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Do Pelicans Players Actually Have Trade Value?
Value: the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something That is the definition of value, universally. In the NBA, determining what a player’s value is at the current moment is handled more specifically. A player’s value is simple, because it lies in the eyes of the other 29 general managers. A […]
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Pelican Scoop: On the Trade Deadline
We are all thinking about it, so why not have a conversation about it – The Trade Deadline. For the last few seasons, the Pelicans have been mostly buyers or, at the very least, neutral this time of year. All of their core pieces were under contract for multiple seasons and they were on a […]
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The Point of Getting the Eighth Seed
What’s the point of getting the 8th seed? I see this question a lot, and I don’t really know how to answer it. My problem isn’t that I don’t know how to list the positives of making the playoffs, even if you get defeated in the first round, it’s that I don’t truly understand the […]
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Imagining Some ‘Pelicans as Buyers’ Trades
The blockbuster trade is not coming. And with the Pelicans starting to play much better and the playoffs in reach, neither is the epic sell job that sends out impact players for picks and/or inexperienced young prospects. No, if Dell is going to make a move, it is going to be a minor one or […]
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Finding the ‘Outta Nowhere’ 3-and-D Wing
The Pelicans biggest hole has been the in the same place for the better part of a decade. Heck, save for one good year from Peja, the small forward position might have been their biggest weakness since Jamal Mashburn lost his career to the all too common vertigo. And as Pelicans fans wish upon a […]
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The Case for Keeping and Re-Signing Ryan Anderson
Conventional wisdom says that Ryan Anderson is not long for New Orleans. He is on the final year of his four-year contract and will likely be a hot commodity this summer, as over 20 teams will have max salary cap room and very few quality players to spend it on. With the cap setting to […]
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Can the Pelicans Match the Warriors 2012 Draft and Would It Be Enough?
Harrison Barnes. Festus Ezili. Kent Bazemore. Draymond Green. All in one rookie class. Collectively, there hasn’t been a better draft in recent memory, and that draft (combined with what was already in place and a couple of savvy FA signings) led to a title, and a potential dynasty in the making. The idea of that […]
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Monty Love Proves Just How Flawed Our Memories Are
One thing you can say about Monty coached teams – They always played with effort. I have seen this sentence or one like it literally dozens of times in the past few weeks. The first thing I did when I read it was google ‘Multiverse Theory’. Seems odd, I know, but I was convinced that […]
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Are We Being Unfair to Tyreke Evans?
The Christmas Day game seemed like the tipping point for many fans. For me, it was the Boston game about a week earlier. Now, social media and the internet in general is not a great place to find the entire spectrum of fans’ thoughts, but it is all we’ve got right now. And the internet […]
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For Pelicans, Blowing it Up isn’t the Same as Tanking
It is no coincidence that I am writing this piece two days before we reach what I stated was The Point of No Return. A month ago, I wrote a piece setting a target days of January 9th for the Pelicans to decide which direction to take, and set a win total of 13 as […]
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Finding The Missing Piece(s): A Return of Sorts
Three years ago, I did a weekly series titled ‘The Missing Piece’. It was based around the premise that the Pelicans had some foundation pieces in place and they were just searching for the right guy to tie it all together. At the time, they had Davis and Anderson as the big men of the […]
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Difference Between Road Pelicans and Home Pelicans is Mind Boggling
Last year I wrote a piece chronicling the difference between Ryan Anderson at home and Ryan Anderson on the road. The splits were eye-opening, as home Ryno basically performed like Klay Thompson, while road Ryno played like a D-League bench player. It was an interesting piece for me to dive in to, because it is […]
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New Path the Pelicans Are On Makes Coaching Change Seem Pointless
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is a popular saying attributed to one of President Carter’s advisors in 1977. The idea was that the government was hemorrhaging billions of dollars trying to tinker with things that didn’t need tinkering with, while ignoring the true problems that did need to be fixed. Ah, the more […]
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A Blueprint for Blowing It Up
Mark Borchardt is arguably the greatest subject in a documentary film, possibly ever. But before he was the centerpiece of American Movie, he was an aspiring director with a series of movies under his belt titled, “I Blow Up.” (see video here) The footage is grainy, and there is no sound, but essentially the victims […]
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New Orleans Pelicans Nearing the Point of No Return
In Back to the Future III, Doc Brown sets up a demonstration for young Marty showcasing his two options for his potential trip back to the year 1985. The plan is risky, with the worst case scenario being a gruesome death that would see Marty and the DeLorean plunge off a steep cliff after failing […]
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The Correct Argument for Firing Dell Demps
When things are going wrong for a franchise – in any sport – there are two things you can count on the fan base wanting: Players traded and people fired. Most don’t care how the problem is fixed, just that it is fixed and somebody is held accountable. The trading part is harder to pull […]
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Targets if Dell Really Does Want to Trade His First Round Pick
In theory, it’s simple. You put your first round pick on the block and teams come to you offer a bevy of veteran players who can help you win now and in the near future. In reality, though, you need to find the right team. A team that is both willing to sacrifice for the […]
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What’s the Plan With Asik and Ajinca?
July 1st, 2015 will be a day that every Pelicans fan remembers fondly, because it was the day that Anthony Davis agreed to a five-year extension to stay with the team for the forseeable future. What few remember, though, is it was on that very same day that the Pelicans locked up two other big […]
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Short Handed Pelicans Give Valiant Effort, Lose to Hawks
The Pelicans injury bug is so rampant, that even the color commentator isn’t immune. Joel Meyers had to do the broadcast by himself after David Wesley was forced out of action, and that was a perfect metaphor for this Pelicans season, and this game in particular. New Orleans had to travel to Atlanta, a 60 win […]
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AD Returns to Form, But Pelicans Can’t Return to Win Column
0-5 is never a good look, but all losses are not created equally. A loss is not indicative of bad play, just like every win is not indicative of good play. Anthony Davis was fantastic tonight, and the Pelicans had stretches where they looked unguardable, but Atlanta held off every surge to win 121-115. Anthony […]