Things Are Looking Really Bad In New Orleans | Evan Turner & Chris Mannix

Things Are Looking Really Bad In New Orleans | Evan Turner & Chris Mannix

The team that has surprised me in a negative way though, like what are the Pelicans doing right now? Like what is what is what is happening down there? They’re 0 and4 to start the season. We were just giving praise to to Miami for kind of how they adjusted and became an uptempo team and they kind of, you know, junk things up a little bit. Like the Pelicans are doing that, but not in a good way. Like they don’t have much of a system either with at least to my eyes with how they’re playing down there. They’re not efficient. They’re they’re not running. They’re not sharp it looks like on the offensive end of the floor. Like some of their key guys like Herb Jones seems to have forgotten how to shoot. Uh they’ve just got a lot of guys out there that are are really underachieving with this team. They’re 27th in the league in defense. They’re dead last as recently as yesterday in offensive rating. You know, I had one coach that texted me after, you know, be playing against them was like, “It’s just like playing a pickup game in in your backyard.” Like, that’s just what it’s like playing the Pelicans. And they try to drag you down into some bad games that that they’re playing. Like, Zion’s been okay. Um, you had a couple of really good games, one kind of bad one, but this it’s not good, Evan. It’s not It’s not good down in Orlando. Like I I I never call never want to see any coach get fired, but I can’t see Willie Green lasted too much longer down there if if this team continues to struggle. No, I’m I’m in agreement with you. I I wasn’t expecting much from New Orleans this summer when they made their acquisitions and stuff. I’m like, I I guess, but I’m a big culture guy, your leader guy. Like when Zion was like, “Hey, it’s time to lock in.” It’s like, “Well, what have y’all been doing?” Like, do you understand what I’m saying? Like, “What have you been doing, my my guy?” And and when you look at that, it was like I appreciate what Herb Jones brought to the table. I’m a big Jordan Pool fan. But even then, that sets the tone of being like, “Hey, we’re trying to make the most out of a guy that is great off the bench.” You know what I mean? When you’re looking at Zion, you’re trying to make the most out of a guy that has never let his team in any part of a season, you know? And now the West is even wilder and you’re trying to buckle in and it’s like, where were the expectations going to come from? Shout out to Cavine Looney. But he he does his job. And some of that stuff only looks good when it’s with the best shooters of all time. You know what I’m saying? And and I think I think the fact that they don’t have so many power players or star players doesn’t help the others be who they’re going to be. So now you’re you’re literally looking at Herb Jones and being like, damn, he’s not hitting threes. I’ve never once sat there and been like, yo, we need Herb’s jumper tonight. You know what I mean? Like it’s intangible. Like you’re trying to you’re trying to bring stuff out of left field and it’s like hey this isn’t we we only play 80s you know what I mean 80s soul music here like we don’t play hip-hop like you know what I’m saying? So so so I think that’s what’s going on in New Orleans and and I I think as much as anybody they can kind of feel like if you don’t have any star players and your defense isn’t good or you’re not a bluecollar group like the humility you don’t deserve to win. Like you have to muck up games. You have to be nasty. You have to be be bluecollar and literally use everybody has to start in their role. And if if you’re 27th in defense, bro, like there’s there’s bigger problems than that because what are we in talk? Like everybody knows you have to win with defense. Even when I walked in the locker room, so I used to be like, man, this is a year I got to really I can’t kick it around the gym like I want to. Like you know what I’m saying? Like I probably can’t be arguing with the coach too much this year. I got to be on time and like I I definitely can’t give up, you know what I mean? BS on defense. We have no room for error and those dudes are kicking it like they just came off a championship celebration. It’s New Orleans like lock in before they take the team, champ. And look th as people know this team has no incentive to be bad. their first round draft pick is going to Atlanta because of that crazy Derrick Queen trade that the G they moved up 10 picks to draft Derek Queen. Like Derrick Queen, he’s been okay. He’s coming off a summer injury. He’s been all right. He better be a damn MVP. He better be all NBA because that pick if it turns out to be a top three pick if it turns out to be number one. Oh, like Joe Dumar’s Joe Joe Dumar’s had a great run in Detroit. But on his resume is I drafted Dark Omichic over Carmelo Anthony. Like that’s on his resume. This this could be worse because this at least that team won a championship Evan. That team won a championship in Detroit despite the fact they landed Darko. They drafted Darko. this team, if they have Zion and blow an opportunity to get another franchise player because they moved up 10 spots to get Derek Damn Queen, he better turn out to be a superstar, man. That’s all I’m saying, man. If I was Willie Green, I’d be like, “Bro, don’t don’t fire me.” Like, like, you know what I mean? Like, like, I asked for a machine gun. They gave me a a peashooter. Like, you know what I mean? Like like like and you’re absolutely right to trade up 10 spot. Even Derek McQueen was the coding queen. Derek Queen my fault. I’m tweaking. I’m so like that that threw me off, man. When you brought up Darko Milichic, the MMA fighter, I was like man Joe MMA fighter. I was about to throw Joe under the bus. I’m like, former NBA player, we can’t do that. Like you know what I’m saying? But what the are you doing? Like what are you doing? Derek Queen, bro. That’s And I love Derek Queen, but like what were they gonna be him like like a poor man’s version of like Jokic and Aaron Gordon just too like like do you understand? Like man, hey bro, we need to stop doing this this copycat stuff in the league to be realistic, bro. Like no matter what I love Jokic as much as possible, they won’t even pick Buddy up first in the pickup games. Like do you understand what I’m saying? So like not every like recipe is going to work for everybody. Do you understand what I’m saying? Like you Trey Young is good, but is he Steph Curry? You can’t replicate that. Even though Trey is at a high level, it’s just like we are at a point where we want to do big threes and everybody wants to break something, but this is this is going to be a long year for New Orleans Pelicans. Like I’m I’m exhausted just talking about them. I can’t even believe we’re talking about them. Yeah. I I look I I think I had higher expectations why I’d bring them up. I thought like I saw the overunder under their win total was like 31 and a half. I’m like no way. They they’ve got Zion. They’re they’re like two years removed from a 49 win season. Like Herb Jones can play. Trey Murphy can play. They made a couple of deals. Like Sadique Bay didn’t play last year, but he’s okay. Like they got to get to like 500, right? Then I’m watching them play this year. I’m like, what are they doing? Like what what is happen? How did Trey Murphy forget how to shoot? Like what’s going on with him now? Like there’s just there’s a lot of guys just underachieving there. It just seems like the the vibes around that team are just bad. They’re just really really bad. And and it’s it’s kind of similar to what happened with Memphis. Remember when you watch Memphis New Orleans games? They were so fun to watch. The energy was so crazy. Like you had the José Alvarado and stuff. But I just think like, you know what I mean? They they they cup over runth and like the the mojo and everything is gone now. Like you know what I’m saying? Because I feel like when teams take those leaps, like 49 wins, they have to continue to try to turn the corner to keep that momentum up. And when guys get paid, that’s a real thing. And it’s like the elements elements got to them. Yeah. And they’re just in such a depressing basketball market. Like the ownership doesn’t really care about basketball. The Smoothie King Center sucks. Like that’s just one of the worst arenas in the NBA. Yeah. But Juvie Juvie now shows up like four times a year and performs back that ass up. And it is like and and and and all is all is right with the world. Well, great. Maybe she can bid Vegas when they move there and relocate that team to Vegas or somewhere else. Seattle something. Seattle. Shout out to Spencer Hall. Seattle, baby. Shout out to Spencer Haw.

Chris Mannix and Evan Turner break down what is going wrong with the winless Pelicans, how long Willie Green will remain as their head coach, and the bad decisions made by Joe Dumars to get them here

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