The New Orleans Pelicans announced the Anthony Davis trade weeks ago. Derrick Favors has had over a week to house shop in the Big Easy. Finally, all of the players got a formal introduction to the city and the media at an official team gathering.
The New Orleans Pelicans held an introductory press conference for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Derrick Favors. The media scrum provided all the evidence needed to show the franchise has moved on from Anthony Davis. Half a playoff roster sat on the stage with David Griffin, who ended by asking:
”You can’t dream big enough in this league. Why not us?”
Why not, indeed.
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The trio of former Lakers and Favors represent four of the top eight players being depended on for a successful season. Along with the three incoming rookies and Jrue Holiday, this is the most anticipated season in Pelicans history according to season tickets sales.
The future looks to be just as promising. Griffin was sharing about a moment in Las Vegas Summer League practice when Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes ran the floor together. Just a medium trot was ‘mindnumbing’ to those watching.
Minds may not have melted but they sure got excited about lots of dunks. So much so, Griffin forgot about three-pointers. Well, he did not forget. He just does not believe this team will have to focus on finding three-point shots.
"”I don’t know that we’re going to be a team that necessarily takes a whole bunch of threes, but we’re gonna have wide open shots all over the court.”"
It has been an active summer but Griffin says that he doesn’t really expect any real changes to the roster in the near future. Griffin focused on charcter over talent, saying, “We just feel really good about where we’re at in terms of the human component of the roster.”
David Griffin’s nameplate might as well read NBA’s Don Corleone where the usual title appears. He opened the press conference by holding court. No extra pomp and circumstance was need. The four new players have been known for weeks. Still, everyone hanging on his words.
In the span of a couple of months, he has remade the Pelicans’ entire organization. From Brick and Mortar resources to roster construction, Griffin has pushed the franchise towards a championship culture. He can credit the whole staff as much as he wants, most fans will credit him with singlehandedly bringing respect to Big Easy basketball.
And Griffin did thank the whole staff. He described the whirlwind offseason as an “all hands on deck” situation. The Pelicans could rebuild their roster and reputation all in one summer. To be sure, Trajan Langdon and Swin Cash provided a helping hand, but so did lawyers, international scouts, salary cap-ologist, and Gayle Benson.
In a Freudian slip giving a small glimpse at the NBA hierarchy, Griffin thanked the agents then the families of the new players. He even complimented the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz organizations for an honest, fair and admirable negotiating process with ”everybody was very mindful of the sensitivity” of the situation.
Griffin is a graceful hoops Godfather. It takes grace to attract free agents to small markets, but also decisiveness when executing an extravagant plan. Griffin needed everyone to pitch in to end the summer by “landing the plane on this big idea.”
Griffin was tasked with building a bridge into the future. He had the big idea of building an immediately competitive roster that could grow into the future. Where most fans would have been satisfied with a simple bayou draw bridge, Griffin delivered a brand new Huey P. Long, patrolled by a convoy of reinforcements.