Anthony Davis values stability.
And, apparently, lower-seeded playoff berths.
But mostly the stability thing.
The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t changed much this offseason, much to the delight of their franchise cornerstone. They re-signed Davis to what is, as of now, the richest contract in NBA history, and they canned head coach Monty Williams in favor of offensive mastermind Alvin Gentry. But the core of their roster is still in place. And that makes Davis happy.
From the Associated Press’ Brett Martel (via dailycomet.com):
Anthony Davis sounds rather pleased that the New Orleans Pelicans have done very little tweaking to their roster since their first-round exit from last season’s playoffs.
It was that promise of roster stability, combined with the introduction of a new, fun-loving coach with an up-tempo scheme, which made him eager to commit long-term to New Orleans.
“I just felt comfortable here. I like the team. I like the direction that we’re heading in. I like the guys who are playing by my side,” Davis said Monday. “I have a lot of trust in our organization and what they’re doing.”
Now, Davis isn’t one to rock the boat, but what exactly are the Pelicans doing? Whatever it is includes inexplicably handing Omer Asik $60 million over the next five years, but beyond that, it looks like they’re banking on a coaching change to elevate their status.
Which, for the record, is totally possible. The Golden State Warriors benefited from an offensive system overhaul under Steve Kerr, a reinvention Gentry himself took part in. Tossing him on the sidelines could and should make the Pelicans better.
But they aren’t sporting a championship foundation. Not even with Davis. Not in the Western Conference.
Of last year’s eight playoff teams, only the Portland Trail Blazers figure to fall outside the postseason picture entirely. And they’ll be replaced by a healthy Oklahoma City Thunder. And then there’s the burgeoning Utah Jazz to consider, as well as the ever-intriguing Phoenix Suns. The top-six spots, assuming health, are all but sewn up, courtesy of the Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Thunder, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. The race for those bottom-two spots is going to be a dog fight, one the Pelicans should, albeit aren’t guaranteed, to win.
In the end, though, they’re still going to be fighting for a bottom-two playoff spot. And they’ll do so with a mostly veteran nucleus. Maintaining the status quo, then, won’t be satisfying for very long. Not even for Davis.
Next summer, when Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon come off the books, and the salary cap explodes, they’ll need to do something. They’ll need to acquire someone. More than one someone. That’s probably why Davis is at peace, after all. He knows what could happen next summer, amid that cap eruption, when he’s pitching free agents.
For now, he’s happy with what he’s got, if only because the Pelicans don’t yet have the ability to give him anything else.
