Pelicans: The taste of Playoff success brings the hunger for more
By Joshua Lea
The New Orleans Pelicans season ended last night at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. However, there truly is no reason to fret. The Pelicans overcame a great deal this season.
If we are truly being honest with ourselves, we as fans all knew that the Pelicans beating the Warriors was a long shot. Still, the effort that this team gave in this second round of the playoffs was exceptional. Last night, the Warriors dealt the critical blow that knocked the Pelicans out of the playoffs. The final score of game five was 113-104.
Anthony Davis led the way with for the Pelicans with 24 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks. Jrue Holiday added a triple-double, 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. For the Warriors, the usual suspects did the damage. Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Kevin Durant added 24 points and Klay Thompson finished with 23 points.
Later today, New Orleans will likely have their team exit interviews. This will officially ring in the start of the offseason for the Pelicans. Although, there is still time for reflection with New Orleans. This was by far the most successful season of Davis’ career. Sweeping Portland and going toe-to-toe with Golden State is exactly what this team needed.
Davis was an instrumental part of the Pelicans success as was DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Holiday showed tremendous growth this season as well. The addition of Nikola Mirotic proved to be a smart investment for New Orleans. If the Pelicans can figure out a way to bring the necessary pieces back to the team for next season, the Pelicans will be a dangerous team.
The future of the Pelicans brings more questions than answers
The biggest question will be Cousins, head coach Alvin Gentry said that he clearly wants to bring back Cousins next season. However, with Cousins set to embark on free agency, He’ll likely get a variety of contracts and situations thrown his way.
The next four months will be vital for the Pelicans future. They’ll have more questions to answer than resigning Cousins and Rondo. There’s the need to strengthen the bench unit. They’ll also have to decide if Alvin Gentry is the coach they want going forward. I do not believe that Gentry is in any danger of losing his job. However, the question of if he’s the right coach will probably be asked.
With Playoff success comes the expected hunger for more, and in the case of New Orleans, they’ll want more. When you have a player like Anthony Davis who is starting to turn the corner as a serious superstar in this league, you have to build a team around him.
However, in the NBA that isn’t always as easy as it seems. The Raptors have two stars in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and they were defeated by Cleveland again. Granted, LeBron James is playing Michael Jordan like basketball right now, but still. The Oklahoma City Thunder have Russell Westbrook, Paul George (for now, maybe), and Carmelo Anthony and they lost to Utah 4-2 in the first round. The playoff bout of OKC versus Golden State is going to have to wait another year.
The Pelicans are on the doorstep of being an elite team in the West
The Pelicans can go as far as Anthony Davis can take them. However, he will need help. Rajon Rondo was a tremendous help for the Pelicans during this playoff run. Although, Rondo would make an excellent coach and/or GM. If he decides to go another year. The Pelicans would benefit greatly from Rondo leading the attack.
Next: Coaching is a big key for the Pelicans
Pels fans should be encouraged by this team performance this season. This team showed grit, determination, and growth. They’ll regroup, retool, and come back ready to do it big again next season.