Where do the Pelicans go Next?

After an abysmal start to the season, the New Orleans Pelicans, slowly but surely, clawed their way back into relevancy in the West, drawing within a few games of the last playoff spot. But now six games out of eighth place and with four teams to jump ahead of them, the Pelicans must decide what’s more important: the present or the future.

In terms of living up to expectations, Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans can be considered one of the biggest disappointments in this NBA season so far. Prior to the season’s beginning, Davis was firmly entrenched in the MVP predictions, and New Orleans, after a quick playoff exit last year, was generally seen as likely to make it back and make a little more noise this season. New head coach Alvin Gentry, winner of an NBA championship as the main assistant coach of the dominant Golden State Warriors, was apparently to take the offense to new heights.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, things have not gone the way many had foreseen. They stumbled hard out of the gate, beginning the season with a 1-11 record. Just like last year, the Pelicans have suffered through various injuries this season. Alonzo Gee is the only player to suit up for every game so far. They had one of the worst defenses in the league. Gentry’s system certainly needed more time to be implemented successfully, but no one expected New Orleans to be one of the worst teams in basketball.

Eventually, the Pelicans were able to pull it more together, going about .500 for the rest of 2015 to still give themselves a chance to re-enter the playoff conversation. They finally had their first hot stretch of the season in the second half of January, going 7-2 from January 13th to the end of the month. At the end of January, New Orleans was only four games out of the playoffs; not too bad for a team that started a ghastly 1-11.

But February hasn’t been as hot, with the Pelicans starting it off with a three-game skid, including a loss to the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers. They are now six games out of the eighth seed, and need to jump four teams (Denver, Sacramento, Portland, Utah) to get into playoff position. The playoff hope isn’t dead for the Pels, but the organization needs to ask itself: is fighting for the last seed in the playoffs the best option for the future of the franchise?

The biggest issue for the team appears to be the lack of fit with their personnel. Anthony Davis, although he isn’t having the MVP year that was predicted, has still had a great year, and all aspects of building the Pelicans should be centered around what works with him. However, a lot of the players currently on the roster aren’t working well with Davis.

Omer Asik was re-signed to a 5-year, $58 million deal in the offseason, and I’m not entirely sure why. The Turkish big man struggles sincerely with catching the basketball. And his presence doesn’t improve the defense at all, as New Orleans ranks 28th in the NBA in DRtg (108.7). Asik is getting paid a little over $10 million a year to average 3.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game. With a contract like his, it will also be very difficult for the general manager Dell Demps to trade him away either, meaning the Pelicans are likely stuck with him the next couple of years.

New Orleans has multiple ball-dominant, inefficient lead guards, including Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole. Evans is shooting a decent 43 percent from the field, but Cole is shooting 38 percent while letting go of about ten shots per game. But both guards have a tendency to hold onto the ball way too long and limit the team’s overall movement, and consequently not putting Davis in the best position to succeed.

Jrue Holiday, for whom the Pelicans gave up two first-round picks, is healthy, but he hasn’t found the form that got him to the All-Star game his last year in Philadelphia. Eric Gordon has had a good season, and would have been a prime trade candidate, but a fractured finger has sidelined him past the deadline, killing his trade value.

The biggest bright spot for New Orleans outside of Davis has been the stellar play of Ryan Anderson. The stretch power forward has been dynamite from outside this season, and on an expiring contract, he is an ideal candidate for many contenders hoping to find the extra edge come playoff time.

The Pelicans could hold on to Anderson, and others like Evans, in hopes of making a late push to get to the playoffs, but what would that accomplish? This team isn’t built to go far in the Western Conference, which is why they must attempt to rebuild around Davis in a different way. The options to reorganize the team can be found through trade and also falling to a higher part of the lottery, where they have a better chance of acquiring high-level talent. The ownership and front office needs to accept that they invested too much into players that weren’t fit to lead New Orleans to the top of the Western Conference. Hopefully they can learn that building a title contender needs more patience, and focus more on the future of New Orleans basketball than the now.