New Orleans Pelicans Rank Roundtable: Dante Cunningham

Feb 20, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward

(44) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 95-84. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Did Dante Cunningham exceed the expectations you had when he was signed last season?

Johnny Louisiana (@JohnnyLouisiana): Honestly, not at all. I knew about his play for the Wolves and his false legal charges and I knew he’s the kind of player Monty Williams would be fooled into falling in love with. A 6’8” power forward with great hustle and C+ to B- on ball defense and literally no other NBA skills is exactly the kind of guy Monty Williams could see and think “He’s a solid small forward.” I’ll give him some credit, because for a few weeks, the defense was MUCH better with Dante on the floor, but I never considered him anything more than a guy who runs fast and jumps high, and you need skill on the perimeter.

Austin (@apete1993): Cunningham couldn’t stick in Minnesota, so the fact that he played well enough to not only stay on the team for all of last season but get another deal this season, I would say that last season definitely exceeded expectations.

Nathan (@nathanheck22): Prior to being picked up by the Pelicans, I had no idea who Cunningham was. So, yes, he exceeded my expectations, mostly because I had no expectations. He was a meaningful contributor last season, and he seemed to mesh well with the roster. He was obviously a personal favorite of Monty Williams, probably due to his relentless motor. I think any time a GM can pick up a player for next to nothing in free agency and have him fulfill his role along with handling meaningful minutes, it has to be considered a success.

Rick (@RickStoneNBA): The expectations were not very high at all, so the answer would be yes. Cunningham was not known for a lot prior to his stint this past year in New Orleans, but has now earned a key bench role on the team with his consistent mid-range jumper and his above-par defense. He’s a guy who gives 100% every time on the floor and goes after every loose ball possible. The effort he put into the game last year really earned the respect of fans and coaches alike to resurrect his career.

Brendon (@zimmerguy4): I agree with Johnny here. He’s the type of player that coaches around the league continue to trick themselves into seeing as small-ball stoppers. Defensive-minded forwards who can switch between small fours and bigger threes are valuable, but we can be pretty sure at this point that it is tacitly not what Dante is. He met expectations statistically, but the fact that he was able to carve a rotation spot out of a real playoff team was honestly shocking.

Matt: Absolutely. When I saw the Pelicans signed Cunningham to play small forward I expected a disaster. It turned out to be far from that which is a credit to how hard Dante worked.

Next: Can He Make Threes?