re: Shinn>The Bensons

The problem isn't ownership not wanting to spend $$$, they just haven't done it wisely.

The Pels will always be second fiddle to the Saints, at least in the present setup.

This will bring in the down votes but I'm convinced that the Pels are gone in 5 years. I wouldn't be the least be surprised if they end up here in Las Vegas.

Holy shite, absolutely. the New Orleans Pelicans SHOULD strive to be the Miami Heat.

Micky >>>>>>>>>>>>>>Gayle.

Tell me I need to learn the NBA?
The Heat are a model organization, you arse clown.

quote:

---

How so? Take out the Lebron years and what do you have? You're telling me that the salary they are paying now is paying off for them and that the Pels should strive to do that? All you are doing is looking at a list of salaries and complaining that the Pels are not paying more than other teams. You actually try to claim Shinn was a better owner than the Bensons which proves you have absolutely no clue and likely were not even a Hornets/Pelicans fan until recently (if you are a fan at all).

---

Did you start watching the NBA in 2010?

The Heat have had at least 3 different eras where they were Finals contenders.

They have a much stronger infrastructure.
They develop players.
They make smart signings.

The Pelicans and The Heat both came into existence 1988. The Heat have lapped this organization 3 times over.

This season has been fun because the idiot Pelican fans like yourself come out and prove themselves to not have a clue.

Jester, you think Pelicans are better run than The Heat?

Do you think The Heat are and have been a better organization?

Stronger culture?

Better at development?

Scouting?


Take away the lure of South Beach and let’s go down the checklist of a smart owner/franchise and tell me where the Pelicans shouldn’t be trying to be the Heat.

If you’re being compared to Thanos, take it as compliment.

Umm ok. I mean, I do kind of agree in a way. The team was more fun when Shinn owned it. I loved the whole Paul/West duo and the team won a lot. Shinn gets a bit of a bad rap, but the guy has done a ton for charities and communities all over. He just hit a bad stretch in his business life and got cancer.

Honestly, I don't think the Bensons give a shite about the Pelicans, other than it has been a financial windfall (the franchise has tripled in value since they bought it). As long as it doesn't lose money, it pretty much runs itself. The President and GM both suck, but they keep everything running pretty tight. Nobody is rocking the boat. I'd love for someone else to buy the team. But there aren't very many billionaires on the Gulf Coast that want to buy a basketball team..

quote:

---

I don't think the Bensons give a shite about the Pelicans

---

First, I think we need to stop calling them the Bensons. Tom, who was the focus and reason for much of the perceived cheapness and other negative behavior is gone. We honestly don't know much about Mrs. Benson as an owner other than she reportedly played a large role in convincing Tom to buy the team and she has been WAY more present than Tom was. She's been to home games, away games, even the presser in Birmingham for the GLeague team announcement.

Will she pay the tax? We don't know, but Gentry and Demps have said she would in the right situation, again the stance of pretty much all small market teams. As I've already detailed we've seen similarly small market teams that should be tax averse go into the tax in the right situation. There's no real reason to believe the Pels wouldn't.

Would the Pelicans go as far as the Cavs did and become majorly in the repeater tax to build a team around AD? I do question that. Would they go some into the tax for a few years if they were able to add another max level player to the mix? Trading for Cousins and recently TRYING TO PIVOT to trading for Jimmy Butler says yes, they would pay some level of tax to build what they felt was a contention level team.

Ummm....the Heat are in line to be in every conversation for any available superstar with their cap sheet(which is largely inflated by Chris Bosh’s contract) and assets ...meanwhile...

They have changed James Johnson’s entire career with their training regimen.

Took GLeaguers Whiteside and Richardson and turned them into borderline All-Stars.

Have intriguing new age center in Bam.

Revitalized Dion Waiters career pre-injury.

Made 1 trick pony Ellington into an asset/serious offensive threat.

Unlocked a new level of Winslow when Dragic went down.

Getting productive out Jones and McGruder...

Nearly got Butler and probably had better overall assets to offer Minny, but that’s debatable.


Still making playoff gate money while biding their time...(the same thing the Rockets did pre Harden post T-Mac, fwiw)

In Post LeBron era, are still incredibly marketable, while retaining a top 5 coach who could have jumped ship at anytime.

The Heat do everything better than the Pels. It’s not really debatable.

No, that’s not me at all.

I don’t like Whiteside per say, but’s undeniable that The Heat have developed him into a star caliber player.

I notice you’re not denying that The Heat are a far better organization that The Pels should aspire to be.

quote:

---

And NBA journalists like Zach Lowe, Woj and KOC have repeatedly say they hear the Pels aren’t going into the tax anytime soon.

---

Of course not. They no longer have a max player to add to AD/Jrue. If you're a tax team and not a contender you're on the verge of having to blow it up, see the Wizards. But had Cousins not gotten injured, or had they been able to trade for Butler like they were rumored to have done aggressively, there'd be no practical way to avoid the tax once AD signed his SuperMax. You keep trying to make this about cheapness when that doesn't factor in at all. Paying the tax if it keeps AD in town is good business. You acting like they wouldn't is just crazy talk. Do you really think if they had the choice between adding a Max Player, keeping AD and becoming a tax team or trading AD and staying under the tax they'd choose to trade AD? After the Cousins trade ticket sales were so good they made a point to talk it up on the tv broadcast. All evidence points to them doing whatever they can to keep AD, Jrue and add another max player. They just haven't had the assets or injury luck to make it happen. They have attempted to go down a path that leads to the tax multiple times.