February 16th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies - 11-15

[Pelicanidae]

Josh Hart is probable for tomorrow night?s game in Memphis

Full @SmoothieKing injury report ⤵️https://t.co/JWONfenYxg

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 15, 2021

It's weird, we won 4 straight and then lost 3 straight. It's like we can't be a decent team, we're either on a run or getting steamrolled. Very little up-and-down with this team. It's been true all year as well: we started the year 4-2, then proceeded to go 1-8, then 6-2, and now we're 0-3 over the last 3. It's kind of weird.

In any case, we're on the road again tonight and taking on the Grizzlies. We've already played them this year and not even that long ago so I'm not going to detail and agonise over all of their statistics: we kind of know this team by now. We're 3-0 in games against Memphis where Zion plays, and he's averaging 25/5/5 on 60%TS against them in those three games, so if he just had an average night against them for him it would actually be a slightly sub-par performance by his recent standards, which is wild to consider.

The hope here is that we can recover our footing a little bit. Win here, get to 12-15, and then we play Portland Phoenix and Detroit. Need to pick up these ''winnable'' ones if you want to stand any chance of playoff contention!

[AusPel]

All I want to see from the game is Bledsoe's ****** benched indefinitely. Also Lonzo being aggressive all game

[PELICANSFAN]

All I want to see from the game is Bledsoe's ****** benched indefinitely. Also Lonzo being aggressive all game

I just have a feeling that if Stan does make a move in the startling lineup or rotations, it will be NAW in place of Bledsoe. Maybe Beldsoe will start, but I expect NAW to get some of his minutes in the rotation. I think Stan likes his activeness on defense.

[AusPel]

I just have a feeling that if Stan does make a move in the startling lineup or rotations, it will be NAW in place of Bledsoe. Maybe Beldsoe will start, but I expect NAW to get some of his minutes in the rotation. I think Stan likes his activeness on defense.

I like his activeness on defense too. I'm willing to live through his growing pains because essentially, there's no better option

Remember how everything clicked for him in the Clippers game?

[PELICANSFAN]

I like his activeness on defense too. I'm willing to live through his growing pains because essentially, there's no better option

Remember how everything clicked for him in the Clippers game?

Part of the focus of the remainder of this season should probably be to get NAW, Kira, Hayes and Hernangomez some experience at this point. That may give Griff a clearer vision on where to go next season.

[AusPel]

Part of the focus of the remainder of this season should probably be to get NAW, Kira, Hayes and Hernangomez some experience at this point. That may give Griff a clearer vision on where to go next season.

Love what I see from Kira so far, but I don't see the next Fox or Morant in terms of half court play-making. I'm seeing a more confident Lonzo type. Making some good reads to guys open around the perimeter, but not driving into the heart of the defense, making it bend and finding the creative angles for the open guy. He seems to be more of driving scorer type. Still very excited by him and hope I'm wrong.

I think Willy will continue being a solid big off the bench, like a Theis type guy.

NAW I think just needs reps and people to believe in him so he doesn't second guess himself

Jax - I don't think all the athleticism in the would can fix having a junk tier Basketball IQ or in general

[JJackisangry]

All I want to see from the game is Bledsoe's ****** benched indefinitely. Also Lonzo being aggressive all game

We all want to see it, but we have to admit it isn’t practical at all. We have to salvage a deal for him and I hope to the lord Griffin is searching hard. Even if it’s a damn expiring just get him off the books without sacrificing assets.

[AusPel]

We all want to see it, but we have to admit it isn’t practical at all. We have to salvage a deal for him and I hope to the lord Griffin is searching hard. Even if it’s a damn expiring just get him off the books without sacrificing assets.

Even so, it's just a bandaid to cover the initial wound which was, why the ******** would you take him and not Hill in the first place?

Griffin being a ********ing moron as usual

[6warddude]

I like his activeness on defense too. I'm willing to live through his growing pains because essentially, there's no better option

Remember how everything clicked for him in the Clippers game?

i just want NAW to drive more....use the high screen and drive to the basket...dude is good at that...

[Pelicanidae]

Even so, it's just a bandaid to cover the initial wound which was, why the ******** would you take him and not Hill in the first place?

Griffin being a ********ing moron as usual

Because trading Bledsoe rather than Hill presumes OKC had any interest in Bledsoe, which they probably didn't.

I know it's easy to just imagine that Griff could have done anything and just chose to do the thing you don't like, but in reality it's much more probable that OKC just had no desire for Bledsoe and wanted Hill instead.

[Pelicanidae]

Josh Hart: "A lot of people say they want to win, but they don't want to do the dirty work. They don't want to crack back and get rebounds, play defense. If you really want to win, you're going to do those things. You can tell who wants to win by what they do on the court."

— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) February 16, 2021

[AusPel]

Because trading Bledsoe rather than Hill presumes OKC had any interest in Bledsoe, which they probably didn't.

I know it's easy to just imagine that Griff could have done anything and just chose to do the thing you don't like, but in reality it's much more probable that OKC just had no desire for Bledsoe and wanted Hill instead.

There's comes a point where Griffin should have said:

"Listen Presti, you've been trying to dump Adams for 18 months so you obviously have minimal suitors offering you anything of note. We're going to be nice enough to give you a 1st and 2 seconds and you're gonna take Bledsoe, otherwise we're stuck with this chump's contract that no one else really wants for a further 3 years. So we'll give you the draft capital which is already a pretty big overpay, since you're outright trying to dump Steven whose real value in today's NBA is pretty debatable at the size of the contract he has. Not to mention he's got a ********load of miles on that body. We're gonna keep Hill and you're having Bled. Otherwise the deal is off. You're still getting a ********ing great deal. I don't care if this is a stupid ********ing deal for a rebuilding team like the Pelicans, it's just that I have an insatiable hard-on for one dimensional centres, ESPECIALLY the one called Steven Adams."

Instead, it went a little something like this:

"Hey Sam, I forgot to bring the lube AND I'm not wearing a belt or underpants today. I'll let you take it from here. The rougher the better, as always. No need to rush.

Forever bowing at your altar - David Griffin."

So now, OKC is where they are today and the Pelicans, similarly, are where they are today.

[JJackisangry]

There's comes a point where Griffin should have said:

"Listen Presti, you've been trying to dump Adams for 18 months so you obviously have minimal suitors offering you anything of note. We're going to be nice enough to give you a 1st and 2 seconds and you're gonna take Bledsoe, otherwise we're stuck with this chump's contract that no one else really wants for a further 3 years. So we'll give you the draft capital, but we're keeping Hill and you're having Bled. Otherwise the deal is off."

Instead, Dave said:

"Hey Sam, I forgot to bring the lube AND I'm not wearing a belt or underpants today. I'll let you take it from here. The rougher the better, as always. No need to rush."

So now, OKC is where they are today and the Pelicans, similarly, are where they are today.

I think we both agree that the Adams deal shouldn’t have been made unless OKC took Bledsoe. Particularly if we were parting with a 1st round pick. At that point we should have left our offer on the table and let them stew on it. But it is what it is. We need to find a deal for Bledsoe and that probably means he will have to play.

[Pelicanidae]

Otherwise the deal is off. You're still getting a ********ing great deal. I don't care if this is a stupid ********ing deal for a rebuilding team like the Pelicans, it's just that I have an insatiable hard-on for one dimensional centres and ESPECIALLY the one called Steven Adams."

Yeah, Adams has been the problem for this team gotcha

What do you say if Presti, who is already in a pretty good spot far from desperate for picks, says ''actually, no: we don't have to move Steven and so unless you give us what we want, we won't''? In your universe we just say ''oh okay fine then'' but in reality what that means is that we start the season with 5 point guards and neither Kira or NAW get a minute of play the entire year.

I know you're mad, but this is why I said in that other thread that I'm past the point of trying to reason with you. You've decided Griff is Billy King and nothing, not reality, not common sense, not understanding that trades take 2, nothing is going to get in the way of you trying to spin everything as though he made the worst possible move in every spot. What's the point in arguing with that?

[As I See It]

There's comes a point where Griffin should have said:

"Listen Presti, you've been trying to dump Adams for 18 months so you obviously have minimal suitors offering you anything of note. We're going to be nice enough to give you a 1st and 2 seconds and you're gonna take Bledsoe, otherwise we're stuck with this chump's contract that no one else really wants for a further 3 years. So we'll give you the draft capital which is already a pretty big overpay, since you're outright trying to dump Steven whose real value in today's NBA is pretty debatable at the size of the contract he has. Not to mention he's got a ********load of miles on that body. We're gonna keep Hill and you're having Bled. Otherwise the deal is off. You're still getting a ********ing great deal. I don't care if this is a stupid ********ing deal for a rebuilding team like the Pelicans, it's just that I have an insatiable hard-on for one dimensional centres, ESPECIALLY the one called Steven Adams."

Instead, it went a little something like this:

"Hey Sam, I forgot to bring the lube AND I'm not wearing a belt or underpants today. I'll let you take it from here. The rougher the better, as always. No need to rush.

Forever bowing at your altar - David Griffin."

So now, OKC is where they are today and the Pelicans, similarly, are where they are today.

When we could have had the other Kiwi, Aron Baynes, for nothing.

[AusPel]

Yeah, Adams has been the problem for this team gotcha

What do you say if Presti, who is already in a pretty good spot far from desperate for picks, says ''actually, no: we don't have to move Steven and so unless you give us what we want, we won't''? In your universe we just say ''oh okay fine then'' but in reality what that means is that we start the season with 5 point guards and neither Kira or NAW get a minute of play the entire year.

I know you're mad, but this is why I said in that other thread that I'm past the point of trying to reason with you. You've decided Griff is Billy King and nothing, not reality, not common sense, not understanding that trades take 2, nothing is going to get in the way of you trying to spin everything as though he made the worst possible move in every spot. What's the point in arguing with that?

I'm sorry, what mental gymnatic routine do I need to follow to jump from not having Adams to somehow then having 5 point guards?

And then all said point guards being ahead of NAW and Kira all season long?

[Pelicanidae]

Sorry, what mental gymnatic routine do I need to follow to jump from not having Adams to somehow then having 5 point guards?

The ''knowing what consequences are'' routine.

You trade Jrue, you acquire Bledsoe and Hill. You already have Lonzo, Kira, and NAW on the roster. That is 5 (count: five) guys entering the season at PG, though I suppose with a bit of persuasion you could make the argument that NAW is a combo guard. So if you don't move Bledsoe or Hill, you have 5 point guards: potentially 4.5 if you're counting NAW as a combo.

So you need to move at least one of them, and if there's no value for them better than Hill in the Adams deal, what do you want Griff to do? Just not make a trade for a good player who fills a position of need just because you would rather throw a tantrum on the phone to Presti?

[As I See It]

The ''knowing what consequences are'' routine.

You trade Jrue, you acquire Bledsoe and Hill. You already have Lonzo, Kira, and NAW on the roster. That is 5 (count: five) guys entering the season at PG, though I suppose with a bit of persuasion you could make the argument that NAW is a combo guard. So if you don't move Bledsoe or Hill, you have 5 point guards: potentially 4.5 if you're counting NAW as a combo.

So you need to move at least one of them, and if there's no value for them better than Hill in the Adams deal, what do you want Griff to do? Just not make a trade for a good player who fills a position of need just because you would rather throw a tantrum on the phone to Presti?

You can't be afraid to get up and walk away. That way, you are dealing from strength instead of desperation.

[AusPel]

The ''knowing what consequences are'' routine.

You trade Jrue, you acquire Bledsoe and Hill. You already have Lonzo, Kira, and NAW on the roster. That is 5 (count: five) guys entering the season at PG, though I suppose with a bit of persuasion you could make the argument that NAW is a combo guard. So if you don't move Bledsoe or Hill, you have 5 point guards: potentially 4.5 if you're counting NAW as a combo.

So you need to move at least one of them, and if there's no value for them better than Hill in the Adams deal, what do you want Griff to do? Just not make a trade for a good player who fills a position of need just because you would rather throw a tantrum on the phone to Presti?

For one, SVG has come and said he's been playing NAW out of position at point guard so that's 5 minus one PGs.

No one's throwing a tantrum, but somehow OKC ended up holding the balance of power to get rid of a guy on an expiring 30 mil contract who they had being trying to dump for 18 months. Who was a super debatable fit here anyway just because Griffin has an infinite boner machine for 1 dimensional centres who have a net affect on win-loss of about 2 and will be dead when it's our time to compete.

Either take the draft capital or the worst player in the trade. Or some mix of. You shouldn't get all the draft capital AND the guy on the most desirable contract. It's atrocious negotiating.

[AusPel]

The Griffin and Adams saga is actually disturbingly close to the Demps and Asik fiasco - bidding against no one but themselves and massively overpaying relative to the other players in the market and the utility to the team's ultimate goal

Just highlights how much that Griffin is Demps 2.0

Or is it the other way around

[PELICANSFAN]

The ''knowing what consequences are'' routine.

You trade Jrue, you acquire Bledsoe and Hill. You already have Lonzo, Kira, and NAW on the roster. That is 5 (count: five) guys entering the season at PG, though I suppose with a bit of persuasion you could make the argument that NAW is a combo guard. So if you don't move Bledsoe or Hill, you have 5 point guards: potentially 4.5 if you're counting NAW as a combo.

So you need to move at least one of them, and if there's no value for them better than Hill in the Adams deal, what do you want Griff to do? Just not make a trade for a good player who fills a position of need just because you would rather throw a tantrum on the phone to Presti?

Adams was far from our only choice to play the 5. The problem was Griffin's infatuation for Adams and as a result, he got stuck overpaying for a guy who may not fit long-term.

[Pelicanidae]

Adams was far from our only choice to play the 5. The problem was Griffin's infatuation for Adams and as a result, he got stuck overpaying for a guy who may not fit long-term.

Adams is really good though, how many of the other options are? Like yeah, we could have had Alex Len for cheaper probably but Alex Len sucks.

Someone is going to go ''but Dedmon!'' to which I say: Dedmon has been a free agent since getting shipped around for nothing all through last season, for a reason. Nobody wants him anymore and it's cause he's not been very good.

One thing you can give Adams at the very least is that he's good at basketball. I know that people on this board seem to have an allergy to acquiring people who are actually good at basketball, but it is quite an important thing.

[donato]

First of all, the Bledsoe contract isn't for three more years. It's this year, next year and then only $3.9M guaranteed for 2022-2023. It's almost like an expiring next year.

[As I See It]

Adams is really good though, how many of the other options are?

When do your charts say that JAXSON will be ready?

[Pelicanidae]

Taking on a familiar foe in just a few hours...

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