CCA wins first-ever meeting with Houma Christian
October 22, 2013
NSU loses Washington for the season with knee injury
October 22, 2013
Everything seems different this year for New Orleans’ NBA team.
The most obvious changes are within the name – the transition from Hornet to Pelican is now complete. With it comes a shift from turquoise and blue to blue and gold.
But the Pelicans’ roster is also revamped with new faces on the team’s roster – each with a specific skillset designed to enhance the team’s weaponry.
All that’s left now is the shift from Western Conference bottom feeders to annual contenders.
If the preseason is any indication, that change is already underway.
The Pelicans are playing quality basketball in the NBA’s exhibition season – a slate of games designed to polish teams before the regular season begins.
New Orleans won its first five preseason games this year, scoring victories against Houston, Atlanta and Oklahoma City – all playoff teams last year.
That success has Pelicans players and coaches believing that this year can be much improved for the NBA franchise that posted just 27 wins a year ago.
“We all think we’re going to be better,” Pelicans’ power forward Anthony Davis said. “We added some new faces, and we’ve all worked hard over the summer. We believe that we have an opportunity to make a big jump.”
Any Pelicans story revolving around the 2013-14 season should probably start with second-year power forward Anthony Davis.
Fresh off a solid rookie season, Davis is bigger, faster and stronger for New Orleans this go-around.
The lanky big-man has been a terror for opponents so far in preseason games, showcasing a new-look mid-range game and newly polished interior post moves.
In New Orleans’ first five preseason games, Davis averaged 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
He did so while shooting 53 percent from the field and playing just 28.6 minutes per game.
Those numbers have people within the Pelicans’ organization believing that Davis will transition into a star during his second NBA campaign.
He averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last year as a rookie. His numbers per 48 minutes were among the best in the NBA for any player at the power forward position.
“I think he is not worried about making mistakes,” Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. “He’s attacking when he needs to and he’s worked on his game, which gives you a level of confidence like no other.”
“(Davis can) carry us on his back,” guard Austin Rivers agreed. “It’s nice to have someone like that. … I always tell AD that the more aggressive he is, the more open everybody else on our team is. I don’t think he even realized how good he really is at that four position.”
With Davis likely creating havoc for opponents, the Pelicans also have big plans for their supporting cast.
New Orleans traded for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday in the offseason – a 23-year-old piece who averaged 17.7 points and 8 assists per game last year with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Pelicans also signed Tyreke Evans this offseason – a slashing scorer that will be both the team’s top bench option and shooting guard insurance for oft-injured Eric Gordon, who when-healthy can be an elite scorer capable of powering an NBA offense.
Speaking of New Orleans’ bench, incoming free agent pickup Anthony Morrow will join last year’s producers like Ryan Anderson, Austin Rivers and Jason Smith on a group that might be one of the best in the NBA.
Williams said he believes the Pels are loaded with shooters – especially within that second unit.
“I don’t take our shooting for granted,” Williams said. “We have guys that can shoot the ball.”
But even with the successful start to the season, everyone around New Orleans understands that there is much work to be done.
Because of the slew of new players, the Pelicans have turned over the basketball in high volume throughout the preseason.
They have also struggled with defensive assignments and rebounding.
But with a new squad, Williams cautioned that those things take time.
He and Davis agree that the preseason victories are nice, but much work still needs to be done.
“I told the guys that this is all white noise – we have got to get better,” Williams said. “We have a new squad, and we still have guys trying to figure things out.”
“We still have to get better as a team,” Davis added. “We haven’t done anything as a team yet. We have to keep that in mind.”
