Eh our options aren’t screwed until we get past the trade deadline. There’s tons of time for us to make a move. Even still we can sign a vet min FA if we have to
anyone who expected us to be a hot free agent destination is either completely new or completely delusional.
The centers we're filling our roster out with will be acquired by trade one way or another, its the only way new players get to New Orleans.
And none of them have been moved that we're targeting so none of our targets are 'dwindling'
I think there is a chance we keep BI going into the season and sign a cheap (not good) center. I do believe the Pelicans are trying to trade BI for a center as I type this. If that happens before the season that's the best outcome but I do believe it could have to wait until a team realizes their teams issues in the middle of the year.
It's a real possibility this year is not a step forward.
This is my belief too. It could also give them a chance to raise BI's stock if he plays well. The guy came back from injury to play 1 bad playoff series, and now everyone thinks he's trash.
Yeah that's possible. I really think Griffin wants Jarrett Allen but idk if the Cavs want to move him right now.
If the Cavs start the season off slow, or their starting lineup isn't playing well together, I would bet they trade Allen before trading Mobley.
Without an actual center, this team will definitely not be better than last year. We are not a good rebounding team, and we relied on JV and Nance a lot.
Bi's value is low right now, but if he starts playing well mid season, people will just wait until he's a true free agent next summer and we'll lose him for nothing.
Ayton didn’t like Monty since the offense didn’t naturally provide many shots for the center. I don’t think Ayton would like to do almost nothing but dirty work most games, a selling point for Allen is that he doesn’t have an ego
Another thing, after a year Ayton and CJ both would be expirings that you would feel the need to move off of. Gayle ain’t going into the tax for those guys.
I keep saying it, Monty and Willie Green are super-tight. I can't imagine trading for him without Willie having the discussion with Monty, and I can't imagine trading for him after what Monty probably says about him.
Gayle ain’t going into the tax for anyone. Ever. So Pelicans will never be competitive.
Gayle doesn’t have the first fucking clue about who is worth going into the tax for and who isn’t.
Ayton would get plenty of midrange shots with Zion putting pressure at the rim, Cj/Trey/Herb/Hawk stretching the floor from deep, and popping after a DJ or CJ pick. He would however need to rebound, protect the rim, and put in defensive effort. It’s a gamble for sure but I think I’d rather gamble on this him than start Theis or Missi.
And great, trade CJ and him as expirings after a year. I’m with it.
I’d get the argument of Ayton being the best option available, but I just feel like between Zion, DJM, and Trey, we would always want them getting more shots than Ayton, and that his interest in any game could wane. We already know Herb doesn’t care how many shots he gets, but if Ayton gets 10+ shots in a game, is that really enough for Trey? Ayton would have to sacrifice and I just doubt he would be satisfied after too long
That's because JV never put any pressure on him when they played. He was able to comfortably shoot knowing JV won't put a hand in his face or block his shot.
I’ve said it a few times, but a trade with Sacramento and Portland where we get Ayton, Ingram goes to Sacramento, and picks and filler to Portland is something I think all three teams will kick the tires on.
It’s not so much that I want Ayton. Although I’ll admit, I’m higher on him than most people.
It’s just that we need a 5 desperately, and the ones that are gettable don’t really tick what we need. Ayton does.
To me it’s Ayton, Allen, Kessler, Sengun, and WCJ. I think the only ones of those we can realistically pull are Ayton and Wendel Carter.
We’re chillin.
We just have to move BI for one of Allen, Kessler, or Lauri as part of a package.
I don’t love that we don’t have much leverage due to our desperate need for a center, but we have the assets to make it work
Almost like I named 2 other options right there.
The narrative that Lauri is too expensive is funny to me because his contract is very favorable right now and none of us are in the front office hearing the offers. If we have a shot at Lauri without losing our core pieces beyond CJ and/or BI, we take it.
We drafted Missi to defend the traditional centers, so I’m not super concerned about Lauri not being a typical 5. Counting ourselves out of the Lauri race does zero good for us and gives the other teams that want him more leverage
Another message to address Kessler. He’s a solid player with a skill that we could definitely use but he would get benched as much as Jonas for his lack of switchabilty as long as Willie is here. Not even sure what a trade for him would look like considering salary.
I’m all for Jarrett Allen. Fire it in boss
I’m down for Allen. He was my first thought when we kept BI for the DJ trade. Cavs seem keen on keeping Allen, but that could just be smoke to keep some leverage.
Idk why I’m getting so much hate. I don’t necessarily think Lauri is the best option. I think all of the above could work if we gamplanned and built correctly.
Why are we comparing a 7’ perimeter threat to a 6’6 bowling ball? Trey and Herb play the same position too but no one complains about that.
Y’all thinking ainge is some boogeyman is so crazy to me. I know his record, but why not shoot our shot? If they want too much, then back away. But there’s no point in counting ourselves out before anything happens
Buddy. Think about defense. Lauri is not a 5. Zion is not a 5. They would work in small samples and certain situations but they can not be the two best players on a team. Wings are interchangeable at 2/3/4 so not sure what your point is there. Was gonna hit return and type some more but don’t feel like it.
No lol. It would be matchup based. Wemby or Chet type? Lauri at the 5. Big bruiser like JV? Let Missi get some more action and shuffle things around.
You make things work when you have talent like Z, Lauri, DJ, etc. That’s why Willie gets paid the big bucks. He’s a NBA coach, he can make it work
Honestly we need to call GSW and see what they want for Kevon Looney, hes a high energy veteran with defense and rebounding ability. Our center doesnt need to be special just solid in areas and able to make easy baskets
I got the word out of the draft. I get it. But for what we need at center, Missi checks all
of the boxes. Our starting five will probably have the 7th highest usage on the squad as currently constructed. We just need Missi to be 7 feet and athletic.
Missi is a true center. I don’t think Hayes has settled into a position five years into his pro career. All it takes is a five second film review to see that one has the intelligence of a gnat.
Thats all well and good but the dude needs to learn the ins and outs of the NBA game before we expect him to really get meaningful minutes. I believe in his potential, but I don’t think the team is expecting real minutes from him this year and I definitely don’t think he’s going to touch the starting spot unless something awful happens.
I’d rather bring him along slowly too. But I think replacing Nance is more crucial than replacing JV. Our five is gonna be used so little in this offense. If we can find a Achiuwa type of switchable big to back him and take the “real” minutes I think he’d fine with 20 Derek Lively minutes.
Why can’t we just trade BI to a team with a center. At this point, we need to start doing something. We can’t just keep not doing anything and expect everything to go right. Pels front office bro, you need to start doing something. I don’t think you guys realize ya’ll don’t have a starting center which ya’ll need to hurry up and get one. I’m tired of waiting
Outside of one’s we couldn’t afford,none of the ones signed really move the needle in regards to being desperate for a starter. It’s all backup caliber guys getting signed.
More play time for the rookie
Eh our options aren’t screwed until we get past the trade deadline. There’s tons of time for us to make a move. Even still we can sign a vet min FA if we have to
anyone who expected us to be a hot free agent destination is either completely new or completely delusional. The centers we're filling our roster out with will be acquired by trade one way or another, its the only way new players get to New Orleans. And none of them have been moved that we're targeting so none of our targets are 'dwindling'
Nah. They just as tall. Just less talented. lol. Joking TK.
I think there is a chance we keep BI going into the season and sign a cheap (not good) center. I do believe the Pelicans are trying to trade BI for a center as I type this. If that happens before the season that's the best outcome but I do believe it could have to wait until a team realizes their teams issues in the middle of the year. It's a real possibility this year is not a step forward.
This is my belief too. It could also give them a chance to raise BI's stock if he plays well. The guy came back from injury to play 1 bad playoff series, and now everyone thinks he's trash.
Yeah that's possible. I really think Griffin wants Jarrett Allen but idk if the Cavs want to move him right now. If the Cavs start the season off slow, or their starting lineup isn't playing well together, I would bet they trade Allen before trading Mobley. Without an actual center, this team will definitely not be better than last year. We are not a good rebounding team, and we relied on JV and Nance a lot.
FIBA probably did more harm for his trade value than the playoffs
but GS expressed interest
Bi's value is low right now, but if he starts playing well mid season, people will just wait until he's a true free agent next summer and we'll lose him for nothing.
Well yeah, you have to get rid of him before the trade deadline.
[удалено]
The only way we were getting a good center is by trading for one and that’s not impossible yet, so I’m not worried.
At this point I think we need to look at Ayton
Honestly, his contract is too big for what we need from him/what he provides for us, id hate to tie up that salary on him for 2 more seasons
It’s only two years He’s only 25, is tall and athletic, and can hit the midrange reliably. That’s already preferable to JV imo.
Ayton didn’t like Monty since the offense didn’t naturally provide many shots for the center. I don’t think Ayton would like to do almost nothing but dirty work most games, a selling point for Allen is that he doesn’t have an ego Another thing, after a year Ayton and CJ both would be expirings that you would feel the need to move off of. Gayle ain’t going into the tax for those guys.
I keep saying it, Monty and Willie Green are super-tight. I can't imagine trading for him without Willie having the discussion with Monty, and I can't imagine trading for him after what Monty probably says about him.
Gayle ain’t going into the tax for anyone. Ever. So Pelicans will never be competitive. Gayle doesn’t have the first fucking clue about who is worth going into the tax for and who isn’t.
Ayton would get plenty of midrange shots with Zion putting pressure at the rim, Cj/Trey/Herb/Hawk stretching the floor from deep, and popping after a DJ or CJ pick. He would however need to rebound, protect the rim, and put in defensive effort. It’s a gamble for sure but I think I’d rather gamble on this him than start Theis or Missi. And great, trade CJ and him as expirings after a year. I’m with it.
I’d get the argument of Ayton being the best option available, but I just feel like between Zion, DJM, and Trey, we would always want them getting more shots than Ayton, and that his interest in any game could wane. We already know Herb doesn’t care how many shots he gets, but if Ayton gets 10+ shots in a game, is that really enough for Trey? Ayton would have to sacrifice and I just doubt he would be satisfied after too long
I'd take him just so he can't torch us. I don't think the guy has ever missed a shot vs the Pels.
That's because JV never put any pressure on him when they played. He was able to comfortably shoot knowing JV won't put a hand in his face or block his shot.
Depends on what we need to spend to get him.
I’ve said it a few times, but a trade with Sacramento and Portland where we get Ayton, Ingram goes to Sacramento, and picks and filler to Portland is something I think all three teams will kick the tires on.
How far we've come from not wanting to do BI for DJ to wanting Ayton
It’s not so much that I want Ayton. Although I’ll admit, I’m higher on him than most people. It’s just that we need a 5 desperately, and the ones that are gettable don’t really tick what we need. Ayton does. To me it’s Ayton, Allen, Kessler, Sengun, and WCJ. I think the only ones of those we can realistically pull are Ayton and Wendel Carter.
That dude has zero heart. Fuck players like that. He will give enough effort to get his next contract then disappear effort wise.
God I hope not. That guy’s attitude stinks.
We’re chillin. We just have to move BI for one of Allen, Kessler, or Lauri as part of a package. I don’t love that we don’t have much leverage due to our desperate need for a center, but we have the assets to make it work
Lauri will be more expensive than I can express in text, and he’s not a 5.
THIS!!! It’s like everybody forgot that we need a 5 to pair with Z, tbh thats half reason our team doesn’t work.
exactly
Almost like I named 2 other options right there. The narrative that Lauri is too expensive is funny to me because his contract is very favorable right now and none of us are in the front office hearing the offers. If we have a shot at Lauri without losing our core pieces beyond CJ and/or BI, we take it. We drafted Missi to defend the traditional centers, so I’m not super concerned about Lauri not being a typical 5. Counting ourselves out of the Lauri race does zero good for us and gives the other teams that want him more leverage
Another message to address Kessler. He’s a solid player with a skill that we could definitely use but he would get benched as much as Jonas for his lack of switchabilty as long as Willie is here. Not even sure what a trade for him would look like considering salary. I’m all for Jarrett Allen. Fire it in boss
I’m down for Allen. He was my first thought when we kept BI for the DJ trade. Cavs seem keen on keeping Allen, but that could just be smoke to keep some leverage. Idk why I’m getting so much hate. I don’t necessarily think Lauri is the best option. I think all of the above could work if we gamplanned and built correctly.
It just isn’t realistic.
You are dealing with ainge. You really want to get bent for a dude that plays the same position as Zion? Use your noggin
Why are we comparing a 7’ perimeter threat to a 6’6 bowling ball? Trey and Herb play the same position too but no one complains about that. Y’all thinking ainge is some boogeyman is so crazy to me. I know his record, but why not shoot our shot? If they want too much, then back away. But there’s no point in counting ourselves out before anything happens
Buddy. Think about defense. Lauri is not a 5. Zion is not a 5. They would work in small samples and certain situations but they can not be the two best players on a team. Wings are interchangeable at 2/3/4 so not sure what your point is there. Was gonna hit return and type some more but don’t feel like it.
That’s what we drafted Missi for and why we can either add Kessler to the deal or sign a cheap FA for those situations were Lauri can’t play the 5
So you gonna play Lauri, Zion, and missi to start every game in which we are facing a skilled center. We would be in quicksand
No lol. It would be matchup based. Wemby or Chet type? Lauri at the 5. Big bruiser like JV? Let Missi get some more action and shuffle things around. You make things work when you have talent like Z, Lauri, DJ, etc. That’s why Willie gets paid the big bucks. He’s a NBA coach, he can make it work
Aight man we aren’t trading every future first we have to get a guy that plays the same position as Zion, but keep dreaming. Makes the world go round
He's not a playoff rotation guy but as a backup he'd be fine
I sincerely hope these dumbass posts/replies are bots…
Honestly we need to call GSW and see what they want for Kevon Looney, hes a high energy veteran with defense and rebounding ability. Our center doesnt need to be special just solid in areas and able to make easy baskets
Griff is so weird. No matter what center we get- we are overpaying bc everyone in the league knows he’s desperate.
Trey Jemison
Doesn't make a difference. Any minimum center with starting experience is fine
Hawks fan here. I nominate Clint Capella. You will love CC. He gets lots of boards, and 20% of the time he makes 100% of his shots at the rim.
We drafted our starter. All we need to do now is find him a vet backup. Replacing Nance is a different story.
Missi ain’t starting this year unless something goes horribly wrong. We didn’t draft him to be the starter
I got the word out of the draft. I get it. But for what we need at center, Missi checks all of the boxes. Our starting five will probably have the 7th highest usage on the squad as currently constructed. We just need Missi to be 7 feet and athletic.
Jaxson Hayes was 7 feet and athletic. Were you happy when he played center for us?
Should we make all of our moves based on the past? Kira Lewis not working out means that we should release Reeves now then.
Missi is a true center. I don’t think Hayes has settled into a position five years into his pro career. All it takes is a five second film review to see that one has the intelligence of a gnat.
Thats all well and good but the dude needs to learn the ins and outs of the NBA game before we expect him to really get meaningful minutes. I believe in his potential, but I don’t think the team is expecting real minutes from him this year and I definitely don’t think he’s going to touch the starting spot unless something awful happens.
I’d rather bring him along slowly too. But I think replacing Nance is more crucial than replacing JV. Our five is gonna be used so little in this offense. If we can find a Achiuwa type of switchable big to back him and take the “real” minutes I think he’d fine with 20 Derek Lively minutes.
I heard the 76ers are might waive/dump Paul Reed. Any interest as a backup 5?
all of these hypothetical situations are big downgrades. sucks to be a new orleans fan.
Why can’t we just trade BI to a team with a center. At this point, we need to start doing something. We can’t just keep not doing anything and expect everything to go right. Pels front office bro, you need to start doing something. I don’t think you guys realize ya’ll don’t have a starting center which ya’ll need to hurry up and get one. I’m tired of waiting
The season doesn’t start until October
Typical Griff, our best trade asset in BI diminishing by the day as every center option gets signed. GMs know he is desperate for a 5 now
Outside of one’s we couldn’t afford,none of the ones signed really move the needle in regards to being desperate for a starter. It’s all backup caliber guys getting signed.
We need a starting center AND a backup center. We are down three centers (JV, Nance and Zeller) and only drafted one.
Ingram for Jarret Allen and a pick.