April 25, 2023 • 27 mins
On today’s Pelicans Podcast presented by Seatgeek, Joe Cardosi and Jim Eichenhofer are joined by NOLA.com’s Christian Clark to break down New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum’s rollercoaster season.
They discuss the importance of McCollum's leadership in the locker room and on the court, how much his health played a role in his performance, and how (when fully healthy) he can continue to guide this young Pelicans core going forward.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome into the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast presented by Seat Geek,
a podcast dedicated to everything you need to know about
the squad. The New Orleans Pelicans podcast starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to the Pelicans Podcast presented by seat Geek. I
am Joe Cardosi, joined by the reflective jim I can
Hoffer as we ponder what was what could be? This is,
of course our ongoing series of a Seasons in Review,
Players in Review, and today it's going to be CJ McCollum.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yes it is.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
It was a I thought CJ season kind of mirrored
that of the team overall, in both good ways and
bad ways.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I thought by.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
The end of December's out there breaking franchise records, making
eleven three pointers in a game against the Sixers, and
tim me that win against Philly on December thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Was really the peak of the season.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
We didn't know it at the time, and I'm glad
I guess we didn't know it at the time, because
that would have been really depressing to realize, Yes, to
know that they were about to go on a ten
game losing streak in January.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But I think it was really good and bad.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I mean just the fact that things were just going
going so well overall for the squad at the end
of twenty twenty two, and then the calendar flips and
then things go obviously the other way. But CJ's injury
that happened, it's kind of nebulous exactly when it happened
as far as his thumb.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But on his shoulder too, because he was told he
could play through that, and I guess that wasn't as
noticeable because he didn't have a visible brace on it
right at all times.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
But I mean the thumb part of it.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
The shoulder was definitely late laterish in the season, kind
of towards the very tail end of the regular season,
but the thumb definitely happened at some point, you know,
kind of middle ish of the season, and that kind
of coincided with the team really taking a negative turn.
I mean, obviously they were able to overcome that and
at least get in the playing tournament, but the stretch
in January when there were a ton of injuries and
(02:07):
a lot of guys out and just the team shorthanded overall,
trying to figure out how to generate offense with Zion
not available after he'd played twenty nine of the first
thirty seven games. That stretch is really what knocked them
down to where they ended up with a nine seed.
Where if you take that stretch away, I mean obviously
could have, should have, would have, but you're finishing maybe
(02:27):
in the top six. If you don't have that ten
game losing streak, if even go you know, four and six,
three and seven during that stretch, you're in much better shape.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
And that's what's frustrating about this season in general, is
it's a lot I could have, should have what it's
sort of the story of the season, but really it's
the story of CJ. I'm not gonna say, like, as
CJ goes, the team goes. But you can't say we
couldn't used his shooting, especially down the stretch, specially with
no zion, And it was just very obvious that he
was hobbled and playing through it, and we admired him
(02:56):
for doing it, but obviously he wasn't at his best.
He wasn't his mo effective self, and he talked about
that at the end of the season, and you know,
he's going to get right. He's going to return full strength,
and that's what we got to look forward to.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And it was kind of a compounding situation to me,
where you know it was going to negatively affect him
no matter what the circumstances were. But when you take
Zion out of the lineup, now you need him to
do more, even though he's not in a position where
he feels right where you could I could tell watching
him shoot that the ball was coming off of his
hand unusually in certain games or in certain stretches, So
(03:30):
you just knew that that was affecting him. And unfortunately
he's in a position where it's like, Okay, he's not
one hundred percent and the team still needs him to
score and generate offense. That I mean, they had one
thing I never thought I would see here was a
stretch like they had in the middle chunk of the
season where it was like a struggle to get to
one hundred, one hundred and five points, especially in twenty
(03:51):
twenty three NBA where teams are getting one hundred and
twenty points, it's no big deal. So but it was
just I think he knew that he had to continue
to stay aggressive regardless of the circumstances, and unfortunately that
put him in a position that was less than ideal.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, and it's sort of what you talked about in
the beginning, is you saw win CJ before he was injured,
how effective this team was, and the position they were
in before Zion went out, before CJ went out. I
think this team legitimately has a chance to ascend in
the West. We were seeing now in the playoffs that
small market teams are starting to make some hay And
(04:30):
we saw before the calendar flip to twenty three, we
were playing lights out, I mean, atop the West. And
you just got to hope that when this team is healthy,
that you know, the tail of two teams is going
to be the one we saw in the beginning.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yeah, and like you said, I mean talking about small markets.
Sacramento is a three seed this year, Memphis is a
two seed again this year. There's no doubt that the
I think the excuse, if there ever was one about
small markets isn't really something that you can rely on
in anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And the good news is that the West is wide open.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
I mean we go back to let's pick twenty eighteen,
which was the last time before last year that the
Pelicans made the playoffs. They made it to the second round,
they swept Portland, which was awesome, but ultimately, I mean,
especially when you look at back on it five years
later and you look at it from a realistic perspective,
not a unrealistic optimism. I mean, no one was going
(05:27):
to beat that Golden State team in the West, and
if there was, it was really Houston was the only
team during that span that had a chance to do it.
But the difference is now, and this is a very
good thing to me, is there isn't that one team
that is just unbeatable. There isn't that one team that
has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
How the heck did that happen?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Yeah, when you look back on it, it's just kind
of insane. But the West is just so much more
even now. So, like you said, the Pelicans showed in
the first thirty five games of the season that they
can be one of the best team in the Western Conference.
I strongly believe that if you especially if you look
at the ages of the players and where they are
in their career, a lot of these guys are gonna
(06:07):
just keep getting better. Trey Murphy is one of those guys,
Zion I think is gonna keep getting better, brandon Ingram,
we could keep going down the list. So I think
the prospects in the ceiling, as far as the upside
that this team has, is so much better in twenty
twenty three, even though we're obviously coming off a season
where they didn't make the playoffs compared to five years
ago twenty eighteen, where they made the second round. But
(06:29):
you still looked around and just were like, the pathway
to getting to the number one spot or near the
number one spot is probably not there.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So that's yeah, even back then, you didn't have a
war chest. There was just nowhere for you to really believer,
and it was hard to sort of look towards the
future with optimism. This sort of felt like it at
the time, whereas now it of course we're disappointed, but
we see what the team could be and what it
might be with a full offseason together. And one of
(06:56):
those teams that's doing really well in the West is
for our guest today, it's a mister Christian Clark. He's
from there. Denver Nuggets are doing fine, seems like, and
you know, Christian is a he's a Denver guy. He's
familiar with them, and so I'm sure he has some
opinions about what's going on in the West as well.
So let's get to mister Christian Clark of NOLA dot
(07:17):
com joining us on the Pelicans podcast. So excited to
have him, mister Christian Clark of NOLA dot com. I
know it's been a weird off season for all of us,
so we keep asking this of all of our guests.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
How you doing, man, I'm doing great, guys. I was
back home in Texas for a couple of days this weekend.
Ate a lot of barbecue the Fort Worth. I saw
the the jewel encrusted big cowboy hat. It was sweet.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I know Jim is wearing one right now, so I'm
used to jewel encrusted cowboy hats in the studio. But
glad you're getting some away time. It's it's a weird
time for all of us. We want to be talking
about basketball, but instead we're talking about the players we have.
And the first player we're talking about, you know with
you here is is CJ.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
McCollum, who you know, obviously is a centerpiece of this
team when we're talking about a big three. Of course,
c J. McCollum's always mentioned there, but not his best season.
He played injured, he had to play through a lot
of pain obviously, talked about the thumb, the shoulder, everything else.
So you know, it's it's a tough season to sort
(08:32):
of evaluate from CJ McCollum. And I know he endured
a lot of criticism from fans, But I mean, what
what did you take out of this season? I know
it's sort of an incomplete would have to be the grade,
but I mean, what did you take from CJ and
sort of what he what he dealt with this season
Now that things are sort of over and done with.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Yeah, I mean I think you know, once the season,
did you know CJ? I kin pointed the availability thing
as as something that's got to change for this team
to be more successful moving forward. I think, you know,
like the ten games played between Zion and Brandon and
CJ is probably what held this team back more than anything,
(09:12):
and CJ said as much. So I think I was
just remember the games played. I mean, he found a
way to play in seventy five of the eighty two games.
He led the Pelicans in total minutes, which is pretty
bonkers considering all the all the different things he dealt with.
You know, playing close to half the season with the
thumb and then the last seven eight games with the
(09:34):
torn labor in the shoulder. So I think, you know,
we definitely didn't see the best version of CJ on
the court, but he was there.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Yeah, yeah, Christian.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I mean you mentioned it that he was able to
play you know, seventy five games. We saw him play
twenty something games last season here after he was traded
to New Orleans. But I mean, maybe even more to
the point we've seen him for a day kid in
the NBA with what he did with Portland. I mean,
what do you think were some of the things. I mean,
did you get a sense of how much he was
(10:08):
affected by the injuries in terms of his shooting and
just the just the kind of like game in and
game out results that we saw from him this year.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Yeah, honestly, I think it was a lot. I mean,
he didn't he didn't talk about it too much during
the season. He kind of opened up a little bit,
you know, once it was over. But the fact that
it was, you know, a ligament issue on the shooting
hand which required him to wear a splint, I think
did affect him quite a bit. I mean, he you
(10:37):
know had the splint on there. You know, he he
basically said that, you know, sometimes the ball slipped a
little bit when he when he shot, and it affected
his grip to some degree. I mean when I think
it would have been a little different of it was
his left hand, but but the fact that it was
it was that right hand, I think affected him quite
a bit.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I wanted to talk about those comments that that you mentioned,
you know, CJ's postseason comments where you know, all all
a blaze on Twitter where he was talking about availability
and you know, how players need to be there and whatnot.
But you know, I sort of see that as as leadership.
You know, someone the season is incomplete and it is
because players had to miss time, and so uh, you
(11:17):
know I I sort of see that as the leadership
that CJ was was brought here to bring to the team.
And and you know, how important is this offseason going
to be, you know, after those comments, after you know,
sort of sort of facing some harsh realities, how much
is he going to be, you know, the glue that
holds this team together in this offseason when they're having
(11:38):
to learn these hard lessons that they that they dealt
with at the end of the season.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
Yeah. Look, I think part of the part of the
reason they did get him was was to be able
to say stuff like that, you know, like he's I
think he's definitely accomplished a lot in the NBA, you know,
making the playoffs and in nine straight years. There's like
a consistency there where I think he gives some credibility
to say stuff like that. I don't think you can.
(12:03):
You probably just can't say say stuff like that if
you're you're just anybody. And I honestly I thought it
was spot on it. It was accurate. It's like the
you know what, I think what Griff said at the
X and interviews was mostly right. Like the bone the
bones of this franchise are pretty good. Like they have
a lot of good pieces. They've got a lot of
ways improved your roster. I like all that. They just
(12:25):
need to see it on the court. At the same time,
I mean the fact that that we're two years into
Willie Green's tenure and the head coach and Brandon Ingram
and Zion Lanston I played ten games together, is is
pretty nuts to me. I mean, two best players on
the team. I think I think CJ would be happy
being the third best player on the team. I think
he would. You would, you know, we saw those three
(12:48):
guys on the court for a lot of games, like,
happily take that, take that backseat to them. Lets CJ
be the third banana. I bet he would want to
be the third banana.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Sure, Christian.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I'm sure a lot of people that listen to the
Pelicans podcast listen to your podcast as well, if not
the vast majority of them. You guys had a I
thought was a really interesting discussion kind of about the
fan reaction to CJ this season, And I think I
don't want to sit here and say like every single
criticism of CJ was wrong. That's definitely not the case.
(13:20):
I mean, there's there's valid stuff that people had mixed
in there, But I mean, if you could kind of
expound on just the way that people reacted, I mean,
you said it earlier too. In terms of from my perspective,
it's like, if there's a player that people should be
listening to, it's CJ. In terms of him knowing what
it takes to be successful in the NBA, him having
(13:43):
the track record of being in the playoffs every season
of his career prior to this one. I mean, how
did you did you just I mean you just kind
of view it as you know, he was just speaking
the truth basically, like and I don't think people should
have a problem with reality. Yeah, in terms of just
the way that he saw.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Ye, I mean like he was out there every trying
and like that went a long way for me this year.
I mean that was I think, like, I mean, he
just really went to win you and you could tell,
and he had a lot of bad games. And I
don't get mad at like frustrated that he shot the
(14:22):
ball wh shot the ball in the playing Turn game
against the Thunder. I mean, like that's fine, But to me,
it went a long way that he was just out
there like trying every night, and you know, he was
willing to have these games where he shot the ball poorly.
You know, he knew he wasn't one hundred percent, but
he's like, look like, I'm just gonna put it all
out there. So I mean, I guess, I guess like
(14:45):
for me, I understand that sometimes things don't really they
don't go your way, like you know, and in profess,
like when you're competing at that level, it's like sometimes
you win, sometimes you lose, like you can't play your
best all the time. There are things that affected but
like if you're not out there trying every night and
like batting through discomfort and thing like that, Like that
(15:06):
to me is a I have hard time dealing with
that stomach game at I.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Guess yeah, I feel like that's a league wide issue
right now, and I know we feel like it's very
Pelican specific, but it's definitely something that was addressed in
that new CBA, which of course CJ McCollum had a
lot to do with there. You know, and you're talking
about CJ being the third best player on this team,
and I think this season, I think what was surprising
(15:33):
is we may have found out he might end up
being the fourth best player on this team. Of Trey
Murphy continues to improve, I mean, watching him get starter
minutes with Zion out sort of sort of supercharged his emergence.
It seems like, and if you get a fully healthy CJ,
let's hope that the thumb and the labram are all
(15:53):
healed up and we've got a fully healthy Pelican squad.
I mean, do you see that benefiting CJ? Do you
see that taking away a little bit of his role
on offense. I mean, if Trey murch Trey Murphy really
begins to emerge, how does that affect CJ. McCollums game
and what he's bringing to the team.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Yeah. I think like one of the beautiful things about
Trey Murphy's game is he he fits really well on
any of the thirty NBA teams. I mean, he just
has that that skill set where literally anybody, anybody wants
it and it fits with anybody because you know, he's
got got range at like thirty feet with a three ball.
(16:30):
You know, if he passes to him, they close out
like it's gonna take one, two dribbles and get to
the rim. And I think, you know, one of the
most encouraging things I follow this season was the way
that he was able to up his two point percentage.
I believe he finished the season shooting sixty twos something
like that. So trace skills that really fits with anybody,
(16:52):
and man, he's I can't believe how how well he
played this year. I Mean, there's so much offensive talent
on the team. I mean, it's it's kind of crazy
to me that what did they finish overall offensive efficiency?
Like nineteen twentieth. I mean it was it was kind
of a bummer that they finished so low because there's
there's so much talent on this team, you know, in
(17:13):
terms of scoring the ball.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Yeah, I think you know, one other factor I think
with CJ's season as well, is, you know, with as
much offensive talent as they as they have that you
you know, you mentioned they did finish in the bottom tier,
like you referenced in offensive efficiency and raiding.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
But I think part of it too.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
I mean, how much of a factor do you think
CJ's season was that even when he started getting banged up,
that he still was in a position of you know,
there was a long stretch where Bi and Zion were
both out.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
And the team did struggle offensively to the point.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Where they were there was a long period where it
was like getting to one hundred, one hundred and five
points was not a guarantee. I mean, it just seemed
like it was put a lot was put on him basically.
I mean you feel like that's part of you know,
when fans say, like, you know, why did he take
that shot?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Why did he force this? To me?
Speaker 4 (18:03):
From my perspective, I thought that there were a lot
of situations where he felt like there was pressure for
if he didn't get it done, then it wasn't gonna
get done. Maybe not just him, but if it wasn't
you know, a combination of a couple guys that were
their top scorers. It was not they weren't going to
score enough players.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Basically, sorry, hurt my dog there.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
I think I thought it was that dog in gym
coming out. Sorry, he's got that dog in him too.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, that was Christian's dog. That wasn't me roofing at
the caged up or not? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, I think the Pelicans
were twenty six in offense after Zion's hamstring injury. Like
that's one of the stats of the season to me,
I think, yeah, definitely did. And somebody, somebody's got to
take those shots. I mean, I I just think that
they were in third place in the West when Zion
(18:56):
got hurt, and you know, you it would have been
great to see like brandon Ingram on the court when
you know Zion kind of had to pass at the
time to the injury. You know, Like, to me, thet
important stretch of the season with that ten game losing
streak and Zion was not able to play in any
of those games. And Brandon did not play in six
(19:17):
of those ten games, and he really didn't look like himself,
and before of him he did for the most part.
I mean, that was that was the defining stretch of
the season. To me. It's like, I think the team
just lost confidence. Role players lost confidence. You didn't have
the main two guys for the majority of the games
and and things kind of changed afterwards. But yeah, I mean,
(19:37):
somebody's got to take them. And for a long while,
you know, this winter and in early spring, it was
like it's CJ. And then you don't have any other
options really, you.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Know, what he brings to the team is hugely important,
and we're hoping that he can bring what he brings
on the court next season with a fully healthy offseason.
Christian Clark, thanks for joining us today on the Pelicans
Post podcast. Always glad to talk CJ. McCollum, talk Pelicans
players with you. Glad you're getting a little time off here,
but I have a feeling we'll be talking to you
(20:08):
again very soon, maybe again this week, foreshadowing.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
All right, guys, sounds good. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Big.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks to Christian Clark talking a little c J McCollum
with us today. Jim, you know, it's a weird time
as I watch basketball now, I'm just starting to come
back around and really pay attention. I feel like you've
been a little more plugged in as you have been
recovering and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
But you know, the.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Western Conference, We've talked about it a lot this week.
It's just so wide open right now. And watching the
Western playoffs Western Conference Playoffs. I got to say, I
saw the end of that Golden State Warriors Sacramento game
on Sunday. It hurt my heart watching that one. I
got to say, as I'm watching the Western Conference playoffs,
(21:02):
I just find myself shrieking light the beam all the time.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
I mean when that Harrison barn shot went up on
Sunday and the balls in the air and you're saying,
if this ball goes in, they're gonna win and be
up three to one, and I mean it looked good too.
It was it seemed like it was online. He just
shot it a little too strong, so that was tough.
I was definitely ready to light the beam myself. By
the way, I really haven't. I haven't really had a
choice I can't really do much, so it's been good.
(21:27):
The only good thing about having being kind of unable
to leave and do much is there's been a lot
of basketball on, so.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
That's been great.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Now the Pelicans, we should say, have paid. If you
ever seen a clockwork orange, he just have his eyes
open and was just basketball playing and I just put
eye drops.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, you know for that too, by the way, Yeah, yeah, help.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
The company is here to help you with your job,
and I'm here to help the company. But you know,
it's just been a lot to keep up with and
and and sort of a hard maybe for some Pelicans
fans to get over the hurt. But I feel like
there there are teams to root for. There's still drama.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
To be had.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Yeah, I think I'm not going out on too much
of a limb here to say that The Phoenix Suns
are not super popular with this Pelicans fan base, and
it looks like we're gonna get Denver versus Phoenix in
the second round, so I think that'll be a really
interesting series to watch. I'm curious to see just Phoenix
has a bunch of top level talent at the top
of their roster, but Denver has really good chemistry, and
(22:26):
they've had a bunch of guys that have been together
for multiple years. They're a great passing teams. So I mean,
it's not official. We still have to see both the
Nuggets and the Suns close out their series, which could
happen Tuesday night, but I think, I mean, obviously it's
very likely that those two teams are gonna play each
other in the Golden State Sacramento Series. I mean, I
know you haven't necessarily been able to watch every single
(22:48):
quarter or play of that, but man, if you have
a chance, you gotta watch. That's been some of the
best basketball yes to watch. I mean every game pretty much.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Garon Foxes must watch TV. I mean, he's just so close.
He's so much fun to watch. He's great, just so
easy to root for, and it's funny.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
I feel like some of the games he's had against
the Pelicans made me realize, like I knew he was
a really good player, not even just the season, like
even going back to the COVID season where he just
terrorized the Pelicans and was great and you saw some
of what he could do, and I thought, man, this
guy's got a ton of potential.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
He's one of the fastest players in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
If he tightens up his mid range shot and his
jumper and his free throws, which he's done improvements across
the board, I mean, he's if they win the series
against the Warriors, you got to start talking about him
as one of the best guards in just a different level.
He's one of the best guards in the NBA, but
I think you have to put him in a higher
tier if they're able to.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Get this done.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Yeah, because of the accomplishment that it would be to
beat the defending champion Warriors. But either way, regardless of
how that series finishes, I mean, it's been so much
fun and I feel like that's the one series that
I've have not wanted to miss any of.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
It because saying that's the one I've been trying to
keep up with because the Warriors are easy to root
against for me. Maybe Draymond being on that team has
something to do with it just a little, but you know,
the Sacramento King's easy roof. For so, if you're in
New Orleans and you just see one of those laser
light reader things that people play with their cats, that's
me lighting the beam in my backyard. Anytime the Kings win.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
And by the way, I've heard a couple of people
talk about this. I think this is interesting. Nothing might
come out of this in this this NBA offseason, but
I've heard a few people mention, you know, just across
the NBA or just kind of thinking out loud, like
what other stuff could other teams across the league come
up with? The commemorate victories. I'm totally I'm totally on
board with that. I think that would be great. I mean, obviously,
(24:40):
I don't want anyone to steal the King's idea or
like come up with some weak copy of it and
they're gonna do it.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Yeah, someone's gone.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
But I think this is it's kind of a challenge
for the marketing departments across the NBA to see if
they can come up with something that would resonate with
people and something that every fan.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Whatever fan base, would be like, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
I like that, that's fun, and it's not something that's
too much like what Sacramento already did.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
But credit to them, man, for that was such a
great idea.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
That's one of the best, in my opinion, marketing ideas
that any team has come up.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Now everyone's like, yeah, and so they definitely won people
over myself inclusion.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
And you know, the season is so long, like you
play eighty two games, and it's kind of like a
lot of times in the regular season of victory, it's like,
well they won.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Cool, you just added to the win column. There's another number.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
But there's no nothing else to it that you can
kind of enjoy as a fan base. And I think
for sure, like if you watch the people the videos
of them lighting the beam, all the people outside the
arena that are loving it and having a good time,
like why not, Like, to me, that makes the regular
season some even more fun and that's what you need.
You need stuff that can can make you kind of
(25:48):
get out of the monotony of like, oh, we got
eighty two games, and so I'm all for that, and
I would I'm just curious. Like I said, maybe we'll
get to September and October and there won't be any
teams that come up with anything, but I'm I'm interested
to see if there's some teams that come up.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
We're definitely gonna find out how corny some marketing departments are.
It's gonna it's gonna be a very revealing off season
when it comes to what other people try to imitate.
But yeah, it's it's gonna be an interesting playoffs. I
am excited to stay glued to it. So Jim, thanks
for thanks for hanging out with this old dog and
guiding me through. I'm still struggling a little bit in
(26:24):
this offseason. It's it's still hard for me to talk
basketball just a little bit. But I just hurt.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
I just hurt, So I understand.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
I mean, I think one of the things that we'll
kind of turn the page is the draft lottery on
May sixteenth. That will be kind of one of the
moments when we can It's hard to really drill down
too much on the draft until you know exactly where
you're picking, so at that point we'll kind of start
a little bit just to touch move forward to the
twenty three twenty four season.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Yeah, I'm growing mel kiper hair right now, but it's
not quite there. But once it's a NBA draft time,
I'm gonna be the I'm gonna be r mel Kuiper
in hair alone. Can't wait to see necessarily knowledge. We're
going to continue this series of podcast talking players talking
to the people that know them. On themorrow. We are
(27:10):
going to have Zion Williamson. That is going to be
the subject with mister Antonio Daniels. Do not miss it.
Thanks for listening to the Pelicans podcast presented by seat
geek and until they.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Pelicans podcast presented
by seat Geek. Join us three times per week on
pelicans dot com, the Pelicans mobile app, or you can
subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you next
time right here on the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast presented
by seat Geek.
Welcome into the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast presented by Seat Geek,
a podcast dedicated to everything you need to know about
the squad. The New Orleans Pelicans podcast starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to the Pelicans Podcast presented by seat Geek. I
am Joe Cardosi, joined by the reflective jim I can
Hoffer as we ponder what was what could be? This is,
of course our ongoing series of a Seasons in Review,
Players in Review, and today it's going to be CJ McCollum.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yes it is.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
It was a I thought CJ season kind of mirrored
that of the team overall, in both good ways and
bad ways.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I thought by.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
The end of December's out there breaking franchise records, making
eleven three pointers in a game against the Sixers, and
tim me that win against Philly on December thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Was really the peak of the season.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
We didn't know it at the time, and I'm glad
I guess we didn't know it at the time, because
that would have been really depressing to realize, Yes, to
know that they were about to go on a ten
game losing streak in January.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But I think it was really good and bad.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I mean just the fact that things were just going
going so well overall for the squad at the end
of twenty twenty two, and then the calendar flips and
then things go obviously the other way. But CJ's injury
that happened, it's kind of nebulous exactly when it happened
as far as his thumb.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But on his shoulder too, because he was told he
could play through that, and I guess that wasn't as
noticeable because he didn't have a visible brace on it
right at all times.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
But I mean the thumb part of it.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
The shoulder was definitely late laterish in the season, kind
of towards the very tail end of the regular season,
but the thumb definitely happened at some point, you know,
kind of middle ish of the season, and that kind
of coincided with the team really taking a negative turn.
I mean, obviously they were able to overcome that and
at least get in the playing tournament, but the stretch
in January when there were a ton of injuries and
(02:07):
a lot of guys out and just the team shorthanded overall,
trying to figure out how to generate offense with Zion
not available after he'd played twenty nine of the first
thirty seven games. That stretch is really what knocked them
down to where they ended up with a nine seed.
Where if you take that stretch away, I mean obviously
could have, should have, would have, but you're finishing maybe
(02:27):
in the top six. If you don't have that ten
game losing streak, if even go you know, four and six,
three and seven during that stretch, you're in much better shape.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
And that's what's frustrating about this season in general, is
it's a lot I could have, should have what it's
sort of the story of the season, but really it's
the story of CJ. I'm not gonna say, like, as
CJ goes, the team goes. But you can't say we
couldn't used his shooting, especially down the stretch, specially with
no zion, And it was just very obvious that he
was hobbled and playing through it, and we admired him
(02:56):
for doing it, but obviously he wasn't at his best.
He wasn't his mo effective self, and he talked about
that at the end of the season, and you know,
he's going to get right. He's going to return full strength,
and that's what we got to look forward to.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And it was kind of a compounding situation to me,
where you know it was going to negatively affect him
no matter what the circumstances were. But when you take
Zion out of the lineup, now you need him to
do more, even though he's not in a position where
he feels right where you could I could tell watching
him shoot that the ball was coming off of his
hand unusually in certain games or in certain stretches, So
(03:30):
you just knew that that was affecting him. And unfortunately
he's in a position where it's like, Okay, he's not
one hundred percent and the team still needs him to
score and generate offense. That I mean, they had one
thing I never thought I would see here was a
stretch like they had in the middle chunk of the
season where it was like a struggle to get to
one hundred, one hundred and five points, especially in twenty
(03:51):
twenty three NBA where teams are getting one hundred and
twenty points, it's no big deal. So but it was
just I think he knew that he had to continue
to stay aggressive regardless of the circumstances, and unfortunately that
put him in a position that was less than ideal.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, and it's sort of what you talked about in
the beginning, is you saw win CJ before he was injured,
how effective this team was, and the position they were
in before Zion went out, before CJ went out. I
think this team legitimately has a chance to ascend in
the West. We were seeing now in the playoffs that
small market teams are starting to make some hay And
(04:30):
we saw before the calendar flip to twenty three, we
were playing lights out, I mean, atop the West. And
you just got to hope that when this team is healthy,
that you know, the tail of two teams is going
to be the one we saw in the beginning.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yeah, and like you said, I mean talking about small markets.
Sacramento is a three seed this year, Memphis is a
two seed again this year. There's no doubt that the
I think the excuse, if there ever was one about
small markets isn't really something that you can rely on
in anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And the good news is that the West is wide open.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
I mean we go back to let's pick twenty eighteen,
which was the last time before last year that the
Pelicans made the playoffs. They made it to the second round,
they swept Portland, which was awesome, but ultimately, I mean,
especially when you look at back on it five years
later and you look at it from a realistic perspective,
not a unrealistic optimism. I mean, no one was going
(05:27):
to beat that Golden State team in the West, and
if there was, it was really Houston was the only
team during that span that had a chance to do it.
But the difference is now, and this is a very
good thing to me, is there isn't that one team
that is just unbeatable. There isn't that one team that
has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
How the heck did that happen?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Yeah, when you look back on it, it's just kind
of insane. But the West is just so much more
even now. So, like you said, the Pelicans showed in
the first thirty five games of the season that they
can be one of the best team in the Western Conference.
I strongly believe that if you especially if you look
at the ages of the players and where they are
in their career, a lot of these guys are gonna
(06:07):
just keep getting better. Trey Murphy is one of those guys,
Zion I think is gonna keep getting better, brandon Ingram,
we could keep going down the list. So I think
the prospects in the ceiling, as far as the upside
that this team has, is so much better in twenty
twenty three, even though we're obviously coming off a season
where they didn't make the playoffs compared to five years
ago twenty eighteen, where they made the second round. But
(06:29):
you still looked around and just were like, the pathway
to getting to the number one spot or near the
number one spot is probably not there.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So that's yeah, even back then, you didn't have a
war chest. There was just nowhere for you to really believer,
and it was hard to sort of look towards the
future with optimism. This sort of felt like it at
the time, whereas now it of course we're disappointed, but
we see what the team could be and what it
might be with a full offseason together. And one of
(06:56):
those teams that's doing really well in the West is
for our guest today, it's a mister Christian Clark. He's
from there. Denver Nuggets are doing fine, seems like, and
you know, Christian is a he's a Denver guy. He's
familiar with them, and so I'm sure he has some
opinions about what's going on in the West as well.
So let's get to mister Christian Clark of NOLA dot
(07:17):
com joining us on the Pelicans podcast. So excited to
have him, mister Christian Clark of NOLA dot com. I
know it's been a weird off season for all of us,
so we keep asking this of all of our guests.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
How you doing, man, I'm doing great, guys. I was
back home in Texas for a couple of days this weekend.
Ate a lot of barbecue the Fort Worth. I saw
the the jewel encrusted big cowboy hat. It was sweet.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I know Jim is wearing one right now, so I'm
used to jewel encrusted cowboy hats in the studio. But
glad you're getting some away time. It's it's a weird
time for all of us. We want to be talking
about basketball, but instead we're talking about the players we have.
And the first player we're talking about, you know with
you here is is CJ.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
McCollum, who you know, obviously is a centerpiece of this
team when we're talking about a big three. Of course,
c J. McCollum's always mentioned there, but not his best season.
He played injured, he had to play through a lot
of pain obviously, talked about the thumb, the shoulder, everything else.
So you know, it's it's a tough season to sort
(08:32):
of evaluate from CJ McCollum. And I know he endured
a lot of criticism from fans, But I mean, what
what did you take out of this season? I know
it's sort of an incomplete would have to be the grade,
but I mean, what did you take from CJ and
sort of what he what he dealt with this season
Now that things are sort of over and done with.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Yeah, I mean I think you know, once the season,
did you know CJ? I kin pointed the availability thing
as as something that's got to change for this team
to be more successful moving forward. I think, you know,
like the ten games played between Zion and Brandon and
CJ is probably what held this team back more than anything,
(09:12):
and CJ said as much. So I think I was
just remember the games played. I mean, he found a
way to play in seventy five of the eighty two games.
He led the Pelicans in total minutes, which is pretty
bonkers considering all the all the different things he dealt with.
You know, playing close to half the season with the
thumb and then the last seven eight games with the
(09:34):
torn labor in the shoulder. So I think, you know,
we definitely didn't see the best version of CJ on
the court, but he was there.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Yeah, yeah, Christian.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I mean you mentioned it that he was able to
play you know, seventy five games. We saw him play
twenty something games last season here after he was traded
to New Orleans. But I mean, maybe even more to
the point we've seen him for a day kid in
the NBA with what he did with Portland. I mean,
what do you think were some of the things. I mean,
did you get a sense of how much he was
(10:08):
affected by the injuries in terms of his shooting and
just the just the kind of like game in and
game out results that we saw from him this year.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Yeah, honestly, I think it was a lot. I mean,
he didn't he didn't talk about it too much during
the season. He kind of opened up a little bit,
you know, once it was over. But the fact that
it was, you know, a ligament issue on the shooting
hand which required him to wear a splint, I think
did affect him quite a bit. I mean, he you
(10:37):
know had the splint on there. You know, he he
basically said that, you know, sometimes the ball slipped a
little bit when he when he shot, and it affected
his grip to some degree. I mean when I think
it would have been a little different of it was
his left hand, but but the fact that it was
it was that right hand, I think affected him quite
a bit.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I wanted to talk about those comments that that you mentioned,
you know, CJ's postseason comments where you know, all all
a blaze on Twitter where he was talking about availability
and you know, how players need to be there and whatnot.
But you know, I sort of see that as as leadership.
You know, someone the season is incomplete and it is
because players had to miss time, and so uh, you
(11:17):
know I I sort of see that as the leadership
that CJ was was brought here to bring to the team.
And and you know, how important is this offseason going
to be, you know, after those comments, after you know,
sort of sort of facing some harsh realities, how much
is he going to be, you know, the glue that
holds this team together in this offseason when they're having
(11:38):
to learn these hard lessons that they that they dealt
with at the end of the season.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
Yeah. Look, I think part of the part of the
reason they did get him was was to be able
to say stuff like that, you know, like he's I
think he's definitely accomplished a lot in the NBA, you know,
making the playoffs and in nine straight years. There's like
a consistency there where I think he gives some credibility
to say stuff like that. I don't think you can.
(12:03):
You probably just can't say say stuff like that if
you're you're just anybody. And I honestly I thought it
was spot on it. It was accurate. It's like the
you know what, I think what Griff said at the
X and interviews was mostly right. Like the bone the
bones of this franchise are pretty good. Like they have
a lot of good pieces. They've got a lot of
ways improved your roster. I like all that. They just
(12:25):
need to see it on the court. At the same time,
I mean the fact that that we're two years into
Willie Green's tenure and the head coach and Brandon Ingram
and Zion Lanston I played ten games together, is is
pretty nuts to me. I mean, two best players on
the team. I think I think CJ would be happy
being the third best player on the team. I think
he would. You would, you know, we saw those three
(12:48):
guys on the court for a lot of games, like,
happily take that, take that backseat to them. Lets CJ
be the third banana. I bet he would want to
be the third banana.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Sure, Christian.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I'm sure a lot of people that listen to the
Pelicans podcast listen to your podcast as well, if not
the vast majority of them. You guys had a I
thought was a really interesting discussion kind of about the
fan reaction to CJ this season, And I think I
don't want to sit here and say like every single
criticism of CJ was wrong. That's definitely not the case.
(13:20):
I mean, there's there's valid stuff that people had mixed
in there, But I mean, if you could kind of
expound on just the way that people reacted, I mean,
you said it earlier too. In terms of from my perspective,
it's like, if there's a player that people should be
listening to, it's CJ. In terms of him knowing what
it takes to be successful in the NBA, him having
(13:43):
the track record of being in the playoffs every season
of his career prior to this one. I mean, how
did you did you just I mean you just kind
of view it as you know, he was just speaking
the truth basically, like and I don't think people should
have a problem with reality. Yeah, in terms of just
the way that he saw.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Ye, I mean like he was out there every trying
and like that went a long way for me this year.
I mean that was I think, like, I mean, he
just really went to win you and you could tell,
and he had a lot of bad games. And I
don't get mad at like frustrated that he shot the
(14:22):
ball wh shot the ball in the playing Turn game
against the Thunder. I mean, like that's fine, But to me,
it went a long way that he was just out
there like trying every night, and you know, he was
willing to have these games where he shot the ball poorly.
You know, he knew he wasn't one hundred percent, but
he's like, look like, I'm just gonna put it all
out there. So I mean, I guess, I guess like
(14:45):
for me, I understand that sometimes things don't really they
don't go your way, like you know, and in profess,
like when you're competing at that level, it's like sometimes
you win, sometimes you lose, like you can't play your
best all the time. There are things that affected but
like if you're not out there trying every night and
like batting through discomfort and thing like that, Like that
(15:06):
to me is a I have hard time dealing with
that stomach game at I.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Guess yeah, I feel like that's a league wide issue
right now, and I know we feel like it's very
Pelican specific, but it's definitely something that was addressed in
that new CBA, which of course CJ McCollum had a
lot to do with there. You know, and you're talking
about CJ being the third best player on this team,
and I think this season, I think what was surprising
(15:33):
is we may have found out he might end up
being the fourth best player on this team. Of Trey
Murphy continues to improve, I mean, watching him get starter
minutes with Zion out sort of sort of supercharged his emergence.
It seems like, and if you get a fully healthy CJ,
let's hope that the thumb and the labram are all
(15:53):
healed up and we've got a fully healthy Pelican squad.
I mean, do you see that benefiting CJ? Do you
see that taking away a little bit of his role
on offense. I mean, if Trey murch Trey Murphy really
begins to emerge, how does that affect CJ. McCollums game
and what he's bringing to the team.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Yeah. I think like one of the beautiful things about
Trey Murphy's game is he he fits really well on
any of the thirty NBA teams. I mean, he just
has that that skill set where literally anybody, anybody wants
it and it fits with anybody because you know, he's
got got range at like thirty feet with a three ball.
(16:30):
You know, if he passes to him, they close out
like it's gonna take one, two dribbles and get to
the rim. And I think, you know, one of the
most encouraging things I follow this season was the way
that he was able to up his two point percentage.
I believe he finished the season shooting sixty twos something
like that. So trace skills that really fits with anybody,
(16:52):
and man, he's I can't believe how how well he
played this year. I Mean, there's so much offensive talent
on the team. I mean, it's it's kind of crazy
to me that what did they finish overall offensive efficiency?
Like nineteen twentieth. I mean it was it was kind
of a bummer that they finished so low because there's
there's so much talent on this team, you know, in
(17:13):
terms of scoring the ball.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Yeah, I think you know, one other factor I think
with CJ's season as well, is, you know, with as
much offensive talent as they as they have that you
you know, you mentioned they did finish in the bottom tier,
like you referenced in offensive efficiency and raiding.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
But I think part of it too.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
I mean, how much of a factor do you think
CJ's season was that even when he started getting banged up,
that he still was in a position of you know,
there was a long stretch where Bi and Zion were
both out.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
And the team did struggle offensively to the point.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Where they were there was a long period where it
was like getting to one hundred, one hundred and five
points was not a guarantee. I mean, it just seemed
like it was put a lot was put on him basically.
I mean you feel like that's part of you know,
when fans say, like, you know, why did he take
that shot?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Why did he force this? To me?
Speaker 4 (18:03):
From my perspective, I thought that there were a lot
of situations where he felt like there was pressure for
if he didn't get it done, then it wasn't gonna
get done. Maybe not just him, but if it wasn't
you know, a combination of a couple guys that were
their top scorers. It was not they weren't going to
score enough players.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Basically, sorry, hurt my dog there.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
I think I thought it was that dog in gym
coming out. Sorry, he's got that dog in him too.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, that was Christian's dog. That wasn't me roofing at
the caged up or not? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, I think the Pelicans
were twenty six in offense after Zion's hamstring injury. Like
that's one of the stats of the season to me,
I think, yeah, definitely did. And somebody, somebody's got to
take those shots. I mean, I I just think that
they were in third place in the West when Zion
(18:56):
got hurt, and you know, you it would have been
great to see like brandon Ingram on the court when
you know Zion kind of had to pass at the
time to the injury. You know, Like, to me, thet
important stretch of the season with that ten game losing
streak and Zion was not able to play in any
of those games. And Brandon did not play in six
(19:17):
of those ten games, and he really didn't look like himself,
and before of him he did for the most part.
I mean, that was that was the defining stretch of
the season. To me. It's like, I think the team
just lost confidence. Role players lost confidence. You didn't have
the main two guys for the majority of the games
and and things kind of changed afterwards. But yeah, I mean,
(19:37):
somebody's got to take them. And for a long while,
you know, this winter and in early spring, it was
like it's CJ. And then you don't have any other
options really, you.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Know, what he brings to the team is hugely important,
and we're hoping that he can bring what he brings
on the court next season with a fully healthy offseason.
Christian Clark, thanks for joining us today on the Pelicans
Post podcast. Always glad to talk CJ. McCollum, talk Pelicans
players with you. Glad you're getting a little time off here,
but I have a feeling we'll be talking to you
(20:08):
again very soon, maybe again this week, foreshadowing.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
All right, guys, sounds good. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Big.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks to Christian Clark talking a little c J McCollum
with us today. Jim, you know, it's a weird time
as I watch basketball now, I'm just starting to come
back around and really pay attention. I feel like you've
been a little more plugged in as you have been
recovering and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
But you know, the.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Western Conference, We've talked about it a lot this week.
It's just so wide open right now. And watching the
Western playoffs Western Conference Playoffs. I got to say, I
saw the end of that Golden State Warriors Sacramento game
on Sunday. It hurt my heart watching that one. I
got to say, as I'm watching the Western Conference playoffs,
(21:02):
I just find myself shrieking light the beam all the time.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
I mean when that Harrison barn shot went up on
Sunday and the balls in the air and you're saying,
if this ball goes in, they're gonna win and be
up three to one, and I mean it looked good too.
It was it seemed like it was online. He just
shot it a little too strong, so that was tough.
I was definitely ready to light the beam myself. By
the way, I really haven't. I haven't really had a
choice I can't really do much, so it's been good.
(21:27):
The only good thing about having being kind of unable
to leave and do much is there's been a lot
of basketball on, so.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
That's been great.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Now the Pelicans, we should say, have paid. If you
ever seen a clockwork orange, he just have his eyes
open and was just basketball playing and I just put
eye drops.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, you know for that too, by the way, Yeah, yeah, help.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
The company is here to help you with your job,
and I'm here to help the company. But you know,
it's just been a lot to keep up with and
and and sort of a hard maybe for some Pelicans
fans to get over the hurt. But I feel like
there there are teams to root for. There's still drama.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
To be had.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Yeah, I think I'm not going out on too much
of a limb here to say that The Phoenix Suns
are not super popular with this Pelicans fan base, and
it looks like we're gonna get Denver versus Phoenix in
the second round, so I think that'll be a really
interesting series to watch. I'm curious to see just Phoenix
has a bunch of top level talent at the top
of their roster, but Denver has really good chemistry, and
(22:26):
they've had a bunch of guys that have been together
for multiple years. They're a great passing teams. So I mean,
it's not official. We still have to see both the
Nuggets and the Suns close out their series, which could
happen Tuesday night, but I think, I mean, obviously it's
very likely that those two teams are gonna play each
other in the Golden State Sacramento Series. I mean, I
know you haven't necessarily been able to watch every single
(22:48):
quarter or play of that, but man, if you have
a chance, you gotta watch. That's been some of the
best basketball yes to watch. I mean every game pretty much.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Garon Foxes must watch TV. I mean, he's just so close.
He's so much fun to watch. He's great, just so
easy to root for, and it's funny.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
I feel like some of the games he's had against
the Pelicans made me realize, like I knew he was
a really good player, not even just the season, like
even going back to the COVID season where he just
terrorized the Pelicans and was great and you saw some
of what he could do, and I thought, man, this
guy's got a ton of potential.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
He's one of the fastest players in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
If he tightens up his mid range shot and his
jumper and his free throws, which he's done improvements across
the board, I mean, he's if they win the series
against the Warriors, you got to start talking about him
as one of the best guards in just a different level.
He's one of the best guards in the NBA, but
I think you have to put him in a higher
tier if they're able to.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Get this done.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Yeah, because of the accomplishment that it would be to
beat the defending champion Warriors. But either way, regardless of
how that series finishes, I mean, it's been so much
fun and I feel like that's the one series that
I've have not wanted to miss any of.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
It because saying that's the one I've been trying to
keep up with because the Warriors are easy to root
against for me. Maybe Draymond being on that team has
something to do with it just a little, but you know,
the Sacramento King's easy roof. For so, if you're in
New Orleans and you just see one of those laser
light reader things that people play with their cats, that's
me lighting the beam in my backyard. Anytime the Kings win.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
And by the way, I've heard a couple of people
talk about this. I think this is interesting. Nothing might
come out of this in this this NBA offseason, but
I've heard a few people mention, you know, just across
the NBA or just kind of thinking out loud, like
what other stuff could other teams across the league come
up with? The commemorate victories. I'm totally I'm totally on
board with that. I think that would be great. I mean, obviously,
(24:40):
I don't want anyone to steal the King's idea or
like come up with some weak copy of it and
they're gonna do it.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Yeah, someone's gone.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
But I think this is it's kind of a challenge
for the marketing departments across the NBA to see if
they can come up with something that would resonate with
people and something that every fan.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Whatever fan base, would be like, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
I like that, that's fun, and it's not something that's
too much like what Sacramento already did.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
But credit to them, man, for that was such a
great idea.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
That's one of the best, in my opinion, marketing ideas
that any team has come up.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Now everyone's like, yeah, and so they definitely won people
over myself inclusion.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
And you know, the season is so long, like you
play eighty two games, and it's kind of like a
lot of times in the regular season of victory, it's like,
well they won.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Cool, you just added to the win column. There's another number.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
But there's no nothing else to it that you can
kind of enjoy as a fan base. And I think
for sure, like if you watch the people the videos
of them lighting the beam, all the people outside the
arena that are loving it and having a good time,
like why not, Like, to me, that makes the regular
season some even more fun and that's what you need.
You need stuff that can can make you kind of
(25:48):
get out of the monotony of like, oh, we got
eighty two games, and so I'm all for that, and
I would I'm just curious. Like I said, maybe we'll
get to September and October and there won't be any
teams that come up with anything, but I'm I'm interested
to see if there's some teams that come up.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
We're definitely gonna find out how corny some marketing departments are.
It's gonna it's gonna be a very revealing off season
when it comes to what other people try to imitate.
But yeah, it's it's gonna be an interesting playoffs. I
am excited to stay glued to it. So Jim, thanks
for thanks for hanging out with this old dog and
guiding me through. I'm still struggling a little bit in
(26:24):
this offseason. It's it's still hard for me to talk
basketball just a little bit. But I just hurt.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
I just hurt, So I understand.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
I mean, I think one of the things that we'll
kind of turn the page is the draft lottery on
May sixteenth. That will be kind of one of the
moments when we can It's hard to really drill down
too much on the draft until you know exactly where
you're picking, so at that point we'll kind of start
a little bit just to touch move forward to the
twenty three twenty four season.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Yeah, I'm growing mel kiper hair right now, but it's
not quite there. But once it's a NBA draft time,
I'm gonna be the I'm gonna be r mel Kuiper
in hair alone. Can't wait to see necessarily knowledge. We're
going to continue this series of podcast talking players talking
to the people that know them. On themorrow. We are
(27:10):
going to have Zion Williamson. That is going to be
the subject with mister Antonio Daniels. Do not miss it.
Thanks for listening to the Pelicans podcast presented by seat
geek and until they.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Pelicans podcast presented
by seat Geek. Join us three times per week on
pelicans dot com, the Pelicans mobile app, or you can
subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you next
time right here on the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast presented
by seat Geek.
Host
Jim Eichenhofer
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