Heading into Thursday afternoon, many Pelicans fans were extremely excited about the schedule release, as it was just one more reason to get excited about this upcoming year. However, that excitement quickly turned to disappointment after looking at the Pelicans' number of nationally televised games.
Across all 82 games next season, the Pelicans will only be featured on national TV two times.
Once on December 8th against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Peacock, and the other time on January 30th against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, which ESPN will broadcast.
Having just two games broadcast on national TV puts the Pelicans in the same category as the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and Toronto Raptors. This level of disrespect from the NBA schedule makers makes it clear that the league office is viewing the Pelicans as a potential bottom-feeder this season.
All offseason, it felt like the entire NBA media has been against and talking down on the New Orleans Pelicans, and now it gets even worse with the NBA league office hoping on the trend.
The NBA clearly just got lazy when it came to the Pelicans schedule
What also bothers me is that if you're going to give the Pelicans just two games on national TV, provide the fans with games that have a compelling story.
I really do think the Spurs and Pelicans can be a cool rivalry over the next few seasons, and the same thing goes for Memphis, as the story writes itself, the battle of pick 1 and 2 from the 2019 draft. That being said, everyone is going to see opening night against Memphis and the Pelicans' home opener against the Spurs, so why recycle those games as nationally televised ones later in the season?
You're telling me that the NBA Cup game on November 14th against the Lakers couldn't be nationally televised. How about Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole returning to Golden State on November 29th or Brandon Ingram's return to New Orleans on March 11th?
It just shows how lazy the NBA got with this schedule to avoid any of those three games, and instead use the only two national TV games the Pelicans got on games against division rivals.
The NBA likely just looked at win-loss numbers from last season to decide their national TV games, as there is no other reason for the Pelicans to be getting just two. In Zion Williamson's rookie season, the Pelicans had 30 games on national TV. You're telling me that Z and this team have fallen off that much? I don't buy it.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist at all, but the way the NBA world has attacked the Pelicans throughout this offseason is starting to get the conspiracy wheels turning.