The Bourbon Street Shots Pelicans

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Published: October 24, 2016

With another NBA season set to kick off this week, I find myself thinking about where I was last year at this time. I had started a brand new job in a brand new city, and longing more than ever for the start of a new Pelicans season. It wasn’t just the fact that the team was coming off of a playoff berth and was poised to make a big jump; it was that watching my hometown team made me feel like I was back home. With all of the change happening in other aspects of my life, this feeling was one that I had taken for granted until that point.

Just as instrumental to that feeling was the team of writers that we have at Bourbon Street Shots. I started writing for this site over five years ago, back when I was still living in New Orleans and the site was still called Hornets 24/7. With every city move that I have made, this team has been nice enough to keep me around, and covering the Pelicans with the rest of that crew has been more gratifying than I ever could have imagined. With the new season about to kick off, I wanted to write something that recognizes all of these talented contributors in a fun way – turning our squad of writers into the Pelicans! Here goes nothing.

The (Healthy) Starting Lineup

Dru Smith (@DruProductions) – Jrue Holiday. Beyond the fact that their first names are basically homonyms, they’re both just as good at what they do. Neither has had the easiest road over the past couple of years, but both have been committed to exceeding expectations and have absolutely achieved the respect of everyone around them.

Ryan Schwan (@SchwanBSS) – E’Twaun Moore. A guy who may seem like he keeps a relatively quiet voice, but if you know where to look, then you know that’s not true. He produces regularly in all phases, and the comfort in always knowing what you’re getting cannot be overstated.

Michael McNamara – Quincy Pondexter. A guy you can rely on to always produce when he’s out on the floor. While he may be out now, you just know he’ll eventually be back at some point and it’ll be like he never left when he returns.

Jake Madison (@NOLAJake) – Solomon Hill. This guy is ready for more minutes and a bigger role than he has ever played. He is adding new pieces to his game, and his following is growing. Hitch onto the wagon now or else you’re going to miss it and have to resort to pretending you were on board at the start.

Jason Calmes (@42PhD) – Anthony Davis. A true leader. He may not the most outspoken team member in public, but in private, he rallies the troops better than anyone. And when he is actually on the court? Oh man. Any time you put the ball in his hands, you know good things are going to happen. Quite simply, he’s just too much more talented than anyone else around him. Also, you know, unibrow.

The Bench Mob

Nick Lewellen (@NickLewellen) – Tim Frazier. A true gunner. He hasn’t had a ton of opportunities, but when he has, oh man, does he take advantage. And if you like him on the court, you should see him behind the scenes in practice. Just vicious. Never takes a play off, so you better have your guard up.

Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) – Buddy Hield. Maybe you know the name (likely from his obnoxious twitter presence) or maybe you don’t, but regardless, there are others on the team who easily deserve more recognition at this point. He contributes where he can, but for the most part, he’s just riding the coattails of others and working hard to get up to their level as quickly as possible.

Shamit “Kumar” Dua (@FearTheBrown) – Dante Cunningham. He may not always show up in standard box score metrics, but he’s working as hard as anyone else on the roster, and his b-ball IQ is one of the highest on the team. I wouldn’t dare try to outsmart him, or muscle him in the paint.

Michael Pellissier (@MikePellissier) – Terrence Jones. This guy started out as a rising star in this league, then had a couple speed bumps get in his way that forced him to spend a little time on the sidelines (certainly not due to lack of talent). For my money, though, he’s about to bounce back in a big way, and his team is really lucky to have him.

Graham McQueen (@GrahamMcQueen) – Cheick Diallo. One of the younger guys on the squad, he has already proven that he was a smart selection. It’s only a matter of time before he truly breaks out and demands the spotlight alongside the rest of the big guns.

Lagniappe

Chris Trew (@ChrisTrew) – Pierre the Pelican / King Cake Baby. Every team needs a mascot; this one just happens to be a damn good writer and comedian. If I were to tell you that Chris was also the King Cake Baby in his spare time, could you prove me wrong? No? Didn’t think so.

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