February 8th - New Orleans Pelicans VS Minnesota Timberwolves - 24-31
*Sigh* Anthony Davis is back, I suppose.
Tonight we play the 25-29 Minneosta Timberwolves, in a game that I can be described as ''hopefully like the last time we played them and lost''. The NBA is using the New Orleans Pelicans as a punching bag at the behest of Rich Paul and, probably Lebron James. Our coach's right to play the lineups which they believe best suit the purposes of the team, and our front office's right to direct the future of its own team have been wrested away from them and handed over to Rich Paul, in essence. The team has been blackmailed and bullied into acquiescing with the whims of guys who aren't on the team, who have never played for the team, who are not working for the team, and who actively want bad things to happen to the franchise. It's an absolute travesty, and if the NBA had any kind of consistency, shame, or respect for the people who make the money it so desperately wants, they wouldn't do this. But, they have.
So what next?
Well, we still want to lose. Gentry doesn't, for obvious reasons: he might think he still has a job to save, and even if he doesn't, he might want to win as many games as possible to reflect more brightly on his resume as he hopes to coach elsewhere in future. As a result, he will want to win, and because he is Alvin Gentry, that means playing Jrue and AD for probably 40 minutes a game if there's even a 10% chance of us winning this game down the stretch. Obviously this is stupid, and hugely risky for no good reason, but it makes sense if you are Alvin Gentry and you just want to have some kind of positive exit from the team.
We are playing the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have lost 5 of their last 6, including to teams like Orlando and Memphis. They are a team which, playing as they currently are, we could easily beat, especially if Kenrich and Frank and Jahlil and Jrue continue playing with the intensity they've shown over the last few games.
Anthony Davis should play as few minutes as possible. If he falls and is even slightly slow to get up, he should be out of the game and not come back. If he lands on someone's foot after a dunk, he should come out of the game and not return. If he takes a charge, he should come out of the game and not come back. If he gets fouled hard, same principle. The coaching staff should be looking to absolutely cap AD's minutes at 25 tonight, and he should preferably not touch the court in the 4th quarter. Let him get his shots up early, let him put up his 20/10 as soon as possible, don't allow him to ruin any trade value, and then sit him.
Aside from that, let's just hope Gentry and the team continue to see their job as contributing to the future, and try to get as many minutes in as possible for Kenrich, Frank, Jahlil, and co. They are members of the New Orleans Pelicans, they are the priority. Let's go out there and see how it goes.
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Originally Posted by bahmamamba
