The Ball Effect

[Monster]

Thanks for all that info Lip! I had wondered if Ball had followed anything Curry had done during his career so that's excellent he is doing so and it's leading to good results. I was thinking that would be something I would hope he would implement going forward but it seems like he is already doing it with positive results. A couple things to add.

Curry was given less money due to his ankle issues. It was one reason GS was able to do some things to their roster they wouldn't have otherwise.

When I was in my early to mid 20's I started to having issues rolling my ankles when I played. Obviously I wasn't playing professional basketball but I played a couple times a week. I had one instance that kept me from playing a week or something but I've always been a pretty quick healer and probably a high pain threshold. Still it was happening pretty often. I tried some more restrictive shoes and some braces but I don't think it helped and I liked wearing the low top shoes better too. Lol

At one point a fellow volunteer shared that she had terrible problems rolling her ankles (just like walking around not playing a sport or anything) and she was told her ankle ligaments were super loose because of probably her general genetics and then all the instances of injury etc. She did some exercises with her foot ankle etc nothing helped. She said she understood being overweight was part of the problem but it was hard to change that when just walking around you could roll your ankle and the older you get the harder it is to make these changes. I am also overweight which doesn't help but she was moreso. She consulted another doctor and he said do not do those exercises they are not helping they are probably stretching things out as you do them. He said the thing that will help is simply balancing on one foot for as long and you can. For her that was maybe one second. This strengthens the ligaments without stretching them etc. Hearing this I started balancing on one foot back and forth for a few minutes a couple times a week or more. I got stronger and my balance was better. I would throw stuff in the air and catch it to challenge myself. I stopped rolling my ankles and I was better driving to the basket...not all that good still lol but I was better balanced and had more control while doing so.

If I remember correctly Curry credits doing a specific yoga pose which includes balancing on one foot which also helped strengthen his hips as a big part of how he both got past his ankle issues and got stronger with his hips. If you look at Curry after his work you can see he was stronger in the lower body (upper body got stronger too). One of the reasons why Curry was able to hold up against bigger players at least for a while long enough to have others help out was his much stronger lower body.

A while back I saw some video of Gobert standing on and balancing on one foot on some sort of medicine exercise ball and something throwing him objects. I know he is a professional athlete but that seemed fairly impressive. Gobert clearly does everything he can to perform and stay on the court. Hopefully Edwards and Ball will be following that example going forward. I know when I was younger I didn't do a whole lot I could just go out there play for hours and was fine. As we all know that doesn't stay the same at some point a we have to start doing more to keep our bodies going. Getting a massage gun for me was kinda life changing. I haven't gone to a chiropractor since. I'm still annoyed at my friends that are PTs that didn't suggest one earlier. Lol

[Lipoli390]

Thanks for all that info Lip! I had wondered if Ball had followed anything Curry had done during his career so that's excellent he is doing so and it's leading to good results. I was thinking that would be something I would hope he would implement going forward but it seems like he is already doing it with positive results. A couple things to add.

Curry was given less money due to his ankle issues. It was one reason GS was able to do some things to their roster they wouldn't have otherwise.

When I was in my early to mid 20's I started to having issues rolling my ankles when I played. Obviously I wasn't playing professional basketball but I played a couple times a week. I had one instance that kept me from playing a week or something but I've always been a pretty quick healer and probably a high pain threshold. Still it was happening pretty often. I tried some more restrictive shoes and some braces but I don't think it helped and I liked wearing the low top shoes better too. Lol

At one point a fellow volunteer shared that she had terrible problems rolling her ankles (just like walking around not playing a sport or anything) and she was told her ankle ligaments were super loose because of probably her general genetics and then all the instances of injury etc. She did some exercises with her foot ankle etc nothing helped. She said she understood being overweight was part of the problem but it was hard to change that when just walking around you could roll your ankle and the older you get the harder it is to make these changes. I am also overweight which doesn't help but she was moreso. She consulted another doctor and he said do not do those exercises they are not helping they are probably stretching things out as you do them. He said the thing that will help is simply balancing on one foot for as long and you can. For her that was maybe one second. This strengthens the ligaments without stretching them etc. Hearing this I started balancing on one foot back and forth for a few minutes a couple times a week or more. I got stronger and my balance was better. I would throw stuff in the air and catch it to challenge myself. I stopped rolling my ankles and I was better driving to the basket...not all that good still lol but I was better balanced and had more control while doing so.

If I remember correctly Curry credits doing a specific yoga pose which includes balancing on one foot which also helped strengthen his hips as a big part of how he both got past his ankle issues and got stronger with his hips. If you look at Curry after his work you can see he was stronger in the lower body (upper body got stronger too). One of the reasons why Curry was able to hold up against bigger players at least for a while long enough to have others help out was his much stronger lower body.

A while back I saw some video of Gobert standing on and balancing on one foot on some sort of medicine exercise ball and something throwing him objects. I know he is a professional athlete but that seemed fairly impressive. Gobert clearly does everything he can to perform and stay on the court. Hopefully Edwards and Ball will be following that example going forward. I know when I was younger I didn't do a whole lot I could just go out there play for hours and was fine. As we all know that doesn't stay the same at some point a we have to start doing more to keep our bodies going. Getting a massage gun for me was kinda life changing. I haven't gone to a chiropractor since. I'm still annoyed at my friends that are PTs that didn't suggest one earlier. Lol

First of all, glad you’re able to break down defenses driving to the hoop again, Monster. . It’s amazing how much we all continue to learn about treating structural joint and soft tissue issues. So much of it is finding the right experts and some of it is trial and error. Your story is an interesting example of all that. You should give Melo a call. . Seriously, it looks like Ball has his ankle issues under control essentially following the same protocol that worked for Steph Curry. I’d be curious to know whether Melo is using the one-foot balance exercise that you’ve been using. Interested that Rudy appears to be using it along with yoga. You mentioned that Rudy takes great care of his body and could be a good influence on Melo. I agree. I’ve often wondered why TC loves Rudy so much. Is it just Rudy’s defensive prowess? Maybe, but I think it also has a lot to do with Rudy’s professionalism - his positive habits and overall serious, professional approach to the game including taking care of his body. I suspect Rudy’s presence has influenced Ant and it could certainly have a positive impact on LaMelo.

[FNG]

We can't totally dismiss the criticism of the trade we are hearing from so many experts, because LaMelo is an "interesting" character. But my optimism rises by the day for three main reasons.

Health: Lip has done some terrific work comparing Ball's ankle history to Steph's. I take some hope that his ankle struggles are behind him both because of the Curry situation and the fact that he played 72 games last season. I hope we are right about this.

Attitude: Ball has always had the "not serious" label attached to him, and to some extent I think it's fair. But I began watching a lot of Hornet games last season when they went on their run, and Ball looked serious, focused and competitive. There is a narrative out there that he gets nonchalant and/or self-focused when playing with a team he knows is going nowhere...and that has been his situation much of his career. But when he was finally presented with a roster that could compete, his attitude changed. He has to be excited to play with this Wolves roster, and I think we will see the "good LaMelo".

Defense: I also saw a player later last season that didn't look like his defensive reputation. I discounted Wiseman early in the 2020 draft, but while I was on Edwards almost from the start, I also found Ball intriguing after watching his highlights. But when I began watching full games, I was shocked at how little he cared about defense...no effort whatsoever. But I saw a different guy last May. He uses his length well to get steals and deflections, and while far from perfect on ball, I think he can be serviceable. We are all fairly certain what we are going to get on offense from him, but we may be pleasantly surprised on defense.

Lots of reasons for optimism here...

[Wolvesfan21]

Nearly all Melo’s missed games were related to his ankle issues except for a broken wrist that impacted him one season. The broken wrist strikes me as a one-off. That means his availability or durability issues really relate solely to his ankles. Here’s what I found out about Melo’s ankle issues in relation to Curry’s:

There are striking similarities between Stephen Curry’s early-career ankle problems and LaMelo Ball’s struggles leading up to the 2025–26 season. Both dynamic, franchise-altering point guards faced immense skepticism early in their careers due to chronic lower-extremity fragility.

The historical parallels between the two guards fall into three distinct categories:

1. The Timeline of Recurring Sprains & Surgery

* The Sprain Cycle: Like Curry, who repeatedly rolled his right ankle between 2010 and 2012, Ball suffered a barrage of severe left and right ankle sprains that completely derailed consecutive seasons.

* Surgical Intervention: Curry required reconstructive surgery to clean out bone debris and loose ligaments before his breakout years. Ball followed an almost identical path, undergoing surgery for a fractured right ankle in March 2023, followed by an arthroscopic procedure on a right ankle impingement in March 2025 to clear out pain-inducing joint restrictions. [1, 2]

2. High-Stakes Financial Commitments

* Max Contract Risks: Both front offices chose to invest maximum dollars despite the medical red flags. In 2012, Golden State faced heavy criticism for giving Curry a four-year, $44 million extension while his ankles were unstable. Similarly, Charlotte handed Ball a five-year, $260 million maximum extension despite him being limited to just 58 total games over a two-year stretch.

3. The Shared Blueprint for Recovery

* Equipping Braces: For years, Ball preferred playing in low-top shoes without protection. Mirroring Curry’s forced transition to rigid, visible high-top ankle braces, Ball finally surrendered to an equipment change before his healthy 2025–26 campaign, wearing protective braces under head coach Charles Lee.

* Rebuilding Mechanics: Much like Curry working with specialist Keke Lyles to shift his kinetic burden away from his ankles and into his core and hips, Ball spent the offseason building total-body strength. Shifting the mechanical force away from his thin lower legs allowed him to survive a career-saving 72-game season.

Curry himself publicly recognized the mirror image of their struggles, explicitly noting that he went through the exact same three-year hurdle early in his career and advising Ball on how to turn the corner.

Nice info! I did hear about the braces, but not in as much detail. It sounds like there is a decent chance he can play healthy like Curry with all the new equipment to protect the ankles, less minutes, shift in technique plus focus on strength and recovery.