Category: Features

  • Pelicans Off-Season Q&A: Looking Backwards & Ahead

    Earlier this week, Rafał Kamieński (a writer for Pelicans.pl, a polish website dedicated to covering the New Orleans Pelicans) asked me a few questions related to the key decisions awaiting the Pelicans this summer. He translated those answers into Polish and then posted them on his site, but you can find the English version below.   […]

  • Progress Towards an Identity

    I wrote a while back that the Pelicans were in dire need of an identity. This idea resonated with many, and it was of course lampooned by those who are just slower to process the obvious who came around the same point a year later. Well, here we are a year after that, and identity […]

  • Where should the Pelicans G-League Team Go and What Should Their Name Be?

    You know it’s coming, you know what it is, but you don’t know where it’s going. It’s true that nobody, really, knows the answer to that. But it’s the offseason and this is the kind of thing I devote brain space to because I want to. And frankly, I have to do whatever I want […]

  • Five Scenarios in Which the Pelicans Improve This Offseason…. Without Holiday

    Earlier this week, our own Jake Madison hypothesized that Jrue might have already made up his mind to head elsewhere this offseason. While that would leave another gaping hole on an already thin roster, it is possible that this would actually be a blessing in disguise long-term for the Pelicans. Giving Holiday a contract at […]

  • DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans Offense

    After the initial jubilation wore off from the New Orleans Pelicans trading for DeMarcus Cousins there was one big question: Can Alvin Gentry coach two bigs? On the surface it’s a valid question to ask. Gentry made his name coaching the 7 Seconds or Less Suns, and got the Pelicans job from being the mastermind […]

  • Pelicans Scoop: Evaluating the Season

    As we hit the offseason for the New Orleans Pelicans many are going to want to grade and judge the season. However, it is much more complicated than that. A few of our writers share their insight into what they are looking at. With the season over for the Pelicans the offseason first shifts to […]

  • Pelicans Prepare for a Big Choice

    The New Orleans Pelicans have been under the gun since it was clear that Anthony Davis was going to be what was hoped prior to the 2012 NBA Draft. The first attempts to build a roster showed promise, but they fizzled from a combination of bad luck and risk. New hope emerged for a Davis-filled […]

  • Play Breakdown: Cousins for 3

    The end of the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday’s loss to Denver game is going to be remembered for the two turnovers Jrue Holiday committed rather than any late game heroics. Other than the obvious (losing) it was a disappointing ending because it seemed like Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry would have been able to draw […]

  • Prioritizing identity for the sake of identity

    What is in an identity? Much like within an individual, the identity of an organization takes on its shape over time. It is up to the constituents of that body to decide if its identity will be influenced more by external forces or internal ones. Do we trust the instincts of our leadership enough to […]

  • New Orleans Pelicans Announce D-League Franchise

    On Friday the New Orleans Pelicans announced the formation of a D-League (soon to be G-League, but I refuse to call it that) franchise. A lot of details are still yet to be determined, but the team will be based in the Gulf South region, owned by the Pelicans, and being play in the 2018-2019 […]

  • A Cheick-in on Diallo in the D-League

    Rather than select two players in the second round or trading one (or both) of their two 2016 second round picks, the Pelicans opted to package the 39th and 40th picks of the NBA draft in order to move up to the 33rd spot, selecting 19 year old Kansas product Cheick Diallo. While Diallo has […]

  • The Wisdom of Solomon?

    When the New Orleans Pelicans signed Solomon Hill, I told myself: Read up. When I had time to read up, I told myself: This guy is going to do most of his work off the box score. When I watched the games for those off-the-box things: I didn’t see them. Every team has its under-the-microscope […]

  • 10-Dayer Power Rankings

    Fans of the Pelicans have become pretty familiar over the past two seasons with the players littering the top of D-League rosters and back end of NBA benches. The Pels have been forced to sign these tweeners time and time again based on their combined need for veteran leadership at the guard spots and shooting […]

  • Doubling Down on Your Strengths: How the Pelicans can embrace an unconventional identity

    It’s April of 2014. You’re bored and flipping through the channels. As you are scrolling, you notice the Houston Rockets are playing the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hey! It’s James Harden and Dwight Howard vs Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic! This should be good. You settle in, finally quelling the boredom that’s haunted you all night. But […]

  • Why Are the Pelicans Struggling on the Glass?

    The DeMarcus Cousins era for the New Orleans Pelicans has not gotten off to the flying start many thought would occur. Struggles abound in multiple areas, and while some make sense as the Pelicans figure out the kinks others are a big surprise. None more so than the Pelicans defensive rebounding struggles. Pre-trade the Pelicans […]

  • 2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Four: Extending Boogie

    What’s the old saying, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? What does that even mean, and who is choosing between domestic birds and those living in bushes? Well, I have no idea where it comes from, but I have heard it enough times to understand the point of the saying. […]

  • Alvin Gentry’s Secret Sauce: A look at why the Pelicans should run the Triangle

    Much has been made of the Pelicans struggle offensively this season. It was a doomed proposition to begin with as point guard Jrue Holiday was scheduled to miss a few weeks taking care of his family at home. However the Pelicans offense has not been remarkably better since his return. The Pelicans not only look […]

  • 2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Three: Jrue Walks

    Let’s get one thing out of the way….. Jrue Holiday will be overpaid next year. Whether it is by the New Orleans Pelicans or by some other team, he will receive a contract that makes him one of the top 3-5 highest paid point guards in the league. And nobody would claim that Jrue is […]

  • 2017 Offseason Possibilities Part Two: Operating Above the Cap

    In part one of the offseason possibilities piece, I took a look at the Pelicans options if they were to try and operate under the salary cap this summer. That route opened up the possibility of the Pelicans getting another top-end player, but also make the roster very top-heavy, with very little quality depth beyond […]

  • 2017 Offseason Possibilities Part One: Using Cap Room

    Teams with a “Big 3” rarely have cap room to add more. The Clippers, for instance, have had little to no flexibility ever since adding Chris Paul. The Heat had to try and fill roster spots with minimum players for years, and the Warriors were only able to add a stud like Durant because they […]