CJ speaking now talking about starting the season off right .
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CJ speaking now talking about starting the season off right .
Zion looks amazing man.
We open with Trajon... This is what I like to see
Zion looks like someone created a whole new body in 2K and posted his huge head into it.
A cut and fit Zion? If he gives even 65% the defensive energy and overall hustle of Duke Zion the league is about to die.
is it over? I'm on the stream and I get nothing.
https://www.nba.com/pelicans/live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipUjB5KjQ00
OK Nance is up.
Zion looks incredible. This is about to be the most hype season ever.
Most players these days say they listen to Future, Drake, and some mumbling fools I never heard of.
Zion said he got inspired by Ready to Die. My boi!!!
Quote collections from today:
Trey Murphy says he was 201 pounds at the end of last season. Today, he weighed in at 214.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) September 26, 2022
Adding muscle to his frame was a big focus during the offseason.
Zion on his time in Ft. Lauderdale this summer:
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) September 26, 2022
"I found true resolve within the game of basketball. Something mentally in me shifted, changed. The game of basketball..that's it for me. That's what I love. That's what I want to do."
Cites ''Ready to Die'' as an inspirational album for how it talks about stress and standing with the weight of the world on your shoulders.
David Griffin: "We're not bound by 'We won't pay the tax.'"
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) September 26, 2022
Griffin says team won't spend frivolously, but financial concerns won't hold them back from building out the roster the way they want.
"I try to give everything to this organization... You guys are my family."
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 26, 2022
-@willyhg94 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/La85yv9czN
EuroBasket MVP in the family
A smiling Larry Nance Jr. on Herb's single-minded work habits: "I can't tell you how many times I had to pull him aside (this summer) and say, 'Hey, can you get out of (the gym)? Go home! Take a vacation! Please? I don't want to see you in the facility for a full week.' " https://t.co/D6xfyz9kab
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) September 26, 2022
Basically everyone is saying that Herb puts in ungodly amounts of work and that it's difficult to get him to even leave the gym.
Larry Nance on his advice to Zion Williamson: "You don't put cheap gas in a Lambo."
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) September 26, 2022
Says he's a 1 of 1 athlete and he has to treat his body as such. Added that he's seen Zion make that commitment this offseason.
Zion cited Nance, Temple, and CJ as some of the people integral to getting him to understand the approach he needs to take to his own health going forward - most notably he says that they explained to him that he can't just do things based on a template of what used to work, but instead has to have dynamic plans that change year on year. This is an example of that, I guess.
Herb Jones says one of the things he focused on in workouts is not taking more than 3 dribbles because that's not something he's going to be doing in the game.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) September 26, 2022
Wants to stay focused on what he'll be doing in the games themselves.
For real. For people who didn't see, here's a visual comparison:
Zion is so significantly thinner than last year at this time. Honestly kind blown a bit. This dude has done everything for said he was. So damned Hyped. @PelicansNBA going to be a menace pic.twitter.com/TNKCAv9ubT
— Christopher Price (@topherp33) September 26, 2022
Just very clearly slimmer and leaner.
Nance is a really great interview. Very good to listen to. Between him and CJ we probably have some of the best and clearest communicating players in the league.
Everyone on the team talking about Herb's work ethic is why i think he will be a very good player.
Peak levels of hype for this season acquired
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 26, 2022
Zion looks authentically super happy these days (and so does the rest of the team)
You love to see it
Quotes from BI now I'm getting around to his interview:
On expectations to win: ''The mentality is always to win, the expectation is to win. Especially for our team. We just have some added fans, we always kinda believed in each other and what we were doing. So the expectation is still the same. I don't know what's the outside expectation for us, but we're ultimately trying to bring a championship to New Orleans.''
On Zion's return and adjustment: ''It'll definitely be a feeling out process. It's been a while since we've played with each other so, anyone coming into the fold it's going to be a little different. I'll try to watch some highlights, ask him how he wants the basketball and how he wants to play, but until we get out on the floor... hopefully during pre-season we can get it together.''
''It's communication with everybody. Just having all 5 people on the floor, or all 15 guys in the fold, and I think just having those conversations is going to be good for us going forward. Especially if we get it out the way right now. We don't have to look to January or All Star break and be like 'oh this sh*t ain't working', we can get it all out the way right now and be like, this is what it's going to look like and this is how we should attack it.''
On continuity versus adjustment: ''It's a fun process, it's not like we're getting guys playing that don't know how to play, these guys know how to fit in and these guys have talent. Dyson's a really smart player that can think the game ahead, so he'll be fine. Zion is a really really talented player that can score, so I think we'll be fine.''
Next goals after playoff showing: ''Championship. I don't think it's... if I sat up here and tell you 'second round', I think Willie would give me a call after I finished. Championship. We have the guys to do it, all we have to do is put the work in and continue to learn. But we care about it enough to come in here and keep working, keep listening, and ultimately we wanna win that championship, you know?''
Anticipation and excitement for this season: ''I'm happy to be here. There's been media days where I've been just trying to get through, but I'm happy to be here and be with my teammates. They make it fun to be around and laugh and joke and talk about basketball and families. I'm looking forward to just having fun with my teammates and just getting to know about their fams, how they like to play, just everything.''
CJ's extension: ''He's got a lot of money, don't he? He can pick up a lot of tabs. [other extensions and BI being the first guy to pledge that loyalty] S'a good place to be. They see what's going on, how we bond with each other, how we play on the floor, and it's kind of unheard of in the league to have 14, 15 guys who just care about each other and believe in each other and actually want to know about each other. It's turned the corner, it's pretty different here. Every time I walk in the building I know I can walk up and shake anybody's hand, I can hug anybody. That's fun to have.''
Relationship with Coach Green: ''It's good, you know, he knows my heart, he knows my mind, he knows where I want to go in life, what I want to do in basketball. This is really good, I can hit him on anything, he can hit me on anything, we continue to build, we continue to learn each other and it's been really good so far.''
On Herb's work ethic: ''Herb inspired me. Every time I come in the gym I wish I could be on the floor as much as he does. Every time I come in he's already shooting on the shooting floor wiht Fred Vinson, getting his routine. He knows his body, even him being so young (note: Herb Jones is barely a year younger than BI), just hearing the message that 'I've gotta go home and get some sleep', 'I've gotta go home so I can be up early in the morning', that's different. Especially with him just coming into the league, this being his sophomore year. I didn't have a rookie year like his, like Trey Murphy's, so for him to continue to get better, I forget he's a second year player right now so. It's inspiring to me.''
Thoughts on the Suns playoff series: ''I haven't though about it none. Nah, I have. I mean it was fun, it showed... it was my first time in playoffs so I got a good feel for it, there were more stakes on the line, just having every seat filled in the Smoothie King Centre was like oh wow. It brung my energy, I was super locked in just trying to focus on winning basketball games and I got a chance to experience it. I know the routine that it takes, night in and night out, to be consistent with what I'm doing, so that's the fun part. I got the experience and I can go back and write things down and remember how that feeling felt.''
First offseason where there's been continuity in teammates, coaching staff, etc. How does that help?: ''It makes me more comfortable to tap on the guy and tell him exactly what he needs to hear or what I'm feeling. It makes the organisation better from a standpoint of, we can get more out of guys, we trust each other a lot more from playing with each other last season, going into a few summer workouts and talking to coach - we trusted each other a lot more. Of course we expect a lot more out of each other, and we can talk through those things.''
Getting back the C&S 3 last season towards the end, emphasis on it this year with Zion being back: ''Been doing your research... I mean, that's going to be very important, being able to shoot the basketball behind the 3, being able to catch and shoot and play faster. But I plan on just trying to be adaptable, being able to play with all the guys and being effective in everywhere that I can. Every night calls for something different so if it's catch and shoot one night, midrange another, another night driving to the basket, if I have to be on the best player or I have to be the low man to be the best help, that's what I'm prepared for.''
Ultimate expectations for Zion's reintroduction for the team: ''I don't have any expectations. I think when you go in with expectations you lose patience and I know throughout Zion coming back and getting a feel for the game we have to be patient with him getting back into the groove of things and helping him along the way. It was the same thing when CJ came, we had to figure out how to work with each other. That happened pretty fast but it's going to be something we continue to work with, you know, he signed the contract to be here for a while, CJ's going to be here for a while, so we'll figure it out.''
Really good interview from BI, basically saying all the things you want to hear.
Being a fan through all the thick and thin and to see the team as it stands today
https://i.kym-scdn.com/photos/images...10/541/2a9.gif
The potential of this team is... absurd. And more than passable on defense with Herb, Trey, Jose, and "Zvelte Zion"... Offenses won't be able to exploit him as badly with him carrying less mass that requires less monetum to get moving.
Herb looks to be rounding out to be the type of player every single team would want in their starting 5... I am detecting Kobe/MJ levels of OCD perfectionistic work ethic, combined with a body and coach's-son-IQ that is telling me this kid expects to be first team all defense every year.
If Pelicans end up with 1-3 seed, Zion WILL win MVP... not a homer statement, because his stats and efficiency will be absolutely historically ungodly if that occurs, and voter fatigue for Giannis and Jokic will be real. His competition will be Luka, Curry, Embiid, and Kawhi. But he will emerge victorious!
Peak hype activated. Zero interest in tempering it. Tempered hype is boring and faaaar less fun; I save my tempered expectations for equities portfolios and business opportunities were capital is on the line.The only purpose of sports is fun. Maintaining "I told you so" credibility in the face of potential injuries is easy and holds zero value. Fight me.
Because part of why we root for the team is to be right...I guess...
I don't care, really. Go crazy. Get hyped.
I just tend to disagree. Emotion is a simple formula: Expectations of what you think will happen vs What actually happens
Thats what, literally, every emotion is. Expect to walk into an empty house, and surprise... all your loved ones standing there, with gifts in hand and your favorite meal for your birthday = Positive emotions
Expect to have an easy drive home, but you get stuck in traffic due to a 4 car accident = negative emotion.
I am not saying that you only expect bad things, to cheat code this formula. But you try to rid yourself of the bias of what you want to happen, and be a little more objective in your expectation setting. I look at Saints fans right now.... they had a TON of fun this offseason, getting all pumped up and excited. Telling everyone that didnt believe that they were "Jameis haters"
Now, they are miserable. You cant tell me that overhyping your team is the "fun" in being a fan. Because it leads to misery when it falls flat.
Personally, I think 45-48 wins is realistic, with average health. Now, the raw talent -- 55 win team. But I think this is a classic 'less than the sum of their parts' team. Way too much overlap in strengths and the puzzle pieces dont quite fit together. I also dont think they will be highly effective in clutch minutes this year.
In the NBA, 5+5+5+5+5 does not equal 25. The Warriors have a scrub starting center, a great defensive player who is beyond awful offensively, a guy at SF who was thrown away, and a cast of guys who were given up on off their bench. Yet, they win the title. I think that, eventually, when guys like Trey and Daniels develop and replace minutes from guys like Jonas and even CJ, this could be a contender. But this upcoming year, there will be a lot of game threads where people wont be able to believe the Pels lost to a team with less talent. All that said, 45 wins should still be something that makes everyone happy, if you go in with the right expectations
With an ending similar to last season, losing in the first round to a better team but winning a couple, would we still experience the same happy feelings? Question for everyone. I think we all are expecting to make the playoffs, does it go further than that?
And that is a perfect illustration of how happiness is tied to expectations, not necessarily raw results
Because, no — if the team won enough games to be 9th, won two playoff games and lost in the first round, most would not be happy. The same thing that made people ecstatic and over the moon last year would not bring happiness this year
Happiness is a combination of results and expectations— and you can only control one of those things
And that’s what people always say — I am excited and hyped but if they don’t do well, I won’t get upset, I can control that.
And if true, this fan base if full of humans who are the exception, not the rule, with regard to humans process emotions. Which is awesome
And now we see the psychological motivation behind pessimism. It is a self preservation strategy against the pathological fear of disappointment. The pessimist clings to a glass half empty view so that if/when something undesirable happens, at least he can console himself with the knowledge that he was right. The pessimist warns others against having hope mainly because he is worried it will infect him and threaten his strategy for avoiding the discomfort of disappointment.
i just love the pelicans..win or loose im just happy i have a team to enjoy...
Here's a photo for everyone but McNamara
https://twitter.com/FearTheBrown/sta...C-qY-m79orAAAA
I love getting unreasonably excited. Bring it on. Its only sports. I love sports because of the incredible highs of a Zion dunk or a pick-6 in football.
If you don't get excited, what's the point of all this?!?!?!?
Notice that I didn’t try to convert anyone. I said I disagree and stated my personal philosophy- a lot of which is based on empirical evidence. But never claimed my way must be the way you choose. Just what I think is most logical, and is therefore the path I choose
People should embrace different opinions. Not want everyone’s to be the same
I appreciate the opinions of pessimists, but I wish they'd just own up to the fact that they are pessimists and not call themselves realists, which basically means that those who disagree with them are unrealistic. Not that I lose any sleep about it. Ta ta!
To me, a pessimist is someone who assumes worse than the median objective outcome AND does not acknowledge the possibility of an outcome vastly better than said outcome either.
My projection is in line with Vegas, who sets lines to get equal action on both sides and I also have acknowledged the best case scenario as a real possibility
Over the past 15 years, this franchise has gone under the Vegas win total 11 times and over 4 times, so to be in line with Vegas would actually make you an optimist, an objective person might argue
Off subject but...here's a question...which of the 3... MLB, NBA and NFL can analytics be most useful?
As a predictor of results or for what specifically?
Regardless, the answer is baseball. Infinitely less variables. No turnover in that sport, and many other factors make that far and away the answer.
The real question is which sport is second
Agree...baseball is 99.3333% (repeating of course)...just a battle between 2 players. All the other players makeup the remaining .6666%. I'm a baseball guy...but the more I dip my toe into the NBA...the more I think the NBA is probably second. Of course...I COULD be wrong.
Wow, it's incredible to watch how fast fortunes can change in the NBA. The Pelicans got off to a terrible start last year while the Suns had high hopes and then led the league in victories. But media day for the Pelicans this year was a love-fest full of optimism, and media day for Phoenix was like funeral... Ayton is clearly unhappy, Crowder didn't show and is demanding a trade, CP3 is a year older, and their owner is banned, reviled, and trying to sell the team. The reversal of fortunes for these two teams is stunning.
FYI looks like the last preseason game will be broadcast OTA. Took'em 20 years to figure that one out but better late than never I guess. Do that more.
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