Players Acquired: C Kendrick Perkins (free agency)
Players Lost: G Jimmer Fredette (free agency), C Jeff Withey (free agency), Toney Douglas (waived)
For those of us outside of New Orleans, the only reason why we watched the Pelicans was to see Anthony Davis in action. And you can’t really blame us.
Davis did things both as a 6’10” player and a 22 year old that we’ve never seen before. He ended this season averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.2 assists per game – all career highs.
The Pelicans were 39-29 with Davis on the floor and just 6-8 without him.
Their 45-37 was good enough for them to sneak into the playoffs, edging out Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth seed.
While it was nice for New Orleans to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2010-11, playing the Golden State Warriors was a death sentence. The Warriors swept the Pelicans, which ultimately led the front office to relieve coach Monty Williams of his duties.
The team brought in Alvin Gentry from Golden State of all places and fans are hoping he can mesh Davis with Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday (if he plays), Eric Gordon and Omer Asik a little better.
A few other observations from the 2014-15 season:
- Holiday missed 42 games with a right leg injury that has bugged him for the better part of the last three seasons. It appears as if he’s going to miss time going into 2015-16 as well and he’ll probably be on a minute-limit early on. Starting for Holiday will likely be Norris Cole which doesn’t sound all that fun for Pelicans fans.
- Evans hasn’t been as bad of a fit as many thought he’d be. He’s excellent at getting to the basket. He shot just 30.4 percent from the 3-point line last season, but that’s why the team has Eric Gordon. Gordon proved his value, hitting 44.8 percent of his 3-pointers last season, ranking second in the NBA.
- Former Wolves forward Dante Cunningham got a chance with the Pelicans last season and didn’t let them down. Cunningham averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds while appearing in 66 games. Expect him to be in the team’s rotation this season as well.
The Big Question
Who can help the team off the bench?
Center Alexis Ajinca is out for the beginning of the season with a back injury. The rest of the bench is spread pretty thin. There’s Alonzo Gee, Luke Babbitt and Quincy Pondexter. None of those guys exactly scream, “sixth man!”
This is where having a first-round pick last season would have helped them. Don’t be surprised if the Pelicans go out and trade for a solid bench player before this year’s trade deadline.
How Can The Wolves Beat Them?
Minnesota was 0-4 against New Orleans last season, so not a lot of success was had.
The obvious answer to beat the Pelicans is to simply slow down Davis. In four games against the Wolves, Davis averaged 23.8 points, nine rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Those numbers aren’t bad, but the Wolves certainly could have done worse defensively against him.
Ratke’s Prediction
I see the Pelicans snagging the seventh seed. Davis is getting better and I think Gentry will be a perfect fit for this team. This team could be among championship contenders in three seasons if Holiday can stay healthy. That’s a big if, though.
Describe This Team In 15 Words Or Less
Without Anthony Davis, this team would collect plenty of ping pong balls.