OFFICIAL AROUND THE NBA: DECEMBER 2024

I simply stated a fact that the Blazers were the 3 seed. I never said they were an overwhelming favorite or anything as often the 3 seed is - they weren't. They were a very small favorite, but they were the favorite. That was a very flawed Pelicans team and yes it was also a very flawed Blazers team. It was totally expected the Pelicans could win that series. It wasn't expected they would sweep it.

 

That Pelicans team was trash, Nikola Mirotic and Etwan Moore were their other starters and both horrible 3rd scoring options. While Jrue is great, he shouldn't be a 2nd scoring option, he should be 3rd or 4th at the most. Rajon Rondo scored 8.3ppg on 46% shooting with 54% FT. Their other role players were Darius Miller and Ian Clark.

It's one thing to get swept by the Warriors or Spurs as the Dame Blazers did. But to get swept by that Pelicans team when Cousins was injured was just a complete embarrassment.

Yes the Pelicans and Blazers had similar regular seasons so it made sense that either team could win the series. Still even that was with Cousins playing so the Pelicans should have been projected as worse in the playoffs than their regular season record.

So no the Pelicans never should have been considered an obvious favorite as many here are stating in hindsight, nor have been expected to sweep.

 

They had three contributing All Stars (Davis, Jrue, and Rondo) (and again, that's guys who have been All Stars, and are still playing impactful basketball). Yes, their fourth All-Star (cousins) was injured.

We had one.

If they only had two All Stars that's probably a really good series.

 

The around the NBA thread is now about a playoff series between the Zurs and Pels from like 8 years ago… go figure

 

Should Portland be interested?

 

price will be way off from what the Blazers want to pay. Pels will want draft and young prospect assets. Same thing Portland wants. I think the Pels are diving into the placid waters of the tank. But maybe, like Portland, they just can't commit to that direction. They should. They should trade Ingram, Zion, and CJ for whatever they can get. Jones is already 26 so he's on the edge of being too old for a tanking team. His contract is nice though.

 

Rondo was on his 5th team earning the vet minimum, scored 8 ppg, but now you consider him a contributing all-star along with Dame, Davis and Jrue?

That Pelicans team was trash - the next season with the same Davis, Jrue, Mirotic, Moore starters but Cousins injured the entire year the Pelicans were well under .500 and blew up the team.

Blazers were even worst than trash to get swept by that Pelicans team.

 

Rondo's defense was far better than anybody Portland had. Not even close.

Yes, the Blazers roster was absolutely trash. They didn't have any winners like Rondo or Jrue (say what want about Rondo, his play wasn't the reason he was only making the minimum). Portland didn't have any elite athletes like Davis.

All they had was Dame.

 

And I’m willing to bet if the Pelicans tank and trade away their big 3, they’ll be back in the playoffs before the Blazers.

 

...decide to go all in on the youth movement.

Finished that for you.

 

Herb and Troy are great forwards on nice contracts. Their vets could get a haul, and the Pelicans have good amount of picks. So yeah they're stacked for a nice quick rebuild even if they tear it all down.

There's just very few rosters in the NBA setup worse than ours unfortunately.

 

I'll believe it when I see it. Not before