That would calm a few nerves in our house for sure and fill a few more seats.Originally Posted by Pelicanidae
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That would calm a few nerves in our house for sure and fill a few more seats.
I love this team and its potential, also there is one player that everybody seems to sleeping on Ian Clark, i looking for a big year from him
Bluiett is like the My Player template story line in 2k18. Our future is bright and our youth potential is looking hungry. we are better in many ways today than we finished the playoffs. Say a few rosaries for the health of our core because I think if we start close to how we ended the season the league will be more shocked than any of us here.
Depends on the schedule of course, if we play GS twice, Houston twice, LA, OKC, and Utah in those first 14 games then I'd take just being above .500.
On the other hand, if we play Brooklyn, Miami, Spurs, Denver, Clippers, Knicks, Suns, etc etc with only one big name team, I'd expect more like 12-2.
Basketball.
I think Jrue is more than ready to give us that leadership we may be losing with Rondo. He was already a pretty vocal guy and probably learned a good bit from Rondo. With the somewhat reckless way Rondo has played for most of his career, I can see him breaking down soon. Replacing him with the 3rd best playmaking point guard free agent was a good move IMO. I would only put CP3 & Rondo ahead of him. I would put him down as 3rd best scoring point guard as well behind CP3 & Thomas. I think he fits this team better than Rondo did. He can push the tempo and hasn’t had the luxury to play with the players CP3 & Rondo have had in their careers. He is really good at getting buckets driving to the basket. He will probably have the best group of shooters he has ever had in Jrue, Nico, Moore, Miller, & AD. I like his defensive potential as well. He should work his tail off since he fell into a great opportunity with a playoff team that just happens to be in his hometown. Having a guard who has played most of his pro career at point guard will do wonders for him as well IMO. He really hasn’t had a mentor the likes of Jrue who has made an all star team at his position. I’m way more excited about his potential than I was last year with the Rondo signing.
Adding Julius Randle as soon as the Lakers rescinded his offer was a great move. It looks like we didn’t give any other team a shot at talking to him. AD probably hit him up when the Boogie to LA rumors were floating around. He was easily a top 10 player on the market. He played a lot of center for the Lakers and from what I read he was damn good too. He was really good in the pick and roll, so now we have 3 guys that will be deadly in the roll or pop. If he repeats the trend of getting better every year and fits in nice with AD, I could see him here long term. You already know they are both tight coming from the Kentucky family. He pretty much was AD’s replacement there. Now if we could only add another hometown guy in Greg Monroe for the minimum, we could possibly have the best 4 man combo of bigs in the league. That way we could possibly keep our 1st rounder and use Diallo to get rid of Hill & Ajinca to bring in a decent 3 or get a better expiring contract to get one later when teams are officially out of it. Then use our 1st, that better expiring, & maybe Moore to get us a better 3. We would probably be better off going that route to get a small forward cause now just about every team thinks they got a chance. I’m hoping Dallas is out of it come mid season and we could somehow get my man Harrison Barnes. If fully healthy that team could make some noise in the playoffs.
Just for hits and giggles:
C: AD, Monroe
PF: Randle, Nico
SF: Barnes, Miller
SG: Jrue, Jackson(hopefully we can keep Moore, add a decent 2, FJax fills in nicely, or Blueitt is the man lol)
PG: Payton, Clark
I was just thinking of how great a move Dell made to get Jrue Holiday!! We caught Philly right when they were beginning to go in full tank mode for years that is finally starting to pay off. Just imagine if they would of hit on Noel & Okafor, but then they may have not gotten great players like Embiid, Simmons, Saric, and possibly Fultz. At first it didn’t look so great with Jrue’s injuries, but now it looks genius lol.
I only wish we would of kept Aminu now that he can actually be a 3 & D small forward.
Last edited by DaPelFromHell; 07-16-2018 at 12:39 AM.
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There are some people that just flat out like the moves we made.
I was never in the full max boat for that Warriors Center. I was also in the “don’t insult the guy boat.” I thought a 2+1 or 1+1 was the best deal for that Warriors Center AND our organization. To hear that they offered him 2/40 and then still offered him more money than anyone else again after signing Randle let’s me know they are thinking in a fashion that I find agreeable for our current and future circumstances.
There were times during the season that I would’ve been fine if Rondo never got off the beach. In fact, there were significant times last season when Rondo was buried on the bench in the 4th. There was a reason for that. Rondo showed up and showed out in the playoffs not gonna lie. But I wasn’t fully convinced that Playoff Rondo has the stamina or attention span to bring that level of play for 82 games and in the West that could be the difference between being a 4 seed or being at home. I thought the REAL take away from the playoffs was that Jrue needs to be off the ball primarily. We’ve kept him there and we’ve upgraded defensively, IMO. I also think that Payton provides a level of internal upside which is critical for a team like us.
Our team went 25-13 down the stretch and traded Rondo for Payton and Randle. I also think Solomon Hill will be very effective until his likely departure. This moves helps that team over the course of the season. He will be a net loss in the playoffs, but I’m not convinced re-signing Rondo GETS us there in the first place.
I do readily admit that our biggest weakness will be veteran depth at PG. But Rondos not taking a backseat to a youngin’. Quality size depth up front and lack of offensive playmaking on the wing will also pose significant problems.
Furthermore, Ajinca, Liggins, Miller, the QPon trade exception, Diallo, Hill, Cash considerations and our 2019 1st and 2nds will not be attractive in July, hopefully they’ll start looking good once the beer goggles of a long season kick in.
I don’t have a problem with people who don’t see the optimism I see. In the West, only the Warriors and the Rockets should feel truly confident about playoff spot.
Minny: Bench issues, Wiggins development, Butlers impending free agency.
Spurs: the Kawhi question
Jazz: A lock unless, Gobert goes down. Ditto for Lakers and LeBron.
OKC: Roberson’s return, questionable depth
Denver: Defense?
Portland: Nurkic, wing scoring, a defense that relies on teams missing mid range shots.
Dallas: I don’t see a 21 game improvement this year unless Doncic is the clear cut ROY, Dennis Smith has Jrue-like unleashing off the ball and Jordan has a DPOY caliber year. All possible, not likely
What I think happens out West:
Top 4 in some order
Warriors
Jazz
Rockets
Lakers
Bottom 4 in some order
Nuggets
Pelicans
Thunder
Wolves
Others receiving votes:
Memphis
Portland
San Antonio
Dallas
When I factor in the the roster, all the questions, the upside, the realized potential, the competitive environment of the West and future financial flexibility after moving Hill I’m optimistic about the future. Ultimately, I believe the Pelicans will sign a high level impact free agent, a mid level FA and one of Mirotic/Randle. AD will re-sign for the super max and thus the Golden Age of New Orleans Basketball will commence. I believe a strong campaign of 45+ plus wins, a playoff spot, and competitive first round series will set up the moves I just mentioned in the summer of 2019.
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Last edited by DefensiveMind; 07-16-2018 at 12:24 AM.
Memphis is scary because they are going to get a healthy Mike Conley and a potential rookie of the year that slots in nicely next to Gasol in Jaren Jackson Jr. It very well may become the second best front court in the league next season.
And you can't count out Portland or San Antonio. San Antonio won 47 games mostly without Kawhi. If they trade him they will get some meaningful pieces(Ingram and Kuzma from the Lakers or Derozan and some pieces from the Raptors) and that likely makes them a better team than the one they trotted out last season.
It is very much true that 50 wins may not get you in this year. And a team that likely would be top 4 in the East might not even make the playoffs.
Last edited by N.O.Bronco; 07-16-2018 at 12:36 AM.
I’m not scared of Memphis at all. Conley is too small to be playing the minutes/games they will need him to play at 30 years old. His body just can’t take it IMO, but I could be wrong. Diddo on Gasol, but some what opposite in that he’s a big man that has taken a beating through the years at 33 years of age. He’s due to miss 20-30 games like he seems to do every few years and they can’t afford that to happen. I think they would love to move one or both of them if they could. Now they have a bunch of young guys, but that usually doesn’t lead to much success. Losing Reke was HUGE for them cause he gave them another good vet. Parsons looks done. Green is a good player with some experience, but Jackson, Anderson, Harrison, Brooks, Martin, McLemore, Davis, and Selden are all still pretty young. They look to have a bright future if a couple of those young guys break out to be stars to quasi-stars, but don’t think they will this year. But could be all wrong lol. Now if they trade Conley or Gasol for something decent or both stay healthy, it may be a different story.
Portland yes, but if you shut down them 2 guards like we did they in serious trouble.
The Spurs are huge question mark until something happens with Kawhi.
Good post DefensiveMind.. I’ll say it again Rondo is the most over rated “presence” I have maybe ever seen. Ignore the name and look at the facts.. A 31 year old PG who averages 8 ppg and 8 apg shooting 33% from 3pt and 53% from FT while playing arguably the worst defense at the position in the NBA.. oh but he was a good “leader” and not team killer for 1 year of his career and has good bball IQ.. LoL yea give me that player!! Playoff Rondo was no doubt very good but that’s not who you get for 82 games and I would bet $ he doesn’t do it again.. his points and assists will probably be half what he had here but we will see.. Payton was no question an upgrade and at worse on par at just 24 years old.
I'm not too worried about San Antonio unless Kawhi stays and plays or they trade him for another top 10 player.
Duncan is retired. Parker is a Horner. Ginobili might be retiring. Some of their staff are gone. Pop hasnt been nearly as sharp the last few years in his coaching (though he's still upper tier, he's just in his proverbial prime) and has still looked number one due to Ginobili continuing to somehow pull things out of nothing and Kawhi being a DPOY MVP perennial. If Ginobili retires and they trade Kawhi for just a decent package, maybe Kuzma and a pick for example, then they're crashing out.
Contributor
Sorry but this is just laughable. What you forgot to mention in your stat shaming of Rondo was that he also shot 47% from the field as a guard and all that you mentioned was with playing in essentially half a game. The way that he broke down defenses and was that player/coach cannot be underestimated and if you are then you're fooling yourself. His work ethic was probably one of if not the best on the team last year.
I'm very happy we signed Payton and hopefully he plays well here and stays beyond just 1 season. But to said Rondo's presences is the most over rated you have ever seen......c'mon
I hope Payton becomes a solid player in the Pels lineup. However, I think you terribly underestimate what Rondo meant to this team, especially in the playoffs. He got his nickname "Playoff Rondo" because he has consistently shined in the playoffs, so it was not an aberration. Payton has many of the same limitations as Rondo in that he is a poor 3 point shooter (worse than Rondo for his career), FT shooter (about the same as Rondo) and limited defensively. They both have pretty good assist to t/o ratios. Statistically, Payton and Rondo are similar. I think Payton has the ability to be better on defense than he has shown in his career. Whether he has a similar BB IQ in the fast paced offense is the question. If he does, we should be fine.
Contributor
The team needed “Playoff Rondo” for the better part of an 82 game season. There’s a legitimate question as to whether he could give you that. Add to that the opportunity cost of Randle and you have a team that made the right decision.
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I’m excited for this team’s future, and even more excited for Frank Jackson to get some games under his belt.
RIP FlyGirl
I'm wildly optimistic about our team's future! I think Dell made wise decisions by sticking to his core tenants of building around "young veterans". Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle became scapegoats for two organizations that were led by poor management resulting in becoming bottom feeders the past 4-5 years. Now, they're playing for an up-and-coming club coming off its best season in 3 years with winning experience in the playoffs to go along with Anthony Davis. Of course, there's always room for improvement, but the direction they're heading into is very bright.
If Solomon can show up fully healthy and improved, and raise his play to a solid 5th starter role-player level...-- that could really be a big help for the lineup and also for future flexibility in trades.
#NeverForget
Last edited by Rheem654; 07-19-2018 at 12:17 AM.
My view on Solo is that if he can come back and give us the defense he had during the 16-17 season, with some more offensive aggression and bumping his 3pt% up from 35% to 38%, he'd be absolutely fine. Not perfect, not endgame, not incredible, but totally serviceable and I would like it a lot.
I’m sorry but no one was guarding him. Harden was awful on defense. Lazy.
What I like is that Hill can be aggressive on defense. Let’s get elite defense from Hill and 6-8ppg mostly shooting 3s or attaching the basket. If he can make teams respect his 3 point shot it would really open up the lane and create more space.
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Rondo is a patient, crafty, point guard. His vision and confidence is sky high. He is the best leader the team has ever had besides cp3. He was brilliant in the playoffs. But, the Warriors didn’t guard Rondo tight because his shooting percentages weren’t so great. They played a heavy zone defense on the rest of the team and it created so many problems. Rondo couldn’t score. We had dry spells for 7-10 minutes because our offense wasn’t strong enough. The warriors play incredible defense.
I think Payton has potential to matchup better vs warriors. Payton is really able to score and attack. I don’t think he’s even close to Rondo’s bbiq. Also, Payton was expected to be an elite defender and watching his off the ball defense really concerns me. It’s horrible. Steph curry or Klay will destroy him if Erman doesn’t help him drastically improve his defensive instincts and awareness.
I really believe this kid has potential to be a steal for the PELS. He’s never had so many great players around him. If his defense improves significantly and he is coached well I will not miss Rondo one bit. Elfrid is a local and he’s got an interesting temperament. He still feels really young. This season could be that step toward being the pg scouts were expecting him to be.
Elfrid could do this:
16ppg, 8.9 apg, 5 rpg 1.4 spg in 31-34mpg
Randle could realistically do:
22ppg 10.4rpg 3apg 1.2 spg 1.5 bpg in 34-36mph
I hope they click and get a lot of playing time. We moved forward imo.
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Forget Boogie. Think about it. Just evaluate the team we were in the playoffs. We ripped the trailblazers apart. We then got mostly bullied by the warriors.
What is diff about this team compared to the one in the playoffs? Well... we are more experienced now having played together in 9 playoff games last season. We lost Rondo but added Randle and Elfrid....
We got better. Imagine if we had Randle in the playoffs against the warriors..... Elfrid HAS to play better than Rondo. I think he can. Remember Rondo is old and gets tired. Boogie is lazy, has a terrible injury, and gets tired. They are awesome players but we have a system that isn’t going to be ideal for them. I’d love to have kept Rondo but we got bigger plans.
Elfrid and and Randle are really young and play really fast. Rondo won’t be able to catch his breath against us. Gentry is gonna have the pels playing so fast this year it’s going to be insane. Just hope Elfrid can live up to his potential.
Last edited by pelicanchamp; 07-19-2018 at 01:10 AM.
That would be great, but those are very high goals. Would be nice though.
In a 10 man rotation every player can run and gun and hustle back to play defense....
Jrue, AD, Randall, hill, Niko, all can finish at the rim in fast breaks....
The best part for me is that we have no slow or lazy player in that rotation.....
This team will be fast and fun so alot of y'all need to forget about the players we lost and start to embrace this pelican wave that's about to hit......
Should be a fun team to watch that if heathy, has 50+ win potential.
That said, my optimism is held back by the fact that this team is still 1, possibly 2 superstars away from really being a championship threat in todays NBA and that is probably the minimum bar needed to keep AD long-term. And probably the biggest downside of losing Cousins is you lost an entire asset package you once had to make those stepping stone moves.
Yeah I agree with you..
Another part of the puzzle I'm waiting to see if we are going into the season with okafor and the Frenchman as our backup bigs......if we are rolling with those 2 or one of them then maybe AD has soften his stance on playing the 5 against some of the bigger bigs this season.....I guess making teams match up with him on the offensive end.......
I do think that one of the things Mirotic and Randle gives the team that none of the other bigs we have tried to put around Davis sans Cousins have is that they can realistically and have the willingness to play the 5 competently to alleviate Davis's concerns while still having the ability to play with the necessary pace.
Still, in a world where Lebron and Durant are playing the 5 in small ball lineups and there are less than a small handful of classic big men still getting 20+ minutes a night, and AD's matured size and strength, I hope you are right and AD has seen the light about embracing the 5.
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