Michael and I react giddily to the news the Hornets won the first pick of the NBA Draft and the rights to draft Anthony Davis out of Kentucky. He’s a Gamechanger, folks. We talk all kinds of impacts.
Enjoy the Podcast! Want it on Itunes?
Oh – New Owners, New Star, probable new Name? Pack the hive and show the rest of the NBA how its done! Might want to call 525-hoop, I’m betting those season tickets are going fast.
55 responses to “In the NO Podcast Episode 68: A winner is us”
Would the real Anthony Davis. I repeat Would the real Anthony Davis please stand up. Luck is finally coming our way with a #1 draft pick ours. A top 10 pick ours, a possible resigning for EG10, a new owner,all we have to do now is do great at signing FAs and trade wisely and we back on top of our game
I completely agree with keeping Okafor now
Assuming he is healthy, which I hope he is.
I hear dirty coast is working on a Davis shirt…
I think Landry would play great on a unit where you slide Davis to the 5. I’d try to keep him.
I could see us re-signing Gordon definately, but I think that eventually he’d be traded after a good season if a great offer came by, essentially like what the Bulls did with Orlando Wooldridge after Michael Jordon came to town.
It’s really exciting to be getting Anthony Davis, and the key now is trying to build key players around him for the long term. To me, that involves a couple of things:
(1) AVOID BAD CONTRACTS AT ALL COSTS. How do you fail to succeed when you have an elite center like Davis? By using up the rest of your cap space on awful long-term deals on players with limited value.
(2) Decide whether to lock up Eric Gordon long-term (hopefully for less than a max contract). Don’t throw big money at worse players (Landry, Kaman, etc.). Personally, I think Gordon is worth the gamble.
(3) Try to unload Okafor’s contract for an expiring deal. This might be a trade deadline deal next season.
(4) Decide whether Ariza fits into the long-term plans for the team. If not, shop him for young talent and/or expiring contracts.
(5) Try to build a winning culture next season, with the realization that your goals are not primarily focused on success next year, but rather building a championship level team within the next 2-3 years.
(6) Figure out if Chris Paul is in play as a free agent next year. A little crazy, maybe, but he loves NOLA and he loves winning …
Please make #6 happen. Clippers will never win anything with VDN as their coach. Hopefully, CP3 sees this and bolts for N.O.
LETS GO AFTER MKG!
I don’t think Davis will necessarily serve as a recruiter, but I do think he provides an elite opportunity for other stars: a chance to be on the court with another All-NBA player who is okay with not having the ball with time winding down. Money talks, but I don’t think there’s anything more important to an elite athlete than his ego. With Davis, you can win an NBA championship and you can take the final shot without him throwing a hissy-fit.
I love the idea of MKG and Davis being reunited, but I actually prefer Harrison Barnes paired with Davis. I think it’d be a nice combo.
Of all the moves made this year, I think San Antonio picking up Boris Diaw is one of the must underrated. He is such a nice fit with Tim Duncan. Can pass, shoot the trey, and has the size on the block that slimmed-down Timmy doesn’t have. He’s listed at 235, but I think they mean kilograms.
In the same vein, Boston’s champ team paired KG with an undersized bully named Kendrick Perkins.
Now that we will have a PF with substantial length (enough to guard the slimmer centers), should we consider someone like Sully with that 2nd pick? One of you guys alluded to it. Sully, despite his size, or more likely because of his size, manages to rebound pretty damn well. He has shown the potential to knock down the 3 as well. Put him next to Davis and that looks like a pretty solid frontcourt.
I wonder how unrealistic it would be to think Deron Williams might consider signing for New Orleans now (he’s an unrestricted FA)? As far as I can tell, we have the ability to pay Gordon a near max, Williams a max. Not 100% sure what we will be paying Davis under the new rookie pay scale, but I’m pretty sure the numbers work out…
Have to agree with Ryan on DWilliams. Though I wonder which team has the capacity to both pay him the max and also field a team good enough to win soon.
Dallas, Portland, and Indiana seem like reasonable options.
Portland could package one or both of their picks and pick up some vets.
Indiana has the cap space, some solid players, and the rights to match anything thrown at Hibbert. My guess is that they will. Also, they have Bird Rights there, so they can lock up some great free agents early and still sign Hibbert if their owner opens his wallet. A team with DWill, George, Granger, West, and Hibbert looks pretty scary.
Dallas is, in my mind, the frontrunner for DWill. Cuban wouldn’t mind spending to get another championship-caliber team, and I think Williams grew up in Texas. Also, I believe they could amnesty Haywood or Marion, which I think they will do following this upcoming year (or maybe trade Marion), which would give them the cap room for Dwight Howard.
That Kilo line was gold. Mike.
SP – I don’t think Deron is in play for us this year. A win-now NBA player may be leery of committing long term to a team with a star that hasn’t proven himself yet.
We have stars in our eyes. Doesn’t mean the league’s veterans do.
From CP3 to unibrow!
If you are targetting an irrational confidence volume shooter, Jeremy Lamb is your guy. Don’t think you guys have ever discussed the possibility of drafting him at 10
Also I haven’t seen Terrence Ross play but in the nbadraft.net profile he is desribed as being irrationally confident and lacking a conscience, sounds like a good fit. A lineup of Ross, Gordon, Davis, Aminu and Okafor would cause havoc on the defensive end, and is potentially one of the best defensive teams of all time.
I love it!! I am an overseas hornets fan and just the awesome news. Let unibrow-era begin!!
why not we package okafor to the rockets for lowry and there 2 picks….den we select arnett moultrie i think he is faried 2.0 den pick tony wroten jr wid the other pick….why not we trade jack to the bulls in a sign and trade for asik
Houston would be a fool to give up this much – but Okafor is from Houston (I think)
He is.
Because neither the rockets nor the bulls would make any of those trades… People knows Okafor is overpayed,so, why would they give us 2 picks AND a player for him (more likely would be we add a pick to his contract and try to move him for whatever we can get, but i prefer keeping him now) as for the bulls…a backup for their better player in exchange for their backup PF that has room to grow and played great… dont see that happening as well.
Unibrow and the Commish :)) YEAH BABY!
[…] The NO Podcast Episode 68: A Winner is Us (from Hornest247) To the victors go the spoils. Congrats Hornets fans. Also, fuck the conspiracy haters… it’s a lot easier to swallow when you you get the best player. (Love the banner graphic btw.) […]
I don’t think we can get Dwight for 5 years as part of a trade.
#1! Number one!
4-9-6-7. I will never forget those numbers. Do not change your ATM pin to that now! 🙂
Now, We are officially on the verge of an amazing new era!
We just won the lottery which will bring Anthony Davis to NOLA! Wow! He is the guy I compared (his stats) with Tim Duncan during the season.
Eric Gordon cannot go anywhere now. He is restricted anyways. Those two are already surrounded with young players like Vasquez, Henry, Aminu, not so young but also Ayon and Smith. Coach tried to teach them all how to win all season long. Now, all that pays … for greatness!
We can also pick another very good player at #10 or trade and bring yet another very good player. Moreover, we will eventually have enough cap space to sign yet another very good player. There you go, 4 star players, surrounded by a young core.
Do you think CP3 will really come back? The main reason he left New Orleans was not to win a championship. If he really wanted that, he would not go to Clippers. 🙂 CP3 wanted to be part of a bigger market. I do not think he is coming back.
The question is: Would you wait for Chris Paul, would you pursue Deron Williams this summer or would you try your best for Rajon Rondo?
One of those 3, Gordon and Davis! Wow! That’s a Big-Three there!
This one’s for all of you “tankers!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gPPiMVhhAY
Number one pick, baby!!!!!!!
Here is what coach says: ” It’s a good feeling, but yet as a coach, I’m already thinking about the steps I have to take to try to put this team into a position where we can be a top four team in the league. And I’ve always felt once you’re in that top four category, you’re one or two plays away from being a champion. ”
That’s it!
Monty has to work on his reaction to getting the biggest break in his coaching life….. its like Pat Riley being paired with Magic….. Phil Jackson getting to coach Micael Jordan….. Pops w/ Timmy…. Monty just received a lock on one-thousand NBA wins, two or three finals appearances and coach of the year accolades for the next decade or more…..after winning the lottery he looked like he just got comped a room at the Holiday Inn for a night…. Comm’on Monty show some emotion, at least one high five or fist pumt 🙂
Simple plan for the next season…
sign gordon for a 9-11 mil a year/ 4 year contract…
Keep Ariza, but give Aminu more minutes to develop. Ariza walks at the end of the season.
Let Vasquez develop.
Amnesty Oak at the end of the season, so we can go all in for CP3 and a good center.
2013.
PG: Paul, Vasquez
SG: Gordon, Henry, (D-Leaguer or Vet minimum)
SF:Aminu, #10 Pick( Praying Barnes drops), Henry
PF: Davis, Smith, Ayon
C: 2013 FA, Smith, ( D leaguer or Vet Minimum. )
The problem I have with all the Davis love it’s all about projections. Right now Robinson is so far ahead of Davis in everything, but mid-range jumper(with is about a tie) and blocking shots. We are hoping he progresses to a level very few players get to. His post defense is so suspect that it could easily negate his shot blocking. Think about what Duncan is doing to Ibaka in the Spurs-Thunder series.
I’ve said the fanbase that gets Davis will be highly disappointed just said it’s likely to be the team I support.
I’m not trying to condemn anyone. I actually just want to ask, what I feel is a reasonable question, to da ThRone.
Do you feel that Thomas Robinson is “so far ahead of” Anthony Davis in the following categories and, if so, which ones,
A) Free Throw Shooting
B) Ball Security (ie giving up turnovers)
C) Stealing the Ball on D
D) Field Goal Percentage or Shot Selection
I don’t think a reasonable argument can be made that Robinson is better at any of those categories. Now, the obvious response is that those aren’t the most significant statistical categories, and I won’t deny that at all. But my point is this, you saying; “Right now Robinson is so far ahead of Davis in everything” except for a couple categories is clearly a strongly stated position that I doubt statistics can defend. I think anyone making that argument would have to use more opinion or the dreaded “eye ball test” than statistics or something measurable.
But, as always, I’m no expert, and I have a more than open mind on the issue.
Hey DaThrone. We are comparing Davis with Duncan, not Ibaka! Hopefully, the years will prove that right! 🙂
Davis won the championship matchup.
Who would have bet that the Hornets would land two players on the US Olympic team? Yet, there’s a good possibility that Davis and Gordon make the squad.
Now the Hornets need to find a big who can shoot the 3. Having a big to complement Gordon would be a nice addition. If he’s available, Sullinger is the guy to draft because he could turn into a Kevin Love in a few years.
I love the prospect of Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard at 10. I think Lillard would benefit greatly from being in Coach Williams’ system and playing along with Jared Jack. I don’t have a big problem with Austin Rivers either (a great pedigree with Doc as his Dad). I’m simply excited about the future of the Hornets. I’m sure Coach Williams will give his input and that he and Demps will make the best choice possible to put this franchise on the map in a positive way. It would never hurt to try and get DWill (although I think he’s solid with DHoward in Brooklyn or coming to Dallas). But anything is possible and nothing beats a failure but a try. And we all know that Demps will give it his best shot.
Ok so it may be too late for this, but I have a couple of questions for Michael and Ryan. Maybe you could answer them here in the comments or save them for a future podcast or maybe they are total crap and you should ignore them. The choice is yours.
1) I have heard you guys talk two or three times about the perfect style PG to put next to EG. I believe Michael responded some one like Andre Miller. Let’s play the same game with AD, but let’s say in three years when he is, hopefully, starting to truly be a superstar. Furthermore, what kinda of center would you love to see paired with AD?
2) The question came up in the podcast, “If the bobcats take Drummond, would you be willing to trade this years 10th overall and next years first for the third pick and a big contract (not sure who it was. Blanche, maybe?) ?” I think you both respond more or less yes for Kidd-Gilcrest, but would you do something similar if MJ takes MKG and Drummond is still avaliable? If yes, how high up would you trade? Personally, I don’t want to touch the guy with a 10 foot pole, but I’m no expert so you tell me what you think.
Sorry if these are begginer-style questions. I have only been following the NBA the since the Hornets came to NOLA, and I have only been a serious fan the past couple of years.
Hey Nicks65, here’s my opinion
1) The Hornets need a tough, strong rebounder next to Davis. Otherwise, the other team will load up their tough guys on Davis and beat on him to wear him down.
2) I would take Drummond if he fell to us at 10. I would never trade up and give additional assets to take on that sort of risk. To me, Drummond is in my third tier of prospects, and I only believe strongly enough in the top 2 tiers to give up major assets to get them. My top 4 tiers:
1. Anthony Davis
2. Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes
3. Andre Drummond, Bradley Beal, Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, John Henson
4. Jeremy Lamb, Damian Lillard, Royce White, Perry Jones, Terrence Jones, Austin Rivers, Kendal Marshall, Dion Waiters
Now, those tiers are probably different than Michael’s.
I think Davis is the biggest guy on the court at the end of games in this new league. If you wanna call that a “center” that is up to you. Personally, I want a guy like Paul Milsap next to him up front- a guy who can do the dirty stuff inside and also step outside if needed. I also wouldnt mind Jared Sullinger.
As for your second question- no I do not want Drummond in that scenario, but you might be able to sell me on Beal.
Sorrry Michael, I should have been more clear. When I asked about “center” I meant to specify at the beginning of games not the end. So in other words, who starts at center nexts to AD.
Having said that, I agree that at the end of games AD is the biggest player we have on the court in small ball nba.
I’m REALLY happy that we won the lottery as I am sure all of you are, I just wanted to share 😀
I missed the lottery because for some odd reason I thought it was done during half time or maybe I remember that being the case on previous lotteries a long time ago.
Regardless the texts started flying from my friends who know I’ve been a Hornets fan since day 1, such an amazing feeling! Now if only we could remain Hornets and abandon the terrible idea of a rebrand…
Otherwise I’ll be one of the sad dudes whose team won the lottery but will have to go cheer for Charlotte when they recover their name 🙁
Harden a max guy, are you kidding me? Make me the 3rd option on OKC with Durant and Westbrook and I would shine, too. Or, have me come off the bench playing against second teamers and my numbers would look good, too.
Harden is brilliant – and the best playmaker on that team. There is only one shooting guard in the game who I would rather have on this team going forward: Dwayne Wade.
Kobe and Manu are too old, Gordon too injury prone.
If I was OKC, I’d be trying dangle Westbrook for Dwight Howard and put the ball in Harden’s hands. I’d give up Ibaka too to form a Howard-Durant-Harden big three. That would be dominant.
For those of us who only became Hornets fans when they moved to N.O., who is “LJ”?
Larry Johnson!
really………I wasn’t a hornets fan until they moved into the wonderful city of New Orleans but everyone know Grandmama………come on man!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTwQ0qYUKvg
Here’s a brief tutorial. . .
Unibrow fan section!!!!
My girlfriend’s t-shirt company’s already got “Beeware the Unibrow” t-shirts in production, if anybody’s interested: http://bit.ly/KvgyJr (They’re simply marvelous.)
I wouldn’t be a fan of trading Gordon for Rondo mainly because PGs just don’t win Championships. We had CP and a good supporting cast around him and still didn’t stand much of a chance. I feel good about Gordon next season, and I think we need an athletic/explosive guy at the PG position in the mold of Russell Westbrook. If we get a true PG though, I would prefer Scott Machado over Marshall or Teague.
I heard your negative comments about Kaman in the post, but I had the chance to sit on the floor under the goal toward the end of the year, and I cannot tell you how many times Kaman was wide open on the pick and roll and Jack and Vasquez could not hit him. Hopefully Gordon can hit the pick and roll, or we have to get a guard who can hit the pick and roll to Davis.
As long as Kaman doesn’t have to dribble, he’s a fine choice to pass the ball to.
i want to win now. Have no problem with trading the 10th pick. I do like rivers though as a scorer. I’d like a paul millsaps trade or even a wilson chandler. We do need a point guard because I don’t like the dynamic with jack and gordon. If we get another shooter, and even another top 30 player, this team is gonna win win win
Can someone send me the link for the unibrow picture?