Game 23 Thread - December 5th - Suns @ Pelicans - 4-18

Back in the Blender

🏀: vs Suns
📺: GCSEN/Pelicans+
📻: @WWLAMFM
⏰: 7 PM CT#Pelicans | @SmoothieKing pic.twitter.com/fdDRc69e3F

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 5, 2024

Ingram and Herb practiced fully yesterday so are expected to play although are listed as GTD.

So, at this point its Zion, Jose and Hawkins that are OUT.

Durant and Nurkik are OUT for the Suns. "The Suns are 1-6 this season with Durant out of the lineup, so this is a brutal blow for the team." https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/...in-durant-2811

We should start to see closer games now but the team still needs time to get in sync. Hopefully Murray finds his shot today.

Ingram and Jones are both no longer on the injury report and will play tonight.

Thies is out with neck spasms.

I'm guessing Starters will be Murray, CJ, BI, Herb, and Missi.

Rotowire has Murphy starting over Herb but we're talking about Willie Green here. If anything CJ needs to suck it up and come off the bench. In any case we can finally get the season started 2 months late.

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Originally Posted by P_B_&_G

I'm guessing Starters will be Murray, CJ, BI, Herb, and Missi.

Rotowire has Murphy starting over Herb but we're talking about Willie Green here. If anything CJ needs to suck it up and come off the bench. In any case we can finally get the season started 2 months late.

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You mean 2 months too late. I think the season is over. All Willie can do now is to drag us up to a 12 or 13 draft pick.

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

You mean 2 months too late. I think the season is over. All Willie can do now is to drag us up to a 12 or 13 draft pick.

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The bright side is that Griff has drafted well in the mid to late teens recently. So there's that...

It's been a long off-season. I'm so excited about this game even though it's just preseason.

Wow. What an ending. Missed this.

Well. That wasn't the ending. We're being dramatic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

Wow. What an ending. Missed this.

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Isn't it nice having all the main people back, mostly?

Suddenly the offense looks better.

Riddle me this - the Pelicans go out and trade for Dejounte to have someone to initiate the offense in crunch time (especially when Zion is out). And then the first 4th quarter crunch time opportunity they get, it’s more ineffective BI and CJ iso ball, just like last year. Explanation? Oh, that’s right - they have a terrible head coach.

FIRST
TEAM
ALL
DEFENSE

HERB JONES. pic.twitter.com/6C6FmTyH1J

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 6, 2024

Can you fire a bad HC even after a win??? Please do , please do

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pr1840

Riddle me this - the Pelicans go out and trade for Dejounte to have someone to initiate the offense in crunch time (especially when Zion is out). And then the first 4th quarter crunch time opportunity they get, it’s more ineffective BI and CJ iso ball, just like last year. Explanation? Oh, that’s right - they have a terrible head coach.

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One of the most important aspects to a winning NBA team is continuity. Familiarity and consistency, too. This was the first game CJ, Murray, BI, Herb, and TMIII have all played togetogether. Having a player handle the rock in the crunch against a good team with players he's barely played with is very meh. Even for a good PG.

Conversely, CJ, BI, Herb, and TMIII have played many games together. It makes perfect sense for them to handle the rock in the crunch for the first dozen games or so they're all playing together.

I'm actually shocked we looked this good and won. I think it's partly due to how lackadaisical teams are in the regular season until the 4th quarter. Guard y'all's hearts for another few weeks. We're going to have some growing pains while other teams are hitting their stride. We'll probably lose a dumb game or two.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

One of the most important aspects to a winning NBA team is continuity. Familiarity and consistency, too. This was the first game CJ, Murray, BI, Herb, and TMIII have all played togetogether. Having a player handle the rock in the crunch against a good team with players he's barely played with is very meh. Even for a good PG.

Conversely, CJ, BI, Herb, and TMIII have played many games together. It makes perfect sense for them to handle the rock in the crunch for the first dozen games or so they're all playing together.

I'm actually shocked we looked this good and won. I think it's partly due to how lackadaisical teams are in the regular season until the 4th quarter. Guard y'all's hearts for another few weeks. We're going to have some growing pains while other teams are hitting their stride. We'll probably lose a dumb game or two.

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Like I said earlier, we finally got our season started 2 months late. They need a good 2 or 3 weeks to gel and then we will see if they can make any sort of run. Staying healthy is the key to that possibility and I don't think any of us actually expect to see it last. But I'll go back to being optimistic and taking it one game at a time. Enjoy each game in the moment and hope for the best. It sure looks like the team isn't very good without BI, Zion and Herb. It really looks like that is the current core of this team. It sucks BI and Zion are so injury prone.

There's no realistic "run" to be made. They're 5-18. You'd need at least 43 wins to make the play-in tournament. That means they'd have to go 37 wins (or better) and only 22 losses (or less) the rest of the way, currently without Zion, Hawkins and Jose. Then you figure team chemistry and future injuries...

It's going to be a matter of using games for gauging fit I guess, and just harming our draft position. Personally I'm rooting for enjoying the games but losing at the end.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by donato

There's no realistic "run" to be made. They're 5-18. You'd need at least 43 wins to make the play-in tournament. That means they'd have to go 37 wins (or better) and only 22 losses (or less) the rest of the way, currently without Zion, Hawkins and Jose. Then you figure team chemistry and future injuries...

It's going to be a matter of using games for gauging fit I guess, and just harming our draft position. Personally I'm rooting for enjoying the games but losing at the end.

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Kinda but not really. Historical you need 43 wins but there's only been a handful of play ins so that's bound to change.

In reality we are six games out of the play in and seven games out of the 7th seed. That's doable...assuming we stay healthy.

The most unrealistic thing is assuming we stay healthy, though. Lol

We don't have a realistic shot at the playoffs. In that regard, the season is likely over. You are more or less looking for growth from the players you know will be here next season. That is Herb, Trey, Missi and Hawk when he comes back (unless Hawk ends up in some sort of deal). Winning really doesn't help us at this point, but do you really want the pessimism and frustration to build in the fan base even more than it already has? At some point you have to instill a winning culture. There really is no good way to approach this. I do think the fans need a scapegoat and the obvious is Willie. I don't think he is good enough at this juncture but you could argue about the injury luck and all that. Madness is repeating the same thing and expecting different results. There does need to be SOME change after this season. That much is certain.