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Do The Pelicans Need To Save Cap Space for Julius Randle?
It was all smiles at the introductory press conference. Julius Randle spoke about making New Orleans his home long term, and Dell Demps spoke of Randle as if he was a core building block moving forward. And while both men were being authentic, the NBA’s pesky little salary cap could put a thorn in the […]
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Trade Targets III: Setting Up the Next Trade
Some people play checkers, others play chess. Dell Demps plays chess. He might not always win, but he’s always playing chess. Most NBA fans are in a rush to judge every move in a vacuum. They rush to analyze a move the second it is made. But, in reality, each move is a domino that […]
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Trade Targets Part II: Zig While Others Zag
When you are a small market competing with 29 other teams, you need to find market inefficiencies. Either anticipate where the game is going next and/or grab up undervalued pieces while your opponents have their eye on another prize. The former is hard to do in a market with so many smart executives, but the […]
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What Makes Sense as the Next Step for the Pelicans?
July 2nd was a weird day. We can go into every minute detail and break it down several different ways, but let’s just say it was weird and move on. Some people want Dell to battle the false claims Boogie’s camp is spewing, but there really isn’t anything to be gained by that. His job […]
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Who Makes Sense at 51 and Does it Even Matter?
For years I have tried to crack the code to finding a gem in the second round. I looked back atthe history of the second round and the profiles of the guys who overachieved and tried to project who fit that mold in the current draft class. By using some simple formulas, I have had […]
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What Else Does Dealer Dell Have Up His Sleeve?
On January 26th, when news broke that DeMarcus Cousins had been lost for the year, the season seemed all but over. Two terrible home losses to the Clippers and Kings made it even worse, but a trade for Nikola Mirotic and an unexpected road win against OKC has given the Pelicans new life again. Still, […]
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Pelicans Current Winning Ways Are Fun, But Unsustainable
Currently, the Pelicans are on a three game winning streak, and at 6-5, are over .500 for the first time since 2015. That’s the good news. The bad news is that their current formula for how they got there is unsustainable when projecting over an 82 game season. Simply put, the Pelicans are relying on […]
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Solving the Riddle That is the Pelicans Rotation
The New Orleans Pelicans spent this summer putting together a talented, yet somewhat confusing roster. In a league that has run from the big man like the plague, it contains perhaps the two best big men in the league. In a league that values shooting, it has perhaps the two least respected perimeter shooters in […]
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Pelicans Stick to New Philosophy; Draft Frank Jackson
While Dell Demps is in office, you might never see a first round pick taken by the Pelicans again. Or, if you do see one, he will be traded early in his career for someone who can help win now. But Dell Demps has found a way to get first round talent, without using a […]
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Pelicans Should Do Whatever it Takes to Get Into Paul George Talks
It is rare that a superstar in his prime can be had for 25-30 cents on the dollar, but because of the specific set of circumstances surrounding him, that might be all it takes to acquire Paul George at this moment. George has let it be known to Pacers management that he plans on leaving […]
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Sleeper Candidates For the Pelicans Second Round Pick
To what should have come to no surprise to all fans, the Pelicans lost their 2017 first round pick, as it didn’t land inside the top three last night. The odds were against them, and even though it is fun to dream, the Pelicans effectively made their draft pick in February, when they got DeMarcus […]
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Five Scenarios in Which the Pelicans Improve This Offseason…. Without Holiday
Earlier this week, our own Jake Madison hypothesized that Jrue might have already made up his mind to head elsewhere this offseason. While that would leave another gaping hole on an already thin roster, it is possible that this would actually be a blessing in disguise long-term for the Pelicans. Giving Holiday a contract at […]
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2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Four: Extending Boogie
What’s the old saying, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? What does that even mean, and who is choosing between domestic birds and those living in bushes? Well, I have no idea where it comes from, but I have heard it enough times to understand the point of the saying. […]
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2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Three: Jrue Walks
Let’s get one thing out of the way….. Jrue Holiday will be overpaid next year. Whether it is by the New Orleans Pelicans or by some other team, he will receive a contract that makes him one of the top 3-5 highest paid point guards in the league. And nobody would claim that Jrue is […]
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2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Two: Operating Above the Cap
In part one of the offseason possibilities piece, I took a look at the Pelicans options if they were to try and operate under the salary cap this summer. That route opened up the possibility of the Pelicans getting another top-end player, but also make the roster very top-heavy, with very little quality depth beyond […]
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2017 Offseason Possibilities Part One: Using Cap Room
Teams with a “Big 3” rarely have cap room to add more. The Clippers, for instance, have had little to no flexibility ever since adding Chris Paul. The Heat had to try and fill roster spots with minimum players for years, and the Warriors were only able to add a stud like Durant because they […]
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Building a Team Around a Jrue/Boogie/AD Core
It is hard to not be excited about the Pelicans absolute fleecing of the Kings in this DeMarcus Cousins trade. Getting a superstar is difficult. Getting a superstar to come to a small market is even harder. Getting a superstar to come to a small market when you don’t have elite assets to trade for […]
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The Jrue Holiday Trade That Makes Sense For Everyone
The Pelicans management is in a tough spot here. Ownership wants to make the playoffs, yet a singular focus on that one goal could have terrible ramifications for future years. Imagine a situation where the Pelicans get the 8th seed, or fall a few games short, denying all offers to trade players before the February […]
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The Argument For Acquiring Paul Milsap
For several days now, reports have been out there that Hawks forward Paul Milsap is being shopped around by Atlanta. A few days after that, some reports linked him to the New Orleans Pelicans. And, a few days after that, it was said New Orleans was reportedly not interested because they would have to pay […]
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What Everybody is Saying and Nobody is Talking About
A couple of wins and now everybody is talking playoffs. Another injury or two and a losing streak and everybody will be talking who to take in the top 3. That’s how fickle it is right now, as the Pelicans have dug themselves a sizable hole, but have also looked like a sure-fire playoff team […]