NBA 2020 Season and Playoffs (4 Viewers)

[efil4stnias]

It was 85 to 77 as I went to my tennis match.... Lemme guess? Gentry and player selection?

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Did they pipe in crowd noise during the Lakers/Clippers game?.. i don’t remember hearing any earlier in the Pels game, but at the end of the Lakers game just now, i coulda sworn i heard some cheering and noise, albeit more subdued than normal.. wasnt sure if they piped it in, or if a lot of other teams players and staff showed up to watch the game in the bubble, though i doubt they’d be making much noise.

 

[Get in the Carr]

It was 85 to 77 as I went to my tennis match.... Lemme guess? Gentry and player selection?

Pretty much. Although he is claiming Zion’s minutes were numbered by medical staff. He was still tinkering with the lineup at times and not acting like this was a game for the playoffs. The defense started out good in the first half but went downhill after.

 

[DaveXA]

Pretty much. Although he is claiming Zion’s minutes were numbered by medical staff. He was still tinkering with the lineup at times and not acting like this was a game for the playoffs. The defense started out good in the first half but went downhill after.

This is Gentry being Gentry. We've seen this movie before. The Pels have needed a coaching change for a while now.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I feel like a lot of you guys were in here complaining about Zion’s lack of minutes before the shutdown.. It was true then, and it’s true now- Zion’s next 10 years are more important than the next ten days.. i realize a playoff spot is on the line, but the kid was basically forced to be inactive for the better part of two weeks, you can’t rush him back into NBA action only like three days after he starts practicing.. and oh-by-the-way he had an injury only a few months ago still.. i agree with the medical staff, and yeah i think theyre making the call. Gentry isn’t someone I’m overly enamored of, but i dont think he’s making up what the medical staff are dictating that he does.

 

[Dago]

That may be, but if Zion is so limited (he only played 15 minutes), then dont put him in the forking starting lineup. Chemistry and timing is critical and it's hard to have that with a guy who barely plays disrupting your starting rotation no matter how talented.
I love Zion....he is generational talent. However we were only 10-9 with him and I am sure it was due to the players not being familiar with him....it threw off their chemistry and timing
Keep in mind the Pels started 7-23 and then went on a tear to put the back in the playoff race AND THEN ONLY WENT 10-9 WITH ZION'S RETURN.
If he must be limited, let him come off the bench and absolutely wreck the other teams bench. Our starters were doing very well without him and I doubt anybody on any teams bench would stop him

 

[zeetes]

la vs la was a game of wtf?

so many questionable fouls and turnovers. i now understand why people birch that the lakers (well, the divas) get an unfair advantage everytime they hit the court.

this game was bs.

the pels game i can at least blame on sheetty game planning and management, but the lac had that game. pels literally shot themselves in the foot, or feet, many, many times.

i honestly feel bad for the lac more than anything tonight.

 

[Dago]

la vs la was a game of What the Fork!?

so many questionable fouls and turnovers. i now understand why people birch that the lakers (well, the divas) get an unfair advantage everytime they hit the court.

this game was bs.

the pels game i can at least blame on sheetty game planning and management, but the lac had that game. pels literally shot themselves in the foot, or feet, many, many times.

i honestly feel bad for the lac more than anything tonight.

Zeetes won a battle against Mr. Jameson but at what cost....what cost.

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

With these minutes restrictions on Zion at this situation in the season, I almost believe that management doesn't even want to make the playoffs this year but I'm just a fan. It wasn't a "must win" but the margin for error gets smaller with each loss. Before the game last night I figured they'd have to go 6-2 or at worse 5-3 in these 8 games to get to the playoff game for the 8th seed. Now you already have 1 loss in a game you should have won.

 

[efil4stnias]

I feel like a lot of you guys were in here complaining about Zion’s lack of minutes before the shutdown.. It was true then, and it’s true now- Zion’s next 10 years are more important than the next ten days.. i realize a playoff spot is on the line, but the kid was basically forced to be inactive for the better part of two weeks, you can’t rush him back into NBA action only like three days after he starts practicing.. and oh-by-the-way he had an injury only a few months ago still.. i agree with the medical staff, and yeah i think theyre making the call. Gentry isn’t someone I’m overly enamored of, but i dont think he’s making up what the medical staff are dictating that he does.

He was injured Oct 2019. Not a "few months ago".

if you are watching his minutes, at the age of 20, then your 10 yr plan likely will not come to fruition. He is 20 - has boundless energy and ability. 15 min???? for a No 1 pick thats 20 yrs old???? cmon man.

My basketball buddy called me this am said that first two possession Zion had 5 pts ( and 1 and 2pter) - played 2 more min and was pulled in FIRST QUARTER. Who does that???? Better yet WHY???? why is he playing 3 min in the FIRST Q???

I looked at the box score...we had 11 players over 10 min each. ELEVEN. That translates to 5 or 6 different lineups on the floor at a given time.

 

[DaveXA]

He was injured Oct 2019. Not a "few months ago".

if you are watching his minutes, at the age of 20, then your 10 yr plan likely will not come to fruition. He is 20 - has boundless energy and ability. 15 min???? for a No 1 pick thats 20 yrs old???? cmon man.

My basketball buddy called me this am said that first two possession Zion had 5 pts ( and 1 and 2pter) - played 2 more min and was pulled in FIRST QUARTER. Who does that???? Better yet WHY???? why is he playing 3 min in the FIRST Q???

I looked at the box score...we had 11 players over 10 min each. ELEVEN. That translates to 5 or 6 different lineups on the floor at a given time.

It's Gentry. He needs to go. It's been the same song and dance for years now. Meh.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

With these minutes restrictions on Zion at this situation in the season, I almost believe that management doesn't even want to make the playoffs this year but I'm just a fan. It wasn't a "must win" but the margin for error gets smaller with each loss. Before the game last night I figured they'd have to go 6-2 or at worse 5-3 in these 8 games to get to the playoff game for the 8th seed. Now you already have 1 loss in a game you should have won.

I don’t think management gives two farts about this season

Can’t remember where I heard it, but the ‘insider’ scoop was to use this and next season to get the team to gel, then bring in a coach who could pull in championships

That makes a degree of sense
When Zion was injured this was clearly Ingram’s team - with Zion back everyone knows it’s his ten eventually, but it’s no one’s team right now
Take the time to get it right

We are all Saints/nfl fans which is very much a win at all costs right now league
NBA is much more about the long game

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

I don’t think management gives two farts about this season

Can’t remember where I heard it, but the ‘insider’ scoop was to use this and next season to get the team to gel, then bring in a coach who could pull in championships

That makes a degree of sense
When Zion was injured this was clearly Ingram’s team - with Zion back everyone knows it’s his ten eventually, but it’s no one’s team right now
Take the time to get it right

We are all Saints/nfl fans which is very much a win at all costs right now league
NBA is much more about the long game

If the "insider" scoop is right and a coaching change is on the horizon then I would feel a lot better. Gentry, in my opinion, should have been gone a few seasons ago but it always seems there is always a reason for keeping him. Last season it was the AD fiasco and I had a bad feeling they were going to use covid as the reason this year.

I agree though, I've been an NBA fan for a long time, before we even had the Hornets/Pelicans. I try to educate the Saints/NFL fans I know who are Pelicans fans that unlike the NFL a rebuild takes a few seasons. Its not done overnight. On a positive note I do feel we are definitely heading in the right direction. I'm liking what the new front office is doing, we have a lot of young pieces and its looking like they are coming together quicker than expected.

 

[RazorOye]

I feel like a lot of you guys were in here complaining about Zion’s lack of minutes before the shutdown.. It was true then, and it’s true now- Zion’s next 10 years are more important than the next ten days.. i realize a playoff spot is on the line, but the kid was basically forced to be inactive for the better part of two weeks, you can’t rush him back into NBA action only like three days after he starts practicing.. and oh-by-the-way he had an injury only a few months ago still.. i agree with the medical staff, and yeah i think theyre making the call. Gentry isn’t someone I’m overly enamored of, but i dont think he’s making up what the medical staff are dictating that he does.

I'm not saying Gentry is passing the proverbial buck. Where I am coming from - if you're talking about a player growing and a team gelling, then you capitalize on opportunities.

You have a game close, late. This is something you can try to replicate in practice, but you can't, really. These situations are ideal opportunities to learn something about your team and their players. It's an ideal learning opportunity.

You're playing a good team who has given you fits over mismatches the entire game and you're still close. So how do you close out a game? What might Zion's role be?

Again, I understand if the 'season is lost' is the mindset, then it doesn't matter. But if the goal is to use the season as a learning and assessment opportunity, then I understand this less. If there's a legit medical reason, of course that takes precedence. But a strict minute-management is never going to be precise. And maybe conversations were happening during the game leading up to it and Zion wasn't feeling it.

I just felt like it was poor coaching - which is generally my take on Gentry - because it's just such a good opportunity to have on the floor who you want on the floor and learn.

And the decision was also not in a vacuum for me - it was in context. And he wasn't coaching well during the game. Poor planning and letting them gash off the pick and rolls and high screens. No coaching when they were gashing the defense and getting to the lane too easily. Half-hearted BLOBs - it really was JJ, I'm convinced, who finally said, after one SLOB, that he was gonna take and stick a 3.

I just don't know that he even identified it.

Personally, the reason that made the most sense for me was when Zion was in, they were -16 or something. That's not exactly the stat line you want in the final minutes of a close game. And I think it was the defensive collapse in the end that really sealed their fate.

I don't really care about losing the game, it happens. It just felt to Gentry-esque from beginning to end. Situational basketball is just really hard to watch in these games.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I'm not saying Gentry is passing the proverbial buck. Where I am coming from - if you're talking about a player growing and a team gelling, then you capitalize on opportunities.

You have a game close, late. This is something you can try to replicate in practice, but you can't, really. These situations are ideal opportunities to learn something about your team and their players. It's an ideal learning opportunity.

You're playing a good team who has given you fits over mismatches the entire game and you're still close. So how do you close out a game? What might Zion's role be?

Again, I understand if the 'season is lost' is the mindset, then it doesn't matter. But if the goal is to use the season as a learning and assessment opportunity, then I understand this less. If there's a legit medical reason, of course that takes precedence. But a strict minute-management is never going to be precise. And maybe conversations were happening during the game leading up to it and Zion wasn't feeling it.

I just felt like it was poor coaching - which is generally my take on Gentry - because it's just such a good opportunity to have on the floor who you want on the floor and learn.

And the decision was also not in a vacuum for me - it was in context. And he wasn't coaching well during the game. Poor planning and letting them gash off the pick and rolls and high screens. No coaching when they were gashing the defense and getting to the lane too easily. Half-hearted BLOBs - it really was JJ, I'm convinced, who finally said, after one SLOB, that he was gonna take and stick a 3.

I just don't know that he even identified it.

Personally, the reason that made the most sense for me was when Zion was in, they were -16 or something. That's not exactly the stat line you want in the final minutes of a close game. And I think it was the defensive collapse in the end that really sealed their fate.

I don't really care about losing the game, it happens. It just felt to Gentry-esque from beginning to end. Situational basketball is just really hard to watch in these games.

I just feel like, in re to Zion’s minutes- the Pels cant win for losing... i understand why they are strictly limiting his minutes, with the layoff and injury prior to that, and they’re getting criticism.. but trust me, if they let him play the whole game last night, which was the FIRST GAME BACK- and he goes down in pain- oh boy, the criticism they’d get then would be unbelievable...

I definitely fit what Guido was describing in terms of being a football/NFL fan first and foremost.. and I’m not the most knowledgeable NBA fan- but i think i know enough to play the long game much more so with he NBA than the ’win now’ mentality of the NFL.. Some of yall make it seem like we’re in the middle of the season and Gentry’s been keeping Zion to 7 minutes per game for the last 30 games or something.. it was the very first game in months, and I’ll say it- this season/postseason we’re in now DOESNT matter to me as a fan... I’m much more interested in keeping Zion healthy for 2021 and beyond... The only thing i cant understand is if it’s true that the Pels are planning to ‘bring in another coach to win championships “ then what sense does it make to keep Gentry right now? Why not bring in whoever that coach is to start building and gelling immediately , or why wouldnt they have done that before the shutdown?