August 3rd - New Orleans Pelicans vs Memphis Grizzlies - 0-2 - Bubble Game 3

[As I See It]

This is about as far away from good team building as you can be. Jax is a 20 year old underweight ROOKIE. If your franchise has to depend on multiple 20 year olds to get into the playoffs and contend, then you are doing it all wrong.

There is no need whatsoever to rush Jax out there to get rag dolled nightly. It will not help his growth. He will develop bad habits hard to break, and he will most likely get injured horribly.

He will be where he needs to be in 2 - 3 more years in you simply develop him correctly. And it will be well worth the wait.

This is precisely why I said JAX should have played in Erie this year getting 25 - 30 minutes a night. He is not your typical lottery pick having only played two years of competitive ball. He's a late...late...late bloomer. I hope there are some football genes in his physical makeup.

Conversely, It was good to see that NAW got some floor time last night. I'm not so sure he won't be the team's long term point in the next year or two (Ball just frustrates me too much after three years in the league...too hot/cold for my tastes).

[Nola3]

Sometimes people forget Hayes is a project. For him to even be playing quality minutes in his rookie year is promising as hell.

Yup. Especially considering that almost everyone (including, from all indications, the team itself) came into this year basically expecting him to be stuck in the G League. He's already so far ahead of where I expected him to be at the end of his first season even though he has a long way to go to be a truly good NBA player.

[Creative]

This was a good team win!

[pelafanatic]

This is about as far away from good team building as you can be. Jax is a 20 year old underweight ROOKIE. If your franchise has to depend on multiple 20 year olds to get into the playoffs and contend, then you are doing it all wrong.

There is no need whatsoever to rush Jax out there to get rag dolled nightly. It will not help his growth. He will develop bad habits hard to break, and he will most likely get injured horribly.

He will be where he needs to be in 2 - 3 more years in you simply develop him correctly. And it will be well worth the wait.

This isnt at all about Jax as a player. This is about maximizing his value as a trade piece. Right now he is at his most valuable because he can already be a role player, and he has tremendous upside on a rookie scale contract. Each year that you wait to trade him, he has one less year on said rookie deal. By the time you wait for him to develop (if you believe he's still 2 years away), then he's extension eligible and basically valueless in a trade scenario.

Team building is not as much about developing players as it is maximizing assets. If you think Jax is 2 years away, then he is most likely at his highest value right now. That's why you start him next year if you think he's even close to ready. Reducing the cost of your center position, by far the least valuable of all positions and arguably replaceable in every sense, to 5 million per year would have an extremely positive impact on this team, no matter how much Jax fouls. As an added bonus, if Jax is successful in that role, you raise his value even further; if he's unsuccessful, then you still get to see the viability of Jax and Zion as a longterm fit. And instead of signing Favors to replace Jax if he's not playing well, you can find a guy like Joakim Noah who was literally free.

[pelafanatic]

Ironically, I'm probably the highest on Jax of anyone on this board

[luckyman]

This isnt at all about Jax as a player. This is about maximizing his value as a trade piece.

But he's not a trade piece. He's a core building block. So thats that.

[As I See It]

There are three core pieces...

BI, ZW, and JHayes. It would take an awful lot for me let NAW go.

Everyone else has a price.

[pelafanatic]

He can't be a core building block and also be a few years away. Those things are mutually exclusive IMO. He also cannot be a core building block before you even know whether he fits next to Zion.

[pelafanatic]

The center position is like the running back position in football. It should be a revolving door of cheap talent unless you have an elite talent. And even when you have an elite talent there, it makes it extremely difficult to build a team around a center once they're paid the max.

I think Jax could eventually become a max type guy if everything clicks because I see the Noah-like ability to handle and pass as a ceiling offensively, with his quick feet and leaping ability adding extra value both offensively and defensively. If the IQ ever catches up to the raw talent, he will be incredible. With that in mind, I see no reason in delaying the inevitable.

[As I See It]

He can't be a core building block and also be a few years away. Those things are mutually exclusive IMO. He also cannot be a core building block before you even know whether he fits next to Zion.

I believe he will be well worth the wait...he's that raw, but his ceiling is also, that high (had he a ton of competitive experience I might feel differently). One and done is just too silly in his case. Mind you, I don't profess that he is currently part of a mythical triumvirate like James/Wade/Bosh, but if there's one player to speculate on, he's my choice.

[pelafanatic]

I believe he will be well worth the wait...he's that raw, but his ceiling is also, that high (had he a ton of competitive experience I might feel differently). One and done is just too silly in his case. Mind you, I don't profess that he is currently part of a mythical triumvirate like James/Wade/Bosh, but if there's one player to speculate on, he's my choice.

Yea and that's fair analysis. I think he's a little bit closer than you do right now. But to anyone saying hes not a trade piece, I can't get on board with that. If you can somehow convince yourself that you wouldn't include Hayes in a KAT trade, then you've clearly fallen for the fallacy that is over-valuing your own pieces

[PELICANSFAN]

He can't be a core building block and also be a few years away. Those things are mutually exclusive IMO. He also cannot be a core building block before you even know whether he fits next to Zion.

That is not the case. I do not know if he is a core building block or not, but being a few years away does not eliminate him from being so. It is "building" not instant success. If the team did not value him as a potential future center, they would not have used the #8 pick on him. I would expect at least another year of development before they decide to either deal him or expect that he is a core building block. I would think Zion and BI are obviously locks as the core building blocks with Ball as the next closest potential member of the group.

[pelafanatic]

That is not the case. I do not know if he is a core building block or not, but being a few years away does not eliminate him from being so. It is "building" not instant success. If the team did not value him as a potential future center, they would not have used the #8 pick on him. I would expect at least another year of development before they decide to either deal him or expect that he is a core building block. I would think Zion and BI are obviously locks as the core building blocks with Ball as the next closest potential member of the group.

There's not much else I can say at this point. The Pels are still in asset building mode. Anyone other than BI and Zion is an asset, not a core piece. An objective viewer would not look at this team and say Jax is a core piece, just as we wouldn't look at the Hawks and say Cam Reddish is a core piece. Could he be at some point? Yes. Is it maximizing his value to wait and see? No. But you only trade him for a core piece. You're not just dealing him for draft picks unless someone blows you away, and I'm certainly not advocating to dump him for nothing.

[As I See It]

That is not the case. I do not know if he is a core building block or not, but being a few years away does not eliminate him from being so. It is "building" not instant success. If the team did not value him as a potential future center, they would not have used the #8 pick on him. I would expect at least another year of development before they decide to either deal him or expect that he is a core building block. I would think Zion and BI are obviously locks as the core building blocks with Ball as the next closest potential member of the group.

I'm probably hard-headed, but I don't count on Ball for anything (I'd deal him this offseason rather than waiting for his renewal year and get nothing). Frankly, I see much more promise in NAW than I do LB. Ball's poor decision-making ability (especially in the fourth quarter) is quite apparent, and his inability to finish at the rim is well-documented speaking to, both, his mental and physical toughness.

[Pelicanidae]

Grizzlies: Memphis F Jaren Jackson Jr., suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2020

[Snarly]

That is tough. I HATE that for a young and up and coming player like Jackson. I hope he can come back stronger.

[JJackisangry]

Grizzlies: Memphis F Jaren Jackson Jr., suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2020

That is the pits. It sucks even worse for it to happen when the season is almost over. One of the reasons why I was skeptical about restarting. Get well soon Mr Jackson

[Taker597]

That is the pits. It sucks even worse for it to happen when the season is almost over. One of the reasons why I was skeptical about restarting. Get well soon Mr Jackson

Hopefully, it's a minor tear and he'll be ready for the late Christmas NBA start(Which should be the nba start date in my opinion. Even though... I love me October sports month for sports betting.

[Pelicanidae]

Hopefully, it's a minor tear and he'll be ready for the late Christmas NBA start(Which should be the nba start date in my opinion. Even though... I love me October sports month for sports betting.

I always see people pushing for a Christmas start, or for shortening to season to 70 games, or any number of these kinds of changes, and I can never understand.

Why would people who love basketball be asking for less of it?

There are two major reasons I've been given for it.

1) Fewer games in the same span, or just a shorter season, gives more time for recover, which would lessen injury risks and also improve the calibre of play since players will be less tired.

2) There's just too much basketball! People like the Once a Week NFL schedule, so we should be closer to that.

The problem with 1) is that the calibre of play generally isn't actually better after teams have had 3 or 4 days of rest between games, they actually usually look worse if anything. I concede it may potentially be better for injury risk, but then of course, 0 games at all would be better for injury risk so we have to find the balance. It's not like the NBA schedule is baseball with well over a hundred games.

2) Is just absurd to me; firstly, it only makes sense if you're coming from an America-centric background, where the NFL is standard, and also if the NFL is your standard for structure. Other sports play way more games than the NBA, and there's no reason that anyone should use the NFL as the standard model outside of it just being what you're used to. The second problem with it is that there isn't too much basketball I constantly rewatch old games, watch college hoops, some FIBA, etc etc, cause there's always room for more.

Basically what I'm saying is leave the schedule alone.

[WildlifeAirGrp]

Next season can't run late...Olympics in Tokyo. Although at this point it might be old school Olymoics with just college kids playing for 'merica.

[Pelicanidae]

Next season can't run late...Olympics in Tokyo. Although at this point it might be old school Olymoics with just college kids playing for 'merica.

Honestly, with this years college class, just college kids playing for America will do it

Cade, Moses Moody, Jalen Suggs, Evan Mobley, BJ Boston, Jonathan Kuminga, Scottie Barnes, Greg Brown, yeah... that'll do it

[Taker597]

I always see people pushing for a Christmas start, or for shortening to season to 70 games, or any number of these kinds of changes, and I can never understand.

Why would people who love basketball be asking for less of it?

There are two major reasons I've been given for it.

1) Fewer games in the same span, or just a shorter season, gives more time for recover, which would lessen injury risks and also improve the calibre of play since players will be less tired.

2) There's just too much basketball! People like the Once a Week NFL schedule, so we should be closer to that.

The problem with 1) is that the calibre of play generally isn't actually better after teams have had 3 or 4 days of rest between games, they actually usually look worse if anything. I concede it may potentially be better for injury risk, but then of course, 0 games at all would be better for injury risk so we have to find the balance. It's not like the NBA schedule is baseball with well over a hundred games.

2) Is just absurd to me; firstly, it only makes sense if you're coming from an America-centric background, where the NFL is standard, and also if the NFL is your standard for structure. Other sports play way more games than the NBA, and there's no reason that anyone should use the NFL as the standard model outside of it just being what you're used to. The second problem with it is that there isn't too much basketball I constantly rewatch old games, watch college hoops, some FIBA, etc etc, cause there's always room for more.

Basically what I'm saying is leave the schedule alone.

For me... It's not where NBA starts but when it ends. That Summer dead period is the worst.

[donato]

I'm all for the shift of starting when the NFL ends or around that time and ending before football starts again. I just can't do baseball as a spectator...

As far as the regular season, I guess I'm ok with the way it is, but would prefer 60-70 games. There is truth in saying so many games lessens the importance of games.

[DroopyDawg]

Grizzlies: Memphis F Jaren Jackson Jr., suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2020

Memphis is done.

[Pelicanidae]

Memphis is done.

Yep.

Shame Portland and Phoenix are waking up, cause otherwise we could have a nice easy run into the playoffs.