Are the Pelicans Ready to Win Big in 2025?

Are the Pelicans Ready to Win Big in 2025?

You are now listening to the Pelicans postgame report. Flash Report. For all things Pelicans, you’re now tuned in to the Pelican Postgame Report. I’m Big Q chiming in. Hit the like button, hit the sub button, and subscribe, man. Share all that thing on the Pelican postgame report. The big community, we in this thing, man. Look, a little news to kind of go over, which is Flash Report, man. Shout out to you guys. Uh, the Pelicans 2026 season predictions are in, right? Some of them NBA schedule. So, anyway, the Pelicans bounce back. Can we bounce back, man? in this upcoming year. Uh, and and it’s interesting, but here’s what a few people had to say about it. The Pelicans entered the season with identity crisis, a disorientated fan base, and a schedule that does them no favors. Coming off a brutal 21-61 campaign, the Pelicans were desperate for direction, clarity, and some form of stability. Instead, they doubled down on confusion. General Manager Joe Dumar revamped the front office and have made moves that had made many analysts including ESPN’s Kevin Pelton uh Pelton have labeled as baffling because they’re not GMs. See, and the whole thing is the it’s no identity crisis here. We know what the the Pelicans need to play at. We know the only issue and problem with the Pelicans is at the head coach level. That’s the mismatch between uh who we have as the general manager uh VP or the executive at top of the team Joe Dumar and then of course the general manager and Troy Weaver. What they’re doing is and the mentality is to bring in that Detroit toughness which is similar to the region here. So it’s it’s an idea. It’s it’s really uh very simple a tough team that hits you from all sides that plays with all effort and that that’s what we need to do. So, and yes, it was a brutal campaign because of the stupidity of what we was dealing with with with the previous guy, but he’s gone. But all these other people, uh, you know, they they don’t know what’s going on. The drafting of Jeremiah Fears and Derek Queen along with the trade that cost New Orleans a potential valuable 2026 pick swap has created skepticism about the franchise long-term vision. If the Pelicans win, nobody gives a damn about that damn pick. They’re throwing that up to write articles about it and to post like they know what they’re talking about. the pick. You can’t judge the trade until the pick in this the final season is is done. The Pelicans make the plus. That damn pick doesn’t mean anything. Joe Dumos already said that they got their first round pick this year and next year. That’s why they moved it the way they did to get both Jeremiah and Derek Queen. So he feels like whoever they have next year will not be better than Queen. He said that in the post game. So I mean in the press conference. Add to the polarization acquisition of P and the log jam in the front office with Queen. Kevon Looney and Zion Williamson, not a log jam. These guys all have versatility where they can play, they can be moved around and and and and given an opportunity to find a role to play strong. Zion Williamson is the guy. Zion, it could be a rotation, fam, where you have Zion Williamson, Kon Looney, and Queen on the floor with Zion holding the ball, Looney operating at the five, and Queen at four. They can have a lineup like that. These guys have versatility. Yet the beauty of the NBA is unpredictability. For all of the head scratching decisions the Pelicans will take the court 82 times, the question is whether this roster can find any semblance of cohesion and claws way back into relevance or whether the 2526 season will be another painful chapter in the franchise history already full of false starts. Let me tell you something. That’s right. The false start. It’s not a good history in terms of the Pelicans because it was no leadership and no direction uh at on top of the team. They were just trying to make money. But as the family base grew and the command grew and the toughness grew to force the Pelicans to do better, right? So goals out, they threw out the other guy, put the new guy in, and the guy been to the promised land as a coach and as a executive. He been to the promised land. So it’s a different level here. We know that they can claw their way back, but I don’t think the Pelicans are going to sit on their hands and let this season fall away if Willie Green can’t get the team going. It’s really that simple. What will the Pelicans 2526 record be? The last season 2161 disaster cannot cannot be ignored. Injuries, poor roster balance, and inconsistency define New Orleans year. The addition of pool theoretically gives them a dynamic scoring guard, but the downside is enormous. Who has yet to prove that he can be an effective league guard on a playoff caliber team and pairing him with Zion is a glut of center raises serious spacing concerns. There’s no spacing concerns. It’s no spacing concerns. Pool can play within the gravity which Zion will create for him. He’ll get wide open shots and don’t forget that Trey Murphy is there. Don’t forget that Herb Jones is there and that Herb has improved his three-point shot and that he’s the best defensive stopper the Pelicans have. So, you know, don’t forget that that Zion Williamson provides opportunities for all of those guys. So, yes, Jordan Pool and Zion and Kine Luna, all those guys could play together. The Pelican schedule is particularly unkind in the early months by December, which is fine because we’re not looking for softies in order to win and do what we need to do. We need to step in there and if we playing Boston, Denver, Golden State, Milwaukee multiple times, then we need to be we need to know right away if Willie Green uh can command the team. And if the team struggles, that’s good because we’ll get his ass out of here faster. That so I applaud the tough schedule early on. Let’s not run from the toughness. And the inexperienced team with a shaky chemistry could quickly fall into double digit losing streak even against middle tier opponents such as Dallas or Minnesota. The Pelicans lack of defensive identity could be exposed. There will be flashes of excitement Z if healthy remains one of the league’s most dominant interior forces. Meanwhile, fears could surprise as a rookie guard with poise, but the lack of shooting around the stars is unclear. Pecking off. So, lack of shooting like Trey Murphy and these guys, Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans have shooters. There’s not a lack of shooting. There are shooters. All right. So, the prediction Pelicans finished. He got four more wins. 25 and 57. That’s a modest four game win in prealling modest. You won 21 games. He spots you 25 and 57 winning but still firmly at the bottom of the Western Conference And I said why? Because in the end the Pelicans will not win 27 or whatever the hell he said. Pelicans going to win a lot more games than that. The Pelicans going to win north of 40 games this year strictly because Joe Dumos is not going to allow the black eye that is uh Willie Green to last this entire season before they fire him. They’re not going to sacrifice the season. He put up too much stuff, draft picks and players and moves. They’re trying to win now. They’re going to win right now. There’s a pressure on the coach to get it together. They have a lot of money spent on this team and they’re not sit up here playing for the future. That’s why they traded picks for this year. They’re not playing for no damn future. They feel like, and I feel the same way that we have the pieces in place to win right now. The problem is the head coach. So the tough games early on moves the coach out of the goddamn way and gives us an opportunity to get somebody there that that does have some common sense on how to run of of offense and do what we need to do. Now Berego to me is better than Willie Green. No doubt about it. And and not just to say just the offensive side, his offense works well with the people that they have. I think he gives them an a a great offensive push. She’s a guy that’s intelligent and I would like him to do that and I think that’s why James Berago is here is because of Willie Green fault and I believe he does. Not being negative about it but Willie Green is not showing us enough and I don’t think he takes a step this year. He doesn’t have the answers and he’s not learning fast enough. Where will the Pelicans land in the West? The Western Conference has no mercy for a team in flux. The Nuggets, Timberwolves, Thunder Mavericks are firmly in the upper tier. The Suns, Clippers, and Warriors are win now mode. even rebuilding squads like the Spurs. Jazz appeared to have more structure in place than the Pelicans. The Jazz does not have more structure in place than the Pelicans. The Spurs are an interesting option, too. But it is just ridiculous. For New Orleans, that means that the ceiling is finishing 13th in the West and above the only team like Portland or Houston. If injuries decimate those rosters, the floor is obvious. Another last place finish. Realistically, they’ll land 14, narrowly avoiding the basement, but never sniffing out the play in tournament. Not so. Not. So, I don’t understand why cuz this and another thing that let’s talk about this too, fam. The reality is that the Pelicans will not will not baby Zion Williamson this year like they do with the injury situation like they he keep him out a week or two longer than what he’s supposed to be and eating up the games during the season doing that when he could when he’s sitting up there healthy. They doing extra four or five games to make sure he’s totally healthy before they play. They’re not baby and Zion Williamson like that. Zion is in the best shape of his career. He knows what’s on the line. He’s been tasked with being the leader of the team. The previous dumbass guy didn’t even do that. He was too busy trying to politicize and move around and play games about the direction of the team. Joe Dumos told Zion, “Hey man, this is your team.” So Zion’s been working out in the offseason. They say Zion is in even better shape than what he was last year. So we’ll see. This is his team and he knows he’s been seeing the pressure, hearing all the clippings, getting paid all this money cuz he getting that big fat paycheck coming toward him that uh that elevated what 30 something plus million dollars. He got to step the f up. He that that’s on him now to take this team to the next level. And of course the predictions beyond the court. If the season plays out, expect there will be consequence beyond the standing. Front office coaching changes are squarely on the horizon. Willie Green has done his best with difficult rosters, but patience could wear him. Another season with fewer than 30 wins may force you Mars to pull the plug and bring in a new voice. If not mid-season, they certainly next summer green seat will be scorching hot. Green green sits on there right now. Trades are inevitable. Kavon could be shipped out. That won’t happen right now. Jordan Pool will be there. What is the potential awards or bright spots? Pelicans unlikely to produce award winners this year, but there are silver slivers of hope. Jeremiah Fears could sneak into the rookie of the year composition, particularly if he’s trusted to stabilize the back court when when pool struggles. Derek Queen despite the skepticism surrounding selection has been the tools to carve out a solid rookie campaign as a rebounder and an inter internal internal scorer. Zion remains the only true candidate for leaguewide recognition if he stays healthy, which has always been the biggest if in EBA he could find himself an all-star mix again, but that requires him to play at least 60 games a mar rarely reach. The long-term pitch indicates the harsh truth that the Pelicans long-term outlook looks bleaker now than it did a year ago. No, it doesn’t. The loss of the 2026 pick Atlanta could haunt them. No, it won’t. Particularly if the Bucks falter and the Pelicans themselves remain near the bottom of the standards, it don’t matter because we have to win now. Them goddamn picks don’t mean nothing until we start putting stuff together. They had to take stand on business and and and have and make a a trade. They have to they had to they had to do something. They had to make a move that say, “Hey, man. Listen, we not only we got P, we got Kon, we got uh Queen, we got Fierce. These are ball players. They will be a part of the team. And there won’t be guys sitting on the bench and all this kind of stuff. It already been said Joe Dumos has have these guys to be in the roster like they’ll be contributors solid contributors on a nightto-ight basis. Z questions also looms. How many more seasons of unachievement can a franchise and do before considering unthinkable trading this franchise cornerstone that scenario isn’t likely to happen but every year Maki edges them closer to the possibility only because they didn’t have a vision. You got to have a vision for these players. The only, like I keep saying, the only obstacle here is is Willie Green. Willie Green is not the coach for this team. Like I said, Willie Green’s a nice guy, but they don’t have to do with being a basketball coach. I mean, he he’s his adjustments are terrible. His game time decision-m is bad. His rosters uh uh swapping players in and out at certain times of the game is is very questionable. You know, we he his offense doesn’t have any flow. It’s like guys out there that freestyling. There’s no structure to the offense. There’s no structure to the defense and all he does is sit up here and twiddle this finger to go faster, to f up faster. So, I mean, he is not the coach that this team need. You need a coach, a head coach. Head coach mean brains. You need somebody at the top with some sense that can guide the team to where they need to be. This not Joe Dumar. He he he’s not a clutch head coach either. He breaks down in the in clutch moments. His team his teams are losing clutch games. Losing games in the clutch moments. He doesn’t rise up. his his his scheming is not correct. I mean, it’s just he’s not developed where we thought he would develop. He hasn’t been there. So, this is a season of limited hope for the Pelicans entering this season, not as a playoff threat, but as a team wandering through another year of uncertainty. They got the Pelicans at 25 and 57 with a fourth place finish. That’s what they’re saying about the Pelicans, right? Are you guys feeling that way about the Pelicans? Four freaking game improvement. This is how they see the Pelicans. But look, you know, the thing is it’s really the Pelicans fault for this type of BS to be honest with you. Here’s another one from the Bleacher Report, right? This is an article where they talk about the playoffs and this is New Orleans Pelicans plan isn’t clear right now as the franchise continues to build around a consistent injured star while choosing to trade away help veterans. Swapping CJ for Jordan Pool was a dreadful move. That’s not It wasn’t a dreadful move. CJ McCullum for Jordan Pool. Jordan Pool is on the upside of his career. CJ McCullum is on the down side of his career. wasn’t a dreadful move for onc court production in the locker room and basically pool is a 20 point scorer what is he talking about in the locker room in the salary cap the Pelicans went 4 and22 in games without McCullum last year that don’t mean they’ll do that without McCullum this year with pool there Zion Williamson played 30 games in a 21 win season yet Pelicans willingly gave up an unprotected first round pick in order to select queen neither queen Williamson or Ees me last year’s lottery pick is three-point shooter so there’s going to be a lot of spacing issues not going to be spacing issues if you put the correct people on the floor. There’s a fair amount of talent on the roster, especially with Trey Murphy that go your three-point shooter. Herb Jones can shoot the three. Uh and number seven overall pick Jeremiah F. Yet the overall fit is extremely questionable. This is a playing team at best in the West. These at least they give you a playoff team in the West, a playin team. Get the Pelicans a Dgrade. It’s uh it’s funny like when we listen to some of these people, they’ll tell you about the Pelicans, but they we will omit details like Trey Murphy and all other players that we have. The Pelicans have a solid group of players. They have multiple first round picks that are good that just need a little direction. We have toughness here. We got guys that work hard. You got and you need a guy at the top of the team to get the team where where they supposed to be. That’s what we’re missing. And when I say top of the team, I mean head coach. We translate the philosophy that the exec and the GM have to the floor to the players cuz the players want to win. We know we have a good collection of players that can win 50 games. We know that. We know that Zion this year will come out and he will be better. But also Queen, they added some some help there with Bigs just in case Zion has some injury concerns. Queen is the guy. They bring in Queen. So, the Pelicans have to stay on mission. Another thing to make mention and none of these people talk about is the fact that I’ve yet to see the Pelicans do anything to the medical staff. I have not seen any of that. We maybe we’ll get right to it. You know, some of that information comes out right before the start of the season where you’ll start talking about the Pelican shifting up or changing the medical staff. So, we haven’t heard anything about that, but in in seasons past, you know, that information comes out right before that season. Right when the season is getting ready to fire up, we’ll hear all the changes to the medical staff. Have the Pelicans did anything there? That’s another question mark outside of the head coaching. The medical staff needs to shake up or add more quality people to that side of it. That’s the only the other thing dealing with the Pelicans, man. So, anyway, that’s what I got for y’all today, y’all. What do y’all think about this? Hit the like button. Hit the subscribe button. Tell in the comment section, man, how you feel about the Pelicans and their prospects of being or being a playoff team. How many wins do you think you that they get? Put it in the chat. I’mma holl at you later. Much love. Peace. And subscribe now and stay uptodate for all things New Orleans Pelicans.

The New Orleans Pelicans continue to tweak their roster, officially signing center Garrison Brooks. Big Q discusses what Brooks brings to the team, his fit in Willie Green’s system, and how this impacts the Pelicans’ depth chart moving forward.

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