New Orleans Pelicans By the Numbers: Number 17
This morning’s “New Orleans Pelicans by the Numbers” post was a good example how much one player can do for a number to be remembered by fans of a franchise long after he is gone. The number 17 meanwhile, is a good reminder that for every good player the franchise has had in New Orleans there are multiple bad ones.
The First to Wear #17: Bryce Drew,2002-2004
The Most Recent to Wear #17: Louis Amundson, 2012-2013
The history of the number 17 in New Orleans history isn’t complicated or pretty or easy to remember. Everything started in 2002 with Bryce Drew, a player most famous for the shot he hit in college at Valparaiso than anything he did in the NBA. Drew played in just 13 games for the Hornets in the 2002-2003 for a grand total of 79 minutes, a whopping 6.1 per game. In those minutes Drew did nothing much at all scoring just 1.5 points and dishing out just 0.8 assists per game in the short time for a good New Orleans team. Whatever Drew brought to the team was appreciated in the front office though as the Hornets brought him back the next season for another 15 games and 78 minutes played, which marked the end of a fairly disappointing career for the former first round pick.
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After an eight year stint in the closest the number 17 was broken out again at the end of the 2012-2013 season for Louis Amundson, a journyman type big-man who the team added to gain depth due to injuries. Amundson did the things he was asked to and provided energy off the bench for the final stretch, appearing in 18 games for an average of 11.6 minutes per night for the team doing mostly the dirty work which helped him post 3.2 rebounds per game in that short time. Amundson became the first 17 in Pelicans history this past season when he appeared in 18 games before being waived on December 31st after averaging 10.2 minutes and 3.1 rebounds per game in that time.
Some numbers in New Orleans history have history behind them despite being bad as they represent a failed trade or draft pick but the number 17 fits in another category. Technically the number has history because it has been worn twice by veteran journeyman who did what they were asked, which wasn’t much of anything. Meaning in reality the story of the number 17 has yet to been written and only time can tell when it will really be.