mattadord

@tubaker: Welcome! So what team and where do you write?

Yeah it has been great with all the parity in the league again. While it sucks that the Pels can't count on a handful of wins whenever they travel east, it is great that everyone seems to be competitive for the most part.

@meteora3255: It's great to see them land on there feet. I just hate the layout of the ESPN site so it is just a slight annoyance that I have to go there to read their articles.

@csl316: Yeah I think that surprised everyone, even Pels fans. We all figured injuries would cost us some games or two, but not this badly. Though after last night's game I'm starting to get more and more optimistic. The last couple games the team has been playing real well, and it looks like things are moving in the right direction. Ryan Anderson has been playing out of his mind, and AD seems to be back to his MVP type ways. I mean just look at this 3-pointer/block combo at the end of the game last night. The place went wild, and AD was pumping up the crowd which is awesome to see him so energetic and passionate.

The whole the Pels dug themselves is deep, but I wouldn't say it was deep enough. With things starting to click and everyone playing good team basketball things are looking up. Take Flight!

I don't know if any of y'all saw, but both Zach Lowe and Kirk Goldsberry posted articles this week! I'm glad to see that they landed on their feet, and it seems that ESPN just incorporated them into their own sites (Lowe on the main ESPN and Goldsberry on FiveThirtyEight). I'm happy to see them still write, but it is still weird not seeing the articles on Grantland. Here are the two articles: Lowe's and Goldsberry's

I hope your team is doing better than my Pels. There is a good chance that they are haha. I'm just sick of all the injuries. At this point it is just ridiculous. I might have to start looking into voodoo to keep the team healthy if the injuries continue at this pace. I just hope everyone comes back healthy and we play our ass off and hopefully squeak into the playoffs.

I'm going to the Mavs/Pels games tonight. I think the Pels can pull it out with Jrue playing this game. I really hope the Pels finally win, especially against the Mavs. I just want them to get one win and finally get it out of the way.

Also with news that the Pels got the hardship exception to bring back Jimmer (ugh) that means that are players are still at least 2 weeks away. So at the very least we probably won't be fully healthy until December, but that is super optimistic. I just want to see the team healthy, and finally see this new defensive and offensive systems in place. Alright Pels let's go and get the W! Take Flight!

@meteora3255: I agree. The writers were so knowledged in their respective fields. I loved the super in-depth articles just as much as the fun fan ones. Also I totally agree about learning about basketball by reading Lowe and Goldsberry. It's crazy to see how much more I know now.

@csl316: That team is insane. I'm actually feeling better about the Pels after seeing all the other games the Warriors have played. The Pels have had leads in both games and minus crazy Curry quarters the Pels would be right in there or possibly even win one of those games if my both. I'm excited to see the Pels play the Magic tonight and see if the Pels keep it going. #TakeFlight

@i_stay_puft: Yeah I thought they were doing alright after Simmons left, but it still felt like things were off. I just felt at the best the site would be different and lost a little something, and worst... well you see it. I know a lot of people hated Bill Simmons because he was either a complete homer for his own teams (Patriots, Celtics, etc.), didn't actually watch enough of a team to make informed comments (A handful of Pels fans hated him for saying Tyreke was a such on the team), he just trying to be funny, or some combination of all the above, but I really enjoyed his articles and podcasts especially. Now I'm not listening to every single one, and still have to fast-forward through some parts, but I think he is a great sports voice. I'm glad he got something with HBO and I'm excited to see what it is.

I agree about the Undefeated still being around. Hearing everything surrounding that site, it's just insane to see that it is still around. Again I just hope that the writers and all from Grantland land on their feet. They're all great and amazing, and I hope to read more of their work soon.

@csl316: After watching him torch the Pels in the last couple games I believe it. He is doing it against a really good defensive player in Jrue Holiday too. It is just crazy. Again I can't wait to see all the crazy highlight, unless it is against the Pels. In that case he should keep it to himself haha.

@gaspower:Yeah I think OKC can hang offensively, but not defensively. Granted I haven't had an opportunity to watch any of their games this year, sounds like I've missed some really good games, but I just don't see there defensive being good enough. I think SAS is in a transition year, but I still think they can hang. Despite learning how to use LaMarcus Aldridge I think they're offense will still be on the higher end of the league. Their defense I think is good enough especially with Kawhi Leonard being a defensive monster. The West will be another bloodbath this year.

@dochaus:Alright thanks for the tip! I'm just glad to talk to other people that really follow the sport. I talk to some people at work, but it is mostly just me telling them what is happening. Like I had to tell him who Anthony Davis and Seth Curry were. It's nice to share my knowledge and hopefully create some more NBA fans, but it is much more fulfilling to talk with others that really know what's going on.

On somewhat related NBA news, Grantland is shut down. That is incredibly sad news for me as I love that site. It had incredibly well written, researched, and funny articles. As for the NBA connection we lose a place for a bunch of great, smart, NBA writers to publish their work. I love Zach Lowe he is consistently the most informed national writer I read. It is was always so great to hear him defend a move the Pels made in his article or on a podcast when others were saying "This move makes no sense." (i.e. trading away Robin Lopez to sign Tyreke Evans) There is also the loss of Jonathan Abrams who wrote a lot of great NBA preview (especially this offseason) that would get me pumped for the season, and continue writing great ones as the season went on. Then there is Kirk Goldsberry who you might remember as the guy with all the great shot charts, but that wasn't all his articles were. I would learn so much from his articles just looking at shot distribution and efficiency from his articles. All three writers wrote extremely informative and fascinating pieces. I hope to see them all land on their feet soon.

@csl316:

Oh don't worry I totally understand about the injuries. Having to play Nate Robinson, Ish Smith, and Toney Douglas at PG is infuriating. Now I'm not saying we would be 3-0 now if we had Norris Cole and Tyreke Evans back healthy, but I bet you we would be a much better team than what we have been putting out there.

I understand the fear of dropping on defense. I think Zach Lowe talked about it on one of his recent podcasts. Though he did mention that the Bulls had slipped defensively last season already. I think though that if Noah sticks around he will be a player coach type and help keep the defense in shape. He is always so into the game and a strong leader it seems so I think that will help a lot.

I went to the Warriors-Pels game last night. Man..... Curry is just unfair. I saw or heard a comment along the lines of the Warriors are such a fun team to watch; when they aren't playing your team. I don't remember where I saw or heard this but I agree 100%. Seeing all the "Curry is magic" or "Curry is a human highlight reel" from last night just makes me angry. Another bit of frustration was some of the defensive moves by the players, like going under the screen on Curry (WHAT!?!?), but most of it just comes from we defended him as best as anyone could and he still did that. There were a couple threes of his where the defender was right there on him and he made it anyway. Enough about Curry though the Pels actually looked good! Other than that 3rd quarter Curry outburst they played great, the second quarter specifically. I remember Curry got two quick fouls to give him three, and I thought maybe we could do this. Ryan Anderson has being playing amazing. Watching him this season is like watching a completely different player from last year. He is so much more energetic and quick. He is no longer a liability on defense, still not a great defender maybe average now, and can hit a three like it is no one's business (he hit one probably a good 3' behind the three point line in the first quarter that was a thing of beauty). Jrue Holiday has also been playing really well, though I am a bit concerned about the minute restriction seeming to increase sac game. I just hope he comes back healthy, and they aren't forcing him back because of all the other injuries to the team. Anthony Davis has seemed to get back some of his mojo, but it just seems like he doesn't know how to handle the double team yet, or at least on a consistent basis. Also it doesn't matter much if you can pass out of the double team if you're passing to Toney Douglas, Alonzo Gee, Ish Smith, or any of the meh to ugh shooters the Pelicans have to play right now. After last night's game I'm excited again (I was pretty down because of the Trail Blazers' game) there is still plenty of work to be done, especially defensively, but I see the team learning the new systems and starting to mirror the team that they were in the preseason.

I'm sorry for writing so much guys, but I love me some basketball. I just love talking about the players and teams and everything basketball. So thanks for talking basketball with me duders!

Hey everybody I have a little question/hopefully fun thing to do. As a Pels fan I've been hearing a bunch of the "world is falling" panic after our first two games. There are even a few that wonder if we should have kept Monty Williams and say he was a better coach! (For those who don't know this is a crazy idea)

So the question for everybody, what are some things either you or the fellow fans of your team are panicking about? If you want include some things your pumped about.

I'm a bit worried about the defense, but with all the injuries to PG a drop of wing defense should be expected. Also the obvious AD struggles. Though he started to get back to normal world destroying self in the second half of the Pels/Blazers game. Alright now you're up duder!

@csl316: Wow that's crazy. I just feel like being the number one overall pick gets you more notoriety than that. Well I'm glad he is getting the respect now.

Yeah he grew something like eight inches to a foot in a summer and then a couple more the next summer too just for good measure. You can see his guard roots when he brings up the ball or leads a fast break. It's so pretty.