I’ve seen a lottttt of people throw around the “this is the best halfway point of a season ever in Pelicans history” with no added context whatsoever. The 2023-2024 pelicans team sits one game above what the Demarcus Cousinless pelicans were at, while being 1-3 in their last 4 games, with the one win coming against a knicks team missing Randle, Anunoby, Brunson, and others. The amount of people I saw trying to use that win to spin the narrative back to “see? The pelicans are SO back! We beat what might be the worst team in the league player wise last night for once instead of losing to the grizzlies b-team last time! Doomers are idiots and hate the team!”
The 2017-18 pelicans, with a core of Anthony Davis, Holiday, and Mirotic with ALVIN FKIN GENTRY as coach managed to be just as good at this point with an entire all nba player missing on their team. That same team came out of all star break winning 10 straight games. That squad with dell demps is famous league wide for being one of the most poorly run teams ever, albeit with the injury bug as well. Meanwhile, the team we’ve hand built for the last 5 years with a plethora of assets have managed to acquire this very same record while being for the most part entirely healthy this season.
The 2017-2018 pelicans was Anthony Davis’s 5th year in the nba. The 2023-2024 pelicans is zion’s 5th year with the team. This is Brandon Ingram’s 5th year with the team. You can push back the need to live up to the talent and team standards one more year, but then players on this squad that are important to what it needs to be are up for extensions and that’s when you HAVE to decide what this team is going to be going forward. Are we as a fanbase satisfied with the results of this rebuild being a wizards John wall and Bradley Beal type team that won’t seriously compete for anything, but have a run every once in a while, or a Trailblazers Dame and Cj led team that won’t seriously compete for anything but make a run or two?
That’s what the entire disagreement in this sub hinges on. “Doomers” want the team to maximize talent and assets and build a team that’s a title contender, the ones disagreeing either think this team is that(wrong) or are blindly faithful to a front office and players that have given us NO reason to be. The arguments from both side sometimes can frankly be asinine, with people rather using cherry picked stats to try to prove their point rather than just discussing the actual team and what’s happened. Frankly, I’m in the department that bar any major injuries this team NEEDS a first round win at the very least to defend rolling out the same squad next year with the same players and coaches.
by Creative-Ad-5257
17 Comments
The “doomers” also have seriously unrealistic expectations of what is able to happen through FA and trades. I’m happy with this core (BI and Zion) as I don’t think there is any other possible way you can create an immediate contender with our assets. You need to develop consistency and chemistry, then when the moment is right strike a trade / sign a FA. That trade opportunity hasn’t arisen and we don’t have the same FA pull as a NY or LA. We’re building a winning culture with what is currently our most successful regular season in years with an extremely tough and tightly contested west. Not to mention that we are only 3.5 games back off a 4 seed.
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So they are better than that team then, so this thread doesn’t prove what you think it does
That 2017-2018 squad was really good and made it to the second round of the playoffs and took two games from the Warriors. If this team is better than that team, isn’t that a good thing?
I am so bi polar about this team – just gotta ride it out and see what happens. I’m not expecting much. Hopefully they shake things up next off season if we get bounced in the play in or 1st round. We have good pieces but the fit is clunky – might just be Willie..? Anyway, still love the Pels (so does my cardiologist).
“Pelicans barely beat the depleted Knicks. Barely even counts and shouldn’t be considered”
“Pelicans lost to the Pacers. Doesn’t matter 4/5 starters were banged up, the team got in 12 hours before tip off, off of a road back to back, and the other team had 2 days rest at home. Unacceptable”
I get your point I just can’t stand when people downplay the good things a team does and then they don’t keep the same energy for their own team. It’s just such a doomer mindset and unfair.
I’m not making excuses, last night was completely winnable and frustrating. That being said, Friday will be a much better gauge of where this team is at than last night was. We get the Pacers again, but this time with a days rest and at home. Also I’m fairly happy with being one game above that Pelicans 2017-2018 team that was a damn solid team.
I do agree that we need a first round win to justify continuing with the current trajectory. I’d even argue we need a 2nd round win or at least a very competitive series. Depends where the teams at with matchups and injuries at the time ofc, but as it stands now that would be my opinion.
That year before the playoffs, I was hoping and praying that the Pels would end up playing the Blazers, because without Boogie, that was the only team(that they had the chance of playing) I was confident they could beat.
Somewhat similarly, the only team I would feel confident about this team winning against is the Kings. Problem is that would most likely only be possible in the playin.
My main problem is that I don’t have AS much of a problem with the players as I do with the big three leadership positions(owner, prez/gm, coach). We just have people in the main positions of power that I don’t think truly would want to do what it takes to be a contender….and ultimately I think that will give you the result of mostly decent to mid team/season 99 out of 100 times.
….And honestly I don’t think any of them will change or go anywhere any time soon.
AD and Jrue was a way better fit than BIZ. And at that point they had a longer run at it together than our current main duo. This duo probably needs another year together to compare chemistry-wise.
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If the complaint is that we’re “only one win” better than the second best team this franchise has ever had, you’ve entirely lost the fucking plot
Go eat a snickers
That team had also just lost Cousins after winning like 10 of 11 games before that injury.
17-18 Pels were a legit title threat if Boogie didn’t go down. If this team is as good as them, that’s a good thing.
Nikola Mirotic would have been the perfect big to be in the roster with Zion and BI
Never forget that legend of a clean shaven man 🫡
I think the thing you’re missing is that Anthony Davis at that point in his career was a top 10 player in the league. He was an All-Star for the fourth time and in the midst of his second All-NBA First Team season.
The current Pelicans do not have that player *yet*. Zion still has the potential to get there. Try to remember that Zion has only played 163 games in his career—basically 2 seasons worth of games. Now, obviously health is a skill and being a top-10 player requires you to be available, but he’s been healthy so far this year and his play has only continued to improve as the season goes on.
The more important question is: What’s the alternative? You don’t have an NBA contender if you don’t have a top 10 player. So what options do we have at acquiring one?
There isn’t one team in the West that I feel like we absolutely can’t compete with
I think we just have to get a top 6 seed and then anything is possible
Obviously the Nuggets are a scary matchup
but even against them I feel like we can play a competitive series and take it to at least 6 or 7 games
For reference, the final standings of the 2017-18 Western conference playoff teams
Rockets 65-17
Warriors 58-24
Blazers 49-33
Thunder 48-34
Jazz 48-34
Pelicans 48-34
Spurs 47-35
Timberwolves 47-35
Anyone here actually met B.I?
Man Omer Asik stunk
Can’t believe those CLaWHns gave him all that money
Plus the bench was a who’s who have former decent roll players of old. And I mean old. I met Jameer Nelson at a basketball game when I was under 10 and now I’m in my 30s