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Overall
Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 27-55,
fifth place Southwest Division
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26
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At
Season’s End:
27
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
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Taking a Look back at the Season that Once Was . . .
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SDH Player of the Year
Greivis Vasquez  In what can be considered as a rather flat and disappointing and flat season, Greivis Vasquez was the sole bright spot on a team that failed miserably to reignite interest despite winning the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. Vasquez was often over shadowed by his higher profile teammates, but his contributions dwarfed all of them. He finished the regular season third in the league in assists per game behind such notable players as the Clippers' Chris Paul who was at second place and the the Celtics' Rajon Rondo who reigned supreme in that category. And despite the team's poor showing, Vasquez kept the ball on his team's side off the court most of the time thanks to his three to one assists to turnover ratio which was ninth in the league behind such notables as San Antonio's Tony Parker (7th), New York's Jason Kidd (3rd) and LA's Chris Paul (1st). Add that along with his capabilities he also stands taller than most point guards at 6'6", Greivis Vasquez is a hidden gem and a coach's dream come true and if he were on any other team, he would have be given All Star recognition. |
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Analysis:
It was supposed to a be a season of revitalization and renewed hope for the Hornets who have struggled to gain a foothold in the league since moving to New Orleans. After a 2012 season that saw them win just 17 games, the Hornets set out to reinvent themselves which began when they won the number one overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. They picked a player that was destined for greatness--a big man who at 6'11", could handle and pass like a point guard, shoot anywhere from the perimeter, while at the same time could post up, score in the paint, crash the boards and swat shots as good as any big man. Heading into his senior season in high school, Anthony Davis was 6'4" point guard headed to little known Cleveland State once he graduated; however, out of the blue, he grew seven inches turning him not only into a freak of nature, but also into the most touted high school prospect. He then ditched the idea of going to Cleveland State as he was swiftly recruited by University of Kentucky's John Calapari and not only win the NCAA Championship in his freshman season, but also became the projected top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Anthony Davis was a virtual godsend for the New Orleans Hornets--a team that had hit rock bottom after being forced to trade away their star player of six years, Chris Paul. He would be the chosen savior to pull the Hornets out of the wreckage of the past and lead the team a bright and prosperous future. To compliment their new found hero, the Hornets went on to gather together an exceptional supporting cast that included last season's Most Improved Player of the year Ryan Anderson along with last year big free agent pickup in Eric Gordon, who returned healthy after spending most of the previous season in street clothes because of injury. They also added another young big man who showed signs of potential, but never really able to find a niche on his old team in Robin Lopez, otherwise known as the less successful twin of Brook Lopez. Altogether with their second year coach Monty Williams, who gained plenty of respect in the league for making the Hornets one of the toughest defensive teams in the league despite winning just 17 games, New Orleans looked to really make some noise in the upcoming regular season as it began its journey of resurrection and ascension into the NBA spotlight. Unfortunately that did not happen as the much hyped and eagerly anticipated regular season turned out to fall flat as the Hornets failed to capture that magic in a bottle that had them and their fans beaming with joy and pride during the off season. Their season started without their two cornerstones, Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis, as they would be sidelined with injuries from the opening tip off. Davis would miss twenty games while Gordon, who had missed all but eleven games due to injury the previous season, would miss almost half the season. To make matters worse, once they made their debuts neither Gordon or Davis lived up to their billing to say the least. Gordon would struggle with his shooting stroke while Anthony Davis failed to live up to his billing as the best player in the NBA Draft--that title was given to Portland's Damian Lillard who would have the most dominant season among this rookie class and earn the Rookie of the Year award as well. With both of their star players not living up to the lofty expectations put upon them by fans and the media, New Orleans failed miserably in what was supposed to be a season of renewal and revitalization. Despite winning the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft, they still remained hidden in the background as both their touted number one pick and their revamped team failed to deliver the team out of the shadows and into the spotlight. In fact, one can go as far to say that New Orleans' performance this season, despite having a far more improved roster, did not perform nearly as well as the team that basically over achieved the prior season. Although they increased their win total by ten games, the Hornets did not play with the same defensive intensity which made them quite the intimidating team to face in spite of their poor record. What was once the biggest selling point for this struggling, much maligned and often ignored team all but disintegrated as the Hornets went from being one of the best defensive teams in the season in 2012, to becoming one of the league's worst in 2013. As it was not bad enough that New Orleans failed to capitalize on the most media attention and scrutiny the team has ever had since relocating to the Bayou, the team finished their season by re-introducing itself with a fresh new logo and name. Unfortunately neither were very fresh as the team changed the name from the Hornets, a name that in all fairness never really identified the with the people or city of New Orleans, to possibly the worst name for a professional sports franchise ever--the Pelicans. Of all the most ill-conceived brand name changes, this probably has to be the worst in recent memory as they have essentially identified not only the franchise and its home city to one of the most uninspiring, unimaginative and dare I say unflattering figure ever. Pelicans are essentially "pigeons of the sea" with no real redeeming qualities other than being a small step ahead of seagulls in terms of being the most disliked creatures in the animal kingdom. By choosing such an inconceivably terrible name to reform the franchise that was already considered a laughing stock makes a terrible situation even worse as it stripped the team of any real legitimacy whatsoever thus removing any chance for it to ever ascend to any spec near to respectability. |
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Tuesday, June 11, 2013
SDH Present the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 27. New Orleans "Pelicans"?
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