until the end of the season, I believe....Originally Posted by Darkhorse985
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until the end of the season, I believe....
"we might make dollars, but we don't necessarily make sense"
"always be sincere....whether you mean it or not"
Yeah, you just have to be below it by the official end of the NBA year, so there's a ton of time to make moves.
Basketball.
If the team is doing 'meh' at mid-year (especially if they are full-strength), they will send CJ to a contender for draft capital and expiring contracts (same with JV who is expiring if he's still here)
Then they will jump into the 2024 Free Agent Market where the big name free agents appear to be Pascal Siakam, Jaylen Brown, and Tobias Harris.
This seems like wishful thinking. I think CJ McGollum will cost assets to move... or you will end up doing what Dallas did with Porzingis (i.e., break his contract up into taking on smaller negative contracts like Bertans). CJ's dollars are guaranteed until 2026, when he becomes a free agent. There is $67M left on his contract after the next 2023-24 season is over. He is not even playing well enough to be a guaranteed starter on a Pelicans team that did not make the playoffs... so, which contender is going to gift/pay the Pels draft capital to take on this salary?
The Pels better hope CJ does not fade too quickly over the next years and that he continues being a good "leader". I am not sure that anyone can actually provide $67M worth of "leadership" on a basketball court (although if BLM said they did, then you probably could not argue against it, lol). I would pay that for someone who generated an appropriate amount of off-court income though, which CJ does not.
Told y'all not to renew him too... especially not at this price. $15-20M (at best) is more in line with his contributions. Derrick White is being paid $17.5M per year... would the Pels skip a beat on the court if White replaced CJ in the lineup? I do not think so. Teams really need to start playing hardball with veterans like CJ, who feel they are "owed" a certain amount of money because of the number of their years in the league, even though the dollars they are paid is not commensurate with their production on the court.
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That was a depressingly accurate post
Sorry, did not mean to be depressing. The Pels might be able to move CJ as one of the teams in a Dame-to-Miami trade though, so there is hope.
[Weekly post pointing out that the CJ hate is short sighted based off of his playing with an injury while also out of position and that with BI and Zion taking on more of the ball handling duties CJ will be able to again play to his strengths (off the ball) this season]
He'll be fine and his skillset tends to age well.
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.
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I?m not one who typically ?makes excuses? for players, but the truth is the guy played over 3 months with a torn UCL in his shooting thumb that required surgery. He?s also a true off ball shooter. he creates for others due to his shooting and ability to get to the rim, but he isn?t being utilized correctly at the moment due to the fact that we don?t have a true PG who can run the offense and create for others. I hate to blame it on this but if Zion was healthy, I feel CJ wouldn?t be handling the ball as much. Is CJ overpaid? Sure. But his biggest problem is staying healthy and playing in a not ideal role.
Here a question to ponder....
Is there currently another 10 year + veteran in the NBA besides CJ McCollum making $33MM+ per year who has never sniffed an all star game, much less earned a berth on any of the three All Pro Teams awarded annually?
To say we severely overpaid him with the three year $100MM contract is a grave understatement. Looks like the league (and writers) sees him one way and our management team sees him differently. I understand paying a premium for his 'leadership' but, to date, exactly where has he led us?
ESPN put up a graphic during the clippers summer league game showing they finished 43-38 with Kawhi missing 30 games and PG missing 26 games. And that was supposed to be mind blowing I guess.
The Pelicans were right there with Zion missing 53 games and Ingram 37 games. Over 1.5x the amount of games of Kawhi/PG. It's astonishing the pelicans didn't end up with a top 8 pick with key players missing so much time.
This has got to be the final season where this franchise puts up with that.
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I’m sure you’ll find excuses but some that come really close to your requirements are Gordon Hayward, MPJ, Tobias Harris. There’s more for sure but I don’t feel like digging for something this pointless.
I salute you on your efforts....
MPJ (a now 25 yo and a lottery pick) just won an NBA championship in his fifth year and his team has been to the playoffs in all five of his years (though he was injured in two of them)
Tobias Harris has been a consistent second cog on a team that has gone to five consecutive playoffs despite injuries and off the court drama (Simmons / Harden / Doc Rivers).
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Gordon Haywood's effect on his teams may parallel CJ the best. Charlotte was backed into a corner in much the same way as NOLA was and folded...giving him a contract worth 30MM per year. Now, nobody really wants him in an off-season trade. So, I will give you Haywood, though, at least, he made one all star game.
For what it's worth, I would put Jerami Grant is in the same over-paid category as CJ and Haywood.
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Bottom line for the Pelicans: Do you think that 33MM a year over the next three years could have been spent more prudently to improve this team?
Last edited by As I See It; 07-09-2023 at 10:18 AM.
The goal this season should be 100 percent to prioritize health. If we have to have a strict minute limit, rest a player for a back to back (Zion game 1 BI game 2, etc.), you do it. If Zion has to take a couple less drives and take a couple more jumpers, you do that. We have to see this team healthy going into the postseason. Best case scenario is the shooting improves so Zion and BI aren’t carrying the world on their shoulders anymore when they play. Even if we had the no. 1 seed, one of those guys suffer a big injury before the playoffs and we are out. Keep ‘em healthy.
One encouraging thing was right before the hamstring of death, Zion was starting to take those 7 - 9 ft middies. And looked good taking them.
Contributor
It?s funny how the goal post moves lol
First it was no individual accolades. Now it?s will this guy was the 5th or 6th option on a championship team (who cares)
Tobias Harris is at best the 4th option so huge LOL at calling him a second cog on a team who makes the playoffs lol. Prior to last year CJ made playoffs every year of his career sooooo ??? Lol kills your argument.
LOL. Who has been the second cog on the last five consecutive playoff teams for Philly? Embiid and Harris have been the primary constants on the last five Philly teams. If you don't see that. I can't help you. Take him away and it's Embiid and ????? Maybe Maxey the last year and a half...or was it Simmons, or was it Harden...two guys they have run, or, trying to run out of town. Josh Richardson? Matisse? Melton? Milton?
My argument is far from dead...but you can keep trying.
Again, I'll reluctantly give you the All Star Haywood. But, MPJ (not even in prime yet) and Harris? CJ wishes.
Honestly, CJ does your handle a grave disservice.
Last edited by As I See It; 07-09-2023 at 02:08 PM.
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I don’t even understand your excuses. Tobias ain’t no second cog over Harden and Maxey. He’s 4th fiddle and fits your ask perfectly.
And that’s just 3 examples I came up with off the top of my head in 20 seconds. I’m sure there’s more. MPJ is 3rd fiddle at best possibly 4th and on a max deal even nuggets fans don’t think he deserves. A lot wanted him traded prior to the deadline. Him “winning a championship” think Jokic had something to do with that, means nothing to your original point of lack of individual accolades making tons of money not living up to said money. You acted like CJ was the only person in history that fit that description. And that’s just straight up wrong.
Come on, that huge stretch to call Harris the second cog. He is 3rd or 4th at best. You are discounting Butler, Simmons, Maxey, and Harden.
You want to see him as money well spent. I see CJ as a declining player with little or no market in the off season. We may get lucky, add an asset or two at the trade deadline and get rid of the cap-drain to a competing team (if we are floundering in 'play in territory' at the halfway mark). A 32 year old declining player who never has been a 'game changer' has no business making $33 MM per annum of the cap until he is 35 years old. You give that kind of money to game changers...not 30+ wannabe's who never were (as is historically documented).
While other teams in the West re-tooling their rosters through free agency this off-season, because of pitiful cap management, we are, out of necessity, 'LOWERING THE BAR'.
Not over five years....none of them. The constants are Embiid and Harris.
Constants and 2nd cog are not the same. He was always behind one of those guys in importance (or "cogs") to their success. Having said that, CJ is a bit overpaid. I think Griff jumped the gun in extending him, especially without knowing the consequences of the new CBA.
That is good. I love Z, love watching him, but like an NFL quarterback he has to protect his body. It’s not his fault the league lets players get away with murder on him, but it is what it is. He can make those jumpers. He just needs the confidence to take them. For his own sake really
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A person who calls themselves a realist is a pessimist who refuses to admit the negativity.
Is it a guarantee that Trey is back to the bench this year? I really hope they consider Trey for CJ in the starting lineup.
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