Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans All-Time Franchise Team: Starting Small Forward

By Matt Cianfrone

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Dec 16, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings former player Peja Stojakovic next to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Brendon (@zimmerguy4): Peja Stojakovic

Peja isn’t the type of guy you’ll have to convince your buddies into liking. He was beloved in Sacramento as part of the Chris Webber teams, a dynamite floor spacer for Chris Paul and David West, and a deserving champion for the 2010-11 Mavericks.

As a Hornet, he really shone. Stojakovic is in the top ten in nearly every franchise counting statistic, and, like seemingly every player on the Paul- era Hornets, grades very well analytically.

A stretch-four before his time, Peja 553 for 1369 from three-point land as a Hornet, good for an average of 40% and a 52% effective field goal percentage, which looks to correctly value the three ball. This was an invaluable skill for a team with two dominant interior scorers. The team would not have been an annual lock for the playoffs without Peja. He was the kind of guy you could always count on giving you around 15 points, five rebounds and a few threes. It’s odd to see the league now, where this kind of wing player has ceased to exist, pushed either toward the four or out of the league.

These dominant shooters were downright fun when they made their way through the league in the mid-2000s (see Radmanovic, Vladimir and Lewis, Rashard). The Hornets and their fans were lucky to have such a trustworthy dude, and to be able to mock Magic fans for having the player Hedo Turkoglu could have been. And, just for fun: one last look at the quickest release for a big man this side of Kevin Durant, and a nasty buzzer beater in Phoenix-

Next: The Backup Small Forward Selections From This Morning

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