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Evan Dyal takes an in-depth look at the New Orlean Pelicans in this six part series
The NBA zigged, and the New Orleans Pelicans zagged. Everyone went small, and the Pelicans went big. Last year the Pelicans traded for Demarcus Cousins to pair with their star power forward Anthony Davis to form the twin towers. At the time the trade seemed like a sure win. New Orleans didn't give up much, and they got a top fifteen player in the league. The results early were not excellent, but down the stretch last year there were signs of life.
This year the Pelicans went all in on the twin towers experiment. It wasn't smooth as the Pelicans were limited with wings, shooting, cap space and draft picks. Maybe the twin towers could work, but the Pelicans just didn't have the right roster to maximise their talents. They resigned Jrue Holiday, a have too in the offseason, brought in cheap veterans like Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo and decided to go all in on making the playoffs this year.
The pressure is on as Cousins is a free agent this summer, and Anthony Davis will never escape trade rumors. New Orleans had a rough start as Solomon Hill their projected starting small forward was lost for almost the whole season, but they got a break when they picked up Jameer Nelson off the streets; he has been a godsend. As of now the Pelicans are sitting at 11-9 and are in the 7th seed in the west.
They have a shot to be in the playoffs and be a factor. Luckily they are getting massive breaks with other western teams being hurt. Memphis lost Mike Conley and just fired their head coach, the Clippers lost Pat Beverley, Danilo Gallinari and now Blake Griffin to injury, Utah has lost Rudy Gobert for four to six weeks. The window is open for the Pelicans, can they capitalize? The twin towers are dominating, but how far can they the Pels?
On Offense