Summer nights and my radio
That’s all we need baby, don’t you know?
We celebrate when the gang’s all here
Hot summer nights, that’s my time of the year

— Van Hagar, Summer Nights

New Orleans Pelicans News

As the NBA’s moratorium ended, the New Orleans Pelicans officially completed their major offseason moves to this point. Friday night, Jrue Holiday was introduced as the team’s new point guard just a day after Tyreke Evans was introduced. The completion of these deals also brought Pierre Jackson and Jeff Withey into the fold.

Additionally, Anthony Morrow was signed to a minimum contract and Greg Stiemsma signed for the Room Mid-Level Exception.

With comings come goings, and the team parted ways with Xavier Henry, Terrel Harris, and Lance Thomas. But don’t be too torn up . . . Lance Thomas has rejoined the team at the Las Vegas Summer League. He is in play to sign a new NBA contract with the Pelicans.

Speaking of Summer League, the Pelicans were led by Austin Rivers to a 77-72 victory over the Knicks’ team. Rivers’ play is improved relative to last year’s performance, and he is joined by some current teammates in the developmental series. Coach Gates talked about some of the new faces and Pierre Jackson shared his road to the NBA.

In community news, the Pelicans announced the refurbishment of a basketball court in Lafayette.

Proceeds raised from the annual Louisiana Legislators’ Annual HoopLA charity basketball game and a Pelicans’ contribution provided the funds for the court’s renovation. The court at Picard Park is one of several courts that have been refurbished by the Pelicans and the Louisiana Legislators’ Charity Fund around the state since the partnership began in 2009.

The court at Picard Park will incorporate the logos from the Pelicans as well as for Cox Communications and the Louisiana Seafood Board.

Around Bourbon Street Shots

In the NO was a two-parter this week. In part 1, Gerry V joined to discuss the offseason moves. In part 2, Tom Ziller joined to share his thoughts on Tyreke Evans before the guys ran through all the moves.

In anticipation of Summer League, both Michael and Joe bring their takes on the first glimpse of the newest Pelicans.

Michael Pellisier took an in-depth look at Tyreke Evans’ performances and recent performances of the Hornets to see what can be expected from Tyreke as a Pelican.

Gerry V, in his Weakside Eyes series, give his take on the offseason changes and on looking for things that sometimes get lost in evaluation of basketball games.

Chris Trew, successful Kickstarter, brought his latest Trew to the Game installment where we looks at the team’s court, the team’s hair, and videos of Pelicans players unfairly scoring on their opponents.

`Voices’ of the People

Hooray for another sharpshooter! Step one: add guys who can attack the rim…Step two: open up their lanes by providing deadly shooters…will be interesting to see how and if he fits in, but at the minimum I guess it’s a no brainer…

— Pelican Poster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpodrTHBp-Q

Youtube of Stiemsma teaching how to block a shot.

— hewhorocks

It was nice to see improvement from Austin. He went left a few times, although he still seems tentative to do so. If my memory is correct, he never finished with his left hand. Still, it’s nice to see his progress in this area. His shot looked better, he was decent from the line and he finished at the rim. The $15 fee to watch the summer league games and get a sneak preview at Rivers’ upcoming season is well worth it. I’m ready to get a look at our rooks Sunday.

— Ddiamondd

42 Sense

It’s been a good summer.

Many aspects of the Pelicans franchise that were mired in questions last summer are now nonissues or sources of pride. The Eric Gordon thing appears to have turned a corner, though likely not the final one. The practice facility is nearly done as are the Arena renovations. The rebrand has been announced, and while not complete, many important characteristics are known. The New Orleans Pelicans jerseys are the subject of many an inquiry by fans, but August is looking more and more like the release timeframe. We, of course, are working to get a peek, as some in the organization claim to have had.

And so on, and so on.

This is the offseason we all deserve.

Was this offseaon perfect? No. Different people assess things differently, of course. Measured on the one year scale, I think we can all look around and know the NBA better brace itself, because one day New Orleans will teach them the lesson it already taught the NFL.

So relax. Enjoy.

In the meantime, both the Pelicans and Bourbon Street Shots will be working for you.

The Pelicans are busy trying make money. The ticket sales people are active, trying to get a butt every 18 inches.in the Arena. Other parts of the staff are busy working the businesses around town.

Now, most of you are glazing over at this, but make no mistake about it: this is important. The lack of corporate support plagued the Jazz (and was essentially the reason the team left, not ticket sales), the Hornets pre-Katrina, the Hornets post-Katrina, the Hornets under NBA-ownership, and the Hornets under Benson.

This Summer, however, things are going differently. They are reaching back out to businesses to make sales. When they were asking for six figure fees for the right to be the exclusive whatever of the Pelicans and the rights that come with it, for instance, to be the sole provided of whatever at the Arena, etc, they are now reconsidering and working with potential sponsors. They are reducing prices, adding benefits, restructuring plans.

I was not sure how if the Pelicans would be motivated enough to budge on business deals this summer, but they clearly are. Pelicans fans should be greeted with a more sponsor-rich environment come opening tip. It’s not clear what form this will take, but it is likely to be noticeable given what I’m seeing. It may be a little hard to escape the barrage of advertising at time, but keep a few things in mind. First, this is the way of professional sports these days. Second, this is keeping cost the consumer down. Third, there should be associated benefits, like discount oil changes we’ve seen for a few years, etc. that some fans will enjoy.

In this vein, look for a naming rights sponsor to be unveiled around the time of the Arena’s re-opening, say, mid-October. It should be for 10 years, basically though the lease period or just shy, and for $3m a year, give or take. It’ll be higher if the sponsor is convinced the venue can get some strong events, like another set of NCAA Tournament rounds and perhaps a third NBA All-Star Game in conjunction with the city’s tricentennial, either in 2018 or 2019 . . . just before the tricentennial date or in the year following. This is all up in the air, but expect a deal in some form. In my opinion, their motivation could result in a deal with lower terms than those outlined here. Something > nothing.

At Bourbon Street Shots, we’ll be covering Summer League and any important team business such as roster moves. We’ll also be using the inevitable down time to improve the site, have some fun with some articles, and recharge. We’re also making some progress on a couple of projects that readers should enjoy immensely.

Kick back and enjoy it . . . the season will be here soon . . .