Oh. It's worth noting the Zeller had pretty decent numbers under Borrego in Charlotte.
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Oh. It's worth noting the Zeller had pretty decent numbers under Borrego in Charlotte.
BI, Zion, and CJ had a net rating of +3 when on the court together. BI and Zion had a +13.4, BI and CJ had a +13.2, Zion and CJ was just +5.4.
BI and Zion worked. BI and CJ worked. It was CJ and Zion and all three together that didn't work.
He's older now and does not offer much rim protection. Not impressed.Originally Posted by msusousaphone
This is true, but at least he knows how to set screens and - let's be honest - shouldn't be playing anyway. At least not heavy minutes.
It's fine.
Basketball.
Right?! I would think C minutes would be Jonas, Nance, and then Zion for small ball before Zeller in a playoff rotation. This guy is great for regular season deep bench minutes. The best deep bench C we've had in years. If we move Jonas, a $3mill player would not be the plan. I still haven't heard of us being interested in anyone that excites me over Jonas...so I'm ok with where the roster is.
Last edited by msusousaphone; 07-02-2023 at 06:00 PM.
I really don't want us playing Nance regularly at the 5. He got smashed to pieces doing so last season, he was talking in the Twitter Spaces recently about how he had more injuries than even got reported.
I'm kind of sick of the small centre thing, at this point. In certain lineups and against some bench units, I get it, but this is why I was so in favour of Mo Bamba. Just have an actual big person to play C. Someone who is legit 6'11, 7 feet tall, and who has some physical strength to them - or at least the build that implies strength might be coming if it's not there yet.
Zeller doesn't fix those issues, at least.
And to emphasise this, Griff spent his exit interview talking about how the team needed major changes. He named his two aims: shooting and rim protection. So if people are mad that the C we acquired isn't a rim protector, that's really Griff's fault: he's the one who told everyone that was his focus.
He wanted shooting and rim protection. How has he done it?
Shooting: He got a shooter, though they're a rookie so it might be a minute to transition and Green doesn't give rookies chances early.
Rim protection: Hasn't been addressed at all.
It's not screaming a successful summer so far, by Griff's own goals.
i think collins would be a step in the right direction for rim protection. He isnt elite but i think he is at least solid. he also has serious 3d potential as well.
if jonas netted us collins i wouldnt be too upset.
I see Zeller as a slight upgrade over Willie. Meaning he can move his feet beyond the painted area.
I look at Zeller the same way I do Mason Plumlee (my preference)...an insurance policy. Everyone needs a meaty big guy on the roster who can move his feet to take on the likes of 'The Joker, Lopez, Poetle, Zubac, Gobert, Nurkic, and Vucevic (I am not even thinking about the Embiid's and AD's of the league at this point) without getting outsized on top of getting outplayed.
Assuming we are still trying to unload JV (why wouldn't we be...Willie hates playing him) that leaves 6'7'', Larry Nance and the other short four's on our team to match up against these bulky giants.
Im fine with Zeller as an insurance policy but I am going to be pissed if we get rid of JV now. It would be a concession that they care more about saving a couple million than competing for the championship.
Unfortunately, they have proven that for a while now.
I am not crazy about investing a lot in Allen. Rumors are Zubac may be available. He or Gafford would be OK with me to save money if we have to. Otherwise, I would stick with JV.
Zubac I would actually be fine with. I have not followed him closely, pretty much only watch Pelicans, but when he played against us I felt like he was pretty even with JV.
If all we're trying to do is get under the lux tax then yeah... get Zubac. But on the court, JV is a better player offensively (by a long shot), and any defense/rebounding that Zuback offers over JV is negligible.
It's a leap of faith of how things will go when/if we get everyone on the court. Can Zion make up for any drop in rebounding if we get a guy like Myles? Will his offense makeup for it if we get a guy like Zubac? I think yes to both but we sure don't have a large sample size to go off of.
Agreed. I would prefer to keep JV if we cannot upgrade. The problem is the tax.
What you say here is right, the Pels needs rim protection and should not be playing Nance at the 5 regularly.
Extending Herb and getting a movement shooter like HawKins were 2 great moves though, even if Hawkins doesn't pan out. Liam Robbins looks like he could be a nice player if he can stay healthy.
Anyway, I am still holding out hope for a Zion trade... that is the major problem. Let's keep fingers and toes crossed that the Blazers want Zion badly enough to replace the outgoing $Lillard as their main attraction.
Then the Pels should explore trading JV and Naji for Jarrett Allen. The Cavs are going to want Dyson or TM3 instead of Naji... but they can have a future pick instead, on top of JV and Naji.
Scoot............... ??, GTA
Anfernee......... McGollum, Hawkins
Ingram............. TM3, Dyson
Herbert............. Nance, Liddell
Allen................ Zeller, Robbins
This team looks to have really good balance, and should be a proper contender in as little as a year... a consistently good contender too, unlike the current team that flatters to deceive because it can not depend on its star. It also seems like a team that Pels fans could be proud and excited to support. There is a bit of a glut at SF with Ingram, TM3 and Dyson. Herbert is more of an SF than a PF too. It is a good "problem" that can wait to be sorted out though.
Last edited by LAL1947; 07-05-2023 at 04:39 PM.
Dyson is much more of a point guard than SF. He always brought the ball up and initiated while with the Ignite. He definitely has the court vision and penetration ability to be a straight up pg.
People just need to be patient on the guy. He's got this type of playmaking upside.
Definitely agree with this read on Dyson. He is a facilitator which is what you want in a PG. his size and defensive ability make him a very interesting point guard. He has the court vision of a vet but his glaring deficiency was confidence with scoring, but that can be forgiven for a teenager's first year in the NBA.
I think we got spoiled with seeing Trey, Herb and Jose come in and do work as rookies... we just expected Dyson to do the same. Having any rookie let alone 3 to come in and be key contributors on a roster is far from the norm.
Give Dyson time to develop. He can improve as a shooter, and he's a natural floor leader. The staff had enough confidence to put Dyson on guys like Lebron and Luka, so we know he has the defensive skills and mindset to be a solid defender. Dyson will be fine if given time and opportunities to develop his offense. He seems to be a hard worker and is willing to at least TRY to get better.
3M3 was a three year college player (2 year starter in ACC) in two respectable programs. He was 20 when he played his first NBA regular season game.
Herb was a four year starter in the SEC and one time SEC Player of the year. He was 23 when he played his first NBA regular season game.
GSA was a four year All ACC player and one time Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC who plays internationally for Puerto Rico. He was 23 when he played his first NBA regular season game.
DD was a the youngest player in his draft class and had no college experience.
Age and college experience makes a difference if you are looking for immediate results. Keep an eye on Scoot.
BTW: I predict that Liam Robbins (24 yo when the 2023-24 season starts and SEC Defensive Player of the Year) will eventually be to the Pelicans as Walker Kessler (another SEC Defensive Player of the Year) is to the Utah 'Tabernacle Choir'.
Jaxson Hayes has been my favorite NBA player for years. Wanted him to be a long-time Pelican. Well wishes Jaxson Hayes in LA, become a super star!!!
Lol.
Weird player to stan.
CAW CAW!!!
-Founder and valuable member of the Caw Caw Boyz-
Mo Bamba to the 76er's
Yeah for the league min. Why did we not grab him for that?
Because you can't just grab a free agent even like him. He has some choice on where he wants to go.
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