Pelicans Radio Roundtable discuss improved play | Pelicans Podcast

Published Jan 17, 2025, 5:25 PM

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast for Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, Pelicans.com’s Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell host a Pelicans Radio Roundtable with radio play-by-play announcer Todd Graffagnini and TV studio host/reporter Erin Summers to discuss the team’s recent play and what to expect for the second half of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Later, Jim gives us his trending numbers, a weekend showdown game to keep an eye on, and his first Good Guy of the Week award.

 

Welcome in to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, the official podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans. A podcast dedicated to everything you need to know about the squad. Hear from players, coaches, broadcasters, and those who cover the NBA on a daily basis. It's time to flock up. The New Orleans Pelicans podcast starts right now.

Help me want to Welcome to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, official podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans. On the seventeenth of January, it is Friday, jim Ike can offer thrill, not only because it's Friday, because the Pels won and snow is coming.

Can't wait?

They can't wait excitement level through his voice you could hear it in all honesty though, how fun was the win? Back on Wednesdays? This is what it sounded on the Pelicans Radio network.

Back to Tray, who kneaded into the front court. He'll pick up and then a little mini wind mill, two hand flush, a little uh zion light up the four mccolumn stop pop right wing three another break, flying in and dunking it on the followers.

Davonte Green, Oh.

No, he did not do that, Yes he did, Murray for three Left wing yes.

Sir, de Jontay Murray hold the polls.

Straight away three fun ron rebound on the deck. Good job taken by Murray, Murphy and Cleeve. But going at it in the back court now. Dejontay crosses over, pulls up from the nail.

Yes, sir, take it over.

Dday, take it over, do Jontay Murray with a flourish of points. Murray won a one with Thompson spins right, spins left ten footer. Oh my heavens, putting on a show to Jontay Murray.

Everybody up.

McCollum drives down the lane, hook past to Tray, fake the three to green left wing three, Yes, a fun time, Green to you. Hawkins picked up his dribble and we throw it away, na dude to Dan Wady block by Murphy Hawky.

The ups and downs, Mister Jimi can offer of a John de Chazer tigraphinie radio call.

That was a roller coaster.

Just the last minute of the game had a lot of peaks and valleys.

Unbelievable.

We need to go get the team doctor to make sure they're good cardio wise in that heart there, look man. Two straight wins three of the last four just quick overall thoughts. They we'll hear from Willie Green and some of the players in that game. But what stood out in that win to you?

I mean, Dejonte Murray continues to play really well. He had thirty points, seven rebounds, seven assists. But I think more importantly down the stretch. We talked all offseason about how one of the main reasons they acquired him was for what he can do in the clutch. He had three game winners for the Hawks last season. He didn't have a game winner in this, but I mean, they don't win this game if he doesn't make a bunch of huge baskets in the last few minutes. He was going back and forth with Klay Thompson at the end there and another guy too, Javonte Green. We heard Grafts call of his He probably made the biggest basket of the night with that three pointer that the ball was swung to him with about forty seconds left to put the Pelicans up. But he is doing so many things well and he got the start. He's kind of been rotating back and forth between coming off the bench or starting the last few games, but he's been super valuable. So just a lot of positive stuff. And then obviously Trey Murphy again continues his free throw streak, had twenty four and ten had the three blocks, with the third being the most important one. So we're just seeing so many positive things right now, and it's been now starting to be over a multiple game stretch, not just a one off game here and there.

Yeah, no doubt de Jontey Murray on getting thirteen points in a final six menutes into four.

Quarter, really just trying to stick with it. You know, the beauty of being a part of a team that got the talent we have. You don't gotta do too much. It could be any guys given night. You know, I just know myself, I live for those moments and whether whatever whatever it is, if it's I gotta sit down and guard, gotta get a rebound, I gotta get a bucket, gotta create for my teammates. I think it's just come down to winning basketball. And I think, you know, that's what we're trying to create here, you know, on a daily basis, so you know, a great team win.

Here's Trey Murphy, who had another solid game, and again he is not knocking down a ton of threes, only two, but Jim, He's helping in so many other areas. That is just showing the growth as a player and what he's been able to do. It's what WILLI Green had.

Is saying, when you look at the box score ten rebounds, it jumps out to you right away. That means his activity is high. He understands that. You know, we haven't been doing a great job of finishing possessions defensively, but Trey is He's been amazing for us. His ability to shoot the ball, drive the ball, get to the free throw line. He made a huge play at the end where you know it was a drive kick, he might have had the shot, and then he swung into Javonte for the wide open three. That was a big time play. And that's where he he's continuously growing.

I think he was Boston where a reporter asked Ray in his mind he thought Trey took over the game at a certain point, and he asked Trey Murphy when he decides and chooses to do those things, and you heard him kind of say, when to take over now here? I'm want to go back.

Here's what it was.

I mean, this is what I'm capable of.

And he's just once to keep that being aggressive.

I think the biggest thing for me is just knowing Thomas score, knowing you know, when to let the game come to me, and then also knowing when to you know, take a game for myself.

So I think that was That's what it really was.

The reason I bringing up is because we're gonna talk a little bit about it in our radio round table, and we've already discussed what kind of player he's going to be, where his future is going here. But players that have the ability to score, drive to the basket, do those different aspects of it. Isn't that the hardest thing to try to gauge. It's I'm not saying selfishness or things of that nature, but you know it's about me or I'm getting my points and all that, and that's not a bad thing. Sometimes the team says, hey, go do it. That's why you're the star. You're the guy to go do that. But he didn't even think about that. Here's a pass to a guy that you and I were going, that's the guy's gonna take the three, you know, instead of the guy that is known for taking the three. But is that just as impressive to you as his game? Is.

I think it is.

I mean, I think we forget sometimes how much the mental part of the game matters, how huge that is in a player's career. And I mean, I think the thing that stands out to me he said this so many times you can't even count where he's talked about his aggressiveness. How that's increased. I mean, some of this is dependent a little bit about on who else is on the court. You know, sometimes he's on the court with three or four other guys who all are big time scores, and I think in the past maybe he's taken a little bit more of a back seat because of that, just based on the players that are surrounding him in the situation of the game. But I mean, to me, another thing about Trey that really stands out.

He's just reminding me.

I feel like a lot of times in the NBA we forget that a guy in his fourth, fifth, sixth year of his career can still get better. I feel like a lot of times we spend a lot of the offseason saying about players that have been in the league for that amount of time like they are what they are. I mean, Evan Mobley is another guy that reminds me of that. It's like, you know, you can't it's but I think part of the reason we don't talk about it that much is it's really hard to predict. It's hard to predict who's going to be the guy in his fourth year that improves the most. I mean, we can talk about the rookies and the guys coming in, and the trades and the free agent moves, but a lot of times the most important developments across the whole league are these players that are I mean, Trace is only twenty four years old. The players at this part of their career. How much better do they get? Do they plateau? Do they level off? Do they are they the same player in year seven that they were in year three. That happens sometimes with certain guys, But with Trey, I think it's been so cool and so important for the franchise going forward to see him make the steps that he's made lately.

Yeah, there's no doubt. And again, whether it's basketball like you trust in and just being a guy that just gets it, you know, and more anything, he's.

Really smart, No, I mean, he's It doesn't surprise me that he's able to take different aspects of his game that you say, Okay, work on this and see how much better you can get at it, you know, change your approach. It doesn't surprise me that he can do it because I mean, if you listen to him speak and you talk to him here around him at all, he's just a really intelligent guy that understands not just basketball, but just in general. I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why from day one he's always been one of the most popular players among his teammates as well.

He's likable, smart individual.

Look you said it, and in the Western Conference, you're it's tough. All star. I think he has all star ability. I think he can score from a number of different ways. If that defense even gets even better as well, because he has the length, I mean, he could be a guy like you see the Murry I think JD calls him condor like wingspan exactly. I just I'm just excited to see, you know, because you're seeing him grow by the game.

And he's also gotten stronger physically too. It's not just how mental game. He's he's made improvements. I mean he's I think his shoulders are are are bigger from when he first came into the league, and I mean if you look at the way he looked when he was a rookie compared to now, you can see how much work that he's the time that he's spent in the weight room. And I think we all know too, when you're throughout your twenties, you get big naturally, Like even if you don't do anything, you get stronger. It's kind of what people call that grown man strength. But yeah, I mean across the board, he's just, you know, one of those guys that I think stands out. I feel like more people would be talking about him across the league if it wasn't for the Pelicans record. So as he continues to play well and the Pelicans win more games, I think he'll start to see even more people recognize, like, this guy is a budding star right now.

And I think he didn't start the season that's right, injury, So imagine how much further along he would be.

Sure.

One final thing and we'll get to our radio round table Aaron summerstographer and he will be joining us for a fun discussion here. Three of the last four Jim, they've played better, They've looked better.

Willie Green, Yeah, it's we've been working and we're getting better and better. We're getting more confident in what we can do on the floor. We're having some consistency with guys, the same guys starting playing off each other. So you know, some nice Tray has got it going. We're looking for Tray, some nice to CJ. He's got it going. We're looking for CJ. Tonight it was Dejonte and we just kept getting the ball in his hands and letting him operate. But collectively, all of our guys have been doing a great job of just continue to stay with it, buying in even as we have faced some difficulties throughout the course of the season.

We're going to get into specifics about what we want to see the final forty games, but it's crazy forty one are into books. But when you look at where this team sort of is and where they are at the halfway point, I mean, at least you're seeing some better basketball, right Yeah, I.

Mean there's a lot of time left in the season, so I mean to go through what we saw for a lot of the early portion of the season would have been really rough to have to continue to endure that. So yeah, it's just been a lot more fun to be in the arena, and I think they're putting together some stretches of basketball that I think people can be a lot more content with and we won't have to listen to people be so angry on social media, including me sometimes, and just be more content with the way things are going. And hopefully that something that will carry out through the last few months of the season, and then they can take that into the summer and say, hey, look what we did in January, February, March and April that we can look a look at as a.

Positive as opposed to the way the season started.

No doubt. All right, Time for our radio roundtable, and I think it'll be fun enjoy. Time for the radio roundtable segment. Tigraphanine Voice of the Pales, Aaron Summers. What do we want to be today? We want to be Sideline reporter, we want to be hosts, we want to be team reporter.

Day.

Yeah, You're everything, and Jim, I can offer New Orleans Publicans dot Com here as well. Got a lot of fun here that I want to get into. Let's start with one is the number. I need a one word, mister Tigraph, and he needs to describe the first half of the season one word deflating.

We didn't know it at the time, but you know, the season effectively went the wrong way about four games and you know, de Jonatay Murray broke his hand on opening night, and then the first game in San Francisco against the Warriors. After the two games in Portland, Herb Jones and CJ McCollum went down, and then a couple of games after that, after a win against the Indiana Pacers in the Smoothie King Center, Zion Williamson got hurt and there's just no recovering from that. And that's you know, those that overall record in October and November and December. I mean, it's just really, really difficult to win basketball games when you don't have your frontline guys. And I think you're seeing the reverse of that right now. And I know we'll get into it a little bit, but isn't it amazing how much better the Pelicans are playing when they actually have their players. So it's just the canyon is so deep, and you have all these expectations coming out of training camp, and we have not seen the starting five play one game together that we saw in training camp, and I know it's a tough word, but that's what it is.

Yeah, I said frustrate, because I think that's what the season has felt like. Every other day. It was a new injury, the way that you're so close to some of these wins and you couldn't quite get them. So there's just so many things I think that came out, and maybe it was deflating for some. I think after the first game and you saw how great everything could be and then went from there, Yeah it was deflating. But from every other game from then on, it's been extremely frustrating up until recently. Obviously things have changed, but yeah, it's tough. And I think Zion mentioned it too, like early in the season he had a quote about that that would happen to us, like the ball bounced the wrong way or something like that, and he's like, it's just kind of par for the course here, and unfortunately that's how it has been the season.

My one word is unthinkable. There was a couple other options.

I was going to say unfathomable, but I thought unthinkable would be easy to say, as I probably just proved. But I mean to me, if you had told me before the season that you know, six, eight of your top guys would be out.

I still wouldn't.

I still would have said they won't be nine and thirty two halfway through the season. Now they're ten and thirty two. Obviously, that was the forty one game mark that I was referencing. It's just unbelievable. I could never have pictured. As Aaron also just touched on the number of different things that all went the wrong way, whether it with the injuries being the number one thing, but also a lot of bad breaks within games, a lot of players taking a lot longer time after they came back from injury to look like themselves, which I know we're gonna probably reference and talk about here in a second, but just I could have never envisioned the way that the first forty one games went. So, my word is unthinkable, because I just there's no way that you could have if you told me before the season that all this stuff was gonna happen, I would be like, this is the most nightmarish scenario that you could have possibly come up with. And even with all of the things that happened, I still would have been like, they're going to win more than nine games out of their first forty one, so.

So nightmarish isn't the word.

I'm just going to kill you that too. Yeah, I could have thought that too. Nightmare.

Yeah, there's several times during the first half where I was like kind of half joking, league kind of more gallows humor, saying to people like, man, I had a nightmare that I woke up and the Pelicans were five and seventeen or whatever it was, and that actually was what their record was.

So it definitely was nightmarish.

I guess probably like this heartening just because there was so much excitement. We couldn't wait, obviously not only in Nashville, to see what the Janti Murry was going to be. And I mean we saw how good a shape Zion Williamson looked at even though screaming a and Shannon Sharp you know, don't think so, but I mean we were just so excited to see what was going to happen in Trey and all of these different aspects of it. And because you know what was going to happen with the injuries and the losses, stuff like that, national media, how they gonna feel fans here we go again. I'm like, it's just what Jim just said, It's unthinkable. You can't think of that many injuries and the seasons that to me, it was disheartening.

Yeah, I mean the balloon popped quickly.

Man, I forgot Trey Murphy got hurt the first day, no time of season.

Yeah, it's crazy.

I did a radio interview last night and we're talking about Trey, you know, and how great it was playing. It was like, y'all got to remember this. He didn't play the first ten game. I mean, think about he's missed what sixteen seventeen games now, So it's just it's been tough.

It's to the point, Aaron Hear and you know, we're sitting there with Gym on Sunday and then on the podcast on Monday, and then a third segment, we're sitting there like I couldn't believe that Sunday was the first time Zion Trey and in the first game this season in January. So yeah, it just stinks, Like, all right, I love what y'all did with one word, so let's do this again. Almost on an opposite end, I think, how about one word to describe the Pelicans in January?

So far entertaining? I like it. It's been a lot of fun. Now we've had one clunker in there with Portland, but other than that, this is, you know what it's all about, competing down to the wire. I mean, those games on a road trip were fun, I mean really fun, and it's just it stinks that probably the best game of the year is the one in Boston, which which we lost by one. That shot by CJ goes in at the end. And the Pells are on a four game winning streak right now, and all these games are tight down the stretch. You know, Thank goodness for the Washington Wizards. They got us going in the right direction. And I know Jim would also throw in the Jose Alvarado coming back into the uh mix helps as well because they coincidentally back that up. But no, this is it's been a pleasure to call these games that. You know, it's just we got great gigs, but it's no fun when you're losing game after game after game and the games are not close. Uh, these games have been really really fun to watch, So I'll say entertaining.

Yeah, I mean coming off the same season for me, like I was already beat down, so it's been rough. So this this month has been very encouraging. It has been fun. I think that we are all excited about what this team can be. We're kind of finally getting to see it. And things are actually going in our way, like our way.

So what's your word encouraging? Encouraging?

Yeah, entertaining, encouraging, gam.

I mean like Tray Tray's goaltending is actually called a block, so like things are falling our way.

Yes, that would not have happened in October November.

They would have called it goaltending like three times somehow on one play.

Yeah.

Coincidentally, I have another e word for my one word to describe January, and that is expected. And when I say that, I mean this is what I expected to happen throughout the whole season. The fact that they've won a bunch of games lately. They've beaten some good teams, they had some good road wins, which we saw a ton last year. I always I thought from the beginning that they were gonna build on last season, that they were gonna, you know, you have you always start from scratch at the beginning of every season season obviously, but I just thought there would be so much more traction with what they did last season and then and then adding to John Tay Murray. So I mean across the board to whether it's the team the way they've played in January or several individual players. The way that they've performed lately is what I expected. And that's why that's my word for January.

I'm so not good in this with you guys, but I projectful is the word that comes to my head.

I don't even know this is right? Is that alert?

I know?

I know I'm combining.

Right where the gong like hopeful, Right.

It's like it showed me the hope and it's kind of projected.

But how about projectibull Okay, in terms of what they've done so far.

I'm seeing major perhaps with those three players that were just talking about Aaron that we saw finally for the first time in Boston, like what this team can be. So yeah, it's giving me hope and it's almost like a projecting of what maybe can be either the rest of this season moving forward, because I think before very eyes, we're seeing Trey Murphy grow by the game into not just one of the best players on the Pells team, but I think this guy is going to be one of the best players in the NBA. I mean this. You know, he's going from somebody that, hey, it's nice if he shoots some threes and stuff. And I know we've talked about it here as a group. When he either leaves a game or got injured or has to go out of a game, the offense changes, and I don't think we've ever been able to say that about Trey Murphy. So to me, that importance level has really changed. So I'm projectable. I just remember, but you're not surprised.

I'm just glad that I'm not alone.

And I think I said this last season that I think he has All Star potential and that he will be an All Star. And I heard Antonio and You'll say the same thing on the broadcast the other day that this guy has the ability to become an All Star player. So we're starting to see it all come together for him. The package of skills that he has is very unique in terms of his three point shooting, his athleticism, the fact that he finished his runner up in the Dunk Contest and also could win the three point contest as well. So it's been it's been great to see him the way he's played lately.

Yeah, I was just going to say his ability to get to the room has just taken his game up another level. And oh, by the way, he's a brilliant free throw shooter. I said it again on radio last night. He will be fifty forty ninety at some point in his career this year. It's it's crazy because he's actually got the hardest part down. He's at ninety one percent, but he's but he's at forty five and what thirty six right now? The other two But he will be fifty forty ninety.

First, he stood out too, that Willie Green saidt the end of the game too, just the past to Javonte for the three. Interesting, he's a guy that likes to pass too, and he's not one of those I need mine or whatever.

He's got career highs across the board, so I mean, and we're talking rebounding and steals blocks and blocks three blocks the other night. So no, he is literally growing before our eyes. And and I don't want to segue into what we're going to talk about next because he's going to be a part of it.

Okay, how do I petition Webster to make Project full a word? No, No, it's not, it's not a word. Okay, got it, forty games left. I can't believe we're at the halfway point of the season. So what, Todd, what do you want to see this team accomplish in the final four?

I think that fully can't be answered until after February eighth and we see what the roster is going to be moving forward. But just continue to play hard and establish your core for next season. Yeah, that to me has to like again, the record is what the record is.

If you if the.

Ultimate optimist sitting across from me, I mean, if you want to talk about playing right now, you'd have to go on a twenty game winning.

You're referring to me as even I can't go there with what you just said, So it's not going to happen, right.

So establish your core, which I think we have a pretty decent idea who it's going to be and who is going to be part of your plan for next season, and try to see how healthy we can be and get that core playing together as many games as they can.

Yeah, I mean I went on the same path they're trying to. You got to figure out the right dynamic who that is first with the trade deadline coming up, and then who works best with who and what works best for this team, Like, what is the identity of this team going to be once you figure out who the pieces are?

And of course Herb is going to be back next year as well.

Yes, I had a similar answer, So I'll go in a little bit of a different direction, and it's a very vindictive one. And one of my goals for the rest of the season, last forty games is to ruin other teams lives as much as I.

Like that, no no, no, no, I like that also.

I mean what we've seen lately since January started, since the first those two games against the Wizards, as Graf referenced earlier, has been very entertaining and fun. But I want to add to the fun list several nights over the course of the rest of the season where you know, they knock a team out of the playoff race, so the play in race, or they have some night where another team comes in here and says, like this Pelicans team, look at their record, they're not playing for anything, and then the Pelicans smack them. As people know, I've experienced some misery over my time. Teams like the Spurs have ruined many many nights for me. So I think it's time for payback. So that's that's one of the things I want to see. I think we'll have a lot of fun in the last part of the season if they make some miserable evenings for some of these teams and hand some teams, especially in the West, some crucial, costly losses.

I'm fully on board with.

I like that. I would just say, like for me, it's just find your identity. What are you going to be like? What is your thing moving forward the final forty games. What are your hanging your hat on. What do you want to be known for, What are we building? What's your foundation? Find out about yourself.

I think we're starting to see a little bit again. It's just it's so unfortunate happen at the beginning of the year, but we're seeing the vision now. The three point attempts have skyrocketyeh, you're right, good point the turnovers, forced points off turnovers, getting those fast break points that has I mean, we're beating the brakes off these teams. Think about it. In the last what two weeks, look at points off turnover differential in favor of the Pelicans. Now we're winning games because we're turning teams over. So it it. You know, it took two and a half three months, but this is what I think the original vision.

Was, all right, which peals player you expect to to make the most stride in the second half.

I'm gonna go with Murray. I'm gonna go with de Jontay Murray just because I think we're finally starting to see the back of the baseball card for him, and he's playing the way we thought he was going to play from the beginning of the season. Now again, he got hurt opening night. He's been dealing with a ton of stuff off the court, which I think has contributed to what we have seen on the court. And look, that's He's not going to make any excuses, but it has to have been weighing on him because he's just too good of a player to have been putting up the type of numbers that he has. Percentage wise, what we saw the other night was basically what we have been witnessing his entire career. I mean clutch. He took that game over in the fourth quarter, and I thought Jimmy had a great point when he was going head to head with Klay Thompson. I mean again you go in the entertainment factor. That was fun. That was a lot of fun to watch. But you know, the point totals are going to go up. He's been assisting, he's been rebounding pretty consistently now for the last three weeks nearly a month, and those numbers are just going to remain steady, if not go higher and hire He's already been a big deflections guy. He's had He's had three games this year with six steals, which is crazy, and I just think he's going to get better and better as the season goes on.

Yeah, I mean absolutely. Now he's scoring and he's somebody that you can depend on. He had thirteen points in the fourth quarter alone last Wednesday night, so that's huge because that's what you were expecting to get out of him. I kind of want to see how much further Trey can go and not necessarily like what is is, because I think he's going to continue to get better, but how much more consistent he can be from as far as his point totals. I mean, he's been hitting thirty a couple times here, so I think that's interesting. But for me, I want to see Zion Williamson and his growth on the defensive end, because I think that's been something that we've seen in these last few games back for him, that has been a different dynamic to his game, and can he keep that up? And how much better does that make this team? How much better does it make him on the other end.

So yeah, just kind of and just to piggyback with Trey, he's getting these point totals and he's not shooting the ball well, no.

Right side.

He is added to his game by allowing himself to drive, get easy buckets and the line, make free throws. You look at this three point percentage in those games where he's had thirty and even against Dallas the other night, he's shooting. He's making two threes a game. Yeah, he's not making.

Five, or he's keeping his street going, which is very.

Very important, but the percentage is not there, but he's making it up in other ways.

You guys both referenced a few players that either had injuries and then came back and it took a little while for them to get going, or in Zion's case, he was out for a while and it didn't seem like it seemed like the first game he was already scrambling around on defense and doing The guy that I picked for this category, though, is Jordan Hawkins as somebody who I think we're still waiting for that to kick in where he's had also had injuries with his back and it's been something that unfortunately, I think has really greatly affected him this season. But he shot thirty six percent from the field, thirty two percent from three point range.

We've seen him have some amazing games.

He had thirty four points in Dallas last year on a night when the team was super shorthanded and was still able to win. We've seen him have stretches where he's just on fire. So if you look at his shooting numbers, it's just so uncharacteristic of him. And I mean, this is a guy who was a lottery pick at the end of the lottery a year ago. This is his second season, so I think I'm looking forward to him playing better and I think he's one of the most crucial guys in terms of going forward in the future that he has a really good second hand.

Well. The good thing about Hawkins though, is he still continues to tot hoy shots up even though that's right, He's not where he wants to be, but he is not passing up the looks when he's getting them. He's got to continue to do it.

Sure, we've had so many good looks from outside, I mean wide open, and they're just not fallen. So we're getting wide open good looks because of obviously Zion Williamson's presence inside, it's looking a lot better, and I think that it's going to change.

I'm gonna throw me seeing there just quickly, just because I'm excited just to see him play with Zion and trade the way he's playing in dejont We just haven't seen that many games, I really play that many games with Zion just yet. And I guess my thing is, I wonder if he can be a guy can get you double double knights, and I'd be like, you know, the joker graft that gets you like twenty and something like that. But the last couple of games like twelve point six boards couple away right, seven boards, eight boards, nine boards, and if you add all those guys together, maybe that's a guy that can do that. That'd be something I don't think anybody would expect.

You know, that'd be great. And look, if you'all notice the other night too against Dallas. De Jontey Murray and he MEAs who were picking and rolling from the very beginning of the game. And he just got to get those hands ready because some of these passes that Murray pulls out, I mean, these bounts passes are just unbelievable. He's got to catch, got to catch the ball. He's gonna get a ton of easy looks, a ton of dunk attempts.

That's what I mean.

If if he's able to catch these passes from Murray.

Man see what takes place here?

All right?

As we said, we've passed a halfway point of the schedule and in the season. So let's look at the rest of the schedule. Is there anything that stands out to you, ty, whether it's a road trip, a home stand, a string of opponents that are coming.

Well, look, I thought about this. It's going to be a little general, but I think Jim is going to appreciate this. I'm gonna call this spring training the month of February because it's all baseball series. I mean, think about it. Yeah, we're going out of town for the super Bowl. We're going to Denver baseball series there next week at home against Sacramento baseball series there on a back to back home and then two weeks later baseball series against San Antonio at home, and then a back to back away against the Phoenix Suns. So I mean that's four different two for ones and two of them are true back to back. So and with the going on Jim's theme earlier, God, I want to beat Oklahoma City so bad. We're playing them the day after the Super Bowl and OKC, I would just love to, you know, if we got our guys, we'd have a chance.

It's really hard to be the same team two times in a row, unless you're the Washington Wizards. But we finally got our first win on.

A back track mentioned it postgame. Yeah, so there we go and a road home back to back.

At that obviously that was the win over Dallas, so things are looking up. But I honestly I circled the same.

It was a.

Stretch there where it was the February third and fifth game at Denver, the eighth at Sacramento, tenth at OKC. That road stretch is going to be tough. And then of course you come back and you have two more games against Sacramento.

That's crazy they're playing much much better now since they put Doug Christy at head coach.

We are loving February as a group because the games that I picked out was the five games right after the All Star break. They start out at Dallas, then they have the two games against the Spurs, then they have the two games against Phoenix. I just think that's an interesting stretch of five games in a row where you're playing against teams that, I mean, the Spurs and the Suns right now are both in play in contention in terms of, you know, it's not a certainty that they're going to finish in the top ten, so I think those will be crucial games for them. And then Dallas the game after the All Star break. Just looking forward to playing them again after what happened the other night. And uh, I mean, I'm sure by then they'll be the MAVs will be closer to full strength, and hopefully the Pelicans will be closer as well. So that's my Those are my five right after the All Star break. I think there's a bunch there was a bunch of different options that were good for this, but I thought that was the one that was the most interesting.

Yeah, I've got the start of March kind of looks interesting to me too. I mean, Houston's a tough team to play. Obviously, their physical Memphis is physical with job. Did y'all see the dunk? Yeah, that's incredible. And the Spurs are at the end of that week too, when for some reason, Utah is just an interesting matchup against his team. That's the first two weeks of March in Detroit sprinkled in there, and they're a tough team to play Detroit.

Yeah, but we have no Laurie Marker tonight.

Correct player Walkers who they just added to the injury now you tell me this. Walker Kestler's in his third year in the NBA. They played on Wednesday night at home against Charlotte and lost, did Utah, And they just added Walker Kessler to the injury report this morning. Rest He's not playing tonight.

That is called we don't want to win this game, and how do we do that without telling the team this is what we're.

Doing passively aggressively tanking Jim.

It kind of reminds me of remember, I don't know eight ten years ago when Tim Duncan was still playing that the Spurs rest listed him as as out because he was old. They put that on the injury report. They put not playing DMP old, So it kind of reminds me of that.

It's just one of those yeah, funny heals.

The only other thing I'm gonna ask you, guys, you already for some snow. You just came back from some snow. I'm gonna see some snow next week.

I was walking in a blizzard in Chicago, which was nuts, but no snowed in Boston on the off day on Saturday. It was actually kind of cool, and then walked through it in Chicago, which was not cool because in Boston it was thirty two degrees. It was really really nice. Actually it was ten degrees in Chicago with a wind chill of about zero.

Aaron, did you have some snow days in Carolina back in the day.

Yeah, back in the day, and then we didn't have to go to class for like a whole entire week or two. Oh, it wiped things out for a while. So I'm I don't know how things are going to be down here.

I mean in New York, we needed like two feet of snow for them to say, like, maybe we shouldn't have school today.

Usually we did.

Usually we had to stand outside and trudge through like a foot of snow at the bus stop in fifteen degree weather, walking up with pill both.

Ways of school.

But no, I mean I moved out in New York to not have snow, gus, So what are we doing here? I don't want to, but I will say it hasn't. I moved here in two thousand and seven. We had snow in two thousand and eight, and it hasn't snowed since then, So I guess I shouldn't complain that I've gone seventeen years here without snow.

My son is just over the moon.

Really, he's every year.

That you know. And I FaceTime when we were in Boston and said it's snowing outside and in Chicago. In Chicago, I did it again. My son's never seen snow. He cannot wait. And if I mean goust, if we get three inches, mic goodness.

It's going to shut down everything. It's going to be.

Day.

So you know, keep your eyes open.

You know. In two thousand and eight, that's just reminded me.

In two thousand and eight, we had the most, by my standards, we had the most pathetic, small, tiny amount of snow. Somebody outside my apartment complex made a snowman and it was the saddest.

It was like a foot high maybe at the most.

And I remember I was driving from out here in the suburbs downtown because our offices were downtown.

There was cars off the side of the road.

I'm like, how could you be off the side of the road. It barely snowed. But anyways, put the New Yorker and me.

Well, I love it.

On Monday's podcast how to Handle the Snowfall from Jim Mike and Off. I love it, guys. This was fun. More importantly, we're seeing good basketball and there's a little bit of an excitement going on to.

I said, look, we know Zion's gonna, you know, play tonight.

Yeah.

Uh, he's not on the injury report. We've got two days off, so you've gotta believe he's gonna play Monday, and he's gonna play on Wednesday. So that's and so now the people in the SKC are going to get to see what we've seen.

Todd erin thank you, absolutely our thanks to the graph and Aaron Summers for joining us here this morning. Jim, we got to get over to shoot around. But first.

TG I Jim, It's Friday, which means mister Eichenhoffer as a pair of things for us, trending numbers and weekend showdown. What are we starting with, Jim?

You know, I feel like the music, the groove is really hitting today with the way things are going.

Right, I really like that. I like that base.

You know.

The trending number I'm going with.

The Pelicans are eighth in January and three pointers made per game, so I mean they've drastically improved their performance in that area. They're also sixth in three point attempts in January urge in forty point nine per game, which you know, as we know, the goal was forty. They're doing that and even slightly better than that this month. So eight is the trending number, which is the rank that the Pelicans are in three point makes per game. By the way, too kind of slightly off topic, but it just reminded me. Boston has been struggling lately, and we talked about earlier in the season the way that they take so many threes. I've said this many times that the volatility of the three point shot is hard to predict. I think that's a big reason why they've been basically like a five hundred team over the last few weeks because their percentage has dropped to bottom ten over this last stretch. So any anyways, something to keep an eye on that. It just shows you that, you know, they've Boston has overwhelmed people with the amount of threes they take and make. But when you take so many and your percentage drops, you can I mean that just that alone can really hurt the way that you perform as a team. The Weekend Showdown is going to be Sunday at eight o'clock on NBA TV, and that is a big matchup between the Lakers and the Clippers. Right now, the Clippers are in fifth place, the Lakers are in sixth place. They both have seventeen losses. So I think that's a pretty monumental game in terms of these are two teams that are you know, right now they would be avoiding the play in but there's extremely little margin for error. And it's also the first time that those two teams have played each other this season, the first time that they've met up in the into It Dome, So that'll be I'll be curious to see. You know, there's been a lot of Clippers home games that have turned into Lakers' home game in the past, but in their new venue. I'm curious to see how that unfold. And you know, the last thing, Gus, and I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make this a weekly thing, but I'm gonna enlist your help going forward to come up with some of these if we can find it. I want to end every Friday show or as many of them over the rest of the season in a positive way. And so what I've come up with is another piece that we can do on Friday that's called the Good Dude of the Week, which.

Is someone around the NBA work.

You know, it could just be somebody in New Orleans, just someone in general who did something that was worthy of being commended for. My good Dude of the Week is Steph Curry this week. And I don't know if you've heard about this, but so I meant to mention this on Wednesday show. But the week before that, the Warriors had a game on a Thursday night in Detroit that they won. Then the next night they had a game in Indiana that was a back to back. They sat a bunch of players, including Steph Curry because of it being the second night of a back to back, so as is the case throughout the NBA, there's tons of kids that went to the game in Indianapolis expecting to see Steph Curry play, and he wasn't able to play. So he comes up with a brilliant idea. Steph Curry tells the Warriors pr staff, all right, guys, go out in the crowd into the state the concourse before the game. This is probably like an hour before the game maybe, and find kids in Curry jerseys. Because obviously, if you see a kid in a Curry jersey, he came here to watch me play. I'm not playing, so I want to make it up to them. So they gather a bunch of kids who are in Indianapolis in the arena in Curry jerseys and shirts and stuff. They bring him into the back of the arena and they all get to meet Steph Curry. They all get to so, you know, obviously it was hugely disappointing for these kids when they find out that he's not gonna play, But instead of being like a ruined night, they all get to meet.

I don't know how many kids it was.

I'm sure they didn't probably get to every single kid that had a Curry jersey, but the ones that they were able to gather all got to meet Steph. Curry to them for maybe ten to fifteen minutes before the game, told them like how much he appreciates their support, how meaningful it is for him to see them wearing his jersey to the game. And so all these kids got this memory that is they're gonna it's gonna last for so long. But as much of a Curry fan as they probably were before that, they came to a game in Indiana against the Pacers to in his jersey, imagine how much more it is. So I just thought that was such a thing to so much of a great thing to I wanted to mention and just show respect for and also to from like a broader standpoint. To me, I think the league overall. I'm not just talking to the Pelicans, like everyone across the whole league. We should all channel that type of thinking in terms of you have to always think about the fans first. You know, people say, are the players the most important part of the league? Are the coaches the most important? Like to me, it's the fans, because without the fans nobody's making fifty million dollars a year. I mean, we've seen other leadsleagues that have started up, or like the WNBA has been in existence for a while, and it's you wonder, like, why do players make so much money in this league?

And they don't.

It's the fans. It's not how talent. Of course, it's important that the players are talented and entertaining, but the fan base is the most irreplaceable part of all of this. So anyways, I think that that's the thing that I want people to remember, Like, think about what Steph Curry did in that situation, and as we kind of deal with the load management situation and players missing games because of back to backs and stuff like that, and how frustrating that is for fans, how can we think of ways that we can take care of them and address some of the of the problems that have arisen from To me, it's a thing that's only taken place in maybe the last five to ten years. This was not a problem for the NBA twenty years ago. So anyways, tip of the cap to Steph Curry.

I love it.

I think that is such a cool thing that he did and something that we need to copy in some shape or form across the rest of the league.

And looking to your point, he's a guy I remember two three years ago, I think right, there was a little girl had a game and asked him, Hey, your shoe is in guys only it's not. It was at I do remember his latest version, and it wasn't at a game. It was at a shoe store and he was unveiling it and it was a meet and greet and this little girls about twelve or thirteen. She's like, I love I love you, love you, but your shoe only comes in boys, doesn't come in girls. And he's like, I never thought about that. He has daughters, and from that point on he started producing it as and now they're all that you know you have. But in his brain you have girls shoes and boys shoes, which I think was incredible to see that. But to your point, he's very thoughtful about that. And that is true because look, I I do it. You know, there was a stretch here with the Pels. We didn't get to see him, right, he didn't play against the Pelicans for a couple of seasons. And I'm one of those guys, I'm like, yeah, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get a water here out of the studio, don't come back for fifteen minutes. He is one of those players. He absolutely is where the highlight us chatting doesn't do it justice. You have to I mean. And the last time he was on a court, I think this week he had a game winner right in.

And the left corner the Wolves exactly so.

That people show up to see him, and I thought that, you're right, that's a great up.

I mean, the recognition of his popularity is really important too. And I feel like two, as I've seen this in the time i've been here with you know, I'm nineteen years into being to working in the NBA. Two, the amount of layers that we're starting to see develop that are between the fans and players, I think is something that also needs we need to think about that. There's sometimes there's cases where there's like a stiff arm between the players and fans. I'm not talking about little kids, I'm talking about just fans in general. But to be able to be more personal and just have that touch to things and just be thoughtful, I think is really important.

And as we close up, look, I mean, it's it's a topic the commissioner. A couple of weeks ago, he was asked, hey, viewership is down. Hey sure, how the three point do we have to talk about how the game? You know, is it exciting? Is it entertaining? And things that nature. And the NBA was always one of those leagues that led the way and being innovative and marketing their players to your point, now maybe they need to just go back.

To we need to revisit that.

Yeah, just they're the connection. I'm sure you remember what activity.

The slogan was the NBA is Fantastic, Yes, And that was all based on that idea that you everything is catered towards the fans.

And that's what I want to see.

I just want to see more of that be part of the thought process that everything can't be okay, we're gonna do everything based on scientific methods and stuff like that, and just forget that the whole reason that this business even exists is because of the fans.

Without them, you, we we don't have these jobs.

I mean, people aren't making the players aren't making millions of dollars, the coaches aren't making good money. I mean, you can go hold down the list. You just got to remember that at all times.

I like to say I have a ton of ideas, but then whatever really listen to me. One of my ideas that I used to say on my talk show all the time along these lines. And I don't know if it's feasible. I don't know if Owner of Governors will will ever do it, but I wish the NBA would have one game until the teams. You have to have a game that's a general admission game. And what I mean by that is, as you know, the closer you are to the court, the seat to a little price here just Storr and I get it, and I understand why teams do that, put premiums on seatings, premium amenities and all that, but there's some people that will never get to as we saw last week, get jerseys from players, get to see them and look, you've gotten a chance to at times. And now we're up right, you guys are up. But unless you're on the court are closed. You just can't appreciate the size of these players, the speed of these players. And I just think it'd be great for somebody that maybe predominantly sits in a three hundred levels to be able to sit in just just one general admission game. Take a lot of fifty bucks that idea tickets are thirty dollars and make it like twenty bucks and it's first come, first serve. You get there, you go sit or ever you want sure And I think that, I mean, how exciting would that be for fans that have never gotten there? Made now, hey, get there two hours early, get there three hours early. I can go sit second row, can go sit court size right, one game of a year. I love that it could be fantastic.

And I think part of what you're addressing to or considering is and I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I think part of it too, is not every decision can has to be based on what's best for right now, what's not every decision has to be based on what is the thing that we need to do for fifteen minutes from now. I mean, your idea is something that twenty years down the road will payoff. We're with phantom. I want people to think of that in terms a lot more. I mean, I hear people around here, people that have been longtime New Orleandians, talk about how they used to go to jazz games in the seventies for like five bucks or something, or they got tickets at like the shoe store, and.

So stuff like that people remember.

I mean we're almost fifty years later since the Jazz left the city and you still hear people talking about that, people that are in their sixties, maybe in seventies now, And it's just stuff like that that I think resonates with people a lot more than having every I mean, I'm a fan of other sports too, so I know what it's like to be a fan. I'm a Phillies fan in baseball. I want to be treated like I'm considered. I don't want to be treated like here, hey, give me your money. So I think that is something that is smart to think about it.

And like I said, I get maybe you can't. Maybe even the preseason game. It's a lone preseason game. You know, it's one game, and maybe it's one of those things because unlike any NFL like Zion and them with they'll play in the preseason, you know, but it's just it's just something for me that would be fantastic to see. Maybe you do it during the Christmas break when the kids are out or something like that, where it's you know, before the main part of the season. It's just something to me that would be I guess I don't know if it'd be simple, but because then now we're talking about, well, if you sell season tickets, it's you know, forty instead of forty. But you know what those are things you can figure out. Sure, sit in a boardroom, you know, close the door, get a pizza, figure it out. You know what I'm saying. I mean, you can figure out logistics and planes and all.

You can figure out how to.

Call it fan night. You know, to your point, how the league has done with their you know, the end season tournament or something of that nature. Make it in a league initiative. That way, you don't even have to force the everyone does once to think it's fans once a year, and maybe the teams can choose it, or you do it kind of like, uh, you know where it's that night or that week. You know that week it'll be Tuesday or Wednesday that week and the court's different. Put up you know what, here you go, NBA. You can get it sponsored, you know, I mean, I'm just saying it can be sponsored. With the logo and the sticker on the court that says it's fan night, and and you know, a lot in the games like that, the broadcast is about the fans and all that stuff. You get a kid with a headset with Kevin Harland. You know, I'm just saying like it would be great to make it a fan thing.

You know what, Gus, if this idea ever gets approved and goes through, I can guarantee you that you will be the good dude of the week for whatever week that is, because these are all great ideas that everyone would support.

I would think, I hear you.

Well, we got a lot to get into next week here as well. Thank you to Aaron, to Todd and to mister Jimikhoffer. We'll see it to night at the game six thirty Pelicans warm up, seven o'clock tip with the Pelicans.

And by the way, no show on Monday because of the holiday, but we'll be back on Wednesday.

That is true for Martin Luther King Day. Next Friday, Jim, they're gonna let you out again. We'll be at Parlays for a watch party. Should be fun right there in the Lakeview area. Come and see us on Harrison. Until then, can be listening to New Orleans Pelicans podcast on the New Orleans Pelicans pook.

Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast. Join us three times per week on pelicans dot com, the Pelicans Mobile app, the iHeartRadio app, or where you get your podcast, and be sure to give Jim and Gus a follow on x at Jim Underscore I Can Offer and Gcat Underscore seventeen. We'll see you next time right here on the New Orleans Pelicans podcast