You combine that with the fact that they are in small market and you get nothing to really talk about, right? Well, if that were the case I wouldn't be blogging about them right now, so clearly there is something to say about them, but what exactly? I've already addressed their horrible nickname and their budding superstar Anthony Davis. What else is there to address?
The honest answer is nothing other than the scary possibility that all they may have to attract fans in a few seasons is nothing more than a goofy nickname and a creepy mascot. That's right, you guessed it: Anthony Davis isn't likely to stay with the Pelicans long-term. The very idea of Davis not staying with the Pelicans for the long-term has to be making their front office very worried since he is their future.
Just like how Obi-Wan Kenobi was Princess Leia's only hope in Episode IV of Star Wars, Anthony Davis is the only hope the Pelicans have of being any good in the future. As a number one overall pick who can dominate the paint both offensively and defensively, Davis will be highly sought after by many NBA teams once he hits restricted free agency in 2017.
The question that the Pelicans need to answer is "How do we keep him from wanting out of New Orleans?" Even if they are able to hang on to him in restricted free agency, they still need to be able to convince him that New Orleans is a place where he can win championships. While many believe that Davis is capable of winning championships, few believe that New Orleans is capable of winning championships, and therein lies the dilemma.
The Pelicans have to convince Davis that they can win championships with him or he's going to eventually leave. A backcourt of Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday is a nice start, no doubt, but the fact that both players are prone to injury makes them a dicey package to sell to Anthony Davis. Can they contend with a trio of Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, and Jrue Holiday in a few seasons? I think the honest answer is "maybe", but "maybe" isn't going to be enough to keep Davis around.
The bottom line is that the Pelicans have to get more around Anthony Davis than what they have. One tradable asset that they have is Tyreke Evans. He's likely going to remain coming off the bench, which automatically makes him rather expendable. I don't mean to say that quality sixth men are always expendable, I'm just saying that they are the first guys to look at when looking at tradable assets.
Evans happens to be a sixth man who is a legit trade chip for the Pelicans. He's very talented and its unclear how exactly he fits in with the team long-term. Trading him could be a good start to getting a better team around Anthony Davis.
At the end of the day, what's up with the Pelicans is that they have the potential to be really good, but it's unclear what their next step needs to be to ensure that they reach their full potential. To be honest, they have to have an attitude of "Whatever Anthony Davis wants, we'll do it".
They need to establish a very good relationship with him on the front end and let him know that whatever he wants, they'll do. If they can at least do that, then they may be able to hang on to him and establish a winning brand. Otherwise, they'll be a team with a silly nickname and a poor product on the floor.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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