The New Orleans Pelicans made a significant move by trading for Dejounte Murray this offseason, enhancing their team significantly. The addition of Murray gives the Pelicans a formidable backcourt when paired with CJ McCollum, potentially elevating …
The New Orleans Pelicans made a significant move by trading for Dejounte Murray this offseason, enhancing their team significantly. The addition of Murray gives the Pelicans a formidable backcourt when paired with CJ McCollum, potentially elevating the team into playoff contention. However, significant questions remain, particularly regarding their center position.
Their core remains strong with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram (rumored to be on the trade block), McCollum, and now Murray. This group provides a blend of scoring, playmaking, and perimeter defense that could propel the Pelicans into the higher echelons of the Western Conference if they mesh well.
The Pelicans will need to address their frontcourt depth, as the current options – rookie Yves Missi, veteran Daniel Theis, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – may not suffice for the rigors of a full NBA season.
Stylistically, the Pelicans are set to improve their pace and three-point shooting, areas where they’ve previously struggled. Murray and Herb Jones are expected to ignite their transition offense with their defensive prowess.
The NBA revealed Golden State’s opponents for the group stage of the 2024 in-season tournament.
The NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament came and went for the Golden State Warriors. After tough come-from-behind losses to the Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors were eliminated in the group stage of the debut in-season tournament.
In 2024, the Warriors will bring their new-look roster to the second-annual in-season tournament. On Friday, the NBA revealed the draw for the different groups in the tournament. Each conference will have three groups with five teams that will play each other with a ticket to the knockout round on the line. Eight teams will advance to the knockout round.
For the second straight season, the Warriors will be featured in Group C. The Warriors will see the Western Conference defending champion Dallas Mavericks to go along with the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.
Starting November 12, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 14 and 17! pic.twitter.com/gtu9CvMCrr
Along with battling against players like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson in the play-in tournament, the Warriors will also get a reunion with Klay Thompson and the Mavericks during the tournament.
The NBA needs to shift its resources around to make a better future for the league
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had an amazing week.
Let’s talk a bit about Thursday’s NBA G League Ignite news. Shortly after it broke, I popped a quick explainer about the league’s decision on the Ignite team and what caused it.
Essentially, Adam Silver and the company decided that the team didn’t have purpose anymore. With NIL deals in college sports and the Overtime Elite league being another option for young hoopers, the NBA decided it didn’t need a team just to pay the players anymore. That’s the rationale behind the closure.
I’d push back a bit on that, though. That was never really the point of the Ignite team. Paying players was part of the impetus, sure. But the NBA wanted to establish its own prep-to-pro pipeline that ensured more players were coming into the league ready to play NBA basketball.
This is still a problem in Adam Silver’s eyes — particularly with American-born players. Ironically enough, when he alluded to canning the G League Ignite squad a few months back, he expounded on that exact point. The next goal for the NBA seems to be improving that process.
Some interesting comments from Adam Silver on the state of basketball, youth development and the NBA's role in that. Is he foreshadowing some type of NBA Academy type program in the US? Clearly, he's not thrilled with the way some Americans are entering the NBA. pic.twitter.com/jMWNVSiFUo
“If you’re seeing now, what we’re seeing in terms of that close to 30 percent of the league, players born outside the United States, it’s clear that the development is very different in many of those programs,” Silver said. “More of a focus on practice, less of a focus on games, which seems to be the opposite of many of the youth programs in the United States.”
Silver continued, “I think there’s an opportunity for us to be part of the community that’s developing younger players, elite players.”
To me, this sounds a lot like a pivot. Instead of focusing its resources on players transitioning to pro, Silver seems to want to focus more on ensuring players are prepared for the NBA before they begin to think about that process. At least, that’s how I read that.
The NBA already has its Jr. NBA and WNBA programs. An NBA academy pipeline already exists and has plenty of success stories. But maybe Silver sees a way to improve it that we’re not privy to yet. I’m not totally sure, but I do like where his head seems to be.
As great as the Ignite program was, it didn’t seem to work. It didn’t attract the talent the NBA thought it would. This year’s team isn’t very good either – the team is 2-28 through 30 games. That isn’t very good.
Instead of wasting resources on a failing project, a pivot is more than welcome here.
The Pelicans might be in some trouble
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans was flying high in our latest NBA Power Rankings, climbing all the way to 5th after winning eight of its last 10 games.
But now, that climb is at risk of turning into a slow descent. The injury bug is back in New Orleans after Brandon Ingram hyperextended his knee in Thursday’s loss to the Magic.
Ingram will be out for at least the next couple of weeks, according to the latest from the team, and will be re-evaluated. There’s a possibility he could miss even more time.
The timing couldn’t be worse. There is only about a month left in the season before the playoffs start, and the Pelicans were just a game behind the Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the West. This drawback could drop them even further in the standings if the team struggles to win without its second-best player.
Maybe Zion Williamson’s play is enough to sustain all this. We’ll have to wait and see. But, regardless, this is a big blow.
At least 10 huge brown pelicans swarm behind a fishing boat as it enters the marina near Loreto, Mexico’s malecón. These Baja pelicans aren’t taking no for an answer. They want whatever discarded fish they can get.
More pelicans hunch on the rocks, waiting for the next boat. They flap and dive bomb, they reach their beaks into the air and show off their weird gullets. During my four days in Loreto, I visit the malecón pelicans six times. It’s the best pelican viewing ever. It also makes me want to learn more about these huge birds with lots of personality. Discover some brown pelican fun facts in the list below, and learn more about Baja with resources like this.
Loreto, the place for brown pelican watching! / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Now this is funny. The New Orleans Saints held a meeting of the Matts at the team practice facility on Friday, which they shared in a video on social media. Saints public relations staffer Matt Ryan and New Orleans Pelicans forward Matt Ryan shook hands with former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, these days working as a CBS Sports analyst.
It’s not something you see everyday. The Saints’ Ryan has been a big part of the team’s presence on social media and fan outreach efforts. The Pelicans’ Ryan has been playing his heart out as a surprise starter with Brandon Ingram dealing with a knee injury — on Thursday night, he put up a career-high 20 points in 35 minutes, going 6-of-8 from the three-point line while logging two rebounds and two assists.
And of course we should acknowledge the Ryan from CBS Sports. After finishing his storied NFL career with the Colts, Ryan turned to broadcasting, and he’ll be in the booth for Sunday’s game between the Saints and Chicago Bears (which is why he was in town). He also played for the Atlanta Falcons earlier in his career where he helped Cameron Jordan set the NFL record for the most sacks of a quarterback by a single defender.
Pelicans star Zion Williamson made a surprise cameo at New Orleans Saints training camp, sprinting outdoors in 100-degree heat:
There have been a number of surprise appearances at New Orleans Saints training camp this year, with big-time player agent Drew Rosenhaus roaming the sidelines on Wednesday and legendary former Saints quarterback Drew Brees expected to visit practice on Friday. But on Wednesday, one local star athlete made an unexpected cameo during the early-morning heat: Zion Williamson.
The Associated Press’s Brett Martel reports that the New Orleans Pelicans superstar was spotted sprinting outdoors under supervision of trainers, using a practice field unoccupied by the Saints at the time. That doesn’t sound like much on its own, but it’s big news for Williamson and the Pelicans. The 23-year-old has missed a lot of time with injuries in his pro career and often been criticized by fans and outside observers for poor conditioning.
So it’s a good sign that he’s testing his surgically-repaired foot and the hamstring that took him out of action last year. To do so outside in New Orleans means a lot to anyone who knows anything about the area this time of year. At the time Williamson was reported to be working outside, AccuWeather reported a “RealFeel” temperature index accounting for heat, humidity, and shade at 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
That’s challenging for anyone, but it’s a serious hurdle for a young athlete seeking to improve himself. It’s good to see Williamson working with team personnel to tackle it. Hopefully his efforts pay off when the Pelicans open their 2023 season in a few months. Saints stars like Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, and Derek Carr have been spotted cheering Williamson and the Pelicans courtside, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for more crossovers.
Not even that fantastic start could buy Williamson enough goodwill to keep his relationship with the team out of the news. He was unfairly blamed for the Pelicans’ end to the season where he didn’t play because of his hamstring injury. That never really went away.
There’s also reporting out there that the relationship between Williamson and his teammates essentially doesn’t exist. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst previously reported that there was “limited relationship” there.
Now, you’ve got folks questioning Williamson’s work ethic and his drive to get better. Fox Sports 1’s Ric Bucher most recently reported that Williamson has “no interest” in developing a floater or a pull-up jump shot.
Zion Williamson reportedly has ‘no interest’ in developing a floater and pull up jumper, per @RicBucher
“Where are the floaters, up and under layups, his pull up jumpers at the elbow? Now from what I’ve been told, he’s shown no interest in developing any of those tricks. Tricks… pic.twitter.com/XIfWfvtpG8
First of all, that’s extremely hard to believe. The problem with Williamson isn’t that he necessarily hasn’t gotten any better in his time in the NBA. Rather, it’s that he hasn’t actually played as many games as we’d all like to see.
If you wanted to question whether he should change his body or workout differently to maintain health? Alright. Maybe that’s a bit more fair. But as far as improving? Nah. That doesn’t seem like an issue.
It must not be one. Because Williamson’s teammate, Larry Nance Jr., quickly came to Williamson’s defense on this one.
I don’t understand the constant attempt to drag Z’s name.. I’m in the gym with this dude all season and he’s consistently putting in work on his touch, jumper, and skill shots.
These dudes need to stop putting out fake stories just for clicks. It’s pathetic https://t.co/Hp8RWxahxI
“I don’t understand the constant attempts to drag Z’s name… . I’m in the gym with this dude all season andhe’s consistently putting in work on his touch, jumper and skill shots. These dudes need to stop putting out fake stories just for clicks. It’s pathetic.”
It was refreshing to see a teammate come out and defend Williamson in this way — especially considering all of the criticism that has come about his relationship with the team.
Sure, Nance goes a little hard here in this response. But you can understand the frustration considering how Williamson has been talked about over the last few months.
None of this is going away. Where there’s smoke, there’s certainly fire. The only thing that makes criticism like this fade into the background is actually playing and winning.
Hopefully, we’ll see a bit more of that from Zion and crew this season.
Former Alabama PG, Kira Lewis Jr, may be on the Pelicans trade block
Kira Lewis Jr. was the New Orleans Pelicans’ first-round selection (No. 13 overall) in the 2023 NBA draft, but it appears as if the young point guard may be on the move in the coming days. Lewis spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide basketball program before foregoing his remaining eligibility. Alabama fans have got to see Lewis playing alongside Herb Jones for the past few years, but it appears as if that is coming to an end.
Lewis had seen his minutes and role diminish each of the past three seasons and the Pelicans have seemingly decided it was best for his future to get a fresh start. Lewis only averaged 9.4 minutes a game in 2023, so I think he would agree that getting a new opportunity with more minutes is crucial for his development. It isn’t known yet who the potential trade suitors could be, but I imagine there will be a handful of teams interested in the 22-year-old.
Through three seasons in the league, Lewis has averaged 14.4 minutes a game and averaged 5.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.9 APG. He had also spent some time with the Pelicans G-League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, this past season.
Another item to keep in mind for New Orleans, the Pelicans are looking into trades for Kira Lewis Jr., sources said, that could provide the point guard with options for greater playing time elsewhere. https://t.co/MVcRf3BEs9
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.
Former Alabama stand out, Herb Jones, set to be a restricted free agent this summer
The New Orleans Pelicans have opted to decline Herb Jones’s team option for the 2023-2024 season. At first glance, it might seem like bad news, but the move is set up in a way that Jones will be a restricted free agent this summer and both Jones and New Orleans can towards a long-term extension.
If the Pelicans would have picked up the team option for the upcoming season he would be unrestricted after the next season, so they needed to protect and pay him
Jones was selected out of Alabama in the 2021 NBA draft with the No. 35 overall selection in the second round. Jones has been an absolute steal for the Pelicans as he has been a massive asset for the team, especially on the defensive end. Jones was an NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2022 but took a big step forward in 2023 averaging 29.6 minutes a game with 9.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.5 APG. However, Jones really made his mark in the play-in game when he played 39.1 minutes and posted 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The New Orleans Pelicans are declining forward Herb Jones’ $1.8 million team option for the 2023-24 season, which clears way for Jones to be a restricted free agent and for the sides to work toward a long-term extension, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.
