The New Orleans Pelicans' Competition in the Western Conference

The start of the 2016-17 NBA season is less than two weeks away, and we at Pelican Debrief want to get you up to speed on the other teams the New Orleans Pelicans will face in the Western Conference.

It can be easy for New Orleans residents to forget the rest of the world exists. We tend to live in our own little bubble and ignore the rhythms of the rest of civilization.

That is why, with the start of the NBA season less than two weeks away, we want to bring you up to speed on the rest of the teams in the Western Conference and how the New Orleans Pelicans measure up.

Rather than going team-by-team, we broke down the West into three groups: teams at the top/on the rise, teams who did not improve (at least in the short term), and unknowns.

Within each group, we tackle the major 2016 offseason changes along with compelling narratives and how everything relates to the Pelicans.

Jan 19, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Portland Trailblazers, Minnesota Timberwolves

Why: This group consists of elite teams that stood pat or good teams that either got demonstrably better (or, in Golden State’s case, both).

Vs. Pelicans: The Pelicans have obviously struggled against most of these teams over the years. Although New Orleans has historically done well against Minnesota, the 2015-16 season ended with the Timberwolves demolishing the Pelicans 144-109. Historical tilts aren’t exactly a comfort after that game.

2016 Changes: The Timberwolves got an elite coach, while the Jazz and ‘Blazers picked up some key free agents. Of course, the Spurs lost Tim Duncan to retirement. However, when replacing one of the greatest NBA big men of all time, a front office can do a lot worse than Pau Gasol. Obviously, the Warriors won Kevin Durant, thus winning the offseason. While that list is hardly encouraging to the Pelicans fan, it is worth noting that the Warriors lost size this offseason, potentially helping Anthony Davis.

Narratives: For a group of teams on the rise, they all face some sort of identity crisis. Can Durant co-exist with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green? What does a post-Duncan Spurs team look like? Did the Trailblazers overperform in 2015-16? Can the Jazz make the leap? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, how effectively can Tom Thibodeau harness the talents of Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins?

Biggest Pelicans Villain: The Warriors are the top villain for all the other 29 teams, and the Spurs’ dominance of the Southwest division will always be the wall the Pelicans must topple. Also, the ‘Blazers had flashier free agent signings and the Jazz have a name that rightfully belongs in New Orleans. But to many fans, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be the Pelicans’ proper villains this season.

The T’Wolves have overcome the Pelicans as the hot young team with a burgeoning superstar. They have stolen the Pelicans’ national hype and NBA League Pass buzz. They even grabbed Tom Thibodeau, who, in 2010, was the then-Hornets’ first choice for a new head coach. Thibodeau turned down New Orleans’ offer in favor of Chicago, and the Hornets settled on Monty Williams.

All of this on top of fellow Kentucky man Towns stealing some of Davis’ spotlight? If the current NBA media landscape is the film Daddy’s Home, the Pelicans are Will Ferrell. So yes, it is probably safe to say the Timberwolves are the highest on the villain list for the Pelicans this season.

Jan 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) reacts after scoring against New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 112-111. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings

Why: Not every team on this list got aggressively worse this offseason, but certainly none of them got better (at least not in the short term).

Vs. Pelicans: New Orleans generally matches up well against this crop of teams. The Pelicans have been a constant thorn in Dallas’ side since 2007-08 season (and particularly since eliminating the Mavericks from the 2008 playoffs). The crowd at the Smoothie King Center is obviously amped up every time Chris Paul returns to town with the Clippers. The Pelicans have recently matched up well against the Rockets and Suns, and any NBA fan breathes a sigh of relief whenever his or her team plays the Kings.

2016 Changes: Oh boy. On paper, Dallas got two “key” pieces of a 73-win Warriors team. The problem is that one of those pieces is a breaking-down Andrew Bogut, and the other is Harrison Barnes. Barnes is a player so revered by his former teammates that they spent an entire season courting Barnes’ replacement behind his back. The Clippers did not address their cancerous locker room issues surrounding superstar forward Blake Griffin, and any offseason that ends in giving Austin Rivers three years/$35 million is an unsuccessful one. Phoenix stocked up on assets that could help them down the line, but did not immediately improve. Sacramento acquired an alarming number of players who play the same position as their franchise star, and then seemed confused when DeMarcus Cousins tweeted sad face emoji’s on draft night.

Narratives: Depending on how much Dirk Nowitzki has in the tank and the degree to which Barnes’ output expands with his role, it is difficult to rule out the Mavericks at this stage. But every year could be Nowitzki’s last, and it is difficult to imagine this team competing without him. In Los Angeles, it seems that the Warriors have already closed the title window of the Paul-led Clippers. Between Anderson, Gordon, and franchise star James Harden, the Houston Rockets may score 145 points a night while giving up 150. The Suns had an intriguing draft night with Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss joining their seemingly endless supply of quality guards. However, any Boston Celtics fan can attest to tradeable assets not always panning out to oncourt talent. The Sacramento front office continues to give credence to the “maybe Boogie isn’t the crazy one” theories.

Biggest Pelicans Villain: While there are many strong contenders for ultimate Pelicans villain in this category, we are going with Ryan Anderson. Yes, over Eric Gordon. Gordon was a villain exactly because he was on the team, and he is no longer a threat if he’s wearing a different jersey. Anderson left to a division rival for a higher paycheck, which is understandable. However, Anderson’s comments that he’s received more open looks in Rockets pickup games than his entire tenure in New Orleans feel like a slap in the face to a fanbase that unconditionally supported him through some of the most difficult moments of his life. Such an attitude will bring extra pleasure when watching Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield, E’Twaun Moore, Solomon Hill, Tim Frazier, Langston Galloway, Terrence Jones and probably even freaking Omer Asik scorch through the Rockets’ frontcourt for an easy layup as Anderson helplessly watches.

Nov 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after suffering an injury against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Suns 120-114. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and your New Orleans Pelicans

Why: Here are the teams whose offseasons left more questions than answers.

Vs. Pelicans: Given the nature of each team’s recent upheavals, it is difficult to say how the Pelicans match up. New Orleans has played reasonably well against everyone of these teams in the Davis era, but the question marks surrounding each team makes past indicators feel moot.

2016 Changes: If you are on this website, you are well aware of the Pelicans’ offseason gains. If you are an NBA fan, you are well aware of the Thunder’s offseason losses. Those two teams’ offseasons are strange mirrors of one another; one team kept its superstar but changed who surrounds him, the other kept its team largely intact but lost its superstar.

Memphis added Chandler Parsons, a guy who might just be the missing piece for the Grizzlies. That is, except for the fact that he’s so injury-prone, he may as well have played for the Pelicans last year. The Lakers will experience their first post-Kobe Bryant season in nearly two decades, as they develop an intriguing young core with a promising new coaching staff. However, their Timofey Mozgov’s four year/$64 million contract remains inexcusable. After a noisy draft night and a relatively quiet free agency, the Denver Nuggets remain a team so young that it may not be eligible to vote in next month’s election.

Narratives: In 2014-15, the world caught a glimpse of a post-Durant Thunder. Durant was out with a broken foot, and Russell Westbrook became basketball John Wick. Westbrook’s supporting cast is improved from that season, and the superior coaching staff of Billy Donovan has an entire offseason to build around Durant’s absence. The big question is to what extent can Westbrook go full Wolverine-berserker on the rest of the league for 82 games?

Memphis’ health issues in 2015-16 rivaled New Orleans, and adding Parsons does not exactly quell those concerns. Further, while Mike Conley is a fine NBA player, his contract rivals Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan for the gold standard of exactly how crazy the 2016 NBA offseason got. The Lakers and the Nuggets are both teams that are aiming for success a few years down the line, but some interesting young stars and the promising coaching of Luke Walton and Mike Malone indicate both teams will at least be fun to watch this season.

Biggest Pelicans Villain: The biggest villain of all: the Pelicans’ own bad luck. The Pelicans’ 2016 offseason has been just as unkind as the season that preceded it. Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter’s injury woes continued, and now the injury reports coming out of the team’s current trip to China are not encouraging (most notably, Anthony Davis will miss 10-15 days with an ankle sprain). Jrue Holiday will miss further time due to his wife’s (thankfully benign) brain tumor, whose removal was complicated by the birth of the couple’s first child. Promising rotation guard Bryce Dejean-Jones tragically passed away. We all woke up one morning and Lance Stephenson was somehow on this team. The hits just kept coming throughout the summer.

But the Pelicans are trying to flip the script with a substantial roster reboot. Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, and Norris Cole are out; Buddy Hield, Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, Terrence Jones, Cheick Diallo and Lance Stephenson are all in. While the influx may be predominantly role players, the hard-working, mostly defense-minded guys brought in feel like they may be better suited to surround Anthony Davis, at this stage in his career than the players who walked.

It is easy to forget that no one was quite sure who Davis would be when he entered the league, but the evidence at the time suggested a defensively gifted player, who would benefit from being surrounded by scorers. The opposite proved to be true. Now Davis is paired with guys who will work hard and defend the perimeter, allowing him the space to be the generational talent he is. We have no way of knowing how difficult it was for General Manager Dell Demps to let Gordon and Anderson walk, perhaps a clean break with the past and a new beginning will be just what this team needs to finally turn its luck around and make an impact in the Western Conference.