April 19th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Phoenix Suns - Playoff Game 2 - 0-1

[RobertM320]

https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pe...uns-home-floor

Some excerpts from this nba.com article that I found interesting:

We're a lot better than the national media gives us credit for.

"the Pelicans entered the Western Conference playoffs at 10-2 since the All-Star break with Brandon Ingram in the lineup. They might not have realized that after New Orleans struggled for a handful of games following a trade for CJ McCollum, the Pelicans had been one of the West’s top teams for an extended stretch."

I definitely thought our rooks play much more seasoned than most rooks. This may be part of the reason why.

"While “one-and-done” lottery picks often get the lion’s share of attention and hype on draft night and during the subsequent 82-game schedule, that trio’s 11 combined seasons of NCAA experience appears to have them more ready for the pressure-packed NBA postseason than one might reasonable expect."

[Funcrusher]

People - including me - have said that they are sceptical about Ingram being good enough to be the number one guy on a championship team, and that he might end up being a DeRozan type guy who is absolutely an all-star calibre player who just ends up being traded for the megastar top-10-player type if championship level progress isn't being made in 3 or 4 years.

For some reason (I'm kidding, I know the reason) people like AISI have decided that this means we all desperately want Ingram off the team because we hate him personally and think he needs to be ''kicked to the curb''.

This is, of course, a completely dishonest and purposeful misrepresentation of the point, but what else do you expect out of AISI?

i know dae, and i know his schtick. Normally i have him on mute, but every now and then his takes provide me a serviceable laugh. Kinda sad though, ive never understood fans that hate their own players and make it part of their troll act. Just weird, especially since all things considered Zion's not an ****** or a bad person (as far as i know).

[Pelicanidae]

https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pe...uns-home-floor

Some excerpts from this nba.com article that I found interesting:

We're a lot better than the national media gives us credit for.

"the Pelicans entered the Western Conference playoffs at 10-2 since the All-Star break with Brandon Ingram in the lineup. They might not have realized that after New Orleans struggled for a handful of games following a trade for CJ McCollum, the Pelicans had been one of the West’s top teams for an extended stretch."

I definitely thought our rooks play much more seasoned than most rooks. This may be part of the reason why.

"While “one-and-done” lottery picks often get the lion’s share of attention and hype on draft night and during the subsequent 82-game schedule, that trio’s 11 combined seasons of NCAA experience appears to have them more ready for the pressure-packed NBA postseason than one might reasonable expect."

We have been, weirdly, one of the NBA's best defenses for a while now. Strange to think about.

[Pelicanidae]

You can grab this series right now. Zion wants to play. I dont see the dilemma.

Agreed.

Play the man. Take games 3 and 4. Go back to Phoenix knowing you only need to win 1 out of 3 games to seal the series. Make a run in the second round - win or lose that round, it's a coup. Make something happen.

[Funcrusher]

People - including me - have said that they are sceptical about Ingram being good enough to be the number one guy on a championship team, and that he might end up being a DeRozan type guy who is absolutely an all-star calibre player who just ends up being traded for the megastar top-10-player type if championship level progress isn't being made in 3 or 4 years.

For some reason (I'm kidding, I know the reason) people like AISI have decided that this means we all desperately want Ingram off the team because we hate him personally and think he needs to be ''kicked to the curb''.

This is, of course, a completely dishonest and purposeful misrepresentation of the point, but what else do you expect out of AISI?

moving on though - im curious if that is that still your assessment of BI? Think he might still have a lot of latent potential in him, seems like the kinda guy that, all things considered, is a late bloomer. His whole career has been a developmental curve of extreme peaks and valleys

[MichaelMcNamara]

The frustrating thing with BI is if he just played like this all the time, there would be no debate. And I dont mean making shots. I mean playing with pace and just making a decision and going. Bad BI is the guy who holds the ball, takes 8 seconds to decide and then slowly dribbles into a contested mid range. This BI just goes, and that BI is a 3rd team All NBA forward with a ceiling of top 8-10 player within 2 years

[As I See It]

no, i get it. Rn now Zion's our best player, but our best player in theory. Until he gets back on the court that title means nothing. So i get it. BI is really freaking good rn, definitely if you're comparing him now to Zion last year it's pretty damn close

Mr. Anderson, I laid out four points you have yet to refute. What /a strawman you are!!!

Nonetheless, remember back on February 25th when Zion went 28/5/7 against the Suns? Me neither. Or, remember April 1st against the Lakers when we essentially secured the play-in and his stat line was 29/8/7? Me neither. How about last night when Zion's stat line was 37/11/9 in a playoff victory against the Suns? That's right...me neither.

Until proven otherwise, Brandon Ingram is the best player on this team.

[As I See It]

People - including me - have said that they are sceptical about Ingram being good enough to be the number one guy on a championship team, and that he might end up being a DeRozan type guy who is absolutely an all-star calibre player who just ends up being traded for the megastar top-10-player type if championship level progress isn't being made in 3 or 4 years.

For some reason (I'm kidding, I know the reason) people like AISI have decided that this means we all desperately want Ingram off the team because we hate him personally and think he needs to be ''kicked to the curb''.

This is, of course, a completely dishonest and purposeful misrepresentation of the point, but what else do you expect out of AISI?

Man, is that some revisionist history. Are you a member of the media, dae...or worse yet, an American Politician. LMAO!!!

[Funcrusher]

The frustrating thing with BI is if he just played like this all the time, there would be no debate. And I dont mean making shots. I mean playing with pace and just making a decision and going. Bad BI is the guy who holds the ball, takes 8 seconds to decide and then slowly dribbles into a contested mid range. This BI just goes, and that BI is a 3rd team All NBA forward with a ceiling of top 8-10 player within 2 years

my thoughts exactly. It's both a positive and a negative that my biggest gripe with him at this point is that he's not consistently aggressive/locked in for stretches in games.

There are times when he bogs down the pace with the ball in his hands too much and times when he doesn't demand the rock nearly enough. We talk about defensive motor, but offensive motor is a thing too, an underrated thing that people don't really speak on much. A reason why the warriors, the team with the highest motor players on BOTH ends, are so good and so hard to play when they're clicking on all cylinders.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Best player implies you are looking for the current best guy. Which yes, is Ingram. Most dominant player when everyone is healthy? Zion. Highest ceiling of any current Pelican? Zion. Whose recent peak has been the highest of all on the current roster? Zion. Best current player? Ingram.

And I bet most would agree. The issue is language, not a fundamental disagreement

[hornetsrebirth]

https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pe...uns-home-floor

Some excerpts from this nba.com article that I found interesting:

We're a lot better than the national media gives us credit for.

"the Pelicans entered the Western Conference playoffs at 10-2 since the All-Star break with Brandon Ingram in the lineup. They might not have realized that after New Orleans struggled for a handful of games following a trade for CJ McCollum, the Pelicans had been one of the West?s top teams for an extended stretch."

I definitely thought our rooks play much more seasoned than most rooks. This may be part of the reason why.

"While ?one-and-done? lottery picks often get the lion?s share of attention and hype on draft night and during the subsequent 82-game schedule, that trio?s 11 combined seasons of NCAA experience appears to have them more ready for the pressure-packed NBA postseason than one might reasonable expect."

A lot better than some people on this board give us credit for too! damn this is impressive

[Funcrusher]

Mr. Anderson, I laid out four points you have yet to refute. What /a strawman you are!!!

Nonetheless, remember back on February 25th when Zion went 28/5/7 against the Suns? Me neither. Or, remember April 1st against the Lakers when we essentially secured the play-in and his stat line was 29/8/7? Me neither. How about last night when Zion's stat line was 37/11/9 in a playoff victory against the Suns? That's right...me neither.

Until proven otherwise, Brandon Ingram is the best player on this team.

ive refuted them many a time over. Not doing this with you again, you're not worth it.

Also, have yet to see you come with receipts about people wanting to trade BI. hold yourself accountable for saying something that blatantly false, otherwise you're just further embarrassing yourself

[Funcrusher]

Best player implies you are looking for the current best guy. Which yes, is Ingram. Most dominant player when everyone is healthy? Zion. Highest ceiling of any current Pelican? Zion. Whose recent peak has been the highest of all on the current roster? Zion. Best current player? Ingram.

And I bet most would agree. The issue is language, not a fundamental disagreement

yeah, that's sensible, but i really don't think this is something AISI is arguing in good faith

[msusousaphone]

You can grab this series right now. Zion wants to play. I dont see the dilemma.

Fully 100% agree.

[AusPel]

The frustrating thing with BI is if he just played like this all the time, there would be no debate. And I dont mean making shots. I mean playing with pace and just making a decision and going. Bad BI is the guy who holds the ball, takes 8 seconds to decide and then slowly dribbles into a contested mid range. This BI just goes, and that BI is a 3rd team All NBA forward with a ceiling of top 8-10 player within 2 years

Do you think Ingram will peak higher in pivotal play-off moments than Tatum? Let's just talk offensively

It's not the most concise question ever, but I hope it made some sort of sense

[PELICANSFAN]

The frustrating thing with BI is if he just played like this all the time, there would be no debate. And I dont mean making shots. I mean playing with pace and just making a decision and going. Bad BI is the guy who holds the ball, takes 8 seconds to decide and then slowly dribbles into a contested mid range. This BI just goes, and that BI is a 3rd team All NBA forward with a ceiling of top 8-10 player within 2 years

If there is one criticism I have had with CJ in the playoffs, it is just this. Not all the time, but more than usual, he seems to want to slow the pace and dribble the air out of the basketball rather than push the pace.

[As I See It]

ive refuted them many a time over. Not doing this with you again, you're not worth it.

Also, have yet to see you come with receipts about people wanting to trade BI. hold yourself accountable for saying something that blatantly false, otherwise you're just further embarrassing yourself

With all due respect, Mr. Anderson. You are delusional.

1. He hasn't been available at all this year and played way less than 50% of his team's games since being drafted (T/F)
2. He cannot be relied upon to score consistently from more than one level. (T/F)
3. Historically, his defense sucks (that's being extremely nice) (T/F)
4. At 6'6" he is undersized for a power forward. (T/F)

Bonus: Who has been there this year for the Pelicans: Garrett Temple or Zion Williamson?

The best player on this team is Brandon Ingram until proven otherwise. And, Mr. Anderson, today, you have no proof to the contrary. It's almost like Portland saying that Sam Bowie will be better than Michael Jordan. Show me!!

[AusPel]

If there is one criticism I have had with CJ in the playoffs, it is just this. Not all the time, but more than usual, he seems to want to slow the pace and dribble the air out of the basketball rather than push the pace.

And other times he just pulls up, cold blooded from three and you can only marvel at the skill

[6warddude]

If there is one criticism I have had with CJ in the playoffs, it is just this. Not all the time, but more than usual, he seems to want to slow the pace and dribble the air out of the basketball rather than push the pace.

i agree....CJ said last night that he told ingram to push the pace and basically go get his...

[hornetsrebirth]

i agree....CJ said last night that he told ingram to push the pace and basically go get his...

Ingram has raised his play level in the post season, exactly what is to be expected from a star player. I feel like CJ hasn't quite done that. Waiting for CJ to put up a signature game.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Do you think Ingram will peak higher in pivotal play-off moments than Tatum? Let's just talk offensively

It's not the most concise question ever, but I hope it made some sort of sense

I think Tatum's ceiling is a half level higher. Just has this extra burst Ingram can never have. That said, I think Ingram has as good a stroke but with a better release point. Both good passers. Both want it bad, have improving IQ. The difference is just this little 5% athleticism gap with burst, vert, and lateral mobility

[Funcrusher]

With all due respect, Mr. Anderson. You are delusional.

1. He hasn't been available at all this year and played way less than 50% of his team's games since being drafted (T/F)
2. He cannot be relied upon to score consistently from more than one level. (T/F)
3. Historically, his defense sucks (that's being extremely nice) (T/F)
4. At 6'6" he is undersized for a power forward. (T/F)

Bonus: Who has been there this year for the Pelicans: Garrett Temple or Zion Williamson?

The best player on this team is Brandon Ingram until proven otherwise. And, Mr. Anderson, today, you have no proof to the contrary. It's almost like Portland saying that Sam Bowie will be better than Michael Jordan. Show me!!

not gonna pull up receipts. sad. Can't even address it in your post

[As I See It]

not gonna pull up receipts. sad

Isn't it, Mr. Anderson; isn't it?

[AusPel]

What Tatum has athletically, I think BI has him with vision, just.

Tatum isn't quite the playmaker, but it's close

[Funcrusher]

Isn't it, Mr. Anderson; isn't it?

post receipts. no need to keep ducking it