New Orleans Pelicans: The Boston Celtics are a cautionary tale

The New Orleans Pelicans should look at the Boston Celtics as a cautionary tale of what will happen if they don’t try to win-now

As someone who hails from the Boston area, this is about to be my favorite New Orleans Pelicans game of the year. Like all of the other fans out there, at 3:30 pm today, I will sit back on my couch and see the Pelicans take on the mighty Boston Celtics.

The only problem is, at 15-14, the Celtics aren’t quite as mighty as they were in years past. Speaking frankly, this Boston Celtics team that has been one of the Eastern Conference’s best in recent years is hitting a major skid right now.

That’s the biggest storyline I see as the Pelicans enter this game, the fear that this young team might be staring into a mirror in the worst possible way.

Why the New Orleans Pelicans should be wary of following the Boston Celtics plan

Allow me to elaborate more. We know the history by now, the Boston Celtics were the first team to start the trend of modern rebuilds, selling off their veteran stars, and serviceable veterans for draft picks that had the chance to be great.

They even executed their plan fairly successfully a few years ago, when their roster had, two All-Star players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, two future All-Stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and two elite “glue-guys” in Marcus Smart and Al Horford.

That team was a title contender, but injuries and chemistry issues prevented them from hitting their ceiling. Now a Pelicans fan might argue that what happened to the Celtics is the reason why this team should continue building slowly, but I’d argue they are wrong.

See, the Boston Celtics now are stuck in the middle. They have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, but they’re all out of the assets needed to go for a title. Now, the Celtics are hoping that mid-first-round picks like Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Robert Williams III can develop enough to be the team around their young duo, or become valuable trade-chips to add another star.

Is that the future the New Orleans Pelicans want? Do they want to be this year’s Boston Celtics where Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson keep them good enough but not great?

As fans, do we want to sit around hoping that Kira Lewis Jr, Nickeil-Alexander-Walker, and Jaxson Hayes develop? And do we want David Griffin to continue adding more players like that in the middle of the first round?

No, the Pelicans should aim to do what Boston did back in 2017, but better. Flip the picks and some young players for win-now players. Try to add a star like Bradley Beal, Zach Lavine, or Karl Anthony-Towns, and use the nucleus of that player with Ingram and Williamson to become a free-agent destination.

That plan is the New Orleans Pelicans’ quickest path to title contention, and honestly, it’s the only way to open a championship window in the modern NBA. If they don’t do that, then the Pelicans will continue to have seasons just like this year’s Celtics are having. Hoping they hit lightning in a bottle with a mid-round pick and toiling away Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson’s best years.