WontBowDown

A bad deal is worse than no deal. The only wat to receive negative assets or trade away picks is in a bad deal.

Keep track of who owes what firsts to who: MIN, CLE, ATL, LAC, and PHX owe 1sts to UTA, OKC, HOU, and SAS. (This almost certainly played a role in the Murray trade.)

Trade with teams who are peaking now. You want your timeline to be out of alignment with the rest of the West.

Jose, Trey, Herb, Hawk, Missi should all be untouchable. Murray priobably isn't going anywhere. I'm also partial towardss keeping Payton, Boston, and Javonte Green.

So for example: CJ + Theis for Paul + Zach + SAS's best 1sts in 2025/2026/2027

Part of his new substack article explaing the BI to Klutch rumours and what that could mean. Its good stuff.

Link: https://bsky.app/profile/fearthebrown.bsky.social/post/3lc6xgcz7xc2w

Obviously, this season has been a disaster so far.

Injury after injury has devastated the roster, our big acquisition has barely played, the player we traded for him is leading the league in steals per game by nearly 1 steal, our unserious star with game-breaking potential is again injured, our other lesser star is angling for a contract beyond what he's worth, I could go on...

Hopefully, we've reached a point where the front office has to confront the fact that big moves need to be made...but what do YOU want to see happen that is semi-realistic?

Link: https://bsky.app/profile/fearthebrown.bsky.social/post/3lc6hqddezc2w

Now is just as good a time to discuss the team’s performance, or lack thereof, the first quarter of the season. 20 games in and they’ve won 20%. Last in Western Conference, even behind teams with no realistic aspirations of playin such as Jazz and Blazers. 6.5 games behind the Spurs right now for the 10th spot.

Let’s talk positives first:

• Missi has exceeded anyone’s expectations. I thought he was 2 years away from being a rotation piece. He seems to be ready now. He’s better in 2 months than Hayes was in 3 years, and I don’t find it close. What a steal in the draft. He’s the reason I didn’t give the team a F-.
• The reserves playing rotation minutes. JRE, Boston, Cain, Reeves and Green are playing rotation minutes and doing the best they can. Maybe there’s a Naji or Jose in this group that can earn even more minutes if/when this team decides to contend.
• The recent Payton signing. Good for the local guy to come off the street and steer the ship when a steady hand was needed. Great redemption story.

Negatives:

• Fucking injuries. Way too many of them to too many people. Too many hamstrings. Freak broken bones and sore backs. November tanked the season in which serious expectations were needed.
• Zion. Was he really in shape to start the season? He didn’t seem that lean. The back tattoo video did not do him any favors. Another hamstring injury and of course an uncertain return. I don’t buy any more of Griffin’s bullshit about Zion being in the best shape of his career. This shit happens way too much.
• Coaching. Willie’s going to Willie. But let’s not leave Borrego out of harm’s way. People blame Green for the offense, but this is James’ baby. Those calling for Borrego to replace Green are short sighted.
• Shooting, particularly from 3. Here’s something fascinating: Westbrook is shooting 37.5% from deep this season. No Pelican regular exceeds that amount other than Jose. That’s horrendous. Alleged shooters in Murphy (30%) and Hawkins (33%) are shitting bricks out there. Both have been injured and at times required to do more offensively than typical, but if you’re calling card is clipping from deep, you might want to hover close to league average.
• Hawkins’ defense is appalling. People want him to play/shoot more, but he can’t stay in front of a telephone pole right now. Still getting burned on switches and being hunted by opposing team. As discussed above, he needs to be able to shoot, and he’s not doing that now.
• Murray has played in 3 games and currently looks like he forgot his shot. Just like CJ last year, he’s put in a position to shoot too much when it’s just been him and CJ on the floor. Murray is trying to force things currently but if/when the Calvary returns, this will even out.
• Griffin. It’s been 6 years now. Forget all details about drafts, trades, signings, coaches, etc. 2 winning seasons. Injuries that alter the season every year. 2 first round wins and zero playoff series victories. As much as we shit on Demps, he at least got to 2nd round. That ain’t happening in the first 6 years.

Ramblings -They’ll have to go on a tear to make the playin. Does anyone think they’ll make any noise even if they got there?

• How do teams like Rockets and Grizzlies develop plans for players and strategy and then become winners? How do the Grizzlies ride Aldama and Pippen to roles that help winning? How do Rockets draft and develop players and then bring in Van Vleet and Brooks to assist with the youth and it actually work? Why does that shit not happen here?
• should have 3 first round picks next season. The Bucks have righted the ship and won’t have a terrible record. Lakers pick will be outside the lottery. Do they need to trade up all 3 to get Harper?
• I am no BI apologist . But him firing his agent before Thanksgiving and now having this mystery injury only show that he’s not looking to sink with this ship. He’s had to carry this team without Zion every postseason and he has nothing to show for it. This seems like a move for him that he will welcome soon. He tried, and it wasn’t meant to be.
• No way they run it back, right? 7th time cannot be the charm.

Shamit - long time Pels writer/reporter - posted this on his Bluesky after the game tonight. Complete speculation from me but its either: BI extension, Zion trade request, Willie and Griff extension

Link to the thread: https://bsky.app/profile/fearthebrown.bsky.social/post/3lc4toqn4r22n

Nice

This was a problem in the series against OKC and it's still a problem this season.

I suspect misapplied analytics are the culprit here."Let bad shooters shoot" and "Don't give up easy looks."

For example: "If a 30% shooter has hit his last few open 3PA, what's the percentage on hitting his next open 3PA?" That's different than a player's standard 3P% in a vacuum.

Start with the hard closeouts. Force them to put the ball on the court. Make them dribble into another defender or the baseline.

Force the offense to use energy while shortening the distance help needs to cover. Send into Missi if nothing else.

If they hit the tough 2, you tip your cap to them. At least it's a 2, not a 3.

It might be very Mitchell/Gobert Jazz-esque, but that's so very clearly a step forward to our current position.

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Jamal Cain too if anyone was wondering

BI,Hawkins,Trey Murphy, and Jamal Cain all questionable today. Herb is still out.

We need the rock energy that he brought to this team. Especially rn.

I'm a pretty die hard fan of most teams I follow, regardless of how they do. Then again, I'm a Maple Leafs fan and I was a fetus last time they won the Stanley Cup. I cheer my teams on even when they're far behind.

Tonight I took a 10 year old to his first NBA game. He had the full experience. The Pelicans hat. Lots of snacks (except cotton candy cuz we couldn't find them). The thunder sticks.

He's not from a sports family, so I doubt he knew much about the rules, but he was really getting into yelling at everybody, refs included.

After the half I said maybe I'll switch and root for the Raptors (I'm Canadian; Raps were my first NBA love) and I got beat up by the thundersticks for treason.

There's just something about seeing it through a young kid's eyes that makes me love the game and team more.

Rough night. But Pels are made to soar. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, tell me why you’re THANKFUL, and I may GIVE you this Plush Pels Hat. Top non-doomer comment gets it. I’ll pay to ship to anywhere in the US. (If Int’l, you will have to pay shipping.)

Plan for the rest of the season. It is over so lean on the tanking and evaluate the young guys. At this point going 30-42 or 18-64 its the same

Trade Zion: see if you can get a least a first. Maybe someone like the Hornets give you a young mid player (like Nick Richards) and 1/2 FRPs.

Fire WG and Griffin: Willie is right now the worst coach in the league. Promote Borrego and if he is not it look for a new one in April. Griffin build a deep roster but his stars were awful, created a team with no centers and hired the worst possible coach. Time to go

Trade BI: try to find some playoffs team that could use some above average player power. I would go to the Warriors and see if you can get something like Moody and some picks for him.

Trade CJ: same as for BI. If not, maybe some young team is interested. Maybe Spurs? I dont know

DONT play Theis or Javonte Green much. Lean on the young guys. Play Missi, Trey, Herb, Hawkins, JRE, Reeves and Jose as much as possible. See who is a pice moving forward and who is not.

The go to the lottery with high odds and get a new franchise guy. And with the picks/players acquired go for another big guy.

Green has got to go. This team plays offense worse than a pick up game at the Y.

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Turkey hat day.

I'm not a pelicans fan but I have always felt like Brandon Ingram had Bad PR and was treated as a star that doesn't contribute to winning like DeRozan or something. Do you think that's fair? When i look at his stats averaging 36% from 3 on 7 attempts per game, 6 assists per game, and his defensive tools he seems like a great player that does everything you want a secondary star to do. I always felt like he was Franz Wagner/Brandon miller level player with Bad PR.

What is your perception of him? how good is he actually? Do you want the pelicans to resign him?

Due to their gain of adaptability acquired in NOLA, our poor staff, being used better in rotations, or something else?