The Official 2020/21 NBA Thread
- Thread starter silverfoxx
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Pierce took the tough love approach with Young from Day 1, opting to push him hard as a way of maximizing his celebrated talent. But Young, who had inspired so much hype during his time coming up in (and at) Oklahoma, often pushed back against Pierce’s style. John Collins could relate.
Pierce made a public comment two seasons ago about not running plays for Collins, and it rubbed the Hawks big man the wrong way. Collins went to Pierce about his issue with the statement, but Pierce, sources say, turned around and called Collins’ approach selfish in wanting to have a more defined role on the team. Over time, the residue from these types of situations remained.
Cam Reddish was among those, sources said, who also had an issue with Pierce’s coaching. Sources said Reddish felt like he was being “picked on” behind the scenes when it came to mistakes the second-year player made. There are a few players on the Hawks’ roster who feel like Reddish’s potential is higher than anyone on the roster but that Pierce’s input was stunting his development.
The hope is Reddish, taken 10th overall by Atlanta in 2019, can soar with a new voice. At the least, though, there will be no more excuses for him to improve after his clashes with Pierce. It also couldn’t have helped that two of the players known to be disenfranchised with Pierce — Young and Reddish — were the ones acquired when Atlanta made the controversial trade with Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic in June 2018.
The lack of trust in Pierce, from numerous players, started in his first season. For The Athletic’sanonymous NBA player poll in April 2019, when one Hawks player was asked which coach in the NBA would you not want to play for, he responded with, “Are we allowed to say the one we play for?”
Pierce made a public comment two seasons ago about not running plays for Collins, and it rubbed the Hawks big man the wrong way. Collins went to Pierce about his issue with the statement, but Pierce, sources say, turned around and called Collins’ approach selfish in wanting to have a more defined role on the team. Over time, the residue from these types of situations remained.
Cam Reddish was among those, sources said, who also had an issue with Pierce’s coaching. Sources said Reddish felt like he was being “picked on” behind the scenes when it came to mistakes the second-year player made. There are a few players on the Hawks’ roster who feel like Reddish’s potential is higher than anyone on the roster but that Pierce’s input was stunting his development.
The hope is Reddish, taken 10th overall by Atlanta in 2019, can soar with a new voice. At the least, though, there will be no more excuses for him to improve after his clashes with Pierce. It also couldn’t have helped that two of the players known to be disenfranchised with Pierce — Young and Reddish — were the ones acquired when Atlanta made the controversial trade with Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic in June 2018.
The lack of trust in Pierce, from numerous players, started in his first season. For The Athletic’sanonymous NBA player poll in April 2019, when one Hawks player was asked which coach in the NBA would you not want to play for, he responded with, “Are we allowed to say the one we play for?”
Interestingly, away from the team, Pierce’s comments about Young’s game raised eyebrows around the league.
During a league office Competition Committee call on Dec. 30, Pierce was among a couple of members who spoke out about the way certain players are able to draw fouls and, at times, bait officials into making foul calls. Multiple sources said he spoke about how he “hates” the shots Young takes at times and the fouls he’s able to draw on them. It was perceived as an interesting comment for several people on the call because Pierce’s star player has seemingly taken advantage of drawing fouls and getting to the foul line. But it was made in the broader picture of how players are drawing fouls by manipulating their bodies.
lmao Imagine Jim Carrey hating how luka played
During a league office Competition Committee call on Dec. 30, Pierce was among a couple of members who spoke out about the way certain players are able to draw fouls and, at times, bait officials into making foul calls. Multiple sources said he spoke about how he “hates” the shots Young takes at times and the fouls he’s able to draw on them. It was perceived as an interesting comment for several people on the call because Pierce’s star player has seemingly taken advantage of drawing fouls and getting to the foul line. But it was made in the broader picture of how players are drawing fouls by manipulating their bodies.
lmao Imagine Jim Carrey hating how luka played
Hater Hearst Helmsley
I AM THE GAME
Coppin the cade jersey soon as we win the lottery
Trilltx214
Layer cake
Cawcaws what y’all say
silverfoxx
Bitch mob
I hate to agree with him. The morale victories shit is a myth.
Dwayne
Laissez le bon temps rouler
Wrong.
A victory is not a morale victory.
Just stop with this tank shit. Our roster ain’t bad enough to tank.
silverfoxx
Bitch mob
This is why we always have falling outs bruh. You can disagree with my opinion instead of calling it extra fucking dumb when in reality it's not. I been a fan of this franchise for a long time and I see we are the cusp of establishing something only a few teams in History do, which is putting together three younger stars together on fair deals.
Any other route possibly locks up our cap flexibility and makes our potential maxed out at two top 25 players instead the rare possibility of three.
If you not are aware of the college prospects then imo you can't really debate what I'm calling for which is being a seller at the trade deadline and using this season as a development one rather than "trying" to make the playoffs in technically year one of Zion.
Dwayne
Laissez le bon temps rouler
I’m tired of you when it comes to this team.
You get better in this league by winning.
Lonzo ain’t gonna be no third star
also Lonzo don’t have what it takes to be top 25
I’ll step out though this is pelican business
also Lonzo don’t have what it takes to be top 25
I’ll step out though this is pelican business
BlackAx410
Active Member
Theis is solid but i don't think he should be our starting center. Him hitting the open mid range jumper opens things up for us
BlackAx410
Active Member
I hope that Pierce article doesn't prevent him getting a job in the future
silverfoxx
Bitch mob
You think very minor in the scope of assessing ways to improve the team and short sited so I won't expect you like my approach all I'm saying is be respectful bruh. I haven't called your approach "fucking dumb" but if that's going to be the way we communicate then I'm fine with that. Just give me the greenlight.
silverfoxx
Bitch mob
That's what I'm saying. Investing a ton of money in Lonzo pretty much locks this core into place especially since this front office has shown they struggle with drafting and developing proper. I want a high pick so we cant miss with a prospect excluding injuries, and other issues of course.
Dwayne
Laissez le bon temps rouler
Naw you’re thinking minor and very delusional when it comes to this team.
you want them to tank but they ain’t bd enough to think so you want players to actually quit so we can lose.
Yea let’s tank with a good collection of young pieces that can grow together.
that would show the rest of the NBA players we are a great organization and Zion and BI would def want to stay.
Get your knowledge up
Yeah he definitely shouldn’t be starting and that goes to show how bad your big man rotation is
but I mean a decent PF would make it moot
yeah him being able to hit open perimeter shots helps alot
i think him hitting a late three helped them win that game
silverfoxx
Bitch mob
Your mind was made already because your emotional intelligence got the best of you to see that I actually addressed already fam. I said we be SELLERS at the deadline. Zo is our best perimeter defender and trading him and JJ will have us loose shooting and defense which will naturally make us a worst team and allow us to give more younger guys who are on better deals and possibly will be around longer time to play.
I can't blame you on how you feel though, because as Pelicans fans when was the last time we actually had a developing season? Last I can recall is Thorton and Darren Collinson years and we traded both of them after and they had decent careers after.
Developing young players is something this franchise needs to get better at instead of rushing to "win now" and investing alot in vets when you guys aren't ready to know how to win.
It's a reason why @Gene Parmesan brought up how fire Memphis is doing this and they working with less assets than we are. That's the way smart teams do it. Pelicans gotta wisen up with their blessings man or else it's going to be a AD part 2.
Dwayne
Laissez le bon temps rouler
Everything I said about this team been 100% correct.