December 9, 2025 • 29 mins
NBA.com writer Steve Aschburner joins Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell on the Pelicans Podcast for Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, to talk about the NBA Rookie Ladder that has two Pelicans rookies in the Top 5 with Jeremiah Fears currently at #3 and Derik Queen at #5.
Later, Jim shares his player of the week, player to watch, and the trending numbers that will shape this week’s matchups on the Pelicans schedule.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
Hello everyone and welcome to the New Orleans Pelicans
Podcast, official podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans.
As you can see Mr. Jim eichenhoferpelicans.com excited
to have a very interesting guesttoday since obviously you look
at the Pell season and one of the big storylines is the play
of the rookies. So who better to talk about the
rookies and Mr. steveashburnernba.com who puts
(00:33):
together the NBA Rookie Ladder? So Steve, good morning to you,
man. Thank you for joining us this
morning on the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast.
How are you? I'm doing fine.
Thanks for having me on guys. I've always had a soft spot in
my in my heart for New Orleans because I met my wife in New
Orleans. No kidding.
All right, you know what? Forget the rookie ladder.
Give us the give us the story. How?
How'd you meet her? Where'd you meet her?
(00:54):
To be honest with you, I was covering the Minnesota
Timberwolves when it was announced that they were being
sold to a group representing NewOrleans and moving the franchise
back in 1994. And I wasn't wild about covering
the Timberwolves back then. They were so bad.
And I kind of celebrated. But my boss has said no, no, no,
you're not off the hook yet. You have to go down to New
(01:15):
Orleans and write a few stories about the NBA returning to that
city. Ever since the Jazz had left.
I'm like, well, that's a matter of days.
That's not years out of my life that each Timber Wolf season
represented. So I I went down there and
stayed at the Hyatt and went down for breakfast.
(01:36):
I thought about room service. Nah, I thought about the buffet.
Nah, I want to order. And my wife was working there
while she went to school and sheserved me breakfast.
And that's how we met. No kidding.
That's a fantastic. Long distance, very fluky long
distance thing. Letters back when people wrote
letters, visits, phone calls, the whole thing.
(01:59):
And we're 29 years now of marriage.
That's fantastic. That's great to hear.
Jim. I, I know you're a newspaper guy
too as well. I still have the front page of
that paper. I remember, you know, because my
dad obviously remembers the Jazzand all that.
I was like, it'd be cool to havean NBA team.
I'll still remember got him I think or something was the got
him the headline for it. I remember that.
And then we didn't. But now we do.
(02:20):
We do have the Pelican, so let'sjust kind of get into that, man.
First and foremost, when you come up with things like the
rookie ladder and all that and you look at the different
players, we'll get into the season, specifically the two
Pel's first round picks. Look, I just remember all of
last season, much less going into the offseason, we all heard
how big this rookie class was going to be, how special this
(02:42):
class was going to be. So as we're now going into the
second full month of the season,are they living up to
expectations, Steve? Well, I feel like it has.
I've done this ladder for I don't know how long, 456 seasons
at least. And there have been years where,
look, I'll always find 1010 guysto put on the rungs of the
ladder, but sometimes it's been a little tough.
(03:05):
I mean, trying to nurse a whole season worth of weekly rankings
out of the Victor Women, Yama, Chet Holmgren, top heavy ladder,
you know, that kind of stuff could be tough last year not so
good in terms of the the class of 2024.
So I welcome any reports, early,early reports on on deep
(03:25):
classes. We're hearing that already about
next June's draft class. So yeah, I think it's legit.
I, I actually have, you know, I think one time I had a tie for
10th place to squeeze somebody on there.
They're usually, you know, 11/12/13 guys that I think can
make legit cases and they've been some injuries so far this
season. So you know, guys coming and
(03:48):
going. So I, I, I do like the, the
depth of this rookie class and you know, your team there in New
Orleans with their queen and Jeremiah fears to have two guys
that are ranking so high at thispoint, in my opinion, you know,
our committee is a committee of one.
I'm the guy that does. So we try to lend some
(04:09):
institutional heft to the rookieladder just like we do the power
rankings or the MVP ladder. But it comes down to 1 man's
opinion. We're as likely to be wrong as
we are right. But you know, we do try to do a
thorough job. The royal we I try to do a
thorough job and and stay up with the the rise and the fall
(04:29):
of these guys and what they're going through at any any
snapshot during their season. And I like, I like what I've
seen out of book Pelican rookiesthat have been on the ladder
really from the start of the season.
You know, Gus, the way this started, I was thinking we we
might just want to scrap the whole format that we had planned
and just go with Steve Ashburner, a love story.
(04:50):
But I'm gonna but before we get into more specifics on Queen and
Fears and the way that they've played so far, and by the way,
in the most recent rankings for people should check out the
article that Steve posts every week.
But in the most recent posting, Fears is third and Derek Queen
is fifth. So it's a testament to the way
that these guys have started theseason.
(05:10):
Obviously Fears was the 7th pick, Queen was the 13th pick.
So if you just look at their draft slot, for example, they're
outperforming, you know, where they were picked.
But you know, before we get intosome more specifics on those two
guys and what you've seen from them, Steve, for I just wanted
to ask you too. I mean, I was going to ask you
how long you've been doing it. It sounds like you, it's been a
while to the point where you're not even exactly sure how long.
(05:32):
But what's your process for, youknow, like how you compile the
list, how you rank the guys, howyou, I would imagine you must
have league pass fired up like 24 hours a day to be able to
keep track of all these guys. Yeah, I try to watch as many of
their games as possible, you know, allowing for, you know,
human tolerance on my part. I mean, they to have to watch
(05:55):
Washington versus Brooklyn or New Orleans versus, you know,
whomever. Some of those games I just can't
stick with. But if, if there's a legitimate
opponent and it's a, it's a teamwith a rookie who has been
shining, I try to catch, you know, at least some flipping
channels and, and, and dive in alittle that way.
Mostly I start with statistics. I go with a how they're doing
(06:18):
and then a weekly screening of how they've done in the past
week. Try to look, you know what, what
has changed? And then I just sort of scour
the Internet. If I can't see somebody in
person, if I can't catch enough of their games to make it valid
judgement, then I sort of enlistthe help of, you know, people
like you, Jim, and others covering the league around, you
know, all around the NBA and, and see what what's getting
(06:42):
written changes in how the the rookies are being used, or at
least to how they're how they'rereacting to how they're being
used. And, you know, it's just, it's
just sort of have a sense, relatively speaking, how these
guys stack up. And then, you know, I try not to
go only by stats when it comes to the order in which they're
ranked. Because, you know, a kid like
(07:06):
Colin Murray, Murray Boyle's up in Toronto, he's making his his
mark so far, largely as a defender.
That's a, that's a rotation thatneeded somebody to, you know,
really focus on opposing scores and things.
And, you know, so if I just wentby scoring averages or assist
averages or what, whatever your,your thing might be true
shooting or turnover ratio, you know, that would be a little bit
(07:30):
too simplistic. And I don't like it if, if it
ends up when my rankings sort ofhave a descending points per
game kind of a thing, because itdoes shift that.
Like I put too much emphasis on that.
I try not to, a lot of it is based on minutes and how big a
role a guy is playing, you know,in his team's rotation.
And that's sort of the 1st, maybe the first cut when it
(07:51):
comes to that. Guys that are playing fewer than
20 minutes, it's hard to commit claim that they're a top 10
rookie. And so if you're a rotation guy,
then we go from there. And these rankings to to to give
even more specific information, these, the rankings come out
each Wednesday, correct? Yep, posts on Wednesday, usually
(08:12):
early afternoon, sometime lunchtime.
And I know you mentioned that you take input from writers
around the league, including myself.
Was wondering, do you prefer gumbo or beignets?
Can we send to you to to as you prepare for each Wednesday?
I guess I'm a beignet guy. You can probably tell by looking
(08:32):
at me. I I I haven't missed.
I haven't missed many desserts and all the food down there is
awesome though that's. A tough question.
What? What are the crawfish etouffee
OK? From the marking this down, I'm
putting this down on the list interms of the the specific
players. Obviously that's what people
want to our our fan base wants to hear the most about.
(08:52):
You know, one of the things thatyou said that was interesting
too is you don't want this list to be based on stats.
You don't want it to just be numbers.
And I mean, a machine could put together a list with numbers and
rank guys that way. I guess we could start with
Jeremiah Fears, considering thathe's 3rd on the on the rankings
right now. What are some of the things that
have impressed you so far about him, especially as a guy who
(09:14):
just turned 19, like right before the regular season
started? Well, from everything I've seen
and, and read and heard from people that I've talked to, he
exudes confidence and, and I think that's huge.
I mean, for a rookie at his position to, you know, be that
secure in, you know, his minuteson the floor and what he does,
(09:35):
you know, that that's impressiveto me.
It's, you know, they say point guard is the toughest position
for an NBA rookie. And for him to be able to handle
those minutes when he plays alongside, you know, Alvarado, I
mean, it's not a very big backcourt, but you know, and the
and the Pelicans are they seem to be doing OK in terms of
turnovers. I noticed they're they're not a
(09:59):
big assist team. But, you know, it doesn't seem
like he's having trouble gettingthe ball up the floor.
In fact, I mean, his quickness is extremely impressive.
And it seems like, you know, James Borrego is is determined
to quicken the pace for the Pels.
And I think fears is a big part of that.
Now, having said that, you know,I've seen recently some of the
(10:22):
little nose to nose situations he's had with Luka Doncic,
particularly Rui Hatchamara tooka swipe at him, Couple other
guys and I like that. As long as it doesn't escalate,
as long as you're not getting out of a game.
You know, I remember last seasonI got a little bit down on
Detroit's Ron Holland because itseemed like he was trying maybe
(10:45):
a little too hard to be a tough guy.
And so far with fears, I think it's mostly been confidence and
not backing down. And that that that goes up to a
line that I can respect. I would hate to see it escalate
for him. And, you know, he's willing to
to go nose to nose or forehead to forehead with bigger guys.
(11:05):
So, you know, good for Jeremiah at this point.
Yeah, I mean, I I don't want to speak for anyone besides myself,
but I like the fact that he's willing to stand up to guys that
he's, you know, a lot of time, alot of times people say that the
veteran players kind of try to try the rookies, if you want to
put it that way. And it feels like he's not
willing to accept that as, you know, I'm you're going to punk
me or whatever phrase you want to use.
(11:28):
You know, Steve, as somebody you've covered the NBA for, you
know, 30 plus years. It it almost was abbreviated in
the 90s, obviously with the story that you told us, but from
the rankings that you've done with the rookies and obviously
you've seen tons of guys come into the league the last bunch
of years. When you talk about point guards
too, what, what are some of yourthings that you look at in terms
(11:49):
of how difficult that position is to come into the league and
adjust, especially with just allthe talent?
I mean, is that part of why you,you say, you know, fears I have
him high on my rankings because that is a tough position to
might be the toughest to come into the NBA at.
Yeah, I, I think that factors in.
I mean, that that's sort of a backdrop in my head when I, when
(12:10):
I evaluate these guys. I mean, a point guard, you have
to to sort of take into account how the team is playing too.
And that's not just wins and losses or these guys would not
be near the ladder at all, obviously.
But it's it's, you know, are they functioning?
Is the team functioning OK? Is it more than just getting his
own shots? You know that that's important
(12:30):
as well. I mean, it's very impressive if
a rookie can set up team mates given all the things he has, you
know, being thrown at him. I mean, any generic idea, but I
think Fears has been has been fine with that.
And yeah, point guards are are tough.
I was trying to think other rookie point guards that I've
ranked highly in the past several years.
But I'll tell you, it all sort of bleeds together.
(12:52):
I would need to to flip around year to year and then then names
would pop out for me. One thing I like about this
weekly duty, to be honest, and it's usually, you know, 2 two to
three days I spend on it every week plus game watching time is
I see these guys when they come in new the team's record.
(13:12):
It's only a a tangential factor.It it you know, that rookies
can't be held responsible for a team winning or losing.
Jeremiah, for instance, he's also got, he's got the worst
plus minus rating among the rookies.
He's probably pretty far down there in terms of the NBA
overall. But you can't, you know, I don't
(13:32):
hold guys to the winning. I guess if a team is winning
with a rookie, I give him maybe some bonus points.
But it's hard to hold because these guys are supposed to go to
struggling teams to make them better.
So, you know, it can't be fun, you know, going through what the
Pelicans have in terms of their record to this .3 and 21.
And and yet, if a rookie doesn'tget beaten down by that, doesn't
(13:57):
hang his head, you know, and, and lose, you know, in terms of
morale, then you know, it's moreto his credit and it's a, it's
a, it's a good sign for what comes in that second, third and
4th year. Yes, Steve, I, I mean, I think
people have agreed for a long time in the NBA that if you're
heavily relying on rookies, you're probably not going to win
(14:17):
a ton of games. And that, you know, it's a
credence to these two guys that they've played really well and
they've contributed a ton. But like you said, it's not fair
to say to a rookie come in and, and be responsible for wins and
losses. You know, in terms of some of
the point guards, I mean, you could go back the last 1520
years. To me, I think there's a lot of
point guards who've come in and had amazing careers, but their
(14:38):
first or first or second year they, they struggled.
I remember one guy specifically Mike Conley, if you go back, you
know, 15 plus years, his first year or two, he was getting
booed in Memphis and then he becomes an icon.
He's with his, I'm not sure if they've already said they're
going to retire his jersey or I'm sure they will.
Somebody like Darren Fox that the Pelicans played Monday
night. He was, I don't think he was, he
(15:00):
wasn't bad as a rookie, but it was like you're not seeing the,
the kind of player that you see now.
So I think all of those are really good points.
You know, in terms of Derrick Queen, one of the things that
you said, Steve too, that again I go back to is not measuring
guys by stats. Derrick Queen's had some really
good games. He's had some good stats.
He had a 30 point game against Denver.
(15:21):
But what you what do you see with the eye test when you watch
him play in terms of just his uniqueness and his style of play
just seems different from a lot of these other rookies.
Well, he seems again, he's he's pretty confident and when he has
the ball, you know, he seems to to be able to know what to do
with it. And you know, I know that, you
know, in the paint that that's been a big part of his game
(15:45):
defensively. It seems like that's going to
going to trail as far as his impact.
And, and my understanding is NewOrleans is not not protect him,
but they are trying to simplify things defensively for Derek
Queen. And I'll be honest with you too.
I think I he struck me to to sort of have that underdog
(16:07):
status just because of the way in which he was acquired.
You know, New Orleans giving up the draft pick seemed to put so
much pressure on him. It was a pressure on the team
for sure in the front office. But, you know, people wanted to
sort of throw a blanket over that and say, well, they gave up
an unprotected #1 and look at their record.
(16:30):
And that pick could end up being, you know, top, top pick
in the draft next year. And so I felt like, well, he
can't, he can't do anything about that except I've played as
well as he can do what the coaches tell him to do, blend in
with his teammates, all the things that an individual can
do. And I think, you know,
particularly, you know, up untila week or two ago, he was
(16:54):
looking good enough. I think I think this week might
have been the first time maybe Islid him down a spot, but he was
looking like somebody that he would be able to withstand the
the test of being, you know, thepressure of what they had, what
they had done to acquire him. And I thought it kind of shifted
to who does Atlanta take with that pick and how good is that
(17:16):
player going to be? Is he going to be better than
Derek Queen? If guy that they would have been
happy with next year as good a player, but they got him a year
sooner and he's got a year of development under him.
You know, Derek Queen might justinvariably turn this to his
favor, in his favor and to the the Pelicans advantage.
(17:37):
I just thought it was unfair that every time you mentioned
Derek Queen, you had to mention that that draft pick.
And, you know, there's no way anybody, you know, can shake
that. And he had nothing to do with
that. Yeah, Steve, I mean, I don't
want to speak for Derek Queen, but I mean, from our, I think
from the time that we've spent around him, it's obviously it's
only been a couple months of theseason, but it doesn't seem like
(17:57):
anything really fazes him. So I mean, if I think if he was
honest, he would say that's maybe it's probably something
that he doesn't even think about.
So which I think is great because I think that's probably
the approach that you need to have in terms of don't worry
about the outside pressure. I feel like a lot of the younger
players are dealing with social media now that they never was
something that wasn't even a thing, you know, 1520 years ago.
(18:20):
And now it's like people, you hear stuff all the time.
So the better you can block out things like that, I think the
better off you're going to be individually.
Steve, last thing for me, obviously you've with you
tracking these these rookie classes the last bunch of years.
One of the things that I find really interesting is we hear so
much talk a year, two years in advance of each draft class.
(18:45):
I feel like with the one that came into the league this year,
we heard about Cooper Flag when he was in Heist when he was like
a sophomore in high school and people said come.
People said, you know, you got to be positioned for 2025
because Cooper Flag is coming out.
And that's just one example. It just feels like we're at the
point where almost every year we're getting a read on draft
(19:05):
classes a year or two ahead of time, but it doesn't seem like
it's always accurate, you know what I mean?
It seems like sometimes they'll say that the draft class is
going to be really bad and it turns out to be surprisingly
good, and vice versa. Sometimes it is accurate.
It does feel like the 2024 classthat you mentioned has been not
producing a ton of guys that aremaking a huge impact.
(19:28):
And there was even, you know, a lot of debate about who should
be picked #1 because there wasn't really like, a standout
player. But I mean, what's been your
impression of that? Like when you hear people talk
about the 2028 draft, do you putany stock into it or or do you
just kind of ignore it? Well, I mean, some of it has to
penetrate my thick skull because, you know, you want to
(19:52):
have an inkling of people who you'll learn much more about.
But I agree with you. I mean, let's face it, since
since the NB as feeder system became one and done, you know,
they just don't have the the theresumes, the portfolios.
You know, when I started covering this league, I mean,
you get. A guy might put his name in for
(20:14):
the draft after three years in college, occasionally 2, but a
lot of guys came in as four yearplayers and it wasn't a negative
against them. I think now nowadays if a guy
comes in after four years or even 3IN college, you know, that
raises red flags about why he didn't come in sooner and does
he have the ceiling that they want to have in in younger
players? It's almost like, you know, the
(20:34):
sports like baseball and hockey that have long drafted players,
you know, right out of high school and maybe they go into
the minor league system, maybe they go into the junior system
in hockey. But it's it's a different,
different thing with basketball.Now they have a G League.
So, you know, as a training ground, as a developmental level
(20:57):
for young guys, you know, that might work out, but it, it's not
going to be the destination as any sort of a season long thing
for lottery picks because the expectations and the the hunger
for the teams that have lottery picks, it's too great.
And they need to get those guys acclimated as quickly as they
can. But yeah, I, I thought the
(21:18):
reason that the, the NBA wanted to what, increase the, the age
at which players entered the league was to get the, the
scouts out of the high school gyms.
And I don't think that's, that'sreally happened.
I try to stay out of the high school gyms only, only knowing
that you know what a player is at 18.
(21:40):
Cooper flag notwithstanding, is,is vastly different from what he
might be at 22 and and beyond. So yeah, those are sort of puffs
of smoke on a, on a class like, you know, 2028 or 2027.
Mildly interesting, but I got I've got to see them when they
(22:00):
get some traction in the NBA. Yeah.
Well, I know this past draft class was talked highly about
it. It's been fun to kind of see in
person a lot of these rookies, much less 2 that are starting
for the Pelicans now. And I hear a lot about the draft
class next year. But look, All in all, I do think
you've seen a certain level, Steve, as we wrap up of
competitiveness with a lot of those top picks, especially the
(22:21):
top five and the top ten that you've, you know, put in in your
ladder there. It's been fun to see there.
There's a little style or, or I guess a certainness of the
competitiveness like I talked about, but also some talent.
You can see these are guys, they're going to be players,
franchises build around and theyhave a little moxie to them.
So I I kind of like this class. Yeah, and I consider it at the
(22:42):
end of the season, if I have 7 or 8 guys on the final ladder
who end up, as you know, all rookie, first or second teamers,
then I consider it's been a pretty good season for our
weekly rankings. If if I've neglected anybody and
they, they rise up to the first team, all rookie or whatever, I
(23:03):
that would trouble me some. I don't think we have that much
influence on the voters, but I do think I, I judge our rankings
based on how it comes out in theend.
And of course there's all rookieteams.
You follow those along and you know, some of those guys fall
off in terms of elite in the NBAand other guys pop up because it
just took them a little longer in their first year.
(23:25):
You know, I was wondering you guys could tell me about, you
know, his production is down. You know, he's only started, I
guess a half dozen games or so. What do you see from him
compared to, you know how he didlast year when he when he did
make all rookie? Yeah, I mean, one thing,
unfortunately this has been across the board here, but he's
had some injuries, He's been banged up a little bit, he's
(23:48):
been in another lineup. He had an illness that he was
missed a couple games with that as well.
So I mean, his role is a little bit smaller, even if I think if
he was 100% the whole season because of guys like Derek Queen
and some of the other additions that they've made.
So but I think it's you look at it with him and it's just like
it's a long season and and hopefully, you know, he can.
He's also had some really good flashes lately where he's been
(24:10):
the most energetic guy on the floor, been blocking shots all
over the place and and and rebounding as well.
So he's had flashes, but it's just not the same, the same
responsibility that he had as a rookie last season.
Well, that's a long season. So if he could stay healthy and
available, yeah, you're probablyright.
He'll, he'll, he'll start to, toget back to, you know, the guy
(24:32):
we saw last season. All right, Mr.
steveashburnernba.com. The rookie ladder, if you enjoy
it, there he is. There's the man that puts it all
together and more importantly, gives New Orleans, the Crescent
City, an assist in the happy love story that is Mr. Steve
Ashburner and his wife. Thank you gentlemen.
Glad to be here. All right, our thanks to
(24:52):
steveashburnernba.com. And I do enjoy Jim the rookie
ladder and it look, it's a greatpoint, especially not just with
the Pels, but with the rest of the league.
Get to know these guys now and as the league progresses and
their careers progress and they become the next phases of the
league, you kind of already knowwho they are and everything.
So I do enjoy that. It makes it a nice easy CHEAT
SHEET when it comes to the broadcast as to who's playing
(25:12):
well and who's not. One of the things we love from
you Sir, to start the week player to watch a player of the
week and we can do some trendingnumbers as the Pells take on
Portland and Chicago to wrap up this work week.
So where would you like to start?
I'm going to start with player of the week and I'm going to go
with Sadiq Bay. He averaged 20 points a game.
He shot 49 percent from the field.
(25:32):
It's a little cold lately from three-point range, but I mean, I
guess we can't have everything. He also made all sixteen of his
free throws. So I know people will be happy
with that average 6 rebounds a game.
I mean, if you if you think about it, he's just one of these
guys that continually is outperforming.
I think maybe not his expectations or the team's
expectations, but from the outside, I don't think people
(25:53):
necessarily thought, OK, this isa guy you're going to get 20
points a game from on a consistent basis.
So he's the player of the week. The Pelicans lost all three
games, but I thought he was a bright spot.
The player to watch over the next seven days is going to be
Herb Jones. And as we record this, we're not
sure exactly when he's going to be back, but he was upgraded to
questionable over the weekend onthe injury report, so hopefully
(26:14):
that means we'll get to see him soon.
His most recent game before thisweek was November 21st at
Dallas. He had eight straight DMPS
between then and as we record this, it felt like 18 because
the team misses him so much. The Pelicans are 28th in
defensive efficiency only ahead of Utah and Washington.
And four of the five games that the Pelicans have, four of the
(26:37):
games that they've allowed the most points, four of those five
games Herb didn't play. So those have been all recent.
So looking forward to seeing Herb play.
As far as the trending numbers go, only two opponents because
of the NBA Cup. They only have two games over
this seven day period. They play Portland on Thursday.
The trending number for them is 6 and that is how many games
behind 10th place the Pelicans are.
(26:57):
The Trail Blazers are in 10th right now.
I think I'm going to make a promise to myself that I'm not
going to bring up the play in very much unless that gap gets
closer. But as we record this, the
Pelicans are sixth out of 10th place and the Portland Trail
Blazers. And lastly, the trending number
for the Chicago Bulls that the Pelicans play on Sunday is 3 and
13. And that is the Bulls started
out the season 6 and one, but they're 3 and 13 since then and
(27:21):
they've they're on A7 game losing streak.
The first loss of that seven in a row was against the Pelicans
on November 24th, 1:43 to 1:30. So this is a team that has
really been in a in a tough stretch lately and hopefully the
Pelicans will be able to take advantage of that.
Obviously the first Game Match up against Chicago was one of
the Pelicans first three wins, so maybe there's something that
(27:44):
they have an advantage in that match up, but the Bulls have
really been cold lately. Yeah, look, and it'll be
interesting to see when these teams play the Pels here.
Somebody's got to win here, but hopefully the Pels will get back
to their winning ways. And Jim, I think it's such a
great number that you brought upor point with Herb Jones,
because I feel like on the broadcast, I can hear Graph and
(28:04):
JD constantly talking about thisplayer with a career high, this
player with a, you know, career something on a on a weekly night
or night basis, night in, night out basis against the Pelicans
on the defense and that Nets game.
I think you could definitely sayyou're you're sorely missing
somebody on that defense. I can kind of be the the anchor
(28:25):
to if that makes any sense. Sure.
Yeah, I mean, they just have to show more resistance on defense.
That that was evident many examples during the Nets game
where things were too easy. Michael Porter had 35 points and
it looked like the easiest 35 points he's had in a long time.
Like maybe since before he was in the NBA.
So yeah, they having her back, Ithink Will can only help at the
defensive end of the floor. Well, we'll wrap up on this.
(28:47):
I'll take what Steve Ashburner from nba.com, our guest today
said. It's a long season.
And since it's a long season, itcan be two different types of
seasons. So let's hope as we get closer
to a new calendar year, Jim, some more wins come, some
healthy bodies come back here and everybody gets going the way
I think we know this team can possibly do it.
I think there's some talent here.
Let's let's get some WS man. Yeah, we want the, it's a long
(29:11):
season and there's a lot of timeleft to play better and turn it
around. Not the oh man, it's a long
season, there's a lot of games left.
We want the first of those too. Yeah, big difference.
As always man, I appreciate the time since you might get offer
pelicans.com. Thank.
You buddy. Thanks guys.
Thanks as always. Thank you for tuning us in to
the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast.
We'll see you next time.
Hello everyone and welcome to the New Orleans Pelicans
Podcast, official podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans.
As you can see Mr. Jim eichenhoferpelicans.com excited
to have a very interesting guesttoday since obviously you look
at the Pell season and one of the big storylines is the play
of the rookies. So who better to talk about the
rookies and Mr. steveashburnernba.com who puts
(00:33):
together the NBA Rookie Ladder? So Steve, good morning to you,
man. Thank you for joining us this
morning on the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast.
How are you? I'm doing fine.
Thanks for having me on guys. I've always had a soft spot in
my in my heart for New Orleans because I met my wife in New
Orleans. No kidding.
All right, you know what? Forget the rookie ladder.
Give us the give us the story. How?
How'd you meet her? Where'd you meet her?
(00:54):
To be honest with you, I was covering the Minnesota
Timberwolves when it was announced that they were being
sold to a group representing NewOrleans and moving the franchise
back in 1994. And I wasn't wild about covering
the Timberwolves back then. They were so bad.
And I kind of celebrated. But my boss has said no, no, no,
you're not off the hook yet. You have to go down to New
(01:15):
Orleans and write a few stories about the NBA returning to that
city. Ever since the Jazz had left.
I'm like, well, that's a matter of days.
That's not years out of my life that each Timber Wolf season
represented. So I I went down there and
stayed at the Hyatt and went down for breakfast.
(01:36):
I thought about room service. Nah, I thought about the buffet.
Nah, I want to order. And my wife was working there
while she went to school and sheserved me breakfast.
And that's how we met. No kidding.
That's a fantastic. Long distance, very fluky long
distance thing. Letters back when people wrote
letters, visits, phone calls, the whole thing.
(01:59):
And we're 29 years now of marriage.
That's fantastic. That's great to hear.
Jim. I, I know you're a newspaper guy
too as well. I still have the front page of
that paper. I remember, you know, because my
dad obviously remembers the Jazzand all that.
I was like, it'd be cool to havean NBA team.
I'll still remember got him I think or something was the got
him the headline for it. I remember that.
And then we didn't. But now we do.
(02:20):
We do have the Pelican, so let'sjust kind of get into that, man.
First and foremost, when you come up with things like the
rookie ladder and all that and you look at the different
players, we'll get into the season, specifically the two
Pel's first round picks. Look, I just remember all of
last season, much less going into the offseason, we all heard
how big this rookie class was going to be, how special this
(02:42):
class was going to be. So as we're now going into the
second full month of the season,are they living up to
expectations, Steve? Well, I feel like it has.
I've done this ladder for I don't know how long, 456 seasons
at least. And there have been years where,
look, I'll always find 1010 guysto put on the rungs of the
ladder, but sometimes it's been a little tough.
(03:05):
I mean, trying to nurse a whole season worth of weekly rankings
out of the Victor Women, Yama, Chet Holmgren, top heavy ladder,
you know, that kind of stuff could be tough last year not so
good in terms of the the class of 2024.
So I welcome any reports, early,early reports on on deep
(03:25):
classes. We're hearing that already about
next June's draft class. So yeah, I think it's legit.
I, I actually have, you know, I think one time I had a tie for
10th place to squeeze somebody on there.
They're usually, you know, 11/12/13 guys that I think can
make legit cases and they've been some injuries so far this
season. So you know, guys coming and
(03:48):
going. So I, I, I do like the, the
depth of this rookie class and you know, your team there in New
Orleans with their queen and Jeremiah fears to have two guys
that are ranking so high at thispoint, in my opinion, you know,
our committee is a committee of one.
I'm the guy that does. So we try to lend some
(04:09):
institutional heft to the rookieladder just like we do the power
rankings or the MVP ladder. But it comes down to 1 man's
opinion. We're as likely to be wrong as
we are right. But you know, we do try to do a
thorough job. The royal we I try to do a
thorough job and and stay up with the the rise and the fall
(04:29):
of these guys and what they're going through at any any
snapshot during their season. And I like, I like what I've
seen out of book Pelican rookiesthat have been on the ladder
really from the start of the season.
You know, Gus, the way this started, I was thinking we we
might just want to scrap the whole format that we had planned
and just go with Steve Ashburner, a love story.
(04:50):
But I'm gonna but before we get into more specifics on Queen and
Fears and the way that they've played so far, and by the way,
in the most recent rankings for people should check out the
article that Steve posts every week.
But in the most recent posting, Fears is third and Derek Queen
is fifth. So it's a testament to the way
that these guys have started theseason.
(05:10):
Obviously Fears was the 7th pick, Queen was the 13th pick.
So if you just look at their draft slot, for example, they're
outperforming, you know, where they were picked.
But you know, before we get intosome more specifics on those two
guys and what you've seen from them, Steve, for I just wanted
to ask you too. I mean, I was going to ask you
how long you've been doing it. It sounds like you, it's been a
while to the point where you're not even exactly sure how long.
(05:32):
But what's your process for, youknow, like how you compile the
list, how you rank the guys, howyou, I would imagine you must
have league pass fired up like 24 hours a day to be able to
keep track of all these guys. Yeah, I try to watch as many of
their games as possible, you know, allowing for, you know,
human tolerance on my part. I mean, they to have to watch
(05:55):
Washington versus Brooklyn or New Orleans versus, you know,
whomever. Some of those games I just can't
stick with. But if, if there's a legitimate
opponent and it's a, it's a teamwith a rookie who has been
shining, I try to catch, you know, at least some flipping
channels and, and, and dive in alittle that way.
Mostly I start with statistics. I go with a how they're doing
(06:18):
and then a weekly screening of how they've done in the past
week. Try to look, you know what, what
has changed? And then I just sort of scour
the Internet. If I can't see somebody in
person, if I can't catch enough of their games to make it valid
judgement, then I sort of enlistthe help of, you know, people
like you, Jim, and others covering the league around, you
know, all around the NBA and, and see what what's getting
(06:42):
written changes in how the the rookies are being used, or at
least to how they're how they'rereacting to how they're being
used. And, you know, it's just, it's
just sort of have a sense, relatively speaking, how these
guys stack up. And then, you know, I try not to
go only by stats when it comes to the order in which they're
ranked. Because, you know, a kid like
(07:06):
Colin Murray, Murray Boyle's up in Toronto, he's making his his
mark so far, largely as a defender.
That's a, that's a rotation thatneeded somebody to, you know,
really focus on opposing scores and things.
And, you know, so if I just wentby scoring averages or assist
averages or what, whatever your,your thing might be true
shooting or turnover ratio, you know, that would be a little bit
(07:30):
too simplistic. And I don't like it if, if it
ends up when my rankings sort ofhave a descending points per
game kind of a thing, because itdoes shift that.
Like I put too much emphasis on that.
I try not to, a lot of it is based on minutes and how big a
role a guy is playing, you know,in his team's rotation.
And that's sort of the 1st, maybe the first cut when it
(07:51):
comes to that. Guys that are playing fewer than
20 minutes, it's hard to commit claim that they're a top 10
rookie. And so if you're a rotation guy,
then we go from there. And these rankings to to to give
even more specific information, these, the rankings come out
each Wednesday, correct? Yep, posts on Wednesday, usually
(08:12):
early afternoon, sometime lunchtime.
And I know you mentioned that you take input from writers
around the league, including myself.
Was wondering, do you prefer gumbo or beignets?
Can we send to you to to as you prepare for each Wednesday?
I guess I'm a beignet guy. You can probably tell by looking
(08:32):
at me. I I I haven't missed.
I haven't missed many desserts and all the food down there is
awesome though that's. A tough question.
What? What are the crawfish etouffee
OK? From the marking this down, I'm
putting this down on the list interms of the the specific
players. Obviously that's what people
want to our our fan base wants to hear the most about.
(08:52):
You know, one of the things thatyou said that was interesting
too is you don't want this list to be based on stats.
You don't want it to just be numbers.
And I mean, a machine could put together a list with numbers and
rank guys that way. I guess we could start with
Jeremiah Fears, considering thathe's 3rd on the on the rankings
right now. What are some of the things that
have impressed you so far about him, especially as a guy who
(09:14):
just turned 19, like right before the regular season
started? Well, from everything I've seen
and, and read and heard from people that I've talked to, he
exudes confidence and, and I think that's huge.
I mean, for a rookie at his position to, you know, be that
secure in, you know, his minuteson the floor and what he does,
(09:35):
you know, that that's impressiveto me.
It's, you know, they say point guard is the toughest position
for an NBA rookie. And for him to be able to handle
those minutes when he plays alongside, you know, Alvarado, I
mean, it's not a very big backcourt, but you know, and the
and the Pelicans are they seem to be doing OK in terms of
turnovers. I noticed they're they're not a
(09:59):
big assist team. But, you know, it doesn't seem
like he's having trouble gettingthe ball up the floor.
In fact, I mean, his quickness is extremely impressive.
And it seems like, you know, James Borrego is is determined
to quicken the pace for the Pels.
And I think fears is a big part of that.
Now, having said that, you know,I've seen recently some of the
(10:22):
little nose to nose situations he's had with Luka Doncic,
particularly Rui Hatchamara tooka swipe at him, Couple other
guys and I like that. As long as it doesn't escalate,
as long as you're not getting out of a game.
You know, I remember last seasonI got a little bit down on
Detroit's Ron Holland because itseemed like he was trying maybe
(10:45):
a little too hard to be a tough guy.
And so far with fears, I think it's mostly been confidence and
not backing down. And that that that goes up to a
line that I can respect. I would hate to see it escalate
for him. And, you know, he's willing to
to go nose to nose or forehead to forehead with bigger guys.
(11:05):
So, you know, good for Jeremiah at this point.
Yeah, I mean, I I don't want to speak for anyone besides myself,
but I like the fact that he's willing to stand up to guys that
he's, you know, a lot of time, alot of times people say that the
veteran players kind of try to try the rookies, if you want to
put it that way. And it feels like he's not
willing to accept that as, you know, I'm you're going to punk
me or whatever phrase you want to use.
(11:28):
You know, Steve, as somebody you've covered the NBA for, you
know, 30 plus years. It it almost was abbreviated in
the 90s, obviously with the story that you told us, but from
the rankings that you've done with the rookies and obviously
you've seen tons of guys come into the league the last bunch
of years. When you talk about point guards
too, what, what are some of yourthings that you look at in terms
(11:49):
of how difficult that position is to come into the league and
adjust, especially with just allthe talent?
I mean, is that part of why you,you say, you know, fears I have
him high on my rankings because that is a tough position to
might be the toughest to come into the NBA at.
Yeah, I, I think that factors in.
I mean, that that's sort of a backdrop in my head when I, when
(12:10):
I evaluate these guys. I mean, a point guard, you have
to to sort of take into account how the team is playing too.
And that's not just wins and losses or these guys would not
be near the ladder at all, obviously.
But it's it's, you know, are they functioning?
Is the team functioning OK? Is it more than just getting his
own shots? You know that that's important
(12:30):
as well. I mean, it's very impressive if
a rookie can set up team mates given all the things he has, you
know, being thrown at him. I mean, any generic idea, but I
think Fears has been has been fine with that.
And yeah, point guards are are tough.
I was trying to think other rookie point guards that I've
ranked highly in the past several years.
But I'll tell you, it all sort of bleeds together.
(12:52):
I would need to to flip around year to year and then then names
would pop out for me. One thing I like about this
weekly duty, to be honest, and it's usually, you know, 2 two to
three days I spend on it every week plus game watching time is
I see these guys when they come in new the team's record.
(13:12):
It's only a a tangential factor.It it you know, that rookies
can't be held responsible for a team winning or losing.
Jeremiah, for instance, he's also got, he's got the worst
plus minus rating among the rookies.
He's probably pretty far down there in terms of the NBA
overall. But you can't, you know, I don't
(13:32):
hold guys to the winning. I guess if a team is winning
with a rookie, I give him maybe some bonus points.
But it's hard to hold because these guys are supposed to go to
struggling teams to make them better.
So, you know, it can't be fun, you know, going through what the
Pelicans have in terms of their record to this .3 and 21.
And and yet, if a rookie doesn'tget beaten down by that, doesn't
(13:57):
hang his head, you know, and, and lose, you know, in terms of
morale, then you know, it's moreto his credit and it's a, it's
a, it's a good sign for what comes in that second, third and
4th year. Yes, Steve, I, I mean, I think
people have agreed for a long time in the NBA that if you're
heavily relying on rookies, you're probably not going to win
(14:17):
a ton of games. And that, you know, it's a
credence to these two guys that they've played really well and
they've contributed a ton. But like you said, it's not fair
to say to a rookie come in and, and be responsible for wins and
losses. You know, in terms of some of
the point guards, I mean, you could go back the last 1520
years. To me, I think there's a lot of
point guards who've come in and had amazing careers, but their
(14:38):
first or first or second year they, they struggled.
I remember one guy specifically Mike Conley, if you go back, you
know, 15 plus years, his first year or two, he was getting
booed in Memphis and then he becomes an icon.
He's with his, I'm not sure if they've already said they're
going to retire his jersey or I'm sure they will.
Somebody like Darren Fox that the Pelicans played Monday
night. He was, I don't think he was, he
(15:00):
wasn't bad as a rookie, but it was like you're not seeing the,
the kind of player that you see now.
So I think all of those are really good points.
You know, in terms of Derrick Queen, one of the things that
you said, Steve too, that again I go back to is not measuring
guys by stats. Derrick Queen's had some really
good games. He's had some good stats.
He had a 30 point game against Denver.
(15:21):
But what you what do you see with the eye test when you watch
him play in terms of just his uniqueness and his style of play
just seems different from a lot of these other rookies.
Well, he seems again, he's he's pretty confident and when he has
the ball, you know, he seems to to be able to know what to do
with it. And you know, I know that, you
know, in the paint that that's been a big part of his game
(15:45):
defensively. It seems like that's going to
going to trail as far as his impact.
And, and my understanding is NewOrleans is not not protect him,
but they are trying to simplify things defensively for Derek
Queen. And I'll be honest with you too.
I think I he struck me to to sort of have that underdog
(16:07):
status just because of the way in which he was acquired.
You know, New Orleans giving up the draft pick seemed to put so
much pressure on him. It was a pressure on the team
for sure in the front office. But, you know, people wanted to
sort of throw a blanket over that and say, well, they gave up
an unprotected #1 and look at their record.
(16:30):
And that pick could end up being, you know, top, top pick
in the draft next year. And so I felt like, well, he
can't, he can't do anything about that except I've played as
well as he can do what the coaches tell him to do, blend in
with his teammates, all the things that an individual can
do. And I think, you know,
particularly, you know, up untila week or two ago, he was
(16:54):
looking good enough. I think I think this week might
have been the first time maybe Islid him down a spot, but he was
looking like somebody that he would be able to withstand the
the test of being, you know, thepressure of what they had, what
they had done to acquire him. And I thought it kind of shifted
to who does Atlanta take with that pick and how good is that
(17:16):
player going to be? Is he going to be better than
Derek Queen? If guy that they would have been
happy with next year as good a player, but they got him a year
sooner and he's got a year of development under him.
You know, Derek Queen might justinvariably turn this to his
favor, in his favor and to the the Pelicans advantage.
(17:37):
I just thought it was unfair that every time you mentioned
Derek Queen, you had to mention that that draft pick.
And, you know, there's no way anybody, you know, can shake
that. And he had nothing to do with
that. Yeah, Steve, I mean, I don't
want to speak for Derek Queen, but I mean, from our, I think
from the time that we've spent around him, it's obviously it's
only been a couple months of theseason, but it doesn't seem like
(17:57):
anything really fazes him. So I mean, if I think if he was
honest, he would say that's maybe it's probably something
that he doesn't even think about.
So which I think is great because I think that's probably
the approach that you need to have in terms of don't worry
about the outside pressure. I feel like a lot of the younger
players are dealing with social media now that they never was
something that wasn't even a thing, you know, 1520 years ago.
(18:20):
And now it's like people, you hear stuff all the time.
So the better you can block out things like that, I think the
better off you're going to be individually.
Steve, last thing for me, obviously you've with you
tracking these these rookie classes the last bunch of years.
One of the things that I find really interesting is we hear so
much talk a year, two years in advance of each draft class.
(18:45):
I feel like with the one that came into the league this year,
we heard about Cooper Flag when he was in Heist when he was like
a sophomore in high school and people said come.
People said, you know, you got to be positioned for 2025
because Cooper Flag is coming out.
And that's just one example. It just feels like we're at the
point where almost every year we're getting a read on draft
(19:05):
classes a year or two ahead of time, but it doesn't seem like
it's always accurate, you know what I mean?
It seems like sometimes they'll say that the draft class is
going to be really bad and it turns out to be surprisingly
good, and vice versa. Sometimes it is accurate.
It does feel like the 2024 classthat you mentioned has been not
producing a ton of guys that aremaking a huge impact.
(19:28):
And there was even, you know, a lot of debate about who should
be picked #1 because there wasn't really like, a standout
player. But I mean, what's been your
impression of that? Like when you hear people talk
about the 2028 draft, do you putany stock into it or or do you
just kind of ignore it? Well, I mean, some of it has to
penetrate my thick skull because, you know, you want to
(19:52):
have an inkling of people who you'll learn much more about.
But I agree with you. I mean, let's face it, since
since the NB as feeder system became one and done, you know,
they just don't have the the theresumes, the portfolios.
You know, when I started covering this league, I mean,
you get. A guy might put his name in for
(20:14):
the draft after three years in college, occasionally 2, but a
lot of guys came in as four yearplayers and it wasn't a negative
against them. I think now nowadays if a guy
comes in after four years or even 3IN college, you know, that
raises red flags about why he didn't come in sooner and does
he have the ceiling that they want to have in in younger
players? It's almost like, you know, the
(20:34):
sports like baseball and hockey that have long drafted players,
you know, right out of high school and maybe they go into
the minor league system, maybe they go into the junior system
in hockey. But it's it's a different,
different thing with basketball.Now they have a G League.
So, you know, as a training ground, as a developmental level
(20:57):
for young guys, you know, that might work out, but it, it's not
going to be the destination as any sort of a season long thing
for lottery picks because the expectations and the the hunger
for the teams that have lottery picks, it's too great.
And they need to get those guys acclimated as quickly as they
can. But yeah, I, I thought the
(21:18):
reason that the, the NBA wanted to what, increase the, the age
at which players entered the league was to get the, the
scouts out of the high school gyms.
And I don't think that's, that'sreally happened.
I try to stay out of the high school gyms only, only knowing
that you know what a player is at 18.
(21:40):
Cooper flag notwithstanding, is,is vastly different from what he
might be at 22 and and beyond. So yeah, those are sort of puffs
of smoke on a, on a class like, you know, 2028 or 2027.
Mildly interesting, but I got I've got to see them when they
(22:00):
get some traction in the NBA. Yeah.
Well, I know this past draft class was talked highly about
it. It's been fun to kind of see in
person a lot of these rookies, much less 2 that are starting
for the Pelicans now. And I hear a lot about the draft
class next year. But look, All in all, I do think
you've seen a certain level, Steve, as we wrap up of
competitiveness with a lot of those top picks, especially the
(22:21):
top five and the top ten that you've, you know, put in in your
ladder there. It's been fun to see there.
There's a little style or, or I guess a certainness of the
competitiveness like I talked about, but also some talent.
You can see these are guys, they're going to be players,
franchises build around and theyhave a little moxie to them.
So I I kind of like this class. Yeah, and I consider it at the
(22:42):
end of the season, if I have 7 or 8 guys on the final ladder
who end up, as you know, all rookie, first or second teamers,
then I consider it's been a pretty good season for our
weekly rankings. If if I've neglected anybody and
they, they rise up to the first team, all rookie or whatever, I
(23:03):
that would trouble me some. I don't think we have that much
influence on the voters, but I do think I, I judge our rankings
based on how it comes out in theend.
And of course there's all rookieteams.
You follow those along and you know, some of those guys fall
off in terms of elite in the NBAand other guys pop up because it
just took them a little longer in their first year.
(23:25):
You know, I was wondering you guys could tell me about, you
know, his production is down. You know, he's only started, I
guess a half dozen games or so. What do you see from him
compared to, you know how he didlast year when he when he did
make all rookie? Yeah, I mean, one thing,
unfortunately this has been across the board here, but he's
had some injuries, He's been banged up a little bit, he's
(23:48):
been in another lineup. He had an illness that he was
missed a couple games with that as well.
So I mean, his role is a little bit smaller, even if I think if
he was 100% the whole season because of guys like Derek Queen
and some of the other additions that they've made.
So but I think it's you look at it with him and it's just like
it's a long season and and hopefully, you know, he can.
He's also had some really good flashes lately where he's been
(24:10):
the most energetic guy on the floor, been blocking shots all
over the place and and and rebounding as well.
So he's had flashes, but it's just not the same, the same
responsibility that he had as a rookie last season.
Well, that's a long season. So if he could stay healthy and
available, yeah, you're probablyright.
He'll, he'll, he'll start to, toget back to, you know, the guy
(24:32):
we saw last season. All right, Mr.
steveashburnernba.com. The rookie ladder, if you enjoy
it, there he is. There's the man that puts it all
together and more importantly, gives New Orleans, the Crescent
City, an assist in the happy love story that is Mr. Steve
Ashburner and his wife. Thank you gentlemen.
Glad to be here. All right, our thanks to
(24:52):
steveashburnernba.com. And I do enjoy Jim the rookie
ladder and it look, it's a greatpoint, especially not just with
the Pels, but with the rest of the league.
Get to know these guys now and as the league progresses and
their careers progress and they become the next phases of the
league, you kind of already knowwho they are and everything.
So I do enjoy that. It makes it a nice easy CHEAT
SHEET when it comes to the broadcast as to who's playing
(25:12):
well and who's not. One of the things we love from
you Sir, to start the week player to watch a player of the
week and we can do some trendingnumbers as the Pells take on
Portland and Chicago to wrap up this work week.
So where would you like to start?
I'm going to start with player of the week and I'm going to go
with Sadiq Bay. He averaged 20 points a game.
He shot 49 percent from the field.
(25:32):
It's a little cold lately from three-point range, but I mean, I
guess we can't have everything. He also made all sixteen of his
free throws. So I know people will be happy
with that average 6 rebounds a game.
I mean, if you if you think about it, he's just one of these
guys that continually is outperforming.
I think maybe not his expectations or the team's
expectations, but from the outside, I don't think people
(25:53):
necessarily thought, OK, this isa guy you're going to get 20
points a game from on a consistent basis.
So he's the player of the week. The Pelicans lost all three
games, but I thought he was a bright spot.
The player to watch over the next seven days is going to be
Herb Jones. And as we record this, we're not
sure exactly when he's going to be back, but he was upgraded to
questionable over the weekend onthe injury report, so hopefully
(26:14):
that means we'll get to see him soon.
His most recent game before thisweek was November 21st at
Dallas. He had eight straight DMPS
between then and as we record this, it felt like 18 because
the team misses him so much. The Pelicans are 28th in
defensive efficiency only ahead of Utah and Washington.
And four of the five games that the Pelicans have, four of the
(26:37):
games that they've allowed the most points, four of those five
games Herb didn't play. So those have been all recent.
So looking forward to seeing Herb play.
As far as the trending numbers go, only two opponents because
of the NBA Cup. They only have two games over
this seven day period. They play Portland on Thursday.
The trending number for them is 6 and that is how many games
behind 10th place the Pelicans are.
(26:57):
The Trail Blazers are in 10th right now.
I think I'm going to make a promise to myself that I'm not
going to bring up the play in very much unless that gap gets
closer. But as we record this, the
Pelicans are sixth out of 10th place and the Portland Trail
Blazers. And lastly, the trending number
for the Chicago Bulls that the Pelicans play on Sunday is 3 and
13. And that is the Bulls started
out the season 6 and one, but they're 3 and 13 since then and
(27:21):
they've they're on A7 game losing streak.
The first loss of that seven in a row was against the Pelicans
on November 24th, 1:43 to 1:30. So this is a team that has
really been in a in a tough stretch lately and hopefully the
Pelicans will be able to take advantage of that.
Obviously the first Game Match up against Chicago was one of
the Pelicans first three wins, so maybe there's something that
(27:44):
they have an advantage in that match up, but the Bulls have
really been cold lately. Yeah, look, and it'll be
interesting to see when these teams play the Pels here.
Somebody's got to win here, but hopefully the Pels will get back
to their winning ways. And Jim, I think it's such a
great number that you brought upor point with Herb Jones,
because I feel like on the broadcast, I can hear Graph and
(28:04):
JD constantly talking about thisplayer with a career high, this
player with a, you know, career something on a on a weekly night
or night basis, night in, night out basis against the Pelicans
on the defense and that Nets game.
I think you could definitely sayyou're you're sorely missing
somebody on that defense. I can kind of be the the anchor
(28:25):
to if that makes any sense. Sure.
Yeah, I mean, they just have to show more resistance on defense.
That that was evident many examples during the Nets game
where things were too easy. Michael Porter had 35 points and
it looked like the easiest 35 points he's had in a long time.
Like maybe since before he was in the NBA.
So yeah, they having her back, Ithink Will can only help at the
defensive end of the floor. Well, we'll wrap up on this.
(28:47):
I'll take what Steve Ashburner from nba.com, our guest today
said. It's a long season.
And since it's a long season, itcan be two different types of
seasons. So let's hope as we get closer
to a new calendar year, Jim, some more wins come, some
healthy bodies come back here and everybody gets going the way
I think we know this team can possibly do it.
I think there's some talent here.
Let's let's get some WS man. Yeah, we want the, it's a long
(29:11):
season and there's a lot of timeleft to play better and turn it
around. Not the oh man, it's a long
season, there's a lot of games left.
We want the first of those too. Yeah, big difference.
As always man, I appreciate the time since you might get offer
pelicans.com. Thank.
You buddy. Thanks guys.
Thanks as always. Thank you for tuning us in to
the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast.
We'll see you next time.
Host
Jim Eichenhofer
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