Those guys do an awesome job talking and its ball. So James, let's the big question though, is right, what's next? Because it just feels like you didn't pick up the league's highest trade exception almost forty one million for nothing, right, Like, so what's next? You also have a ton of assets to use too if you make a deal, Like, what are your theories on what's next? We had a local TV reporter, Micha Lasette here report that the Hornets are one of the teams that Sham's was alluding to when Shams said Boston is talking Jalen Brown trade with multiple teams, like is that a move you could see happening? Is it something else? Like what's next?
00:04:37
Speaker 2: It's possible.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: I mean Jalen Brown wouldn't fit into that trade exception, so that have to be other ways to get there. But it all comes down to what Charlotte want to do. Like I say, forty point seven million trade exception, they can get any player earning that money that's near max money for some players straight in without sending any salary outgoing. So this is why it's hard to judge this trade in the moment, because it's like, well, what's go happen with the assets that you pick up from it? You kind of we need to wait a little bit to the whole picture. I would be surprised if they went out and added like another win Now piece, because then it just feels a little bit confusing, like you take the melo ball away, you then go and try and you know, take a step forward again. It's like two stepsible ones at back. I think maybe more likely and I don't know if this would be popular, but you could take in more bad money right and get more first round picks which they are just collecting this treasure show They've got the second most future first round picks of any team in the NBA, so they could maybe not even be sure how they're going to use it. It could be well, what are the offers if we can get two first round picks for taking a bad salary, will do it? Or if we can get access to I don't know, Jarrett Allen, Hey, we'll use it in a more positive way to make us get better. So there's options. The trade exception lasts a full year, so they don't have to use it the summer. They could use it at the trade deadline or before the draft next year, so I might I would kind of worn against it necessarily being used in an the immediately corresponding moved, although it is a possibility.
00:06:02
Speaker 4: What do you think of the Nas Reid acquisition as part of this? And I'm wondering, and I saw some people yesterday bring up the name. I'm wondering, could he be this generation's Anthony Mason? A great bench player where he was comes to Charlotte, becomes a starter and his game expands even more. What do you think of nas and how he fits in here to the equation.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: He's a really interesting and unique player and He definitely brings a level of spacing from the fullest spot size of shooting which the Shart Hornets just don't have anywhere on the roster. I mean, Grant Williams Miles Bridge is the sixty sixth, maws Reed is like a legit six ten. He almost plays more like a guard or a wing in terms of his style. I think it's a really interesting bit of an upside swing, Like say he's coming off the bench in Minnesotia's and six number year once if not maybe twice, and I think the Horne's being able to use him in a lot of different ways. I think it's an interesting addition. I'm not one hundred percent sure that he'll like definitely stay hor I think of the EBC that reported that the Hornets do like him, but if someone comes and blows their socks off or another trade offer. He doesn't tick all the boxes in terms of like he's not a great defender. He doesn't like to thrive getting to the rim or getting to the foul line, and those are things that you probably want to surround Brandon Miller and Konk Nipple with someone of that player type. So I wouldn't say it's a perfect fit, but there are definitely ways that he can help this team.
00:07:24
Speaker 1: Last thing I want to ask you about the Hornets is we did have a draft. It feels it now feels like that was like a month ago because this LaMelo trade worldwin. What did you think about getting Honness Steinbach in Christian Anderson in the first round?
00:07:39
Speaker 3: Yeah? I love the steinback pick. He was talent on my board. I thought he not only was he really good talent available, but he also fits a bunch of what the Hornets are looking for. He immediately is their most skilled big and versatile big offensively in terms of like playmaking and potentially shooting and being able to do a little bit more with the ball rather than kind of just like know, dive to the rim and dunk it like Misa and colbrend A do.
00:08:04
Speaker 2: And he's just one of the best.
00:08:05
Speaker 3: Rebounders and best pair of hands that we've seen in the draft in recent years. So really excited about Hanna Steinbach Christian Anderson. Eighteen was a pick that was probably a little bit lower on either towards my late first round. I just you know, we watched this playoffs. Small guards under six to two just so rarely factor into the playoffs. Now you might be screaming at the phone saying, what about Jamon Brunston. Well, yeah, but he's built like a fridge guy.
00:08:30
Speaker 4: You know.
00:08:30
Speaker 3: Christian Anderson is skinny. He's like one hundred and eighty pounds sixty one and three quarters. But you know, absolutely if he can put on some weight, he can survive defensively. He is one of the best shooters to come out of the draft from in terms of shooting from beyond the arc since twenty twenty. I saw from stats of the day like his combination of volume, self created attempts and efficiency from well beyond the college line, and his deep threes is pretty special, so you can play make too. He's not just a shooter, so there's some real gifts there. It's for me, it's mainly about the defense. Can you survive defensively? And Charlotte Skien look, it managed to hide LaMelo ball pretty effectively defensively last year, so it could be a good fit for Anderson too.
00:09:13
Speaker 2: All right, now, it's going to be interesting.
00:09:15
Speaker 1: We love your passion for the Hornets and your knowledge of the game from over there in England is damn good too.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: I need to ask you.
00:09:23
Speaker 1: Though we are loving the World Cup here in the US. We're loving a lot of the euro fans being here and like partying. The Scots have been insane, the Norwegian row. We can't get enough of that. The games are on. It a great time for us in the States. But I need to ask over there in England, like does the World Cup? Does it lose a little bit because a lot of the games are played like when y'all are sleeping, have you been to joining it?
00:09:49
Speaker 3: You're right, it does lose it a little bit, especially for like young people because they're on so late, right, kids used to like I remember watching my first World Cup match when I was seven years old, So it has lost a little bit of its edge just with them being on so late. And you know, there's some cynicism about these hydration breaks.
00:10:07
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's good annoying of that nature.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: But you know, as we get to these knockout stages and you get some bigger matchups, and I think the excitement the level is going to grow. But obviously the so many teams qualifying for the next round, it's been strange. But how about USA. I mean, I know they lost off night but they've been playing really well and I'm excited to see them do well in a home tournament.
00:10:27
Speaker 2: I love that and one of the best even in the world.
00:10:29
Speaker 1: Some are saying right now are saying people are saying, you lost James Cremony.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: He got a little greeting, James.
00:10:37
Speaker 1: We just like the acknowledgment from somebody in a soccer nation like yourself. We like that recognition. All right, brother, Hey, Pep, Harry Kane. Away from the witch doctors and the low blocks too. Hopefully you don't see that again any time soon, all right, brother, be good man. We always appreciate you.
Speaker 1: Sports Radio ninety two to seven WFNZ macken Bone with you.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: So we did.
00:00:20
Speaker 1: We won a lot of different takes and opinions because there is such a wide variety of opinions on this LaMelo ball tray we're mentioning a national media seems to like ninety percent of them love it.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: For the Hornets fans.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: It's it's definitely even a day later, Bone, it's still the majority is like, may, why did we do this?
00:00:40
Speaker 2: So we want to keep getting different opinions on it.
00:00:43
Speaker 1: And speaking of different opinions, let's just go to a different continent man, a guy that covers the Hornets all the way from England, and we love him for it. We love his Hornets passion even when things are really bad. Bone nineteen Game Bad. This man is like up in the middle of the night over there in England watching Hornet's game. Hornet's Games. You can catch him on the Buzzbeat podcast. He is James plow Ride British Buzz on Twitter and he joins us here on the Mac and Bone Show. James, what's going on man? How you doing?
00:01:15
Speaker 2: I am okay.
00:01:16
Speaker 3: I'm recovering from a hectic and unexpected day yesterday. I thought it was went so quiet after the draft, but Jess, isn't it.
00:01:24
Speaker 4: You thought the big news was going to be the Hornets side Wyatt Fricks of Marshall and that turns out and it was bigger news to happen.
00:01:32
Speaker 1: Oh my god. So it's interesting you Bone was messaging with you like just after the shams like report, like before it even became official, and you were like, yeah, I have to be honest, I understand it. Like so when they made the deal and you saw what we got back, like, do you you think Charlotte made a good move.
00:01:53
Speaker 3: I think Charlotte No Lamellable better than anybody. As they're willing to make this difficult of a trade, which which is so bold and cut throat, then I think that they know the player. I support their decision. Look, La Mali Ball, no doubt this is going to I think make the team worse in the short term. But this team, the leadership group have talked time and time again that they're not interested in chasing the eight seed.
00:02:17
Speaker 2: And they looked at.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: This set of playoffs, they looked at the playing games and they went, we don't know if Lamali Ball is our best player is going to get us to this level, and if he's not, they need to prevent you from adding the next best player because of the way the contracts work and the way that the draft works, and they don't believe La Mali Ball is the right player to take them to the point. So look, the package was not what I think a lot of fans would have hoped to get back. But that's down to all the reasons the Hornets traded him in the first place. Injuries, leadership, maturity, contract value, defense efficiency, late game execution, his lack of improvement in certain areas. So that's why they didn't get this big hallback. It's also why they traded it.
00:03:01
Speaker 4: Do you think that the Kobe White trade in hindsight now makes sense that they got Kobe White here for this to happen, that they could move Mellow and have a guy in place already here in Kobe White.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: I think it will have been a possibility. I still think there was a world where LaMelo's Day this year and they brought Kobe White back. I think Kobe White is even pushed back on some of the reporting. This morning on his social media there was a report saying that he wanted to go start elsewhere, and he's kind of tweeted out, don't believe everything you read, So I think that was one of the options. It's one of the good additions about adding Kobe White is if something did come up with the mether ball, you've got already made replacement. But I don't think this was a galaxy brain that It's kind of been planned back in February and this is always the plan. I think. You know, as an NBA team, you have different options available to you, and in the end they have gone on through.
00:03:55
Speaker 1: James plow Right with US Buzzbeat podcast. Those guys do an awesome job talking and its ball. So James, let's the big question though, is right, what's next? Because it just feels like you didn't pick up the league's highest trade exception almost forty one million for nothing, right, Like, so what's next? You also have a ton of assets to use too if you make a deal, Like, what are your theories on what's next? We had a local TV reporter, Micha Lasette here report that the Hornets are one of the teams that Sham's was alluding to when Shams said Boston is talking Jalen Brown trade with multiple teams, like is that a move you could see happening? Is it something else? Like what's next?
00:04:37
Speaker 2: It's possible.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: I mean Jalen Brown wouldn't fit into that trade exception, so that have to be other ways to get there. But it all comes down to what Charlotte want to do. Like I say, forty point seven million trade exception, they can get any player earning that money that's near max money for some players straight in without sending any salary outgoing. So this is why it's hard to judge this trade in the moment, because it's like, well, what's go happen with the assets that you pick up from it? You kind of we need to wait a little bit to the whole picture. I would be surprised if they went out and added like another win Now piece, because then it just feels a little bit confusing, like you take the melo ball away, you then go and try and you know, take a step forward again. It's like two stepsible ones at back. I think maybe more likely and I don't know if this would be popular, but you could take in more bad money right and get more first round picks which they are just collecting this treasure show They've got the second most future first round picks of any team in the NBA, so they could maybe not even be sure how they're going to use it. It could be well, what are the offers if we can get two first round picks for taking a bad salary, will do it? Or if we can get access to I don't know, Jarrett Allen, Hey, we'll use it in a more positive way to make us get better. So there's options. The trade exception lasts a full year, so they don't have to use it the summer. They could use it at the trade deadline or before the draft next year, so I might I would kind of worn against it necessarily being used in an the immediately corresponding moved, although it is a possibility.
00:06:02
Speaker 4: What do you think of the Nas Reid acquisition as part of this? And I'm wondering, and I saw some people yesterday bring up the name. I'm wondering, could he be this generation's Anthony Mason? A great bench player where he was comes to Charlotte, becomes a starter and his game expands even more. What do you think of nas and how he fits in here to the equation.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: He's a really interesting and unique player and He definitely brings a level of spacing from the fullest spot size of shooting which the Shart Hornets just don't have anywhere on the roster. I mean, Grant Williams Miles Bridge is the sixty sixth, maws Reed is like a legit six ten. He almost plays more like a guard or a wing in terms of his style. I think it's a really interesting bit of an upside swing, Like say he's coming off the bench in Minnesotia's and six number year once if not maybe twice, and I think the Horne's being able to use him in a lot of different ways. I think it's an interesting addition. I'm not one hundred percent sure that he'll like definitely stay hor I think of the EBC that reported that the Hornets do like him, but if someone comes and blows their socks off or another trade offer. He doesn't tick all the boxes in terms of like he's not a great defender. He doesn't like to thrive getting to the rim or getting to the foul line, and those are things that you probably want to surround Brandon Miller and Konk Nipple with someone of that player type. So I wouldn't say it's a perfect fit, but there are definitely ways that he can help this team.
00:07:24
Speaker 1: Last thing I want to ask you about the Hornets is we did have a draft. It feels it now feels like that was like a month ago because this LaMelo trade worldwin. What did you think about getting Honness Steinbach in Christian Anderson in the first round?
00:07:39
Speaker 3: Yeah? I love the steinback pick. He was talent on my board. I thought he not only was he really good talent available, but he also fits a bunch of what the Hornets are looking for. He immediately is their most skilled big and versatile big offensively in terms of like playmaking and potentially shooting and being able to do a little bit more with the ball rather than kind of just like know, dive to the rim and dunk it like Misa and colbrend A do.
00:08:04
Speaker 2: And he's just one of the best.
00:08:05
Speaker 3: Rebounders and best pair of hands that we've seen in the draft in recent years. So really excited about Hanna Steinbach Christian Anderson. Eighteen was a pick that was probably a little bit lower on either towards my late first round. I just you know, we watched this playoffs. Small guards under six to two just so rarely factor into the playoffs. Now you might be screaming at the phone saying, what about Jamon Brunston. Well, yeah, but he's built like a fridge guy.
00:08:30
Speaker 4: You know.
00:08:30
Speaker 3: Christian Anderson is skinny. He's like one hundred and eighty pounds sixty one and three quarters. But you know, absolutely if he can put on some weight, he can survive defensively. He is one of the best shooters to come out of the draft from in terms of shooting from beyond the arc since twenty twenty. I saw from stats of the day like his combination of volume, self created attempts and efficiency from well beyond the college line, and his deep threes is pretty special, so you can play make too. He's not just a shooter, so there's some real gifts there. It's for me, it's mainly about the defense. Can you survive defensively? And Charlotte Skien look, it managed to hide LaMelo ball pretty effectively defensively last year, so it could be a good fit for Anderson too.
00:09:13
Speaker 2: All right, now, it's going to be interesting.
00:09:15
Speaker 1: We love your passion for the Hornets and your knowledge of the game from over there in England is damn good too.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: I need to ask you.
00:09:23
Speaker 1: Though we are loving the World Cup here in the US. We're loving a lot of the euro fans being here and like partying. The Scots have been insane, the Norwegian row. We can't get enough of that. The games are on. It a great time for us in the States. But I need to ask over there in England, like does the World Cup? Does it lose a little bit because a lot of the games are played like when y'all are sleeping, have you been to joining it?
00:09:49
Speaker 3: You're right, it does lose it a little bit, especially for like young people because they're on so late, right, kids used to like I remember watching my first World Cup match when I was seven years old, So it has lost a little bit of its edge just with them being on so late. And you know, there's some cynicism about these hydration breaks.
00:10:07
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's good annoying of that nature.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: But you know, as we get to these knockout stages and you get some bigger matchups, and I think the excitement the level is going to grow. But obviously the so many teams qualifying for the next round, it's been strange. But how about USA. I mean, I know they lost off night but they've been playing really well and I'm excited to see them do well in a home tournament.
00:10:27
Speaker 2: I love that and one of the best even in the world.
00:10:29
Speaker 1: Some are saying right now are saying people are saying, you lost James Cremony.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: He got a little greeting, James.
00:10:37
Speaker 1: We just like the acknowledgment from somebody in a soccer nation like yourself. We like that recognition. All right, brother, Hey, Pep, Harry Kane. Away from the witch doctors and the low blocks too. Hopefully you don't see that again any time soon, all right, brother, be good man. We always appreciate you.
