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Trades, Trades, Trades
Yes, it’s that time again. The NBA’s trade deadline is just three weeks away, and the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Dell Demps is working the phones in an effort to improve the team and keep Anthony Davis long term. As usual, the Pelicans first round pick is on the table and […]
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The Beal Deal
(This article is a collaboration between Mason, Shamit, and 42.) An important part of this season, and retaining Anthony Davis for at least another season, is improving the roster. Bradley Beal arguably has the highest combination of acquirability, skill mix needed by this team, and tradability to other teams in the future. Here is a […]
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Jahlil Okafor Might Be a Factor
I remember it distinctly because I was in great distress. I was on the elliptical late at night and deep in the offseason discussing edge moves and reclamation projects with the guys, particularly Kumar (who can verify this). I was all over point guards, or passing combo guards. . . and there was one other […]
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Should the Pelicans Trade for John Wall?
(Enjoy this guest post from Ben Alterman) Why trade for a point guard? In an interview with Rachel Nichols of ESPN, AD said that winning is the most important thing to him and adding another star next to him and Jrue is the best way to make the team better this year to help convince […]
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A December Look at Moore
What do you think about Moore so far and going forward? 42 (@42phd): Moore is just fine. He’s a reasonable player on both ends with a reasonable contract. I like Moore on this team, but he’s in that sweet spot for being a trade asset, too. I wrote him out of the future of the […]
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A December Look at Randle
What do you think about Randle so far and going forward? 42 (@42phd): I am happy with Randle. He’s clearly got issues on this team, but I feel like he is making progress. We’ll see how much in the end. On both sides of the ball, he just focuses too much on the ball. On […]
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Winning Without Davis
If you want to win with Davis, you need to win without Davis. — Me I don’t understand. I simply don’t understand what is so hard to understand. Day after day I see chatter about the team, and so much of it is so irrelevant. Blah blah shooting, blah blah rotation, blah blah standings, blah […]
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Taking the Initiative
This week, New Orleans Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps was called “a lousy general manager” by former NBA Commissioner and contemporaneous proxy owner of the New Orleans Hornets David Stern. This produced reactions all over the NBA, including the local media and the New Orleans Pelicans themselves. I want to address a few things about […]
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Working Smarter and Harder
Fatigue makes cowards of us all. — George S. Patton, Jr, War As I Knew It If you just look at the number of games or minutes played by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018-2019 regular season, you are left with the impression that the sample size is small, and that no conclusions . […]
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Gentry Needs To Find Out Now If The Three Bigs Can Play Together
When Julius Randle unexpectedly became a free agent on July 2nd, the Pelicans put in a call to his agent half expecting to get blown off. They had no cap room left, and only had the mid-level exception to offer to the 23 year-old unrestricted free agent. Even in a slightly depressed market, guys like […]
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Thoughts on the Ajinca-Johnson Trade
Just before the start of the season, Alexis Ajinca was traded to the Clippers for Wesley Johnson. It was a straight up deal with no other assets changing hands. The trade, I think, is potentially very helpful, but not for the knee-jerk reason, which is “The Pelicans got a player who can help them more […]
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The Offseasons Loom
“Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate: To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods.” — Thomas Babington Macaulay, Lays of Ancient Rome Summary This is not […]
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Ian Clark Looks to Build on Great Finish to Season
July 2nd was certainly the climax of the New Orleans Pelicans 2018 offseason. Rondo and Boogie went to the West Coast, Julius Randle chose to team up with AD and Elfrid Payton came home. A day that we will look back on years from now, as one that forever changed the direction of this franchise. […]
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Let’s Be Real About Rondo
Some have characterized Rondo going to the Lakers as a “big loss” for the Pelicans. They cite his stats, his relationship with AD, and his intangibles as things that the Pelicans will find it hard to replace. He allowed Jrue to play off the ball, they will say. He was a great guard for the […]
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All Dell Demps Deserves is the Chance to Succeed . . . Or Fail
Dell Demps is entering his 9th season as General Manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, and what a journey it has been. When he first arrived in 2010, a new coach was just hired without his input and the term “ownership turmoil” would be a vast understatement. As if that wasn’t enough, rumors were swirling […]
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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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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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After Math
We’ll have the considered reactions from the guys later today, but, for now, here’s the New Orleans Pelicans’ cap situation and how it will affect the other 363 days of their cap year. Overall Situation The Pelicans are now over the cap, hard capped, under the tax, and that should not change. They have the […]
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2018 NBA Free Agency, Roundtable 2
What thoughts do you want to share about Free Agency so far? Ryan Hebert (@RyanHebert89): With the Pelicans being in a Demarcus Cousins led limbo, seeing them tied to almost every low-tier big man is slightly hilarious. Other than that, I hope this Cousins saga comes to a close soon because refreshing my twitter app […]
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2018 NBA Free Agency, Roundtable 1
What thoughts do you want to share about Free Agency so far? Andrew Smith (@DruProductions): I think if Boogie comes on a 2-year, it’s a fantastic if it’s $60m or below. My biggest worry for Boogie’s contract was always giving too many years. I’m totally fine with paying a little more with nobody else bidding […]