I Can’t Believe What The Pelicans Have Done

I Can’t Believe What The Pelicans Have Done

I know that you guys have been patiently waiting for a Pelican’s video, and this definitely isn’t how I envisioned delivering said video, but we can’t duck reality anymore, no matter how tough it is. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into it. My New Orleans Pelicans didn’t exactly shake the league up this off season with their offseason moves, but there were definitely some significant moves behind the scenes. The big one, of course, was moving on from David Griffin and replacing him with Joe Dumar, who wasted no time, bringing in his trusted exec, Troy Weaver. If you’ve been tapped into this channel, then you would know that I’ve had my critiques of David Griffin, but I’d be lying if I said that part of me didn’t sympathize with him on his way out. Griff never really got a clean shot at building a consistent playoff contender or even playoff team because his fate was always going to be tied directly to Zion Williamson’s health. And unfortunately, that’s just been one injury setback after another. When you’re evaluating a GM or a front office executive, the reputation is almost directly tied to their franchise player. And if that franchise player consistently isn’t available, the chances are that you’ll judge them even more harshly than if their star was healthy and reliable. Pelicans fans and Peppidge Farm still remember vividly when the New Orleans Pelicans stunned the league during December of the 2022 2023 season, extending their win streak to seven games and momentarily grabbing hold of the top spot in the loaded Western Conference. Yet just a few games later, Zion Williamson’s devastating hamstring injury changed everything. That’s some very cruel irony. In the blink of an eye, Zion went from MVP conversations and leading the charge for the top seat out west to finishing the season having played just 29 total games. Given how far that the Pelicans have fallen since then, it’s almost surreal to recall that moment, even though it was incredibly brief, things have started out very ugly this season in New Orleans. I don’t want to say that things can’t get any worse and that we’ve already reached rock bottom because, as I’ve said on X, it feels like the universe would take that as a challenge. Things can always get worse. Now, this video, we have a lot to talk about, but before we go any further, if you guys are enjoying the content, then be sure to drop a like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so that you guys never miss an upload. On Underdog Fantasy today, the easiest way to play fantasy sports, I’m picking Deon Booker, who is one of the best scorers in the game, to go higher than 28 1/2 points. And Bradley Beal, it’s been looking rough for you, but I’m also going to pick you to go higher than 13 1/2 points. And now when you sign up with code coupe and play just $5, they’ll hook you up with $100 in bonus funds or bonus entries. Using code coupe is also just another great way to show the channel some extra love. Appreciate you guys and thank you underdog for the sponsor. The New Orleans Pelicans hiring Joe Dumar would almost instantly make them the laughingstock of the NBA. And not because Joe Dumaras brought along Troy Weaver, the GM who oversaw Detroit’s historically dreadful 23-24 campaign when the Pistons shattered the league record for consecutive losses. Nor was it just because Joe Dumar himself had guided the Pistons through six consecutive losing seasons before finally moving on forever ago. Instead, the Pelicans became the league’s laughingstock, primarily because of the super risky moves that Dumar wasted no time in making once he took over. And I don’t mean moving off of CJ to bring in Jordan Pool either because that was low-key a fantastic decision. Clearly elevating the team’s potential while providing our young guys with a veteran leader that they can connect with. With it being announced that Hallebertton had a right calf strain in the NBA finals, Joe Dumars elected to trade the Pacers their pick back, essentially exchanging it for what was the 23rd pick in this past summer’s draft. As we know now, Hallebertton would tragically tear his Achilles in game seven of the NBA Finals, significantly increasing the value of that traded pick the moment that he went down. Although Dumaros could have never known for certain that Hallebertton would go on to tear his Achilles, his decision to trade the pick before the NBA finals concluded seemed unnecessary. This draft was good, but the 2026 draft projects to be legendary, featuring premier talents like AJ Deansa, Darren Peterson, Muel Brown, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson among others. You don’t even need to win the lottery to hit the jackpot in this upcoming draft as it’s absolutely loaded with talent. The 2025 draft class was strong, but as I said, that 2026 draft class is shaping up to be something special, but anyways, we’re getting a little sidetracked. The move seemed short-sighted, but Joe Dumar clearly had a plan that he intended to execute, making the decision necessary from his perspective, and we would see that plan executed on draft night. On draft night, the New Orleans Pelicans would steal Jeremiah Fears with the seventh pick. He’s been one of our best players early into the season and looks like a potential franchise cornerstone. So, I have to give Dumar Zeno their props on that one. However, the subsequent move caught everybody by surprise. Rather than keeping the 23rd pick that they had previously acquired, the Pelicans traded the number 23 pick along with the most favorable of their own or the Bucks 2026 first round selection to move up to pick number 13 and select Derek Queen. The media saw this and was like, “What in the world are they doing over there in New Orleans?” This was when I lost my mind. I think I blacked out. I’m so glad the NBA can still give us these. New Orleans trades up 10 spots so they can take Derek Queen and they give up their unprotected 2026 first round pick swap that they have with Milwaukee where they have the favorable whatever the better pick is they keep. They send that to Atlanta who had to be deliriously happy like we only have to move down 10 spots and we get an unprotected. This was one of the five dumbest trades of this decade. I I was speechless. I just can’t believe it. And who is it? It’s our guy Joe Dumars and now he just traded away their unprotected 2026 pick house. They’re in the West. What the does he think’s going to happen next year? The See, thinking they’re going to be a five seed. What is he doing? They should have shot in the Hawks war room. These guys are taking their shirts off doing this and popping champagne on each other. They might have the championship belt now. A biggest mess of a team. I think this is it. I think giving away next year’s first round pick and making it unprotected. I think they grab the belt. So far, Bill Simmons won the New Orleans Pelicans zero as his take has aged like some vintage denim with the Pelicans looking like one of the worst teams in the league, losing their first six games before finally getting the win. And their first win would come against the Hornets team that was missing Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that Derek Queen is doing everything that he can out there to make Joe Dumar look like some type of Stewie Griffin level evil genius. Those baby Yic, the Marcus Cousins, and Modern Zebo comparisons have been looking rock solid. So, you know what? I’ll actually make it Bill Simmons one, but the New Orleans Pelicans have won also. Still, it was surprising that the New Orleans Pelicans reacted as if Bill Simmons comments were even more outrageous than their own reckless trade, posting on X that unlike the Ringer Pod, Shams actually offered a rational perspective on the situation. Derek Queen dog player, absolute dog by the way, great player. If he ends up, how can you judge that? What if he ends up being a Hall of Famer? What if he ends up being a brand new Allstar? Then no one is going to be talking about this in 3 years. So clearly Joe Dum Mars, Troy Weaver, that organization, they felt very confident in the player that Derrick Queen is. Only time will tell exactly how that is. Now from but again from the Atlanta perspective, they clearly were fine moving back 10 slots and then they get an extra asset. So for them that is looked at as a net positive. For the Pelicans, it’s all about how Daryl Queen ends up, how he develops, what is he liked in his NBA career. And to me, it’s too early to judge whether they won or lost. If next year’s pick ends up being a lottery pick with Derrick Queen ends up being a perennial All-Star caliber player, I appreciate Shams more than he knows for defending us. Don’t get me wrong, Derek Queen is incredibly talented and I’m thrilled that he’s on this roster. I hope he turns into that perennial all-star that Shams projected that he could be. Still, it feels like there must have been a smarter path to landing him. If a trade like this was truly necessary, why not push harder to include protections on your 2026 pick? I’m confident that the Pelicans could have still found a trade partner willing to trade up with them, even with conditions that potentially allowed their pick to convey at a later date if it didn’t in 2026. If you’re a team like OKC with a ton of picks, an already elite roster, and a reliable franchise superstar, and Shay Gilis Alexander who rarely misses games, then sure, swing for the fences. But if you’re the New Orleans Pelicans, consistently struggling season after season, making your own picks your most valuable assets, and your franchise cornerstone is Zion Williamson, a star infamous for injury troubles and missed games. You’ve got to seriously question how you don’t get an insurance policy on your own pick. When you step back and really look at this deal, it’s almost like the Pelicans handed the Atlanta Hawks an insurance policy, guaranteeing them the better pick between their own and Milwaukee. Last month, I posted this banger on X that said that the New Orleans Pelicans are the first team to go win now by trading for a rookie. And as crazy as that sounds, isn’t that sort of what they did? And guess what? Zion Williamson, the Pelicans franchise star, you know, the one notoriously known for his injury struggles, has once again found himself dealing with some injury problems. Initially, it was a foot issue that sidelined him briefly. Thankfully, that turned out to be nothing major, and Zion quickly returned to action. I was thankful that we had dodged a bullet. But not long after he was back on the court, new news broke that Zion was battling hamstring issues. Initially, Zion was listed as questionable for the Pelicans November 4th matchup against the Hornets. But then came the dreaded update from Shams, the update of Doom, that Zion would be sidelined at least 7 to 10 days with the left hamstring strain. Back in that 2223 season we discussed earlier when the Pelicans were setting the league on fire. Zion suffered a hamstring strain in early January. Initially, there was optimism he’d return soon, but those hopes quickly faded when he suffered a setback, effectively ending his year. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Zion’s last battle with hamstring problems, and the 2024 playing tournament against the Lakers. Yet another hamstring injury abruptly ended his season, and that one hurt even more. Zion had clearly been the best player on a court that featured LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reeves. But this injury didn’t just sideline Zion. It robbed him of another chance to finally taste playoff basketball while also leaving a hobbled Brandon Ingram stranded against the dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder team. Hopefully, Zion fully recovers this time, putting these hamstring troubles behind him for good. But as we’ve already witnessed multiple times with Zion, hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky, often lingering and causing recurring issues down the road. Imagine how demoralizing that has to be that you enter the season in the best shape of your life, looking like a completely new person, and then injuries are still holding you back. That’s probably not too easy to deal with. Now, you’d think that a team that’s banking so heavily on a rookie would be doing everything possible to develop him, especially after he showed that he could hold his own against Wimi of all players. That wasn’t the case to start the season. Through the Pelicans first six games, even with their big man depth so depleted that they signed DeAndre Jordan off of the streets and almost immediately slotted him into the starting lineup, the Pelicans still didn’t want to play queen decent minutes. It felt like they were actively searching for excuses to not play the rookie. But that’s the kind of thing that happens when your new exec doesn’t get to hire his own coach. And the current coach isn’t coaching like they should. You know what I had to see the other day? I had to see something that no fan should ever see. I saw that my Pelicans along with the Grizzlies are often mentioned as potential teams that could be relocated to new cities. I love expansion, but relocation sucks. They took our team and our name from us before, so I don’t want to hear anything about them doing it again. I don’t care how bad the team gets. Let us suck in peace, Spirit Queen and Jeremiah Fears. It shouldn’t be on you guys, but it’s on you guys to save us from these baseless relocation rumors and a front office that clearly has a lot left to prove. But what’s wild is that despite all the recklessness that we’ve already seen from management, I actually think that these young guys might just be able to pull off the spectacular. In this case, the spectacular would be just not giving the Atlanta Hawks a top 10 pick because you had a bad season. Maybe it’s the Pelicans fan in me, but I’m cautiously optimistic. In the comments below, what do you guys think about Zion Williamson? And how do you feel about the overall state of the New Orleans Pelicans? Keep in mind that we were one Jose Alvarado. Forget it, I’m calling my own number three pointer away from starting the season 0 and7 in a year where we don’t even fully control our own first round pick. Instead, Jose gets the lead for the Pels. He has played magnificently in the second half. Gavas are getting the the huge three there. just going to run me through everything. Oh, we the play wasn’t for me. I’ll tell you that much. But I believe in myself. He went underneath the screen. I practiced that shot every time. And why not, man? Why not do it at home? In the comments below, let me know what you guys think of everything going on right now down in New Orleans. Anyways, there’s some more going on in the basketball universe that we have to be covering. So, clicking one of the videos that’s on the screen right now is a great way to support this channel. I’m Get Like Coupe, bringing you guys the scoop. Until our next upload. [Music]

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