re: Moving to the offseason

He’s a wing that does 25/5/5, is a three level scorer and thrives in the playoffs, not Omer Asik.

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He’ll be the only guy we can count on to get buckets in the playoffs when folks take away the paint/3.

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You can't take away both, not even in the playoffs.

Re: all the talk about “Gayle” not wanting to go into the tax, “Gayle” wanting to see more than a first-round loss in order to go into the tax, “Gayle” yada yada yada.

Can we stipulate that Gayle isn’t making any of these decisions? She’s signing off (or not) on whatever Mickey Loomis and Dennis Lauscha tell her to. Same as with the Saints, Loomis and Lauscha are de facto owners.

Carry on.

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He's not going to be looking for the biggest bag, he's going to be looking for the biggest bag where he can help them win at a high level.

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Even if he takes the biggest bag, I doubt he’d get more than the full MLE on the open market. Teams just don’t value his type of player.

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You really believe Gayle isn’t telling them the max money she will pay each season ?

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I really do. I think she 100% trusts them to handle the business of the Saints and Pels. She’s not the typical sports owner who built his own wealth. She inherited it all, and there’s nothing I’ve seen to indicate she has the business acumen to run a sports franchise.

As far as I can tell she has no family she’s concerned with leaving her fortune to, and she’s not long for this world.

I could be completely wrong, and she’s pounding her fist on the table in the board room. But I’d be surprised to know that she’s doing anything more than listening to Loomis and Lauscha and blessing whatever they tell her.

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Loomis does not make decisions for Pelicans, Griffin does.

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Correct, Griff handles basketball personnel, coaching staff… basketball stuff.

Things involving whether the team goes into the tax, who the GM is… the things owners usually do… those things are directed by Loomis and Lauscha. Sure, they give Gayle the plan, and she signs off on it. But do you think she tells L&L “no” when they give a recommendation. I don’t.

And none of what I’m saying is intended as a slight to Gayle Benson. I think it’s smart to rely on the guys who know the business. She’s not trying to run a sports franchise without the background to successfully do so. I’m grateful we have a N.O. owner who prioritizes keeping the team in N.O. I just don’t think there’s a scenario where L&L go into her office and suggest the Pels do or do not go into the tax and she goes the other direction.

Didn’t mean to derail the overall theme of the thread, mostly just meant to point out that if the Pels choose to avoid more aggressive financial investments in building the roster (i.e., tax) it’s L&L behind it. I’m sure of it.

Let’s not forget the succession plan for the Saints and Pels runs through L&L. There are financial implications for them. And I really don’t know how much they truly care about the Pels success. Hell, watching the way they run the Saints I’m not so sure they really give a crap about the Saints anymore.