Pels Off season thread

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

Have I missed something? Is Josh officially gone? I thought he was still a RFA.

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Josh is not gone, but his value seems to be

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

This is never mentioned when it?s said that Griffin is doing nothing or how sad it is that Griff isn?t bringing anyone in. We offered top money to top players that we wanted, Paul, Hardaway, Lowry, but they had their own plans

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So, that is supposed to get the fan base excited? Offering top money to guys that were longshots at best? No alternative plan after sending out assets to create room to make deals?

It would be stronger depth to sign a Dinwiddie, Reggie Jackson, Markannen, but not signing those players doesnt hurt the Pels playoffs chances

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Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

So, that is supposed to get the fan base excited? Offering top money to guys that were longshots at best? No alternative plan after sending out assets to create room to make deals?

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Yea I mean if Griff wants to take credit for offering contracts to Lowry and Paul, that's fine. It doesn't seem like we ever had a chance at those guys. I'm happy we didn't get THJ for that contract he offered.

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

Yea I mean if Griff wants to take credit for offering contracts to Lowry and Paul, that's fine. It doesn't seem like we ever had a chance at those guys. I'm happy we didn't get THJ for that contract he offered.

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Yeah, but no one thought we would get Paul. Lowry was always a long shot at best. THJ was reported to be a top priority for Dallas. Good on him if he shot his shot. However, did he have no alternative plan for the space he paid assets for to create? Even if it is depth or one year deals to use as trade fodder at the deadline?

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Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

So, that is supposed to get the fan base excited? Offering top money to guys that were longshots at best? No alternative plan after sending out assets to create room to make deals?

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How does mid tier FA signings get the fanbase more excited than seeing two elite All-Stars Zion and Ingram playing with new HC Willie Green? Or more excited than seeing our 2019-2020 FRPs NAW and Kira getting larger roles and starter minutes?

At least this year will be fun. We replaced all of our not fun guys with fun guys

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

How does mid tier FA signings get the fanbase more excited than seeing two elite All-Stars Zion and Ingram playing with new HC Willie Green? Or more excited than seeing our 2019-2020 FRPs NAW and Kira getting larger roles and starter minutes?

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So, the POBO says we desperately need to add shooting to improve the team, spends multiple 1sts to create the space to do so, and then swaps one shooter for another and calls it a day? That instills hope? Was he lying and we should all be excited? What was his plan? I get trying to justify everything we do as fantastic, but no objective observer would say that the Pelicans significantly improved this offseason.

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

How does mid tier FA signings get the fanbase more excited than seeing two elite All-Stars Zion and Ingram playing with new HC Willie Green? Or more excited than seeing our 2019-2020 FRPs NAW and Kira getting larger roles and starter minutes?

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Again, the roster construction is fine. I like this year's roster way more than last year, but with every first round pick we trade, we are slowly chipping away at our ceiling. With every Lonzo that we let expire, we are slowly losing our flexibility. It's difficult to really get excited about a team knowing that in 2022, you have zero first round picks and no chance at a decent free agent. It's just a high pressure situation when you have teams waiting to poach Zion

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

How does mid tier FA signings get the fanbase more excited than seeing two elite All-Stars Zion and Ingram playing with new HC Willie Green? Or more excited than seeing our 2019-2020 FRPs NAW and Kira getting larger roles and starter minutes?

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I am happy to see those guys get more minutes to be honest. It wasn’t the perfect offseason (because of the wet farts we had to lay off), but there is a silver lining. For all we know the guys we have show up and we save our money.

It wasn?t all bad. But there?s no sizzle. No bite. No impact. Whatever good comes of this season will be players getting f better or Trey Murphy or Herb Jones playing over their heads and beyond expectations I think.

Unless we expand and finalize a trade and it becomes awesome. Somehow.

We have Zion, Ingram, Valanciunas, Graham, NAW, Kira, but the forum’s offseason reaction makes it seem like the Pels lineup is Ajinca, Okafor, Solomon Hill, Bledsoe and Tim Frazier. Way too spoiled [edit: PANICKY]

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

We have Zion, Ingram, Valanciunas, Graham, NAW, Kira, but the forum’s offseason reaction makes it seem like the Pels lineup is Ajinca, Okafor, Solomon Hill, Bledsoe and Tim Frazier. Way too spoiled

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You are right. This should take them from 32 wins to 35.

Liking the roster and hating the moves are not mutually exclusive

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

We have Zion, Ingram, Valanciunas, Graham, NAW, Kira, but the forum’s offseason reaction makes it seem like the Pels lineup is Ajinca, Okafor, Solomon Hill, Bledsoe and Tim Frazier. Way too spoiled

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Spoiled? With what? All the success we have had? With all the stars that have left? With 3 coaches in 3 years? Which is it?

I like Graham and think he will be fun to watch. I would have preferred him as a 6th man. I think JV is an improvement over Adams, but still not sure about the fit next to Zion (although has to be better than Adams). Other than that, we have to hope that NAW, Hayes and Kira significantly improve and that the team buys into Green. I really think they significantly underperformed last year and may have just quit on SVG. We still need shooters and we need front court depth. We did not get a floor leader we all thought we were going to get and that would likely have led to improvement.

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

We have Zion, Ingram, Valanciunas, Graham, NAW, Kira, but the forum’s offseason reaction makes it seem like the Pels lineup is Ajinca, Okafor, Solomon Hill, Bledsoe and Tim Frazier. Way too spoiled

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I wouldn't say spoiled, but regardless of anything that happens, I believe the team will be fun to watch this year.

Since the Pels seem to be operating as an under the cap team, could they sign Lonzo into space using bird rights and then trade him with consent to the Bulls for Satoransky, creating a decently sized player exception?

This is the kind of thing that really makes me think we as a city don't really deserve a basketball franchise at all.

Move them to Seattle, maybe we'll stop complaining then.

Free agent G Reggie Jackson plans to sign a two-year, $22M deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers as soon as allowable at 6 PM ET, agents Aaron Mintz and Erika Ruiz of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. The deal is the maximum LA can pay Jackson under CBA rules.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 6, 2021

There goes my hero

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Originally Posted by SeapeaNOLA

This is the kind of thing that really makes me think we as a city don't really deserve a basketball franchise at all.

Move them to Seattle, maybe we'll stop complaining then.

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Lol what? It's ok for fan bases to complain about bad moves when they are objectively bad.

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Originally Posted by SeapeaNOLA

This is the kind of thing that really makes me think we as a city don't really deserve a basketball franchise at all.

Move them to Seattle, maybe we'll stop complaining then.

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Well if they don’t ever win, you may get your wish.

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Originally Posted by SeapeaNOLA

This is the kind of thing that really makes me think we as a city don't really deserve a basketball franchise at all.

Move them to Seattle, maybe we'll stop complaining then.

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Yeah, that's it. We should all bow down and get excited about every move they make and don't make. Makes sense.

I will say the same thing I said last offseason:

If I told you on July 18th this would be our offseason, you would grade it a D or an F. Yes, in the present, we rationalize and justify everything, and play the 'If; game. But if I come on this board on July 18th and say:

In: Jonas, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Devonte Graham, Satoransky, Temple

Out: Lonzo, Bledsoe, Adams, J Johnson, our 2022 1st and Lakers 2022 1st

That would have gotten a D or F and you guys would had no clue how or why we spent the two firsts. You also would have wondered why we took Murphy at pick 10.

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

I will say the same thing I said last offseason:

If I told you on July 18th this would be our offseason, you would grade it a D or an F. Yes, in the present, we rationalize and justify everything, and play the 'If; game. But if I come on this board on July 18th and say:

In: Jonas, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Devonte Graham, Satoransky, Temple

Out: Lonzo, Bledsoe, Adams, J Johnson, our 2022 1st and Lakers 2022 1st

That would have gotten a D or F and you guys would had no clue how or why we spent the two firsts. You also would have wondered why we took Murphy at pick 10.

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100%. We lost future flexibility without any of the moves guaranteeing future improvement. It’s a tough pill to swallow.

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Originally Posted by SonOfNOLA

We have Zion, Ingram, Valanciunas, Graham, NAW, Kira, but the forum?s offseason reaction makes it seem like the Pels lineup is Ajinca, Okafor, Solomon Hill, Bledsoe and Tim Frazier. Way too spoiled

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Two whole playoff series wins. Way too spoiled?..

At this point, I’d be content if they just fired Griff. Trajan is ready.

At the risk of being yelled at, are we sure John Wall wouldn?t make some sense? It?s only two seasons and no one will take our money anyway. You would likely tie in Josh Hart and certainly send them Statoransky and whatever else contract wise you need. If Hart is $10 and Stat is $10, it would seem like you could close whatever gap is needed(combined with other trades). Yes there is major injury risk, and no he?s not the shooter ideally. But if we are serious about starting to win basketball games, he would make us a lot better IMO.

And ideally we get something more for taking him in.

This is why I was okay giving Ball over $20 million a year. Zion wanted him. Ingram wanted him. I kept asking who are we going to give the $20 million too then? Nobody wants to come here. Now here we are. Struck out on every free agent we tried to get. Now we have to pray for our youth to make major leaps.

This has been a bad off season

Not seeing what Griffin is doing.

When zion gets fed up..what's next?

Zion's, BI's and NAW's inevitable improvements this year will undoubtedly be attributed to their growth as players, without a thought about what the other players on the floor do for them. I can't emphasize how much easier life will be for BI when running a PnR with one of the better scoring big men in the league vs. a complete non factor offensively. His assist numbers should go up, he should get more open looks and not have to attack 2 regularly to get to the rim. Teams can't leave Graham or he'll burn them. Just those two changes alone will make the game so much easier for BI and Zion. This team was always going to go as far as those two take them. Without landing a third guy that can carry a team, the next best option was always to help the guys we have by putting better pieces around them. We have a ways to go before competing for a championship, but there should be optimism about the results we'll see this year.

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Originally Posted by rezburna

This is why I was okay giving Ball over $20 million a year. Zion wanted him. Ingram wanted him. I kept asking who are we going to give the $20 million too then? Nobody wants to come here. Now here we are. Struck out on every free agent we tried to get. Now we have to pray for our youth to make major leaps.

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The biggest issue with that is Ball didn't want to be here. Sure, we could have made him stay for the $22 million. Would he have bought in? No doubt I'd take a bought in Lonzo Ball over what we are doing currently, but I don't believe that's who we would have gotten.

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

At the risk of being yelled at, are we sure John Wall wouldn?t make some sense? It?s only two seasons and no one will take our money anyway. You would likely tie in Josh Hart and certainly send them Statoransky and whatever else contract wise you need. If Hart is $10 and Stat is $10, it would seem like you could close whatever gap is needed(combined with other trades). Yes there is major injury risk, and no he?s not the shooter ideally. But if we are serious about starting to win basketball games, he would make us a lot better IMO.

And ideally we get something more for taking him in.

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I’d shoot for Lauri Markanen at this point. At least he can knock down the 3.

im just happy my city has a basketball team that i can go and watch and enjoy myself.....im looking forward to being in the 6th-8th seed...the play inn was fun for me to watch last season so i think we can come out on top if we are in that position.......i hope we can get a PG and another big to add with this group and we will be good to go.....go pels....

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Originally Posted by DarkHornet

The biggest issue with that is Ball didn't want to be here. Sure, we could have made him stay for the $22 million. Would he have bought in? No doubt I'd take a bought in Lonzo Ball over what we are doing currently, but I don't believe that's who we would have gotten.

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I believe the way we treated him during his time here is why he didn’t buy in. The fan base never embraced him. The coaching staff didn’t play him to his strengths. They didn’t offer him a contract last year. I can’t blame him for having animosity, but I definitely think he wanted to stay with Zion and BI. He just didn’t want to be treated like ******** in the process.

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Originally Posted by Speakthetruth

This has been a bad off season

Not seeing what Griffin is doing.

When zion gets fed up..what's next?

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I've said it before and I'll say it again. Zion's biggest benefit to the Pelicans is not going to be what he does on the court, but what he will bring the team in a trade. He is an asset to this team, no more...no less.

And isn't it refreshing to see how players everywhere are flocking to the Pels with aspirations of playing with this 'generational talent'?

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Originally Posted by rezburna

I believe the way we treated him during his time here is why he didn’t buy in. The fan base never embraced him. The coaching staff didn’t play him to his strengths. They didn’t offer him a contract last year. I can’t blame him for having animosity, but I definitely think he wanted to stay with Zion and BI. He just didn’t want to be treated like ******** in the process.

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if chicago guarantee lonzo that he will be their PG and run the show,, there is no way lonzo was going to stay here...

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Originally Posted by Fedupfan

You are right. This should take them from 32 wins to 35.

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Exactly

Ouch

On Friday, the Pelicans and Willy Hernangomez, the 27-year-old Spanish center agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The Pelicans have a team option on the final year of the deal, according to nola.com.

Good or meh?

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Originally Posted by PelDave

On Friday, the Pelicans and Willy Hernangomez, the 27-year-old Spanish center agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The Pelicans have a team option on the final year of the deal, according to nola.com.

Good or meh?

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im glad we have billy back.....imo he was our best center last season...

I was told this would all be over by noon today....when will it ever end???

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

I will say the same thing I said last offseason:

If I told you on July 18th this would be our offseason, you would grade it a D or an F. Yes, in the present, we rationalize and justify everything, and play the 'If; game. But if I come on this board on July 18th and say:

In: Jonas, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Devonte Graham, Satoransky, Temple

Out: Lonzo, Bledsoe, Adams, J Johnson, our 2022 1st and Lakers 2022 1st

That would have gotten a D or F and you guys would had no clue how or why we spent the two firsts. You also would have wondered why we took Murphy at pick 10.

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MM. can you explain why we wouldn?t just match the lonzo contract? If no one is willing to come play here regardless of the money, then why not keep the players that are here when we have control? It?s not like that would be an untradable contract in the next year or 2.

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Originally Posted by PelDave

On Friday, the Pelicans and Willy Hernangomez, the 27-year-old Spanish center agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The Pelicans have a team option on the final year of the deal, according to nola.com.

Good or meh?

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Best option for back up C. Wish we can find a good size back up PF that isn't Lauri or Kevin Love.

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Originally Posted by Savvy_Bird

MM. can you explain why we wouldn?t just match the lonzo contract? If no one is willing to come play here regardless of the money, then why not keep the players that are here when we have control? It?s not like that would be an untradable contract in the next year or 2.

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Lonzo didn't want to be here, and vice versa with the FO.

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Originally Posted by Savvy_Bird

MM. can you explain why we wouldn?t just match the lonzo contract? If no one is willing to come play here regardless of the money, then why not keep the players that are here when we have control? It?s not like that would be an untradable contract in the next year or 2.

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It wasn’t just the money. Lonzo Ball is not a main ball handler. But he insists that he is. We have two conflicting views of his role on the team. And he’s overpaid. I would g want him at 4/85

Windhorst says the Pels arent done and linked them to Buddy and Lauri M.

— G�� (@WhenTheGsWalkIn) August 6, 2021

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Originally Posted by Silverfoxx

Lonzo didn't want to be here, and vice versa with the FO.

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For real. He signed a contract elsewhere within the first 60 seconds of free agency. There were connections between Lonzo and Chicago for months.

He wanted to go to Chicago. The Pelicans, of all franchises, should understand why you don't just arbitrarily match any RFA regardless of whether they want to be here or not. Eric Gordon.

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

Windhorst says the Pels arent done and linked them to Buddy and Lauri M.

— G�� (@WhenTheGsWalkIn) August 6, 2021

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Gimme Buddy.

Keep Lauri. Not interested.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Gimme Buddy.

Keep Lauri. Not interested.

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If Lauri is a spot up shooter off the bench, I'll take him. Bad basketball player, good shooter

Would be pretty happy in the end if we get Buddy. Ok with Lauri not super excited.