13th January - New Orleans Pelicans @ Detroit Pistons - 14-26

[msusousaphone]

As a side note, it's games like this that are why I think we'll ultimately end up missing the playoffs at this point, even if we have an easier schedule and we're getting the guys together healthy for the first time.

On the road. 14 wins. Going up against another 14 win team that's 4-12 over its last 16. They're missing arguably their best player in Blake Griffin, and they've struggled all year to get any momentum going. And we're probably going to lose because everyone and their dog has gotten injured or sick at the same time.

At some point all these little excusable losses add up and you've lost 50 games and you miss the playoffs. Nobody really cares if you take an L to Boston, they're a good team, that's whatever. But Detroit are bad, and have been even worse for the last month, and we still might lose. You can't make the playoffs, especially in a West as vicious as this year's West is, when you're just bleeding away games to sub .500 teams.

Yeah. I feel you.

D Rose is dangerous, tonight. He can single leggedly dominate us depending on Favors and Ingram.

[Pelicanidae]

This seems like speculation. I want to see him as bad as anyone but you mean to tell me some guy that does serious XM NBA coverage has sources that nobody else does? He should have said sauces, it would be more credible.

On that note, I want Zion to play tonight!

I trust nobody explicitly except Woj. I posted that tweet because

A) It's the first indication of a return date from ''sources'' that I've seen at all, from anywhere
B) He's not the only person I've seen talking about it
C) Even if it is just speculation, it's speculation that lines up with the speculation we've been having, so it's a nice bit of confirmation bias

[luckyman]

I grew up in New Orleans and the entire family has always been huge LSU fans as well as most of my friends. Even through the bad years before Dinardo arrived and started to pull us out of it. My family also hated Tulane though, so there's that. LOL

I honestly don't know why we always pulled for LSU. I was the first one in my family to go there as a student. My senior year was the championship season in 07'.

Your family seems like maybe an odd ball. People in the area always followed LSU, but it was nowhere near what you see today with all the LSU merch all over the place. One of the first football games I ever went to was LSU vs Tulane in the dome back when Tulane had that powered offense with Marc Zeno. It was not an LSU love fest like I'm sure it would be today if that game is played in the dome.

That being said I was a big LSU basketball fan. Hard not to when they had Shaq and MAR on the same team.

All that said, I'll definitely be watching the New Orleans Ice Tubs tonight.

[Wowowowow]

So at worse...

Zo/Etwaun/Hart/Melli/Jax
Frank/Naw/Zylan/Okafor

Man...If we pull this off, it’ll be a miracle.

[UNO Gracias]

Yeah, I don’t understand the LSU pull. When I was a student at UNO it was the stupidest thing seeing students walking around campus wearing LSU gear (hello! You’re at UNO not LSU). I eventually went and got my MBA at Tulane, and it was odd seeing kids in that campus wearing Ivy League sweatshirts (but no LSU gear).

All that said, I am a university of Michigan fan (Go Blue!).

[luckyman]

Stephen A says Zion will never bring a title to New Orleans. It's Stephen A...

[Fedupfan]

Stephen A says Zion will never bring a title to New Orleans. It's Stephen A...

It’s really easy for him to say that considering nobody has brought a title to New Orleans. In fact, nobody has ever made them consistently win besides CP3, so I’m not sure what he is saying should really be taken serious. You can technically say this about any number one pick, cause they are usually drafted by a losing franchise.

[luckyman]

It’s really easy for him to say that considering nobody has brought a title to New Orleans. In fact, nobody has ever made them consistently win besides CP3, so I’m not sure what he is saying should really be taken serious. You can technically say this about any number one pick, cause they are usually drafted by a losing franchise.

His argument is its the city and franchise itself. Since you cant draft your way to a title, you have to bring someone in...and apparently nobody wants to come here...kinda like the Knicks ..I guess.

[Pelicanidae]

Stephen A says Zion will never bring a title to New Orleans. It's Stephen A...

Exactly why you shouldn't listen.

I'm not going to tell you that Zion absolutely will bring a title to New Orleans. You can't guarantee that, and there has never been an NBA title that was won by a single player (at least not in my lifetime), because a title is a franchise effort; it requires the GM building the team properly, the coach managing their talent properly, a team with multiple good players and all of them executing properly as a team for a full post-season. That's beyond any one individual's ability to make happen.

But is there any reason to be getting on TV and talking about Zion not bringing NOLA a ring before he's even played a single game? Not at all. No more reason for that than there is to keep running their ridiculous segments about Giannis leaving Milwaukee. They're doing it because they want to generate controversy, clicks, rage-attention, etc.

Stephen A Smith might be right here, but unless he's developed some kind of prophetic ability within the last several weeks, he has no way of actually know it better than you or I do. So he should keep his mouth shut, and we should ignore him.

[luckyman]

Exactly why you shouldn't listen.

I'm not going to tell you that Zion absolutely will bring a title to New Orleans. You can't guarantee that, and there has never been an NBA title that was won by a single player (at least not in my lifetime), because a title is a franchise effort; it requires the GM building the team properly, the coach managing their talent properly, a team with multiple good players and all of them executing properly as a team for a full post-season. That's beyond any one individual's ability to make happen.

But is there any reason to be getting on TV and talking about Zion not bringing NOLA a ring before he's even played a single game? Not at all. No more reason for that than there is to keep running their ridiculous segments about Giannis leaving Milwaukee. They're doing it because they want to generate controversy, clicks, rage-attention, etc.

Stephen A Smith might be right here, but unless he's developed some kind of prophetic ability within the last several weeks, he has no way of actually know it better than you or I do. So he should keep his mouth shut, and we should ignore him.

Who says I'm listening? Merely a conversation piece. Wouldn't really call it a hot take. Which is ESPN's true mission.

[UNO Gracias]

Stephen A Smith doesn’t believe any of the crap he is saying, so why should anyone here? The dude peddles in shock and meh.

[P_B_&_G]

Your family seems like maybe an odd ball.

This is beyond a doubt 100 percent correct!

[P_B_&_G]

Stephen A Smith doesn’t believe any of the crap he is saying, so why should anyone here? The dude peddles in shock and meh.

LOLOL

I read this as "The dude peddles in shock and meth." LOLOLOL

[Pelicanidae]

Brandon Ingram is out here warming up and doesn't have any kind of wrap on his right knee. Moving around pretty well.

I would say that's probably a good sign for his status moving forward. pic.twitter.com/91PMgxy7QU

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 13, 2020

This is good. We might not win this game with Ingram, but we almost certainly won't win it without him.

That said, we also have this:

Gentry says he still isn't sure about Derrick Favors' status tonight. Said Brandon Ingram will probably be out.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 13, 2020

So he's probably going to be out, except he's warming up and looks fine and doesn't have any wrap on or anything?

One day we will have clear communication about injuries and everyone will be healthy.

[6warddude]

His argument is its the city and franchise itself. Since you cant draft your way to a title, you have to bring someone in...and apparently nobody wants to come here...kinda like the Knicks ..I guess.

the franchise has made a big turn around in the league eyes imo.....ingram seem like a laid back dude that seem like he like new orleans....if zion turns out to be great as people think he will be and has success early before his next contract,,i can see another star coming to join them and us winning a title......they're star to good players in the league that dont like to deal with the drama of some big markets.........the talking heads will be proved wrong....

[Pelicanidae]

His argument is its the city and franchise itself. Since you cant draft your way to a title, you have to bring someone in...and apparently nobody wants to come here...kinda like the Knicks ..I guess.

Someone needs to tell Golden State that Didn't they draft Curry, Draymond, and Klay, and then win a ring with that core surrounded only by normal roleplayers that other teams had largely given up on like Shaun Livingston?

[Pelicanidae]

Derrick Favors (right hamstring strain), Jrue Holiday (left elbow contusion) and Brandon Ingram (right knee soreness) are out for tonight’s game at Detroit.

— Pelicans PR (@PelicansPR) January 13, 2020

that'll be a loss then

[P_B_&_G]

So, 4 starters are out. Lovely

[Pelicanidae]

Before the season, Pels Starting Lineup prediction:

Jrue Holiday/JJ Redick/Brandon Ingram/Zion Williamson/Derrick Favors

Game 41:

Pelicans starters tonight:
Ball
Moore
Hart
Melli
Okafor

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 13, 2020

Jesus that's depressing

[Fedupfan]

This team concedes games more than any team in the league. It’s bizarre to say the least. At least they are letting us know ahead of time not to watch it.

[Pelicanidae]

If you combine the injured players from both teams, you could run this team:

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Brandon Ingram/JJ Redick/Luke Kennard
SF: Zion Williamson/Darius Miller
PF: Blake Griffin/Kenrich Williams
C: Derrick Favors

That's basically a playoff team in the East

[Pelicanidae]

''Welcome to the LSU Pre-game show!'' - Joel Meyers

[Pelicanidae]

We are missing roughly

73 points
16 assists
30 rebounds

tonight.

And that's not even counting Zion because he obviously hasn't played so far this year.

Yiiiiiiiiiiiikes yikes yikes

[Pelicanidae]

Lonzo just got stonewalled on a screen

[Pelicanidae]

Okafor's going to get like, 24 points tonight, and twitter will immediately be filled with people saying that he needs more minutes even when Favors is back and healthy because he can score and it's going to be sad.