jennifer hale

Jim Eichenhofer

By now you probably know most of the popular favorable characteristics of the five cities that comprise the NBA’s Southwest Division, such as New Orleans’ well-documented nightlife and social scene, which draws worldwide attention during Mardi Gras each winter. But what are some of the lesser-known parts of the region’s cities that make them great places to live or visit? Our five-person division panel explored that topic this week. The panel was also joined by three writers from other NBA franchises, as well as a handful of Pelicans TV and radio broadcasters, who all partly played the role of “local tourism director” in this week’s feature.

What’s the most underrated aspect of your home NBA city?

The most underrated thing about Dallas is that we are a city for food lovers. We have no shortage of great restaurants and bars. The cuisine is varied and there always seems to be new restaurants in areas that are undergoing a transition. Hopefully that will continue when things get back to normal.

Houston is just one of the friendliest cities in America. Yes I’m biased but other friends who come here say the same thing. We get knocked for our humidity and traffic. But once you settle in, you’re going to have a good time here. The food, the bars, the music options, and the golf. I also love the vibe in and around the Toyota Center especially during the postseason.

The South Bluffs/Riverside Drive. The BBQ, Blues, Beale Street, Graceland, St. Jude Research and Le Bonheur Children’s hospitals and the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel are all fascinating places. Most folks hit up some, most or all of them on their way through Memphis. But there’s no better place to catch an amazing sunset or a refreshing jog than along the peaceful, serene stretch of Riverside Drive along the South Bluffs just off the Mississippi River. When I worked at ESPN or elsewhere covering the league and came to Memphis, I always carved an hour or two into my schedule to reset my thoughts and take in this underrated spot.

New Orleans suffers from some of the same misperceptions as the Mardi Gras celebration, because based on what most see on TV, people may be only aware of what takes place downtown and in the French Quarter. For NBA teams that visit the Crescent City, I doubt many venture very far from Canal Street, which is understandable because there are so many amazing restaurants nearby, for example. But if you have rare spare time during the season, or you’re staying here for multiple days during a playoff series – and some of those could be on the horizon – I recommend checking out Lake Pontchartrain, or massive City Park, neither of which are too far from downtown. Both will give you a much different perspective on the city’s natural beauty.

Again, diversity. Most people come to San Antonio thinking the place to be is the Riverwalk, and sure it’s a great place to visit if you’re a tourist. But most of that area is tourists. The city has so much more to offer, especially when it comes to great restaurants. San Antonio is probably one of the more spread out NBA cities. So, you’ve really got to venture outside of the downtown area to get a good feel for the city. Longtime NBA scribe Mike Monroe is a great resource for finding the best places to visit in San Antonio. I live here, and I even hit Mike up from time to time for recommendations. If you were covering a playoff series out here, I’d say on a day off, you should drive out to New Braunfels or San Marcos and hit the Guadalupe, Comal, San Marcos or Frio rivers, where tubing is a way of life. You can rent tubes for super cheap (or hit me up and I’ll let you borrow some of mine), bring a cooler full of cold beer and some tunes and just kick back and relax and float the rivers for hours. Along the way, you’ll meet tons of fun people and there are usually places to grab a bite to eat along the float route. I’m actually sad I haven’t yet floated any of the rivers since the NBA suspended the season.

Believe it or not, it’s actually the weather … for a couple of months each season. If you’re lucky enough to come to Boston during the final two weeks of the regular season (the start of April) or in the playoffs, you’re likely going to see this city in its most ideal state. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the country, with an overload of character. Experiencing all of that in 75-85 degree, sunny weather, is a good deal.

Everyone knows Orlando for Disney and its theme parks, but there are many sides of the city that most visitors never get to see. There are a number of wildlife parks, lakes and trails all within a short drive of the city center. Orlando is also only a 40-minute drive to some of the best beaches on the East Coast and just over an hour from some of the top Gulf Coast shores the country has to offer. Orlando is also an underrated food city – just ask JJ Redick. Head to downtown Winter Park for a variety of high-end dinner experiences or visit the College Park, Mills 50 and Audubon Park districts for a wide array of dining options. If you’re a partygoer that doesn’t mind being surrounded by a younger demographic, downtown Orlando rarely disappoints Thursday through Sunday.

The NBA season is in the winter. The winter is cold. Minneapolis is especially cold. That’s why we have skyways. What are skyways, you ask? They are basically walkways that connect buildings so you never have to go outside. Chances are if you’re staying in a hotel downtown to watch a Timberwolves game, you won’t even have to go outside to get to the Target Center. It turns out the cold isn’t so bad when you never have to go outside.

New Orleans is a place where you pretty much are accepted for being who you are (as long as you’re not a criminal, but I digress). I don’t really know how it is in other cities – I’m not there, obviously. But people aren’t “overwhelmed” by celebrity (I only have to do autographs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) and they seem to be accepting of the fact that the famous among them also need their space. We hear a ton about how players love to be in “major” cities and the extra financial opportunities that are afforded there, but the fact is fame and fortune will find the location of the person who’s deserving of fame and fortune. Meanwhile, a familial feel can be taken for granted. True, it’s not for everyone. But for those who are attracted to it, who believe they can help create their own big stage, New Orleans is a pretty great place to be.

The most underrated aspect about our city for NBA is that we have some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the league. We just haven’t had the opportunity to grow the fan base on a consistent level over the years for one reason or another. The hardcore fans have always been there. That change has been palpable this season with the atmosphere inside the Smoothie King Center and the vibe around town since we won the NBA draft lottery one year ago. It’s only gonna get better.

The genuine soul of New Orleans. Yes the food is wonderful, the music is amazing and the architecture is gorgeous. I truly believe though you need to experience it all away from the typical tourist traps. Nola is so unique – discovering the city needs to be personal. I love making somewhat individual recommendations for NBA and NFL friends visiting Nola, based on their interests. Cooking classes, streetcar rides, Garden District walking tours or a trip to the Spotted Cat/Maple Leaf Bar/Tipitina’s … there is something for everyone to fall in love with!

How good the people are, how genuine the people in this city are. For those of us who have lived here, we’ve all found out that if you embrace the city, it will give back to you, times a thousand. Everyone who comes to visits our city and walks around – whether it’s the visiting NBA teams, or anyone else – finds that out in a big hurry.

The history of the city. When you go on road trips to a lot of other cities in the NBA, your first thought is not to do something related to history, or to go somewhere to learn about the culture of the city. But when you’re in New Orleans, the culture and the history kind of hits you in the face, in a good way. You don’t have to go to certain places to see a historic aspect of the city; the whole city is historic. It’s something you can feel when you come here and what’s so unique about New Orleans.

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Southwest Division roundtable: Underrated aspect of NBA cities

During the NBA’s month-plus hiatus, one compelling element of the brand-new “Pelicans Playback” show has been analysis of on-court X’s and O’s by New Orleans’ front office and broadcasters. Starting Sunday, the people who’ve drawn up those plays will be featured on the 30-minute broadcast.

Pelicans assistant coach Chris Finch is the first member of Alvin Gentry’s staff who will participate as a guest. Finch will join Jennifer Hale on Sunday at 5:30, prior to the Fox Sports New Orleans rebroadcast of New Orleans-Chicago from Feb. 6. Other coaches – including Gentry – will be on the show in other upcoming programs.

This evening, Swin Cash will make her second guest appearance on Monday’s Playback, while Wednesday’s show features David Griffin in his third appearance. Cash will also be the guest on Monday’s Pelicans Podcast, hosted by Daniel Sallerson.

This week’s schedule for Fox Sports New Orleans game rebroadcasts (“Pelicans Playback” guest):

Monday 7 and 10 p.m.: Boston at New Orleans from Jan. 26 (Swin Cash at 6:30)

Wednesday 7 and 10 p.m.: New Orleans at Cleveland from Jan. 28 (David Griffin at 6:30)

Sunday 6 and 9 p.m.: New Orleans at Chicago from Feb. 6 (Chris Finch at 5:30)

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New Orleans coaching staff joins Pelicans Playback starting on weekend

Prior to Tuesday’s rebroadcast of New Orleans’ March 8 win vs. Minnesota, Pelicans radio sideline reporter/analyst Caroline Gonzalez joined Fox Sports New Orleans TV sideline reporter Jennifer Hale on the “Pelicans Playback” show. Here are three takeaways:

Pelicans players want the opportunity to finish the job.

New Orleans was 3.5 games out of eighth place in the Western Conference when the NBA season was halted, with two late-March matchups forthcoming vs. Memphis. After a 7-23 start, the Pelicans had climbed a major mountain just to get back into playoff contention and were looking forward to the final 18 games when play stopped.

“It was so hard to get to this point,” Gonzalez said of the journey. “You put yourself in a position to make that playoff push. JJ Redick (said on a recent podcast), ‘Whatever finishing the season means, I want to have an opportunity to finish it.’ ”

Gonzalez on part of the motivation New Orleans has to continue playing basketball: “If you were to spend seven months at your job working on one specific project, then to have someone say, ‘Don’t worry about that project anymore,’ you’re going to be pretty frustrated.”

Holiday entered 2019-20 as the only New Orleans player who’d been an All-Star, as well as the longest-tenured Pelican, giving him valuable familiarity with the franchise in more ways than one.

“He’s the heart of the locker room. His maturity on this team and knowing this team and Alvin Gentry, he’s been consistent all season and that guy you can count on,” Gonzalez said. “More importantly, he’s been able to adapt (to an offensive role). When you have guys like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson coming into the lineup, it might not be easy to adapt, but (Holiday) made it look so easy, especially on offense. On the defensive end, I can’t say enough about his defense.”

Twitter questions from Pelicans fans steered in the direction of off-the-court queries, asking about personalities on the roster. Gonzalez picked Williamson as the team’s funniest player, saying the rookie possesses “dry humor, so not everyone always picks up on it.” Other selections: Josh Hart as the loudest talker on the practice court (“he talks a lot on defense and prides himself on defense and energy”); Holiday as the most musically inclined, acknowledging his interest in guitar and other instruments.

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Pelicans Playback: Three takeaways from Caroline Gonzalez’s April 7 appearance

Prior to Wednesday’s rebroadcast of New Orleans’ Feb. 11 win vs. Portland, Pelicans radio host/analyst Daniel Sallerson joined Fox Sports New Orleans TV sideline reporter Jennifer Hale on the “Pelicans Playback” show. Here are three takeaways:

JJ Redick’s leadership and experience have been invaluable.

During a few interview sessions this season, the 35-year-old shooting guard has taking some umbrage with the idea that he’s already partly in “coach mode” at this stage of his career – because he’s still a very productive and effective player (14.9 ppg, second in NBA in three-point percentage). But there’s no doubt that under these particular circumstances – New Orleans has numerous key young players and dealt with significant adversity early in 2019-20 – Redick’s intangibles are vital.

“He really feels like an extra coach,” described Sallerson, alluding to some of what behind-the-scenes access can reveal about a player. “We’re really blessed to be able to watch practices and even shootarounds, where you can just see him getting other guys involved, teaching some of the other guards. He’s a true professional. There’s a reason why he’s made the playoffs in all 13 seasons of his career. He’s one of those veteran leaders who has attention to detail, with a high basketball IQ.”

Lonzo Ball can take his game to another level.

A Twitter user asked how close the team’s starting point guard might be to reaching an All-Star level. After making immense strides and emerging as an integral part of New Orleans’ midseason surge, Sallerson responded, “He’s getting close already. If you look at how he’s progressed throughout the season, he said it himself that he wasn’t as healthy as he would have liked to be at the beginning of the season. Now that he’s fully healthy and bought in to the Pelicans’ offense, he’s able to run the floor as much as he wants.”

Play of the season so far? It may be an unlikely floater in January.

The Pelicans entered a Jan. 4 game at Golden 1 Center having played well over a stretch of previous games, but still were just 11-24 following a Jan. 3 loss at the Lakers. After a big fourth-quarter lead evaporated against the Kings, Redick saved the day with an improbable, left-handed banked-in floater for a 117-115 win.

“It was a tough back-to-back and the Pelicans really needed that win before heading home,” Sallerson said, responding to a query about his favorite play of '19-20. “JJ, with how graceful he was with the floater, it was just an unbelievable moment on the road. The crowd went silent. It kind of set the tone for the rest of January and helped the Pelicans get back into playoff contention.”

New Orleans went 8-5 the remainder of that month, picking up key wins over Utah, Memphis (twice) and Boston.

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Pelicans Playback: Three takeaways from Daniel Sallerson’s April 1 appearance

1)      The Orlando Magic had numerous supporters in the Western Conference last night and came through with a come-from-behind victory over Memphis (32-33), the West’s eighth-place team. As a result, New Orleans (28-36) moved to within 3.5 games of the Grizzlies in the standings. Other Tuesday outcomes on the scoreboard were not favorable for the Pelicans, but they’ve cut two games off their deficit behind Memphis since the All-Star break.

2)      New Orleans will play an important game on national TV in the race for eighth Wednesday, visiting Sacramento (also 28-36) at 9:30 p.m. Central. Please note that due to ESPN making changes to its schedule (adding Denver-Dallas as the first game of a doubleheader), tip-off time is a half-hour later than what was originally slated at the start of the 2019-20 season. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports New Orleans and 100.3 FM begins at 9.

3)      Watch Tuesday post-practice interviews with Alvin Gentry, Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday. Read more on Ball’s improvement as a shooter this season.

4)      Watch a video feature on Fred Vinson’s work with Ball and Brandon Ingram, helping both players make a jump in their shooting accuracy.

5)      Listen to Tuesday’s Pelicans Podcast, featuring TV sideline reporter Jennifer Hale.

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Five things to know about the Pelicans on March 11, 2020

1)      In the first half of a Northeast back-to-back against historic NBA franchises, New Orleans (14-25) prevailed 123-111 in New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday. Jrue Holiday and Kenrich Williams sat out due to injury, while center Derrick Favors sustained a hamstring strain in the second quarter and did not return. There will likely be more on Favors' status when the team's official injury report is released within the next 90 minutes or so.

2)      Watch postgame reaction from Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Jaxson Hayes and Alvin Gentry.

3)      In addition, Hayes joined Jen Hale for a postgame on-court TV interview.

4)      Listen to the radio Calls of the Game from Friday.

5)      New Orleans (14-25) visits Boston on Saturday at 6 p.m. Central. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports New Orleans and ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM begins at 5:30. Sunday will be an off day, prior to a Monday road-trip finale at Detroit.

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Five things to know about the Pelicans on Jan. 11, 2020

Pelicans.com

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the television and radio broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2019-20 season. FOX Sports New Orleans will broadcast 72 regular season games as well as the Pelicans’ home preseason contest against the Utah Jazz on October 11.

In addition to FOX Sports New Orleans’ preseason broadcast, two additional preseason games are scheduled to be nationally televised: Oct. 9 at Chicago (ESPN) and Oct. 18 at New York (TNT). The Pelicans’ two remaining preseason games (Oct. 7 at Atlanta; Oct. 13 at San Antonio) will be available for fans to watch via livestream by visiting Pelicans.com/live. Streaming is limited to viewers within a 75-mile radius of the Smoothie King Center, per NBA regional broadcast rules. The livestream will be accompanied by the Pelicans radio broadcast on ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM.

The ten regular season games not being televised by FOX Sports New Orleans are scheduled to air on national television broadcasts: Oct. 22 at Toronto (TNT), Oct. 31 vs. Denver (ESPN), Nov. 21 at Phoenix (TNT), Nov. 27 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN), Dec. 3 vs. Dallas (TNT), Jan. 3 at Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN), Jan. 18 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (ABC), Feb. 2 at Houston (ABC), Feb. 4 vs. Milwaukee (TNT), and Feb. 25 at Los Angeles Lakers (TNT).

FOX Sports New Orleans will begin their coverage of Pelicans basketball on Friday, Oct. 25 with the home-opener against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. The local television broadcast schedule features 36 home and 36 away contests.

“We are proud of our partnership with FOX Sports New Orleans and we are excited to bring a broadcast to our fans that will be entertaining, creative and unique,” said Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha. “We look forward to rolling out our enhanced broadcast elements for the first time in the home preseason game on Oct. 11th, and continuing throughout the regular season beginning with the home-opener on Oct. 25th.”

“We are proud to showcase the Pelicans and deliver comprehensive coverage to our viewers all season long,” said FOX Sports New Orleans Sr. Vice President/General Manager Steve Simpson. “We have a fantastic team both in front of and behind the camera and look forward to a great season ahead.”

Joel Meyers returns for his eighth season as the team’s play-by-play announcer, Antonio Daniels enters his first season as color analyst, and Jennifer Hale begins her eighth season as sideline reporter. Meyers, a two-time Emmy award-winning play-by-play announcer, brings more than 25 years of broadcast experience to the organization. Daniels, who played 14 seasons in the NBA including 61 games with the New Orleans Hornets in 2008-09, joins the broadcast team after serving as a studio analyst for FOX Sports Oklahoma and FOX Sports Southwest during the last four seasons. In addition to her Pelicans duties, Hale, an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist, is now in her ninth season as a sideline reporter for the NFL on FOX.

Pelicans coverage on FOX Sports New Orleans will include Pelicans Live pregame and postgame shows in addition to other Pelicans programming and will be available statewide on cable and satellite providers Cox, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, and Charter.  Pelicans Insider will also return to FOX Sports New Orleans for the 2019-20 season. A weekly program on FOX Sports New Orleans, Pelicans Insider features game highlights, player and coach profiles and behind-the-scenes footage.

2019-20 Pelicans cable and satellite providers and channels:

Download the Pelicans Mobile App to enjoy exclusive content 365 days a year, including stats, breaking news, analysis and products.

Additionally, all Pelicans games televised on FOX Sports New Orleans will be streamed on FOX Sports GO.  FOX Sports GO is currently available on mobile and tablet devices, including iOS and Android as well as foxsportsgo.com. FOX Sports GO is also available on connected devices including, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku Players and Roku TV, and Xbox One. Fans can download the app for free from the iTunes App Store,  Google Play,  Amazon App Store, Roku App Store, XBOX One App Store and Windows App Store.

FOX Sports New Orleans offers a robust lineup of local sports programming, including LSU coaches’ shows, Big 12, ACC and Big East Conference collegiate events, Texas Rangers baseball and Dallas Stars hockey. FOX Sports New Orleans is available to over 1.4 million cable and satellite TV homes throughout the Pelicans territory.

ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM, the Pelicans radio flagship station, will broadcast all 82 regular season games during the 2019-20 season. Entering its first season as the club’s flagship radio station, ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM will also feature pregame and postgame shows with Pelicans Studio Host Daniel Sallerson.

Todd Graffagnini begins his first season as the play-by-play announcer for the Pelicans, while John DeShazier begins his eighth season with the club as color analyst. Daniel Sallerson will also serve as an alternate color analyst alongside Graffagnini throughout the season.

ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM will air Pelicans Weekly on Thursday nights at 6:00 p.m. CT. The thirty-minute show hosted by Todd Graffagnini will feature exclusive interviews with Pelicans coaches, executives, and players, as well as guests from around the league.

Below is a list of the 2019-20 Pelicans radio affiliates.

Tune-in to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast presented by SeatGeek, a podcast devoted to Pelicans coverage. New shows are posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Pelicans.com, iTunes, Pelicans App, Google Play, and TuneIn. Additionally, fans can tune into any of the Pelicans’ radio affiliate networks across the Gulf South for must listen radio for every Pelicans fan. Fans looking for their nearest radio affiliate are encouraged to visit https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/broadcasting for more information.

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New Orleans Pelicans announce 2019-20 broadcast schedule

1)      A change to the starting lineup paid off immediately for New Orleans (11-11), which rolled to a 125-104 victory over Washington, ending a four-game losing streak. Tim Frazier notched 12 points and 12 assists in his new role. The Pelicans are in ninth place in the Western Conference, a half game behind Dallas (10-9) and one game behind the seventh-place Lakers (11-9).

2)      Watch Frazier’s on-court postgame interview with Jennifer Hale.

3)      Watch postgame reaction from Alvin Gentry, Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle.

4)      Gentry’s weekly radio show on WRNO 99.5 FM airs tonight at 6:30.

5)      The Pelicans are off from practice today, but will travel to Miami this afternoon. New Orleans has a two-game Southeast Division road trip this weekend, facing the Heat on Friday (7 p.m. Central) and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday (4 p.m. Central). Both games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports New Orleans and WRNO.

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Five things to know about the Pelicans on Nov 29, 2018

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