Post-Mortem: 2022-23 New Orleans Pelicans

[ElectricMayhem]

The first team to be played out this year.

Here is the data from previous years' Post-Mortems:
2020-21:

Spoiler:

Post-Mortem Results I: GM Confidence Meter
Post-Mortem Results II: Coaching Confidence Meter
Post-Mortem Results III: Performance Compared to Expectations
Post-Mortem Results IV: Rising/Treadmill/Waning

2021-22:
2021-22 Post Mortem Final Summary

Team Name: New Orleans Pelicans
Record at Time of Death: 42-40 (.512) (Play-in Loss)
Head of Front Office: Trajan Langdon (2019-) (David Griffin 2019-)
Coach: Willie Green (2021-)

Offensive Rating: 20th
Defensive Rating: 6th
Rebound %: 5th
Turnover %: 20th

Front Office: Change or keep?
Coach: Change or keep?
Relative to expectations, how did they fare this year?
Rising, falling, or treadmill?
If you were in charge, what would you do this offseason?

Notes:
Players under contract next year:
CJ McCollum ($38m)
Brandon Ingram ($34m)
Zion Williamson ($34m)
Jonas Valanciunas (15m)
Larry Nance Jr. ($11m)
Dyson Daniels ($6m)
Garrett Temple ($5m) (Partially Guaranteed)
Kira Lewis Jr. ($6m)
Trey Murphy III ($3m)
Willy Hernangomez ($3m) (Partially Guaranteed)
Herbert Jones ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)
Naji Marshall ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)
Jose Alvarado ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)

Team Options:

Player Options:

Free Agents:
Josh Richardson
Jaxson Hayes
E.J. Liddell
Dereon Seabron

Dead Money:

Previous Post-Mortems:
30. Houston Rockets
29. San Antonio Spurs
28. Detroit Pistons
27. Charlotte Hornets
26. Portland Trail Blazers
25. Indiana Pacers
24. Washington Wizards
23. Orlando Magic
22. Utah Jazz
21. Toronto Raptors
20. New Orleans Pelicans

[Johnny Tomala]

Keep, keep, worse, rising.

[Ni Da Ye]

Pelicans should have tanked like Mavs.

[Frank Dux]

Biggest game if the year for the Pelicans and their franchise player didn’t feel like playing.

[xb3at band1tx]

Guess NOLA doesn't want this years Lakers pick huh

[Ballerhogger]

Find way get rid CJ , hope Zion wants to play ?

[payton2kemp]

The biggest issue for them is Zion. If Zion is healthy they're a top 3 team in the West.

They also have a tonne of assets they can trade for the next star. They need to make a move and win now with Zion, who knows how long his career is.

[Duke4life831]

Find a way to dump CJ's contract. Cant think about trading Zion because his value is probably close to an all time low. I would have a convo with BI and ask if he wants out. If so, I would move him because his value is probably at an all time high. Then with a core of Zion/Murphy/Herb/and whatever you get back from the BI trade. Then just hope and pray that Zion figures his stuff out and finally gets in shape and stays healthy.

[BuddyBuckets]

Have to move CJ, Dyson, as many picks as is needed for a star point guard. Ingram and Zion are good facilitators but the Pels really sick at closing out games and I feel like a real point guard is the missing piece.

[Repeat 3-peat]

I wonder what Zion's teammates think about him right now? Two years in a row with him being sidelined while they were out there fighting for their season.

[ElectricMayhem]

They didn't have Zion last year either, so the fact that they didn't improve was a bit of a disappointment. This year they had 29 extra games of Zion and 10 less games of Ingram. I thought they were clicking at the end of last year and expected it to carry over a little more into this year. Unfortunately, they are held hostage by the Zion injury situation. If he's healthy, he has a huge effect on the game, even with stunted development. I wonder how they manage him going forward. Only allow him to play 1/3 of games first half of the season, 1/2 of games second half of season, then 70% of playoff games? Does he eternally have to be treated like Lakers-era Karl Malone or will he miraculously have some seasons where he stays in shape and remains healthy?

[Duke4life831]

I also want to just point this out. Pels draft classes since Griff took over.

2019:
#1: Zion (that was a given)
#4: Couldve taken Garland or Hunter. But traded down to get Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander Walker...

2020:
#13: Kira Lewis. I dont think I need to say anymore than that, I wouldnt be shocked if most people dont even know who he is.

2021:
I will say this is a HR class.
Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and Jose Alvarado as an undrafted. HR class

2022:
#8: Dyson Daniels. The kid has potential but is just a horrible fit for the roster. Good defender as a rookie and has really good potential on that end. Just so far behind on the offensive end. You dont want to pair BI and Zion up with a PG that is a zero on the offensive end (on ball and off).

Griff has made some good move, but thats because he was given so many assets to start with. The amount of assets that he has just burned is ridiculous.

[Kurt Heimlich]

Zion is the dream that will never come true bc human biology meets physics. So they are....screwed.

[Pennebaker]

Isn't this what was expected of New Orleans? Who do they have that's reliable that was supposed to keep them afloat? Nobody. CJ McCollum? Not Ingram. Ideally it would be Zion but he never plays.

[xb3at band1tx]

Griffin really messed up not getting Darius Garland in the draft.

So far they have one pick left from the AD haul and in terms of draft picks they have Jaxson Hayes, N'keal Alexander Walker (who they traded), and someone named Dyson Daniels to show for it.

Not exactly Boston/Brooklyn 2.0

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Watch on YouTube

[hoosierdaddy34]

CJ seemed like a steal at first but too many games he doesn’t know his place. He should be deferring to Ingram and being an off ball shooter but he decides he is the man. It rarely works out well those games.

The drafting outside of 2021 has not been good.

I think they need one more year but if they haven’t turned the corner by next season? Probably a clearing out if the front office and another rebuild is probably in order.

[Dr Aki]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10061672-windhorst-victor-wembanyamas-camp-spoke-to-pelicans-personnel-in-france

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports that Wembanyama's representatives spoke to the New Orleans Pelicans, who are third in the West.

"The Pelicans had personnel in France," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t AHN Fire Digital's Peter Dewey). "They spent some time talking to Victor's people. In fact, Victor's people—I don't know how often the Pelicans have been there, but they sought it out."

[bellabiyel]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10061672-windhorst-victor-wembanyamas-camp-spoke-to-pelicans-personnel-in-france

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports that Wembanyama's representatives spoke to the New Orleans Pelicans, who are third in the West.

"The Pelicans had personnel in France," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t AHN Fire Digital's Peter Dewey). "They spent some time talking to Victor's people. In fact, Victor's people—I don't know how often the Pelicans have been there, but they sought it out."

they really think they can get wemby via lakers pick. lol

[AussieCeltic]

I think CJ can be the right guy but for whatever reason he looked cooked the last 2-3 months. Was he playing with an injury??

I also think they need to learn how to use JV. He went without a shot in the 3rd quarter when they really needed a bucket. There was legit no action for him all game. He had to go get his points off offensive rebounding.

The key is just get Zion healthy and you’re right they’re right in the mix.