November 30th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Miami Heat - 11-11

[Silver Nail]

AD is like my grand-kids, the way my children were, and in all likelihood the way I and most here were many moons ago. He just doesn't want to be a 5, period. Because he has to, he sulks, steps aside, defers to others, etc. After a while he shows his all world potential exactly as he did last night and several times this year in both wins and losses. Usually its too late to matter. This is a easy fix, play all three bigs at start making for a different mindset. Pull one at 4 mins in, next rotate others every 4 mins. Give Okafor and Diallo 4 to 8 mins each. This front-court rotation doesn't give AD a chance to wait 12 mins to start his effort. Gentry needs to play these lesser guys now, can't wait till he runs the tires off the main players and causes injury due to not enough rest. AD was great last yr. because he thought it was temporary him at 5 since Cousins would be back. Then he expected Randall to be primary 5 only to learn JR lost a bunch of weight and would only be sharing the position. Davis wants to be best, let him show it, take his mins down from 37.5 per to just 32 and see what happens.

[N.O.Bronco]

I do want to say as a bit of a pushback to the notion the team isn't playing hard, at least applying it across the board. I think one person has been playing crazily inspired basketball, and that has been Jrue.

And we should take a moment to acknowledge just what has been asked of him this season. As AD/Jrue jokingly put it, we are essentially asking him to:

- Play lockdown defense on the other teams best back court player/small forward
- Get back on offense in one of the fastest pace teams in the league and be a reliable second scorer.
- Run the entire offense in Payton's absence..
- Play tough on the glass on either side of the court.
- Do it all while carrying the third highest minute load in the league(AD is first)

And guess what? He has pretty much exceeded any realistic expectation. A career high 20ppg, a career high and second in the league in assists at 9pg, a career high in boards at 4.6, and showing yet another level of defensive tenacity in shutting down or severely limiting some of the best in the league night in and night out.

[N.O.Bronco]

AD is like my grand-kids, the way my children were, and in all likelihood the way I and most here were many moons ago. He just doesn't want to be a 5, period. Because he has to, he sulks, steps aside, defers to others, etc. After a while he shows his all world potential exactly as he did last night and several times this year in both wins and losses. Usually its too late to matter. This is a easy fix, play all three bigs at start making for a different mindset. Pull one at 4 mins in, next rotate others every 4 mins. Give Okafor and Diallo 4 to 8 mins each. This front-court rotation doesn't give AD a chance to wait 12 mins to start his effort. Gentry needs to play these lesser guys now, can't wait till he runs the tires off the main players and causes injury due to not enough rest. AD was great last yr. because he thought it was temporary him at 5 since Cousins would be back. Then he expected Randall to be primary 5 only to learn JR lost a bunch of weight and would only be sharing the position. Davis wants to be best, let him show it, take his mins down from 37.5 per to just 32 and see what happens.

While I think he has embraced the 5 more than maybe you are giving him credit, I do like the idea of rolling the dice and starting the three bigs.

If we were a few games over .500 I might hesitate, because one fo the big downsides is getting into early foul trouble, but I think you have to keep shuffling things instead of teetering back and forth between the same two strategies(Frazier or Jrue at point) with some deck chairs moved around(I'm speaking of the role players like Wesley, Solo, Clark, Jackson, Diallo etc.).

If not start it, at least start rolling it out more often. In it's limited run it has been staggeringly successful.

[Silver Nail]

While I think he has embraced the 5 more than maybe you are giving him credit, I do like the idea of rolling the dice and starting the three bigs.

If we were a few games over .500 I might hesitate, because one fo the big downsides is getting into early foul trouble, but I think you have to keep shuffling things instead of teetering back and forth between the same two strategies(Frazier or Jrue at point) with some deck chairs moved around(I'm speaking of the role players like Wesley, Solo, Clark, Jackson, Diallo etc.).

If not start it, at least start rolling it out more often. In it's limited run it has been staggeringly successful.

Solo is a no play for me, AD can guard whomever Solo is against. My team has Okafor or Diallo gettingb ALL Solo mins. We are forced to use Clark, Jackson when healthy should get all his time, so there's that, but NO SOLO EVER

[N.O.Bronco]

Solo is a no play for me, AD can guard whomever Solo is against. My team has Okafor or Diallo gettingb ALL Solo mins. We are forced to use Clark, Jackson when healthy should get all his time, so there's that, but NO SOLO EVER

I'm not saying I'm in favor to be clear, it's just clear that musical chair game has been our go-to adjustment this season.

For all the talk of Gentry's offensive mind, he seems to get very stuck in decision-making patterns and predictable adjustments. He makes a ton, often to a fault, but they all seem to follow the same underlying patterns that get a bit calcified in his decision-making and leaves what should be a high-powered offense feeling stagnant.

You have this really interesting, and by all accounts successful lineup tool and it seems like we are only willing to let it get some burn when all other options are exploited, when it seems to me that at a minimum the Jrue/Niko/AD/Randle combo should be a regular feature. At least to see how it goes. Maybe it isn't the next GS lineup of death, but it's hard to know when you don't feed it's early success.

[Silver Nail]

I'm not saying I'm in favor to be clear, it's just clear that musical chair game has been our go-to adjustment this season.

For all the talk of Gentry's offensive mind, he seems to get very stuck in decision-making patterns and predictable adjustments. He makes a ton, often to a fault, but they all seem to follow the same underlying patterns that get a bit calcified in his decision-making and leaves what should be a high-powered offense feeling stagnant.

You have this really interesting, and by all accounts successful lineup tool and it seems like we are only willing to let it get some burn when all other options are exploited, when it seems to me that at a minimum the Jrue/Niko/AD/Randle combo should be a regular feature. At least to see how it goes. Maybe it isn't the next GS lineup of death, but it's hard to know when you don't feed it's early success.

Exactly

[Mythrol]

Why are we all so keen on keeping Jrue?

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To add to everything that others have said, Jrue is also a cost controlled contract that he still has 3 more guaranteed years left after this season.

So you get a lock down top 5 defender and a 20/9/5 guy who is locked into a deal that you control for 4 years.

[LouisianaJoseph]

I'm not saying I want to trade Jrue, but how would yall feel about using him in a big trade? Not sure who, just throwing it out there.

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[Silver Nail]

I wonder, would the bulls take Solo, Wes and a 2nd for Holiday and Lopez. We could hav a few mins of Jrue, AD, NICO, JR and Robin.

[Silver Nail]

I'm not saying I want to trade Jrue, but how would yall feel about using him in a big trade? Not sure who, just throwing it out there.

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I rather trade Davis, and I sure don't want to do that. so NO!!!!!!!

[Silver Nail]

I'm not saying I want to trade Jrue, but how would yall feel about using him in a big trade? Not sure who, just throwing it out there.

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You are aware that we could have had Butler if we would have given up Jrue?

[Mythrol]

I'm not saying I want to trade Jrue, but how would yall feel about using him in a big trade? Not sure who, just throwing it out there.

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It would have to be a huge player and it can't be for a player on a 1 year deal. Jrue is simply far too valuable to risk it for a rental.

[LouisianaJoseph]

You are aware that we could have had Butler if we would have given up Jrue?

Yes I'm aware, which is what kind of got me thinking about this.

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[new city champ]

Again, making it clear: I'm not calling for any big trades, I don't think we need to trade Jrue or AD, I'm not panicking. It's December first. But the change has to come soon: my cutoff date is January 7th. I pick that date because it's in January, and it's basically one full week in so Payton should be a handful of games back. If we aren't back at an above .500 pace by then, I think it's fair to start having serious, serious concerns.

I think this is fair. We’ve seen frustrating stretches like this before where we are losing to bad teams on the road and look lackluster. And we’ve managed to play our way out of those funks before and start winning. Maybe that history will repeat itself. It’s hard to see how exactly right now, but then it always is when you’re in a slump. Still, it’s disappointing. I, for one, was hoping this team had matured, that it would establish its identity early on and build on last years playoff run to claim a spot as one of the teams to beat in the West. That first week it looked like we would do just that. But that start seems a long time ago now and that early promise replaced by a familiar feeling from years past that something is missing at the heart of this team.

[N.O.Bronco]

I'm not saying I want to trade Jrue, but how would yall feel about using him in a big trade? Not sure who, just throwing it out there.

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Like I said, I'm willing to open my mind to most possibilities right now.

I don't personally think it will happen because Demps seems to value him as untouchable.

I think realistically if you were to pursue that at this moment you would be talking about someone like Bradley Beal at the center of that, as the Wizards seem like the only major sellers right now. Maybe with multiple teams that can help move around some misfit parts down the roster and replace them with better fits. Not sure that does a whole lot though. I'd be curious who people even realistically think we can get with Jrue in a trade?




....Something in that ballpark that is in the back of my mind and worrying me is that we are exactly the sort of team that is positioned to fold first and take the risk on Wall and his massive 40 million a year salary starting next year. You could probably take him off the hands of the Wizards pretty easily at this point, even get rid of Solo's contract in the process, though likely have to swap Niko for Morris, and Demps has to slowly be getting into desperation mode as the clock on him and the AD era is at the 10th hour. It would be the ultimate hail mary move and I would not be surprised if Demps throws it if the seller market doesn't open up notably in the next month.

[6warddude]

imo getting payton back is the main key to having everyone play the role they need to succeed.... jrue is better for this team over butler now and in the future imo...we just need to fix the PG spot for a gentry run team...if gentry is the coach,,we need a general at PG plain and simple...

[N.O.Bronco]

imo getting payton back is the main key to having everyone play the role they need to succeed.... jrue is better for this team over butler now and in the future imo...we just need to fix the PG spot for a gentry run team...if gentry is the coach,,we need a general at PG plain and simple...

For this season, with this roster, I agree. Payton was a key glue piece and the team has not played the same since.

I don't know if Jrue is necessarily better for this team than Butler, but it certainly wasn't worth the risk of losing Jrue to acquire him when he can walk this summer and has made noise through the grapevines of wanting to go to a major market.

[new city champ]

If Dell really attempts a Hail Mary type deal, like taking on John Wall and his ludicrous contract, management has to step in and put their foot down. It just seems for most of Demps’ tenure as GM he’s been in reactive scramble mode, making decisions more on the basis of avoiding getting fired than on constructing the right squad around AD.