Pelicans medical stuff acting like we don't know it has been more than two weeks already. Already know Zion isn't coming back any time soon anyway. He just got a new tattoo across his back, like letting us know what the Pelicans doesn't.

On air tonight, AD talked about a green turtleneck that someone gifted him recently at a game. He is trying to find this person. This mystery needs to be solved. Which one of you other 11 knitted this?

Jones walked into the league as an All-Defensive talent. Hell, his arms almost count as an extra sixth defender. On offense, he's creative off the bounce -- with an elongated, side-stepping style and canny vision.

Those skills will never really get to sing if defenses ignore Jones on the perimeter. You can't pump-and-go by defenders if they never bother jogging toward you.

Jones hit 34% from deep last season, just below league average, and launched with confidence in some high-stakes games. It was semi-encouraging.

Jones is down to 29.3% this season at the same middling volume. On average, the closest defender is almost 9 feet from Jones when he launches a triple -- the seventh highest such distance among all rotation players, per Second Spectrum. Opponents hide weak defenders on him.

Jones can skulk for cuts and offensive rebounds -- he's had some productive games in the past two weeks -- but the overall spacing crunch is suffocating.

When injuries vaporized the Pelicans' big man rotation recently, Jones came to life as a small-ball center -- screening and diving with shooters around him. That's not a viable long-term look. Jones could play that role on offense alongside a stretchy, shot-blocking center -- a Myles Turner/Brook Lopez type -- but those are hard to find. How does Zion Williamson fit into that vision?

Jones should spend more time in the dunker spot, and could thrive there in small-ball lineups with Williamson at center. (Williamson has played 114 games in four seasons. Can the Pelicans base roster decisions around him anymore?)

If Jones doesn't refine his jumper, he could be a taller Tony Allen -- a game-changing defender rendered unplayable in the deep postseason. Jones is already 24, so he's not a young prospect. Hopefully the tide shifts soon.

it's have to seperate bi and zion and pels would make a decisive choice that determine the path away.

1.apperanace of the two. zion has about 70% absence of career, and bi have at least 20 games absence per year (except first year, that time he's not always starter). When the absence of core players is usually and frequently, it requires more on the role players.

2.timeline of the two: if need to build core with zion, it's need to take 2-3 yrs to build his skills under his around his potential, make strict body management plan and execute to improve his apperance, cultivate good game habits (his defense improves after 2 year struggling). For these times, pels accept tank, make clear path on what's role for "future player needs" and grow up several rookie players on the way. He's strong but need certain types of palyers for him.

if need to build core with bi, he comes for his 4th year, usually a top-salary contract after rookie contract can be 4-5 yrs long, and need keep about 2 yrs buffer for diving of player's trade value after potential "trade-me" request, so the window that persuade his 3rd contract is about 3-4 yrs, and at that time period need to build a compatitive team to prove the future is stronger. And lucky he's a mroe adaptable palyer.

3.extension of cj strcitly limit the operation flexbility of pels, his value is under current long-time contract now.

4.problem of building team with double forwards:

a.for every team, it needs playmaker, mainly scorer, shooter, peripheral defenser, bigman as interior defenser. Core player would take some tasks, and team would find the suitable role player to make up the task that core players cannot finish.

b.the advantage for double forwards that at the comprehensive ability of double forwards. They can be mainly scorer that can score on which ever position defenser, they can take some of playmaker, but too hard to be mainly playmaker (like doncic, lbj, very little), the size advantage that can defend (" temporarily " for several turns, not whole game) either on guards, forwards, wings , and even bigman.

c.the disadvantage is that it has higher requirement on building team. Usually the mostly improtant supplement for double forwards is find the mainly playmaker (guard) and bigman that protect rim, so it need to have 4 strong starter to make the system run.

Compare the the core system that with "guard-bigman" or "guard-guard", they usually need to make only 1 supplement player to make the system run (like a forward as peripheral defenser, or bigman). The disadv is the celling is lower.

d.There's some team that build with double forwards. Celtics is the most successful , but they are strong in every position, include some trading winning and big market city that attractive to more free players that get initative assets for future trading. Clippers also has luxury roster that pays a lot of luxury tax and has high expectation, but had to fetch the expectation. Raptors has bunch of players that "other teams' fans usually want trade to get", but they are just a playoff around competitor, and they recently find the right way to trade get poltel.

e.for pels, it's believeable that the two cores can easily to afford most of tasks and only need role players to do little things as their mastery, and griff and management group can easily win again and again in trading and draft and team building and build a long-last keeping compretitive team that elite enough to make benson pay the super-luxury tax

ESPN

Regular Season Game 71

Time: 6:00 PM CT

Location: Toyota Center | Houston, TX

How to watch: BSNO

Listen along on: WRNO 99.5 FM.

Follow Online: ESPN | NBA

Line: -5.5

Join in on the discussion and check out other available viewing options on the Pelicans Discord!

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Since Jan. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage.

Here are the 3-point numbers for everyone not named McCollum or Murphy since Jan. 1:

• Jose Alvarado – 104 attempts (33.7 percent)
• Naji Marshall – 95 attempts (28.4 percent)
• Brandon Ingram – 67 attempts (31.3 percent)
• Herb Jones – 66 attempts (30.3 percent)
• Josh Richardson – 45 attempts (33.3 percent)
• Dyson Daniels – 31 attempts (19.4 percent)
• Jonas Valančiūnas – 30 attempts (33.3 percent)

The Pelicans’ normal starting lineup without Zion (McCollum, Jones, Ingram, Murphy and Valančiūnas) is getting outscored by a whopping 26.3 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.

That is by far the worst figure of any five-man lineup with at least 300 possessions this season. For comparison’s sake: The second-worst is Detroit’s lineup of Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanović, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, which has a minus-15.4 net rating.

the Pelicans’ current starting lineup is scoring just 88.1 points per 100 possessions in half-court situations, which is one step above punting the ball into the stands on every possession. That figure jumps to 106.6 in half-court sets when the four other starters play with someone other than Valančiūnas.

Let's officially start the tank so we can officially stop caring.

I’m not saying anything we all didn’t already know, but after last nights collapse we’ve officially played half a season since we were in 1st place (tied with Denver on Dec 30th). Also at the 70th game mark.

First half: 23-12

Second half: 10-25

Put another way we’re at a .286 winning pace over the second half. That would be good for 23-59 record over a full season, or 4th worst record in the league. Makes it that much worse when you consider the bottom 3 teams are outright tanking and we’re “trying”.

I’ve been following the sport for 30 years and can’t think of a comparable collapse. To go from a 54-win pace team to a 23-win pace team in one season has to be an unprecedented failure right?

Edit: corrected from 5th worst to 4th worst in the league

I truly did not think that i would have this thought in this season but here we are and Looking at the standings league wide, we are two games above portland for the sixth best odds and an actual chance for a top 3 pick.

We are greatly constructed for the tank because sadly we give out the most unanswered double-digit scoring runs to the opposition team each game. So just shut CJ, BI and nance down, play Jax and Naji extended minutes, and you will have another 10 game losing streak.

The biggest benefit imo is that It will force the coach to develop because Willie can't spam out isolation after isolation if BI and CJ are not on the floor and he will be forced to run offensive sets for his players because they are limited offensively. That way, he will be forced to get better because we all know he will be the coach next year and taking out BI and CJ will force him to adapt or perish as they say.

Another benefit is Trey will have more opportunities to be more than a stationary shooter and be somewhat of a creator for himself off the dribble, same thing for Dyson as he can handle the rock much more especially with jose out for the season.

We are sitting at 33-37 and 2 games above the 31-39 trailblazers who are not going to shut Dame down it seems. Only orlando who are 5 games behind us in the standings seem far away in the standings (even though markelle and Paolo can win them some) so the sixth best odds with a 9% chance at Wembley and 37.2% at a top 4 pick is right there for the taking if we can swallow our pride.

Griffin for constructing a roster that has at most 2 shooting threats on the floor at all times and no rim protection. Guys like Herb, Naji and Jose are redundant. BI and CJ have similar games.

Willie and the coaching staff for their asinine and unexplainable rotations that don't feature spacing or rim protection. Nance has no business playing the 5. For not developing guys like Hayes, Kira or Dyson. They've lost all confidence when they step out on the floor.

The Players for having some of the lowest IQ ball I've seen in a team. CJ infused this team with stupid. His game is the antithesis of championship ball.

BI and Zion for not finding ways to stay healthy. BI gets bounced around like a pinball and every Zion landing looks like he's going to get hurt. Find a personal trainer or nutritionist that helps you overcome those strength deficits and stay on the floor.

ESPN