T-Wolves take 'calculated risk' on LaMelo Ball as the Hornets 'sell high'
T-Wolves take 'calculated risk' on LaMelo Ball as the Hornets 'sell high'Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor, and NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh react to Thursday's stunning trade of the Hornets point guard to join Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.3:11Now PlayingPaused
Minnesota Timberwolves land LaMelo Ball in blockbuster trade1:34Now PlayingPausedStunning Rumor Claims Charlotte Hornets Listening to LaMelo Ball Trade Offers1:35Now PlayingPaused
Hornets trade LaMelo Ball to Timberwolves for Naz Reid, draft picks2:42Now PlayingPaused
Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?2:33Now PlayingPaused
The Memphis Grizzlies need to move on from Ja Morant this summer2:26Now PlayingPaused
T-Wolves take 'calculated risk' on LaMelo Ball as the Hornets 'sell high'
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor, and NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh react to Thursday's stunning trade of the Hornets point guard to join Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
AdvertisementAdvertisementVideo Transcript
We got a LaMelo Ball trade.
Joining me to discuss, Tom Averstro.
How are you, Tom?
I'm good.
I'm checking in with all my friends here in Charlotte, seeing how they're feeling right now with, with LaMelo gone.
It is a new day in, in Charlotte Hornets history when we're considering how amazing the season was last year, and the city just completely lit up around LaMelo Ball, Kon Knipple, and Brandon Miller.
But now LaMelo Ball is shipped up to Minnesota, and that is a shocking deal considering how much good vibes there were in the city.
I know.
I mean, it was an unbelievable year for Charlotte.
AdvertisementAdvertisementLaMelo played the best basketball of his life in the second half of that year, and now it's over after the trade has been made, sending LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, an unprotected first in 20- 2033, three first-round pick swaps, which are a little bit complicated, we'll get into later, in '28, '29, and '30, three second-round picks in '29, '30, and '33.
Let's start out with the Minnesota side of this thing here because, Tom, this is the, the trade for a contending team trying to take the next step after stagnating, falling short in the postseason, and their big bet is LaMelo Ball.
And it's obviously a, a calculated risk here for Minnesota to get somebody who's had as many injuries as LaMelo, somebody who isn't much of a leader, who makes a lot of crazy decisions.
It wasn't a great ending to his tenure in Charlotte either, the way things went in the play-in tournament.
However, he does raise their ceiling, undeniably.
The, the flair he plays with, the pace with which he plays with on the floor.
He's an offense unto himself, and the, the what he brings to this Minnesota team is exactly what they've been missing.
That said though, Tom, this is a risk, and it's a sell high for Charlotte.
And for Minnesota, they're giving up a lot here for a guy who's no guarantee to actually make things work and who knows?
A year from now we could be talking about them blowing things up.
Yeah, Kev, this is, this is sell high.
The, the, the, the way to look at this from the Charlotte Hornets perspective is that they sold high at a peak value for LaMelo Ball.
AdvertisementAdvertisementI'm gonna read to you right now the games played by LaMelo Ball since he became an NBA player at 19 years old.
51 games, 75, 36, 22, 47, and then last season, 72.
And when you look at the way that teams operate in these scenarios, usually they're very conservative.
When they get some, success like this, like what you saw from this, this Charlotte Hornets team last season, the best offensive rating, best net rating, five-man lineup with Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges along with those other three, and the three-point shooting style led by, Charles Lee and the offensive rebounding that you saw, that they did not make it into the playoffs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementBut what you saw was magic on the floor.
The, the whole entire city, the region, was so excited to see LaMelo Ball finally healthy, and here is the front office saying, "This is the time to sell."
- T-Wolves take 'calculated risk' on LaMelo Ball as the Hornets 'sell high'Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor, and NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh react to Thursday's stunning trade of the Hornets point guard to join Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.3:11Now PlayingPaused
- Minnesota Timberwolves land LaMelo Ball in blockbuster trade1:34Now PlayingPaused
- Hornets trade LaMelo Ball to Timberwolves for Naz Reid, draft picks2:42Now PlayingPaused
- Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?2:33Now PlayingPaused
- The Memphis Grizzlies need to move on from Ja Morant this summer2:26Now PlayingPaused
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
