November 6th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Denver Nuggets - 4-2

[Pelicanidae]

Starting the week off in Denver!

🏀: vs Denver Nuggets
🕧: 8 pm CT
📺: @BallySportsNO
📻: @995WRNO #Pelicans | @SmoothieKing pic.twitter.com/6IBrjPvHha

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 6, 2023

No CJ, no Trey, no Jose, no Naji. Denver are a tough out for anyone even healthy but without all those names, it's an issue.

Tonight is a game where winning would be cool, but unexpected; what I want to see is people step up. I want to see Zion more active on the glass, BI more aggressive from behind the arc, and our shooters as trigger happy as they can be.

Hawk seems like the obvious candidate to get the start now that CJ is out - he's already started games this year, and we desperately need to keep shooting in that opening lineup. It's already shooting averse enough as it is, we don't need to insert Dyson or Kira and have someone who defenses don't care about in that spot.

Fingers crossed for a little more consistent effort.

[Mrakar]

Murray is not playing but still, Jokic is playing like Alien last couple of years, and somehow every year he is better and better. I don't expect us to win and will not be mad if we lose, i just want to see better effort on the glass and on D. Zion needs to get double-digit rebounds.

Jokic is probably going for 30 18 14 tonight.

[As I See It]

I suspect we'll see CZeller tonight. LNJ on Jokic, even in small doses, would be a massacre.

I'd probably start Kira or Dyson and try to run Jokic off the court.

[Pelicanidae]

Murray is not playing but still, Jokic is playing like Alien last couple of years, and somehow every year he is better and better. I don't expect us to win and will not be mad if we lose, i just want to see better effort on the glass and on D. Zion needs to get double-digit rebounds.

Jokic is probably going for 30 18 14 tonight.

That's my sentiment. Demanding a win would be big even if everyone was fully healthy, so demanding it now is unreasonable. But effort and running things well is not unreasonable, even if the outcomes don't work for us.

[PELICANSFAN]

I suspect we'll see CZeller tonight. LNJ on Jokic, even in small doses, would be a massacre.

I'd probably start Kira or Dyson and try to run Jokic off the court.

Agree. Although, the little I have seen of Zeller in the past. I am not sure how he is in the NBA. If he can give a few minutes on Jokic, maybe it will help.

[Pelicanidae]

If we start Kira or Dyson, there will be literally no willing and capable shooters in the starting lineup. Be prepared for that lineup to find it nigh-impossible to score, and for us to get shot out of the game within the first quarter.

[PELICANSFAN]

If we start Kira or Dyson, there will be literally no willing and capable shooters in the starting lineup. Be prepared for that lineup to find it nigh-impossible to score, and for us to get shot out of the game within the first quarter.

Other option is to start Hawk and just play point Zion.

[Pelicanidae]

Other option is to start Hawk and just play point Zion.

That would be my preferred option, sharing ballhandling between Zion, BI, and Herb and just playing relatively early substitutions. We're super short on players at this point so I wouldn't want to run people for super extended periods of time just because they're all gonna get their minutes in, so being active with subs makes sense to me.

Hawkins I can at least trust to get up 10 threes in a game if we let him. We desperately need that right now.

[donato]

Need to see much better shooting from Kira.

[6warddude]

yall keep forgetting that we are talking about willie here.....dyson will get the start.....

since CJ is out,,i wish that we had a real PG that know how to pass because this would be the time to test out a pass first PG and see how the team play.....

on a side note...i believe that zion was in his feelings last game because the team gave him a rest day...jmo, i think he was showing a lil immaturity and didnt focus in that game so he did his lil tantrum thing .. so tonight i think he will get 30+ if he got it out of his system....think ingram may hit 30 also....

[As I See It]

yall keep forgetting that we are talking about willie here.....dyson will get the start.....

since CJ is out,,i wish that we had a real PG that know how to pass because this would be the time to test out a pass first PG and see how the team play.....

on a side note...i believe that zion was in his feelings last game because the team gave him a rest day...jmo, i think he was showing a lil immaturity and didnt focus in that game so he did his lil tantrum thing .. so tonight i think he will get 30+ if he got it out of his system....think ingram may hit 30 also....

If you are right, I guess our "team leader" isn't much of a team player.

All I know is that our "JaMarcus" better come to play tonight.

[JJackisangry]

Okay. Let’s work on last night. What matters is here and now. What I don’t want to see are those lazy turnovers. If you want to watch a team lose all confidence and effort, keep doing what we did against Atlanta. Turnovers kill you mentally. Avoid those.

As for our lack of movement, just move. Jog, walk whatever. You don’t even have to move fast. I know our objective is to space the floor, but if the defense is marking out on the 3 point line, and the play isn’t advancing, just move. Clear space, force your defender to follow. I want to see little things- maybe overlap the ballhandler or make a timely cut. Don’t allow the defense to just stand still. Don’t allow the ball to stop for 15 seconds continuously. Do not hold onto the ball UNLESS a play is specifically designed for you. Limit those plays. Whatever we saw in that 3rd quarter needs to go.

[As I See It]

We won't shut down Joker, so..............

Brandon has to win Matchup with Gordon big time
Herb has to shutdown KCP (and whoever else he guards)
CJ's replacement has to win battle against Murray's replacement
And, of course, 'JaMarcus' has to own Michael Porter, Jr.

Subs just have to play their minutes to a draw.

Call me crazy, but I love this challenge. If things turn out well, this could be a seminal moment in this year's team.

[Pelicanidae]

Okay. Let’s work on last night. What matters is here and now. What I don’t want to see are those lazy turnovers. If you want to watch a team lose all confidence and effort, keep doing what we did against Atlanta. Turnovers kill you mentally. Avoid those.

As for our lack of movement, just move. Jog, walk whatever. You don’t even have to move fast. I know our objective is to space the floor, but if the defense is marking out on the 3 point line, and the play isn’t advancing, just move. Clear space, force your defender to follow. I want to see little things- maybe overlap the ballhandler or make a timely cut. Don’t allow the defense to just stand still. Don’t allow the ball to stop for 15 seconds continuously. Do not hold onto the ball UNLESS a play is specifically designed for you. Limit those plays. Whatever we saw in that 3rd quarter needs to go.

This is the big thing for roleplayers imo (and most of our roleplayers don't do it, thank God).

I don't mind if the ball stops with BI or Zion occasionally and they take a guy off the dribble and it's the whole play. They're the stars, that's a thing they do. As long as they get a good value shot out of it, it's fine. But if you are anyway else and you catch the ball, if you can't take a shot within about 2 seconds, pass it.

[6warddude]

We won't shut down Joker, so..............

Brandon has to win Matchup with Gordon big time
Herb has to shutdown KCP (and whoever else he guards)
CJ's replacement has to win battle against Murray's replacement
And, of course, 'JaMarcus' has to own Michael Porter, Jr.

Subs just have to play their minutes to a draw.

Call me crazy, but I love this challenge. If things turn out well, this could be a seminal moment in this year's team.

i had to read this 3 times because i thought i was tripping....jamarcus..lol.....you gave me my comedy for the night.....

he getting 30 with a couple of hooks and floaters....he just may hit one 3 just to show off in the win...lewis and hawkins will step up in the 3pt shooting....hell seabron should get some run and attack anyone guarding him for some points...its going to be a good game..

[JJackisangry]

This is the big thing for roleplayers imo (and most of our roleplayers don't do it, thank God).

I don't mind if the ball stops with BI or Zion occasionally and they take a guy off the dribble and it's the whole play. They're the stars, that's a thing they do. As long as they get a good value shot out of it, it's fine. But if you are anyway else and you catch the ball, if you can't take a shot within about 2 seconds, pass it.

For me, we just need to get our shots off. Shots don’t always fall, you will have some nights where you can’t hit the side of a barn. But if we are running out the shot clock and passing up open shots, that bugs me. We are at our worst when nobody is taking the initiative, nobody is moving and everyone is passing up open shots and we are low on the clock. There will be times where the optimal shot doesn’t open in time- that’s okay. Don’t hesitate and run out the clock. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

[msusousaphone]

We'll win by 20+.

Easy stuff.

[JJackisangry]

We'll win by 20+.

Easy stuff.

We usually play well against Denver. Could easily go our way

[Pelicanidae]

For me, we just need to get our shots off. Shots don’t always fall, you will have some nights where you can’t hit the side of a barn. But if we are running out the shot clock and passing up open shots, that bugs me. We are at our worst when nobody is taking the initiative, nobody is moving and everyone is passing up open shots and we are low on the clock. There will be times where the optimal shot doesn’t open in time- that’s okay. Don’t hesitate and run out the clock. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

That's partly why I want Hawkins to start over Dyson or similar. I've seen enough of him to know that when he gets the open shot, he will take it, make or miss. We need that.

The other reason is that if he doesn't start over Dyson, we'll have a starting 5 with worse spacing than the average team in 1975

[6warddude]

hawkins starting....willie read dae post lol....

now tell him dont play dyson so long when teams are not guarding him...

[Pelicanidae]

hawkins starting....willie read dae post lol....

now tell him dont play dyson so long when teams are not guarding him...

Dyson and Herb are central to the defensive scheme POA. I'll tell him to keep Kira on the bench tho

[Pelicanidae]

Yeah guys, just watch KCP take that corner 3. No need for anyone to move.

[6warddude]

its so funny watching jokic out run jonas lol..

[Pelicanidae]

Can we stop putting Zion in the post, for God's sake.

[6warddude]

if they dont call those dumb fouls on jonas tonight then he will eat and give jokic all he can handle..