What is krack Alack and fell Durma nuclear Afers. I am a dam for
Valley coming at you with a very quickie podcast this time give him a zig
on Williams and injury. I wanted to talk about that a little bit very
quickly as well, though. Please remember to subscribe to us wherever you're consuming
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buddy because that'll be much appreciated. But yes, the Zion Williamson injury,
I think it's worth talking about because he's going to be out more than three
weeks, because he's out of least three weeks with his right hamstring strain.
That's before he gets reevaluated. He is going to be out longer than that
we saw them. He's had lower body issues in the past, so you
want to slow play that anyway in his return. And also even when he
was coming back from COVID, they kind of had that ramp up for him.
And so this is like sort of exactly a month and let's just say
the news dropping on January third, coming back February third, about around there.
That's only a few days before the trade deadline. That gives them a
limited sample to look at the Zion CJ brandon Ingram lineups. Assuming all of
those guys are available. They played in ten games together so far this year,
that's nothing. If hammered opponents during that, I think the fit is
there. You're not moving either one of those guys anyway. But if you
want to know how much you need to reinvest in this roster, it's important
to have more information on that trio and you're just not going to get in.
So I do think that makes their job a little bit more difficult.
There's merit to just standing pat because you are so deep and you've had just
these like bigger games from yeah, you know, Herb Jones hasn't had a
great year and he's had stop and start availability himself. But you've gotten some
really big performances from Naji Marshall, A Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy's been good
this year. Ceji McCollum is coming along and Brandon Ingram, as I mention,
is already going to come back. You have Joan's Valentinis and so I
do think the Pelicans are built to navigate this absence with Zion. What's so
appealing for them is if you make improvements is to enhance your top end outcome.
It's not to salvage this season because the Pelicans are built to withstand any
one absence, including Zion Williamson. He is what gives them their ceiling.
But they have a super high floor and a high enough ceiling without him to
continue to tread water. And they've won the minutes this year. In fact
that Zion and Ingram have not played, and that's a pretty big deal.
And so you have some lineups that you could go to in the interm.
It does seem like Brandon Ingram should be coming back semi soon. He hasn't
played since November twenty fifth, But that's something to keep an eye on.
I do think Larry Nan Junior is dealing with a neck issue, I believe,
and I actually thought he was gonna miss more time than he has.
Apparently he's day to day, so that was a little bit surprising as of
right now, though, I think I would lean on putting Jose Alvarado with
CJ. McCollum, Trey Murphy, Valan Chunists and then do you want herb
Jones to have that fifth spot? Can you throw some more shooting in there?
Do you trust Naji Marshall a little bit more? I don't need to
see that much of the Jackson Hayes you want to vun tunis front court again.
Jaxson Hayes can certainly play some some filler minutes here. Will Zion is
out, especially while Larry nas Junior is out. It's also the ability of
having Willie hern and Gomez on this roster as well too, So there are
lineups that you can get that are workable. Once brandon Ingram comes back,
it becomes a lot easier here because you have McCollum, you have brandon Ingram,
and you have you want to sound stunist. That's that's why you keep
you on his valc tunis for all of my saying that I would trade youantis
Valnctunist for Miles Turner. This is someone you can really run things through in
the post at the elbows, shooting like forty seven percent on post ups this
year in a edition the Space in the Floor. He comes up big offensively
for you here, especially during the interm where brandon Ingram is out but then
brand Ingram comes back. You have those three again. I would favor shooting
lineups, and I'd like to see Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado like be the
guys that you're going to roll with. And I know that there's look opinion
is going to be split whether Jose Alvarado is technically a shooter thirty three point
one percent on four to three point attempts per game, that's good enough for
me. If you trust Diyson Daniels and his thirty nine percent clip on lower
volume a little bit more, maybe you expect her of Jones to really tick
up, but I would lean Jose Alvarado. Now that does lead me to
ask, though, do the Pelicans need to make a trade in light of
the Zion Williamson injury. I don't think that's the reason you make a trade.
I want to make that clear, But I do think this team should
be looking at ways because Zion is so important in your offense and some of
the on off splits don't show it. The half court offense only a hair
better with him on the court, but his downhill assaults fifty eight point three
percent on sixteen point two drives per game and doesn't like turn the ball over
an excessive amount of those gets the foul one a ton on his drives.
You can run pick and roll through him. Just putting the ball in his
hands is absolutely huge. I do think this is a team that could use
some more downhill pressure in his absence, and still is going to need to
paper over their lack of shooting without him going to need more shooting. And
so does this create an urgency for YouTube, Well, let's look at the
market and see what we can get here. I don't think that means that
you need to go out and make a rash deal trade one of the Lakers
picks. I do think the Zion on absence probably makes it more likely.
You don't look at a whole scale move like a getting Miles Turner if it's
going to cost you Yonis Valanctunist, because yes, the spacing and defense that
Turner is going to provide you as huge, and he compliments Sion Williamson nicely.
I think there are people in the Pelicans who wouldn't want to give Jonas
Valanciunis the Turner trade anyway, maybe because Turner's going to hit free agency,
but also just because Valentunis is going to be more self sustainable does need another
creator around him. What this team I think could maybe look at is going
the mid end route. Is Kelly Olynic available from the Utah jask That's someone
who helps you and Zion's healthy but also helps you right now, you could
try, and I don't know what they ask for in that trade. If
you're Utah, you're not giving up a first round pick for him. You're
not giving up herb Jones for him. If you want to go that route
though, Like I don't know where Utah's at with this, but movie Beasley
would be a great fit for the Pelicans, and you can kind of shoehorn
him and Olynic into the same trade. They make twenty seven point eight million
dollars between them. The Pelicans don't have a ton of room under the tax,
but you can work something out where it's if you're sending out DeVante Graham's
contract and then you're giving Utah, let's say Jackson Hayes, Garrett Temple and
then Herb Jones. Do you need to give a first to make that work?
And I know people aren't like, oh, Herb Jones, we're not
trading Herb Jones has not had the best year. And you have Trey Murphy,
you have Dyson Daniels, even having Jose Alvarado and Brandon Ingram like,
there is some expendability here and you could try and cap lies on Herb Jones's
value while the mystique is still there, and when he still has a couple
of years left on his you know, we're still going to be a cost
controlled asset into next season. And the Jazz, like don't have a ton
of true wings on the roster. They open up a ton of space they
could use defense their bottom five and points allowed per possession they could definitely use
on ball defense. It would simplify life for Lowry Marking a lot more,
make some of their front Courts more interesting. Him and Walker Kessler would be
a very intriguing duo to me. Now, does Herb Jones and Jackson Hayes
get you Malik Beasley and Kelly Olnik, I honestly don't know. I'd be
willing to include a protected first if on the Pelicans, knowing what Malik Beasley
would do for you once Zion his back, and you're also giving up the
Graham deal. He is one year left on this, and you're also getting
that layer of sort of not like you know, zero step shot creation,
but like someone who could make two dribbles and then a decision with the ball.
And Malik Beasley, are you going to be able to inoculate yourself against
how he can struggle defensively at points? I do not know. You have
Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy again, I could come back to that. Even
ran in Ingram last year. I thought it was pretty good defensively. Plus
Jose Alvarado, I think that you could make it work. And so that's
the type of trade I would be looking at. If they are now reticent
to say, well, we don't want to go after Miles Turner. Maybe
he's not a realistic target for them, or maybe they just they have to
keep you on his valon tunis at this point they're worried about him and crunch
time during the playoffs, but desion injury stuff creeping up. It really makes
you think. Also, by the way, that's why CJ. McComb is
not just expendable. He can't be traded anyway. And I was arguing to
people who are asking if he's mission critical to this team long term, that
you need to see him in the playoffs because that's when the extra layers of
shock creation, those dimensions of what he brings, even if he's not quite
at his best, that becomes hyper valuable to this team. It's even more
valuable now because you lost the driving engine of your offense in Zion Williamson.
So he's going to help you navigate this both now and when Brandon Ingram comes
back. And so that's a trade I might look at, is if you
can do there might need to be other players and teams involved to make the
roster spot math work for Utah. But if they're willing to take on Graham,
Temple's expiring, so it shouldn't be a big deal. But if you're
if they're willing to take on Graham and Temple, and then you get Hayze
and Herb Jones, and you're giving Mollie Beasley and Callilnic. Maybe they need
a little bit more there the Pelicans again, Ten Sweeten, Matt, That's
an interesting framework and just something I would be not randomly looking at, but
seriously considering. That is it for me on the Pelican Stots wanted to make
this just super quick. I think they're going to be fine without Zion on
this team, as I said at the top, is built to navigate any
one absence for a temporary or even extended period of time get into the playoffs
talking about their most top end outcomes. That's why I'm sowing I remaining treat
by a Miles Turner type for this team. But that's when you go and
make a move of that of that magnitude. I don't think this rushes that
process. I just don't think it eliminates it entirely. They could play really
well without Zion decide they really want to give some jet fuel to their rotation
and spacing and even overall defense before he gets back, and they could look
at it. But I like the Olnic in general, you could just try
and target him. What does it cost? Like is it Jackson Hayes and
Garrett Temple? Are you willing to sell that low on Jackson Hays at this
point? That could really help your team. But if you can figure out
a way to sandwich Molieue Beasley in there, I would give up herb Jones
and that deal not time or for it. Look if you talk her first
first round picks, do that as well. Hope you enjoy this. Let
me know what you think kW the Pelvis are gonna do Withoutzion? Are there
any trade targets that you want to hear from him in our discord in the
YouTube comments? Let me know until next time, and as always, please
subscribe right as well, but also shout out to the one, the Only,
Frank Nila Keena