UPDATE: Evans arrived in the U.S. Airways Center minutes ago and will start for the Pelicans, his first starting assignment with New Orleans.
PHOENIX – Monty Williams is planning to give Tyreke Evans his first starting assignment of the 2013-14 season, after Evans came off the bench 49 times for the New Orleans Pelicans. One problem: As of about 90 minutes prior to tip-off of Friday’s game against the Suns, Evans was still stuck in a Phoenix elevator.
“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances,” Williams said of his possible starting small forward tonight. “There’s no other way to (put this) – he’s stuck in the elevator, and they can’t get him out. It’s not his fault that he’s late (to the arena). They’re working as hard as they can to try to get him here.”
Williams said there is no cut-off time for when time Evans would need to get to U.S. Airways Center in order to remain in the starting lineup and play.
“It’s life,” Williams said of the bizarre misfortune the team has experienced this season and today. “It’s a bit extreme at times. For the most part, I probably wouldn’t be that forthright with our information (about a player’s status), but it’s not his fault that he’s not here. Usually you would expect him to be out there (on the court) warming up at this point, so if you see him come in around 7:45 or even later, that’s the reason why. It’s one of those situations where you have to make the best of something that’s out of our control.”