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Setting an Appropriate Bar for Rondo
I’m pretty good at talking myself into a hole. If we get Rondo I will riot. Silently and without consequence, but I will riot — Mike Pellissier (@MikePellissier) June 24, 2017 So here we are, now, with Rondo joining the Pelicans, presumably as a starter next to Jrue. This fits the “Jrue is best served […]
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Pelicans, Rajon Rondo Agree To Contract
The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly agreed to a deal with 11-year veteran point guard Rajon Rondo. History, Play, Fit Rajon Pierre Rondo, from Louisville, played at Kentucky for 2 seasons before being drafted by the Suns and traded to the Celtics. He signed his first contract with the Celtics and was part of their […]
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Takeaways from Pelicans Summer League
The New Orleans Pelicans wrap up Las Vegas Summer League tonight with a game against the Denver Nuggets at 7 pm central. Record-wise it hasn’t been great for the Pelicans in the Vegas heat, notching just one win so far (maybe two!). But Summer League isn’t about wins and losses; it’s about the players. And […]
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The Pelicans’ Glass Salary Ceiling
The New Orleans Pelicans have been slow in Free Agency. They’ve re-signed Jrue Holiday, signed their lone draft pick Frank Jackson, and brought back Darius Miller on a deal for camp. The latter two are likely for the minimum, and Miller’s deal may be completely unguaranteed. I’ll effectively ignore his specific contract. Fans and writers […]
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Jrue Holiday Officially Re-Signs with the New Orleans Pelicans
As of this afternoon, Jrue Holiday has signed his 5 year, $126 million contract extension with the Pelicans. Holiday verbally agreed to this extension less than 12 hours after free agents were first allowed to negotiate with NBA teams on July 1st, but was only allowed to sign his contract at noon eastern time Thursday. […]
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Longer Hours
The New Orleans Pelicans made their first and only move of the 2017 NBA offseason in the initial hours of the moratorium, and things have been silent since. The Pelicans are not alone in this, as the number of transactions across the NBA is lower than last offseason. What’s the hold up? Around the NBA, […]
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The Stretch Provision and Omer Asik
As free agency started for the New Orleans Pelicans, there have been two questions I’ve heard most prominently. For what amount will Jrue Holiday sign? And should the Pelicans stretch Omer Asik. The former we now know the answer to. But that latter is where confusion sets in. The Numbers Omer Asik is due around […]
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Navigating Negotiations
The New Orleans Pelicans and Jrue Holiday are engaged in public and private negotiations on Jrue’s next contract. Negotiations are a game, which means they are often improperly analyzed, particularly in a market that is not free and inefficient. Let’s look at this negotiation and negotiations in more generality to see what we can learn, […]
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Processing the Pelicans Process
Last season I spent some time early on pondering just what Dell Demps meant when he said the year would be about the process for the New Orleans Pelicans. I thought. I thought and thought and thought. I watched the games, looked at the play, checked the data and the stats, and I thought. Then, […]
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Is Jrue Holiday “Clutch?”
**All stats from NBA.com** Clutch is not what you think. It’s not what Skip Bayless thinks and it’s not what Biff from the bar thinks, which is, crudely, “is this player greedy enough to take every close game’s final shot at the expense of a more efficient opportunity?” I don’t care about that evaluation and […]
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New Orleans Pelicans trade Tim Frazier to the Washington Wizards
Last night the New Orleans Pelicans traded point guard Tim Frazier to the Washington Wizards in return for the 52nd pick in tonight’s NBA Draft. The move clears around $2 million in cap space, and in conjunction with the NBA salary cap expected to be around $99 million (revised down from the projection of $101 […]
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Why the Pelicans Shouldn’t Sell the Gulf for Paul George
On Monday, Michael McNamara made a well-reasoned case for the Pelicans to pay whatever price it would cost in order to bring Paul George to New Orleans next season. He makes this suggestion despite knowing that there is a reasonably high chance that George still leaves when his contract expires next summer. The appeal of […]
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Passing and The Two-Man Game
The New Orleans Pelicans is a team whose core is zagging when the NBA as a whole is zigging. We saw the Grizzlies and, to some extent, the Pacers have success with this kind of model. Those teams, however, never reached the promised land or even competed in a championship series. That is not to […]
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2017-Finals-Inspired Thoughts for the Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans, like 27 other teams, are watching the 2017 NBA Finals from the comfort of their living rooms, literally or figuratively. The Finals are in many ways a repeat of the last 2 seasons. In an age where parity is almost achieved, other than the super teams, realistic expectations of titles dwindle, […]
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Pick and Roll Engine Wanted
Jrue is a good player. He can shoot a bit. He can dribble a bit. He is one of only a handful of point guards who have a real impact on the defensive end per ESPN’s DRPM. I like Jrue fine. You probably like Jrue fine. The problem is his potential price tag and the […]
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Making Sense of Draft Prospects
We’re just over a week removed from the NBA Draft Lottery, under a month away from the NBA Draft itself, and the New Orleans Pelicans have been busy. You’ve seen, and will see, the team linked to a multitude of potential prospects for the 40th pick in the NBA draft. This is all to be […]
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Temperature Rising for Pelicans Staff
The New Orleans Pelicans have officially affirmed that the contracts in place with Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps in fact remain contracts and that they continue doing the work that they are contracted to do. They felt the need to affirm this after many writers and fans had trouble a) digesting the fundamental nature of […]
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Jrue Holiday will set the baseline for the 2017 free agent point guard class
The summers of 2012 and 2013 felt important for the future of the point guard position in the moment, but together they now especially feel like a definitive moment. Because many of these players will soon be free agents, it is a good time to take stock of this group of veteran playmakers. The biggest […]
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Line Up Awards and Continuity
Continuity. Three years ago that was the buzzword, right? Bring back the same team and if you have less injuries, you get more continuity, and presto, more wins! Sadly, it didn’t really work out that way, and last off-season continuity was shown the door along with Eric Gordon. The concept, however, still holds weight. Players have to spend […]
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Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps Status Update
Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate joins me on Locked on Pelicans to give an update on the futures of Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps. Now that the NFL draft is over, how likely is a change in leadership and what might the timeline be for one? Give it a listen, subscribe, and keep […]