New Orleans Pelicans: Why another shutdown could benefit the team
By Nick Alvarez
If the COVID-19 Pandemic shuts down the NBA again, it could actually benefit the New Orleans Pelicans
As of late, the NBA is some hot water. After deciding not to use the bubble format in 2021, teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans, are dealing with the consequences of COVID-19.
Those consequences include players testing positive, and the postponement of games due to the contract tracing. Some medical professionals are even wondering if the virus can spread between players in-game.
Altogether, this paints a bleak picture for the NBA, even though there isn’t currently a plan for the league to shut down again. Players are speaking out, and league officials are holding meetings. The bottom line is that if games keep getting canceled, the league might have no other option but to shut down until the vaccine rollout happens in the United States.
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It’s certainly a sad situation for fans greatly enjoying having sports back, but we’re going to be optimistic. Here are three reasons why another shutdown could actually benefit the New Orleans Pelicans.
#1- The New Orleans Pelicans could have more time to master Stan Van Gundy’s system
This one is fairly simple, a shutdown would give this New Orleans Pelicans roster more time to master Stan Van Gundy’s system.
I say this is because it’s clear when watching the Pelicans that they’re still learning to play basketball Van Gundy’s way. Specifically, on the offensive end of the floor, where the Pelicans spend a lot of time processing the sets that Van Gundy likes to run.
That’s one of the biggest reasons for the Pelicans’ 4-7 start, and it’s partially expected because Stan Van Gundy was hired late in the offseason. Adding to that, Van Gundy only got a short 2-week training camp to begin working with the team. Simply put, they need more time.
If another lockdown occurs, then the team would have plenty of time on their hands. With that freedom, they’d be able to divulge Van Gundy’s scheme more and participate in Zoom meetings with the coaching staff.
Then when the league preps to return, the team will likely get three weeks to a month to ramp back up again, allowing them to be in a better position to play Van Gundy’s style of basketball when the season resumes.
This isn’t one-sided either, a shutdown could benefit Stan Van Gundy too.