Thoughts on Next Year

[Creative]

It's time for Gentry to go... This is the most importand thing

[luckyman]

Zion @ 6'6ish is undersized at the 4. There's no way to reframe it.

There is a way to re-frame it...he's not.

I already said girth is also a factor. Was Charles Barkley or Larry Johnson "too small" at a time when BIG bigs ruled the NBA paint?

Zion has more girth, strength, and athleticism than both. He plays above his height. He's not undersized.

[da ThRONe]

There is a way to re-frame it...he's not.

I already said girth is also a factor. Was Charles Barkley or Larry Johnson "too small" at a time when BIG bigs ruled the NBA paint?

Zion has more girth, strength, and athleticism than both. He plays above his height. He's not undersized.

Being wide, strong, and explosive has nothing to do with being undersized. Hes 3 or 4 inches below the average 4 or 5 and he doesn't have a ridiculously long wingspan. None of that means he can't or won't be successful.

[13 - 3]

Being wide, strong, and explosive has nothing to do with being undersized. Hes 3 or 4 inches below the average 4 or 5 and he doesn't have a ridiculously long wingspan. None of that means he can't or won't be successful.

So you want to trade him?

[da ThRONe]

The only thing being undersized at the 4 do is make him a bad match up to elite centers. Zion needs a tag team partner that isn't Favors and can play better defense than Melli. If only Mirotic didn't go back home.

Again if Zion reaches his full potential he's a terrible match up for everyone! The question is will he be a great player that can have the ball in hand like LeBron or a great player that has to play off of other players like AD.

[da ThRONe]

So you want to trade him?

What are you reading? What about anything I said would give you or anybody even the slightest impression I would want Zion traded?

[13 - 3]

What are you reading? What about anything I said would give you or anybody even the slightest impression I would want Zion traded?

My bad. I think we are developing Zion to be a star

[da ThRONe]

My bad. I think we are developing Zion to be a star

There's levels to stardom. The players that are capable of playing out on the perimeter and shoot of the dribble have the biggest impact in the current NBA. We should be developing Zion for that skillset.

[Taker597]

Again if Zion reaches his full potential he's a terrible match up for everyone! The question is will he be a great player that can have the ball in hand like LeBron or a great player that has to play off of other players like AD.

But even AD needs another big to keep him clean. He don't even need star guards. When Zion is in his prime and the gameplan allows them to double him. He'll be completely gassed by the 4th because of the double team. This was a problem with AD in 4th Qtrs. He just be wirn out from fighting double and triple teams on a night basis. Zion needs studs next to him.

Double teams aren't about shutting down a person. It's about wearing them down. . Good defense now how to do it..

[Pelicanidae]

There's levels to stardom. The players that are capable of playing out on the perimeter and shoot of the dribble have the biggest impact in the current NBA. We should be developing Zion for that skillset.

I'm not actually sure that the biggest impact players are necessarily players who can shoot off the dribble. Obviously some can, even most, but Giannis is the biggest impact player in the NBA right now and he is not a shooter really at all, let alone a serious pullup threat. Similarly, while Lebron is somewhat of a pullup threat that's mostly recent, and it's also mostly due to volume rather than accuracy; he's still not actually a great shooter by percentages. Then you have your AD, Embiid style of players who are unquestionably top 10, top 15 type guys at worst and who are also not shooters whatsoever.

Now, I actually agree that Zion should be working on his handle and his shooting. I think he has that capacity, particularly with the handle: he demonstrated a lot of signs at Duke and it helps unlock his passing when he's driving.

But that doesn't mean that his ability to impact the game inside the paint should be put to the wayside. Good coaches and good teams do not ignore what their players are naturally great at.

[Darkhorse985]

1. Fire Gentry (Most obvious move of the offseason). Hire Kenny Atkinson

2. Sign Ingram

3. Let Favors, Okafor, Kenrich, and Moore go.

4. Sign Serge Ibaka as plan A or Aron Baynes as plan B

5. Sign Frank Jackson only on a 1 year minimum to $2 million deal.

6. Do not extend Ball or Hart. Give them both a year under Atkinson

7. bring Didi over from Australia

8. Draft PG in the first who can actually shoot and facilitate. Develop to replace Ball.

Lineup

PG: Ball/NAW/1st round pick
SG Holiday/Reddick/Jackson
SF: Ingram/Hart/Didi
PF: Williamson/Melli
C: Ibaka/Hayes

[Pelicanidae]

6. Do not extend Ball or Hart. Give them both a year under Atkinson

8. Draft PG in the first who can actually shoot and facilitate. Develop to replace Ball.

Confused by this. We're developing a PG with the intent of replacing Ball, but we're not moving Ball because we're giving him a year to develop under Atkinson, even though we're already planning on replacing him so why we would keep him without extending him, thus dropping his trade value to nothing, is beyond me.

Surely you either keep him with the plan of keeping him, or you move him now when there's time left on his contract and therefore some value for another team.

[Darkhorse985]

Confused by this. We're developing a PG with the intent of replacing Ball, but we're not moving Ball because we're giving him a year to develop under Atkinson, even though we're already planning on replacing him so why we would keep him without extending him, thus dropping his trade value to nothing, is beyond me.

Surely you either keep him with the plan of keeping him, or you move him now when there's time left on his contract and therefore some value for another team.

I would still want to compete next year as we have the talent to do so. A rookie point guard will not start and be successful. Ball is a bottom tier starting PG, so keep him on his 1 year contract. Please tell me what better options are out there as a starting PG? No one will give major value for Ball. The best we could get would be a late 1st round pick. I think Jrue is a possible trade deadline trade piece if we are a fringe team like we were this year. He is also not the future.

[Wowowowow]

Pels desperately need a 5 that can score.
Watching the Spurs game, you wouldn’t know that either Derozen or Walker started at the 4 for them. Poetl guarded Zion and Pop went small realizing we don’t use Favors as an offensive weapon at all. Which is crazy because we had a major mismatch advantage if Favors didn’t come back looking older than dust.
Also a new coach that understands the art of attacking mismatches. Zion is defended by 7-1 Poetl and then guards Walker IV or Rudy Gay. It’s crazy.

If this new lights out shooting is the new NBA, we need better disciplined outside defenders. Guys who can guard their man straight up without overt aggressive theatrics.

[As I See It]

I would still want to compete next year as we have the talent to do so. A rookie point guard will not start and be successful. Ball is a bottom tier starting PG, so keep him on his 1 year contract. Please tell me what better options are out there as a starting PG? No one will give major value for Ball. The best we could get would be a late 1st round pick.

FVV
Dragic
Anybody who can shoot the ball just enough to keep defenses honest.

[PELICANSFAN]

FVV
Dragic
Anybody who can shoot the ball just enough to keep defenses honest.

Tell me how we could possibly get FVV? If there were a way, I would love it. But that is not realistic at all.

Dragic could be a 1 year stop gap, but he is showing signs of breaking down at his age.

[As I See It]

Tell me how we could possibly get FVV? If there were a way, I would love it. But that is not realistic at all.

Dragic could be a 1 year stop gap, but he is showing signs of breaking down at his age.

Move Jrue and there's room.

And you only need Dragic for a year or two (if NAW's your man)

[Darkhorse985]

FVV would be more Jrue’s replacement and not Ball. FVV plays under a good coach/system and has made some clutch shots in big games. He is by no means an all-star caliber player. Jrue’s defense with a better coach makes him the better player.

[Pelicanidae]

I would still want to compete next year as we have the talent to do so. A rookie point guard will not start and be successful. Ball is a bottom tier starting PG, so keep him on his 1 year contract. Please tell me what better options are out there as a starting PG? No one will give major value for Ball. The best we could get would be a late 1st round pick. I think Jrue is a possible trade deadline trade piece if we are a fringe team like we were this year. He is also not the future.

So you just let him walk for absolutely nothing and don't even try to move him? Come on now.

[As I See It]

FVV would be more Jrue’s replacement and not Ball. FVV plays under a good coach/system and has made some clutch shots in big games. He is by no means an all-star caliber player. Jrue’s defense with a better coach makes him the better player.

Oh, I see, you're an authority. It's simply a given that Jrue has digressed because of Alvin's coaching and through no fault of his own. Yep, Now I got it. It's like...Alvin's fault that Jrue threw that pass to the sideline today that would have landed in the upper deck in a real arena.

Thanks for setting me straight.

[Darkhorse985]

Oh, I see, you're an authority. It's simply a given that Jrue has digressed because of Alvin's coaching and through no fault of his own. Yep, Now I got it. It's like...Alvin's fault that Jrue threw that pass to the sideline today that would have landed in the upper deck in a real arena.

Thanks for setting me straight.

It’s called an opinion. I am entitled to one just as you are. I think FVV is not an all-star caliber player. Have I been proven wrong? You can’t even argue that Jrue isn’t the better defender. I think neither move the needle for us as a contender. Neither are that 3rd star. So, I wouldn’t spend big money on FVV.

[Taker597]

Confused by this. We're developing a PG with the intent of replacing Ball, but we're not moving Ball because we're giving him a year to develop under Atkinson, even though we're already planning on replacing him so why we would keep him without extending him, thus dropping his trade value to nothing, is beyond me.

Surely you either keep him with the plan of keeping him, or you move him now when there's time left on his contract and therefore some value for another team.

He’s probably conditioned to having 3 too many guards by Gentry and he thinks it's normal.

[da ThRONe]

I'm not actually sure that the biggest impact players are necessarily players who can shoot off the dribble. Obviously some can, even most, but Giannis is the biggest impact player in the NBA right now and he is not a shooter really at all, let alone a serious pullup threat. Similarly, while Lebron is somewhat of a pullup threat that's mostly recent, and it's also mostly due to volume rather than accuracy; he's still not actually a great shooter by percentages. Then you have your AD, Embiid style of players who are unquestionably top 10, top 15 type guys at worst and who are also not shooters whatsoever.

Now, I actually agree that Zion should be working on his handle and his shooting. I think he has that capacity, particularly with the handle: he demonstrated a lot of signs at Duke and it helps unlock his passing when he's driving.

But that doesn't mean that his ability to impact the game inside the paint should be put to the wayside. Good coaches and good teams do not ignore what their players are naturally great at.

Giannis is more the exception when it comes to shooting. But he still plays mostly on the perimeter and to my point Kidd played him @PG for a couple of seasons to help develop his ball handling. Also he's almost 7' so he doesn't have the same height and length(undersized) issues that Zion has while being similar in athletic abilities.

As far as Davis and Embiid both are viewed as disappointments at this stage of their respective careers in terms of team success as the main guys. Hopefully in 5 years people won't be saying the same about Williamsons' career.

[PELICANSFAN]

Move Jrue and there's room.

And you only need Dragic for a year or two (if NAW's your man)

What has NAW done to even make you think he is the man going forward? The book is still out on him. How are you going to move Jrue without taking on salary?

[AusPel]

FVV
Dragic
Anybody who can shoot the ball just enough to keep defenses honest.

Tyler Johnson?