The hype train for the New Orleans Pelicans has come to a halt.
Last August, the Pelicans’ status as the NBA’s en-vogue team was all but confirmed by the schedule-makers, who slotted Anthony Davis and friends for several marquee matchups, including a spot on opening night opposite the reigning champs.
Now, in the wake of a disappointing, injury-marred 30-52 campaign, the Pelicans will begin their attempt to regain footing in the national conscience with an Oct. 26 date in New Orleans against the Denver Nuggets.
The Pelicans are also scheduled to see less time on national air overall, with 14 of their games in 2016-17 set for national TV -- four on ESPN, one on TNT and nine on NBA TV.
Originally scheduled for 21 national TV games last season, the Pelicans ultimately played 11 on ABC/ESPN or TNT -- including on opening night, Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Day -- and eight on NBA TV. The 13 games New Orleans was scheduled to appear on ABC/ESPN or TNT would have tied a franchise-high. But amid mounting injuries, two March games were taken off of the ESPN schedule.
Here’s a look at some of the games of note 76 days away from the start of the 2016-17 season:
Oct. 26, vs. Denver
Let the games begin. It may not have the fanfare of last season, but at least this start will come in front of a home crowd.
Oct. 28, vs. Golden State
The Pelicans get their first look under the big top. The Warriors trounced New Orleans in their three meetings last season, scoring an average of 123 points, but there’s always a hope that the team that gave the Dubs a firm first-round nudge on their way to the 2014-15 title is still in there, somewhere. Sitting courtside next to the Pelicans’ bench is always worth the price tag just to hear the in-game monologue of coach Alvin Gentry, who will often turn and talk to nearby fans. Listening to him rib his former coworkers will be choice theater.
Nov. 23, vs. Minnesota
The Timberwolves might as well be the Bizarro Pelicans: They have their own Kentucky big man predestined to rule the world, they went with defensive guru Tom Thibodeau to helm their franchise while the Pels picked offensive maestro Alvin Gentry, and they’re now being pegged as the league’s new Team On The Rise. Davis, for one, will be looking forward to proving the merits of the “older” model: The Pelicans star had 35 points and seven rebounds in his first NBA meeting with Towns in January, prompting Towns to call a former Wildcats assistant and confess that “Yeah, ‘Baby Giraffe’ got me today.”
Dec. 2, vs. L.A. Clippers
Chris Paul makes the first of his annual trips back to New Orleans, which always gets the nostalgic heart strings a-tuggin’. It has been a lifetime in NBA years (five in human years) since Paul suited up for the home team, but the scar tissue still shows from time to time, including during their most recent meeting in March, before which Paul jokingly asked the PA announcer why he hadn’t alerted the crowd that they were “Live at the Hive.”
Dec. 8, vs. Philadelphia
Buddy vs. Ben, Part Deux. The last time Buddy Hield and Ben Simmons faced off it produced a college classic. This date marks the first time we’ll get to see them clash in an NBA setting, wherein Hield, who scored 32 points and hit seven 3-pointers in the second half of a 77-75 Oklahoma win, is expected to play more of a tertiary role next to Davis and Jrue Holiday, while Simmons, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the January meeting, will have the benefit of an upgrade in running mates off of which to play.
Dec. 4, at Oklahoma City
Because this happened once and should never be forgotten. The Thunder, sans-Durant, are also among the Western Conference teams the Pelicans are expected to be jostling with to make it into the lower half of the playoff bracket.
Dec. 16, at Houston
All parties are probably better off after the offseason departures of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. The two high-profile shooters banked a combined $133 million from the Houston Rockets, while the Pelicans were able to redirect their dollars to plug a defense that ranked 28th last season and in the bottom third of the NBA throughout the Davis era. But the departures of Gordon, the last vestige of the Chris Paul trade, and Anderson, a fan favorite who took the offense to new heights but suffered some personal lows in his New Orleans tenure, does mark something of an inflection point in the short history of the franchise -- and drops some seedlings for a nice little interdivisional rivalry, especially if the new Rocketeers stay healthy and productive in their new environs. The New Orleans home crowd gets to greet the duo on Feb. 23.
Jan. 16, at Indiana
New Orleans may have been dropped from most of the NBA’s big slates, but they still have an afternoon spot on the MLK Day lineup.
Feb. 6, vs. Phoenix; Feb. 8, vs. Utah; Feb. 23, vs. Houston
The Pelicans’ Mardi Gras uniforms -- minus those awful sleeves -- are among the very best in the league, and King Cake Baby is the hero the NBA deserves. Both will probably re-emerge amid this February stretch of Carnival season, during which the New Orleans crowd will also likely be more, um, “lively.”
April 12, at Portland
The past two regular-season finales have provided quite the contrast in the “feels” department. Two seasons ago, the Pelicans downed the Spurs to earn a playoff bid and triumphantly march on to their first postseason in the Davis era. This past season, a patchwork roster of seven healthy players allowed 144 points to the Wolves to finally put an end to the forgettable encore performance. Which side of the ledger will this season's endpoint, against the Portland Trail Blazers, fall?
