New Orleans Pelicans release preseason schedule
On Wednesday afternoon, the New Orleans Pelicans released their abbreviated 2016 preseason schedule. Here is a game-by-game look.
October 1 vs Dallas Mavericks in Bossier City, Louisiana
Bringing a game to Bossier City is a fantastic way to give Pelicans fans from across the state a chance to see their team live. Knowing the reach of the team’s popularity into nearby states as well, those fans will undoubtedly be interested in making the trip to watch the team play another Southern team, the Dallas Mavericks.
On the court, this should be a fun way to start the season, as both the Mavs and the Pelicans are looking to recreate chemistry and form a style around new players. The Pelicans have history with new Mavericks Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes from their budding rivalry with their last team in Oakland, and the close geographic proximity of these two teams ought to intensify the start to the season, even in the beginning of October.
Expect New Orleans to start experimenting with Anthony Davis at the five in small lineups right away. This is a great team to try that against, because they offer similar flexibility in the rotation; Bogut, Dirk Nowitzki and even youngster Dwight Powell offer a unique handful of problems for any center they match up against. Davis will have his hands full, and their ability to produce by the motherlode on offense should be a nice test for the defense.
October 4 vs Indiana Pacers in New Orleans, Louisiana
A home game against an improving team is a perfect treat for local fans. The Pacers added Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young in the offseason, and those guys just so happen to play the same positions as the Pelicans’ core duo of AD and Jrue Holiday. Watching those four do battle and run pick and rolls over and over should be fun to watch, and the preseason is supposed to be educational and fun.
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A devastating wing player like Paul George is a great test for the group of guys the team acquired in the offseason. He is precisely the kind of player you’d expect those guys to corral, and proving that they can do better than the team did last year in harassing players like George will give hope for the upcoming season. Additionally, Myles Turner is a lesser-known name but an equally frightening matchup for Davis.
If you’re looking for any trace of evidence as to who’s going to be the lucky man in from the camp deal scrap heap, Chris Copeland playing against his former team might be the necessary injection of energy he needs to win the job. He fits the style of the Pelicans the best, and can replace the same kind of production the team got out of Ryan Anderson and Luke Babbitt in recent years. Maybe this will be the game where Cope wins a roster spot.
October 9 and 12 vs Houston Rockets in Beijing and Shanghai, China
The honor and thrill of venturing far overseas to play a familiar and internationally popular opponent like the Rockets is wonderful for the New Orleans Pelicans. There is so much to like about this matchup; not only will they benefit from the added eyes of playing the team that Yao Ming brought to relevancy in China, but they will be facing off against familiar faces and a divisional rival. Having prospective fans watch you is one thing, but providing them with an entertaining and enthralling product is even better.
And getting to do battle against former teammates Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson ought to do wonders for the competitiveness of these games. Even considering the long travel and timid nature of the preseason, the grandeur and historicity of it all ought to be more than enough inspiration for both sides to bring their A Game and make an entertaining bout of this after all.
October 18 vs Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta, Georgia
Staying down South, the Pelicans face off against a team whose style they seem to be somewhat mirroring as they build their new team. The pace and smother system (yes, this what I’ve decided to call it) that Alvin Gentry and Darren Erman are building in New Orleans aligns perfectly with what the Hawks have tried to do since coach Mike Budenholzer came to town. Even after replacing Al Horford with Dwight Howard in the offseason, this team will continue to be an interesting and overlapping matchup for the Pelicans.
It will also just be fun to see how the Hawks’ moving parts start to lay into place as the season nears; there are lots of questions. How will Dennis Schroeder handle a bigger minutes load? How will Kent Bazemore respond to a huge contract and larger role? Can Howard fit in schematically, or will he not need to because his added rebounding and rim protection are so valuable? Getting to see all of this materialize is a fun preseason night.
P.S. If Solomon Hill can outplay Kent Bazemore, even in the preseason, maybe it will silence all of the fans who clamored for maxing out Kent Freaking Bazemore.
October 20 vs Orlando Magic in Orlando, Florida
Finishing out the tour of the Southern United States, the Pelicans head Southeast to play the team who had perhaps the busiest and most puzzling offseason of any this year. If you thought the Pelicans frontcourt situation was confusing and potentially disastrous, take a look at what the Magic have piled up: Serge Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, and rookie Stephen Zimmerman must all vie for time, and that’s just assuming that Aaron Gordon can slide seamlessly into his new role at small forward.
Giving AD and the rest of the Pelicans’ frontcourt a chance to take advantage of this mess and dominate in the last preseason game will be a nice test, as will dealing with the hyper-athleticism of the Magic. The Pelicans got better in a lot of areas, but they didn’t necessarily boost their 1-5 athleticism in the way we all might have hoped. Orlando can be a pain in this department.
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Lastly, a chance to see sophomore phenom Mario Hezonja as he heads toward his second season in what projects to be a drastically expanded role should be an interesting and entertaining opportunity.