New Orleans is 31-27 and flying high on a four-game winning streak.
For the last two seasons, the case can certainly be made that the Pelicans have been the unluckiest team in the league with regards to staying healthy. After four years of good fortune in a 76ers uniform, Jrue Holiday has played in only 71 of the 140 games since arriving in New Orleans. Ryan Anderson has only been available for 74 of those games, and Anthony Davis has already missed 25 games and counting over the last two seasons.
After losing at Orlando last Friday night on the first night back from the All-Star break, the very next night they lost AD and Ryno to injuries versus the Miami Heat. Though they won that game before rallying off three more at Smoothie King Center this week, the harsh reality is that this Pelicans team has little chance of making the postseason once Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook return to action. Still, there is no shortage of reasons for Pels fans to continue watching.
NOLA has had its share of big-time wins in 2014-15. After Monday night’s victory over the Toronto Raptors, during which the Pels eclipsed an 18-point-deficit, they have 15 wins over above .500 ball-clubs while sporting the best record against the Southwest Division, the toughest in all the NBA. They’ve also lost the vast majority of games on the road versus lesser Eastern Conference opponents.
However, the real story here is that the team has stuck together and fought hard through the tough times. Head coach Monty Williams, of whom everyone has been critical, deserves credit for helping to keep the ship afloat and orchestrating a shocking streak of undermanned wins this past week. Quincy Pondexter and Norris Cole have been godsends for a New Orleans team that had been searching for a 3-and-D wing and a solid backup point guard with experience for what felt like forever. Dante Cunningham has proven to be another quality in-season addition. Alexis Ajinca dropped a career-high 24 points during Friday night’s home win versus the Heat. Luke Babbit has been raining triples. Omer Asik is starting to show why he might indeed be the best big man to pair with AD for the foreseeable future. The Turkish Tower had two tremendous game-sealing blocks in the final seconds of wins versus the Raptors and Heat this week, and he is making a lot more of his shots around the rim than earlier in the season. Eric Gordon is shooting the lights out since he returned from tearing his labrum in January and had the game-winning drive-and-dish to Ajinca for the win on Friday. Even Tyreke Evans, known mostly for his creative penetrating skills, has been confidently firing from the perimeter over the past week.
A bill of clean health would do wonders for New Orleans down the stretch. Forget about making the playoffs. Last season AD, Jrue, Reke, Ryno and Gordon played a grand total of 12 games together. This season AD, Jrue, Asik, Reke, Ryno and Gordon have been active together only 11 times. That’s less than 20 percent of the contests. Not only does this prevent the Pels from developing the chemistry necessary to truly compete in the battlefield that is the Western Conference—it disallows Monty and the front office the opportunity to properly evaluate the roster. Given these extreme circumstances, it’s exceedingly unfair to say this team failed if/when they don’t make the playoffs. There is great uncertainty surrounding the future of the franchise with GM Dell Demps’ contract set to expire this summer. In all likelihood the Pels will yield this summer’s lottery pick to Houston as part of the Asik deal. While lots of front offices have purposefully and successfully stockpiled draft picks in hopes that lottery luck will help them turn their teams’ tides, New Orleans will be forced to manufacture their own luck. The harder they work, the luckier they get.
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