The Struggle Is Real

The Pelicans, once sailing smoothly, have hit some choppy water on the way to the playoffs.

David Grubb | Feb 24, 2023

The Struggle Is Real /

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New Orleans Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS - On the surface, things look fine.

The New Orleans Pelicans are 30-30, the latest that they've been at .500 or better since the 2017-18 season. Zion Williamson was voted as an All-Star Starter, Jose Alvarado was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, and Trey Murphy III made the franchise's best showing in the AT&T Slam Dunk contest.

The Pels are still among the top eight teams in the Western Conference and within reach of making the postseason in consecutive seasons for only the third time in 21 seasons.

However, the New Orleans Pelicans are not fine.

They've lost three of the past four games, including Thursday night's disappointing defeat at the talons of the Toronto Raptors.

This after CJ McCollum made note of the squad assembling on Tuesday for practice.

“We don’t play until Thursday," McCollum said on the latest episode of his podcast. "For the listeners out there, today is Tuesday. A lot of team’s wouldn’t be practicing today. A lot of teams will be practicing on Wednesday and certain players probably wouldn’t be showing up until Thursday."

Well, the Pelicans didn't show up on Thursday either.

They were outscored in each of the first three quarters by the Raptors, and put up only 16 points in the first quarter. New Orleans trailed by as many as 15 points and looked lackadaisical at times, mixed with occasional bursts of effort or competency.

That's been par for the course for some time.

Especially on the road, where they still haven't beaten a team with a winning record since Oct. 30.

Zion Williamson is missing, but that isn't an asterisk for this team. Over the past two seasons, that's been the rule rather than the exception. And Zion won't be back for at least until late March, if at all this season.

Rookie Dyson Daniels is the only other playing missing from the rotation, so for the most part this the same group of players that made the playoffs last season.

The Pelicans should be better than this.

Since the CJ McCollum/Larry Nance Jr. trade more than a year ago, they are 44-44 in the regular season and 6-6 in the play-in/playoffs.

A pelican is an aquatic avian, but the franchise doesn't have to tread water in order to embody the spirit of its mascot.

The team always seems to be in a corrective state, trying to solve problems of their own making or the perpetual victims of bad luck.

When you're always trying to get back on course, it becomes harder and harder to remember what the right direction is in the first place.

While it would be great to identify one cause of the Pelicans' struggles, the blame can be shared by the front office, the coaching staff, and yes, the players.

The front office can't contribute much more now that the trade deadline has passed. The coaching staff can do better. No one would responsibly suggest that Willie Green has figured it all out in less than two seasons on the bench.

Ultimately, however, the players are going to have to take ownership of whatever remains of this season. They will determine whether the Pelicans can triumph over adversity or succumb to it.

One thing is certain...

The Pelicans should be better than this.

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