>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME.
I AM TRAVIS MACKEL AND WE ARE
TALKING SPORTS.
THE PELICANS HAVE BEEN
ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS AND
THE SEASON IS OVER.
THEY HAVE TWO MORE GAMES LEFT
AND THIS IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE
BIGGEST OFF-SEASON IN CLUB
HISTORY.
WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO LOOKS JUST
LIKE ME, FLETCHER MACKEL.
JAKE COVERS THE PELICANS AND IT
IS ALWAYS A GOOD READ.
GIVE A GRADE TO THE SEASON, A B
C D OR F?
>> I WOULD SAY C PLUS OR BE
MINUS.
IT IS AN UNSUCCESSFUL SEASON, AS
THEY WENT IN, HAVING RETOOLED
THE ROSTER, BUT THEY WANTED TO
HAVE PLAYOFF EXPECTATIONS AND
THEY ACQUIRED DEMARCUS COUSINS
AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO RESET
AND RE-GRADE THEM.
I WOULD MOVE MY GRADE TO A BE
MINUS OR EPLUS.
YOU ALMOST HAVE TO GRADE THIS ON
TWO DIFFERENT CURVES.
>> THIS SEASON IS ALMOST OVER.
>> I AGREE WITH YOU AND I THINK
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT IN TWO
DIFFERENT PIECES.
HOLLIDAY CAME BACK AND THEY
PLAYED .500 BASKETBALL.
THEY BROUGHT IN DEMARCUS COUSINS
AND GOT THROUGH THE INITIAL
STRUGGLES AND PUT OUT A TOP 10
DEFENSE AND A TOP 10 OFFENSE.
YOU WANT TO GRADE THEM AROUND A
BE.
-- A B.
>> WHEN THEY KICKED IT INTO
GEAR, I WOULD SAY IT WAS IN A.
>> TWO YEARS AGO, ANTHONY DAVIS
WAS BECOMING THE STAR THAT HE IS
AND THEY HAD JUST MADE THE
PLAYOFFS.
THERE WAS MOMENTUM AND MONTI WAS
FIRED, SURPRISINGLY, TO MOST
PEOPLE.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH ALVIN GENTRY
AND DELL DEMPS?
ARE THEY RETAINED OR DOES THE
TEAM MAKE CHANGES?
>> I WILL TAKE THAT.
IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.
I ASSUME THEY WILL EVALUATE THE
TEAM.
THE TEAM HAS PLAYED WELL.
THEY HAVE LOOKED UNSTOPPABLE, AT
TIMES.
ANTHONY DAVIS AND DEMARCUS
COUSINS MIX WELL ON THE COURT.
LAST YEAR, THEY MISSED THE
PLAYOFFS BECAUSE OF INJURIES AND
THEY HAD A MOSTLY-HEALTHY TEAM
AND STILL STRUGGLE.
DELL DEMPS COULD HAVE SAVED HIS
JOB, BUT HE OVERPAID SOLOMON
HILL AND SOME OTHER MOVE SEE HAS
MADE HAVE NOT WORKED OUT.
>> I FELT THAT IT WAS NOT RIGHT
TO FIRE MONTI.
I THINK THAT DELL SAID THAT HE
WOULD CREATE THE DEEP SOUTH
GOLDEN STATE WARRIOR'S.
THEY HAD HIRED STEVE KERR AND I
THINK THAT HE SOLD MICKEY LOOMIS
GOODS THAT THEY HAD GONE AS FAR
AS THEY COULD AND THEY NEEDED TO
GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT DELL
WILL BE LET GO.
YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT
THE DEMARCUS COUSINS TRADE COULD
SAVE HIS JOB.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS GOT
ANOTHER YEAR.
I THINK THAT THEY WILL PART WAYS
AND THEY WILL PROMOTE DANNY.
SOME WILL SAY THAT DANNY IS MORE
PROVEN AND YOU MAY BE HELPING
THE TEAM.
I WOULD PROJECT THAT DELL WOULD
BE GONE.
THE TEAM HAS PLAYED WELL AND HE
HAS SHOWN THAT HE CAN MAYBE GET
THE BEST.
IF GENTRY IS LET GO, I THINK IT
IS COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
>> I THINK THAT DAMPS IS THE
MOST LIKELY TO BE LET GO.
THE KNOCK ON GENTRY IS THAT HE
CANNOT COACH TO BIGS.
THEY ARE PLAYING THE WAY HE
WANTS THE TEAM TO PLAY AND IT IS
WORKING.
>> IN THE OPENING MONOLOGUE, YOU
SAID THAT THIS WAS THE MOST
IMPORTANT OFF-SEASON AND I
REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT.
SNEAKING INTO THE PLAYOFFS NEXT
YEAR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND IT
WILL NOT GET PEOPLE EXCITED OR
PROOF THAT YOU ARE A POTENTIAL
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER.
ONE AND TWO WILL BE GOLDEN
STATE.
YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE
HOUSTON ROCKETS.
THEY WILL FINISH THIRD IN THE
WESTERN CONFERENCE.
>> THE UTAH JAZZ TOOK A STEP
THIS YEAR AND YOU HAVE TO BE A
BONA FIDE PLAYOFF TEAM TO KEEP
DEMARCUS COUSINS HERE AND NO
MORE OF THIS EARLY.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE MOVES TO
MAKE YOU A LEGITIMATE PLAYOFF
TEAM.
WE ALL KNOW WHAT A STAR DAVIS
AND COUSINS ARE.
EVERYBODY SAID THAT THIS COULD
REALLY WORK.
IF THE WINDOW IS NOW, DO THEY
GET IMPATIENT AND SAY THEY ARE
MISSING THE BEST YEARS OF THE
TEAM WITH A STAR PLAYER?
DO YOU JUST HAVE TO BRING IN THE
PIECES?
>> AFTER NEXT SEASON, DEMARCUS
COUSINS IS A FREE AGENT AND THE
CLOCK IS TICKING.
IF YOU CANNOT PUT A WINNER ON
THE COURT AND MAKE THE RIGHT
MOVES, AND I AGREE THAT THIS IS
THE MOST PIVOTAL MOVES THEY HAVE
HAD, YOU MAY LOSE DEMARCUS
COUSINS.
WHAT DOES ANTHONY DAVIS C?
THESE ARE BIG QUESTIONS THAT
NEED TO BE ANSWERED.
>> ANYBODY WHO SAYS THAT THIS IS
NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT
OFF-SEASON OR THEY NEED TO SAVE
MONEY FOR COUSINS, THEY ARE OFF
OF THE RESERVATION.
YOU MAKE THE TEAM THAT YOU HAVE
WITH THESE ALL-STAR PLAYERS.
NOW, IT IS JUST ABOUT FINDING
THE RIGHT COMPLEMENTARY PLAYERS
AND THE RIGHT PIECES.
YOU HAVE HAD TWO ALL-STARS AND
DAVID WEST HAD A BREAKOUT
SEASON.
THEY COMPLEMENTARY PIECES DID
THEIR JOB.
PAGES TO REACTIVATE, TYSON
CHANDLER, A DEFENDER AND GARBAGE
MEN.
YOU HAVE TWO ALL-STARS AND THERE
IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT BEING A
BONA FIDE PLAYOFF TEAM.
>> EVERYBODY SAID THAT COUSINS,
THAT TRADE WAS A GOOD ONE.
HE INDICATED THAT HE MAY NOT
WANT TO SIGN AN EXTENSION AND
THAT HE WOULD WANT TO PLAY OUT
WHAT IS LEFT OF THE CONTRACT.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE THEY CAN
CHANGE AND TO A LONG-TERM
EXTENSION?
>> HE WILL EARN MORE MONEY DUE
TO THE CBA.
FINANCIALLY, IT IS THE RIGHT
MOVE TO MAKE.
>> IS THE SETTING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION BEFORE GENTRY COMMITS
TO A TEAM LONG-TERM?
>> THERE WOULD BE THIS PRESSURE
AT THE DEADLINE.
>> I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HATE
WHEN FOOTBALL PEOPLE DRAW
PARALLELS.
THEY ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY
THE SAME PEOPLE.
SEAN PAYTON SAYS THAT WE HAVE TO
START FAST AND THEY STARTED FAST
AND PEOPLE QUESTIONED IF
WILLIAMS COULD BE A GOOD HEAD
COACH.
I GO BACK TO 2007 AND 2008 AND
PEOPLE WERE SUSPECT ABOUT THIS
LONG-TERM.
THIS TEAM CAN NOT STUMBLE IN THE
FIRST 10 NEXT YEAR AND THINK
THIS WILL WORK.
THEY BETTER BE MORE LIKE 7-3
NEXT YEAR.
>> IT DOES PUT THEM IN A UNIQUE
POSITION.
THEY CANNOT JUST LET SOMEBODY
WALK IN FREE AGENCY.
>> THEY WILL NOT NECESSARILY
HAVE GREAT DRAFT PICKS.
YOU EITHER NEED TO BE IN THE
POSITION TO DO ONE OR THE OTHER.
>> ARE THE FANS ENGAGED AND
EXCITED?
IT SEEMS IT WAS AROUND AND A
KIND OF REINVIGORATED THE FAN
BASE.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY
HAVEN'T ENGAGED FAN BASE.
>> THIS ARENA IS ONE OF THE
LARGEST IN THE LEAGUE AND THEY
SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST
THEY PLAYED ON ROAD -- ON THE
ROAD.
THE BOOKI
GIE TRADE WAS ONE OF THE
BIGGEST.
IT HELPS THAT HE IS A VOCAL
PLAYER.
IF THEY START OFF SLOW, THAT
EXCITEMENT WILL DROP.
>> IT HAS BEEN A ROLLER COASTER.
THEY HAD TREMENDOUS MOMENTUM AND
IT CARRIED OVER AND THEY KIND OF
FELL OFF OF A CLIFF, SO TO SAY.
THEY COULD NOT SUSTAIN THE CHRIS
PAUL SITUATION.
IT HAS BEEN HARD TO SUSTAIN THIS
LEVEL OF SUCCESS.
THEY HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY
GOOD.
THEY ARE IN THE RACE UNTIL THE
END.
THE HARD THING IS SUSTAINING ANY
SUCCESS.
NOT TO SAY THEY'RE GOING TO LOSE
MORE PEOPLE, BUT IT WOULD BE
BETTER FOR THEM TO HAVE A RUN OF
CONSISTENT SUCCESS AND IT WOULD
REALLY HELP BASKETBALL IN NEW
ORLEANS.
>> I WISH THAT WE COULD TALK ALL
NIGHT.
>> YOU ARE CALM AND ELOQUENT.
>> GOOD WEBSITE.
THIS IS THE HOT SEAT AND WE WILL