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New Orleans Pelicans: Giving Thanks

By Owen Sanborn

Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) bits his jersey in the final seconds of the fourth quarter as the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Pelicans in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 109-98. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) bits his jersey in the final seconds of the fourth quarter as the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Pelicans in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 109-98. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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My NBA fandom does not stretch back generations. I do not have family or residential ties that draw me to one NBA team like other fans may or may not have. My closest affiliation to an NBA franchise was being mesmerized by the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns teams during the mid- and late 2000s.

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But as that era came and went, I was left rooting for my favorite players that I played with in NBA 2k on Playstation. I was a fan without a team.

When I first got the opportunity to write for HoopsHabit, I was given a choice between four different teams to write about. I knew whichever team I chose would become my team for that season, making the decision a tough one. If I recall correctly, the four teams I was presented with were the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans.

With two of those teams all set for Tankapalooza 2015 — and the third (Jazz) being the stuck in no man’s land — the clear choice was the to roll with the birds from the Big Easy.

I had finally found a team to direct my fandom towards.

Writing about the Pelicans this season was at times frustrating (their inconsistency and battle with the injury bug) as well as liberating (the victory over the Thunder in Oklahoma City comes to mind).

The main reason I selected the Pelicans was to watch the ascension of Anthony Davis from basketball’s untapped young gun to basketball’s next superstar. And of course, he did not disappoint. There is not enough time in the day to regurgitate on the amount of ways Davis left me speechless this season, therefore I will give him a tip of the cap through my writing.

(Looks down at the keyboard to figure out how make a tip of the cap feature virtually.)

Thank you, AD.

It was also a joy to fall in love with Tyreke Evans‘ game once again after a few seasons where his skills seemed to plateaued. His deep array of driving scoops and lay ins made you appreciate the kind of funky throwback game Evans has, but then he would dribble the ball at the top of the key for fifteen seconds uninterrupted and shoot a contested long two.

This is where I would proceed to bang my head against the wall continuously.

For all of the frustration, I am a tremendous Evans supporter when he is the main ball handler in the offense. In today’s pace and space brand of basketball, Evans does not fit, and there is something alluring about that that enhances the viewing experience. He was made to play in a different era, and I love watching him try to fight that fact.

Thank you, Tyreke.

Becoming more familiar with the egregiously long-locked but sharpshooting Luke Babbitt was an enlightening experience that may just change my life forever. I hope he finds a home in some NBA rotation (I’m looking at you Philadelphia) in the future even if it isn’t in New Orleans. He is just one of those guys that you can’t help but root for.

Call me crazy, but I am buying supreme real estate on Babbitt Island. He is going to have a big NBA moment at some point in time.

Thank you for being you, Luke Babbitt.

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Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival /

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    • The paragraph above was supposed to apply to Jimmer Fredette this season … let us all take a brief moment to pour one out for the Jimmer’s career.

    Thank you Joel Meyers, for your alto-like deep tone and being the most excited person in the arena during an Evans-to-Davis alley oop. Your enthusiasm and banter with David Wesley contributes to making the New Orleans broadcast one of the most underrated in the unofficial League Pass broadcasting rankings.

    (For those of you wondering, Cleveland’s broadcast team is last for me. Austin Carr shrieks and exclaims more nonsense words than even Bill Cosby can fathom. Sometimes a hometown bias can be cute, but when you have LeBron and Kyrie on your team it loses its appeal.)

    So there you have it, the 2014-15 season has come to an end for the Pelicans. Up next comes a summer full of questions regarding the status of the front office and the head coach as well as a potential contract extension with The Brow.

    Thank you for a great season, Pellies. I am looking forward to being a fan for the 2015-16 season and beyond.

    Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Areas To Improve In Second Round

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