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Is Austin Rivers Better?
After last season many of us were highly disappointed with the prospects of Austin Rivers being a staple for the New Orleans Pelicans moving into the future. He posted what some considered was the worst rookie-season ever. Much of this criticism was overblown quite a bit because of his family name and the praise he […]
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Game On: Pelicans @ Cavaliers
The Pelicans are in that precarious no mans land which NBA fans hate to see. Playoff, at least in the Western Conference, is a tremendous long shot—especially with the injuries New Orleans must still overcome. A bottom (top?) five pick might be even harder to attain given that the schedule eases up some and Jrue […]
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Pelicans Scoop: Monty, Creepy Mascots, a Blockbuster Trade, and Predictions
1. Let’s get straight to it. Should Monty be nervous about his job security given the team’s performance since he took over as the head coach? Michael McNamara: Any coach who doesn’t have a championship should be nervous. Heck, how many times have we seen a Coach of the Year get fired within 24 months […]
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Social Media Squawk: Episode Two — Fire Monty Williams?
When the New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Los Angeles Lakers many fans started to call for head-coach Monty Williams to be fired. These desires were intensified after New Orleans lost to the worst team in the league, the Utah Jazz, on Wednesday night. A hash-tag (#FireMontyWilliams) was created and jumped on by many users […]
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Is the Pelicans’ Defense Really Improving?
Note: This post was written before last night’s game against the Jazz. But if you watched it then you’ll have some video evidence for what is discussed. The other day Ryan pointed out that while the Pelicans’ defense is improving it will struggle to hold a lead. Basically, he summed it up with the fact […]
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Monty’s Rotation: Taking a Shot in the Dark
We’ve had three seasons now to try to figure out how Monty Williams likes to manage his rotations, so with that amount of data in our corner you would think we might be able to project his plans for all the new pieces. After hours of looking over New Orleans five man units and his […]
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New Orleans Pelicans Season Preview: Playing the ‘If’ Game
This time of year, all 30 NBA fan bases are playing the ‘If’ game. In Portland, fans are thinking the playoffs are a lock, “If Lamarcus Aldridge buys in, CJ McCollum duplicates what Damian Lillard did last season, and Robin Lopez defends the pick and roll as well as his Synergy stats said he did.” […]
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Playoff Contention Not A Guarantee for the New Orleans Pelicans
There is a great deal of excitement following the New Orleans Pelicans these days. Free-Agency brought in former rookie of the year Tyreke Evans. The draft presented an opportunity to pick up “All-Star” point-guard Jrue Holiday. Amongst the entire buzz there remain a lot of unanswered questions. Positivity is something new to the reformed basketball […]
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Beneath the Screen: Spacing vs. Positioning
Since the 2013 NBA finals ended, much has been written about floor spacing and how important it is to NBA offenses. People look at the 3-point specialists of both the Spurs and Heat and talk about how these players are vital to spreading out a defense, making these shooters critical to their team’s success. With […]
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Pelicans’ Monty Williams to Join Team USA Coaching Staff
Per the AP: A person with knowledge of the details says Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams will join the returning Jim Boeheim as assistant coaches for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. Thibodeau and Williams will work the next three years under coach Mike Krzyzewski. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of […]
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New Orleans Pelicans Lottery Day Discussion Thread
Today can unofficially be deemed the first day of the New Orleans Pelicans offseason, as the first domino is set to fall down at 7:30 tonight. The Pelicans own an 8.8% chance at securing the first overall pick in the 2013 draft and have a 55.3% chance of drafting in the top five. As Ryan […]
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Season In Review: Lance Thomas
For many reasons, Lance Thomas’ journey into the NBA was an unlikely one. At Duke he won a national championship as little more than a role player. He wasn’t a scorer, not a terrific rebounder, nor a dominant athlete. So how did he end up as a rotational NBA player despite large obstacles in his […]
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In the NO Podcast Episode 129: The Gordon-Monty Eruption
Michael and I recap the Jazz and Phoenix games, including getting Michael’s eyewitness account of the shouting match between Monty Williams and Eric Gordon on the sidelines in Utah. Ugly. Then we talk about the myriad of point guard options that may be available this summer, including Jennings, Marcus Smart, Bledsoe, Rajon Rondo, Trey Burke, […]
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The Missing Piece: Getting On Point
If you are one of the few people who still believe that Greivis Vasquez is the long term answer at point guard, stop reading now. However, if you view Vasquez more as a fantastic bench player or a quality asset that Dell should look to move this summer in the search for this franchise’s next […]
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Hornets Bench a No-Show as Jazz Pull Away in the 4th
A familiar pattern reared its ugly head tonight as the Hornets starting lineup got the team out to a nice lead at the end of one quarter before the bench came in and absolutely killed all the momentum. The Hornets haven’t won a road game since the All-Star break, and the bench is as much […]
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Observations, Thoughts and Ruminations on the Lakers game and Monty Williams
Now that the dust has settled some, and we’ve had a moment to take a step back from the debacle that was the last 7 minutes of the game last Wednesday against the Lakers, I want to be slightly masochistic and revisit it. In the aftermath of the game, the Achilles-like rage at Monty Williams […]
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Hornets Beat: Monty Williams
This edition of Hornet Beat is just about all Monty Williams. Guest starring is the stupendous Will Hibert from At The Hive. 1. What grade would you give Monty for the job he’s done this season? Michael McNamara: B-minus. I think he has done a good job of bringing the rookies along slowly and not […]
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Eric Gordon: We Loved You, You’re Terrific, Now Leave
The time has come for the Hornets and Eric Gordon to go their separate ways and it finally feels like everybody is starting to realize it. Fans, writers, management, coaches, and probably even Eric Gordon himself. The two sides have tried to work it out, as GM Dell Demps and Coach Monty Williams said all […]
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Game On: Hornets @ Lakers
Back on December 5th, the Lakers came into New Orleans and handled the Hornets rather easily, winning 103-87. A lot has changed since then. Most notably, Eric Gordon is back for the Hornets and the Lakers have returned to full health as well (both Nash and Gasol missed the previous game). The Lakers have won […]
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Game On: Pacers @ Hornets
Last time these two teams met, the Hornets suffered a heartbreaking loss in overtime, as Paul George sank nine 3’s to lead Indiana to a 115-107 victory. The Hornets were on a four game losing streak at the time and seemed to have the game in hand with about four minutes left in the 4th, […]