04-17-2024, 06:44 AM
(04-17-2024, 04:46 AM)surfpuckmd Wrote: CJ fits better than Ingram because CJ is willing to take a lot of 3s and plays well off of Zion. Ingram refuses to adapt his game to Zion's and prefers to dribble around and take contested 17-foot shots. Ingram is very talented but is the guy that just doesn't fit there.
Zion is actually in pretty good shape right now. The problem is that he showed up overweight at the beginning of this season. It took him 4 months to slim down. His diet is clearly not a priority for him.
They need a big man who is either more mobile defensively than Jonas or can space the floor. Valanciunas is a good player but his scoring near the basket doesn't fit with Zion at all. They both need that space to operate.
David Griffin will need to modify the roster to make this work around Zion. As it is, a lot of the talented pieces just don't fit.
The Pelicans almost have too many bodies. A lot of good players. I like some that don't even play. Plenty of picks too to help make moves moving forward too.
For me it all depends on Zion. If he can take his health seriously, he can be a top 10 player in the league. If he is, that team is one of the better positioned teams moving forward. I am just so disappointed in his professionalism. Last night he was awesome. Although while he still has the strength and the quickness, the explosion that made him such a unique prospect is really not there yet. I mean he still can dunk, but not what he should be doing as a young 20's guy. Right now, I think he is a guy who shows what he can do but is always going to be injured. He needs to take that part of his game seriously. Hopefully like a lot of young guys he learns before it is too late.
CJ is a good player, but always leaves you wanting more. The next playin game will be real important for him. He has sort of reputation (not Barnes level yet) of being a guy who struggles in those big games.
In hindsight, The Pelicans should have explored KP this offseason. They have plenty of picks and assets where they easily could put an attractive package together while keeping a lot of their assets. KP is an injury risk, but he would have looked good with that roster. They need to find a better fitting part than Jonas.
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On GS, I was expecting a better performance. Give it to Sacramento, they came out and took it to GS. Disappointed GS didn't put together a better performance. They are going to have tricky questions this summer. I was trying to think where Chris Paul goes next year? I don't see a lot clear options.
GS got it to 1 early in the second half. Then Ellis hit a three. Ellis did something else (maybe loose ball...can't remember) that lead to another 3. GS missed 1-2 shots and then Barnes hit a 3. Made a 1 point game into a 10 point game and GS never got closer. That was the game. I was expecting GS to keep it close and then grind out a win late (similar to the second Kings-Mavs game).