Offseason discussion in the NBA often revolves around the teams that make the splashiest free-agent acquisitions or the boldest roster moves, but this summer the New Orleans Pelicans have maintained the core group that reached the Western Conference playoffs in 2014-15. Despite making few changes since July 1, that hasn’t stopped the Pelicans’ stock from rising from a national perspective, partly due to the projected impact many believe new head coach Alvin Gentry will make.
In a pair of recently-released 1-30 NBA power rankings from national Web sites, New Orleans (45-37 last season) was elevated to the No. 8 overall spot. By comparison, the Pelicans finished with the NBA’s 13th-best regular season record in ’14-15.
NBA.com writer John Schuhmann ranked New Orleans eighth in his summer power poll, but in another sign of the discrepancy between the conferences, he placed only one Eastern team (No. 3 Cleveland) ahead of the Pelicans. Golden State, San Antonio, Houston, the Clippers, Oklahoma City and Memphis filled slots 1-2 and 4-7, respectively.
Pro Basketball Talk writer Kurt Helin also placed NOLA eighth in his updated rankings, with the exact same seven teams ahead of the Pelicans. Helin described the hiring of Gentry as “a fantastic off-season move… the two key reasons this team improves are: 1) They finally get Jrue Holiday and others healthy; 2) Anthony Davis is still improving by leaps and bounds each season (and Gentry will be a big boost to them). How good their defense is determines how far they go.”
NBA schedule release expected in August
There has been no confirmation yet on when the 2015-16 regular season schedule will be released to the public, but based on past years, it is likely to occur relatively soon. The 2014-15 schedule was unveiled during the second week of August. NBA TV traditionally broadcasts a special show in conjunction with the schedule’s release. We’ll have more details when they become available.