re: Our once great Pelicans Talk is becoming unreadable

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I just know , from what I've seen, that having 2 seven footers who rather play out on the perimeter is not working.

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That I do not disagree with. It puts a lot of pressure on the front office to decide what to do with Boogie. I doubt he has much value in a trade situation, but they may need to explore that option. It appears his attitude towards defense is rubbing off on others on the team, including Davis.

Yeah, we can't trade Cousins at this point. The only chance of trading Cousins was if we just tanked and were out of the playoffs. Maybe if we go on like a 10 game losing streak or something crazy, then it could be contemplated. If we are in striking distance of the playoffs, we are keeping Cousins and hoping he re-signs with us.

We put our chips in with the Cousins trade and we are going to ride it out for better or worse.

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So what do you hope to accomplish by trading away a young elite player? What are the chances you actually improve on that? Makes absolutely no sense.

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if Boogie doesnt stay they should absolutely look to trade Davis. at that point, they're going nowhere with Davis anyway.

the larger issue is this ownership group, as Kushner pointed out, just doesn't seem to know what they are doing or, less charitably, just doesnt give a shite about their pro hoops team

100%- they are both modern 5s who want to be 4s. and they both want to be "the guy"

it works well enough when they are on the court together. but not so well that i ever feel like it is a real revelation. and when Cousins is by himself it is a disaster

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whole ownership doesn't care about the Pelicans is lazy . Are we really to believe that Benson's management team does not give a shite about his second largest investment?

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Pels are clearly red headed step child. They have created that perception, not because they arent winning or I'm mad or whatever, but by their actions and words. Scott Kushner wrote a piece that pretty much said ownership has no clue/interest

Why don't you look up Mickey Loomis in the Pels media guide and tell me how many times the word "basketball" appears in the bio of the President of Basketball Operations

While you are there, you could also look up how many senior execs on the business side now do dual roles with the Saints.

Can you explain why the team goes silent every spring during Saints draft and, last year, the Kentucky Derby?

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Dell/Gentry were rightfully spared by the Boogie trade and that has to play out now

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That you think my comment is about firing Gentry/Demps is comical. Those guys are symptoms of the disease, not the cause. They work hard. They aren't particularly good at their jobs,but they're in a shitty situation

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try to convince Mike Zarren to leave the Celtics.

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A guy like Zarren, a sharp, top exec in a top flight organization, isn't jumping ship to New Orleans with what we've seen from this ownership.

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if Boogie doesnt stay they should absolutely look to trade Davis. at that point, they're going nowhere with Davis anyway.

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I disagree. I think Boogie is actually an overall net negative. I love his ability to score, his passion, and I think he's been a solid leader. But the TO's, the high volume of shots, and inability to adjust his game (maybe blame should be put on Gentry for trying to run as much with him) are his downfall. And if we can get rid of him (even if it's only for a pick and an average player) I think we turn out to be a better team. A much better team.

Idk the advanced stats but via the sophisticated eye test, the offense looks much more fluid and efficient when Boogie sits.

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The whole ownership doesn't care about the Pelicans is lazy . Are we really to believe that Benson's management team does not give a shite about his second largest investment?

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It's not that I think the whole ownership doesn't care about the Pelicans (even though I doubt Benson/Loomis go to many games), I just think Loomis is under-qualified and the Demps plan has been a major bust. His crowning achievement was Jrue which he ruined by overpaying (I know we was hog-tied) and getting Boogie. Start all the fire Gentry threads you want, but the issues we've had with the Pels begin at the top.

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Ownership has more focus on the Saints because they have been running the Saints for 30+ years. However, on the Pels side ownership doesn't meddle and is willing to spend up to the tax. That is not the terrible situation for a GM or franchise that some make it out to be. Not every team can spend like the Warriors.

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One step further, being willing to just eat dead money on top of bumping up against the tax line. I wouldn't call Benson cheap when it comes to the Pels, especially relative to how much revenue the team brings in outside of the revenue sharing.

I think Crewz' example would be more adequate describing the Pels as your nieces/nephews instead of your neighbors, though I understand completely what he's trying to say.

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Mickey Loomis is the dead money king. MM told us the day Asik was signed that they designed the contract to stretch after the 3rd year, a very NFL thing which I thought was dumb as hell at the time and looks even dumber in hindsight. If you think his useful span is 3 years then offer him 3/$36. Asik would not have turned down 3/$36, and if he did then it's because someone else offered him even more than that, he walks and you look like a genius instead of a fool that outsmarted himself with a clever contract structure.

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Loomis was not the one deciding whether to sign Asik to a certain number or let him walk. That was Dell's job. Loomis was the one trying to structure a contract that would give the team the most flexibility if necessary.

I think Asik would have rejected 3/$36M. I think he would have wanted 3/$39M due to his bargaining position. Adding $5M gives them an option to retain for 2 more years, stretch him, and adds ~$9M in capspace over the first 3 years.


The problem with the Asik negotiations was not the contract structure, but the fact that Dell backed himself into a corner by having Asik as the ONLY option. Asik's agent had ALL of the negotiating power because he knew the Pels sunk costs and lack of any alternative meant they would have to pay well above market rate. Dell could not walk away from Asik and it showed.

I wasn't blaming Loomis for the contract as much as the approval. Maybe he was trying to make the best of a bad situation like you're saying, but they have to stop the cycle of being stuck with overpaid starters that are only on the team because of sunk cost at some point. The rumors suggested plan A or B this offseasn was to do the same damn thing again with Jeremy Lin.