Summer loaded with fights
July 2, 2013
Menard pounds opponent at local casino
July 2, 2013
The New Orleans Pelicans were sitting in a seemingly ideal situation with the No. 6 pick in last Thursday’s NBA Draft.
After seeing many surprising picks throughout the first five selections of the two-round draft, the Pelicans sat on the clock with Kentucky standout center Nerlens Noel still on the board – something no one predicted in their mock draft prognostications.
Noel was widely considered to be the No. 1 pick in the draft when the lottery was held in May.
But teams backed away from him because he suffered a major knee injury in college that will likely keep him away from NBA competition until 2014.
Still, because of Noel’s upside, the value of the Pelicans’ pick was now higher than ever with Noel available.
Knowing that, New Orleans general manager Dell Demps made his move, using the selection as leverage to snag the team’s point guard of the future.
With the 6th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Pelicans selected Noel – the lanky 7-footer from Kentucky.
But his career as a Pelican lasted just a few minutes, as New Orleans reportedly shipped him to the Philadelphia 76ers in a multi-tiered trade that sends back All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday to the Big Easy.
New Orleans will also give Philadelphia its first round pick in next year’s draft in the swap, while the 76ers gave the Pelicans their second round pick this year.
The trade cannot be made official until mid-July.
Because of that, Demps couldn’t comment on Holiday per NBA rules.
But he did confirm that multiple teams tried to snag the pick from the Pelicans’ hands throughout the process.
“It’s real uncomfortable for me to be up here right now,” Demps told reporters during the draft. “I’m telling you what I can, but I just can’t speak on certain things right now. Some things are still in the mix and some things still need to be finalized.”
Assuming the NBA approves the widely-reported swap, New Orleans will have its most decorated point guard since Chris Paul.
Holiday is 23 and is a four-year veteran in the league out of UCLA.
Standing 6-feet, 4-inches and weighing 180 pounds, Holiday had his breakout season in 2012-13 – a year that saw the guard average 17.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.
Those stats were enough to earn his place on the NBA’s Eastern Conference All-Star Team this past season.
Next season will be Holiday’s first on a newly inked four-year contract extension that will keep him in Louisiana for multiple seasons.
Because the trade isn’t yet final, Holiday hasn’t publicly spoken since the draft.
But he took to Facebook and thanked his fans in Philadelphia for their support in his four years with the team.
“I want to say thank you to the Philadelphia 76ers for four great seasons,” he wrote on the social media outlet. “But now, I’m excited to get down to the New Orleans Pelicans and get to work. Any Pelicans fans out there?”
One person who is likely a fan of the deal is Pelicans guard Eric Gordon.
Gordon has long been rumored to be disgruntled with New Orleans’ management since the team decided to match his four-year contract with the Phoenix Suns.
But Gordon is reportedly a close friend of Holiday’s. Gordon also used social media on draft night, using Twitter to express his excitement for the Holiday trade.
With Holiday on board, the Pelicans are now turning their attention to the NBA’s free agency period, which started on Monday.
New Orleans is under the NBA’s salary cap by a little more than $5 million, according to multiple reports.
That number can grow if the Pelicans trade some of their current contracts to other teams to free up space.
Small forward is the position the team most covets, and Denver Nuggets star Andre Iguodala is free to sign with any team after opting out of his contract with the Nuggets.
But Iguodala will likely command a high-dollar salary that may be too steep for New Orleans. If it is, lesser options like Chase Budinger, Mike Dunleavy, Corey Brewer and Dorell Wright may also be had.
Demps said he wouldn’t pinpoint a certain area of the team that needs improvement, but added that the entire roster may be tweaked this summer if the tweak can improve the team.
“We want to upgrade the roster,” Demps said. “(Ownership) is giving us all of the resources we need to upgrade the roster and this summer, that’s what we want to do.”
Pelicans snag Baylor guard
in second round
Assuming the trade with the 76ers holds true, the Pelicans added another point guard to their roster in the draft.
With the 42nd overall pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Pierre Jacksons – a 5-foot, 10-inch point guard from Baylor.
The 76ers made that selection for the Pelicans, who will likely obtain the services of the combo guard who averaged 19.8 points and 7.1 assists for the Bears.
Jackson shot 38.4 percent from behind the 3-point line in his two seasons at Baylor.
Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday fires a shot during a game this season. According to multiple reports, the Pelicans have traded for the All-Star point guard
