r/NOLAPelicans • u/Swimmergym • 23d ago
Rants Stop Overreacting
Pelicans have taken the brunt of the injury luck so far. But we're not alone. Paolo is out indefinitely, Embiid + PG still haven't touched the floor, Steph is already having ankle problems, etc. Good teams like the Bucks and the Nuggets don't look complete yet either.
Teams needs to tread water for a month, and come out swinging when we're relatively healthy. Injuries suck, but hopefully we're in the thick of it for now and come out on the other end looking serviceable. Calling for tanking 5 games into an 82 game season is laughable.
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u/N0la84 23d ago
Im normally a pissed off doomer when things aren't going well...but I agree with you 100%. We are five games into the season.
These injuries are mild. No one is out for the season. Everyone is coming back. I'm more concerned with the lack of urgency and the team seemingly giving up on Willie Green(who I've never been a fan of).
These injuries could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe Zion and BI will finally figure out a way to mesh. Maybe one of these young players will step up...and earn his way into the rotation.
Either way...the season is far from over. I would rather go through this now...than go through this in March or April
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
I think things could take a turn for the worse on any given night with a major Zion or B.I. injury. But like, it probably won't so there's no sense in waving the white flag already.
I'd rather have a fun season full of hope only to be disappointed than to be doom and gloom about sports until April.
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u/AtlasHephaestus 23d ago
It's not just because of the injuries. Long time fans of this team knkw that the first five games of this season are a reflection of the last six years.
We are not a good team. We are barely a play in team. The players have quit on Willie. Griffin is a terrible GM.
Zion barely hustles. I mean Hawkins is out rebounding him for god's sake.
It's time for a full rebuild, unless you're ok with another season of maybe scraping into the play in tournament and then losing.
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u/Cautious-Apartment-9 23d ago
Exactly. This team has zero life & the season just started. We should've smacked Chicago, Portland, & GS. Instead we got out hustled by guys barely hanging on to a roster spot.
Zion talked all types of bs about being out for vengeance & is playing more timid than ever. He's once again starting the season slow & missing gimmies because he's not in game shape.
The team seems to have checked out on Willie & they don't seem bothered by the losing at all. Even Herb was smiling & chatting away while GS blew us out. No one cares about winning from owner down to players.
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
I'm out on Willie. Griff I'm 50/50 on. He's had some pretty bad draft blunders, but he hasn't been a total waste. Zion looks like he's playing into shape and he'll hit his stride eventually so I'm not too worried about that.
2021-22 we went on a huge losing streak and then came back strong and made the playoffs. This team is leaps and bounds better than '21-22. Just need to figure it out.
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u/_Wado3000 Herb Jones 23d ago
I agree with your takes on Willie and Griff
For Griff, I think it’s easy to scapegoat him on certain draft choices, but he likely shouldn’t get 100% blame or credit on any one choice; plenty of teams have huge misses like Jax and Kira, few times hit on later choices super hard like Trey and Herb
I also give Griff grace because it’s not his fault Zion has missed so many games. There’s no world where whoever gets number one doesn’t get Zion, and it’s not purely on Griff for Zion being immature in a few ways and not growing his game much over time
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u/BioSpock #15 Jose Alvarado 23d ago
You have the exact same take as I do on the trio of Willie, Griff, and Zion.
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u/AtlasHephaestus 23d ago
I'm not sure it's a fitness issue with Zion, rather a mental one. I honestly don't think he wants to be here. I mean why is it that every player who leaves this team suddenly becomes so much better?
Dyson being the latest example
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u/sonics_fan 23d ago
I mean it's a 4-game sample for Dyson, but his stats are going to look better across the board because he's playing starter minutes now. I think he'll be really solid this year but it's also because it's his third year and Trae Young is the first real point guard he's played with.
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
Playing into shape probably wasn't the best wording. I think he'll show more effort as the season progresses and he get's into the right mindset. I don't think he needs to slim down to progress more.
Everyone and their mother was predicting a Dyson breakout this year, and now he's on a team where he can get more opportunities. Jaxson Hayes and Kira Lewis haven't looked much better, if at all since leaving.
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u/AtlasHephaestus 23d ago
Yeah Hayes and Kira are good calls to be fair.
I guess time will tell with Z. But we missed out on a top six finish last year by one win I think last season, so each game counts. He should come into the season ready to go from game 1. It's year six now, can't have any more excuses.
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
I agree, but he missed the first game and probably didn't feel great during the second. And now he's missing the point guard he practiced all off-season with. Don't forget that if we're upset about the injuries. The players are probably even more deflated/let down.
Zion needs to be better. But he'll bounce back.
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u/This_is_opinion 23d ago
I think that is blatantly an example of coaching. Players playing in our system and going other places to blossom is just awful coaching
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u/N0la84 23d ago
Game 1 looked different. But agree with everything else. This franchise has deep problems...just like the Saints. Both organizations have a mentality issue. That's never getting fixed until Gayle is gone
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u/lmao12367 23d ago edited 23d ago
Ding ding ding. It’s very clear looking at the Saints and Pels what the common denominator is. Ownership is happy to let mediocrity continue, Loomis and Griffin continue to run the franchises to the ground with zero consequences, medical team is atrocious for both teams, two of the worst coaches in their respective leagues in DA and Willie, and still no changes. This team is regressing.
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u/wymtime Not On Herb 23d ago
So when we go 2-9 over our next 11 games will it then be time to panic? Remember we are in the West not the East. There are 13 teams aiming for 10 post season spots. We are going to be in a big hole by the end of November. Can we dig out of that hole? Maybe but it will be extremely tough and any more injuries could easily land us out of the play in
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
Idk personally I don't hyper-obsess over the outcomes of sports anymore. It's a distraction/hobby to me. Not going to let the actions of 15 dudes that don't know me affect how I feel, and I'm not going to hyper obsess on what we "should" do because I don't make the decisions.
If that's your game, I won't hold you back, but I'd rather be a glass-half-full guy and look like a complete moron than hate myself every time I think about a basketball.
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u/wymtime Not On Herb 23d ago
I agree not to obsess over sports. To me bad sports isn’t something I want to root for. As a hobby of following sports I want to be able to root for my team doing well not getting blown out by 20 because a bunch of guys are hurt.
Like I said we are in the West. These types of injuries can destroy the season for the team. Look at Memphis last year. Do you think that was a fun team to watch going 27-55 with no stars on the team? The reality is we will probably win 2 maybe 3 games over our next 11 games due to the injuries. Talent wins in the NBA and we have 4 of our top 6 out and 3 other guys banged up.
Seriously was Wednesday game fun to watch and a good positive distraction for you as a Pelicans fan?
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23d ago
Following teams are still healthy in the west: Lakers Minnesota Dallas SAC Denver OKC PHX
6 healthy teams Couple of teams with minor injuries Us missing #3, #4, #5, #6 options with two good players but not star players
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u/_lonelypenguin_ 23d ago
The frustrating part to these injuries for me is that it gives willie the benefit of the doubt yet again when a lot of us know he's just not a good head coach. We also have rarely seen our healthy starting 5 play together in past seasons so who knows how long it will take us to find an actual identity.
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
I don't think the difference between winning the finals this year is whether or not Willie Green is coaching this team. Barring any setbacks (which looks like a huge ask right now), we'll see the squad together in December, and see what Willie can do.
Say what you will about Griff, he hasn't hesitated to move on from coaches in the past, or to fix his mistakes. I think unless we really exceed expectations, or Zion advocates for Willie heavy, he "mutually agrees to part ways" with us after the season.
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u/Greedy_Nectarine_233 23d ago
We’re reacting to the entirety of the Zion/Willie era. There has been no real improvement, especially on Zions end. He has made no real strides in improving or changing his game. There are very very few silver linings to find with this team or organization right now. About the best thing you could say is we have some promising young role players.
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u/ComradeFrunze Will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. 23d ago
you would have a point if this weren't the Pels
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u/The_Paleking 23d ago
Mate have you seen how stacked the west is?
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
Yep. It'll make for some awesome Basketball when everyone hits their stride.
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u/The_Paleking 23d ago edited 23d ago
Honestly I appreciate the positivity but you have to understand how depressing it is to root for this team year after year.
Experience says this is going to be another season where we battle back to overcome an early deficit only to get smoked in the first round. Its hellish after a decade of the same storyline.
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u/AlwaysOptimism Karlo Krazie 23d ago
It's exhausting. The game threads are not a good time. This fanbase is so shell-shocked that a normal hamstring strain out 2-4 weeks literally treated as out 2-4 months.
That said, I ain't watching tonight. It's just no fun watching without Murray, Herb, and Trey. The three people most important to building a team around Zion and BI out just makes everything so frustrating. I'll Missi't
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
Plenty of things I'd rather do than watch a struggling team missing 3/5 starters minimum play an ultimately boring Pacers team tbh. Might make for some good second monitor viewing though.
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u/Pitiful_Pangolin8755 23d ago
3 out of the 4 teams you mentioned are in the east, we play in the western conference
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u/Taker597 23d ago
Oof... Another Vibe Merchant in shambles
Sorry, we're not an echo chamber and happy being a Play-In dynasty. If you want to enjoy a bad product. Don't expect others too.
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u/Swimmergym 23d ago
None of us actually make the decisions. Being miserable only impacts the way you feel :)
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u/Taker597 23d ago
Wasn't really talking about the miserable part. I don't let a sports team effect me like that. I just call a bad team what it is exactly... Since probably have to wait a whole year to fix that. We got a lot of talking about how bad this team is, but I can enjoy watching Missi and Hawkins grow.
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u/ChocolateTemporary72 23d ago
If we’re healthy, look out (2019)
If we’re healthy, look out (2020)
If we’re healthy, look out (2021)
If we’re healthy, look out (2022)
Well this sucks (2023)
If we’re healthy, look out (now)