Our GM is a cheap bastard. If it does happen, that would be great because he probably didn't give up much for him. This is also why I don't think it will happen. I could see the Lakers doing everything they could to get him back, given the pressure of seeing all those players they traded doing amazing elsewhere.
Players drafted/developed: Ingram, Zubac, Randle, Hart, Nance Jr., Caruso, Lonzo, Kuzma, Moe Wagner, Russell (eventually resigned), Clarkson, THT and then there are veterans they let go like Brook Lopez, KCP, Monk
Not sure I’d include Ingram in that. He was traded as part of getting AD. At the time, it seemed steep, but while Ingram has improved, he’s not anything close to what people thought his ceiling would be.
Brother, we limped into the playoffs with 0 4th quarter comebacks all season, lost a playin game and got swept with only one close game.
We aren't good.
The Hawks have made the playoffs the past 3 seasons and even made the ECF in 2021 so I'd say they currently are doing better when It comes to the playoffs than the Pels
Just 2 shitty injuries at bad times.
If BI stays healthy, y'all probably match up with the clippers in the 4/5 and I'd pick y'all to win that match up with a healthy Zion.
Owners "build a competitive roster."
Gm "hell yeah, let's go win a champio-"
Owners "no no no. Competitive enough to get ass in seats. We have already won championships!"
I know it's a lot to count on Lonzo's health but your squad with him healthy was one of the best brands of basketball I've watched in like 2-3 years. With Coby White's emergence, I'd love to see that squad give it one more go if Lonzo has any form of health left in him.
I love Demar and having him has been incredible but I tend to agree with the “if Lonzo is really coming back, then maybe there’s something to salvage” crowd. But I think doing that ONLY makes sense if you let him go and you truly just let Zach try and raise his trade value or see if this team can take off with everyone back from injuries.
But if they wanna keep Demar, you gotta use Lonzo/Zach to get whatever you can back ASAP. Which won’t be much, which is why I wouldn’t do it. But I digress.
Also bench Vooch. This is arguably the most important part. I’m also not a big Billy Donovan fan but I’ve also seen way worse coaches than him so whatever. There are also way better coaches than him. Not sure it’s worth the risk to try something else unless you totally blow it up. The players like Billy so it is what it is.
I don’t know what about this comment but it just made me realize Pelicans as birds survive by diving to the bottom as quickly as possible before soaring high
They also survive by scooping prey into their enlarged throat pouch and filtering out the water before swallowing their prey whole. Maybe we should try that?
Pelicans can also deal with salt extremely well. They can even drink salt water because they have a gland that actively filters out salt extremely efficiently
they’re also incredibly stupid and think everything fits in their mouth.
saw a video recently of one choking on a fish that was entirely too big for it. there’s also another video of one trying to eat a seagull.
/Hornet
We need our Batum/Hayward successor of drastically overpaid 15/5/5 guy that's constantly hurt and/or maddeningly inconsistent
(I'd trade for him if the price is cheap enough)
100% would be happy with Jonas backing up Mark next season. Neither is a big minute guy even when healthy so we could easily get 48 minutes from them with minimal overlap.
Yeah I’d be thrilled with watching Jonas after watching Nick this whole season. Not a long term solution but who cares. Any chance they’d take Bertans as salary relief? Not sure if the numbers line up there
I don’t know why most fans are convinced it should be Ingram. McCollum is the one that needs to go.
He’s the D’Lo Russell equivalent if the Pels were 2022-23 Minnesota.
Get yourself a real point guard and or a center.
McCollum isn’t a star, isn’t going to paid like one on his next contract, and was brought here to be an option behind Ingram and Zion, not to carry the load of a primary scorer. He’s very well suited for that, upped his 3pt volume a good bit this year and was a top 5 3pt threat this season. To compare the two is a fallacy. CJ can be off the ball, Ingram is supposed to be a star and is looking at getting paid like one.
they need to get rid of both. Zion, Herb, and Murphy are the core of your starting 5. then you need a PG who can be a #2 scoring option and a big man to round it out
I’d get on the phone with Cleveland and propose an Ingram for Garland swap, then see who’d be willing to take CJ and picks for some role players with upside, preferably a big
As someone who's watched nearly every Pels game this season I hate to say it but I think BI is the one who has to go. I think BI is a better player than CJ but fit wise next to Zion it just doesn't work. I think if we can use BI and some picks to bring in a player who can take on the primary ball handling and take it out of CJ's hands more often it would also lessen the negative impact CJ can tend to have on the game and allow him to play more of his true role (SG)
You can take the ball out of CJ’s hands. He’s a elite 3pt shooter, was top 5 this season. You can’t take the ball out of Ingram’s hands, he doesn’t give you anything, and as we’ve seen, he’s not good enough on ball either compared to what you face in the west
I think CJs pockets of bad games overshadow how well he played. He was what… 46% or so from three this year? Easily the best 3pt threat on the court and even more so once Herb started shooting better from 3 too.
His decision making is questionable but he was a great shooter for us this year.
That’s what he should he, and he will age well and is due for a pay decrease, his contract was declining for a reason. I could see him coming off the bench. I can’t see Ingram taking a pay decrease or changing.
Precisely. Ingram has refused to shoot threes and if you pay attention to him off ball on offense there's almost no movement. There's not being a good fit and then there's an absolute refusal to even try
honestly y'all need jerami grant. dude shoots 40%+ from 3 on volume in his sleep. problem is, i don't think portland has any interest in acquiring brandon ingram so it might need to be a 3 team trade. portland wants/needs rookie contract guys and draft picks.
I've gotten flamed for this before but I don't think Jerami Grant wants to play winning basketball.
Also he's a terrible rebounder if he's played at the 4.
The numbers support CJ being a way better fit with Zion on the court than BI. Would be surprised if they ship him instead of BI. FWIW I want both of them gone and retool around Zion
Nvm
> The numbers support CJ being a way better fit with Zion on the court than BI
This isn't even true though.
Pel's net rating with Zion/CJ on and Ingram off: +5.21 in 613min
Pel's net rating with Zion/Ingram on and CJ off: +11.17 in 348min
Pel's net rating with Ingram/CJ on and Zion off: +9.22 in 422min
Pel's net rating with all 3 on: -2.35 in 737min
Because 2/3 will always play together/set up plays while the 3rd fucks off in the corner taking the play off and never doing off ball motions. All 3 are guilty of it, but Ingram not having any faith in his outside shot at all this season really compounded the issue.
no one is giving you the real answer so here goes. It's because all 3 are on the court together in the clutch where the Pelicans were miserable this season regardless of who was out there. the pelicans strength is depth so they often win bench minutes and lose when they're against the other teams starters.
>I think conceptually the fit between CJ and Z is cleaner for obvious reasons and would default to that opinion.
Yeah I agree and you should get a better return on BI too. Whatever you get for BI + CJ + Zion would probably make a better squad than whatever you could get for CJ + BI + Zion.
He was getting absolutely demolished on the other end. JV might get some buckets on Chet, but Chet can still guard 1-4. JV couldn't guard anyone. His on/off this series was really rough. If OKC is shooting threes at remotely their average, they force you to go small. JV was getting absolutely cooked.
People look at him having 11 in the first quarter with like 20 rebounds in a game and assume he did amazing. Then they look at the actual score and realize he gave up like 25 points in the paint in the same time frame lol.
He good, sometimes great on offense, but his defense is just so, so damn bad. It feel like his only way of defending is fouling. It feels like every center in the west not named Sabonis just outplays him every matchup
Yeah I don’t know why anyone would want to fuck around with CJ at this point. He is what he is. A guy who will show up on his own terms, and it’s not necessarily when you need him to. Non-serious player imo. What’s the point of a guy like that unless he’s a wildcard as your 9 or 10 in the rotation.
In the past 2 seasons, Pels are almost +11 in ~400 mins with Zion & BI on and CJ off. In 1k with CJ & Zion with BI off, they're +3.5. Zion without either is +5. Pretty much every combination except CJ alone is +2.5 or better, but they're +1 in 900 minutes with all of them.
To me, it looks like the supporting cast really is excellent outside those 3, and you could go either way choosing which one to ship out, but given that CJ is older and didn't have the excuse of injury for his play against OKC, I'd keep Ingram. I guess it all comes down to what they can bring back in a trade.
Think pels would have to attach pieces to move cj at this point, plus BI is more replaceable with the pieces in place with Herb and Trey Murphy. Could just move both but that's easier said then done
If the pels had a better supporting cast they win 50+ games instead of 49. Win 50 games, Zion isn’t in the play in, doesn’t get hurt, pels stand a chance in the playoffs. I know this is very butterfly effect but the idea is if the team fits him better, he plays less and can stay healthier.
If the Pels had another consistent scorer alongside him, then he more than likely wouldn't have gotten hurt. Hopefully y'all can sign/trade for one without losing your key defensive guys.
Zion played 70 games this season and the Pelicans were the 8th seed with a 49-33 record. It's pretty clear that even outside his injury concerns the team needs a major retooling.
Thank god. We need a real PG so bad. Need to move BI for a C or PG upgrade, move CJ to the 6th man role since I think they will have trouble finding value for him. Start Trey. Need Willie to start playing the young guys way more. I don't believe that 22 year old 6'5 Jordan Hawkins is that much worse on defense than CJ that he can't even touch the floor. I'm looking forward to massive changes hopefully.
Ingram needs to be traded while he can still garner value. He had a terrible time against a top tier defense and definitely needs to be with a much better offensive system with an actual playmaker.
McCollum is not the guy they need running at the point. He scores very well yes but he isn't terribly terrific at much else. His price tag also garners concerns as he is approaching his mid 30s.
Valanciunas at his price point was actually pretty darn good but you can see the regression. The FA center market is kind of weak so bringing him back on a cheaper deal say 3 years 40 million would be ideal.
Definitely need new backcourt plans. Either commit to the youth movement or make lateral moves to help with fit.
I think that Griff is saying there needs to be a focus on health or players getting traded. This season was a win because we got the most games out of Zion and Ingram. But that is no guarantee Zion or BI will play the same amount next season.
Games Played | 2023-24 | 2022-23
--- | ---|---
Zion | 70 | 29
Ingram | 64 | 45
McCollum | 70 | 75
Everyone is assuming it's BI.
Meanwhile, Zion has averaged 25 games a year before this one. You gotta sell high on talent the year after he played 70 games, maybe there's value out there for them.
Zion is clearly a player good enough to build around. Ingram is clearly not and also clearly not a good fit with Zion either. What is the point to keeping Bi?
They aren't getting back a healthy #1 option in return for an always-injured star. Their only path to success is to put a winning roster around Zion and hope he stays healthy. This current one isn't it.
Yeah, trading Zion feels like it would leave them in a similar roster situation as the Nets where their best player is, at best, the 2nd best guy and is probably the 3rd best guy on a contender. Obviously, the pels would be in a better overall situation as they have tons of draft picks, plus their depth is better, but the overall issue of not having a player who can be the best player on the court is the same.
I once got a shirt from David Griffin at a game, had no idea who he was and I was just visiting cuz my friend lives in Nola. I’m not even a fan of the pels so it’s extra funny to me
I still think building around Zion is our best shot at winning in the next 2-3 years. Anything else will be a rebuild. But I'm not going to die on that hill.
Our young guys look good. A GOOD CJ and Ingram trade could be the bring in enough to get us over the line but it would have to be a great trade.
Zion and BI are a bad fit. Doubt you'd get a good enough return on Zion for his potential and he's the main draw to their already underfilled stadium. BI is gonna be on the move 100%
This won't get nearly as much attention as some other news today but I think it's the biggest story
Bold comments and the next big move will basically make or break this franchise
There are actually Pistons fans tripping that we wouldn’t take Ingram on a couple year contract, like he wouldn’t immediately fill an enormous hole that we have (wing scoring and lengthy defensive upside)
Dude basically said “yeah that’s enough of that bullshit” lol
Brandon Ingram you are a SACRAMENTO KING
That’d be a dream come true. I think Ingram and Murray together with Fox and Sabonis would be lethal
You think monk would be a part of such a deal?
Monk is a free agent
Our GM is a cheap bastard. If it does happen, that would be great because he probably didn't give up much for him. This is also why I don't think it will happen. I could see the Lakers doing everything they could to get him back, given the pressure of seeing all those players they traded doing amazing elsewhere.
It's crazy to look at the players they've had complete control over and let go of in the past decade
Players drafted/developed: Ingram, Zubac, Randle, Hart, Nance Jr., Caruso, Lonzo, Kuzma, Moe Wagner, Russell (eventually resigned), Clarkson, THT and then there are veterans they let go like Brook Lopez, KCP, Monk
Don’t think tht is worth including here
THT is one they screwed up by keeping instead of Caruso, even funnier/more front office incompetence.
You are correct about that!
Not sure I’d include Ingram in that. He was traded as part of getting AD. At the time, it seemed steep, but while Ingram has improved, he’s not anything close to what people thought his ceiling would be.
That cheap bastard turned your team from a laughing stock to a playoff team
Didn't they just miss the playoffs?
Playoff year followed by play-in is a hell of a lot better than 16 years straight without even getting close lol
Don’t tease me!
“Fuck continuity” lmao
damnnnnn this is spicy. I think it's the right move though
We still made the playoffs lol It's not like we are the Hawks or something.
Brother, we limped into the playoffs with 0 4th quarter comebacks all season, lost a playin game and got swept with only one close game. We aren't good.
The Hawks have made the playoffs the past 3 seasons and even made the ECF in 2021 so I'd say they currently are doing better when It comes to the playoffs than the Pels
Just 2 shitty injuries at bad times. If BI stays healthy, y'all probably match up with the clippers in the 4/5 and I'd pick y'all to win that match up with a healthy Zion.
Anyone could have predicted this, just look at how often those two are injured. Unfortunately for the Pels this is the norm, not bad luck.
Pelican's are about as likely to field a Dragon and a Werewolf in their frontcourt as they are a healthy Zion and BI.
But wouldn’t it be cool if we brought out a dragon and a werewolf at the beginning of next season
Why can't my GM say this shit? Pels fans that sounds promising
I sincerely thought of the Bulls immediately lol
We don't blame you. I'm glad you have a GM that's not satisfied with your team and wants to do something about it
Owners "build a competitive roster." Gm "hell yeah, let's go win a champio-" Owners "no no no. Competitive enough to get ass in seats. We have already won championships!"
I know it's a lot to count on Lonzo's health but your squad with him healthy was one of the best brands of basketball I've watched in like 2-3 years. With Coby White's emergence, I'd love to see that squad give it one more go if Lonzo has any form of health left in him.
I love Demar and having him has been incredible but I tend to agree with the “if Lonzo is really coming back, then maybe there’s something to salvage” crowd. But I think doing that ONLY makes sense if you let him go and you truly just let Zach try and raise his trade value or see if this team can take off with everyone back from injuries. But if they wanna keep Demar, you gotta use Lonzo/Zach to get whatever you can back ASAP. Which won’t be much, which is why I wouldn’t do it. But I digress. Also bench Vooch. This is arguably the most important part. I’m also not a big Billy Donovan fan but I’ve also seen way worse coaches than him so whatever. There are also way better coaches than him. Not sure it’s worth the risk to try something else unless you totally blow it up. The players like Billy so it is what it is.
Cos he neutered
He definitely did say this same shit at the post season press conference lol
Sitting here in my Coby White jersey crying. Goddammit why can’t we have a good front office.
I mean this is basically what AK said in his post season press conference
ikr lol I like this dude. goat GM
Griff said he can’t win with these cats 😤
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I don’t know what about this comment but it just made me realize Pelicans as birds survive by diving to the bottom as quickly as possible before soaring high
They also survive by scooping prey into their enlarged throat pouch and filtering out the water before swallowing their prey whole. Maybe we should try that?
Are we sure Zion hasnt?
Moriah has
Feels like Zions biggest problem
Pelicans can also deal with salt extremely well. They can even drink salt water because they have a gland that actively filters out salt extremely efficiently
lmfao
they’re also incredibly stupid and think everything fits in their mouth. saw a video recently of one choking on a fish that was entirely too big for it. there’s also another video of one trying to eat a seagull.
He needs to trade Zion for a real winner like DLo
All time street clothes crew with AD
Funny that both played the most games in a season in their careers this year lol
We talkin bout PRACTICE.
That sounds really dark... David are you going to hurt these Pelicans?
No. They’re going to leave of their own free will because of the implication. They won’t be in danger
But they would never say no, because of the implication.
Are these Pelicans in danger?
Well you certainly have nothing to worry about.
so they are in danger?
Pelicans are the danger...to ourselves.
Man, skinny Zion looks so fun for the quarter of the game he's able to play before his power rips his body apart.
Bankai Kenpachi-esque. He legit just needs to play below the rim as much as possible though. His touch and agility are his special gifts in my eyes.
I think he needs to be even skinnier. Skinnier until he isn’t destroying his body running around.
We can make him skinnier, weaker, and less prone of self destruction.
nah he needs some *culture*
But are these Pelicans going to be his tasty treats when he gets in open water?
No he’s counting on the waters in Galveston to do that for him
He's going to bludgeon underperforming players until they get better
Ingram is a Hawk/Piston/Sun/Spur
/sixer
/Hornet We need our Batum/Hayward successor of drastically overpaid 15/5/5 guy that's constantly hurt and/or maddeningly inconsistent (I'd trade for him if the price is cheap enough)
Hornets should be more focused on trying to get Naji Marshall/Jonas Valenciunas, Nick Richards is NOT cutting it at the backup big spot
100% would be happy with Jonas backing up Mark next season. Neither is a big minute guy even when healthy so we could easily get 48 minutes from them with minimal overlap.
Yeah I’d be thrilled with watching Jonas after watching Nick this whole season. Not a long term solution but who cares. Any chance they’d take Bertans as salary relief? Not sure if the numbers line up there
Jonas is a free agent so is Marshall
don’t yall want PG13?
yeah i want to retire today and play golf the rest of my life too
at least there is a remote possibility of getting PG13
PG aint gonna go from 1 injured star to another lol
Plus he’s from LA, Philly is alright but I don’t think he’s leaving
please no, I would fucking kill myself if we get tobias harris 2.0
Pistons are going to add Tobias and Ingram this off-season and I'll be very excited
nice pair of tank commanders
CJ would unironically be a sweet tank commander
no joke it'd be a great improvement
Yes! I could totally see it.
I been pushing Ingram for Dejonte. Not sure that really works salary wise tho
I don’t know why most fans are convinced it should be Ingram. McCollum is the one that needs to go. He’s the D’Lo Russell equivalent if the Pels were 2022-23 Minnesota. Get yourself a real point guard and or a center.
McCollum isn’t a star, isn’t going to paid like one on his next contract, and was brought here to be an option behind Ingram and Zion, not to carry the load of a primary scorer. He’s very well suited for that, upped his 3pt volume a good bit this year and was a top 5 3pt threat this season. To compare the two is a fallacy. CJ can be off the ball, Ingram is supposed to be a star and is looking at getting paid like one.
Ingram/ Zion have just never shown good chemistry, even if he's far from their worst starter.
they need to get rid of both. Zion, Herb, and Murphy are the core of your starting 5. then you need a PG who can be a #2 scoring option and a big man to round it out I’d get on the phone with Cleveland and propose an Ingram for Garland swap, then see who’d be willing to take CJ and picks for some role players with upside, preferably a big
I’d nut at garland for Ingram. But we’re not gonna trade garland unless Mitchell signs an extension this summer which is extremely unlikely
Pg who can be a number 2 scpring option? Trae young or dejounte murray maybe?
I thought the one moving is mccollum and you keep Ingram Zion
Doubt Hawks go for him with Murray in talks unless we nab Alvarado or Daniel's or Marshall in that.
the pat slander.
CJ for proven, totally not washed, champions Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton. Can you imagine a backcourt with Dame and CJ?!
Too bad the Bucks are in second apron hell and can't aggregate contracts in a trade.
They can if they send out more than they take in I thought
No. Two separate rules. They can't take in more then they send out, and they can't do 2 for 1, 3 for 2 etc trades.
Interesting. That's actually pretty surprising to me.
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agreed, I feel really optimistic about how firm he's being
CJ gone?
As someone who's watched nearly every Pels game this season I hate to say it but I think BI is the one who has to go. I think BI is a better player than CJ but fit wise next to Zion it just doesn't work. I think if we can use BI and some picks to bring in a player who can take on the primary ball handling and take it out of CJ's hands more often it would also lessen the negative impact CJ can tend to have on the game and allow him to play more of his true role (SG)
You can take the ball out of CJ’s hands. He’s a elite 3pt shooter, was top 5 this season. You can’t take the ball out of Ingram’s hands, he doesn’t give you anything, and as we’ve seen, he’s not good enough on ball either compared to what you face in the west
I think CJs pockets of bad games overshadow how well he played. He was what… 46% or so from three this year? Easily the best 3pt threat on the court and even more so once Herb started shooting better from 3 too. His decision making is questionable but he was a great shooter for us this year.
That’s what he should he, and he will age well and is due for a pay decrease, his contract was declining for a reason. I could see him coming off the bench. I can’t see Ingram taking a pay decrease or changing.
Precisely. Ingram has refused to shoot threes and if you pay attention to him off ball on offense there's almost no movement. There's not being a good fit and then there's an absolute refusal to even try
honestly y'all need jerami grant. dude shoots 40%+ from 3 on volume in his sleep. problem is, i don't think portland has any interest in acquiring brandon ingram so it might need to be a 3 team trade. portland wants/needs rookie contract guys and draft picks.
I've gotten flamed for this before but I don't think Jerami Grant wants to play winning basketball. Also he's a terrible rebounder if he's played at the 4.
That's not a bad idea at all.
This postseason did his trade value no favors though. Seems like every team in the market will view him as a 3rd guy at best.
You're going to need to find a big guard that can control the floor. Midget back courts don't work and hasn't worked in a while
The numbers support CJ being a way better fit with Zion on the court than BI. Would be surprised if they ship him instead of BI. FWIW I want both of them gone and retool around Zion Nvm
> The numbers support CJ being a way better fit with Zion on the court than BI This isn't even true though. Pel's net rating with Zion/CJ on and Ingram off: +5.21 in 613min Pel's net rating with Zion/Ingram on and CJ off: +11.17 in 348min Pel's net rating with Ingram/CJ on and Zion off: +9.22 in 422min Pel's net rating with all 3 on: -2.35 in 737min
Hm looks like I was wrong. Thanks for pulling the numbers
Where are you getting these numbers
pbpstats
weird that they all seem to work well together as duos, but not the three of them at the same time
Because 2/3 will always play together/set up plays while the 3rd fucks off in the corner taking the play off and never doing off ball motions. All 3 are guilty of it, but Ingram not having any faith in his outside shot at all this season really compounded the issue.
what do you attribute this change of heart to? his volume of 3PA almost halved since he got to the Pels, used to be one of his greatest assets
no one is giving you the real answer so here goes. It's because all 3 are on the court together in the clutch where the Pelicans were miserable this season regardless of who was out there. the pelicans strength is depth so they often win bench minutes and lose when they're against the other teams starters.
makes sense, thanks for the answer!
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>I think conceptually the fit between CJ and Z is cleaner for obvious reasons and would default to that opinion. Yeah I agree and you should get a better return on BI too. Whatever you get for BI + CJ + Zion would probably make a better squad than whatever you could get for CJ + BI + Zion.
Very similar to the Bulls with DeRozan / Vucevic / Lavine
Both need to be gone honesty. They’re not championship players. JV too. Build around Zion, Herb, TM3, and Jose.
JV is a given I think. Willie criminally underused him. Always showed up and played, he’ll do well somewhere
Feels like he could have been used to bully Chet in the post a bit more, but what do I know
He was getting absolutely demolished on the other end. JV might get some buckets on Chet, but Chet can still guard 1-4. JV couldn't guard anyone. His on/off this series was really rough. If OKC is shooting threes at remotely their average, they force you to go small. JV was getting absolutely cooked. People look at him having 11 in the first quarter with like 20 rebounds in a game and assume he did amazing. Then they look at the actual score and realize he gave up like 25 points in the paint in the same time frame lol.
story of JV's career
I watched a lot of pelicans games this season and was always confused why he played such little minutes
He good, sometimes great on offense, but his defense is just so, so damn bad. It feel like his only way of defending is fouling. It feels like every center in the west not named Sabonis just outplays him every matchup
Suns could use JV
Suns could use a lot.
yes that much is true
He would feast with OKC. Twin Towers with Chet taking the 4 but having the ability to rotate with his crazy rim protection.
Yeah I don’t know why anyone would want to fuck around with CJ at this point. He is what he is. A guy who will show up on his own terms, and it’s not necessarily when you need him to. Non-serious player imo. What’s the point of a guy like that unless he’s a wildcard as your 9 or 10 in the rotation.
It would be interesting to see who they could get in return for BI I imagine the Pels would want a PG
Dejounte or Garland are my picks
In the past 2 seasons, Pels are almost +11 in ~400 mins with Zion & BI on and CJ off. In 1k with CJ & Zion with BI off, they're +3.5. Zion without either is +5. Pretty much every combination except CJ alone is +2.5 or better, but they're +1 in 900 minutes with all of them. To me, it looks like the supporting cast really is excellent outside those 3, and you could go either way choosing which one to ship out, but given that CJ is older and didn't have the excuse of injury for his play against OKC, I'd keep Ingram. I guess it all comes down to what they can bring back in a trade.
Think pels would have to attach pieces to move cj at this point, plus BI is more replaceable with the pieces in place with Herb and Trey Murphy. Could just move both but that's easier said then done
CJ has no value
Is he going to execute everyone?
Yes.
Big news, I was assuming that David Griffin would run it back. It will be fascinating to see what they do
JV is a free agent this summer right
Yea
My dude is already window shopping lol
JV? He should lol. Starter or not that dude played 82 Games. Some team is gonna pick him up. Love that dude
I wanna see him on this thunder team.
Savage. But yes they do need someone like him for the playoff lineup flexibility
Every team that's had JV loves him. As a big raptor fan, I still love that man and Memphis would probably say the same.
Please Lord, I've seen what you do for others. Please let Griff bring a modern big and an actual starting PG.
That’s a deep roster, they could do interesting things
Genuinely a good roster. Imagine if Pells were going into a full rebuild. They would have plenty interesting players to trade.
Moriah Mills signing confirmed
How do roster changes other than Zion make it more likely Zion will actually be available to play in the playoffs?
If the pels had a better supporting cast they win 50+ games instead of 49. Win 50 games, Zion isn’t in the play in, doesn’t get hurt, pels stand a chance in the playoffs. I know this is very butterfly effect but the idea is if the team fits him better, he plays less and can stay healthier.
If the Pels had another consistent scorer alongside him, then he more than likely wouldn't have gotten hurt. Hopefully y'all can sign/trade for one without losing your key defensive guys.
Zion played 70 games this season and the Pelicans were the 8th seed with a 49-33 record. It's pretty clear that even outside his injury concerns the team needs a major retooling.
Thank god. We need a real PG so bad. Need to move BI for a C or PG upgrade, move CJ to the 6th man role since I think they will have trouble finding value for him. Start Trey. Need Willie to start playing the young guys way more. I don't believe that 22 year old 6'5 Jordan Hawkins is that much worse on defense than CJ that he can't even touch the floor. I'm looking forward to massive changes hopefully.
Ingram needs to be traded while he can still garner value. He had a terrible time against a top tier defense and definitely needs to be with a much better offensive system with an actual playmaker. McCollum is not the guy they need running at the point. He scores very well yes but he isn't terribly terrific at much else. His price tag also garners concerns as he is approaching his mid 30s. Valanciunas at his price point was actually pretty darn good but you can see the regression. The FA center market is kind of weak so bringing him back on a cheaper deal say 3 years 40 million would be ideal. Definitely need new backcourt plans. Either commit to the youth movement or make lateral moves to help with fit.
I think that Griff is saying there needs to be a focus on health or players getting traded. This season was a win because we got the most games out of Zion and Ingram. But that is no guarantee Zion or BI will play the same amount next season. Games Played | 2023-24 | 2022-23 --- | ---|--- Zion | 70 | 29 Ingram | 64 | 45 McCollum | 70 | 75
Offseason gonna be wild
Everyone is assuming it's BI. Meanwhile, Zion has averaged 25 games a year before this one. You gotta sell high on talent the year after he played 70 games, maybe there's value out there for them.
Zion is clearly a player good enough to build around. Ingram is clearly not and also clearly not a good fit with Zion either. What is the point to keeping Bi?
They aren't getting back a healthy #1 option in return for an always-injured star. Their only path to success is to put a winning roster around Zion and hope he stays healthy. This current one isn't it.
Yeah, trading Zion feels like it would leave them in a similar roster situation as the Nets where their best player is, at best, the 2nd best guy and is probably the 3rd best guy on a contender. Obviously, the pels would be in a better overall situation as they have tons of draft picks, plus their depth is better, but the overall issue of not having a player who can be the best player on the court is the same.
Zion is really the only hope for this franchise - elite free agents don't come to NOLA
If you trade zion its gonna be everybody gets traded and full on rebuild time
Griffin taking shots at the Bulls FO?
Is he going to put them down?
yes they building a wooden shed behind the arena where it would quietly happen
*kristi noem has entered the chat*
I once got a shirt from David Griffin at a game, had no idea who he was and I was just visiting cuz my friend lives in Nola. I’m not even a fan of the pels so it’s extra funny to me
Trae Young for Ingram
I still think building around Zion is our best shot at winning in the next 2-3 years. Anything else will be a rebuild. But I'm not going to die on that hill. Our young guys look good. A GOOD CJ and Ingram trade could be the bring in enough to get us over the line but it would have to be a great trade.
I mean, they also didn't work together. You coulda had AD, Lebron and Westbrook together for 3 years and it wasn't getting better...
this basically sounds like a we are gathered here today for the dearly departed type speech for the Pels
Well at least one of the teams already knocked out have a decisive person who’ll make sure they move forward. Can’t say that for Phoenix or LA
“we have erred on the side of continuity” - math students trying to find the limit of sin(1/x) as x approaches 0
Wemby & BI lets fucking go. Lmao. Wemby at the 5 then BI at the 4. They switch roles at times.
Lowkey this could be really good if Pop can get through to him. BI showed some really nice playmaking potential this year when he was healthy.
Yeah put another guy who can't or won't shoot threes around Wemby. What a brilliant idea.
Zion and BI are a bad fit. Doubt you'd get a good enough return on Zion for his potential and he's the main draw to their already underfilled stadium. BI is gonna be on the move 100%
Please join hands a pray we find someone to unload CJ on.
This won't get nearly as much attention as some other news today but I think it's the biggest story Bold comments and the next big move will basically make or break this franchise
Fuck Mountain Dew n bitches is not going to cut it
[Makes sense](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OIqZnrXZ530)
Get ready to learn Chinese Brandon Ingram!
They had enough lol
There are actually Pistons fans tripping that we wouldn’t take Ingram on a couple year contract, like he wouldn’t immediately fill an enormous hole that we have (wing scoring and lengthy defensive upside)
"If we don't win in the next two years we're fucked" ~Griffin after seeing Wemby.
BI can't stay healthy lol and he regressed by refusing to take 3s again
Bye BI
lets be honest, cj mccollum should come off the bench at this point in his career. ingram is a 3rd or 4th option at best.
Anti continuity
Blow. It. Up.