Game 1 RANT

[Snarly]

If Ball is sitting the majority of the 4th quarter, we have a problem. When you pull a red hot Melli late in the 4th quarter for a struggling Favors, we have a problem.

I don’t mind Holiday struggling. I mind his mentality of not being aggressive enough. He needs to assert his dominance as the guy. He should always have the most field goals in a game. He’s still playing second fiddle for some reason. Needs to assert himself better even if he has one of those struggling nights. There should never be any question that this is Holidays team.

The loss to Toronto was a misopportunity. It should have been a statement game on National Television. Even with the miscues, they played well enough to win. So that’s promising.

[luckyman]

If Ball is sitting the majority of the 4th quarter, we have a problem. When you pull a red hot Melli late in the 4th quarter for a struggling Favors, we have a problem.

I don’t mind Holiday struggling. I mind his mentality of not being aggressive enough. He needs to assert his dominance as the guy. He should always have the most field goals in a game. He’s still playing second fiddle for some reason. Needs to assert himself better even if he has one of those struggling nights. There should never be any question that this is Holidays team.

The loss to Toronto was a misopportunity. It should have been a statement game on National Television. Even with the miscues, they played well enough to win. So that’s promising.

Ball didnt play at all in the 4th. He was pulled in the 3rd and never came back until OT. At the time he was pulled, he had a 8/5/5 stat line with just 1 attributed turnover and 2/3 from deep.

That is just plain inexcusable. Especially when we know we do not want Jrue controlling the ball.

Just an awful display by Gentry with the rotations. He lost that game period.

[Pelicanidae]

Ball didnt play at all in the 4th. He was pulled in the 3rd and never came back until OT. At the time he was pulled, he had a 8/5/5 stat line with just 1 attributed turnover and 2/3 from deep.

He was also shooting 28% from the floor overall, had a -7 +/- and a -10.1 net rating. He had 0 points in the paint and refused to drive multiple times on open lanes. He was rebounding fairly well, but that was more of a product of Toronto's strategy on getting back on D than for crashing the offensive glass, because while he had 5 rebounds, they were all defensive, and they were all uncontested.

I'm not saying he had a bad game, he didn't, and we all know single game +/- can be a bit dodgy for obvious reasons. I'm not saying Gentry was right to hold him out: he wasn't, I think Lonzo should have played in the 4th as well.

But it's not like Lonzo was just out there having a crazy night and Gentry benched him for mysterious reasons. He was having a mediocre game overall, and the guys who were in (Hart, for example) were just playing better. If anything, Gentry's mistake was making lots of odd subs in overtime to disrupt the guys who had got us back into things in the first place.

[luckyman]

He was also shooting 28% from the floor overall, had a -7 +/- and a -10.1 net rating. He had 0 points in the paint and refused to drive multiple times on open lanes. He was rebounding fairly well, but that was more of a product of Toronto's strategy on getting back on D than for crashing the offensive glass, because while he had 5 rebounds, they were all defensive, and they were all uncontested.

I'm not saying he had a bad game, he didn't, and we all know single game +/- can be a bit dodgy for obvious reasons. I'm not saying Gentry was right to hold him out: he wasn't, I think Lonzo should have played in the 4th as well.

But it's not like Lonzo was just out there having a crazy night and Gentry benched him for mysterious reasons. He was having a mediocre game overall, and the guys who were in (Hart, for example) were just playing better. If anything, Gentry's mistake was making lots of odd subs in overtime to disrupt the guys who had got us back into things in the first place.

The subs didnt "bring them back" into the game because the team had been leading most of the night, or within just a couple possessions in the 4th. I believe Toronto's biggest lead was the final score.

And I really wouldnt care about overall shooting percentage or +/- when we are only looking at 20 minutes of play for Lonzo (outside of the OT minutes). On an absolute basis, that stat line in those few minutes warrant MORE minutes not less.

And the other side is that with Lonzo and NAW on the bench, you are making Jrue Holiday your point guard again. That alone put more pressure on the rest of the team with his turnovers, and probably sent that game into OT when it should have ended in regulation.

[Pelicanidae]

The subs didnt "bring them back" into the game because the team had been leading most of the night, or within just a couple possessions in the 4th. I believe Toronto's biggest lead was the final score.

And I really wouldnt care about shooting percentage or +/- when we are only looking at 20 minutes of play for Lonzo (outside of the OT minutes). On an absolute basis, that stat line in those few minutes warrant MORE minutes not less.

And the other side is that with Lonzo and NAW on the bench, you are making Jrue Holiday your point guard again. That alone probably sent that game into OT when it should have ended in regulation.

We were down going into the 4th by 2, and had been down by as much as 8 with less than 3 minutes left to go in the 3rd. That's what I meant by them being the ones who 'got us back into things'. Going from down 8 to up 1 in about 5 minutes of game-clock between around 3 minutes left in the third to 2 minutes gone in the 4th.

Lonzo played 25 minutes and took 7 shots, so yeah, shooting percentage is at least a mild concern. If you shoot 2 for 7, that's not good. You might argue that it's also not a big deal (something that I think is closer to being true) but it's not like it's not an issue whatsoever.

You don't need to convince me that Jrue being made the de facto PG is a mistake: I literally agreed with you that Lonzo should have played in the 4th. I just don't think that you need to present it as if Lonzo had been having a really really strong performance. He hadn't. He'd been mediocre at best. Still should have played, but it's not like Gentry ignored the hot hand in sitting him.

[DroopyDawg]

There were lots of reasons why we lost... 2 that come immediately to mind is we missed too many open shots, and we allowed 2 players to score 30+ points.

If you either make more shots or slow one of those guys down we won. Simple.

[Pelicanidae]

There were lots of reasons why we lost... 2 that come immediately to mind is we missed too many open shots, and we allowed 2 players to score 30+ points.

If you either make more shots or slow one of those guys down we won. Simple.

Or if we had better overall shot selection. No need whatsoever for us to take 31% of our shots from midrange but only 25% at the rim. That's totally backwards from what you want.

[RobertM320]

I'll say it again. If you play 12 players at least 12 minutes in a regular season game, you are not trying to win.

You are assessing the roster like its a preseason game still. When you just had 5 games to do that.

Except, we're almost a completely new team. We need more than five games to figure things out. I personally don't have a problem if he uses the next 6-10 games to continue working on rotations and fit. We're looking at the long term here. We're not trying to win a title this season. Now, the Lakers on the other hand.....

[luckyman]

We were down going into the 4th by 2, and had been down by as much as 8 with less than 3 minutes left to go in the 3rd. That's what I meant by them being the ones who 'got us back into things'. Going from down 8 to up 1 in about 5 minutes of game-clock between around 3 minutes left in the third to 2 minutes gone in the 4th.

Lonzo played 25 minutes and took 7 shots, so yeah, shooting percentage is at least a mild concern. If you shoot 2 for 7, that's not good. You might argue that it's also not a big deal (something that I think is closer to being true) but it's not like it's not an issue whatsoever.

You don't need to convince me that Jrue being made the de facto PG is a mistake: I literally agreed with you that Lonzo should have played in the 4th. I just don't think that you need to present it as if Lonzo had been having a really really strong performance. He hadn't. He'd been mediocre at best. Still should have played, but it's not like Gentry ignored the hot hand in sitting him.

I didn't say Lonzo had a "really really strong performance.". I said his play warranted more minutes and definitely did not warrant him sitting the majority of the 2nd half.

I also said they led MOST of the night. Toronto being up 8 in the 3rd was a flash in the pan for the majority of the game since they were the ones fighting an uphill battle no matter who was on the floor for the Pelicans.

And honestly you are talking about Lonzo being 0-4 on non 3 point shots in 20 minutes of regulation play. That's not concerning. That's a player needing more minutes and more shots on the road. What Conley did in Utah last night is concerning. Not Lonzo in 20 minutes especially when he made up for those 4 fg misses with 5 assists, again, in limited minutes.

Gentry screwed up there. That's just obvious.

[JJackisangry]

You can criticize the coach and Jrue last night because it is warranted. Is it the end of the world? Hell no. I thought we would lose that game. Did they play a big part in throwing the game for us. Hell yes. Gentry, my dear friend, you need to be better. Horrible rotations at the end that cost us a very likely win. Jrue- you have every right to be criticized darling. That was terrible. We can’t afford for you to figure things out halfway through the season again. I don’t know where your motivation is, but find it. We need a better effort than that.

[luckyman]

Except, we're almost a completely new team. We need more than five games to figure things out. I personally don't have a problem if he uses the next 6-10 games to continue working on rotations and fit. We're looking at the long term here. We're not trying to win a title this season. Now, the Lakers on the other hand.....

That doesn't excuse his extreme preseason style rotations. I don't think people realize the magnitude of what Gentry did.

Dude, 12 players played at least 12 minutes...each. I have never seen such a thing in my life for a team with playoff hopes. That's just absurd under ANY normal circumstance. And this team should be operating under normal circumstances. This roster does not warrant that type of crazy rotation after 5 preseason games.

It just reaks of a coach scared to make decisions or just awful at making player assessments.

[Silver Nail]

That doesn't excuse his extreme preseason style rotations. I don't think people realize the magnitude of what Gentry did.

Dude, 12 players played at least 12 minutes...each. I have never seen such a thing in my life for a team with playoff hopes. That's just absurd under ANY normal circumstance. And this team should be operating under normal circumstances. This roster does not warrant that type of crazy rotation after 5 preseason games.

It just reaks of a coach scared to make decisions or just awful at making player assessments.

I couldn't disagree more. This team HAS 12 PEOPLE whom have earned the right to be on the floor. Hope he continues to use all 12 and when we get to January with Zion back we have 13. What seems to be lost by many here is our 2nd and 3rd talent level plays mighty close to our first. Toronto had 2 guys with over 30 points, but what killed me was how many layups we allowed. Clean up that one thing and our 12 men win with ease.

[Pelicanidae]

Gentry screwed up there. That's just obvious.

Yeah, and I agree. Which is why I literally said that I agreed.

You said that not playing Lonzo in the 4th was, and I quote here, ''plain inexcusable''.

The only way that sitting a player is ''plain inexcusable'' is if they're either a sure-fire star, or if they're having a very strong game.

Lonzo isn't, and he wasn't. So while I agree that, were I the coach, Lonzo would have seen minutes in the 4th, it's not exactly what I would call ''plain inexcusable'' in bold.

[PELICANSFAN]

I couldn't disagree more. This team HAS 12 PEOPLE whom have earned the right to be on the floor. Hope he continues to use all 12 and when we get to January with Zion back we have 13. What seems to be lost by many here is our 2nd and 3rd talent level plays mighty close to our first. Toronto had 2 guys with over 30 points, but what killed me was how many layups we allowed. Clean up that one thing and our 12 men win with ease.

How many teams run a 13 man rotation?

[Silver Nail]

How many teams run a 13 man rotation?

None, but the better question is how many teams have our quality depth? Since the answer is only us we should forge our own path. Don't need to follow tradition.

[msusousaphone]

Only 31 more gruelling hours of listening to people whine about game 1.

Stay hydrated. Get plenty of sleep.

[Pelicanidae]

None, but the better question is how many teams have our quality depth? Since the answer is only us we should forge our own path. Don't need to follow tradition.

The deepest team in the NBA last year was the Nuggets, who were pretty much as deep as we are this year, and even they didn't run a 13 man rotation.

If you want to win games, you don't run a 13 man rotation. It's just not possible to gain and maintain rhythm when you're being forced by your rotation size to sub someone out every 2 minutes. Standard rotation size is 8 or 9. If you're particularly deep, you can go 10 and sometimes even 11. More than that and you're just being silly, frankly.

[Silver Nail]

The deepest team in the NBA last year was the Nuggets, who were pretty much as deep as we are this year, and even they didn't run a 13 man rotation.

If you want to win games, you don't run a 13 man rotation. It's just not possible to gain and maintain rhythm when you're being forced by your rotation size to sub someone out every 2 minutes. Standard rotation size is 8 or 9. If you're particularly deep, you can go 10 and sometimes even 11. More than that and you're just being silly, frankly.

SILLY???????? Wow are you GOD now? Only He has the right to judge opinions. Get off the high horse and look at the whole picture.

[luckyman]

How many teams run a 13 man rotation?

Some stuff isn't worth replying. I mean literally nobody does that. ��

The fact that Gentry pretty much did it Monday...it's alarming.

[luckyman]

Yeah, and I agree. Which is why I literally said that I agreed.

You said that not playing Lonzo in the 4th was, and I quote here, ''plain inexcusable''.

The only way that sitting a player is ''plain inexcusable'' is if they're either a sure-fire star, or if they're having a very strong game.

Lonzo isn't, and he wasn't. So while I agree that, were I the coach, Lonzo would have seen minutes in the 4th, it's not exactly what I would call ''plain inexcusable'' in bold.

Well I highly disagree. And using him going 0-3 from within 20 feet during regulation as a possible excuse just isn't enough.

If he plays less than 30 minutes Friday, and I'm forced to watch Jrue struggle in his place, I will be highly upset.

Highly upset

And as I'm writing this, one of our reporters finally asked an intelligent question and added some good metrics of when Lonzo was in the game. Gentry sounds like he knows he f'd up and that will change next game.

And when asked about this ridiculous rotation, yes he sounds afraid to make a decision and sit somebody.

[BIG_CITY_BOI]

Let's just keep it real for a second, we lost the game because of Jrue Holiday. He missed two TECHNICAL FREE THROWS in the 4th. He missed a wide open Melli for a three that could've picked the game for us. Then he took a TERRIBLE 3 point shot on the last possession in regulation. Is this the end of the world? NO! I'm sure things will get corrected.

[PELICANSFAN]

None, but the better question is how many teams have our quality depth? Since the answer is only us we should forge our own path. Don't need to follow tradition.

A 13 man rotation is not logical. We are not the deepest team in the NBA and even the deepest team would not do that in the regular season. I cannot think of any team that has routinely run a 13 man rotation.

[Pelifan]

that game was a bad sign. The pelicans were very hot from 3 and still lost. I'm worried about the cold nights.

[kinglio21093]

that game was a bad sign. The pelicans were very hot from 3 and still lost. I'm worried about the cold nights.

That's OK, just layer up and get a blanket. You should be good.

[msusousaphone]

There will be a mega trade. Well, the past few seasons have had tons of mega trades so I guess it will be a normal trade by modern standards but we WILL ship out a few of our current players and draft picks for an all-pro player.....maybe an all-star player but my money is on all-pro. I mean, it's obvious, there is no way we keep this many under 22 good players with this many high draft picks. We can't fit them all on one team. So we will cash in a few for a stud. It will be bitter. It'll be some promising youngster(s) that we fall in love with but it NEEDS to pan out better than Boogie.

Anyways, 13 man rotations. Gentry knows the plan. We may have our sights on a handful of guys from a number of teams and so we really don't know who we will be shipping out. It'll probably be from an imploding team at the deadline a la Boogie and Niko. We have to chill and see which teams underachieve. So we try to let everyone get some play and hope they catch the attention of some of these teams. They just got too cute with it on the rotations. This season is not to contend. It's to build and grow.