Pelicans to sign Alexis Anjica?

[HornetGuru]

This guy has looked really good, thru 3 games in 17 minutes of play he is averaging 5.7 points and 7.7 rebounds with .7 blocks, i hate to ebat a dead horse but per 36 thats 13 points 16 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. But since he is a backup I dont put much stock into their per 36 as I do starters, regardless this guy has been a pleasant surprise and has been absolutely great defensively and rebounding, not to mention shooting 66% from the field. When this guy gets some chemistry with the team he should be the starting center

Let the per 36 comments begin

[SnowofSX2]

He's been very impressive! He could definitely be a good rotation guy

[HornetGuru]

agreed

[Mythrol]

It's still only 3 games but I am cautiously optimistic. It's not like he was going against scrub nobodies for 2 of those games either. Lopez isn't an all-star but he's a top 15 or so center and Cousins is well, Cousins. I'd have liked to see him against Denver if they had Faried as well but we will definitely see tonight how he fairs against Howard.

Even if he gets exposed and worked, he's making 1/20th the amount of Howard. If he gets the same stat line as last night I will be thoroughly impressed.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Looking like he can be a great 4th big, and that's all we need to be honest. Somebody who can give us solid stretches and allow Smith to get back to around 20 mins per game. If he plays like this the rest of the year, you can focus on SF and SF only in free agency. IMO

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

I guess with Ajinca taking number 42....we wont be seeing Thomas again.

[MichaelMcNamara]

I guess with Ajinca taking number 42....we wont be seeing Thomas again.

Thomas just signed with Chinese league

[Ivan Balakhonov]

Alexis looks to be a very smart player. He knows his limits and never tries going beyond them. Despite he played in only three games, he already is very comfortable within the system, and I really enjoy his passing game so far. Demps landed here a very good backup big.

[da_freshness]

Loving a center rotation of frenchie, Davis, withey, and smith. I don't believe that withey is that bad, considering metrics and what we have seen in sample size.

[Kumar]

One thing that I love about Ajinca is that he is very positive and responsive with the fans. He loves being here and even replied to my tweet. Its nice having such a positive person on the team. Having him during training camp will do wonders for his production on this team. Right now he is doing all he can without fully understanding the offensive sets we run. It will be so much better when he has all that practice under his belt. Great back up big.

[Mythrol]

That's something people need to remember too. Dude is still used to Euroball. No only that but in his pregame interview he said he's still not used to the time change yet. I can't imagine what his past week has been like. Playing in an entirely different league with different rules. Getting a call and jumping on a plane, flying out to the west coast which is 9 hours behind France. Playing two games, flying 2 hours forward, playing another game, flying to Houston and playing another game. That's an insane schedule for our team much less someone coming from overseas.

Much respect for what he's done so far.

[GuardianAngel25]

This guy reminds me a lot of Hibbert. Not saying he is as good but I believe he has the same potential to protect the paint with his length. He has slow feet like Hibbert but as long as he keeps practicing technique his length and size will balance that out. Hope we can put about 10-20 more lbs on this guy and he will be a beast.

[Austin Rivers]

What do you think guys, have we found our starting C in the long term or is he a first big off the bench at best?

[superstar7th]

I think he can be a starter if they stick with him. but I still believe the finishing 5 will be ad jrue evans gordan and ryno

[MichaelMcNamara]

Best case scenario is that he is a top level 4th big, and that would be amazing for his contract.


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[nolaslim213]

Best case scenario is that he is a top level 4th big, and that would be amazing for his contract.


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You need to think bigger Mike. Best case scenario is that he is a solid starter we can pair with Davis, so we can bring Ryno off the bench. If he could give us 15-20 minutes in that role, that's amazing value.

Invest some time into him over the next 2 years. Get him in the weight room, put on 10-15 lbs. He'll be everything we need in a center.

[MichaelMcNamara]

No chance. The foot speed is so poor that it would be impossible for him to be a starter. You would be at a huge disadvantage putting him against 1st unit guys for 10-15 minutes.

I don't want people to set this guy up for failure by over projecting his ceiling. We should be thrilled if he can be that 4th big we need. From what I have seen, I think he can be, but I still need to see him produce over time to be sure


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[Coughka]

No chance. The foot speed is so poor that it would be impossible for him to be a starter. You would be at a huge disadvantage putting him against 1st unit guys for 10-15 minutes.

I don't want people to set this guy up for failure by over projecting his ceiling. We should be thrilled if he can be that 4th big we need. From what I have seen, I think he can be, but I still need to see him produce over time to be sure


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Howard certainly exposed Ajinca's poor foot speed (watching him blow past Ajinca on the baseline last night broke my heart for poor Frenchie), but I don't see why Ajinca couldn't get occasional run as a starter against more traditional and slower-footed bigs. It's not as though Jason Smith, our former "starter" at the 5, was fleet of foot.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Smith moves much better than Ajinca. Much better.

You could start Ajinca. Heck, you could start anybody you want. But he will get destroyed. Why not give him his best chance to succeed? He will always be at a disadvantage against starters, but he could win some matchups against backups.

When I think of spot starting centers that don't finish games, I think of guys like Kosta Koufos, and Ajinca can't get to that level. But that's okay. Again, we should be thrilled of we get a solid 4th big for less than a mil per year


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[Coughka]

Smith moves much better than Ajinca. Much better.

You could start Ajinca. Heck, you could start anybody you want. But he will get destroyed. Why not give him his best chance to succeed? He will always be at a disadvantage against starters, but he could win some matchups against backups.

When I think of spot starting centers that don't finish games, I think of guys like Kosta Koufos, and Ajinca can't get to that level. But that's okay. Again, we should be thrilled of we get a solid 4th big for less than a mil per year


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It depends on the matchup. I frankly prefer Ajinca spot starting against Indy than I do Smith, for example. Ajinca and Smith are both getting bullied by Hibbert, but at least Ajinca can bother him a bit with his absurd length. Plus he's demonstrated that he's a more dynamic rebounder than Smith (in an incredibly small sample size admittedly).

We both agree that for his price, the current Ajinca projected over the life of his contract is a steal, even if he doesn't start for a second.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Smith has 20+ pounds on Ajinca. I would prefer Smith on a low post guy like Hibbert.

Where I love Ajinca is against teams with guards who aren't elite shooters. We never have Ajinca hedge on the pick and roll. He plays back like Lopez used to and dares the guard to shoot. His length protects the lane against the roll man.

For instance, I loved him against Denver, because I want Lawson to shoot from deep. I will love him against Minny in a few days for the same reason


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[Coughka]

Smith has 20+ pounds on Ajinca. I would prefer Smith on a low post guy like Hibbert.

Where I love Ajinca is against teams with guards who aren't elite shooters. We never have Ajinca hedge on the pick and roll. He plays back like Lopez used to and dares the guard to shoot. His length protects the lane against the roll man.

For instance, I loved him against Denver, because I want Lawson to shoot from deep. I will love him against Minny in a few days for the same reason


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I actually wouldn't be all that worried about Hibbert bullying Smith or Ajinca in the low post; he doesn't operate down there very often. I mean bullying in the sense of rebounding. At least with Ajinca you're more likely to snag those boards at their peak, rather than Jason Smith and his Blake Griffin arms.

I have noticed that Ajinca never hedges, and it's definitely for the best when you factor both his lack of lateral quickness and his wingspan in the paint. I frankly wish Jason Smith would never hedge either, or at least not hedge so far out. I realize it's with an eye towards establishing a defensive system through repetition, but Smith hedging so far out has always bothered me to no end. With Ajinca starting, Monty wouldn't be tempted to even attempt it!

[UNO Gracias]

Did this guy just shoot his load in the 1st game, I mean he hasn't done much of anything since than first game when he was playing amazing for a person in his position.

[504ByrdGang]

Did this guy just shoot his load in the 1st game, I mean he hasn't done much of anything since than first game when he was playing amazing for a person in his position.

Monty hasn't been playing him last couple games barely cracked 5 min

[MichaelMcNamara]

He got a chance in both games and was terrible. He was stuck in mud against a quick Houston team.

Again, we need realistic expectations and ceilings for this guy. The ceiling is, and has always been, a solid 4th big. If he can give that, we should be thrilled. People who were talking 'starter' are just setting him up to be a disappointment. If he gives us 500 solid minutes this year, we should be thrilled.