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Discussing Hill’s Role
How to optimize Hill, and will he be in that role? Michael Pellissier: I think Solomon Hill is best utilized as a small-ball 4. Hill had the 10th worst points per possession mark in the league last season of guys qualified for the MPG leaderboard: he is not the “driver” or “slasher” he is sometimes […]
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A Deep Dive into Rotations
The Bourbon Street Shots crew did a deep review of lineup data in an effort to tackle the Pelicans’s inconsistency issues. We can’t control effort and motivation, but we damn sure can look at our spreadsheets and figure out who clicks with who. And that’s exactly what we did. Below is a tag team effort […]
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Film Study: Pelicans’ Transition Defense
Earlier this month, I shared the biggest issue holding the Pelicans back from competent defensive metrics: their transition defense, specifically after missed shots. However, that article only covered the “what”, not the “why.” So why are the Pelicans having so much trouble stopping opponents from scoring after their own missed shots? Speculation based on eye […]
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The Pelicans’ Defense: Lost in Transition
It is no secret that the Pelicans have really struggled in preventing opponents from scoring this season, but simply stating that fact gets us no closer to figuring out why. The team’s high turnover rate obviously plays a part, but there is more going on here – thanks to some new stats coming from CleaningTheGlass.com, […]
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Rajon Rondo and the Pelicans’ Struggling Defense
Whether you want to use the “eye test” or the actual numbers, it is clear that the Pelicans have benefitted from Rajon Rondo’s presence on the offensive end of the court. The team’s offensive rating with Rondo on the floor is 6 points per 100 possessions better than when he is on the bench (106.1 […]
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Anthony Davis Considered “day-to-day” due to Adductor Strain
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that All-Star big man Anthony Davis will be considered “day-to-day” after suffering an adductor strain on Friday night in Utah. Obviously, this news is a major sigh of relief for the team, as many were concerned that the MRI results would show something far worse given Davis’ initial response […]
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The value Darren Erman provides for the Pelicans on defense
(Be sure to follow Brendon on twitter.) Lost in the concern over injuries and questions about Alvin Gentry’s future is a fact: Darren Erman has been a very valuable assistant during his time on the New Orleans Pelicans bench. Since taking over as lead assistant for Randy Ayers before the 2015-16 season, Erman has crafted […]
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Can the Pelicans Reduce Their Turnovers?
This post first appeared in an abbreviated form on Twitter @BourbonStShots Sunday morning. Follow for more. The short of it: I don’t see a problem, a reduction would be nice, and a slight reduction in some bad behavior should be sought, but I’d take an increase in turnovers if they came the right way. Let’s […]
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Jrue Holiday – Is It Really That Bad?
When the Pelicans signed Jrue Holiday to a 5-year, $126 million contract, they figured they would be getting their third key All-Star. He would help bolster the Pelicans roster with scoring from the guard position and play gritty and athletic defense. At the Pelicans press conference in early July, Demps made it clear that Jrue […]
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Anthony Davis’ Change in Shot Selection – Fluke or Trend?
There aren’t many things to gripe about regarding Anthony Davis’ offensive game, but one of them may be his affinity for long 2s (two-point shots outside of the paint). Last season, Anthony Davis attempted 572 such shots, accounting for 40% of his total attempts for the season. He made 245 of those long 2s (42.8%), […]
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5 Pelicans Facts for 5 Games This Season
The New Orleans Pelicans currently sit at 2-3 to start the year. Their losses are on the road to Memphis and Portland with one at home to Golden State. Their wins are both on road in Los Angeles to the Lakers and against the Kings. It’s still very early, but it doesn’t take you long […]
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Considering Trading For Bledsoe
If Bledsoe is truly available and is open to coming to the New Orleans Pelicans, they can not play meek and hedge their bets, not in an NBA where stars are attracting stars and they are in a favorable initial position. Bledsoe may not be an ideal fit, but the Pelicans may be in a […]
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42 Sense: Season Ahead
The New Orleans Pelicans tip off the season tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies. At long last, we find the Pelicans in a key season. Each season you’ve heard (elsewhere) how this is make or break for some reason or another. This time I’m telling you: this one is a watershed season. As noted in the […]
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The New Movement is Hosting Another Monthly Hangout For Pelicans Fans Tonight
Who: You! Plus members of Pelicans media (blogs, podcasts, radio, TV) What: A chill “let’s hang out and get hype for the upcoming season” meetup (9:30-10:30) followed by a live recording of “Locked on Pels” inside the theater at 10:30p Where: The New Movement, the only full time New Orleans comedy venue. 2706 St. Claude […]
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Grainy Defense
[youtube id=”INZsZPbLdSQ” width=”620″ height=”360″] “What’s the basketball vision right now? What kind of team are they? We don’t know.” It took until the last day of the regular season, but by the time the dust settled on April 15th, 2015, the New Orleans Pelicans found themselves in possession of the final seed in […]
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Change Change Change
It’s been quite the interesting offseason for the New Orleans Pelicans, at least from where I sit. The team’s lone significant move was to sign Jrue Holiday to a large deal. Combining that with other contracts on the books, even extended into the pre-offseason, the rest of the team’s moves have been Out: Tim Frazier, […]
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Pelicans Assistant Coach Chris Finch Discusses New Role in NOLA
This morning, Chris Gordy of Sports 1280 in New Orleans interviewed the newest member of the Pelicans’ coaching staff, Chris Finch. (The full interview can be found by following this link or scrolling to the end of this post.) He touched on a lot of interesting topics, from how he got the job with New Orleans […]
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Rajon Rondo Has a Knack for Making Things Easier
Rajon Rondo is well known for his ability to pass. But just how good is he at getting his teammates looks that are easy to convert? I took a look at his passing statistics over the last two years and put them up against those of Tim Frazier and Jrue Holiday. What you will see […]
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Remembering Graham McQueen
Sometimes this non-job is fun. Sometimes it’s a chore. Sometimes you have to do something no one could ever pay you enough to do . . . which is where the no money thing really kind of gets you twice. It’s been a little over a day since we lost one of our own: Graham […]
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Rondo will force change, but just might improve the Pelicans
If the arrival of DeMarcus Cousins in New Orleans signaled one set of changes for the Pelicans’ organization, then the courtship and acquisition of Rajon Rondo represents a full evolution. Gone is the versatile, defense-first team that stayed above water for 50 games last season; in is the opportunity for a more Gentry-fied offense. Cousins […]