re: Pelicans with plenty of love in Simmons' worst contracts piece

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what about jrue, AD and Ryno?

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I didn't name them because I think they're the only guys on the roster that could play a role in the future for us besides being trade bait.

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Honestly I really don't know. People are still telling themselves that when healthy we're a contender with this roster. An 8 seed, yea. Contender? Not even close.

Not sure where we really go from here, except more or less starting over around Davis.

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This roster from the beginning was/is a work in progress

Everyone knew we weren't going to be a conf final/finals team this year

Build around Jrue/AD/Reke

We'll see how things play out

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everyone knows moves need to be made

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Including a competent coach

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i'm usually with you on here broseph but I haven't seen anyone that thinks this team as is is a title contender. everyone knows moves need to be made

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Rome wasn't built in a day

I honestly thought we'd win 45 this year

Had all the injuries not happened and with how well the big 5 was playing with each other we would've came pretty damn close(hell we might still win 40 or so,we'd just have to go 17-13)

Demps and monty need to go

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We don't have a good coach

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I agree there

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We have NOTHING at SF or C

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That's why moving EG is imperative. Worst case scenario we use the MLE on someone next year. I'm not THAT worried about C if ajinca/withey keeps developing the way they are.

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We have about 20 million a year tied up in two bench players and a max deal player that we can't even give away

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Tyreke will start at the 2 if EG goes and Ryno isn't important right this minute.

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We don't have a draft pick

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I could care less for the 12th pick

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And we're a small market team that I'm not sure FAs are going to flock to come play for

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With the way AD is playing i'm not so sure about that.

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I mean I know I'm just mr negative, but how do we get better right now? what is the plan? how do we acquire assets and improve the product?

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I understand your thinking but there's a ton of variables to these situation and you just have to let them play out.

Evans is such a weird player. What's been the weirdest aspect of his season is how his touch around the rim has deserted him. He's ~60% there for his career. This season? Below 50%.

If he can't finish there, he might not be an NBA player.

The talent is strange and thin. Injuries have derailed any meaningful take on whatever the plan was. Same time, the roster is thoughtless. They've got 4 7 footers who roughly do the same thing and are equally mediocre. 5 (4 of whom are small) guards who are used to having the ball in their hands. That is some piss poor roster planning IMO.

I do not think Monty/Dell are on the same page. Even with the flaws, this is a funky, uptempo, small ball, interchangeable roster. However one feels about Williams, none of those words describe his philosophy.

The problem some people ignore is that no matter how much talent you have, poor coaching or an inability to put players in positions to succeed will only result in mediocrity and more mediocrity.

Demps and Monty have been a disastrous duo if you ask me. Every time Demps takes a step forward, he takes two steps back and throws away any great trading pieces he has for cents on the dollar.

Assuming Gordon stayed healthy, he still blew it with Kaman. Even if you get 10 cents on the dollar its better than nothing with Kaman.

Then he blew it with Lopez/Vasquez in settling for giving them up for Tyreke. I think then blew it with the Jrue trade by not top 10-top 14 protecting the pick. Fine, we give them a pick, but if we don't make the playoffs this season, we shouldn't be giving up the pick.

Monty's coaching is even worse because the guy refuses to learn how to handle egos or get any sort of reasonable rotations going. Pelicans are set to remain as a mediocre team at best with him. They can't play defense, can score in spurts, and have no leadership on the floor. That all goes back to him. Draft picks are useless to him, and his hatred to work with young players not named AD is extremely discouraging.

Fact is Monty and Demps need to go for this franchise to flourish, and I don't see it happening any time soon.

Right. Because our young players couldn't possibly get better. And their contracts are forever.

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Right. Because our young players couldn't possibly get better. And their contracts are forever

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I am not worried about young players getting better, but that happens when they get playing time and coaching, which these players don't seem to get. Good coaching at least.

The other issue is just that. Their contracts don't last forever, but if you think this team is a title contender in the next 3 years under current management and coaching, you are delusional. They have a lot of talent, but need good coaching and better GM work. The entire team is tied to these players given their contracts the next 3 years.

Again, talented team, with a hodge podge of players that need great coaching to succeed, which the Pelicans don't have.