New Orleans Pelicans All-Time Franchise Team: Backup Small Forward

Sep 30, 2013; Metairie, LA, USA; A detail of a New Orleans Pelicans logo poses for a portrait at Pelicans Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Matt (@Matt_Cianfrone): Jamal Mashburn

When I first started looking through the list of players that should make this squad I realized right away that the wing was the toughest spot to figure out. Thanks to injuries, rebuilding and general inconsistency, there just haven’t been a long list of great wing players in the history of the New Orleans franchise.

The shame in that is that Jamal Mashburn never got to that point, thanks to knee problems that quickly ended his career. For the year in New Orleans that he was healthy though, Mashburn shined so brightly that I found it impossible to keep him off the list.

The numbers in themselves were great for the era. In his All-Star season of 2002-2003, averaged 21.6 points per game on a respectable 43 percent effective field goal percentage during an era where volume shooting was all the rage. When Mashburn got hot he was electrifying and could carry the Hornets to victories, as he did a few times that year.

Add the stellar on-court season to the great Monster Mash nickname and you have a player that absolutely belongs on the roster. If only there was more than one great season in New Orleans.

Next: Nathan's Selection