Road to a Championship start here, 2022 Draft.

[Whole Truth]

I'm dying at reading some of these comments. I'm not sure these posters know how to place value. When teams offer unprotected picks it's generally protected by how good they think their team will be, the team trading for it is hoping for a luck factor in the pick conveying optimal value. So lets take a look at the projections on the specified picks.

The Laker 24 pick. Laker are currently 17-18 in the easy part of their schedule. 7 of their 17 wins are against teams with 5 wins or less. They're 6-16 against team over 500 where from Jan 28 to end of season 18 of their 23 games will be against teams over 500, teams like Hawks, Memphis, Toronto making up under 500 teams that can snake a win & 1 bottom feeder in Washington. This pick also has deferral rights. To say the least trading it instead of using it on a cheap big man on rookie scale & control already makes this trade a bad decision. It's a long shot but a Lakers lotto ticket gives Pels an outside shot at Sarr with other quality options in it's current range.

The Buck 27 pick. Middleton/Dame are possibly done in 3yrs & as a result Giannis possibly gone with Bucks looking to reset their roster.

The Pels 28 pick. Are Pelicans looking to resign CJ in 2yrs? if not that leaves the injury prone core of Zion & BI to ensure the value of a pick 4 yrs from now that's not lotto protected. At this point extensions & tax will have cost NO's some of it's quality depth.

Do I need go on? I didn't even get to Daniels elite defense showing signs of becoming an elite 3 & D guard with DPOY Simmons with a 3 ball projection. Hawking setting 3pt shooting records as a rookie, the best motion shooter on the team showing athleticism to his perimeter game, selling after a handful of inconsistent minutes.

Jonas expiring getting traded for a younger controlled option is an avenue Pels can take or they could do what I've said & use the lakers pick according to luck & sign Jonas to a cheap 2y extension saving money with the rookie scale drafted big in looking to extend BI in 2yrs, where his value contract will be expiring & the 2yr rookie will be seasoned still on rookie scale & control to offset the max contract.

[Whole Truth]

Like I said this morning, you cannot beat the Clippers at their game.

Pels stop moving the ball after the first 8 minutes. Must need stops throwing up stupid shots.

Here's a stat for you.. Nance -16, Jonas -1, down 15.

Nance isn't playing bad, it's your strategy.

[Whole Truth]

For those who think rim protection is the issue. Nance played well but was a team high -21.

Prevention is better than cure.
 
By starting CJ & playing Nance, you show your strategy is to beat the Clips with guard play. Nance is in for cleanup duty. I knew this game was lost just by seeing the starting lineup ...

Pels top performers... Jonas, Naji, Jose, Daniels only players -8 & under in this blowout. What do these 3 players have in common ? Rim & ball pressure. The 2nd Q stagnated into heavy iso & extreme tunnel vision. Clippers turned stupid shots & weak decision making into easy offense.

This team has talent but it's low IQ.

That's me being nice.

[Whole Truth]

Give Clippers credit they're really playing well but that is not the reason Pels lost. Nance was in for rim protection & he was a team high -21, what that says is that they could neither score nor stop the Clippers guard play it only made it easier for them to contain the Pels guard play with Nance 4 on 5 & he actually has a 3 pt shot & hit one, which Allen does not. Jonas who unsurprisingly is being criticized for not being able to stop their guards at the rim & was attacked in the 1-5 pnr with CJ on court, was a -7, in the blow out loss. Now imagine being able to put a defender at the one... where Jonas started the game 4-5 but then got ignored 2nd Q to a stagnated ball. As Clippers tightened the screws the more rushed & selfish the Pels played.

The problem with a team that not only has Jonas but Zion, is ball pressure. Notice a trend with this team losing to teams with strong PG play, minus the games Dyson shut down the likes of Luka, Clippers, Fox in his 9 game stretch against contenders where the team was +22. The tide turning for Clippers is Harden becoming a true point & table setter.

Pelicans went from Herb & Daniels on the perimeter to CJ on Kawhi & Jose on PG who just shot over him. Sad part is I realize that Green put Jose in for ball pressure, except he's giving up 2 feet on PG & the Clippers did a great job of recognizing & getting their miss matches. This all happened to facilitate playing & starting a healthy CJ.

In a game Jonas started off strong, the guards took over the offense in their defensive pressure & as a result Green is telling himself more CJ to break that pressure continually pairing him with Jonas which allowed the Clippers to exploit the 1-5 pnr & Jonas defensively.

By Green going to Nance to protect, cleanup, all the bricks being thrown up, they put a non offensive option on the court against their biggest weakness at the 4/5. Hence Nance being -21 go the non defensive Jonas -7. He did not play bad but neither big could control what the guards decide to do with the ball. They took a lot of bad & rushed shots, which led to a lot of easy points for the Clips & guess what... 4 on 5 Nance rim protection was not the answer.

Why? because with the team catering to play, start CJ, they played into the teeth of the Clippers defense & offense, as I said they would...

In a stretch where Pelicans are 10-2 against the Clippers. CJ is 4-2 considering 4 of those wins are without Kawhi & 2 without Kawhi & PG. Whereas Herb & Daniels beat them both at the start of their current run. Big & ball pressure attacking their front court, not going small 4 on 5 against their 3 stars, where you wind up with CJ guarding Kawhi & Jose guarding PG.

[Whole Truth]

Knew the Jonas is the problem talk would result from this despite Jonas being -7 to the rim protector -21. The problem was in the strategy. This was a loss the minute it was decided to start CJ & game plan around that decision. Jonas 6-12 shooting night was a result of getting handed the ball late in shot clock situations 2nd half after starting out 4-5. He was an after thought to attacking their 4/5 rotation apposed to going head to head vs Kawhi/PG & Harden with CJ

The reason I'd take it you ran Jose over Dyson giving up 2' on PG, was for his ability to make plays. Poster this morning said only if Dyson could hit the 3 ball at a 38% clip

+ defender Murray, is shooting 38% on 6+ FGA's at 18m per, half of what CJ is making. They have identical offensive output except Murray can pressure the ball without being a liability.

If you want to beat this team in the PO's Murray over CJ is a must. Imagine being able to put Murray on Harden, Daniels on PG & Herb on Kawhi ... while getting Jonas/Zion touches against their 4/5 rotation.

Tell me more about Allen. 

[Whole Truth]

I've said this a few times. This teams ceiling is limited by CJ, not Jonas. Offensively Jonas is putting up 15 on 10 FGA's with 10 boards & 2.6 ast in under 30m @15m cost production to CJ's 19 on 16 FGA's, 4 boards & 4 assists at 35m +30 minutes cost production. Jonas has 3 win shares to CJ's 1 at half the cost. Where the issue lies for both is defensively, especially when paired in the 1-5 pnr. Difference with these issues is Jonas knows his role & can be subbed with no fuss or complaint for a better matchup & therein lies the limitation with CJ defensively.

Said it before the game started, the reason they lost the match last night is that they had to start CJ against the Clippers strength, which is their guard play & they game planned around that. The argument would be that the offense would stagnate without CJ... funny they didn't have that problem last time they met when they started Daniels with Herb.

It's really not difficult to understand. People will talk about how hot not hot Clippers were when Pels met them at the start of their run... Fact is this.

Daniels starting with Herb, Pels were playing 4 on 5 offensively but had 2 + defenders to contain Clippers wing & guard play, while Zion & Jonas combined for 44pts on 31 FGA's where Clippers are weak at the 4/5.

Jonas was + 15, Nance -5. Once again not because Nance was bad but because Clippers who's strength is guard play, don't have to defend the 5 with Nance on court. So the smart move would be to compliment Jonas & ZIon defensively in the favorable 4/5 matchup, which playing Daniels game 1 did.

CJ starting with Herb, Pels were playing 5 on 5 offensively but had no way of containing the Clippers wing & guard play, they had CJ outmatched on Kawhi & Jose outmatched on PG. Jonas & Zion combining for 25pts on 21 shots. 4-5 late shot clock bail out attempts by Jonas.

What do you think cut the big men production in half from last game ? they catered to playing CJ which hurt them on both ends as CJ went 4-13 while bringing nothing to the table defensively, which made the 2 efficient big men get less touches & play down to CJ's 4-13 efficiency in a match they couldn't get stops with his combined defense. I'm sure trading for Allen will rectify that.

Nance team high -21, to Jonas -7. As I said like in the 16pt win game 1, they don't have to defend Nance at their position of weakness it has nothing to do with how Nance played. Either Green can't see that or he's catering to CJ's veteran status, either way, no bueno.

[Whole Truth]

Options for Pels to improve defensively either at C or PG, while getting younger.

Murray - 20.6 pts, 4.6 rebs, 5.2 ast on (46/38/82) shooting 6 3pt apg. @18m cost production
CJ - 19.9 pts, 4 rebs, 5 ast on (46/44/79) shooting 7 3pt apg @ 35m cost production

With identical offensive production. Murray is also a + defender at half the cost of CJ. Rumored to be on market with Hawks interest in Pascal.

vs

Allen 14.4 pts, 9.7 rebs, 3 ast (67/0/70) shooting, at the rim @ 20m cost production
Jonas 15 pts, 9.7 rebs, 2.3 ast (57/36/80) shooting @ 15m cost production

Allen is more efficient because everything for him is at the rim & being set up where Jonas has transformed his game to be shooting the 3 ball anywhere from 36-40% where Allen takes & makes none. If you think teams leaving Herb who's shooting the ball well to contain Zion is an issue, lol. Cavs starting 5, Strus 36% on 8 3P's, Mitchell, 36% on 9 3PA's, their wing defender Okoro is shooting 36% on 3 #PA's. Alot of people don't correctly isolate talent in making judgement. Cavs as a team take & make a lot of 3's, this is what Allows Allen to be efficient at the rim where Jonas 60% career efficiency dropped because he's transformed & stretched his game to better fit offensively, where Allen takes & makes no 3's. Pels with Nance in relation can hit an open 3. Those that think the spacing with Allen won't be an issue LMAO, he looks better with the Cavs because they do play to space the court. With Allen offensively, there's one less for the Pels with Zion, Herb on court & BI preferring the mid range.

[Whole Truth]

3 added benefits to trading CJ for Murray over Allen for Jonas.

Murray at 18m cuts CJ's 35max in half with extensions & tax issues coming up.
Murray at 38% 3PT efficiency doesn't cost the team spacing issues in a defensive upgrade.
Murray at 18m cost production, is not a one dimensional player, which makes him plug & play.

There far more uncertainty with Allens fit than Murray's. Before getting to the tax benefit of cutting CJ's max in half while having him under control for the next 5yrs on a value contract.

Whereas in extending Jonas for 2yrs with maybe a team option for security in development. Lakers are trending towards a lotto pick where NO's can cheaply draft a replacement option on rookie scale & control that in 2yrs when Jonas salary comes off the books you'd have BI's impending extension up against the rookie scale salary apposed to Allen while giving up assets for a player producing similar to Jonas in a more conducive environment.

Equally important to point out CJ's 43% shooting is with playing with Zion's gravity. whereas Murray's 38% is playing with a rim runner in Capella.

[Whole Truth]

Even though I'm happy at the result of Lakers losing. What's maddening to me with them something like 2-11 in their last 13 games.

Vs the Heat +7 FT's in a 14pt loss
Vs Memphis last night +7 in a 14pt loss.

Maybe if they fall enough in the standings, the refs will stop trying to help the 2-11 team.

[Whole Truth]

Imagine Davis putting up 31-6-4, James putting up 32-5-7, being +7 on the line & losing by 14.

Austin flop Reeves can only flop so much.

[Whole Truth]

General board has Kings emerging as a suitor for Pascal. Hawks who also have interest in Pascal have & controlling interest on the Kings draft. I don't know why but I feel this public revelation is Masai trying to leverage value.

Wish I knew if Pels have made any inquiries into Murray. Raptors asking for CJ, Murphy ?

That would be a tough one but considering what the teams plans are with Zion & BI. Murphy will be a bench player as a result of those decisions where Murray would cheaply replace & upgrade point with Murphy's extension coming up. Maybe there's an attempt to keep the player & offer picks ?... The silence is deafening ..

Murphy's logo range is an ideal pairing with Zion but he's relegated to bench mins because of BI.

I think I would think long & hard about (CJ/Murphy) for (Murray/Okongwu) but when the rotation tightens in the PO's Murray with Herb/BI/Zion is better than CJ & Okongwu gives another small ball 5 option who can defend & hit an open 3. While the trade helps the team avoid tax issues & extensions. Having Hawkins to come off the bench would soften the blow but Murphy is a different kind of spacing. Would be a tough decision but It comes down to the decision of BI's future with the team.

[cedric76]

What's the price for Murphy?
Orlando 1st?

[Whole Truth]

What's the price for Murphy?
Orlando 1st?

I honestly don't know.

I doubt Murphy is even on the market. His logo range is the best fitting piece with Zion. I was just speculating it might be Murphy Masai is trying to leverage because he's one of 2 players he wanted for OG.

[cedric76]

What's the price for Murphy?
Orlando 1st?

I honestly don't know.

I doubt Murphy is even on the market. His logo range is the best fitting piece with Zion. I was just speculating it might be Murphy Masai is trying to leverage because he's one of 2 players he wanted for OG.

I think he ll be a perfect fit in Orlando at SG

Suggs, Murphy, Franz, PB, Wcj

We have plenty Young players and picks available for trade

[Whole Truth]

What's the price for Murphy?
Orlando 1st?

I honestly don't know.

I doubt Murphy is even on the market. His logo range is the best fitting piece with Zion. I was just speculating it might be Murphy Masai is trying to leverage because he's one of 2 players he wanted for OG.

I think he ll be a perfect fit in Orlando at SG

Suggs, Murphy, Franz, PB, Wcj

We have plenty Young players and picks available for trade

I read an Athletic article suggesting Isaac for Laving because your team needs spacing. I agree, Murphy would be lethal in your teams rotation but I don't think he's available to trade & if he were it would most likely requires an overpay to pry him.

[Whole Truth]

Was reading the Hawks board. They say a Western team interested in Murray wants to wait to end of season to trade for him. Hawks fans are speculating it's Wolves not wanting to mess with their team chemistry but Kat is rumored up for trade, regardless of the fact.

Me, I think this request points to the Pelicans. Why? because they're gauging the pairing of ZIon, BI & would not want to rush a decision where choosing to keep both in success means Murphy is coming off the bench in his extension & trading either forward postion, slots him into a SF/PF role as a starter & cheaper replacement. They will also get to see where the Lakers pick lands, as it's trending in a favorable direction.

It's speculation & I can be wrong but I'm encouraged by this news.

[Whole Truth]

Hawks trade - (Murray, Okongwu) for (Pascal, Pels 24 top 10 protected)

Raptors trade - (Pascal) for (CJ, Kira, Pels 25 RTS, Bucks 26 RTS, Bucks 27 unprotected)

Pelicans trade - (CJ, Kira, Pels 24 10 protected, 25 RTS, Bucks 26 RTS, 27 unprotected) for (Murray, Okongwu)

Retaining the Lakers pick with them currently outside the play in, trending in the right direction.

First round picks hold monetary value outside of 0 trade value. Pelicans have a deep quality roster already & are facing tax implications, so in offering the Pel 24 pick that will most likely convey outside the top 10, it's with the Lakers pick in mind, which as I mentioned, is trending in the right direction. Next draft might be stronger but it would be a bad decision to defer a top 10 pick with Lebron & AD still playing at an elite level. They were WC finalist last yr coming off the 8th pick the year before. In this range Pelicans will be able to draft a quality big man on rookie scale & control, with outside hope of it landing Sarr. 2 swaps, 1 with the Bucks pick, where NO's are only really trading the Bucks 27 unprotected which may or may not be great value. Keep in mind this is a portion of what the Pels got for their ageing 2 way PG Jrue. Full circle to 27yo Murray's 2 way game which cuts CJ's contract in half facing tax implications. I squeezed dumping Kira's 5m into a trade exception & picked up a small ball defensive 5 with potential & range from the Hawks as trade filler to improve the centre rotations depth.

Jonas - Okongwu - Lakers pick 1-14 (Sarr, Missi, Clingan)
Zion - Nance/Murphy
BI - Murphy/Naji
Herb - Hawkins/Jose
Murray (18m) - Daniels/Jose

With a deep roster, Pels won't be owning additional picks with monetary value but also won't be owing either. Trades can be made with their quality depth & owned picks while this trade tidies up the cap situation from a subtle dump of Kira's 5m to turning CJ's 35m into a 2 way player to no additional salary attached to mid first round picks with a deep roster that won't have the PT for a non lotto development pick.

[Whole Truth]

Basketball nirvana. Outside of the garbage minutes can't play much better than that.

CJ's injury. How was that not a flagrant foul for giving him no space to land ?. Rules are rules until they're not. The whole point of that rule is to prevent injury. Good job ...

2 questions.

If Zion is playing does CJ go off like that ?
If Zion is playing with Jonas & CJ defensively, do the Pels hold the Kings to 60pts in 3Q's ?

This team continues to play it's best outside the normal starting lineup.

[Whole Truth]

After the poor stretch of games the Lakers had, they just beat the hottest team in the West. Why? because Clippers are weak at the 4/5 & they matchup well with Lebron & Davis.

James & Davis combined for 47 points 18 boards on 22-34 shooting. Clippers are a great perimeter team & the Lakers did a good job of containing... Kawhi, Harden & Westbrook combined for 37 points on 13-39 shooting.

They won by 3.

When Zion & Jonas put up 44 with Herb & Daniels at the start of the Clippers run, defending the perimeter, Pels won by double digits.

Clippers are a dangerous team but they will need favorable matchups to avoid teams like Denver & Lakers who's talent would abuse their teams weakness. Until they shore up their 4/5 rotation...

[Whole Truth]

I enjoy reading comments good or bad, it's entertaining. One Pels poster wanted LA to beat Clippers so Pels could get to the 4 seed. Not the Clippers so Lakers could fall to 3 games under 500 for a better lotto pick.

Pels poster says Murphy needs to start, poster responds, Zion should come off the bench, poster responds, Zion plays better with Nance, poster responds, love JV but that's why you trade him for a rim protector, lol.

Yes because trading Jonas for a rim protector gets Murphy into the starting rotation, LMAO.

There only 3 options to get Murphy into the starting lineup if Herb is the defensive backbone. Thats for one of Zion, BI or CJ.