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NLL Insider - Team by Team: New Orleans Pelicans

by Nenjabin, updated on Wednesday, October 14 2015, 05:08 pm EST


2014-15 Finish: 39-43

Season Highlight:

The Pelicans had one of those seasons that is just flat out typical middle of the road. They never really fell further than 2 spots outside the playoffs, and conversely never really pushed higher than the 7th seed out West…which in itself could be considered somewhat underwhelming considering that’s where they finished but with a sub-.500 record. I suppose their highlights lay somewhere in between a return to the playoffs after missing the previous year (9th seed) and claiming the 3rd overall pick, which landed them their most coveted rookie, Jahlil Okafor. Make the playoffs and get the 3rd pick? Yes please!



Season Lowlight:

Like the highlight, the lowlight is just as tough to put a direct finger to. Perhaps Pekovic, whom they traded Goran Dragic for, only making it through 24 games was the low light? Maybe their worst trade of the season, to be discussed later, where they waved goodbye to Terrence Jones and Khris Middleton is the low light? Or maybe it’s just not having given a yelp in the playoffs as they got swept away 4-0 by the Kings by double digits in each game. All fairly low…none ridiculously low.



Best Trade:

Pelicans receive: Trey Burke, Jonas Jerebko, Landry Fields and Detroit 2015 1st (Pick 3)
Pelicans send: Eric Bledsoe, Victor Claver, Malcolm Thomas, Pelicans 2016 1st and Pacers 2016 1st.

Yes, they gave up the best player in the trade, and two 1sts while receiving one, but this move could be the catapult that launches the Pelicans out of mediocrity. Trey Burke is young, like Bledsoe, and while not yet as prolific as Eric, he can cover him largely on the court. They cleared a large chunk of cap (even if they bring back Jerebko), both guys they packaged with Bledsoe are no longer in the NLL and the two 1sts they gave up are likely to be outside the lottery, and were miles away in the distant future. The #3 pick, projected #1 at the time, is here in the now in Jahlil Okafor and only bolsters their roster, particularly if Pek continues to miss time. They did a good job of moving their star but ticking all boxes.


Worst Trade:

Pelicans Receive: Ryan Anderson.
Pelicans Send: Terrence Jones and Khris Middleton.

Welp…you can’t help but have Homer Simpson’s voice ringing through your head a little when you look at this deal, particularly in hindsight, and hear “It’s my first day.” (from the episode where he’s the submarine commander). GM Blackmajestic got a bit of a rude awakening to the NLL in making this deal, days out from the start of free agency, acquiring a passable NBA role playing big man who, let’s face it, is pretty much just a shooter…which translates horribly to a league where your big men need to be able to play D, run, jump and rebound. Unfortunately, Terrence Jones also realised he could do all of those things, most at the same time and in a coordinated manner and became a starter type player. Throw in Khris Middleton also securing a starting role and busting out and you have a whole lot of ouch.



Other Notable Trades:

Pelicans Receive: Nikola Pekovic
Pelicans Send: Goran Dragic.

On paper for a team starved of a C this deal looked solid with Dragic a UFA and likely to do a runner, also at an un-needed position (Bledsoe), for a decent C locked up long term. Pek decided he’d sit this one out though. Bounce back chunky.

Pelicans Receive: 6 GM Points.
Pelicans Send: Andrei Kirilenko.

Winning! AK47 promptly got injured, left the league and retired.

Pelicans Receive: Trevor Ariza.
Pelicans Send: Bogdan Bogdanovic Rights and Pelicans 2015 1st (pick 15).

While Ariza was a Sign and Trade, so had to be moved, this is when attempted rookie GM fleecing of their pick goes wrong…when they make the damn playoffs! Deal looked rock solid al season and the pick turned into Kaminsky…who is out-sky and in this writers opinion, yuck-sky.

Pelicans Receive: Toure Murray.
Pelicans Send: 4 GM Points.

Wait, you just undid your good AK47 work!

Pelicans Receive: Cody Zeller and Lucas Nogueira.
Pelicans Send: DeMarre Carroll.

So DeMarre had a cracker season and is set to keep on the upward trajectory, so what? He was a reserve in NO and he’s now commanding $15.6 mil, plus he’d have to have spent all his GMs to keep him. Zeller and Nog are young, cheap and solid. But they’re no Carroll.

Pelicans Receive: Kyle Korver, Brandon Knight, Spencer Hawes and Pacers 2016 1st.
Pelicans Send: Tristan Thompson, Jamal Crawford and Tim Hardaway Jnr.

Ok so Knight commanded a payday, but LOL Tristan Thompson. Crawford on the downward, while Kyle is Mr. Reliable, and Hardaway is meh…and Hawes. But he avoided TT and his massive….ego.

Pelicans Receive: Josh McRoberts, E’twaun Moore and Boston 2016 1st.
Pelicans Send: Ryan Anderson and Pelicans 2015 2nd (Pick 46).

Sooooo…They traded Terrence Jones, Khris Middleton and a 2nd for Josh McRoberts, E’twaun Moore and a likely late 2016 1st…I guess they saved about $12mil in cap and…. ?


Best FA Signing:

Well this is an easy one, despite the lacklustre FA activity. Tarik Black. Kid has put in work and earned himself a roster spot with his hustle and ability to play on guys bigger than his 6’9 stature. He’s not a world beater, but you got to like a guy that gets somewhere the way he has and he has a chance to keep getting better.


Worst FA Signing:

Probably has to be Gal Mekel. He signed, never played and was released back into the pool of inadequacy, like so many others before. The annoying difference here is that he was signed using the Bi-Annual Exception…that being the exception you only get Bi-Annually…Bi…2…annual…yearly…two yearly…every 2 years. Got to wait a whole nother year before having one of those at their disposal now!



Star:

Eric Bledsoe…uhhh I mean Trey Burke?

Arguably Bledsoe was still their star. He played 61 of their games and averaged 20.1ppg, only 2 points a game less than Trey Burke…but Burke only played 17 games and they were 5-8 in those games…while being 32-29 in Bledsoe’s games. Burke did finish the season strong though in the absence of Brandon Knight, carrying the load with 22.6 points per game and 6.6 assists, but it was Bledsoe that put them in the position to make the playoffs.
 
Surprise:

Tristan Thompson.

I’d like to say Pek playing 24 games…but it’s Pek. TT was huge in New Orleans with his averages jumping to 17 points and 13.5 boards, and it’s probably why he’s in a stalemate with Indiana over re-signing. The Pels simply didn’t have many games played out of their current roster, hence the awards here going to guys that are gone. Tarik Black gets and honourable mention for averaging 6 points and 5 boards as an unknown FA signing.



Goat:

Ryan Anderson.

It’s not Ryan’s fault who he was brought in for, but his results have to be compared. He was making $8.5mil compared to Jones’ and Middleton’s approx. $3mil, while putting up 9 points and 7 boards in 34mins. He played his way back out of town in exchange for a cheaper clone in Josh McRoberts.



Draft Report Card:

The Pelicans were hoping to land the #1 overall pick, hence making their Eric Bledsoe trade, but the Nets stole the show jumping up from 3rd to 1st and the Pels were left holding Detroit’s pick now in 3rd. They’d traded their 15th pick for Ariza to start the year, a winning move, and now all that was left was #3. Luckily for them, at the time they made the trade their target was Okafor, and like them, he fell in the draft meaning they still landed their man at #3. Sure, by this stage it might have been nice to still have #1 and take Towns, but taking the former consensus #1 overall selection at #3 is still a winner.



Looking to the Future:

The Pelicans look to have a fairly nice path carved out in front of them. They’re young, but have veteran leadership that plays at a high level in Ariza and Korver. Getting a healthy Pekovic back on the court could go a long way to them having some lasting and increased success as the middle really hurt them, particularly down the stretch last season. They have their young PGs long term, their veterans long term and plenty of potential to come on through. They’re possibly a little thin up front, relying on the kids, but their cap is in decent shape and GM Blackmajestic seems to have a nice idea of where he is taking the team. Perhaps he can land another Tarik Black type surprise in FA?



Upcoming Free Agents:

Brandon Knight – Knight is set to take the reigns of the teams star and he won’t be going anywhere as a Restricted Free Agent.

Jonas Jerebko – Jerebko was a $4.5mil cap relief when acquired last season, but he revitalised his career somewhat in the feeder league and might be worth keeping around for a modest sum of $5mil if the Pels decide they need the big man depth. They won’t lose sleep if he walks.

Justin Holiday – Holiday has shown some promise but sceams of someone who is destined to hang around and never quite make it. He’ll be hanging around elsewhere next season most likely.

Landry Fields – Fields is a UFA and he’ll be gonesky.

Andre Dawkins – Yeah he’s not hanging around either.

 

 

 

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