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5 Teams In Need Of Major Changes Before Deadline

By Jon Shames

Nov 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) goes for a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 20 points to help the Bucks beat the Nets 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) goes for a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 20 points to help the Bucks beat the Nets 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 6, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) looks on during the first quarter of a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) looks on during the first quarter of a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

3.) New Orleans Pelicans

In the same way that his team did, MVP-candidate Anthony Davis had a lackluster start to the 2015-16 season. Appropriately, it was thought that once he righted the ship, the Pelicans would too.

But halfway through the year, we can now see that New Orleans’ struggles aren’t on Davis’ shoulders — not at all.

The 22-year-old stud is putting together another All-Star campaign behind impressive averages of 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, all while converting 48.7 percent of his shot attempts.

Davis does it all, and a supporting cast consisting of Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik doesn’t look bad on paper. But for the 13-27 Pelicans, something just hasn’t clicked this year.

Evans has been one of the biggest reasons for that. The 6-foot-6 point guard sports a well-rounded individual stat line (15.7 points, 6.7 assists, 5.6 rebounds on .432/.392/.815), but he’s the type of player that needs to hold the ball to produce, which — as most teams have come to realize by now — is not an effective way to win.

Ryan Anderson is likely on his way out, but that’s more because of Davis’ preference to play power forward than a lack of production. Anderson is a poor defender, but his shooting stroke and offensive rebounding are two sought-after qualities in a power forward, so the Pels will certainly have buyers for Anderson.

Injuries have taken a toll on the Pelicans this year as well, but that doesn’t change much for this club. The team still ranks 29th in defensive efficiency and 27th in points allowed per game. The Pelicans certainly won’t be making the playoffs this year if things don’t change, so you can expect some rumblings out of New Orleans this February.

Next: Milwaukee's Bucked Up Rebuild