ITM, Hawk continues to fly high

[husky429]

Wow, Willie Green is basically saying the only way Hawkins is going to play is if there's multiple injuries again. What a joke.

What a clownshow. Everyone on their staff deserves to be fired. Not playing Hawkins while letting Zion eat his way through the 35-win buffet is coaching malpractice.

 

[Kenny11]

Unrelated a little bit, but it’s insane how poor of a rebounder Zion is. With his jumping ability, quickness, strength, hands etc he should be pulling down a lot of rebounds. Most times I see a Pels game or box score he has like 4 or 5. If anything besides the eye test proves he’s out of shape, that’s it.

 

[3rdbass]

Unrelated a little bit, but it’s insane how poor of a rebounder Zion is. With his jumping ability, quickness, strength, hands etc he should be pulling down a lot of rebounds. Most times I see a Pels game or box score he has like 4 or 5. If anything besides the eye test proves he’s out of shape, that’s it.

Zion is a cancer just like Kyrie. Coincidence they both went to Duke. I would get rid of Zion as soon as I can before he injures himself enough were he won't play for the rest of the season. He is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

 

[Waquoit]

When is the trade deadline? If they got guys better than Hawkins, then they have surplus to requirements and should move somebody for an asset.

 

[HailUConn]

Unrelated a little bit, but it’s insane how poor of a rebounder Zion is. With his jumping ability, quickness, strength, hands etc he should be pulling down a lot of rebounds. Most times I see a Pels game or box score he has like 4 or 5. If anything besides the eye test proves he’s out of shape, that’s it.

It’s crazy to think that Hawk got the same number of rebounds or more with less minutes played. NOPs even allowed Zion to play every other game to rest him up, but not play the 3rd ranked rookie? SMH…

 

[Chuck]

Zion is a cancer just like Kyrie. Coincidence they both went to Duke. I would get rid of Zion as soon as I can before he injures himself enough were he won't play for the rest of the season. He is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

I hate using the word cancer. It's an ugly word for people that have lost someone to it (and most probably have). So, I'd reserve that word for people who ruin the whole team. Not just as a player, but a person. I do think Kyrie might have earned the term by alienating franchises from fans and hurting his team with randomly sitting out and a weird (if not nasty) attitude. I met Kyrie in a small setting. He was unpleasant. The guy I was with just said "he's not always like that, but he's moody." I hate being around people like that.

I don't consider Zion a cancer, but he will most likely never be a franchise player. He's out of shape. He's constantly conserving energy, so he doesn't make cuts, help on defense, rebound, etc. Even if he were in shape, his body type is not conducive to his playing style. His injuries will most likely continue. If I were the New Orleans GM, I'd trade Zion. I'm not sure if the Knicks have the assets, but I can see them totally overpaying.

 

[Woodson]

When is the trade deadline? If they got guys better than Hawkins, then they have surplus to requirements and should move somebody for an asset.

That was my first thought too

 

[Beowulf]

I think there's a lot of overreacting here. hawk will get another chance soon enough, rotations are always changing in the nba. pelicans just had two guys come back from injury and marshall is playing really well. hawkins can't really do what alvarado does (which i think is not much but) and daniels was also a high lottery pick who needs his looks. it will all sort itself out. i'd be way more upset if hawkins was lighting it up, but he's shooting kinda meh lately (below avg fg and ts% and efg%). maybe a breather is needed.

i think zion is sacrificing some effort for availability. obviously needs to be in better shape, but being able to play every game is the best way to do that.

 

[HooperScooper]

Kels Dayton of the Courant obviously reads the Boneyard. I think he gets all his ideas on what to write from here.

Pelicans head coach Willie Green told reporters on Monday that the reduction in playing time wasn’t Hawkins’ fault.

“Those are some of the tough decisions that I have to make. I’ve had some talks with Hawk, and he’s been fantastic. It’s nothing he’s done. It’s more about can I play 11 guys, can I play 12 guys, and that’s tough to do sometimes,” Green said.

“My message to him is stay working. Your opportunity is going to come around again, and we can all see that he has a bright future with us, and that’s just the deal. It’s a long season, I’m sure we’ll have some guys in and out and he’ll get another opportunity to come in and impact this team.”

Why has former UConn star Jordan Hawkins been benched with New Orleans Pelicans?

After a terrific start to his NBA career, former UConn star and New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jordan Hawkins has been benched over the last several games. Pelicans head coach Willie Green explained w…

www.courant.com

 

[Scoe]

I think there's a lot of overreacting here. hawk will get another chance soon enough, rotations are always changing in the nba. pelicans just had two guys come back from injury and marshall is playing really well. hawkins can't really do what alvarado does (which i think is not much but) and daniels was also a high lottery pick who needs his looks. it will all sort itself out. i'd be way more upset if hawkins was lighting it up, but he's shooting kinda meh lately (below avg fg and ts% and efg%). maybe a breather is needed.

i think zion is sacrificing some effort for availability. obviously needs to be in better shape, but being able to play every game is the best way to do that.

A breather? He’s a rookie. He needs to be given a chance to work through his off shooting games. The Pelicans have not earned the benefit of the doubt, their a trash franchise until they prove otherwise.

 

[runner11]

Zion is a cancer just like Kyrie. Coincidence they both went to Duke. I would get rid of Zion as soon as I can before he injures himself enough were he won't play for the rest of the season. He is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Totally agree. I know this is extremely harsh but Zion has trash character. It shows in his personal life and it shows on the floor. His quote about “trying to buy in” to the Pelicans was comical. He doesn’t take his job seriously and he is going to Oliver Miller himself.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Not a big Stephen A guy and generally don’t like to poke fun at peoples’ appearances…but he went to Duke and his parents got a free house which the NCAA swept under the rug so :

 

[boba]

Oliver Miller, now that's a blast from the past. Barkley's comment about a cheeseburger on the rim was a classic.

 

[Beowulf]

A breather? He’s a rookie. He needs to be given a chance to work through his off shooting games. The Pelicans have not earned the benefit of the doubt, their a trash franchise until they prove otherwise.

i dont mean breather in the literal sense. i mean it's not the worst thing in the world for a rookie to have a reduced role every now and then. i love hawk, think he should be playing, and think he will be in the rotation for their eventual playin/playoff series. but this is a professional team with playoff aspirations, not the new orleans jordan hawkins showcase. you can't design every single game's rotations around your 14th overall pick.

they are better (by a lot) when he's off the court: Jordan Hawkins 2023-24 On Off Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

he's gonna get plenty of chances. this is not the end of the world. this team is in a win-now era because zion is a ticking time bomb. im sure they'll push some chips in to consolidate at some point, which will open up more minutes for hawk. but right now this is nothing.

 

[Mister P]

Not a big Stephen A guy and generally don’t like to poke fun at peoples’ appearances…but he went to Duke and his parents got a free house which the NCAA swept under the rug so :

I can’t stand Stephen A, but that clip was hilarious.

 

[Waquoit]

What a clownshow. Everyone on their staff deserves to be fired. Not playing Hawkins while letting Zion eat his way through the 35-win buffet is coaching malpractice.

Ehh, the coach is in a tough spot. The easiest thing to do is to sit the new kid and hope the situation sorts itself out.

 

[husky429]

Ehh, the coach is in a tough spot. The easiest thing to do is to sit the new kid and hope the situation sorts itself out.

I'd say the easiest thing would be to take the cheeseburger platter from Zion. But I understand your point.

 

[87Xfer]

Not feeling confident in the $50 I put on Hawk for ROTY.

 

[3rdbass]

I hate using the word cancer. It's an ugly word for people that have lost someone to it (and most probably have). So, I'd reserve that word for people who ruin the whole team. Not just as a player, but a person. I do think Kyrie might have earned the term by alienating franchises from fans and hurting his team with randomly sitting out and a weird (if not nasty) attitude. I met Kyrie in a small setting. He was unpleasant. The guy I was with just said "he's not always like that, but he's moody." I hate being around people like that.

I don't consider Zion a cancer, but he will most likely never be a franchise player. He's out of shape. He's constantly conserving energy, so he doesn't make cuts, help on defense, rebound, etc. Even if he were in shape, his body type is not conducive to his playing style. His injuries will most likely continue. If I were the New Orleans GM, I'd trade Zion. I'm not sure if the Knicks have the assets, but I can see them totally overpaying.

Yeah I hate using that word and meant it non-heath terms. Sorry if it rubbed anyone the wrong place. I do think Zion is turning into the same type of primadona that Kyrie is. Look how he is handling his playing time and getting in shape. Sounds like his personal life is out wack just like Kyrie. They think they bigger than the team is what I meant. Duke really pumps up the head of these kids.

 

[M.S.G.]

Trash organizations will be trash organizations.. I literally can't even understand what they are doing with this rotation

 

[auror]

i dont mean breather in the literal sense. i mean it's not the worst thing in the world for a rookie to have a reduced role every now and then. i love hawk, think he should be playing, and think he will be in the rotation for their eventual playin/playoff series. but this is a professional team with playoff aspirations, not the new orleans jordan hawkins showcase. you can't design every single game's rotations around your 14th overall pick.

they are better (by a lot) when he's off the court: Jordan Hawkins 2023-24 On Off Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

he's gonna get plenty of chances. this is not the end of the world. this team is in a win-now era because zion is a ticking time bomb. im sure they'll push some chips in to consolidate at some point, which will open up more minutes for hawk. but right now this is nothing.

Pure on/off +/- is not a very precise stat. And this is a particularly poor use of it because the lineup has been so totally different. He's "OFF" more now that their good starters and 6th man are back from injury. He played a lot of his "ON" minutes against opposing starters while his team was down 2-4 of their top 6 players.

 

[polycom]

The only thing that makes sense is they are trying to showcase players for a trade. Letting Hawkins rot on your bench is silly and coaching malpractice.

 

[Beowulf]

Pure on/off +/- is not a very precise stat. And this is a particularly poor use of it because the lineup has been so totally different. He's "OFF" more now that their good starters and 6th man are back from injury. He played a lot of his "ON" minutes against opposing starters while his team was down 2-4 of their top 6 players.

I don’t disagree, just using it to illustrate a point that it’s not like he’s setting the world on fire when he’s in there and they are noticeably better when he’s in there. He’s a shooter who’s not shooting well and they are trying to win games. Hes not a particularly reliable defender at this point in time (like marshall and Alvarado) and he’s not a playmaker for other guys. Even his rebounding is 82% uncontested. They should still look to weaponize him at the one thing he’s doing well (shooting off screens) but this is not abnormal at all. This is how it goes sometimes.

I wouldn’t consider this “rotting” on the bench. It’s been like one game. He’ll be getting 20 minutes again soon enough. It’s like the same way Agbaji was utilized last year for Utah who was drafted in a similar spot. I realize he’s our precious baby but that doesn’t mean he should get 82 games and 25 mpg when he’s not even shooting well

 

[husky429]

He’s a shooter who’s not shooting well and they are trying to win games.

37% on almost 7 high-difficulty attempts per game isn't not shooting well?

 

[Beowulf]

37% on almost 7 high-difficulty attempts per game isn't not shooting well?

Over half his attempts per game (5.6 of 10.1) are considered “open” or “wide open”. And take a guess how his percentage compares to the league in all regards. I’ll give you a hint…..