November 8th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves - 4-3

[Pelicanidae]

Knee right to the back of the head is no joke. Rabbit punch but with a kneecap.

[Pelicanidae]

Nice pocket pass from BI there, even nicer finish by JV

[stevemadden504]

I think Ingram need games like this, it shines light on him when leading the team.

[Pelicanidae]

The backups and 2 way guys making a bit of a push here. Not gonna win but it's nice to see life.

[Pelicanidae]

When EJ only gets a handful of mega-garbage time minutes in a game like this whereas JRE got nearly 30, you know it's not a serious night.

[markid]

Another game done and more to come.

[luckyman]

Looks like I didn't miss much. Other than watching Gobert play 32 minutes and JV 22...for some reason.

[Pelicanidae]

Looks like I didn't miss much. Other than watching Gobert play 32 minutes and JV 22...for some reason.

JV was getting eaten alive, really not handling the matchup well. Usually I vouch for more JV but tonight it made sense. Gobert was giving him the business.

[JJackisangry]

On the bright side at least we are getting pantsed by good teams and have time to get it together and get our guys back. On the mega negative side, there is no way on earth we should be constantly giving up these mega lottery 40 point quarters to anyone. That is unsustainable for a winning team. If this keeps up, Willie will 100 percent be fired- or should be fired. Monty’s teams had a massive problem overhelping and Willie’s teams are just poor in general. Something has to give. Injuries or not it’s pretty sad. This isn’t even competing.

[Fedupfan]

On the bright side at least we are getting pantsed by good teams and have time to get it together and get our guys back. On the mega negative side, there is no way on earth we should be constantly giving up these mega lottery 40 point quarters to anyone. That is unsustainable for a winning team. If this keeps up, Willie will 100 percent be fired- or should be fired. Monty’s teams had a massive problem overhelping and Willie’s teams are just poor in general. Something has to give. Injuries or not it’s pretty sad. This isn’t even competing.

Willie just isn’t a good coach.

[PELICANSFAN]

On the bright side at least we are getting pantsed by good teams and have time to get it together and get our guys back. On the mega negative side, there is no way on earth we should be constantly giving up these mega lottery 40 point quarters to anyone. That is unsustainable for a winning team. If this keeps up, Willie will 100 percent be fired- or should be fired. Monty’s teams had a massive problem overhelping and Willie’s teams are just poor in general. Something has to give. Injuries or not it’s pretty sad. This isn’t even competing.

Are you forming that conclusion after the Minny game? There is nothing to be gleaned from that game. We were without half of our players and 60% of our starters.

[JJackisangry]

Are you forming that conclusion after the Minny game? There is nothing to be gleaned from that game. We were without half of our players and 60% of our starters.

There is more than enough sample size. Warriors, OKC, Atlanta, etc. I am reinforcing the point because it happened yet again where we give up these point bonanzas that make it incredibly difficult to win games. I also stated in my post that we played good teams and we had time to get it together. That also entails that we are missing bodies. The signs overall are bad.

[Pelicanidae]

There is more than enough sample size. Warriors, OKC, Atlanta, etc. I am reinforcing the point because it happened yet again where we give up these point bonanzas that make it incredibly difficult to win games. I also stated in my post that we played good teams and we had time to get it together. That also entails that we are missing bodies. The signs overall are bad.

The problem for me isn't the result, because as you say, lots of injuries, good opponents, whatever.

The problem is the process that's leading to the results. I won't criticise rotations too much because that's always going to be tough when guys are missing, but it feels like our team is legitimately two different teams glued together depending on who is in the game. There are lineups that play great, natural, fun basketball where the ball is in motion, shots go up from outside, there are paint touches, everything is flowing - these lineups include JV + shooters, Zion + shooters, and even the Zeller + Seabron + Kira lineup we saw in this Wolves game. Then, there are other lineups that just stand around and watch as isolations happen; these include almost any time that BI and Zion are on the court at the same time, as a primary example.

I'd ask how it's possible to have both on the same team, but I'm fairly sure I know how - there's fundamental fit issues at the top of the roster, and we all know it. Not just with players together, but in some cases with players and the team's general offensive philosophy. It's a real issue, and that isn't dependent on whether CJ is available or not. Things like passing the ball to the open man do not require you to have a roster of all-stars around you, it's basic basketball. If you're not doing it, it's a sign of tension or complete incompatibility somewhere.

[JJackisangry]

The problem for me isn't the result, because as you say, lots of injuries, good opponents, whatever.

The problem is the process that's leading to the results. I won't criticise rotations too much because that's always going to be tough when guys are missing, but it feels like our team is legitimately two different teams glued together depending on who is in the game. There are lineups that play great, natural, fun basketball where the ball is in motion, shots go up from outside, there are paint touches, everything is flowing - these lineups include JV + shooters, Zion + shooters, and even the Zeller + Seabron + Kira lineup we saw in this Wolves game. Then, there are other lineups that just stand around and watch as isolations happen; these include almost any time that BI and Zion are on the court at the same time, as a primary example.

I'd ask how it's possible to have both on the same team, but I'm fairly sure I know how - there's fundamental fit issues at the top of the roster, and we all know it. Not just with players together, but in some cases with players and the team's general offensive philosophy. It's a real issue, and that isn't dependent on whether CJ is available or not. Things like passing the ball to the open man do not require you to have a roster of all-stars around you, it's basic basketball. If you're not doing it, it's a sign of tension or complete incompatibility somewhere.

We’ve had some really bright moments. When we do decide to pass/move and see the interplay between players (BI, CJ and Zion had several great moments), but it comes with the players buying in and understanding the need for structure. If Willie’s calling card is motivation and defense (and we are showing neither), there are massive concerns. I believe that the players like Willie, but they aren’t convinced by him as a coach. You either have to have players that can really run an entire team (Lebrun, Curry, Butler, etc.) or a coach that can instill organization and discipline. We have neither.