New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Davis, Evans, Frazier

November 15th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans put themselves in a serious hole to start the 2016/17 season, losing their first eight games. Since then, the team has looked a little better, picking up wins against the Bucks and Celtics in the last three games. With Jrue Holiday expected to return soon, the tide may be shifting a little in New Orleans, but the Pelicans still have a significant uphill battle to contend for a playoff spot. Let’s check in on the latest Pelicans news and notes…

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, there’s a pretty decent chance that the Pelicans will make “big changes in the immediate future,” but those moves won’t involve Anthony Davis — New Orleans has never considered dealing the face of the franchise, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the club would consider it, Kyler writes.
Injured guard Tyreke Evans is set to participate in “light practice” for the Pelicans today, reports Scott Kushner of The Advocate (all Twitter links). According to Kushner, it’s too early to pencil in an exact return date for Evans, but there’s a chance he’ll be back in the team’s lineup by Thanksgiving.
Tim Frazier, who started his career in the D-League, signed a guaranteed two-year, $4MM+ contract with the Pelicans this summer, but continues to fight to prove he belongs in the NBA, as Justin Verrier of ESPN.com outlines.

Forsberg Suggests Hypothetical Celtics' Offer For Anthony Davis

November 14th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Pelicans and Celtics set to square off tonight, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com wonders what sort of trade package it might take to land Anthony Davis if New Orleans ever decided to blow things up and make the former No. 1 pick available. Noting that Boston is one of the few teams with the assets to make a realistic trade proposal, Forsberg suggests the team would have to offer Jaylen Brown, Avery Bradley, the Nets’ 2017 and 2018 first-round picks, and another first-rounder to the Pelicans for Davis, who would likely be tied to Omer Asik‘s contract.

Of course, there has been no indication that the Pelicans are considering moving Davis, who is locked up for several more seasons, so Forsberg’s piece is merely an exercise in speculation. But as he points out, the Celtics appear to be holding onto most of their trade assets in the hopes that a star becomes available, so the club is likely monitoring any and every situation where that’s possible.

Hill Says Davis Needs More Help

November 13th, 2016 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis has been spectacular for the 1-9 Pelicans, but free agent addition Solomon Hill says the rest of the team needs to step up, relays William Guillory of The Times-Picayune. Hill, who joined the team on a four-year, $48MM contract, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. “Everything’s been going towards [Davis], but I think we need to find ways to get everybody else involved,” Hill said. “He’s going to score regardless. You can throw assistant coaches out there on the floor and as long as they get him the ball he’s going to score. We just got to find ways to do it collectively.”

Alvin Gentry On Hot Seat?

November 13th, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Will Joseph

Alvin Gentry is on the hot seat after the Pelicans’ woeful start to the season, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reports (Twitter link). Several league coaches and GMs told Amico they believe Gentry will be let go in a matter of days. The Pelicans are 1-9.

Gentry is on a relatively cheap contract worth a total of $13.75MM over four years. That figure includes a $4MM team option on the final season. Last March, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Dell Demps expressed reservations on numerous occasions last season about the previous year’s decision to hire Gentry, but Demps denied the report.

Gentry was hired to take the next step with the Pelicans after they claimed the final playoff spot in 2014/15, but the team was slowed by a slew of injuries last season and underachieved. New Orleans went 30-52 last year and finished 12th in the Western Conference.

Pelicans Wait For Holiday; Hill Now Part Of Second Unit

November 12th, 2016 at 8:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans are still waiting for confirmation that Jrue Holiday will be returning soon, according to William Guillory of The Times-Picayune. A published report Friday indicated that Holiday, who has taken a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife, will be back next week. However, coach Alvin Gentry cautions that nothing is definite until Holiday provides confirmation. “We’re anticipating him coming back real soon, but we don’t have any answers until we hear back from Jrue and his people,” Gentry said. “When we hear from Jrue and his people, that’s when it’ll become official. We want him back as soon as we possibly can, but we’ll only know that when Jrue and his agent say, ‘Hey, he’s ready to come back and this is when he’s gonna be back’.”

Stephenson Was "Model Citizen" With Pelicans

November 11th, 2016 at 5:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lance Stephenson, who was recently waived by the Pelicans after sustaining an injury, was a “model citizen” during his time in New Orleans, team sources told Stein in a separate article.

Jrue Holiday Expected To Return Next Week

November 11th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Jrue Holiday has yet to make his debut for the Pelicans this season, having spent the early part of the season caring for his wife, who underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor last month, and his newborn daughter. However, Holiday’s return to the court is imminent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter).

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Pelicans are expected to welcome Holiday back to their lineup at some point next week. While the point guard’s debut could take place on Wednesday against the Magic, it’s more likely to happen next Friday, when New Orleans faces Portland.

Holiday, 26, has spent the last three seasons with the Pelicans, and has been a key part of the club’s offensive attack during that time. In 2015/16, he averaged 16.8 PPG and 6.0 APG in 65 regular season contests (28.2 MPG). Injuries have limited Holiday’s playing time since he arrived in New Orleans, however — he appeared in a total of just 74 games in his first two years with the Pelicans before playing in 65 last season.

Having struggled out of the gate this season, the Pelicans will be happy to get Holiday back in their rotation. The club lost its first eight games before finally getting in the win column on Thursday night against the Bucks.

New Orleans has also been hit hard by backcourt injuries in the early going — Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter have not played yet this season due to health issues, and the team had to waive Lance Stephenson‘s non-guaranteed contract when he suffered a groin injury, in order to add a healthy body (Archie Goodwin).

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/16

November 10th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Knicks have recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee from Westchester, the club announced today (via Twitter). The duo participated in a D-League exhibition game on Wednesday against Brooklyn’s affiliate, with Baker scoring 26 points en route to a Knicks win.
The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, the club announced today (via Twitter). Like most assignments so far this season, Jackson’s will likely be a brief one, designed to get him some extra practice time.
The Pelicans have assigned forward Cheick Diallo to the Austin Spurs via the flex assignment rule, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.
The Nets assigned forward Chris McCullough to the Long Island Nets, the club announced via press release. McCullough has appeared in three games for Brooklyn this season, averaging 0.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per game.

And-Ones: Youth Academy, Prigioni, Pelicans

November 9th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will team with Basketball Australia to create a youth academy in Canberra, according to A.J. Neuhart-Keusch of USA Today. Known as NBA Global Academy, the facility will be an elite training center for young players. Located at the Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport, the academy is designed to be a “global hub” for international prospects. The NBA has three similar facilities in China. “NBA Global Academy will allow top prospects from around the world to train with and compete against their peers in a structured environment under the supervision of NBA-trained coaches and in collaboration with BA’s internationally recognized coaches,” said Brooks Meek, NBA vice president of international basketball operations.

There’s more basketball news tonight:

Barcelona has confirmed its interest in 39-year-old point guard Pablo Prigioni, relays Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Head coach Georgios Bartzokas said the team has its eye on Prigioni, who was waived by the Rockets last month, but cautioned that it’s far from a done deal. “Every guard in the market with European passport interests us,” Bartzokas said. “Prigioni, with his great career and potential is one of them. But the most important thing is to bring a player that fits into our system. It’s not just about the potential, quality or level of the player. It’s about whether he fits with us and whether he’s able to play well with our players.”
The Pelicans top a list of teams that should be very worried by their slow starts, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. New Orleans has an 0-8 record and is hampered by injuries to Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Lance Stephenson, who was waived over the weekend. The Pelicans are also without starting point guard Jrue Holiday, who remains on a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife. Bontemps says there are whispers that coach Alvin Gentry may be fired if the team doesn’t start winning soon. The other teams on Bontemps’ list are the Wizards, Knicks, Mavericks and Timberwolves.
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is the latest player to incorporate strobe lights into his training, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com. The flashing lights, which simulate photographers’ flashes, were first incorporated by Michael Jordan in the 1990s.

Pelicans Get Heat For Waiving Stephenson

November 8th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have gotten some negative feedback from around the league for their decision to waive Lance Stephenson, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Stephenson was let go after suffering a serious groin injury on Saturday that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. With New Orleans already missing Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, the team needed to open a roster spot to sign Archie Goodwin. With only $100K of his contract guaranteed, Stephenson was an obvious candidate.

The Pelicans are obligated to pay Stephenson his full salary while he is injured and have pledged to help with his recovery, but they haven’t escaped criticism for the way they handled the situation. “Remember this is a business,” Kings forward Matt Barnes posted on Instagram. “When you can no longer serve your purpose, these teams cut you, trade you or bury you on the bench. Case in point, Lance gets hurt playing and needs surgery now, so instead of supporting him and helping him get healthy, they cut him.”

The Pelicans plan to send rookie power forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League this week for more playing time, tweets Jennifer Hale of WVUE Fox 8 in New Orleans. Diallo has appeared in just one game so far, getting six minutes of action.