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

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards forward

(8) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards won 119-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Brendon (@zimmerguy4): Rasual Butler

Please ask me who is fourth all time in minutes played for the New Orleans basketball franchise. How about eighth in total points scored? May I interest you in field goals made? Our mystery man ranks sixth on that list.

Mr. Rasual Butler did all of that and more in only four (!) years with the franchise, though four is fairly high for the list of guys who have graced New Orleans and Oklahoma with their presence.

Although his most successful season as a Hornet, and a pro, was on the 2008-09 playoff team as the nominal two-guard next to CP3 and Peja, he saw a ton of minutes at the three before Stojakovic came to town, so we’ll count him there for these purposes. Do not mistake this selection as a cop-out that should take away from Butler’s importance or value. He was a valuable piece for the franchise, though he does lose points in this exercise because of his lack of play during the 2007-2008 Conference Semifinalist squad.

It’s been fun seeing his success on ECF playoff teams the past few years, but those moments don’t count here. Either way, Butler is, in my mind, as beloved a player as any in franchise history, as we were lucky enough to watch him mature as an NBAer before our eyes. Once again, a successful New Orleans baller brought back much too little in a trade away from the team. A single (and conditional!) 2016 second-rounder for a legitimate two-way wing? Depressing.

Next: Charles Rounds Out the Selections