LaMelo Ball will be in street clothes when the Charlotte Hornets visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. The former Rookie of the Year winner has not suited up for his team since late January this year against the Houston Rockets. Ball will be on the sidelines for the 28th straight game for the lowly Eastern Conference team.Charlotte decided on a full rebuild when they traded Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat and Gordon Hayward to the OKC Thunder. With Ball unable to shake off his nagging right ankle issues, the Hornets grabbed what they could for the two veterans. Steve Clifford has embraced the journey of building from scratch without the electric point guard this season.What happened to LaMelo Ball?Right ankle tendinitis has been Ball’s persistent problem since last season. He has played 58 games combined over the past two seasons due to the said ailment. Following a 138-104 loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26, the Charlotte Hornets ruled him out because of a sore right ankle.Halfway through his recovery, the Buzz City team upgraded Ball’s injury from soreness to tendinitis. He was rumored to be ready for a March return but he never even ramped up his conditioning for a comeback. The Hornets were very vague when asked for a possible return date so he is likely done for the season.Will LaMelo Ball push for a return this season?With the Charlotte Hornets having no chance of grabbing even a play-in tournament, LaMelo Ball’s season is likely over. He may have been pushing for a return but with nothing to play for, the team likely decided to shut him down.It looks like Clifford and his coaching staff are already starting their preparation for next season with Ball and Brandon Miller as the franchise cornerstones. What they do in the offseason is anybody’s guess but the Hornets do have an interesting core to start the rebuild.How to watch Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers?Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports SE-CHA will cover the game locally. Basketball fans outside the said networks’ coverage can stream the action by subscribing to the NBA League Pass. Tipoff is at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Cavaliers.