Right now... Hart is the only priority in resigning. We got cap space.
Dump Melli,and Ball outright.
Only dump Bledsoe with a comparable Vet Guard.
Willy and Gab needs minutes.
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Right now... Hart is the only priority in resigning. We got cap space.
Dump Melli,and Ball outright.
Only dump Bledsoe with a comparable Vet Guard.
Willy and Gab needs minutes.
I guess Melli was brought in to sell some jerseys overseas
Melli is basically just a salary to use to balance a trade. He is a throw in.
Melli was a big miss.
JJ is just a black hole.
When they get down, they stop attacking and start jacking.
Oh well next game they have a chance to win.
And NAW needs to remain a starter. You almost have no choice, but it's still a good choice.
Such a shame, should have been 6-2,ended up 4-4,now on the slide. Turnovers killing us. SVG offense is dinosaur age and young stars still learning to keep making the best play each possession even when momentum is with the other team. Still too early to tell but honestly our offense is soooo predictable I think it contributes to the turnover problem.
Kenny Hustle had 14 points tonight on 6/6 shooting, 2a, 2s
nice
When you lose a game in historic fashion as we did against Indy, it crushes you. Chances are we beat OKC and Charlotte if we win that game. Now we can’t buy a win because the confidence is completely gone. They are psychologically battered. Still, it could be a blessing in disguise if NAW and Kira start logging minutes. I’ll be satisfied if they keep playing
hell no...NAW is and should be a starter on this team now no matter if bledsoe or lonzo is healthy....he need the mins to see if he can be consistent as a scorer so we can see if he is our 3rd scorer....naw need to move his feet on defense and not reach so much and cut down on the turnovers and he will be good...being a starter now will help him on that so SVG need to do the right thing and have NAW starting next to lonzo or bledsoe...
Even when we were up by 15 early, you could see that AD and LBJ were just going through the motions and trying to get other people involved. They were barely trying.
Once it got to about 4 minutes left until the half they were like "Ok, that's enough of that" and actually stated trying, and easily destroyed us. I mean, all LBJ has to do is drive and have someone in the vicinity and he is getting 2 free throws. There was zero chance we were ever winning that game, but I really hate LBJ and Co for teasing me like that.
This was Glass Joe vs Mike Tyson. We have so many problems lol
The main problems so far:
1. The return of bubble Lonzo. Pels needed Lonzo to progress, to build of his mid-season success last year. Instead he’s regressed. Still, early but the way he’s playing right now is hurting us both in the near and long term.
2. Melli & JJ. Two veteran players brought in by Griffin to anchor our second unit and provide 3 point shooting. Neither is producing. Melli has only shown occasional glimpses of even being an NBA player. Redick is a proven commodity but is in the worst shooting slump of his career, which is raising the issue of whether, at 36, he’s hit a wall and is a descending player. Too early to say that but he’s not giving us much and he was seen as a key piece of this roster.
3. Can’t Stop; Won’t Stop. Turning the ball over. Stan Van identified reducing turnovers as a key change the Pels needed make to be successful. Not happening yet. More concerning is that some of our key guys like Ingram are among the worst culprits, raising the question of whether they are refusing to modify their style of play to fit Van Gundy’s philosophy. The coach issued a pretty public warning about benching guys who continue to turn the ball over, but that seems like an empty threat and didnt have have any effect on the floor. Something to watch.
4. Energy. This team seems to go flat and sluggish for many stretches. If I didn’t know better I’d say they already look tired and have dead legs. The starters are playing a lot of minutes so that could be cause. But I also wonder if Stan Vans more demanding approach—mentally and physically—is generating fatigue, especially after playing under Gentry. Could be part of growing pains but we’ve seen this kind of thing head south in the past especially if a team is losing. Our key guys were all basketball prodigies, catered to from a young age. Interested to see how they handle hard coaching over time.
RE: JJ. Father time is undefeated. He is looking like he could be officially be done
We got the 6th best odds in the lottery now...our future pg is waiting there
Initially I was skeptical about Antonio Daniels but now I really enjoy his commentary. We definitely have the best announcers. I also like their objectivity.
And the refs were horrible in this game. Also good to see small improvements from Hayes
Korver's final season, aged 38, he shot 41.8% from 3 on 4.1 attempts per game.
JJ right now is shooting 29.5% from 3 on 5.5 per game, aged 36
I wish JJ was basically the same guy as final-season Korver lmao
Edit: in fact, did Korver even officially retire? Trade JJ for scraps, sign Korver on the min. Even if he sucks, he can't be worse than JJ has been doing right now, and if he's good then he's basically JJ but taller, in that they're both ineffective 1v1 defenders who are kind of okay at team defense who are efficient from 3 and the FT line and move a ton off ball, with acceptable passing.
Stan Van Gundy says Lonzo Ball did not practice but thinks they expect him back in “days or a week more than weeks.”
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 16, 2021
Shame.
I for one will welcome back our Tank Commander in chief
I hope SVG is seen as a more of a short term coach to help with out development. He’s got a winning record in this league and is known for being a tough coach to play for. I see him as someone that can help these young guys develop especially on defense. Then when we get closer to contention, we get us someone better cause we will have a more attractive situation here. Well at least this is my hope lol.
The season is still young and we didn’t have much of a camp. I still really like the roster.
Center - we good with Adams, Hayes, Zion, Hernangomez
Power forward - Zion, Melli, Gabriel, I think we need a vet for Zion to learn from. A stretch 4 is nice to have especially when we have Adams & Hayes at center, but I rather an accomplished vet more than anything. I can’t wait to see what Gabriel has to offer cause Melli shouldn’t be getting minutes right now.
Small forward- BI, that’s really all we have at the 3. We need a true backup 3, but we can get by with Hart playing there.
Shooting guard - Redick, Hart, NAW, JJ won’t be here next year. Hopefully we can flip him for something in return. The guy can still shoot even though he has had some struggles early on this year. You don’t just lose your ability to shoot especially someone that is great at it like him. I think NAW can be a special player and will likely be the future starter unless they see him more as a point guard. I see him more as a combo guard. I hope we can keep Hart here to be our long term 6th man.
Point guard- Lonzo, Bledsoe, Kira, I don’t want to keep Lonzo at all. We would be nuts to sign him long term. We need to trade him for something. I like Bledsoe, but he’s so inconsistent. When he has his head on straight and is confident, he’s pretty damn good. I would like to keep him till Kira is ready. Kira is the future at the position and looks like a DeAaron Fox type of point guard with blazing speed, but with a better shot. He truly excites me.
So IMO we need to hopefully get a lotto pick and take the best wing available whether he be a 2 or 3. Then add a veteran power forward to backup Zion and I think our roster could be set for the next 5 years or so.
I like Hart, I value what he does, but he's not indispensable. I'd be open to moving him depending on the deal, even if I'm not desperate to move him either.
Can we go back and get Caruso instead of Hart
FIRST 11 GAMES REPORT CARD
Center: I love the way Adams plays. I say that with the full knowledge that it is difficult for Zion, BI, and him to co-exist on a championship team. Pleased to see that JAXSON is much more active on the boards than last year and want him to develop that face up game he teases us with from time to time. At this point, he also show glimpses of some astute play-making skills (passing). Note: Adams' game is not made for this team long term (it pains me to say this). Overall Grade: B
Power Forward: The upside is huge for Zion, but the downside is scary deep. Right now he is no match for the Anthony Davis', the Giannis', the KDs', or even the Julius Randals' of the NBA World on the defensive end. Melli is dead weight. It would be unfair of me to opine on Gabriel as I haven't seen enough. NOTE: I would like to see JAXSON log a few minutes once in awhile at the 4 so he can develop that face up game. Overall Grade: C-
Small Forward: At 23, the sky is the limit for BI, but he is not without flaws at present. Very loose with the rock and tends to make 'head scratching' decisions in the clutch. There is also some holes in his defense, though I sense that he is improving. He has a great intermediate game that will get him to the hole with regularity if the Pelicans can ever stretch the floor. It might be harsh, but there seems to be no other NBA talent on the team for this position at present. NOTE: I would like to see Zion log some minutes at the 3. It would force him to improve his defensive footwork and positioning. Overall Grade: C+
Shooting Guard: At present the group (discounting NAW) is woefully erratic (being generous). Redick is trying to outrun (or is it out-gun) Father Time and seems to be losing that race miserably. Hart is tireless worker whose energy makes him passable, but whose shot selection and decision-making (at times) is certainly not NBA-worthy. Bledsoe would make a decent back up, but his motor doesn't seem to consistently fire on all cylinders (does he want to be here?). While the jury is still out on him defensively, NAW looks to be a possible long term answer to this critical position. NOTE: I would love to see our 6'7'' All Star get some minutes here. Overall Grade C-
PG: I have yet to see a playmaker in the lot. Unless we develop Kira, I'm afraid this position will retard the development of this team for the foreseeable future. NOTE: I gave Lonzo every benefit of a doubt and he has proven me dead wrong. Overall Grade: D
Honestly, I wonder if SVG was just a bad hire for this young team. The NBA has changed tremendously since he coached and he is trying to take our young players and make them play a style from 8-10 years ago. The pace is terrible for our team. Gentry's was way too fast, but this is way too slow, especially with a lack of spacing in the half court.
With how the team has made strides in rebounding and some fundamentals aspects. A lot of things will take time for it to come together. I find SVG probably a solid developmental coach. Which these guys desperately need. Hayes has grown more in 11 games with SVG than he did in his 40 with Gentry.
SVG game management is my biggest issues and he's pretty honest in interviews about his lackluster performance in games. It seems like he is really rusty and out of sorts from not coaching NBA basketball games. I just hope he can get zoned in and adapt.
The biggest takeaway is that I've seen growth from our young core and that's was my biggest concern with SVG when we hired him. I'm fine with losing if we atleast get some positive development out of our young guys.
We need to cut dead weight and just commit to our young guys getting heavy earned minutes. But they do have to earn them, because that's how you build a culture.
I totally agree with you. While today's NBA 'one-and-done' athletic marvels may have all the necessary athletic skills to compete in the NBA, they simply have not availed themselves to multiple years of NCAA-like coaching (or competition). Therefore, their games, in general, are extremely raw, immature, and not nearly as developed as a generation ago. Unlike his predecessor, SVG is an instructor first; not a friend drinking buddy, or dad....which should be exactly what a young 20 year old should pine for and be excited to have (even if he throws temper tantrums along the way).
I think the defensive mindset that SVG is instilling into this team is precisely what it needs (an 11 game sample suggests the team is responding despite the growing pains). Van Gundy's effect will benefit the team's players, both individually and collectively, whether he is a long-term fit or not. In any team sport, offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.
Sometimes we overthink greatness https://t.co/glP2YU06GM
— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) January 17, 2021
If it all gets put together...he could be scratching the surface. It's all on the young dude's mental make up. Will he develop that next levelness? CAN you develop such a thing?