Is it fair to say that the Pelicans are not improving? Even with the contract extension that New Orleans has signed Anthony Davis to, worth $145 million dollars for five years, it still begs the question of what is capable with their current set of contracts. With Jrue Holiday ( 4yr/ $41M), Tyreke Evans (4yr/ $44M), former Clippers standout Eric Gordon (4yr/ $58M, ends next season) and big man Omer Asik (4yr/ $57.9M), this team looks pretty good on paper. The reality, however, is far from a contending team or even a stable one at that. The mixture of injuries, laziness, and over inflated contracts this team has shows the layers of flaws that this current roster is built off of. And with the length of most of these contracts, it isn't going to improve anytime soon.
Lets start off with what's right with the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis. There is not enough that you can say about this 22 year old power forward without underestimating his potential. In what was only his third year in the league, AD posted up 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and an outstanding 2.9 blocks per game, putting the best shot blockers in the league to shame. These are incredible numbers for any player in the league. The only question left to ask about Davis is how much better can he get, which in itself is scary to even think about. What makes it even more crazy is how he's staying with New Orleans until he's 27, thus giving zero chances to any team that had their hopes up at the end of this upcoming season. This was a great move by the Pelicans.
Now for the ugly reality. Three players who all made huge impacts in the league at an early age have all seemed to fall from their pedestals of potential one way or another, and they're all on the Pelicans' roster. Tyreke Evans is obviously the first that comes to mind. He had an amazing rookie year in the 09-10 season, posting up numbers that only certain legends were able to make. That 20,5, and 5. Ever since, his stats have consistently dropped, leading to many judging whether or not he had simply became lazy. There are a lot of factors to be considered in this situation. Regardless, he has disappointed fans since his third year with the Kings and he doesn't appear to be getting any better. The second player to mention is Jrue Holiday. This former 76er played big for Philly before going to the Pelicans. The truth is that there's nothing to be mad about when it comes to Jrue. He's been suffering from a stint of bad injuries that has not only halted his growth but has also capped his ability on the court. If he could get back to where has was in his Philly days when he put up 17.7 points 8.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, that would be enough to warrant some hope in the future of his current franchise.
Eric Gordon follows the same injury-filled road as Holiday. Whether it was wrist injuries with the Clippers or the bad knee injury he had in his second game with New Orleans, there's no question that it hasn't been easy for Gordon. Prior to his trade from Los Angeles, he had his best year statistically with 22.3 points per game. He had 13.4 last season, a big dive in just a 5-year span considering how young he still is. It's another example of how a young stars career can go south without warning.
The recent pick ups of Alonzo Gee, and Kendrick Perkins are decent as well as the resigning of Omer Asik. But apart from Asik, there aren't any pieces that'll change the Pelicans' luck next season. Without any stable help, Anthony Davis will more than likely be in Kevin Garnett mode, managing to force his team into the playoffs on a yearly basis only to get eliminated in the first or second round. Hopefully this organization can make some big moves and let go off pieces next off season without dealing away valuable draft picks. I really wish that I could be more positive about this team considering how I expected them to take the league by storm back in the 13-14 season, but it's looking rough and holding on to former future stars will not help their process of getting AD to the promised land. At the moment it's Anthony Davis vs. the NBA.
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