Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans Mid-Season roundtable

By Nathan Heck

Jan 6, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is knocked to the floor during the second half of a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. The Mavericks defeated the Pelicans 100-91. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is knocked to the floor during the second half of a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. The Mavericks defeated the Pelicans 100-91. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Orleans Pelicans are halfway through the long NBA season after playing their 41st game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The staff of Pelican Debrief took the opportunity to answer some questions about the team.

Through the first half of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans have disappointed thoroughly. Instead of improving under Alvin Gentry, the team has taken a massive step back. Currently, only two teams have a worse defensive rating, and the offensive is not blowing teams out of the water to pick up the slack, either. Despite being known for his offenses, the Pelicans are currently just 14th in offensive rating per 100 possession, according to basketball-reference.com.

Injuries have been a major storyline so far this season, and the narrative will likely remain in place for the rest of the season. Jrue Holiday was able to shed the minutes restriction placed on him at the start of the new calendar year, and he has thoroughly impressed thus far. Anthony Davis, despite suffering no single major injury, has continued to be plagued by relatively small injuries that steal a game or two from him.

Despite having surgery on his knee, Tyreke Evans is still battling with swelling and pain that has prevented him from taking the court in multiple contests. The worst injury news so far this season was released on January 11th. Quincy Pondexter will miss the rest of the season due to a setback in his recovery requiring season-ending surgery. With Quincy Pondexter on the shelf for the entire season, the Pelicans have struggled to fill the void left by him. Role players like Dante Cunningham, Norris Cole and Alexis Ajinca have not performed as well as they did last season, and that has made the injury woes even more detrimental.

The questions around this team continue to swirl, so the staff of Pelican Debrief took the occasion to reflect back upon the first half of the season and look ahead to the future. As always, be sure to leave your answers to the questions in the comments.

Next: Who has been the MVP?

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