NBA Offseason 2013: Pelicans and Evans

The new look New Orleans Pelicans made a splash today when they landed former Kings guard Tyreke Evans in a three-team, sign and trade deal. The addition of Evans should help enforce the Pelicans as threats in 2013-2014.

Tyreke Evans

The Pelicans gave up relatively nothing to pick up Evans. They traded off center Robin Lopez who really didn't have a future in New Orleans to Portland. Guard Grevis Vasquez was traded off to Sacremento. Lopez is just a role player at best; he can score on occasion and is an average rebounder. He'll help give some depth to the Portland frontcourt but he will never be a quality starter in the NBA. New Orleans did give Vasquez a ton of minutes at the point guard spot last season but it is understandable why they got rid of him. With the addition of rising star Jrue Holiday, Vasquez was getting pushed out of the point guard role. With Evans coming in and Eric Gordon returning there just wasn't enough minutes for Vasquez. Sacremento gains a strong starting point guard who isn't much of a scorer but is a strong playmaker in him.

It might be a little tough to imagine the Pelicans as playoff contenders this next season but the future is definitely bright. With how tough the Western Conference is it will take huge years from Holiday and Evans and Davis staying healthy. There is a lot of questions with all of these additions though. Evans, Holiday and the rest of this Pelicans roster will need some time to gel and most of this roster is filled with youth and inexperience. All three of the presumed starting guards for New Orleans need the ball to be effective which is a definite conflict. Holiday is an okay passer but he is most effective as a scorer and three-point shooter. Both Gordon and Evans are good scorers but neither are great passers. And even with four very good starters on their roster (Holiday, Gordon, Evans and Davis) New Orleans still has a gaping weakness. Ryan Anderson should likely start at the power forward slot. He can stretch the floor with his long range ability but he is undersized and is not a good rebounder. That is a very big loss because if the Pelicans are planning to play three guards, they need all the rebounding frontcourt players they can get. Other than their starting five the Pelicans roster is filled with unproven youngsters and little depth meaning the Pelicans will struggle late in games. With the addition of Evans, New Orleans has a lot of scoring ability, good shooting and speed in transition. If the Lakers don't get Dwight and Utah is weaker than last year it could leave an opening in the playoffs that the Pelicans could sneak into.

New Orleans' Projected 2013 Lineup:
G Jrue Holiday
G Eric Gordon
G/F Tyreke Evans Player Profile
F Ryan Anderson
C Anthony Davis
Sixth Man: Austin Rivers

Brad Stevens to the NBA

Brad Stevens

After years of rumors that Brad Stevens, former head coach at Butler, might take a move to a better program he finally did it today. Doc Rivers ditched Boston to take the job over for the Clippers and the Celtics turned around and filled it with Stevens. Over his tenure at Butler, Stevens proved to be a coaching prodigy. After taking over in 2007 he quickly led the Bulldogs to 30 wins his first year and as we all know, led the upset-minded Butler team to two Final Fours and two national championship losses to Duke and UConn. Stevens went 166-49 and dominated the Horizon League winning all, our a share of four league titles. But, those days with Butler are over and it is time to think about what he will bring to the NBA and Celtics.

It definitely looks like rebuilding is the word for the Celtics in 2013-2014 and the near future. Gone are Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, while Ray Allen is long gone. Rajon Rondo's future in Boston is in question. He is young and a solid building block but it doesn't seem like he would want to stay and go through a rebuild. A possible option is that Boston tells him take his time recovering from a torn ACL, tanks the year and hopes for a chance at 2014's draft prize, Andrew Wiggins. Other than Rondo the roster is full of misfits and players that can start but aren't stars. Boston would love to think this year's first round pick, Kelly Olynyk, could mature into the team's future star center. Stevens has shown a knack for developing big men (Matt Howard, Andrew Smith) and Olynyk already is pretty polished. Jeff Green is young and can score though it doesn't look like the Celtics think he is part of their future. Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger are two quality options though Bradley must improve his jump shot and Sullinger must prove he can stay healthy and develop a more dangerous mid range game. Sullinger and Stevens look like they will work well together. Sullinger is the type of big man that Stevens likes; a psychical player who can really fight through contact. The thing we know that Stevens teams always will have is discipline. His point guards at Butler were always smart and very unselfish. Rondo could definitely fit in well into that system if he does indeed stay in Boston and returns to his old form. Stevens' teams also are great at defense and are also good rebounding squads. A number of the players on this roster can play great defense and their is rebounding potential in Sullinger and unproven Fab Melo.

The Celtics roster fits Stevens' system pretty well and he has the youth and smarts to lead Boston through this rebuilding process. Maybe the Celtics have a decent year but still land comfortably in the lottery and have a shot at a player like forward Jabari Parker or pick up a guard depending on Rondo. Overall this was a good hire for the Celtics though many are going to question if Stevens can adjust to the NBA, when more experienced options were available.