How much trouble are the Pelicans in?

[ALonelyDad]

Healthy Zion, we're atleast .500

BI missed 6 straight gameas and Val is 20/10 guy right now

The team ain't deep, but, they always trying to replace the top 2 guys on the roster

But, people aren't watching the games and looking at records and Lonzo stats

This will ultimately be his downfall, he put too much faith in his draft picks/moves and ego too big to cut bait. Kira, Hayes, Naji, Temple and Satoransky are not NBA players but are asked to play important mins. The bench hast cost them every game this year. All he needed to do was add a decent bench and team would be much better. In a different world, this team has Hunter and Cole Anthony/Maxey

 

[tremonthustler1]

Zion might be the first high profile rookie to take the QO so he can walk in free agency the following offseason

He ain't doing that shyt cuz free agency is damn near a dead concept for big time players.


The route is always take the extension than stomp and cry until you go to where you really wanna go.

 

[Brozay]

He ain't doing that shyt cuz free agency is damn near a dead concept for big time players.


The route is always take the extension than stomp and cry until you go to where you really wanna go.

Different for a player off his rookie deal though. He won’t be able to pull that move until at least two years into that next extension. He so clearly wants out and has the big shoe deal holding him down already. Also there is no risk of not getting a max even if he was to have a serious injury the season before FA. Someone will still pay him the most he can get. I think he may do it tbh. He wants nothing to do with NO and it sounds like he has one of those family ‘camps’ helping him make decisions and not on the same page as his team

 

[tremonthustler1]

Different for a player off his rookie deal though. He won’t be able to pull that move until at least two years into that next extension. He so clearly wants out and has the big shoe deal holding him down already. Also there is no risk of not getting a max even if he was to have a serious injury the season before FA. Someone will still pay him the most he can get. I think he may do it tbh. He wants nothing to do with NO and it sounds like he has one of those family ‘camps’ helping him make decisions and not on the same page as his team

He's tryna pull that shyt now. there's a difference between a 5 year max and a 4 year max, especially if he ever got healthy enough to get an all-NBA spot that would escalate his deal.

The "I'll sign the QO" is as hollow of a threat as it is for a star established player to threaten to leave a team for nothing.


The Pelicans' biggest issue now is that they're gonna be gun shy about making anyone the face of their team from here on out and that cripples franchises and it'll cripple this one long after Zion goes somewhere else. They're gonna wind up doing what undesirable teams do: take the player who wants to be there, even if he's only half as good as the elite potential flight risk (either that or go all-in on Euros who won't be as picky about where they play)

 

[Brozay]

He's tryna pull that shyt now. there's a difference between a 5 year max and a 4 year max, especially if he ever got healthy enough to get an all-NBA spot that would escalate his deal.

The "I'll sign the QO" is as hollow of a threat as it is for a star established player to threaten to leave a team for nothing.


The Pelicans' biggest issue now is that they're gonna be gun shy about making anyone the face of their team from here on out and that cripples franchises and it'll cripple this one long after Zion goes somewhere else. They're gonna wind up doing what undesirable teams do: take the player who wants to be there, even if he's only half as good as the elite potential flight risk (either that or go all-in on Euros who won't be as picky about where they play)

His QO deal isn’t chump change though, it’s like 17 mil as the #1 overall pick. He would be giving up like 15 mil for one season though to become a UFA the following offseason. I think he might be the guy to do it. If he doesn’t it locks him into NO for at least two more seasons minimum the season after next

 

[tremonthustler1]

His QO deal isn’t chump change though, it’s like 17 mil as the #1 overall pick. He would be giving up like 15 mil for one season though to become a UFA the following offseason. I think he might be the guy to do it. If he doesn’t it locks him into NO for at least two more seasons minimum the season after next

That's a lot of money he won't get back when he can just take the max, still endure that following season and then raise hell to where he knows he has suitors. I doubt New Orleans would be as clingy to him if they found an offer they could deal with if shyt got that far (same with what happened with Davis)

 

[blockboy504]

Lonzo wasn’t getting that money here glad he’s doing this thing in the chi but nah he can stay over there

 

[King Poetic]

Get a new owner and front office

they need a change of identity

 

[Rell Lauren]

It starts and ends with Gayle Benson.

 

[Trot LaRoc]

Lookin bad, long and short term

Griffin has been horrible.
Drafting a project center top 10 just to continually bring in old, slow Centers to play ahead of him was stupid
I like Lewis but he rarely gets PT
Everyone he has drafted is mid

Lonzo is just solid but to only get two below average replacement level players was esp when your best player wanted him back

And Zion....I'm not buying stock
Sure he can put up video game type numbers when healthy but it doesnt seem to be in a way that impacts winning and his weight combined with his injury history makes him a ticking timebomb. I dont see him ever being the #1 on a high level playoff squad. Plus I dont see the dedication to his craft

I would have traded him in the off season. Fired Griffin and started over

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

Lookin bad, long and short term

Griffin has been horrible.
Drafting a project center top 10 just to continually bring in old, slow Centers to play ahead of him was stupid
I like Lewis but he rarely gets PT
Everyone he has drafted is mid

Lonzo is just solid but to only get two below average replacement level players was esp when your best player wanted him back

And Zion....I'm not buying stock
Sure he can put up video game type numbers when healthy but it doesnt seem to be in a way that impacts winning and his weight combined with his injury history makes him a ticking timebomb. I dont see him ever being the #1 on a high level playoff squad. Plus I dont see the dedication to his craft

I would have traded him in the off season. Fired Griffin and started over

It would have been difficult to trade him this past offseason with him still being on his rookie contract while getting equal value in the process. They would have literally had to attach multiple bad contracts in the deal just to make it happen, which they don't really have.

 

[NatiboyB]

Ok so I look at it like this…we can all admit that Griffin has to go…but green should get a fair shot…I’d move Langdon up to griffins job….I’m assuming Langdon was also good with green as the coach also.

player wise I know brehs are going to not agree.

with Zion clearly you don’t know what you have until he comes back healthy. So you will be forced to wait that out. But would it really be that bad to silently shop him during the offseason? Especially since he clearly wants out?

I’d also see if I can move jackson Hayes for a team locker room vet type who can still play.

that Graham and naw backcourt doesn’t seem to be working out well at all. Is it possible to start rotating Lewis in a bit more.

basically looking at this roster Ingram is a dog. Jonas does his thing. They have a couple of encouraging players. And Zion is big time if he remains healthy (big if) but with their draft assets they may want to move for someone like Marcus Smart.

The pelicans need to establish a team culture. Well not establish but improve it. Find some solid playable vets. I don’t think much of anything can be done this season to even get them into the play in but they should be busy during offseason.

And during that time after the season ends and before the draft that’s when I would ship Zion to a couple of teams who had players I was interested in.

 

[duckbutta]

They didn’t need to pay him a max. They could have just matched the Bulls deal as a RFA. They had all the leverage and let the Bulls front office walk all over them

And I think that happened cause Lonzo told them I don't want to play here, unless you giving me the max, and the pelicans said we not doing that, and they decided to part ways.

 

[Damnshow]

Nothing new there. It's a Saints town. Even after NBA gifting New Orleans with franchise players the fans still don't care that much about the team.

Griffin looking funny in the light. He used to blame Bron for interfering his GM work. Now he's got a new team and it sucks.

2 franchise players, 3 all star games over the past 15 years and their franchise still irrelevant.

 

[beenz]

They are getting advice from your favorite

Source: Pelicans hiring Gar Forman as special advisor

David Griffin should be fired for this alone.