The New Orleans Pelicans made the playoffs in 2015, this was the target set by the owner and it was one Monty Williams and General Manager Dell Demps managed to reach. Despite this there are still many questions surrounding this team. There is a lack of roster compatibility and it is unclear if Monty Williams knows his favored starting five. Williams himself is also problematic for New Orleans, he has not proven himself as a top tier NBA coach. His offense is relatively poor and he has failed to develop some of the younger role players such as Jimmer Fredette, Jeff Withey and Austin Rivers. What the Pelicans do have is a Top 5 NBA player in Anthony Davis to build around, he is no doubt an excellent person to build a team round. They need a plan for this off-season and they should be looking at making a few trades to bolster their roster.
Planning the Pelicans Off-season
The Situation: The Pelicans this summer are likely to give Anthony Davis a max contract. I think this is something everyone knew was coming. He is one of the best players in the league and they need to tie him down. They will also have the likes of Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole contracted whilst Omer Asik is an upcoming free agent for New Orleans. The only other players contracted for next year are Quincy Pondexter and Ryan Anderson whilst Eric Gordon has a player option which he will most likely take for financial purposes. A big hole in this roster will be in regards to the bench. Players like Dante Cunningham, Jimmer Fredette and Alexis Ajinca are all out of contract for New Orleans. They have some salary cap room, but not enough to push for a star like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge or Al Jefferson.
Building a New Roster: New Orleans have some real talent, but it’s hard to see these pieces fitting together. The first player in question is Tyreke Evans. He is an excellent talent and a player they need to keep. But Monty Williams needs to decide Evans’ best position. I see him as a shooting guard, but he is played small forward. Either way he needs to be put into a concrete position in order to help build and shape the rest of the roster. Eric Gordon will frustratingly be on the roster, but he is a competent shooting guard who found some form this year. Davis will of course start at the power forward and Jrue Holiday will slot in at point guard. This leaves 3 needs for the Pelicans. They need a center, a wing defender and a new bench. Omer Asik has been a disastrous signing, they gave up a first rounder and his salary of 15 million dollars a year has not only been a waste of money, but it has limited the Pelicans spending. He was brought in to be part of a twin tower defence with Davis but the Pelicans rank in the bottom third for paint defence. New Orleans need to bring a center in to complement Davis. Someone who plays a post-game such as Al Jefferson, Greg Monroe or Kosta Koufos. Salary cap may become an issue, so the latter is a more likely signing.
Ryan Anderson: Ryan is an excellent player, but with Davis in town he is never going to start for the Pelicans. Dell Demps should be waving such a valuable player around on the trade block and try to bring in a wing defender or center for Anderson. Rumours are circulating that Nicolas Batum is on the trade block at Portland. A real possibility is that LaMarcus Aldridge will leave Portland so giving Anderson and some picks to Portland could land them Batum who is an outstanding wing defender and a capable scorer. In reality this isn’t a game of NBA 2K15, but Anderson is valuable and they need a wing defender if Evans is going to play as a guard for this team.
Monty Williams: Dell Demps did his job as general manager, as he has built a roster that Williams wanted and he made smart additions to the bench such as Dante Cunningham and Norris Cole. Yet Williams has still failed to show that he is anything more than a bang average basketball coach. The offense is unimaginative and the defense is lowly ranked. He did a lot of things wrong in the playoffs and his team blew a few big leads. That falls on the coach in the modern NBA. Coaches such as Scott Brooks, Tom Izzo, Alvin Gentry, Sam Cassell and Ettore Messina would all be nice fits for this attractive roster. This is most definitely the most interesting question around the Big Easy franchise this off-season.
Conclusion: New Orleans have a franchise center piece and future MVP in Anthony Davis. They have other nice pieces such as Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. But there are many things that need doing in the Big Easy. They need a new bench and they should balance their roster by trading Ryan Anderson and making a smart signing at center. Monty Williams is someone who simply wont get this New Orleans team to the next level. If they stick with him it will just halt their progress.
