The Southwest Division rival Memphis Grizzlies have been using the ultra-popular slogan “Grit and Grind” to describe their style of play for several years. Based on free-agent signee E’Twaun Moore’s recent comments about the kind of team New Orleans is trying to become, the 2016-17 Pelicans might be OK if you gave them the nickname “Scrappy and Grimy.”
“When I was talking to Dell (Demps) and (Alvin) Gentry, they said they want a more scrappy, and a little bit more of a defensive-minded team,” Moore said of the GM and head coach’s vision. “Which is something that (Moore and fellow New Orleans pickups Solomon Hill and Langston Galloway) bring. Defensive energy. I think you’ll see a hard-playing team, probably a little bit more grimy team than you saw in the past. I think that’s going to help us win games.”
Scrappy and grimy are also terms that could describe Moore’s path to this point and his five-year NBA career. The 6-foot-4, 191-pound combo guard was a late draftee (No. 55 overall) in 2011 and has played for three different teams (Boston, Orlando, Chicago), before agreeing to a multi-year deal July 1 with New Orleans. He has a career scoring average of 5.8 points, but has never averaged more than 22.4 minutes in any season.
“I came in as a reserve player and tried to work my way up each and every year,” he said of his experience. “I always just stay ready and stay working. When my number is called upon, I always want to fill the shoes and contribute to the team as much as possible.”
The northwest Indiana native grew up not far from Chicago, near the Illinois border, in an area longtime Indianapolis sportswriter Mark Montieth described as a “dangerous neighborhood.” Montieth noted that Moore’s success in athletics and as a Purdue University graduate is due partly to growing up with “a strong family unit.”
During his interview with Pelicans.com’s Black & Blue Report, Moore seemed to agree with the notion that his background has played an instrumental role in his achievements. Montieth also noted that “Moore is popular enough in (his hometown) to be elected mayor.”
“It may just be in me,” the 27-year-old said of his perseverance as a player. “Of course I come from East Chicago, which is a tough city, a tough town. You’ve got to be thick-skinned to make it through. I think that just stuck with me throughout my life, even when things don’t go your way. Even if there were some games I didn’t play as much, I definitely didn’t let it get me down. I just stayed positive, kept my head up and said I’m going to keep working, keep fighting.”
To hear the full interview with Moore and Pelicans radio broadcaster Sean Kelley, listen daily next week to the Black & Blue Report