What kind of players does this team need to take it to the next level next season?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ragincaucasian

Willie probably would have buried him on the bench. Honestly.

---

Maybe, but he was undersized and coming off an injury so maybe he gets the Nance treatment :hihi:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Am I being absolutely insane for thinking that a healthy EJ Liddell completely changes the outcome of this season?

I know it's such a long shot and I'm being weird but I can't get it out of my head that if he plays, we win games we ended up losing. Not a huge number but like, 3 or 4 of them. And that's the difference between this, and a real playoff seed.

---

Who knows? He could have been a great bench player or he may have spent the season in the G League. He is a complete unknown.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Maybe, but he was undersized and coming off an injury so maybe he gets the Nance treatment :hihi:

---

Nah, he get's the rookie treatment. Can't have these damn rookies out here getting playing time over the vets like Garrett Temple!

I still can't believe he sat Trey for WEEKS while Josh freaking Richardson soaked up all the minutes. What in the everloving.........?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

Who knows? He could have been a great bench player or he may have spent the season in the G League. He is a complete unknown.

---

No more an unknown than any other rookie, and since he did 3 years at college probably less of an unknown than most.

It's just when I think about what this team really needed, especially given Green's hate of playing JV in key moments, having someone who (at least on paper) fits the description of someone Willie Green might play but who was a great passer, really high level rebounder and screener, and a respectable shooter, who could have just plugged some of those minutes would have been huge.

Scoot Henderson and GG Jackson. A Dynamic PG and a switchable big that could play small ball 5.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tdcreator

Scoot Henderson and GG Jackson. A Dynamic PG and a switchable big that could play small ball 5.

---

I doubt Willie would play either of them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

No more an unknown than any other rookie, and since he did 3 years at college probably less of an unknown than most.

It's just when I think about what this team really needed, especially given Green's hate of playing JV in key moments, having someone who (at least on paper) fits the description of someone Willie Green might play but who was a great passer, really high level rebounder and screener, and a respectable shooter, who could have just plugged some of those minutes would have been huge.

---

He was a 2nd round pick. He is a complete unknown in the NBA. No way to know if he would have helped at all or been the next Herb Jones. Hopefully he comes in healthy next season and earns a role.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

He was a 2nd round pick. He is a complete unknown in the NBA. No way to know if he would have helped at all or been the next Herb Jones. Hopefully he comes in healthy next season and earns a role.

---

I had him projected as a top 25 pick, personally.

But yeah the unpredictability is totally fair (I believed in him and thought he would be good, but we can't be certain of that) but he's not as much of a gamble as someone who played, for example, 3 games in college and that's it. You have a larger sample size from which to draw conclusions and several years from which to track trends.

Still uncertain, but it's not like saying ''oh, he's someone who generally tries to boxes out'' is a shot in the dark guess with no good support.

Root for OKC and Minny to win on Friday. If this happens, we move to 12 in the lottery. Odds are a little better for pulling a top 3 pick at 12 instead of 14.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mriguy

Root for OKC and Minny to win on Friday. If this happens, we move to 12 in the lottery. Odds are a little better for pulling a top 3 pick at 12 instead of 14.

---

The good news is that there's really fun, interesting prospects in this draft all the way through the lottery and even some intriguing figures outside of it.

The other news to consider is that we may simply not use the pick. Trade time?

Package the pick with Jonas and whatever else to get Willie a big he trusts

PG - Cason Wallace - Kentucky (unless we move into the top 4)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

The good news is that there's really fun, interesting prospects in this draft all the way through the lottery and even some intriguing figures outside of it.

The other news to consider is that we may simply not use the pick. Trade time?

---

Given how many young players this team has, I can see it getting traded (if it stays late lottery) with a player to upgrade a position.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

Given how many young players this team has, I can see it getting traded (if it stays late lottery) with a player to upgrade a position.

---

...or trading some of our young players.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by As I See It

...or trading some of our young players.

---

Sure, but we know that Trey, Herb, and Jose have earned their spots (at least as far as I'm concerned) and I want to give Liddell a real look. So that's still 4 young players before we even consider that Zion and Ingram are both still pretty young too.

The easy answer is we don't need a roster move, we need health. Knowing that's pretty impossible to control though here are my thoughts.

It's hard but I think the team has to move forward as though Zion isn't going to play a game and anything he gives you is gravy. With that train of thought I look at our roster and see a lot of good support that can work together. In my opinion there's some fat that can be trimmed (no pun intended) from the roster. I've seen nothing from Kira to give me any kind of hope. Liddell we can hopefully stick in the G League. After that I see no point in Temple or Richardson being on the roster. I actually still really like Hayes but I can understand losing him. WHG seems like a good 13th man on a roster who isn't eating up much cap so I'd keep him.

I think Jonas is strangely an anomaly. I usually look at when a team is performing their best, what are they doing, and how does a player fit into that. The truth is that Jonas doesn't beyond being a decent 3 pt shooter. I keep concocting trades in my mind of how we somehow move him and get KAT or someone maybe slightly unrealistic but just realistic enough for e to talk myself into. Then whenever I see Jonas play, it feels like he's always doing something helpful that doesn't exist outside of him on our roster, and whenever I watch whoever I had my eye on trading for, I mostly see flaws and don't see how it fixes our team. That's to say I keep wavering on my opinion of him but ultimately I think I want him on the team next year.

So all of that said and given my line of thinking that gives us (forgive the very fluid positions):

CJ/Jose
Trey/Dyson
BI/Naji
Herb
Jonas/Nance/WHG

There's a glaring hole at PF and the need for a player who could break defenses but like I said, I don't think you count on him and getting a dude like that is probably not tenable but if a dude like Siakam becomes available, then I'm looking pretty seriously at him. A rim protecting big would be nice but it's hard to imagine there's much playing time at the 5 given our roster so I think you'd have to look at someone like Kyle Anderson or John Collins to try and fill that position as a 4. After that I think the only weakness is a traditional PG to set tempo and control the game. I think a player like Cory Joseph fits that bill pretty well.

To get someone like Siakam you're going to pay through the nose. Especially to Masai but now is the time to spend whatever capital you have, even if it means trading Zion. I imagine Kyle Anderson may be a bit of a stressed asset at this point and it may not take too much to get him. Going into next season with:

CJ/Jose/Joseph
Trey/Dyson/Rookie
BI/Herb/Naji
Siakam/Anderson
Jonas/Nance/WHG

feels good to me. You've definitely lowered your ceiling but raised your floor. You probably aren't planning on competing for a championship any time with that core but you're looking at going deep in the playoffs regularly and for me, that'd be worth it.

For me, I'm more interested in moving CJ than JV. But that's assuming coaching, and we can't assume that. Keeping JV with Green as he is would be useless. So I'm resigned to losing either, and I can cope with that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

For me, I'm more interested in moving CJ than JV. But that's assuming coaching, and we can't assume that. Keeping JV with Green as he is would be useless. So I'm resigned to losing either, and I can cope with that.

---

Sign me up for this....

How about

NY gets.....CJ and # 1

NO gets.....Mitchell Robinson and JHart (note: Josh would have to opt in for next year.)

---

Then go get Donte' DiVincenzo (He would have to opt out)

---

PG: DiVincenzo / DD / Jose'
SG: Herb / Hart / Rookie
SF: BI / 3M3 / Naji
PF: Z / LNJ / EJ
C: JV / Robinson

I hate sitting 3M3 but someone has to play (and defend) at the point.

Leaves JAX. Kira, and Willy as odd men out. And, I consider JRich a salary dump.

I am not interested in moving CJ at all. He means more to this team than what he was able to do individually on the court this season. It has been said when he joined the team our players became more professional in everything from practice habits to eating habits to sleeping habits. He is the leader this team needs. Also, he is way better than he played this year. Dude had a significant injury that made it hard for him to play to his normal level, but he played hurt because the team needed him, which is the exact kind of leadership that other unnamed guys need to see. I am intrigued by him in a 6th man role. I am not intrigued about getting rid of him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

I am not interested in moving CJ at all. He means more to this team than what he was able to do individually on the court this season. It has been said when he joined the team our players became more professional in everything from practice habits to eating habits to sleeping habits. He is the leader this team needs. Also, he is way better than he played this year. Dude had a significant injury that made it hard for him to play to his normal level, but he played hurt because the team needed him, which is the exact kind of leadership that other unnamed guys need to see. I am intrigued by him in a 6th man role. I am not intrigued about getting rid of him.

---

Be hard for him to mean less, in fairness.

I'm kidding, couldn't help myself.

No but seriously I do think there's an issue with the fact that 2 out of our 3 top players, and the two most ball-dominant of those three, are both mid-range heavy score first figures. BI is the better passer of the two of course, but he's still score before he's pass.

I get that in a normal year, CJ will be probably more effective than he was this year, but if I'm choosing between the two I'm picking BI every single day, and I don't know how sustainable it is to have them both long term.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

I am not interested in moving CJ at all. He means more to this team than what he was able to do individually on the court this season. It has been said when he joined the team our players became more professional in everything from practice habits to eating habits to sleeping habits. He is the leader this team needs. Also, he is way better than he played this year. Dude had a significant injury that made it hard for him to play to his normal level, but he played hurt because the team needed him, which is the exact kind of leadership that other unnamed guys need to see. I am intrigued by him in a 6th man role. I am not intrigued about getting rid of him.

---

If he's so much of an asset off the court then why didn't he realize how much he hurt the team by trying to constantly play hero ball? He did not have a significant injury or else he would not have played. Sure he had games where he was on but most of the time he was a detriment to the team by playing hero ball, especially at crunch time. And worse WG either did not see it and address it or because he's "CJ" he just let him do whatever he wanted. I mean most of the time that guy can't hit 2FT's in a row. I say he comes off the bench as a spot up shooter or we get something for him

Along with his injured thumb, CJ McCollum played the final seven games of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder, sources tell @TheAthletic.

It'll be a long offseason for the Pels' veteran guard.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 13, 2023

Pelicans fans when a star player is injured and doesnt play: This guy sucks lets get rid of him!

Pelicans fans when a star player is injured and plays through it: This guy sucks lets get rid of him!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

Pelicans fans when a star player is injured and doesnt play: This guy sucks lets get rid of him!

Pelicans fans when a star player is injured and plays through it: This guy sucks lets get rid of him!

---

Can't use that argument on me, I'm fine with the stars sitting out when they're injured :hihi:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djrnno

If he's so much of an asset off the court then why didn't he realize how much he hurt the team by trying to constantly play hero ball? He did not have a significant injury or else he would not have played. Sure he had games where he was on but most of the time he was a detriment to the team by playing hero ball, especially at crunch time. And worse WG either did not see it and address it or because he's "CJ" he just let him do whatever he wanted. I mean most of the time that guy can't hit 2FT's in a row. I say he comes off the bench as a spot up shooter or we get something for him

---

I really think WG recognized it and that's why BI became the primary ball handler in clutch situations during the stretch run (the by-product of which is CJ became what he is...a catch and shoot player). But there were times (like last night when the game was on the line) that CJ took it upon himself to play "hero ball". As I've said before, CJ wants so badly for his last name to be Lillard that it clouds his judgement. And no matter how you slice it, his defense is atrocious and beyond repair (see Josh Giddey's career night)

I like the offense being generated by BI and Zion as primary ball handlers rather than CJ. Which is actually why I dont think we need a PG because I prefer them to be the creators. And CJ is great at catch and shoot situations (when not hampered by multiple serious injuries). However to say is only a catch and shoot guy is simply untrue. He is the only guy on the team not named Zion or Ingram that can actually create off the dribble.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

I like the offense being generated by BI and Zion as primary ball handlers rather than CJ. Which is actually why I dont think we need a PG because I prefer them to be the creators. And CJ is great at catch and shoot situations (when not hampered by multiple serious injuries). However to say is only a catch and shoot guy is simply untrue. He is the only guy on the team not named Zion or Ingram that can actually create off the dribble.

---

Which isn't saying much, I'm afraid.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Can't use that argument on me, I'm fine with the stars sitting out when they're injured :hihi:

---

That is true, youre fine with stars sitting out post season elimination games even when they are not injured at all. I guess you are just more evolved than the rest of us.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djrnno

He did not have a significant injury or else he would not have played.

---

Word. Probably just having surgery on his shooting hand next week for fun right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

I like the offense being generated by BI and Zion as primary ball handlers rather than CJ. Which is actually why I dont think we need a PG because I prefer them to be the creators. And CJ is great at catch and shoot situations (when not hampered by multiple serious injuries). However to say is only a catch and shoot guy is simply untrue. He is the only guy on the team not named Zion or Ingram that can actually create off the dribble.

---

The issue I have with this is that it's not entirely true, and it became visibly less true as the year went on and both Herb and Trey improved massively as self-creators and creators for others (particularly Herb, who I think was a very fine auxiliary ballhandler by the end of the year) and despite CJ racking up more and more injuries as that time went on, he didn't take the opportunity to cede any of that ballhandling to them.

You would think he would. It makes sense to me, at least: they're getting better at it, while I'm getting increasingly more damaged and subsequently, worse - makes sense to hand off some of the responsibilities to them.

Not to CJ, apparently.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

The issue I have with this is that it's not entirely true, and it became visibly less true as the year went on and both Herb and Trey improved massively as self-creators and creators for others (particularly Herb, who I think was a very fine auxiliary ballhandler by the end of the year) and despite CJ racking up more and more injuries as that time went on, he didn't take the opportunity to cede any of that ballhandling to them.

You would think he would. It makes sense to me, at least: they're getting better at it, while I'm getting increasingly more damaged and subsequently, worse - makes sense to hand off some of the responsibilities to them.

Not to CJ, apparently.

---

I tend to agree. Plus Herb's 3pt shooting was really coming on the last month of the season along with him getting to the basket.TM3 was also getting much better at driving.CJ's problem was yeah he had a hand injury but it seemed like he did not think he did and continued to play ISO ball to the detriment of the team. That shows selfish play to me

A center that is not a klutz with the ball, A true point guard and some 3pt shooters

1) Trade Zion. The Nets seem like a good target as @TDCreator mentioned (for Mikal and Claxton).

Another option, if it can be pulled off, would be to send Zion + Jonas (or Hayes or Richardson) to Cleveland for Darius Garland + Jarrett Allen.

The Cavs might be tempted into doing this trade to form a trio of Donovan, Mobley and Zion. The Pelicans need to be smart and not talk themselves out of giving the Cavs that trio... since they should know better than most that Zion can not be counted on. Take Garland and Allen, run, then heave a big sigh of relief like if a 300LB weight was lifted off your back.

2) Draft Cason Wallace if he falls. I have not followed this past college season closely, so there could be other better prospects. The reason I bring up Cason is he looks very good defensively, which would be needed with Garland and CJ not being defensive stalwarts. He could be paired alongside either of them, when the situation requires it.

3) Have Herb, Dyson and Cason practice a lot of three point shots. Perhaps, BI too.

4) Get a better head coach... one of Frank Vogel, Nick Nurse or Kenny Atkinson.

1-5: Garland, Trey, BI, Herb, Allen.
6-10: Cason, CJ, Dyson, Nance, Hayes.

+ GTA, ??, ??, ??, ??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

The issue I have with this is that it's not entirely true, and it became visibly less true as the year went on and both Herb and Trey improved massively as self-creators and creators for others (particularly Herb, who I think was a very fine auxiliary ballhandler by the end of the year) and despite CJ racking up more and more injuries as that time went on, he didn't take the opportunity to cede any of that ballhandling to them.

You would think he would. It makes sense to me, at least: they're getting better at it, while I'm getting increasingly more damaged and subsequently, worse - makes sense to hand off some of the responsibilities to them.

Not to CJ, apparently.

---

Except it is true. Neither Herb nor Trey are good at creating for themselves (yet). They can make something happen when they get the ball before a defender is set. But against a defender who is set, in a 1 on 1 situation, neither Herb nor Trey are particularly good at creating a shot for themselves.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

Except it is true. Neither Herb nor Trey are good at creating for themselves (yet). They can make something happen when they get the ball before a defender is set. But against a defender who is set, in a 1 on 1 situation, neither Herb nor Trey are particularly good at creating a shot for themselves.

---

The problem is assuming our baseline should be based around 1v1 sets, which it shouldn't.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

The problem is assuming our baseline should be based around 1v1 sets, which it shouldn't.

---

I did not assume that. In an ideal world the offense can create for guys so they dont have to beat a set defender 1 on 1. But the ideal thing does not happen every possession. That is when you need players who can beat their man off the dribble and get a bucket. That is what BI, Zion and yes CJ, are capable of doing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

I did not assume that. In an ideal world the offense can create for guys so they dont have to beat a set defender 1 on 1. But the ideal thing does not happen every possession. That is when you need players who can beat their man off the dribble and get a bucket. That is what BI, Zion and yes CJ, are capable of doing.

---

And nobody is denying that CJ is good at getting his own shot. At no point, actually, has anyone denied that - at least not that I can remember. It's a bit odd you pivot to arguing that CJ can create his shot, as if that's the point, when the real argument is whether or not CJ self-creating on an endless loop is actually the best option for the team offense.

In an ideal world the offense can create for guys so they don't have to beat set defenders 1v1, sure, I agree with that.

So what happens when there is an opportunity for that to happen, and CJ passes it up in order to try and string together some dribble moves and take a contest midranger? That's the issue, and it happened multiple times every game.

I still remember him missing a wide-open Trey cutting for a dunk in transition in favour of grinding things into a half-court set so that he could go 1v1 with a defender. Or that time, I think it was in the final Wolves game (not certain on that) where he went for a turnaround fadeaway baseline 12 footer with a defender in his face instead of making a fairly routine skip pass to a wide open Trey in the corner.

No one really minds BI being primary ball handler despite the fact that he's score first because most of the time if there's a completely wide open shot like that, he'll make the pass. Not always, and he does get critique when he misses it, but most of the time if it's there, he sees it and makes that pass. CJ does not. He's not pass first, he's not pass second, and there's serious critical debate on whether he's pass third or fourth in most games.

And this is why people prefer other players to have the ball in their hands. Can Trey break down a defender? Honestly, yes sometimes, but no, not as often or as consistently as CJ. But if he can't shake his defender, I can trust him to pass to someone else. I can't trust CJ to do that. So I'd rather have Trey making the decision, in many cases.

Edit: note, this is referring to torn-ligament and torn-labrum CJ that we actually had this year, not CJ when he's perfectly healthy and actually hitting those shots more consistently.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

It?s hard to know what we need because we don?t know what we have.

---

There's no need to overthink this. We lost the final season game to the Wolves because we shot something like 3-20 from 3 pt range. We've lost plenty of games in that same fashion.

I forgot what the stat is but we ranked near the bottom of the league in defending the paint. Teams like the Jazz and Cavs BULLIED us down low and will continue to do so until we address our front court.

We need shooting and rim protection, with or without a healthy Zion. The main acquisitions should be: a starting Center that fits our team better. Naji/J Rich minutes need to go to an actual shooter (trade up for Gradey Dick for all I care). Jax/Billy need to be replaced with a defensive minded big who can also grab rebounds. Dereck Lively would be a great back up 5 for us. He would immediately be our best rim protector. That's just a start.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

And nobody is denying that CJ is good at getting his own shot. At no point, actually, has anyone denied that - at least not that I can remember. It's a bit odd you pivot to arguing that CJ can create his shot, as if that's the point, when the real argument is whether or not CJ self-creating on an endless loop is actually the best option for the team offense.

---

What literally nobody is saying, is that CJ self-creating in an endless loop is actually the best option for the team offense. You could not find one single person saying that. But I can find several people saying that he is a catch and shoot player. Catch and shoot players are guys who dont create opportunities off the dribble. That is not CJ, calling him a catch and shoot guy is a misunderstanding of his game.

I agree he would have been better if he looked to pass more instead of scoring first given the state that he was in this year. It?s probably easier said than done for a guy to change his instincts and habits suddenly in response to injuries. CJ is a scorer first, that is who he is. That is why I want him to come off the bench because it gives him room to be a scorer and do damage without taking away opportunities from other guys that need them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

What literally nobody is saying, is that CJ self-creating in an endless loop is actually the best option for the team offense. You could not find one single person saying that. But I can find several people saying that he is a catch and shoot player. Catch and shoot players are guys who dont create opportunities off the dribble. That is not CJ, calling him a catch and shoot guy is a misunderstanding of his game.

I agree he would have been better if he looked to pass more instead of scoring first given the state that he was in this year. It?s probably easier said than done for a guy to change his instincts and habits suddenly in response to injuries. CJ is a scorer first, that is who he is. That is why I want him to come off the bench because it gives him room to be a scorer and do damage without taking away opportunities from other guys that need them.

---

Well then why argue with me about it, since I'm not the one saying he should be catch and shoot only. I'm the one saying his offensive ability clearly suffered and it would have helped the team far more for him to defer than to keep trying to play his usual game, that's not the same as C&S and it's lineup dependent, so why not argue with those people?

I feel like some people didn’t watch CJ play this year, but have a strong opinion on his game. The dude was bad this year in so many ways. Number one is the way he acted towards his teammates on the court. When you blatantly ignore wide open shooters all year, it kills the teams confidence. The way he played this year did nothing to help his young teammates. He is a ball stopping, defensive cone, with little to no Iq. All he can do is talk nice just like Griff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djrnno

I tend to agree. Plus Herb's 3pt shooting was really coming on the last month of the season along with him getting to the basket.TM3 was also getting much better at driving.CJ's problem was yeah he had a hand injury but it seemed like he did not think he did and continued to play ISO ball to the detriment of the team. That shows selfish play to me

---

The faster they get rid of him, the better they will be.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fedupfan

I feel like some people didn’t watch CJ play this year, but have a strong opinion on his game. The dude was bad this year in so many ways. Number one is the way he acted towards his teammates on the court. When you blatantly ignore wide open shooters all year, it kills the teams confidence. The way he played this year did nothing to help his young teammates. He is a ball stopping, defensive cone, with little to no Iq. All he can do is talk nice just like Griff.

---

...not to mention that he is a defensive turnstile. In fact, I'll go so far as say the most 'offensive' thing about his game is his defense. (See: Josh Giddey in his two 'play-in' games and get back to me)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fedupfan

I feel like some people didn?t watch CJ play this year, but have a strong opinion on his game. The dude was bad this year in so many ways. Number one is the way he acted towards his teammates on the court. When you blatantly ignore wide open shooters all year, it kills the teams confidence. The way he played this year did nothing to help his young teammates. He is a ball stopping, defensive cone, with little to no Iq. All he can do is talk nice just like Griff.

---

Well if you are talking about me, you can go ahead and look through all the different game threads and find out that I was watching. And you will find plenty of criticism about CJ as well coming from me. What I cant stand for is the fanbase making him a scapegoat. you all are completely underestimating how badly we needed him. BI missed so many games, Zion missed so many games. If you think this team would have been better off without CJ you are straight up delusional. He did so much for us, despite being injured and battling through the most difficult season of his career. The people think this team is better off without CJ shows how ignorant people can be. He will be the first one to tell you that he had A down year but did the best he could with injuries and a radically changing roster that hat shifted the burden. He is a very good NBA player and an excellent team leader.

Not just you. Plenty people. A lot of people still think Portland CJ is here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

Well if you are talking about me, you can go ahead and look through all the different game threads and find out that I was watching. And you will find plenty of criticism about CJ as well coming from me. What I cant stand for is the fanbase making him a scapegoat. you all are completely underestimating how badly we needed him. BI missed so many games, Zion missed so many games. If you think this team would have been better off without CJ you are straight up delusional. He did so much for us, despite being injured and battling through the most difficult season of his career. The people think this team is better off without CJ shows how ignorant people can be. He will be the first one to tell you that he had A down year but did the best he could with injuries and a radically changing roster that hat shifted the burden. He is a very good NBA player and an excellent team leader.

---

He's a role player who was little more than a salary dump at the trade deadline in '22 for Portland. If he was the player you want him to be, he (and a career DNP-Injured player) could have never been gotten out of Portland for JHart, NAW, Satoransky, DiDi and a a couple of #2's. To make matters worse, the Pelicans threw an additional $64,000,000 at him for two additional years to compound their error. So he's ours for the next three years (ages 32,33,34) for a cool 33MM per (avg,). All-star money for an aging role player? Pul-eease!!!

Candidly, I believe this team would have been a lot better off with a younger JHart and NAW than 'The Defensive Turnstile" and "Perennially-injured LNJ".

That’s the issue. We have fans that think a 33 year old role player is the savior of the team. It just shows how little success we are accustomed to. A guy that played as bad as he did, is lauded for playing through an injury that actually hurt the team. If he can’t shoot, he is absolutely useless. His defense, as mentioned many times before, is so bad that it causes the entire team to be scrambling on most of the possessions. He is not even close to the reason they had any success. He was part of the 10 game losing streak.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fedupfan

That?s the issue. We have fans that think a 33 year old role player is the savior of the team. It just shows how little success we are accustomed to. A guy that played as bad as he did, is lauded for playing through an injury that actually hurt the team. If he can?t shoot, he is absolutely useless. His defense, as mentioned many times before, is so bad that it causes the entire team to be scrambling on most of the possessions. He is not even close to the reason they had any success. He was part of the 10 game losing streak.

---

Who are you talking about? It cant be CJ he is 31 years old and he LITERALLY did save the season for the Pelicans, we were scraping the bottom of the barrel for worst team in the league before he came here and then we went to the playoffs because everything turned around after we traded for him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornetsrebirth

Who are you talking about? It cant be CJ he is 31 years old and he LITERALLY did save the season for the Pelicans, we were scraping the bottom of the barrel for worst team in the league before he came here and then we went to the playoffs because everything turned around after we traded for him.

---

CJ = 31/9/10 for 20 year old Josh Giddey (a career best) in a "do-or-die" game. Meanwhile CJ shot a miserable 33%. Yeah, "he LITERALLY did save the season for the Pelicans". LMAO

Note: This is pretty much what we saw all season from CJ...a human turnstile!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by As I See It

CJ = 31/9/10 for 20 year old Josh Giddey (a career best) in a "do-or-die" game. Meanwhile CJ shot a miserable 33%. Yeah, "he LITERALLY did save the season for the Pelicans". LMAO

Note: This is pretty much what we saw all season from CJ...a human turnstile!!

---

I thought it was pretty clear I was talking about the 2022 season but I should know better than to assume any level of intelligence or comprehension from some people on this board. Yeah CJ had some poor shooting this year due to serious injuries to his shooting hand and shoulder. It has been well documented and you are belaboring the point. And you are managing to prove my point about how you make him a scapegoat for the entire team’s problems. Someone had a good game therefore it must be all CJs fault. LMAO what a tool you are.