Who the New Orleans Pelicans Should Have Drafted Every Year Since 2003
2009-2011: The Dream Team of Role Players
These were not strong draft years overall, but what they did produce was a slew of role players that ended up being important pieces on title teams.
People tend to focus on the top half of the draft, the lottery players that go bust, but the best teams are the ones who hit on these late-round role players who end up producing on small contracts.
2009
Who they drafted: Darren Collison (21)
Who they should have drafted: Danny Green
Notable Misses: Taj Gibson, DeMarre Carroll, Wayne Ellington, Patrick Beverley, Patty Mills, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles
Collison was a justifiable pick and doesn’t look that bad in retrospect. He made the All-Rookie team and had a nice career.
Looking back they probably should have taken a sharpshooting wing, as they are now the most valuable commodity in the NBA and Green is still knocking them down for the Lakers.
There were a bevy of great role players in this draft, including the defensive stopper Beverley, stretch-five Baynes and bench-great Mills.
2010
Who they drafted: Cole Aldrich (11)
Who they should have drafted: Eric Bledsoe
Notable misses: Avery Bradley, Hassan Whiteside, Lance Stephenson, Jeremy Lin
The New Orleans Pelicans ended up trading this pick anyway, so they can just pretend it never happened.
Aldrich didn’t have much of a career, while most of these misses are still playing and doing well.
Bledsoe turned into a defensive stopper at guard and Whiteside is still swatting shots and grabbing boards for Miami.
2011
Who they drafted: Josh Harrellson (45)
Who they should have drafted: Isaiah Thomas
Notable Misses: E’Twaun Moore
This is a draft that most teams would like to have back, as there were All-Stars littered all through the middle first round.
While most people like to pretend the Golden State Warriors bought their titles by bringing in Kevin Durant, the truth is that they made their dynasty through the draft.
They took Klay Thompson at number 11, which looks pretty brilliant in retrospect.
Kahwi Leonard went 15th and San Antonio rode him to a title.
The New Orleans Pelicans only had a late second rounder in this draft, but still could have had the exciting Thomas or Uncle E, who ended up on the team anyway.
Either would have been better than Harrellson, who is struggling in the Japanese B-League.