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Zach Lowe on the Pelicans
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:13 am
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:13 am
What was supposed to be Zach telling us about his Western All Star picks turned into a rant on DeMarcus Cousins. It's an honest rant though and he admits he and other Cousins skeptics probably judge him unfairly.
LINK
There's actually a lot more in the article, worth the read.
quote:
I was hesitant to classify Cousins a lock. The Pelicans are two measly games ahead of a Clippers team that has spent half the season with D-League guys around DeAndre Jordan and Williams. If they really have two of the 12 best players in the conference -- and according to most experts, two of the 12 best in the league -- why are they mediocre?
Cousins' own limitations line up almost perfectly with those of his team. He turns the ball over at an absurd rate and chronically fails to get back on defense; the Pelicans turn the ball over too much and hemorrhage transition points with Cousins on the floor. (Their turnover rate drops from bottom-five territory to best-in-the-league when Davis plays center, per NBA.com.)
There are just way, way, way too many opponent possessions when you see only nine players on the television screen for an alarming length of time. Like, sometimes the opponent will take a shot, grab an offensive rebound, and go up for another shot before Cousins -- pouting and wheezing -- crosses half court.
...It's not as if the Pelicans' twin towers have no help, either. Jrue Holiday has been sensational, and both E'Twaun Moore and Darius Miller are sizzling from deep.
But Cousins is a big reason those guys are playing so well -- and even for some of Davis' career-best shooting numbers.
LINK
There's actually a lot more in the article, worth the read.
3
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:25 am to TigerinATL
Pretty cool how you highlighted the negative stuff and stopped right when the article shifts.
quote:
But Cousins is a big reason those guys are playing so well -- and even for some of Davis' career-best shooting numbers. On offense, he has transformed himself into what the Pelicans need him to be -- a monstrous, 3-point-shooting point-center logging huge minutes. The price of that transformation is Cousins occasionally falling down while dribbling, turning the ball over, and huffing at the referees while the other team scores.
Cousins happily cedes the lane -- and rim-running duties -- to Davis, allowing Davis to act in a more natural finisher role. Davis gets more shots in the restricted area with Cousins on the floor, and enjoys more assisted baskets, per NBA.com. A full half of Holiday's baskets have come via assist this season, up from just 29 percent a year ago, and that role recalibration has turned him into a different player.
Cousins is good enough with the ball to make you wonder if the Pelicans need a traditional point guard at all. They have outscored opponents by almost 19 points per 100 possessions -- insane -- when Holiday, Cousins, and Davis play without either of the Rajon Rondo/Jameer Nelson duo, per NBA.com. (The margin doesn't drop much when you slide Davis out, either.)
Rondo and Nelson are sieves, and lineup data at least raises the possibility that New Orleans' bad defense has less to do with Cousins than the eye test might suggest.
Because nobody fails the eye test on bad nights like Cousins. A lot of other stars -- including Davis -- lollygag back on defense, but no one does it with Boogie's gusto. You notice it more, and for Boogie skeptics (guilty!), the nausea of watching him loaf probably colors our perception of him more than it should. It's also easy to overlook the unusually high number (for a big man) of steals he swipes -- thefts that compensate at least a bit for his own oafish pratfalls.
The Pelicans spring leaks on the defensive glass when Cousins sits. The Boogie/non-Brow lineups have been net positives since December 1 after a hideous start. Opposing coaches fear Cousins, even if they would never want to coach him.
This post was edited on 1/23/18 at 9:27 am
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:30 am to Mystery
Zach puts out good stuff, I want people to click on the links and give him the credit he deserves so he can keep putting out good stuff. Had he started with the good and ended with the bad I'd have posted mostly good stuff and someone else would be accusing me of being biased the other direction.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:33 am to TigerinATL
You are on TD. You know people don't click links.
Was just funny how you stopped right at the change.
Was just funny how you stopped right at the change.
This post was edited on 1/23/18 at 9:34 am
Posted on 1/23/18 at 9:40 am to Mystery
quote:
You are on TD. You know people don't click links.
Not cool guys. We need to support the people that are spending time and money to give us things we like.
quote:
Was just funny how you stopped right at the change.
I originally had some of the good, but posting everything was too much and it was really hard to cherry pick a small enough amount that didn't ruin the message.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 10:21 am to TigerinATL
So what this article tells me is:
1. Boogie needs rest before he starts to get tired
2. Boogie is amazing and opens everyone else up too
3. Boogie is his own worst enemy
Pretty much everything we knew, lol
1. Boogie needs rest before he starts to get tired
2. Boogie is amazing and opens everyone else up too
3. Boogie is his own worst enemy
Pretty much everything we knew, lol
Posted on 1/23/18 at 10:34 am to Mystery
quote:
They have outscored opponents by almost 19 points per 100 possessions -- insane -- when Holiday, Cousins, and Davis play without either of the Rajon Rondo/Jameer Nelson duo, per NBA.com. (The margin doesn't drop much when you slide Davis out, either.)
I really pray that when Solo comes back, the starting/finishing lineup becomes Jrue/Moore/Solo/AD/Boogie and Rondo/Nelson gspend a lot more time on the bench. I don't understand why we keep giving Nelson and Rondo the minutes they get and leave them in as other team's benches are going on runs.
It was obvious the team didn't give a shite about the game until Jrue started playing defense like a G-leaguer on a 10-day. It was painful to watch Jameer Nelson's 36 yr old arse looking spent as someone like Nwaba is bouncing off the walls hustling like crazy mkaing plays.
It seems like just giving Liggins or Mike James some minutes and telling them to hustle their asses off might spur some effort on the defensive side like Jrue did last night. Like ATL said hopefully once Solo is back and they have 2 guys on the floor hustling, things will change. But I think they could use Liggins to spark some effort now in place of Jameer/Rondo.
This post was edited on 1/23/18 at 10:36 am
Posted on 1/23/18 at 10:51 am to NOFOX
I’ve criticized this roster a lot, but lately, I’m thinking it can work with the right rotations and consistent effort ( that’s on the players, imo).
Posted on 1/23/18 at 10:55 am to NOFOX
quote:
It seems like just giving Liggins or Mike James some minutes and telling them to hustle their asses off might spur some effort on the defensive side like Jrue did last night.
EXACTLY!
Can you not get a 2-3 minute window with one of those guys just playing balls to the wall, including Diallo?
What this team lacks is the young energetic bench guys. Instead we have veteran bench guys like Nelson, a complacent bench guy like Dante that picks and chooses when he wants to give full effort, Miller, who just doesn't have the skills to be a good defender, and Clark, who was used to just having to find an open area for a 3 while the other 4 guys did everything else on both sides of the court with the Warriors.
You would think guys like Dante and Clark, who couldn't get paid this offseason and are on 1 year deals, would be playing with more urgency so they could get a long term deal this offseason.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:31 am to TigerinATL
quote:
Cousins is good enough with the ball to make you wonder if the Pelicans need a traditional point guard at all. They have outscored opponents by almost 19 points per 100 possessions -- insane -- when Holiday, Cousins, and Davis play without either of the Rajon Rondo/Jameer Nelson duo, per NBA.com. (The margin doesn't drop much when you slide Davis out, either.)
was about to start a thread on this subject. pretty insane. kind of makes you wonder...do we really need a traditional starting-caliber PG?
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:42 am to Machine
There is a lot of really intriguing data surrounding this team that makes the puzzle complex. I'm hoping Hill eating up some Nelson/Clark/Dante minutes will solidify the rotation some.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:45 am to Machine
quote:
was about to start a thread on this subject. pretty insane. kind of makes you wonder...do we really need a traditional starting-caliber PG?
with the way Jrue is playing, no. We need a PG, just not a Rondo type PG. You need one that can play defense on either the opposing teams 1 or 2, and can either hit an open shot, or penetrate the lane.
What would be ideal is if this cat we drafted could actually play, and we could actually get minutes from him where all he's really being asked to do is play good defense and either hit an open shot or drive after one of AD/Cousins/Jrue creates for you. We see 2nd round guys give minutes to playoff teams all over the league. We on the other hand have only 2 guys on the roster that have been drafted in the last 5 years and neither play. A simply Fred VanVleet type production would do, not asking for Brogdon level.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:46 am to ShamelessPel
quote:will definitely help the defense
I'm hoping Hill eating up some Nelson/Clark/Dante minutes will solidify the rotation some.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:49 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
with the way Jrue is playing, no. We need a PG, just not a Rondo type PG.
We will see later in the season if Rondo has that second gear that many of us expect he does. I think Gentry has done a good job of figuring out how to use this version of Rondo. He's not playing particularly well, but he does take some burden off Cousins/Holiday and allow them to save their legs some. Not using him much in the second half and letting him chew up some time at the beginning of the game.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:55 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
with the way Jrue is playing, no. We need a PG, just not a Rondo type PG. You need one that can play defense on either the opposing teams 1 or 2, and can either hit an open shot, or penetrate the lane
Which is hard to find even with cap space and trade assets. I’ve been on the thought process lately of finding a way to trade for an injured Pat Beverly (they are saying he could be back come playoff time). He plays with intensity & fire, solid defender, and can hit open shots.
My dream is Pat & Lou Williams (oh and Ersan Ilyasova). But it’s called a dream for a reason.
This post was edited on 1/23/18 at 11:56 am
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:55 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
We need a PG, just not a Rondo type PG.
Jrue/Moore/Hill/AD/DC was a +16.4 NetRtg last year. That was before the stuff Finch installed and the team finally seems comfortable with where open shots are easy to generate as long as everybody moves.
There's still the problem of crunch time though. The Pels don't have anyone reliable to create their own shot or for others when the opposing defense is really trying. Boogie is as close as it gets, and a lot of the moves we saw him pull off against Memphis and Chicago are the same moves that have lead to turnovers against other teams sending multiple defenders at him. It doesn't even have to be a starter either, a 6th man like they always hoped Tyreke could be would be enough.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 11:59 am to DeionDeion
The Clippers aren't getting any serious offers for Jordan and they've played themselves back in the playoffs. I don't think any of their guys that can help a playoff team are available.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 12:01 pm to TigerinATL
Right. The chance for a LAC trade has severely decreased over the last 10-15 games
Posted on 1/23/18 at 12:29 pm to DeionDeion
TJ McConnell would do. Not sure what the Sixers intentions are with him for next year since he's an expiring, but i seriously doubt they would retain him with Fults/Simmons and even Bayless on the roster.
Seriously though, when i said simply Fred VanVleet production would suffice, i meant it. He's that older young player since he played longer in college, been in the league for 2 years now and knows what's going on. Can shoot the 3 and is a smart defender that isnt' too undersized b/c he plays strong. Maybe Toronto liked Diallo. They aren't resigning Fred, and they'd get an extra year with Diallo.
Seriously though, when i said simply Fred VanVleet production would suffice, i meant it. He's that older young player since he played longer in college, been in the league for 2 years now and knows what's going on. Can shoot the 3 and is a smart defender that isnt' too undersized b/c he plays strong. Maybe Toronto liked Diallo. They aren't resigning Fred, and they'd get an extra year with Diallo.
Posted on 1/23/18 at 12:30 pm to DeionDeion
quote:
Right. The chance for a LAC trade has severely decreased over the last 10-15 games
I don't think so. They have gone on an amazing run with Lou leading the charge, but are they really going to build a team around a 31 year old Lou Williams?
I think they still trade Jordan and Williams at the deadline to try to rebuild/retool around Blake.
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