May 21, 2013
Sure, it would’ve been another boost to the New Orleans Pelicans’ rebuilding project, but a second straight back-to-back No. 1 pick wasn’t in the cards Tuesday at the draft lottery. Instead, the Pelicans slipped one peg from a pre-lottery slot of fifth, moving down to the No. 6 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27.
Given the Pelicans’ outstanding fortune a year ago in landing the No. 1 overall selection and franchise-changer Anthony Davis, however, it was understandable that general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams were not overly disappointed by Tuesday’s outcome.
“There are still quality players you have an opportunity to pick,” Williams said of the sixth spot in the first round. “(Not winning the lottery) would be disappointing if there were something you could do about it. We’ve got to go back home, look at film, talk to our scouts about who we want to draft and go back to work. The sixth pick is a high pick. You can find quality players there, rotation guys.”
“We think it’s a deep draft,” Demps said. “We think we’ll be able to add a contributor. It could be a developmental guy. It could be a guy who’s ready to play right away. It will be another guy we can add to our system.”
Although Demps listed some of the possibilities of the kind of player the Pelicans may add by choosing at the No. 6 spot, he also acknowledged that there are several permutations that could occur before or on draft night.
“You never know,” Demps said. “There are trades. There are other opportunities that may present themselves. We’re going to look at every angle to give us the best possible opportunity to make our team better. Obviously the goal is the long term. We’ll assess that and see who’s (available at the sixth pick).”