New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Updates: Fox, Kuzma, Gordon, Favors, Vucevic

December 13th, 2019 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox has been out since November 11 due to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain but he’s hopeful of returning next week, as he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “I have more range of motion now than I did before I got hurt,” he said. “My left ankle has just never had that much range of motion, but since we’ve been pounding it hard and going at it so hard, it’s been a lot better than before I got hurt.”

We have more injury updates:

Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma hopes to return from a left ankle sprain sometime during the team’s current trip, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. The injury is unrelated to the stress reaction he suffered this summer, McMenamin adds. Kuzma suffered the injury on Sunday and has missed the last two games.
Pelicans power forward Derrick Favors, a potential trade candidate, had eight points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes against Philadelphia on Friday. He had not played since November 16 due to knee and back injuries and personal issues.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon has begun on-court running, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Gordon underwent knee surgery on November 13 with a projected six-week timetable. A return around Christmas remains in play, according to Feigen, though the plan is to gradually increase his workload and ease off as necessary.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic could return on Sunday, John Denton of the team’s website relays. He missed his 11th consecutive game on Friday against Houston due to a right ankle injury. “I think he’s feeling better and hopefully he’ll be able to get through a practice (on Saturday) and still feel good,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “I think there’s a good chance he’ll play on Sunday.”

Quiet Pelicans Having Defensive Communication Issues

December 13th, 2019 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said this week that this year’s team is one of the quietest he has been around during his time in the NBA, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. As Guillory notes, that’s one reason why New Orleans’ defensive communication has been an issue all season long.

Pelicans Rebuilding Lonzo Ball's Jump Shot

December 11th, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Lonzo Ball was one of the key pieces acquired by the Pelicans in their blockbuster trade with the Lakers over the summer, and New Orleans is doing all it can to get the most out of the former No. 2 overall pick. Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com takes a closer look at how the Pelicans have worked on rebuilding Ball’s jump shot.

Several Teams Monitoring Derrick Favors

December 11th, 2019 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Pelicans off to a 6-18 start to the 2019/20 season, veteran center Derrick Favors is one player being monitored by several teams around the NBA, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

Favors, 28, has been limited to just nine games so far this season due to knee and back injuries and the death of his mother. He rejoined the team this week, but won’t be active on Wednesday night as he continues to work on his conditioning after a lengthy absence, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic.

Although there’s no indication yet that the Pelicans are prepared to become sellers in advance of February’s trade deadline, Favors would be a logical trade candidate if the team goes in that direction. The big man has been a reliable contributor for years and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, with a $17.65MM expiring contract.

“He was in Utah for just about all his career and it looks like he struggled to adjust in New Orleans and that is something you worry about,” one league executive told Deveney. “But look, he is a dependable big guy. He can play better defense than he’s played this season. He is a good rebounder. He can give you 12, 15 points. Defenses can’t afford to lose him, he can make you pay. There’s going to be teams looking for a guy like that. But if you’re New Orleans, you’ve got a young guy you want to have those minutes.”

As that exec notes, the Pelicans have a young center in Jaxson Hayes who may see even more significant minutes if the team falls further out of playoff contention. Additionally, Zion Williamson might spend time at the five once he’s healthy and ready to make his NBA regular-season debut. With Jahlil Okafor also in the mix at center, Favors could make more sense as a trade chip — especially if the Pels don’t expect to retain him beyond this season.

Given his struggles so far this season and his sizeable cap charge, the Pelicans shouldn’t expect a major return for Favors, Deveney writes. Still, it was just five months ago that New Orleans surrendered a pair of future second-round picks for the right to take on the center’s contract. If the Pels take back some money in a deal, they could reasonably ask for one or two second-rounders.

Pelicans Showed No Interest In Davis/KP Swap With Knicks Last Season

December 11th, 2019 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks began gauging Kristaps Porzingis‘ trade value early in 2019, offering him to the Pelicans in an Anthony Davis package, per ESPN. When New Orleans showed little interest in that proposal, the Knicks began to wonder if league-wide interest in Porzingis may not be as high as they believed.

O'Connor: J.J. Redick Could Emerge As Trade Candidate

December 10th, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell O’Connor that Davis Bertans (Wizards), Marvin Williams (Hornets), J.J. Redick (Pelicans), and Marcus Morris (Knicks) are among the veterans who are candidates to be dealt before the deadline. Redick likely won’t be moved, but multiple execs believe New Orleans could strongly consider the idea if the right offer comes along.

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Stein: Zion's Debut May Not Happen Until New Year

December 9th, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There was some resignation “in some corners” of the Pelicans‘ organization over the weekend that No. 1 pick Zion Williamson may not make his regular-season debut until sometime in the new year, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

The Pelicans have yet to specify any sort of target date for Williamson since initially estimating a six-to-eight-week recovery timeline in October. Recent reports have indicated Zion’s absence is expected to extend beyond that timeline, and as Stein notes (via Twitter), the rookie forward has yet to participate in any meaningful on-court work.

While Pelicans fans continue to wait for their top pick to return to action, the Grizzlies got some good news today regarding the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Ja Morant will return to action on Monday night vs. Golden State. Morant hasn’t played since November 29 due to back spasms.

Several Factors Keeping Gentry Off Hot Seat

December 9th, 2019 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of factors are working in Alvin Gentry‘s favor when it comes to his job security. The Pelicans haven’t been healthy, head of basketball operations David Griffin has a history with Gentry, and team owner Gayle Benson also thinks highly of New Orleans’ head coach. Plus, Gentry is under contract for the 2020/21 season, and his salary for next year is believed to be worth $5MM+, a source tells Hollinger and Amick.

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Pelicans Strive To Improve Culture Ahead of Zion Return

December 8th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of what would become a 115-109 Rockets victory last night, guard Austin Rivers had high praise for current Suns coach Monty Williams. Williams served as Rivers’ first head coach when both were with the Pelicans (then the Hornets). “I’ll tell you, in terms of on-the-ball defense, I think I’m as good as anybody,” Rivers said, per The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. “I really do give credit to Monty. He was so on me about defense, it’s all I thought about.” Rivers re-signed with the Rockets this summer on a two-year,$4.5MM veteran’s minimum contract.
Much-ballyhooed Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, the 2019 No. 1 pick, has started partaking in light on-court team work recently, but he had yet to begin on-court work as of December 4. Williamson will not make the original six-to-eight-week knee surgery recovery window projected by Pelicans brass. William Guillory of The Athletic opines that New Orleans’ cardinal sin, though, is a lack of defensive effort or hustle, and Zion won’t be able to solve that issue on his own.

Alvin Gentry’s Job Remains Safe — For Now

December 8th, 2019 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans aren’t considering a coaching change despite a 6-17 start and the worst loss in franchise history, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. However, Guillory speculates Alvin Gentry could be replaced if things don’t turn around soon.

These aren’t the results anyone expected this summer when the Pelicans rebuilt their roster by getting a generous return in the Anthony Davis trade and landed Zion Williamson in the draft after winning the lottery. However, Williamson underwent meniscus surgery in October and hasn’t played yet. It’s part of terrible injury luck throughout the team, leaving Gentry with a shifting lineup from night to night.

That’s being taken into consideration by owner Gayle Benson and executive vice president David Griffin, who has a long relationship with Gentry dating back to their days in Phoenix, Guillory adds. But they want to start seeing some progress, especially once their star rookie returns.

The Pelicans were dreadful Saturday in Dallas, dropping a 46-point decision for their eighth straight loss. They trailed by just 12 points at halftime, but poor shot selection and nine turnovers led to a nightmarish third quarter in which they were outscored 40-14.

“When they got separation, I didn’t think we competed. I think that’s the worst thing in the world to do,” Gentry said. “It was a terrible game — a poorly played game, a poorly coached game. All of us have got to take responsibility.”

Guillory notes that New Orleans faces a daunting schedule between now and Christmas, with six road games including trips to Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Denver. He states that fans calling for a coaching change could become much louder if the team’s record is in the neighborhood of 7-25 or 6-26.

“We control our own destiny. We’ve got to be the ones that compete. We’ve got to be the ones that play hard,” Gentry said. “Obviously, we’re struggling right now. And to be honest with you, Zion is not coming in as the cavalry. We’ve got to play good basketball. … It’s unacceptable the way we’re playing right now. It’s just unacceptable.”