The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are on Separate Paths
Entering the season the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz were poised to be playoff contenders, two up and coming teams with tons of potential and two completely different formats of trying to achieving that success. The Pelicans were set to push the pace and rely on their 22-year-old wunderkind, Anthony Davis, after hiring Alvin Gentry in the offseason. That expectation has not been met exactly. The team has faltered, limping into the All-Star break with a 20–33 record, which ranked as the 6th worst in the NBA.
The Jazz have been just as snake bitten by injuries as the Pelicans, but have been able to stay afloat with the consistency of Gordon Hayward and the emergence of Rodney Hood. The .500 record has them barely clinging the 8th spot and a date with destiny for a Warriors beat down. But the separation between that 6th spot and the 8th spot is just a game and a half so hope lives on for the Jazz to make just a bit of noise with a fully healthy roster.
But before the Pelicans had time to project where they fall in the lottery and the Jazz look for a possible short-term alternative at point guard we had February 10th. A simple matchup between the two teams where I tried to find what issues the Pelicans have faced this season, and how the Jazz have cobbled together a .500 record. Some obvious factors like Tyreke Evans being out for the rest of the season are quite clear. While other developments and assumptions we had before the season have muddied the waters of what we thought would happen.
Omer Asik
On the first play of the game Asik set a high screen for Norris Cole above the 3-point mark and was able to find a free lane to the rim where he threw down a thunderous dunk over Rudy Gobert. That is as good as it got for Asik in the game as it was his only basket, and really as good as it got on the season for him. After signing a five-year, $60 million skeptics had raised eyebrows over how the slow footed Asik would fit in an offensive system that was primed on adding a quicker tempo. That’s already proven to be true as he’s averaging under 18 minutes per game. Even in a world where contracts look better as time goes on, this one looks to be a killer for the Pelicans if Asik is only utilized in an ideal world as a mediocre situational starter at the age of 29.
The other question raised was why he was needed on such a long-term deal at center, a position most analysts hoped Davis would be able to assume in large chunks for the foreseeable future. Davis playing substantial minutes at center is already something that’s happening this year as he’s actually logged more minutes at the position (889) than Asik has played all season (768). When you factor in Alexis Ajinca getting a four-year, $20 million on top of the contract given to Asik you have to scratch your head. Center is a position that is constantly able to be found in the league and Pelicans management dumped $17 million per year over the next few years at a position that there best player plays at more than half the time! The logic never worked and the poorly thought out reasoning has played itself out in front of fans’ eyes.
The Deadline
Both teams have interesting dilemmas to deal with concerning the fast approaching trade deadline. The Jazz are badly in need of an upgrade at point guard with plenty of trade chips to push to the middle of the table to use. The problem is the point guard market is currently dried up other than a potential deal netting Jeff Teague. Zach Lowe mentioned that a possible deal of Alec Burks/Trey Burke for Teague was at least intriguing to him. There is no current word of that even being a deal that’s been mulled by the Jazz, but it would make sense for their timeline and need to upgrade that position this year. Dante Exum is an unknown commodity so committing to a point guard long term is a bit foolish, which makes a pairing with Teague a logical fit. Teague presents the perfect, affordable contract of somebody that could step in this year and take the majority of the minutes next season as Exum works his way back into shape.
The Pelicans would be smart to sell off some of their impending unrestricted free agents today, considering they could recoup the draft cupboard of an organization that’s dealt out a total of 3 1st round picks over the last few years. The most likely candidate to be sold at this point is Ryan Anderson, a highly valued stretch forward that would fit on any number of teams. The only question is the asset you would get in return for a player that could simply be a two-month rental for a playoff contending team is uncertain. The hope is that a wink-wink deal could be done making a team more comfortable dishing out a mid-first round pick for Anderson, or a team is so desperate for a significant talent upgrade at power forward (hello Raptors) that they would be willing to give up that 1st round pick. That’s a deal the Pelicans have to seriously consider with the lack of bench depth and high upside players.
Along with Anderson, Eric Gordon makes for a good player for the Pelicans to sell on. The only issue with Gordon is that he’s currently out with a broken finger until late-February, making him unlikely to be moved. The other choice that the Pelicans would be wise in considering is attaching Asik to any potential moves involving Anderson or Gordon if the asset they are asking for in return isn’t up to their liking. In return they could take an expiring contract, which would help them clear some more cap space in the future to try and restart the building process. This seems pretty unlikely, but a team enamored with the shooting of Anderson or Gordon could bite the bullet.
Rodney Hood/Derrick Favors
There are always a few players you fail to appreciate until you see them play under a watchful eye. Hood garnered my attention over the past few games I’ve watched him play for his pure shooting and defensive versatility. His play has really ramped up over the past couple of months as he is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range in January and February. Not being featured prominently in the game didn’t fade Hood much because his ability to shoot from deep and be a direct option off the pick and roll allowed him to remain a key piece for the team. Hood stepping up and becoming a reliable third option for the Jazz this season has allowed them to bump up their offensive rating to 10th in the league.
Hood evolving into that reliable of an option is incredibly valuable for the Jazz, but the consistent production Favors has provided is integral to their success. He is putting up identical numbers to what he did last season, which should have put him in serious All-Star consideration. Yet, he was forced to miss 17 games because of a back issue this season and the team struggled because of it. In this game alone we caught him bullying Davis on the block, tallying 29 points after coming off a back-to-back against the Mavs. His contract over the next couple of years is just a shade over $23 million making him one of the biggest bargains in the league.
Bryce Dejean-Jones
The rookie signed a couple of 10-day contracts with the Pelicans and has averaged a tick under 20 minutes in the 11 games he’s played in. With the absence of Gordon and Evans the team has needed some more depth at the guard position and the 23-year-old has shown some promise. He has good size (6’5, 209 lbs.) and has shown the raw athleticism that the team needs off the bench. The opportunity the Pelicans have at this point in the season is to find a young piece the team can bring on to help improve the team for next year. A player like Dante Cunningham or Alonzo Gee are not the answers the team needs for the foreseeable future due to the clear limitations they have displayed in the league for the past several seasons. Looking seriously at signing Dejean-Jones for the entirety of the season is something the Pelicans have to do, even if that takes up their final roster spot. A wing player that can shoot close to 40 percent from deep and defend wings is a sought after commodity in the NBA, and it is something that Dejean-Jones has the potential to do if he is able to harness is athleticism consistently.
It’ll be interesting to see if the course of these paths alter dramatically after the deadline, or takes more of a turn once the offseason hits. The big change for the Pelicans may be lucking into winning a ping pong ball and nabbing the 1st overall pick. The Jazz may have those fortunes change in an instant if they can’t settle a potential rocky salary cap situation over the next couple of years. Regardless, the superstar awaits help beyond Jrue Holiday while the young core continues to develop, each team finding out what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully for one city, they learn.
