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Started By
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Is Will Guillory going crazy, or am I?
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:39 pm
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:39 pm
This is from a recent The Athletic article (I can't link or copy it all but I'll copy a portion):
Backup plan? WTF.
Zion is, on one hand, promoted (by Guillory) as this MVP-level talent. On the other hand, Guillory states that we need to have a backup plan. How do you have a backup plan for an MVP-level talent who isn't playing?
Zion is also a unique player, so how can we construct a roster/scheme around Zion and then this "backup plan" at the same time?
quote:
Shouldn’t the Pels shop Zion this summer if he doesn’t commit to doing the things necessary to make him less injury prone? Like conditioning and developing a game that makes him less reliant on driving. – Philip T.
This is another one that baffles me, and there’s been some level of discussion around this topic among fans each of the past few offseasons. My response has always been consistent.
quote:
There are obvious reasons to be frustrated with the Zion experience after four seasons. It’s baffling that he’s only played in 114 games at this point in his career. His availability is a major cause for concern, and there’s certainly a lot of work he needs to do off the court to make sure he can be there for his team a lot more than he has been the past two seasons. Considering how the past few years have gone, it’d be wise for the Pelicans to go into next season with a concrete backup plan to be competitive if Williamson again cannot stay healthy.
Backup plan? WTF.
Zion is, on one hand, promoted (by Guillory) as this MVP-level talent. On the other hand, Guillory states that we need to have a backup plan. How do you have a backup plan for an MVP-level talent who isn't playing?
Zion is also a unique player, so how can we construct a roster/scheme around Zion and then this "backup plan" at the same time?
15
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:41 pm to SlowFlowPro
Yeah hard to have a great backup plan when the guy makes 30 million.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:44 pm to Balsamic_duck
A backup PF on the roster so we don’t lose 13 straight every time Zion sits would be nice. That’s what the Pels should and should have been doing.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:46 pm to SlowFlowPro
I think he means having a starting caliber 4 behind him going into the season. That's a tough ask unless you get lucky in the draft.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:46 pm to SlowFlowPro
This is what Griff was alluding to in his end of the year presser.
I think it’s a little bit crazy to think Zion is gonna give us 70 games healthy given the precedent he’s set. Guillory is just saying we need to be ready to still complete at the high level without Z because there is a historically low chance he’s healthy for more than half the season.
Zion is all our upside, but we need to have a contingency plan if we want to raise our floor.
I think it’s a little bit crazy to think Zion is gonna give us 70 games healthy given the precedent he’s set. Guillory is just saying we need to be ready to still complete at the high level without Z because there is a historically low chance he’s healthy for more than half the season.
Zion is all our upside, but we need to have a contingency plan if we want to raise our floor.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 2:54 pm to SlowFlowPro
The one thing I was concerned about last season and posted about on this board constantly was the lack of a good backup 4.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:33 pm to SlowFlowPro
It’s hard to pull off since Zion is now on a max contract, but yeah we gotta get some depth in our front court. Zion will certainly miss games every year, and whether it’s over paying for vets or in the draft, we gotta figure out a way to have a good rotation when Zion is hurt.
Also it’s the off season and Guillory wants some clicks.
Also it’s the off season and Guillory wants some clicks.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:35 pm to Fun Bunch
It’s just wild. You, me and most every Pels fan trying to put this team together last offseason saw there was no backup PF. And we saw that because we just played a whole season without a PF. Jaxon freaking Hayes starting at the four in playoff games(and he did fine to be clear. Maybe, pretty much, largely fine)
But what the hell. We don’t need a “starter” per se. But we at least need an NBA caliber player with a PF caliber body and skill set. Just maddening/stupidity.
But what the hell. We don’t need a “starter” per se. But we at least need an NBA caliber player with a PF caliber body and skill set. Just maddening/stupidity.
This post was edited on 5/4/23 at 3:36 pm
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:56 pm to SlowFlowPro
what's wrong with his stance?
yes, kind of hard to have a direct backup who could match zion's talent/production, but the team should have a plan in place to follow when zion inevitably is injured most of the year again.
yes, kind of hard to have a direct backup who could match zion's talent/production, but the team should have a plan in place to follow when zion inevitably is injured most of the year again.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:56 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:Don't get me wrong, a solid backup 4 would be better than not having a solid backup 4.
The one thing I was concerned about last season and posted about on this board constantly was the lack of a good backup 4.
But this team should be good enough to give you at least .500 ball without Zion. With BI/CJ and now the emergence of Trey and other dudes, there's no reason to be as bad as we have been without Zion except for...injuries.
A lot of those non Zion games were also non BI games, and CJ playing all season with the torn ligaments in his thumb.
I don't know, I feel like 90% of our concerns always come back to injuries.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:58 pm to shel311
quote:
Don't get me wrong, a solid backup 4 would be better than not having a solid backup 4.
But this team should be good enough to give you at least .500 ball without Zion. With BI/CJ and now the emergence of Trey and other dudes, there's no reason to be as bad as we have been without Zion except for...injuries.
A lot of those non Zion games were also non BI games, and CJ playing all season with the torn ligaments in his thumb.
I don't know, I feel like 90% of our concerns always come back to injuries.
Yeah pretty much. Nothing really matter if these guys cant stay healthy
Posted on 5/4/23 at 4:05 pm to Balsamic_duck
Sixers had a backup plan if Joel was injured. Just FYI.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 4:15 pm to shel311
quote:
I don't know, I feel like 90% of our concerns always come back to injuries.
For sure, I was just dumbfounded why Pels didnt go back to the big lineups with combinations of Hayes, Nance, and Val that worked ok last year.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 4:27 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Zion is also a unique player, so how can we construct a roster/scheme around Zion and then this "backup plan" at the same time?
Griff had the chance to add the backup plan years ago. Passed on it twice. His name was Lauri M.
This post was edited on 5/4/23 at 4:29 pm
Posted on 5/4/23 at 4:53 pm to SlowFlowPro
There is no such thing as a back up plan to Zion because there is no player like a healthy Zion.
If the goal is to put this team in the best position to win a title (which it should be), then you spend all of your resources to build a team that best suits Zion and hope he is healthy.
Yeah, it's risky, but if he does get hurt again, I'd rather bottom out and be a high lottery pick than scrape together some wins and get bounced in the first round or play-in as a 7,8,9 seed.
If the goal is to put this team in the best position to win a title (which it should be), then you spend all of your resources to build a team that best suits Zion and hope he is healthy.
Yeah, it's risky, but if he does get hurt again, I'd rather bottom out and be a high lottery pick than scrape together some wins and get bounced in the first round or play-in as a 7,8,9 seed.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 4:55 pm to SlowFlowPro
Needing a backup plan for Zion is evident and the team knows it, which is why there was so much smoke around John Collins at the trade deadline.
I expect that conversation to be picked back up this offseason.
I expect that conversation to be picked back up this offseason.
This post was edited on 5/4/23 at 4:57 pm
Posted on 5/4/23 at 5:01 pm to SlowFlowPro
There's no backup plan to win in the playoffs if Zion is out. We aren't going to win a title with Zion on the bench.
But it's reasonable to expect that Zion might miss 25 games in the middle of the season. We need a plan for those games.
The thing is: I think that the best plan is for Trey to add 10 pounds of muscle this offseason. Also, if we have another playable center, then Larry can provide minutes at PF.
So, I don't think that "backup PF" is a position that we need to trade for or draft for. Oh, and by the way, we're hoping the EJ Liddell can develop into that backup PF guy.
But it's reasonable to expect that Zion might miss 25 games in the middle of the season. We need a plan for those games.
The thing is: I think that the best plan is for Trey to add 10 pounds of muscle this offseason. Also, if we have another playable center, then Larry can provide minutes at PF.
So, I don't think that "backup PF" is a position that we need to trade for or draft for. Oh, and by the way, we're hoping the EJ Liddell can develop into that backup PF guy.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 5:08 pm to GOP_Tiger
25 games? For Ingram sure. Zion misses 50+ games in the majority of his NBA career.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 5:32 pm to GOP_Tiger
quote:
There's no backup plan to win in the playoffs if Zion is out. We aren't going to win a title with Zion on the bench. But it's reasonable to expect that Zion might miss 25 games in the middle of the season. We need a plan for those games.
100%…I was hoping the Pels would get a starting level stretch 4/5 (Kelly Olynyk type) to support both Zion and JV, but if the opportunity and/or money didn’t work, then I at least wanted to see a big bodied “try hard” with a decent shot (Mike Muscala type) to fill out the back of the bench with a useful skill set.
IMO not having that guy cost the Pels both a payoff slot and a chance to get Zion’s “head right” and see what kind of run the team could make with BI and Zion back.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 5:49 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
The one thing I was concerned about last season and posted about on this board constantly was the lack of a good backup 4.
We have a backup 4. His name is Larry Nance
Now backup 5...I do think that we could have used Jax more. There is simply no way he was THAT bad to be a full cast off.
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