October 22nd - New Orleans Pelicans @ Chicago Bulls - 0-1

[HerbJonesFan]

You're largely right, though I would disagree on one major point:

Zion returning after 10 games would be entirely within the realm of normalcy for coming back from a Jones fracture, and him on a minutes restriction would still solve a huge amount of our problems. Remember that after Zion returned his rookie season he was on a minutes restriction then too, and it didn't matter: the impact he gave in the minutes he could play was huge for us.

Our biggest problem through two games is that our bench cannot score whatsoever. Getting 20-25 minutes a night of Zion, even if 35 would be better, would give us a real route to solving that problem: even hobbled, minutes restricted Zion turns bench units into dust.

I keep see this blame on the bench, as if the team is good when the starters are in. Sure, at the end the stupid plus minus might be okay, but for people who actually watched the game - did you feel the starters were in the same class as the Bulls? We scored 17 in the first quarter, three of which at the end on a lucky Murphy fadeaway 3 pointer. They never get anything easy. Like, ever. Everything is a struggle, even with the starters. Graham is shooting way above his career averages and that wont sustain. BI makes a lot of tough mid range shots. Jonas can only go over his left shoulder, and any competent defensive center wont let him do that and force him to go the other way.

Sure, they scored a lot of points in the final 8 minutes to make the offense look not terrible. But that is an awful offense. I am sure Zion will help but this idea that this team will go from terrible to even average because of a guy who scores points but doesnt rebound, defend, steal, block, assist, or do literally anything else so far at an above average level is blind hope in my opinion.

[Wecandothis]

Jrue asked for a trade and would've walked for nothing as a FA if we didn't trade him.

https://pelicandebrief.com/2020/06/1...-holiday-stay/

[Pelicanidae]

I keep see this blame on the bench, as if the team is good when the starters are in. Sure, at the end the stupid plus minus might be okay, but for people who actually watched the game - did you feel the starters were in the same class as the Bulls? We scored 17 in the first quarter, three of which at the end on a lucky Murphy fadeaway 3 pointer. They never get anything easy. Like, ever. Everything is a struggle, even with the starters. Graham is shooting way above his career averages and that wont sustain. BI makes a lot of tough mid range shots. Jonas can only go over his left shoulder, and any competent defensive center wont let him do that and force him to go the other way.

Sure, they scored a lot of points in the final 8 minutes to make the offense look not terrible. But that is an awful offense. I am sure Zion will help but this idea that this team will go from terrible to even average because of a guy who scores points but doesnt rebound, defend, steal, block, assist, or do literally anything else so far at an above average level is blind hope in my opinion.

If you think that we don't have a legitimate bench problem on this team based on the first few games, I don't know what team you're watching. Our bench units are terrible.

It's fair to say that there are other issues, and there are - sure, Graham and NAW aren't going to shoot this well every night, that's fine, I agree.

But that's why I've mentioned shot profile and FTAs about 400 times, and yeah Zion is integral to the success of both of those things. You may argue that it's bad team construction to have everything rely so heavily on one person and to an extent that's true, but that doesn't change the reality that without that guy, you expect things to look bad. As mentioned before, no team looks good without their best player - I repeat, the KD/Klay/Draymond Warriors were a sub .500 team Without Curry. That's how important your defense-warping offensive warpath is, regardless of anythnig else. Curry wasn't their best defender or passer or rebounder either, but it doesn't matter because of the role he played in that team and the way everyone else was built to lock in around him.

You're acting like I said ''everything is great and when Zion comes back we'll be undefeated!'', which isn't the case. What I've said is ''this team is built around the idea that we will have Zion in it, and without him everything gets worse and everything gets harder on everyone else, so of course we look out of sorts''. Which is true. Sorry if that upsets you.

[donato]

https://pelicandebrief.com/2020/06/1...-holiday-stay/

From your same author:

https://pelicandebrief.com/2021/07/2...anthony-davis/

"Unlike Davis, fans were happy and excited for Jrue Holiday, who is still a fan favorite in New Orleans even after quietly requesting a trade out of town."

Keep up!