Notes on the Pelicans

Here are some notes on the New Orleans Pelicans:

1.  Eric Gordon needs to be the man when the first team is on the court.  I love his explosiveness.  I love his ability to beat defenders, and take the ball to the hole.  I love his ability to spot up, and shoot from the three.  He has the ability to take over ball games, but the Pelicans simply don't need him to, because of players like Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and etc.  I would love to see Jrue get him the ball more in close ball games in the fourth quarter, and allow him to take over some games.  Had he not been hurt for the last two seasons, he would be a star in this league.

2.  Anthony Davis is incredible.  He can take over a game on defense.  He is a shot blocking machine.  He gets steals.  He intercepts passes.  He gets crucial rebounds.  My favorite thing to see in a Pelicans game is an Anthony Davis block, followed by him rebounding that blocked shot.  Anthony Davis is surprisingly silky smooth for being such a big guy when handling the ball on the break.  I am never worried when he is on the free throw line.  When he is on the receiving end of an alley-oop, it is absolutely electric.  Davis could stand to shoot less mid range jumpers, but he is, no doubt, a special player.

3.  Tyreke Evans needs to be more assertive when he is on the floor with the second team.  The only person he should be deferring to is Ryan Anderson.  It annoys me so much when Brian Roberts dribbles for ten seconds at the top of the key, then bricks a mid range jumper.  That should never happen when Tyreke is on the floor.

Austin Rivers should be playing in Brian Roberts' spot with the second team, because at least, proper order and chemistry would be established.  Brian Roberts doesn't defer to Tyreke, but Austin would, and not to mention his defense is better.

The only time Tyreke should not be taking the ball up the floor is when Jrue Holiday is in the game.
But when he is in the game with the second team, the ball should go through his hands on every single possession.  He should be the man penetrating and scoring, and also distributing to shooters like Ryan Anderson and Anthony Morrow for spot up threes.

When Brian Roberts stands at the top of the key for ten seconds, or when he passes the ball to useless players like Stiemsma, other guys seem to stand around, and all chemistry is lost in the game.

Tyreke is paid to be the man on that second unit, make things happen, and extend leads.  And that rarely happens when Brian Roberts is in the game.  It is so annoying.

4.  The Pelicans seem to be a lot better now that Ryan Anderson is back, and the team is fully healthy, even though it was just one game against the 76ers.  It was great seeing him drain threes, and take the ball to the basket.

I am excited about these next few games.  Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, and Anthony Morrow need to shoot more threes.  Tyreke needs to demand for the ball on the second unit, and take the ball to the hole.  The Pelicans, as a whole, need to defend the three point line better.

I am hoping my previous article about Monty Williams is wrong, and the Pelicans play well, go on a run, and play winning basketball.  They are certainly capable of it.

They may not be able to win a seven-game series against some of the elite teams, but they can certainly beat them on any given night.