Tag: Pelicans

Aggregate NBA mock draft 7.0: Ousmane Dieng moves into lottery, Jalen Williams top 20; trade talks

The NBA Draft is less than a week away, with more potential big trades on the horizon following the Christian Wood acquisition by the Dallas Mavericks, as noted throughout our new HoopsHype aggregate mock draft.

To get a better projection of where all of the projected top prospects stand currently, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo, Basketball News, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

The most notable risers within the projected lottery selections included Dyson Daniels moving up further within the top 10 picks, Ousmane Dieng becoming a projected lottery pick, and Jalen Williams vaulting into the Top 20 range. Jake LaRavia and Dalen Terry, two of the biggest risers throughout the draft process, have moved into the late first round.

Other risers in the second round include Ryan Rollins, Andrew Nembhard, David Roddy, John Butler, Michael Foster, Gabriele Procida, and Dereon Seabron.

The notable name that fell was MarJon Beauchamp, who now is projected outside the top 20 picks despite receiving a green room invite. Josh Minott and Jean Montero were among those whose stock fell in the second round.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 58 points. If a player was second, he received 57 points and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking. 

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Aggregate NBA mock draft 6.0: Dyson Daniels moves into top 10; Christian Wood trade rumors

Following the withdrawals of several prospects, the aggregate NBA mock draft has shifted noticeably, and more intel on teams have surfaced with the draft nearing.

To get a better projection of where all of the projected top prospects stand currently, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo, Basketball News, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

The most notable risers within the projected lottery selections included Keegan Murray leaping Shaedon Sharpe into the top five range, Dyson Daniels entering the top 10, and Malaki Branham cracking the end of the lottery. Dalen Terry also vaulted 12 spots since our last aggregate mock draft and is currently positioned as an early second-round pick.

Some of the more notable names that fell slightly included TyTy Washington, Max Christie and Leonard Miller.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 58 points. If a player was second, he received 57 points and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Pelicans offseason preview: Zion Williamson’s future and more

The Pelicans’ 2021-22 season wasn’t expected to go smoothly after a rough 2021 offseason. After failing to qualify for last year’s play-in tournament and a report about Zion Williamson being unhappy in New Orleans, the pressure on the organization shot up dramatically. The combination of a young roster and Zion’s undisclosed foot injury led to a 3-16 start.

Fast forward and the Pelicans’ season turned out to be a great success. The front office struck gold with three rookies in Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Jose Alvarado, who all played like first-round picks. The trade for CJ McCollum worked out considering the price they gave up for him as he’s been every bit the ball-dominant scorer they needed. There was always a competitive squad on this roster and head coach Willie Green unlocked it. The basketball world cannot wait for Williamson to rejoin this group with such an exciting upwards trajectory.

New Orleans’ upcoming offseason could be a quiet one considering they already have a full roster and mainly just need continuity and internal improvement. On the other hand, they still have a surplus of future first-round picks they could put together to pursue a big trade. Williamson’s future in New Orleans could also be resolved this offseason since he becomes extension-eligible.

Mikal Bridges and Jaxson Hayes exchanging these two unbelievable blocks against each other will leave you in awe

These plays are just unreal.

It’s always amazing to see teams going back and forth in an up-and-down NBA game.

Sometimes, that takes the form of one team coming down and hitting a tough jumper like this one from Devin Booker that got him some dap from a baby. Or maybe it’s two players hitting each other with incredible crossovers. At times, it could even be two back-to-back dunks against each other that are pretty spectacular.

Typically, though, those amazing back-and-forths come on the offensive end of the floor. Rarely do we see it happening defensively.

But on Tuesday night? Mikal Bridges and Jaxson Hayes gave us an absolute delight of a block party during Game 2 of the Suns and Pelicans series.

Just incredible plays all around, man. This is one of the best sequences we’ve seen all year and it’s not close. The displays of athleticism here are spectacular on both sides.

First of all, Bridges absolutely swatting Hayes’ shot straight up while standing at 6’6 is a sight to behold. Hayes measures in at 6’11. That’s a full five inches he has on Bridges, who clearly just showed us why he was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year — again.

But then there’s Hayes’ block, which might be a bit more spectacular. I mean, this dude goes up and literally grabs Bridges’ shot on the other in with TWO hands. TWO.

Look at this, y’all.

This display of athleticism is just ridiculous, man. It shouldn’t be possible, yet here we are.

I guess that’s why they say the NBA is where amazing happens. Because, well, there’s not a better way to describe what we just witnessed here. I don’t know about y’all, but I wouldn’t mind 7 games of this at all.

The Pelicans pulled off a perfect troll of ESPN and the Lakers after getting a win in LA

This is HILARIOUS.

The Lakers absolutely stink right now, man. They’ve lost five games in a row and are looking like they’ll miss the playoffs completely. Yes, that includes the play-in.

Yet, still, media outlets everywhere find ways to talk about them even in their losses. That doesn’t exclude us here, by the way. We all talk about the Lakers way too much. Everyone knows it.

But the Pelicans? They’ve had quite enough Lakers talk from everyone. But, more specifically, from ESPN.

So much so that, after they beat the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing, they changed their Twitter bio to this on Friday night.

EL. OH. EL. That’s actually pretty funny. What an awesome troll. But there’s absolutely no way ESPN would overlook the actual scoreboard and…wait…WAIT.

WOWWWW LOLOLOLOLOL.

Now, to be fair to ESPN, the Sportscenter account did actually tweet about the Pelicans after their win.

I can still totally understand where the team is coming from with this, though. Nobody wants to hear about LeBron’s numbers when the Lakers just lost their 5th straight game. Not even LeBron, probably.

Regardless, this was a pretty excellent troll from the Pelicans’ Twitter account. Just A1. Fans loved it.

NBA players keep falling for Jose Alvarado’s steal trick and NBA fans are so impressed

HOW DOES HE KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS????

Man. Told y’all there were some perks to being short in the NBA. Absolutely nobody pays attention to you, even when it’s pretty clear that they should.

Pelicans’ guard Jose Alvarado just put another player in his bag with his steal trick. You’ve absolutely seen it by now because we told you about it before. He hides on the sideline, always lurking. Then? BOOM. You’re just forced into a turnover because you have no idea he’s coming.

You would think that NBA players playing the Pelicans would be on the lookout for this by now. But nope! Apparently not.

Alvarado got the Blazers on Wednesday night.

HOW DOES HE KEEP DOING THIS?!? The crowd even tries to warn Kris Dunn here with the ball and he still doesn’t recognize what’s happening.

This dude Alvarado has quite literally made this into a thing. The numbers behind it are kind of mind-boggling. I guess this is how you average 3.1 steals per 36 minutes, which is a pretty wild rate.

There’s even more. Per my FTW colleague Bryan Kalbrosky, Alvarado averages more “lost ball” steals per 36 minutes than anyone else in the NBA and is second in steals per 100 possessions with, at least, 300 minutes played.

Those are insane steal numbers. All because NBA players keep falling for, well, that. This dude is good. Real, real good.

Fans are just so impressed by this.

Lifelong Browns fan CJ McCollum makes Saints recruiting pitch for Jarvis Landry

Pelicans superstar and lifelong Browns fan CJ McCollum made his recruiting pitch for Jarvis Landry to join the Saints:

Filing this under things we love to see: it hasn’t taken New Orleans Pelicans superstar CJ McCollum long to take to his new city, and the lifelong Cleveland Browns fan is already throwing his weight around on Twitter to try and help his next-door neighbors. It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints need help at wide receiver, which led McCollum to dive into the news of the day that his Browns are releasing five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry.

And McCollum’s advice to Landry: come join him in New Orleans, which happens to be Landry’s own hometown. It’s a sentiment we share with McCollum here at Saints Wire, and the vision of Marquez Callaway and recently-tendered Deonte Harty clearing out defenses while Michael Thomas and Landry take advantage of the free real estate underneath coverage is awful enticing.

Let’s be real, Landry isn’t going to sign with the Saints because McCollum recommended it. But it sure would be fun to see both star players making highlight reel-worthy plays in the Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, shoulder to shoulder. Let’s see if anything develops here.

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Saints owner Gayle Benson to be featured on NFL Network

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson to be featured on NFL Network, via @MaddyHudak_94:

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson is set to be featured on NFL Network’s upcoming episode of NFL 360: Women in Sports. Reporter Jane Slater will join Melissa Stark, host of NFL 360, in interviewing Mrs. Benson set to air on Tuesday, March 8th at 8:00 p.m. CT on NFL Network.

The Emmy Award-winning show utilizes in-depth documentary-style storytelling to highlight important people, places, and moments in the NFL each month. In the midst of Women’s History Month, there’s no better time to highlight the first woman to be the majority shareholder in both an NBA and NFL franchise; an exclusive club in either sport alone.

Benson became the owner of the two teams in 2018 following the passing of her husband, Tom Benson. In her first three seasons assuming ownership, it was clear the Saints were in good hands. Posting three consecutive NFC South division titles and an NFC Championship Game appearance in her first season in 2018, New Orleans has seen a seamless transition and immediate success under a rare female owner. They also had a lot of grit in those three years – no NFL team has matched the team’s 20 road victories since 2018.

Say what you will about the ability to co-manage two sports teams, but if you haven’t been paying attention to the New Orleans Pelicans, now would be the opportune time. Despite falling 138-130 in an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets Sunday night, the Pelicans’ four-game winning streak that beat teams by 30-point margins all ties back to a crucial hire: coach Willie Green. The culture of the Pelicans finally matches that of the Saints – it was clear back in July. I had the opportunity to co-host an exclusive interview with Green following his introductory press conference on ESPN 100.3 FM and was sold immediately. In attendance was also Mrs. Benson, who makes it a point to attend most if not all Saints training camp practices with fans to do a lap on the field and greet both fans in the stands and us sweaty reporters.

This feature feels like it’s long overdue, and with the Saints at a critical point in the juncture of a new coaching era, and the Pelicans fighting for a play-in spot in the NBA Pelicans, it’s the perfect time to spotlight an incredibly accomplished women in the sports industry.

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The Pelicans’ impressive play of late should intrigue Zion Williamson to stick around

Zion should at least think about leaving New Orleans.

As one of the NBA’s brighter young superstars, Zion Williamson is one of the few players in the league who truly gets to dictate his future. Because of the singular influence he can have on any game as a physical power forward, the Pelicans are in a bind where they have to hope he wants to stay in New Orleans, rather than leave for perceived greener pastures.

Williamson hasn’t played in a game since last season due to a foot injury. Naturally, that means tension over his future will build gradually.

Charles Barkley questioned his fitness on national television. The Pelicans themselves didn’t include a mention of Williamson in a message to their season-ticket holders. One of Zion’s former teammates, J.J. Reddick, took issue with Williamson reportedly not reaching out to C.J. McCollum after the Pelicans acquired him at the trade deadline. Even before the madness of this season started, many questioned Williamson’s long-term commitment to New Orleans.

If Williamson is thinking down the road about forcing a trade from the Pelicans, he would do well to reconsider for a bit longer. Or at least hesitate long enough to think about what he could do and what he could win in New Orleans.

Since late February, five games into McCollum’s New Orleans career, the Pelicans have won four-straight contests over the Suns, Lakers, Kings, and Jazz. Your eyes do not deceive you. They beat the Suns and Jazz (who were five-point favorites over the Pels), two West powerhouses, and pretty decisively.

Blocks, or should I say, swats, like this don’t usually happen in close games. And most teams usually don’t have 30-point leads, three times somewhere, in a short week. Most teams are not the Pelicans.

Well, actually, most teams are not the Pelicans except for the Spurs. But that’s amazing, unique company to keep and says even more about how well New Orleans is gelling of late.

A 124-90 blowout over the Jazz, who were the West’s top seed last year, is impressive enough. Having a 30-point lead in three straight games is something not even the established contenders do.

Williamson is one of a kind and has a bright future ahead of him, whether he stays in New Orleans or — as some have speculated — perhaps thinks of being The One who finally drags the Knicks out of basketball Purgatory. But the Pelicans with McCollum in the fold are showing real potential. The kind of potential, with Zion leading the way to a team that becomes a high roller in the West for years. They will, of course, have to dominate longer than a sample size consisting of a short stint through late February and early March.

Still, wins over Phoenix and Utah speak to some magic brewing. There’s enough to mold, enough Play-Doh to make Zion’s Pelicans a top attraction.

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Después de haber sido transferidos, Larry Nance y Josh Hart solo van a intercambiar sus casas

El plazo de transferencias de equipo de la NBA es bizarro y hay consecuencias humanas que tienen un fuerte impacto en las vidas personales de las personas en toda la liga. Después de los eventos recientes, dos de estos jugadores fueron Josh Hart y …

El plazo de transferencias de equipo de la NBA es bizarro y hay consecuencias humanas que tienen un fuerte impacto en las vidas personales de las personas en toda la liga.

Después de los eventos recientes, dos de estos jugadores fueron Josh Hart y Larry Nance Jr.. Ambos estuvieron incluidos como piezas clave en una negociación que mandó a CJ McCollum de los Trail Blazers a los Pelicans.

Pero en lugar de correr para tratar de encontrar una casa en Portland y en New Orleans, los dos jugadores tuvieron una idea bastante innovadora.

Durante la temporada en la que Hart era novato en los Lakers, 2017-18, Hart y Nance fueron compañeros de equipo. Mientras que los dos jugadores solo compartieron 628 minutos en la duela antes de que Nance fuera transferido a los Cavaliers durante el plazo de transferencias de equipo en 2018, ellos se mantuvieron en contacto.

Traducción: Larry Nance dijo que, por ahora, él y Josh Hart van a intercambiar casas. Dijo que deseaba haber estado ahí para jugar con uno de sus mejores amigos.
Llamó a su cirugía un procedimiento sin importancia y dijo que espera regresar pronto a la cancha.

 

Propietario de casas y amigos, estas dos antiguas primeras selecciones simplemente decidieron intercambiar sus residencias.

Si sienten que esto suena a programa de televisión, están en lo cierto. Por cierto, si alguno de ustedes es un productor de televisión, les queremos decir que por supuesto veríamos este programa.

Pero desde entonces, han hecho algunas apuestas sobre la NFL y con castigos vergonzoso y también han intercambiado bromas entre ellos en Twitter. Los dos le van al Chelsea FC en la English Premier League.

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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