tournament

Jim Eichenhofer

LAS VEGAS – Two years ago, Darren Erman coached the Golden State Warriors to the first-ever NBA Summer League championship, guiding the Draymond Green-headlined squad to a 7-0 record. Add three victories as head coach of New Orleans’ current summer team, and Erman is still undefeated in 10 Las Vegas games.

“But who’s counting?” a smiling Erman modestly said Monday, after his perfect mark in Nevada was pointed out to him.

While the 2013 summer Warriors relied on future NBA standout Green, as well as Kent Bazemore and Ian Clark – that year’s Las Vegas league MVP – the ’15 Pelicans are a far less heralded collection of players. Although that could be changing soon if they keep winning and putting up big offensive numbers (93.3 points per game).

Of the 23 NBA teams participating in Vegas, New Orleans is the lone squad with no players who’ve previously appeared in a regular season game for the same franchise. Unlike many clubs, the Pelicans also do not have a recent draftee; they’ve already faced and won games against 2015 first-rounders Rashad Vaughn (Milwaukee), Justin Anderson (Dallas) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Brooklyn).

Pelicans to enter Vegas tournament as 3, 4 or 5 seed

New Orleans will benefit from a rare team off day Tuesday, with no game or practice, a reward for going 3-0 and clinching a first-round bye in the upcoming single-elimination, summer league tournament, which opens Wednesday. The Pelicans will play their initial tournament game Thursday in the Round of 16, but that’s the only detail we know at the moment. They will be seeded anywhere from as high as No. 3 to no lower than No. 5, depending on the outcome of a pair of Tuesday games.

Toronto (3-0, 9.5 quarters won) and Denver (3-0, 8 quarters won) are assured of finishing ahead of New Orleans (3-0, 7.5 quarters won) in the seeding rundown, which is why the Pelicans can’t place higher than third. The only other teams with a chance to finish undefeated are Boston (2-0, 6 quarters won) and New York (2-0, 4.5 quarters won). The Celtics play Miami at 6 p.m. Central, while the Knicks face Philadelphia at 4:30.

Incidentally, if it comes into play, the tiebreaking step after quarters won is total margin of victory. New Orleans is at plus-22 in that category, with its wins coming by margins of 12, 4 and 6 points.

Pelicans summer games of He Tianju being broadcast live in China

American fans of the Pelicans haven’t had a chance yet to watch the summer squad play live on their television sets (NBA TV tape-delayed all three New Orleans games in pool play), but that hasn’t been the case in China. Due to forward He Tianju’s presence on the team, his home country of China has broadcast every Pelicans summer game live.

He is averaging 5.0 points per game in the three New Orleans victories, shooting 5-for-13 from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point range. He has made all four of his foul shots, including a pair Monday that accounted for his two points in seven minutes vs. Brooklyn.

The NBA TV schedule for the tournament games in Las Vegas is to be determined, with Thursday’s New Orleans Round of 16 game potentially on the network (NBA TV will live-broadcast four of that day’s eight games). The good news is that if the Pelicans win Thursday and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, NBA TV will carry every New Orleans game live the rest of the way.

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Darren Erman now 10-0 as head coach in summer league

Pelicans.com

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Meet the Team: Pelicans Summer League Roster 2015

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans today announced its roster for the 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The Pelicans will hold a mini-camp from July 6-9 at the team’s practice facility in Metairie, La., with media availability following the morning sessions July 7-9. New Orleans’ first game of the 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League is Friday, July 10 against the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by games against the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets before beginning the single-elimination tournament. All teams participating in the Samsung NBA Summer League are guaranteed to play a minimum of five games. Team will be seeded following the preliminary round, with the top eight seeds receiving a first-round bye.

NBA TV will televise all 67 games at the annual showcase of future NBA stars, culminating with the Samsung NBA Summer League Championship Game at 6 p.m. PT on Monday, July 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Also, fans again will be able to watch games live on NBA.com and via the NBA Game Time App.

Tickets for Samsung NBA Summer League are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com or by calling 702-739-FANS. Dedicated customer service for NBATickets.com is available at (866) 357-1136 and by email.

PELICANS 2015 SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER (subject to change)

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Pelicans Announce 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League Roster and Mini-Camp Schedule

NEW ORLEANS – The NBA announced today the 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League schedule in Las Vegas, featuring 67 games to be played over the course of the 11-day event at the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

The 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League tournament-style format includes three preliminary games followed by a single-elimination tournament.  All teams are guaranteed to play at least five games. Teams will be seeded following the preliminary round, with the top eight seeds receiving a first-round bye.

The New Orleans Pelicans open up the 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League on July 10 against the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by contests against the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets before beginning the single-elimination tournament.

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Pelicans Announce Summer League Schedule

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