Road to a Championship start here, 2022 Draft.

[Whole Truth]

We know this NO's team is resilient, time to see if they have that game 7 mentality.

[Whole Truth]

Refs remember now what a flagrant foul is .,.. both Westbrooks fouls on Gobert last night were worse than either flagrant call Lebron drew this game.

[Whole Truth]

Good morning NO's...

What's good

[Whole Truth]

Jokic laying an egg against a Lebron less Lakers so far... different game with no whistle huh mr 44 pts on 9-10 shooting. lol

[Whole Truth]

Jonas not Davis, NO's not Lakers do you think they take that clear & 1 away from Jokic?.

& that ball was clearly out of bounds of a Lakers foot, another 4 point swing.

[Whole Truth]

lol 3 possessions in a row the ball went out of bounds off LA & they got the ball back.

[Whole Truth]

LMAO Davis hits rim it goes out of bounds & they trying to give LA back the ball

[Whole Truth]

Melo misses a wide open layup that's going to be on Shaqtin a fool.

Closer than it should have been, Denver wins.

NO's could clinch a playin spot tonight with a win & sweep of the California teams.

[Whole Truth]

Knicks vs Magic
Spurs vs Portland

Could be another good night for Nola.

[Whole Truth]

Spurs resting players against their most winnable game remaining ... not good.

[Whole Truth]

Lakers lose
Knicks win
Spurs win

Time to put the cherry on this Sunday...

[Whole Truth]

Give the Clippers credit, they were prepared & shot the cover off the ball. NO's didn't arrive to the game till the 4th, except for Herb.

IMO, A big difference between NO's first 3 wins vs this loss is Hart over CJ. Clippers have good perimeter defenders with the length to contain offensive guards like CJ & when they do, he doesn't have the size & defensive grit Hart does to pair another wing defender with Herb & though Herb played extremely well defensively, too tall a task for him..

With Hart, NO's had 2 perimeter defenders with size, grit & the offense flowed through BI & Jonas where Clippers are weak in the middle. Where in this one, CJ is taking away Jonas touches on offense, while Jonas is playing with 2 undersized guards who are poor defenders. He becomes a non factor offensively & defensively, unlike the previous 3 games..

Clippers opened up the game when Green went with Jonas/Graham/CJ.. Jonas not touching the ball offensively, with no defense perimeter to post. Clippers perimeter defenders shutting CJ & BI down for the most part attacking the strength of their D.

Having said that, refs also allowed them to play with a lot of physicality on defense that caused 2 injuries.

They have me questioning what a flagrant foul really is????? lol Zubac followed through & hit Herb in the face not intentionally but it was above the neck contact causing his nose to bleed for the half, called a regular foul. If that call was on the other foot, Herb would have been ejected like he was in Charlotte for a in advertant basketball play because Miles was reaching in.

No "obvious" consistency in rules & calls = game manipulation.

NBA's California team solidfies the 8th spot. To think, if NO's had won, the Spurs could be in position to knock out the 2nd California team & they would have to play 2 games to get in. A risky proposition for ratings.

A shame because Clippers probably win this one on their own.

[Whole Truth]

With the season winding down & the Lakers pick looking in great shape, it's time to shift back to some draft talk.

CHet has it all, game altering length, shot blocking ability, rebounding ability, shooting abulity, range, passing ability, high BBIQ, he can put the ball on the floor & he can read the floor on both ends but with him it comes down to his fragile frame that continues to scare me into having him as a sure fire selection. I'm at a point where I think even if he proves that concern wrong, I wouldn't take the risk.

Jabari has holes in his game but like most bigs, he's 18 & has a lot of room & potential for development. IMO his ability to defend the perimeter & his propensity to shoot avoid the paint makes him an ideal fit with Zion moving forward, assuming that's in Zion's & NO's plans. At 18, 6'10" with good length, good laterall quickness & range, I have him as this teams small ball 5 next to Zion's post game.

Assuming Zion's not in the teams long term plans, if Sharpe declares, he'd be in my top 3 & first guard pick off the board. Unlimited range combined with elite athleticism. On a team with BI & CJ, he doesn't need to or hunt his shots to be effective. Highest upside IMO of the guards top 10

Mathurin another 3 & D big guard with upside takes the place of TY TY on my board with CJ now in the mix. Another big guard with good speed, athleticism & shooting ability. (SG/SF) that plays within himself.

AJ Griffin is more refined & polished, His lack of speed & mobility I'd have him projected more as a SF/PF than SG with the team having Zion/Herb & BI, not an ideal fit though you could never have enough players & shooters like him. (45% from 3 on colume). If NO's were to trade Zion. A Herb/Griffin BI wing forward rotation would be nice.

If none of my listed players of preference are on the board - Davis & Hardy

[Whole Truth]

Recap

1 - Jabari Smith, A 18yo 6'10" PF/small ball 5, with perimeter D & range, the floor of his potential, 1-5 switchability & fit with Zion.
2 - Shaedon Sharpe, a big guard with unlimited range, elite athleticism, the floor of his potential, doesn't hunt his shot.
3 - Benedict Mathurin - Another big gaurd with elite speed, athleticism & range who plays within himself
4 - AJ Griffin - Good defender, elite shooter with a more polished & refined game but not as an ideal fit projected at SF/PF
5 - Davis
6- Hardy

[Whole Truth]

With the Lakers pick, NO's select

The only thing certain in life, is death. For all those saying who could have seen this. Lebron is 37, Davis is often injured & they traded away all their depth, injury insurance. It wasn't likely but it was definitely possible & with that same point of view, Lakers could find health next season & be in the mix of things decreasing the value of the 23 swap...

So if the Lakers pick remains at 8, I would entertain the possibility of adding the 23 pick swap both Lakers & NO's to entice a team in order for NO's to move up if necessary...

A team getting that pick would get not one but 2 potential chances & increased odds of getting into the top 4 if Lakers continue to struggle & NO's don't take a leap next yr.. Something to consider.

NO's are at a point they need to consolidate not just roster but picks.

[Whole Truth]

I was watching some youtube videos concerning this teams season.

People have it wrong. Adversity doesn't build character, It exposes it. The right character & mind set builds in adversity, the wrong wilts & runs from it. This season could have been an alternative disaster but what it showed, exposed, is the team has the right character to build off of & with. A reflexion of their coach/leader.

What did early adversity do for this team?.

- It brought everyone together, unity
- In the absence of point Zion, point Ingram emerged
- In the face of injuries, 2nd round pick Herb stepped up to be a revelation
- The taste of losing/failure, brings an appreciation for winning/success. Builds work ethic & humility.

None of that would have been possible without the right charaters & mind set. From coach to players.

The body only goes as far as the mind allows it. If you don't first think yourself better than you will never become better than.. AKA confidence

With confidence in your own ability & with humility in your struggles, believe your better than that... = growth

Like life, how you respond to your adversities is what makes you who you are, not everyone responds to it in a positive manner, It's what separates good from bad & winners from losers. You don't fail by losing, you fail by not trying. You don't really lose until you fail to try.

Negative energy breeds negative energy. Positive energy breeds positive energy. This is why God says to love your enemy. You can't defeat evil with evil.

[Whole Truth]

It's official with Lakers losing to GS. NO's are entering the draft with no worse than the 8th pick.

[Whole Truth]

I'm one of the few that would not have traded for CJ even in light of his good play. With point Zion out, there was a need that he filled, what happens when point Zion returns?..

They would have too many players that don't play D in the starting rotation & 3 max contracts with CJ on the wrong side of 30. Where I think to ultimately compliment Zion & BI, NO's would need both a defensive stretch C & a big 2 way guard who can be a 2 secondary playmaker in combination with starting Herb.

Having said that, with CJ already traded for IMO, to ideally maximize this roster. I would have CJ in a Manu type role, a very expensive 6th man.

3&D C - Jonas/Hermangomez
Zion - Hayes/Nance
BI - Murphy/Naji
Herb - CJ/Graham
3&D guard - Alvarado/Kira

Lakers pick if it lands top 4 - Chet, Jabari, Shaedon
Lakers pick if it lands 8th - Mathurin, Griffin, TY TY

Best case NO's fall just short & their pick lands top 4 in combination with the Lakers top 10 pick, where they can land both a 2 way C & big 2 way guard with rookie scale & potential to increase the teams upside & balance their impending cap sitaution.

[Whole Truth]

On the Pelicans reddit board an OKC fan posed a hypothetical top 4 pick, Laker pick & FRP for SGA. If NO fans would make this trade. Everyone is thinking yes because they want SGA, no because of salary implication etc...

Me I would do top 4 if Jabari is off the board packaged with CJ no laker pick but Bucks FRP...

Jonas
Zion
BI
Herb
SGA

Then I would follow that up by trading Jax, Graham +? for Mitch Robinson

C - Jonas - Robinson - Hermangomez - Nance
PF - Zion - Nance - BI - Herb - Murphy
SF - BI - Murphy - Herb - Naji
SG - Herb - Naji - SGA
PG - SGA - Alvarado - Kira

This assumiing NO's only have one pick in this draft.

[Whole Truth]

Another revelation this season with Zion being out... Jaxson Hayes.

This season for Hayes showed he's both better at PF & there's still alot of untapped potential, where he's just starting to scratch the surface.

The dilema in this revelation... Zion if not traded returns to starting PF, where outside of Hayes & Nance, All of BI, Herb & Murphy could spell minutes at the position.

So the question becomes if NO's are intent on keeping Zion, what happens with Hayes & his impending extension?.

Worse yet situation for Hayes if NO's could draft Smith PF/small ball 5 on rookie scale development & control.

NO's have a need to consolidate both players & picks.