Year 7, New Orleans LA. Pelicans

A new city, a new chapter, welcome to the 70117!

Goodbye Washington Wizards, thanks for the stress, a couple good memories but it's time for a change of scenery. I have been very quiet because I really wanted to wait until we had the final roster so I can truly give my opinion on what I think the team will look like. If you've been here a while you know I will not guess a record because teams can look amazing on paper but it's more than just talent that brings wins. I have to see it with my eyes before I can really see how everyone will vibe.

My first impression of the trade was shock, as you all know I have been begging for a trade since we got to DC and realized that everything we thought was going to happen did not happen. Year one of Jordan being played out of position until the very end of the season, thrown to the bench as if he wasn't the best player on the team and so much more happening that I don't have the energy to discuss. Finally being played correctly and in a way that he was able to thrive but he was doing a little too well which resulted in sitting a lot of fourth quarters towards the second-half of the season and being pulled when he was getting a little too hot. A type of basketball that I'd never want to be subjected to again.

Once the shock wore off and my dramatics calmed down a bit, I actually like the trade. There are so many negative things that people can say about the Pelicans but I don't have too many opinions other than the fact that there was a lot of injuries last season which is why their record was so bad. I think it's easy to strictly look at numbers based upon last season and make judgments but I'm the type of person who likes to see what's happening before I give too many opinions.

What I like about the roster is they are young but not too young. They have a lot of good pieces and I think they have the space for Jordan to continue to be started and not have to “wait his turn” behind a vet. The team that I was high on was the Orlando Magic and it was for some of the same reasons, now the magic have been to the playoffs a few times and you can tell they're just really missing someone that can go get a basket. They have played the Cavs and that was something that I saw they were lacking which is why Jordan would have been a perfect fit. I do see some similarities with the Pelicans, when healthy on paper they're going to be fun to watch and very competitive. You have someone like Zion who is a polarizing player and superstar when healthy. My only criticism is I think the same criticism from everyone is that he doesn't always come into the season ready to play. This year he’s in very great shape to start the season so it gives me a lot of hope.

Jordan does seem to be familiar with some of the players on the team already so that helps, just from watching interviews Jordan has spoke about how it takes some time for him to get comfortable in new situations. Being that he has friends on the team and one of the things that one me over with the Pelicans is them adding Looney. They're both from Milwaukee and of course played together in Golden State so they have that brotherhood and I think that will help tremendously with Jordan getting accustomed to the new team.

The biggest complaint that I see amongst Pelicans fans is the coaching. I never watched the Pelicans unless they were playing my team so I really wasn't paying that much attention to coaching but I'm all for giving someone an opportunity before I take everyone else's judgment on them. With seeing the constant complaints from current fans I would definitely keep my eyes open onto what's happening.

The two preseason games against Australian teams out in Australia which was pretty cool to watch, I didn't know this was the first time an NBA team played there. The fan vibes were 10 out of 10 which is always great to watch a team that is getting supported and I'm sure it's great for the team to feel supported especially from somewhere in a different country. I will loosely have opinions about those particular games because they're not playing NBA teams, not to take away from either one of the teams that they played or the amount of talent they had on it but since I'm not familiar with them there's only so much I can say. I will say something that impressed me was Trey Murphy, he was really great out there, looked very fluid great from three and overall just looked like somebody I might have to add to my list of players that I like. I've heard a lot of praises for him and Herb Jones but unfortunately Herb was out both games due to a minor injury so I'll have to wait to see him on the court. Another person that impressed me was Jose Alvarado, I did not know he could shoot from three like that, I always knew about him being annoying on defense so it was good to see him hitting those shots as well making himself somewhat of a Threat offensively as well.

I also liked Jeremiah Fears, some of his shots were not falling so that would definitely come down the line, he was making the right decisions which is important to build those good habits. It made me really happy to see Jordan and Looney have that same connection that they did in Golden State as if they never separated. Looney always makes the right decisions and is a great screen setter. He just does so many little things that don't necessarily show up in the stat sheet. Zion was super exciting and I was trying not to get ahead of myself because of some of his history but he just looked like he had a new life to him on the court. Very bouncy very fast and it gives me a lot of optimism on how this season goes.

Last but not least Jordan, he seems to be settled in nicely with the new squad which I did figure since he seemed to be pretty cool with Trey and of course already has that connection with Looney that it would be a little bit of an easier transition for him. It's a completely different vibe from being on the Wizards, even though I do think he enjoyed the connections he made there he just looked so excited that he will actually get to play his game and not have to tank. Jordan looks very connected with the team and overall Just looks like good chemistry and good vibes.

I won't lie I've been holding in my excitement ever since the trade happened period of course I've displayed my excitement for the trade after the initial shock but just looking at the roster just made me really excited about what's to come this year. This is the most excited I've been about basketball in the last couple of years and I'm ready to scream get to the top of my lungs. I cannot wait to go to a home game in New Orleans because I've heard also so many positive things about the vibes and how the fanbase is out there.

Overall I do think the trade was for the best. I think it was unfair to keep Jordan in Dc, someone that was already a champion that has already sacrificed 2 years and already has proven himself to be able to impact winning, specifically a championship. I think that it's important he gets to be in that type of environment again. Just being a fan it was hard to watch the constant losing especially when you can clearly see the sabotage going down in order to execute the tank. I do think that Jordan was able to learn a lot in the moment in both situations in GSW and DC. Of course on the warriors learning from two of the greatest shooters of all time and having vets like Andre Iguodala helped cultivate the beginning of his career which I think is important. Jordan was able to learn how to win on the NBA level then going to the Wizards he was put in a situation where he had to make sacrifices for the team and also be a leader to a lot of guys coming into the league and helped mold their first experiences with how to be a professional and about being a NBA player. Even though I hated parts of the last three years I can see how all of those tools that he learned would prepare him for the next step which I think is going to be the best yet.

Looking forward to the new season, and new beginnings

S dot