Unlike his obnoxious-ass daddy, Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball is a welcomed sight on my 85-inch TV screen and an absolute joy to watch on the court. But because the basketball Gods won’t allow us to have nice things, this happened on Sunday against the Los Angeles Temecula Clippers:
And per ESPN, after being diagnosed with a fractured bone in his right wrist after that nasty fall, Ball’s rookie season has come to an abrupt end.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hate it here.
Since arriving on the scene as the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Lonzo’s baby brother has done something I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: He made the Charlotte Hornets relevant again.
Yes, the Hornets stealing Gordon “alleged Trump supporter” Hayward from the Celtics contributed to the cause—as did Terry Rozier’s unexpected ascension into a competent player—but we all know Ball’s court vision, dazzling array of moves, and playmaking ability is the true source of Charlotte’s surprising turnaround. It also didn’t hurt that through 41 games, the clear front-runner for Rookie of the Year was putting up 15.9 points, 6.1 dimes, and 5.9 boards a game.
Not bad for a 19-year-old kid who ditched high school to pinball around the globe to pursue his NBA dream.
So with LaMelo expected to miss the rest of the season, does that make Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards the favorite to win ROY? Edwards’ tacky-ass teammate D’Angelo Russell—not to be confused with Russell Wilson, Russell Westbrook, Kurt Russell, or any other Russell who’s actually worth a shit—seems to think so.
In a tweet that can best be described as “too damn soon,” Russell publicly threw his support behind Edwards almost immediately after news of Ball’s injury began to circulate. And Twitter being Twitter, they let Russell have it for being an insensitive dick head.
Unfortunately for Russell, karma has GPS. So between snitching on his teammates’ extracurricular activities and celebrating Ball’s injury, I’ll wake up a pregnant white woman before any team he plays for sniffs the playoffs again.
Wishing Ball a speedy recovery and with Charlottle clinging to the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, let us hope and pray that Hornets coach James Borrego can work some miracles to keep his team in playoff contention.
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