News struck Tuesday that Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans underwent yet another arthroscopic knee surgery. This is his second knee surgery on that knee since May. The injury will sideline Evans for six to eight weeks. The Pelicans cannot seem to escape the injury-plague, as yet another key player goes down.
The news about Evans is devastating. Pelicans back up point guard Norris Cole is out up to six weeks with a high ankle sprain and starting point guard Jrue Holiday is on a minute restriction until January. Starting the season, Holiday will be on a 15-minutes per game limit. This leaves the backcourt depth extremely thin.
To add onto all of that, starting center Omer Asik is currently out with a calf strain, his backup Alexis Ajinca is out four to six weeks with a strained hamstring, Quincy Pondexter is sidelined until November, and Luke Babbitt is sidelined with a hamstring injury as well with his return date in question.
So now what’s in store for the Pelicans? On Wednesday Night they suited up in Orlando, which ended in a 110-107 loss in overtime to the Magic. But luckily for New Orleans, they still have a man named Anthony Davis on their roster. Davis, who looked in mid-season form, scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had five blocks on the night in 41 minutes of action. For the backcourt, there were good signs from Jrue Holiday who only saw his scheduled 15-minutes, which were a very productive 15-minutes however.
One man who stood out though was newly signed Nate Robinson. The 31-year-old point guard, who was signed last week, made a strong case for a roster spot on Wednesday night. Scoring 18 points and hitting two big three pointers down the stretch, Robinson showed some promise to the Pelicans who are in need of a backup point guard.
With Jrue Holiday having his minutes restricted, Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole sidelined, Alvin Gentry will need to look for someone who can run the point for more than half of the game on a nightly basis. Norris Cole should return around sometime in mid-to-late November, which leaves a void for at least a few weeks. In search of that void, point guard and New Orleans native Bo McCalebb was just recently signed. McCalebb is definitely not a lock to make the regular season roster though. With all that being said, this definitely leaves the window open for Nate Robinson.
The Pelicans find themselves in a rough spot, limping right out of the gate. Opening Night you can potentially look forward to seeing a starting lineup of Kendrick Perkins, Anthony Davis, Dante Cunningham, Eric Gordon, and Jrue Holiday with Ryan Anderson being the first to come off the bench.
Will the Pelicans get off to a slow start? Well, playing Golden State twice in the first week is no fun task, but they definitely don’t have the toughest schedule in the world to start off the season. Led by potential MVP-candidate Anthony Davis, the Pelicans will look to just simply stay afloat as they battle a multitude of injuries. A rough start could be detrimental for their season, and if they get too far behind they mind not be able to bounce back. I wouldn’t press the panic button yet, but this could be a totally new story in a few weeks for the Pelicans.
The Heat Check Magazine 