HOPE...... IS NOT A PLAN

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...EBM9cyPOj_JLLQ


bunk article. why must we blow our wad or tip our proverbial hat

Pretty awful argument. I mean, who would of thunk it right??

But even if we run it back the notion that we are working on hope is quite literally, stupid.

The biggest change already happened. With Gentry.

Demps believes he has a nucleus of guys that can become contenders. Gentry is the guy he believes can implement the system to bring out the true best of these guys.

Criticize Demps because he is a bit off with some of his nucleus(which i do). Criticize him for his methods(which I have) but to say he is just operating on hope is, frankly, ignorant. Fletcher is acting smug thinking he has put out a profound deconstruction of the Pelicans offseason but really he is just proving why no one would mistake him for a GM.....Or for that matter a good journalist.

this is a garbage article and I'm tired of this crap, all people want to do is crap on what we are doing because it isn't how they would have done it. it is as if our fans and even media coverage are waiting for the team to win until they really offer their support, which is total crap. we aren't in the draft like we should be so that we can get all this talent that espn says we are missing out on. No one seems to give a damn about the team, I mean, it isn't like our win total has increased by an average of 8 games a year the past 3 years and are looking at 50 this year despite all these injuries people keep {edited-veiled cursing not allowed} about, it isn't like we still have one of the youngest teams in the league, it isn't like we will have around 30 million in cap space next year or anything. No there is no plan but hope, really?

LoL this is classic Fletch.. Constant drama from this guy. I'm waiting for him to release that one euro player Dell should get out of the thousand players he lists so when it happens he can say told you so.

Im guessing this is the kind of garbage my pels report buds complain about in nola. j smith wrote something about them at the break last year, which was also smug, about how we werent a playoff team.

Gentry was on the other side of us on the playoffs. He probably thought, "wow, if these guys woulda had Holliday and Anderson during the year they ould be hosting a 1st round game"

That, plus all our young bucks got play-off experience. But dont get me wrong, I don't think this is our team that wins a championship.

I think Dell willl look to see if he can get close to it this year, but for the most part it has got to be a two-year plan.


It just amazes me that the guys that cover the Pelicans for Nola don't understand the landscape

I mean........ Matt Bonner?????????????????/ wtf

This opinion piece is written as if hope for this team and franchise doesn't extend past 2015-2016. Simply holding firm right now doesn't mean that's the long term plan. It just makes it the most prudent plan for the short term.

The folks who are downplaying Jrue Holiday's injury issues sound eerily similar to the folks who were late to come around on when discussing Eric Gordon. For a team that has injury issues every year with multiple players going back to CP3 years, it does seem to be asking a lot to bank on bringing everyone back and assuming they're all healthy throughout the year.

Last year, OKC was ruined by injury. And we still barely made the playoffs. Gentry will help with style of play. But everyone in the league has given Monty a lot of credit for doing a hell of a job last year. The style of play will be different for us, but this coaching staff will have to rise to the occasion with high expectations and surpass the job that was done last year while going through murderers row in the Southwest Division and the Western Conference.

This team is awkward, brittle, and lacking quality depth. Saying that doesn't mean I'm crapping on them or that I love the team any less than anyone else on here.

AD is awesome, but we play in the Western Conference. Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, QPon, and Asik are decent role players. Tyreke would be a great 6th man. Jrue, if healthy, is a better than average PG that won't take over a game but will defend at a high level.

This not only isn't a championship team, but it's the kind of team that if the over/under is set at 50 wins, I would confidently bet the under, while hoping as a fan for the over.

We need depth, and we need another stud.

You can't take Victor Espinoza and put him on BoJack Horseman and expect to win a triple crown.

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Originally Posted by DarkHornet

This opinion piece is written as if hope for this team and franchise doesn't extend past 2015-2016. Simply holding firm right now doesn't mean that's the long term plan. It just makes it the most prudent plan for the short term.

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My concern is the lack of assets available to us for us continue to build around AD, and while NOLA is a much more desirable location than Cleveland, this may start to look a lot like Lebron's first run in Cleveland where they were too good to have valuable draft assets, and couldn't make the trades and signings to upgrade their talent above their peers.

The Holiday trade is looking like a bust. The argument is always that the potential of a healthy Jrue is still better than whoever the Pels would have drafted, but it's very hard to recover from missing on two lottery picks after drafting your superstar. It's possible to appreciate Dell taking a big swing by trading those picks for Jrue, and also acknowledge that it may have been a big miss. Imagine if OKC had missed on Westbrook and Hardin, and then traded for an average veteran center instead of Ibaka?

If Jrue isn't healthy and playing at a borderline All-Star level, we have a problem.

Dell can definitely get us out of the problem... we're not doomed, unless Dell doesn't even realize he has a problem.

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Originally Posted by NMThreeMVP

My concern is the lack of assets available to us for us continue to build around AD, and while NOLA is a much more desirable location than Cleveland, this may start to look a lot like Lebron's first run in Cleveland where they were too good to have valuable draft assets, and couldn't make the trades and signings to upgrade their talent above their peers.

The Holiday trade is looking like a bust. The argument is always that the potential of a healthy Jrue is still better than whoever the Pels would have drafted, but it's very hard to recover from missing on two lottery picks after drafting your superstar. It's possible to appreciate Dell taking a big swing by trading those picks for Jrue, and also acknowledge that it may have been a big miss. Imagine if OKC had missed on Westbrook and Hardin, and then traded for an average veteran center instead of Ibaka?

If Jrue isn't healthy and playing at a borderline All-Star level, we have a problem.

Dell can definitely get us out of the problem... we're not doomed, unless Dell doesn't even realize he has a problem.

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Lebron didn't have the cap jumping up nearly 40m dollars over the next two off seasons either. We have a solid core, a good top 10 assuming everyone comes back and we bring in a MLE, and with the huge cap spike we have the ability to add the star player next to AD.

The injures without a doubt suck but does building another way somehow guarantee success? No. The Thunder are considered the best (or one of the best) ever at building through the draft and they still don't have a ring to their name, have already lost one of their stars, and baring a huge turn around might lose their superstar in a year.

I think Dell actually has played one of the smartest games since getting AD. Bringing in young veterans to make the team compete and show AD they are committed to winning. While also being able to have those young vets under contract for when the cap spikes so you still have the ability to bring in your star while keeping your playoff core.

I'm usually a sucker for these articles but this was terrible

Why are some of you taking this guy so seriously? I look forward to Gentry putting this clown (Fletch)and his stupid thoughts and questions in his place much like Sean Payton has done. Find a new friend M.M. Fletch is a troll.

Wait, what does MM have to do with Fletch? He's been putting him on blast on Twitter all day. Lol.

Step away from the ledge Fletch. It seems like if the Pels don't make a move everyday, Fletcher is freaking out

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Originally Posted by Mythrol

Lebron didn't have the cap jumping up nearly 40m dollars over the next two off seasons either. We have a solid core, a good top 10 assuming everyone comes back and we bring in a MLE, and with the huge cap spike we have the ability to add the star player next to AD.

The injures without a doubt suck but does building another way somehow guarantee success? No. The Thunder are considered the best (or one of the best) ever at building through the draft and they still don't have a ring to their name, have already lost one of their stars, and baring a huge turn around might lose their superstar in a year.

I think Dell actually has played one of the smartest games since getting AD. Bringing in young veterans to make the team compete and show AD they are committed to winning. While also being able to have those young vets under contract for when the cap spikes so you still have the ability to bring in your star while keeping your playoff core.

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Cap space is not a competitive advantage if everyone has it.

I'm not saying we need to have a "sky is falling" mentality, but having our head's buried in the sand isn't the way to go either. After AD, it can be argued by fair minded people that Dell has gotten bad value out of 3 lottery picks, and a 4th 1st round pick traded for Asik is very much a decision that can not be rendered yet.

The strategy of getting young vets is a great strategy, but you still have to nail it in order to succeed. Dell hasn't nailed it. The Thunder nailed the draft strategy, and as many point out, they still haven't won a title yet. It's silly for us to think we can have middling results, even with a strategy that might be superior, and still be a serious contender.

Even Phil Jackson needed to take over teams with multiple superstars in order to have the desired impact of elevating them to championships. Expecting Gentry to elevate this bunch, is hopeful.

I think that's all Fletch is getting at.

Just like the 76ers went all in with their strategy to tank until they get a stud, Demps needs to go all in on his. Our future 1st (admittedly devalued now because we're no longer a lottery team) needs to be aggressively shopped for young vets. Guys like Gordon and Anderson need to be aggressively shopped for young vets who need PT and coaching to blossom or play on teams that are contending now and may need vets instead of younger guys.

Could our future 1st and Gordon get us Evan Fournier? Could Anderson get us Stauskas or McLemore? Would Wizards trade us Oubre and Webster for Anderson and a 1st?

IMO, we need to keep flipping our assets (especially ones that are going to expire i.e. Gordon/Anderson) for young vets or rooks that have higher ceilings.

Banking on being able to sign a guy (like Durant, ha!) as a FA is wishful thinking. We need to continue to aggressively attack the market for young vets that can take a leap in a new situation.

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Originally Posted by NMThreeMVP

Just like the 76ers went all in with their strategy to tank until they get a stud, Demps needs to go all in on his. Our future 1st (admittedly devalued now because we're no longer a lottery team) needs to be aggressively shopped for young vets. Guys like Gordon and Anderson need to be aggressively shopped for young vets who need PT and coaching to blossom or play on teams that are contending now and may need vets instead of younger guys.

Could our future 1st and Gordon get us Evan Fournier? Could Anderson get us Stauskas or McLemore? Would Wizards trade us Oubre and Webster for Anderson and a 1st?

IMO, we need to keep flipping our assets (especially ones that are going to expire i.e. Gordon/Anderson) for young vets or rooks that have higher ceilings.

Banking on being able to sign a guy (like Durant, ha!) as a FA is wishful thinking. We need to continue to aggressively attack the market for young vets that can take a leap in a new situation.

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But apart from Tyreke, our assets (Jrue, Anderson, Gordon) all are sitting at low value because of the injuries, flipping them would be selling low on things you traded high for, would that not set us back? It is easy to say we need to flip them but what if we can't get anything worth it in return?

Well here is what the troll thought of Eric Gordon a few years ago

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Originally Posted by jgman

But apart from Tyreke, our assets (Jrue, Anderson, Gordon) all are sitting at low value because of the injuries, flipping them would be selling low on things you traded high for, would that not set us back? It is easy to say we need to flip them but what if we can't get anything worth it in return?

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I concur entirely! AND THAT'S WHAT'S SCARY!

IMO, Dell better hope he can move Gordon and Anderson for the right assets, or this will start to look a lot like Cleveland in 2008-09.

If you have $100 stocks that you paid $125, and you know they're not going to ever return the value you invested, would you cash out and invest in $75 stocks that might double in value?

You have to try and flip these assets for assets that might not be as good as those players are immediately, but could be better in year 2 and beyond.

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Originally Posted by 4Real

Well here is what the troll thought of Eric Gordon a few years ago

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What point are you trying to make here?

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Originally Posted by NMThreeMVP

I concur entirely! AND THAT'S WHAT'S SCARY!

IMO, Dell better hope he can move Gordon and Anderson for the right assets, or this will start to look a lot like Cleveland in 2008-09.

If you have $100 stocks that you paid $125, and you know they're not going to ever return the value you invested, would you cash out and invest in $75 stocks that might double in value?

You have to try and flip these assets for assets that might not be as good as those players are immediately, but could be better in year 2 and beyond.

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Its just that I don't think any players we would get in return would have any real possibility of being better, and taking this route seems more like investing in hope than sticking with what we have.

edit: and specifically with Gordon and Anderson: Gordon comes off the books next year anyway, I don't think his trade value is equal to getting 15mil in cap space. And the potential of a pre-injury Anderson offense is greater value than trading his 8.5mil expiring

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Originally Posted by i am cow lolz

What point are you trying to make here?

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You really going to ask that? OK. Fletch is full of it. Do I need to say more? Lock him up with Jimmy Smith.

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Originally Posted by jgman

Its just that I don't think any players we would get in return would have any real possibility of being better, and taking this route seems more like investing in hope than sticking with what we have.

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What we have is not a championship roster. Continuity and coaching will only take you so far if you don't have the players.

My only point, and I think it was Fletch's (though I can't speak for him), is that Dell needs to keep working this roster. And not on the margins, but at the core.

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Originally Posted by NMThreeMVP

What we have is not a championship roster. Continuity and coaching will only take you so far if you don't have the players.

My only point, and I think it was Fletch's (though I can't speak for him), is that Dell needs to keep working this roster. And not on the margins, but at the core.

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He will keep working with the roster. Standing pat this summer doesn't mean ok we are done this is our team, next year anderson and gordon's contracts are up and the year after that reke and holiday so it will obviously change, it just makes sense to make bigger moves next year.

Hope isn't the plan. The plan is what they have in place, and they are hoping it works. Two different things.

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Originally Posted by jgman

He will keep working with the roster. Standing pat this summer doesn't mean ok we are done this is our team, next year anderson and gordon's contracts are up and the year after that reke and holiday so it will obviously change, it just makes sense to make bigger moves next year.

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If his only asset is cap space, and everyone has increased cap space, that doesn't sound like a great plan next season. That's why I'd love to see him move Anderson and Gordon for assets that he will have on the books going into next season. I truly believe cap space will be devalued in a year. It's simple economics.

So just trade them to get assets that most likely won't make us any better while talking up the cap space we will have to really impact this team. That makes a whole lot of sense. Cap space will all the sudden be devalued for what? That's not simple economics that is a little ridiculous. When has cap space ever been devalued?

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Originally Posted by NMThreeMVP

If his only asset is cap space, and everyone has increased cap space, that doesn't sound like a great plan next season. That's why I'd love to see him move Anderson and Gordon for assets that he will have on the books going into next season. I truly believe cap space will be devalued in a year. It's simple economics.

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I mean yea that makes sense, but again, who do you trade them for that make us better? short or longer term? Their value is low. Yea cap will be devalued next year but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable and that doesn't mean that we won't be able to do anything with it, and not everyone will have the same amount of cap space and not everyone has the same desirability. A lot of players are already planning to wait until the cap goes up to get the most out of their contracts so teams like cleveland won't have any cap space even tho it goes up

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Originally Posted by jgman

I mean yea that makes sense, but again, who do you trade them for that make us better? short or longer term? Their value is low. Yea cap will be devalued next year but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable and that doesn't mean that we won't be able to do anything with it, and not everyone will have the same amount of cap space and not everyone has the same desirability. A lot of players are already planning to wait until the cap goes up to get the most out of their contracts so teams like cleveland won't have any cap space even tho it goes up

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He stated who he would like to get. Gordon and our 1st for Fournier and Oubre or Webster for our 1st and Anderson with Cole starting at PG. Major improvements. Championship!

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Originally Posted by GuardianAngel25

He stated who he would like to get. Gordon and our 1st for Fournier and Oubre or Webster for our 1st and Anderson with Cole starting at PG. Major improvements. Championship!

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yea but neither of those are good trades, you could get much better than Fournier with the space we'd get when gordon expired, and I fail to see how Webster makes us better, he also had back surgery recently and you want to give up a first and anderson for him?

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Originally Posted by jgman

yea but neither of those are good trades, you could get much better than Fournier with the space we'd get when gordon expired, and I fail to see how Webster makes us better, he also had back surgery recently and you want to give up a first and anderson for him?

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LoL that is not what I want at all. I was just letting you know his idea of improving this team from his earlier post. Those would be huge downgrades for this team and get us nowhere but the opposite direction. If we can add a stud guy then I would love to make something happen. If not roll with what we got into next off season to really put this team on the map and be serious contenders. People need to be realistic about this season and what to expect. This should be a year for our guys to get the system down and improve on their games with some more playoff experience. Next season is our year but this season I just want to see improvement and health.

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Originally Posted by GuardianAngel25

LoL that is not what I want at all. I was just letting you know his idea of improving this team from his earlier post. Those would be huge downgrades for this team and get us nowhere but the opposite direction. If we can add a stud guy then I would love to make something happen. If not role with what we got into next off season to really put this team on the map and be serious contenders. People need to be realistic about this season and what to expect. This should be a year for our guys to get the system down and improve on their games with some more playoff experience. Next season is our year but this season I just want to see improvement and health.

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oh yea I know I was just pointing out (not to you) that trades like that won't do anything for us. I agree with you

How bad does lil Fletch look now? Eat crow Fletch!

Reasons why running it back makes sense

1. Having Q-Pon from the get-go is waaay better than Salmons and Rivers
2. Asik cannot play worse
3. Having Ryno and Jrue (albeit injury prone) that means we should at least have one
4. Ajincia carving out more of a roll
5. The continued improvement of Anthony Davis (he's abig and only 22 yearsold-took Jordan half a decade)

screw systems and coaches, although it has merit. AT THE END OF LAST SEASON WE WERE PRETTY MUCH AS GOOD AS ANYONE IN THE LEAGUE

CORRECT? that alone says a lot. We will probably come in third in the west

Fletch, our own chicken little

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