2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season

2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season
Head coach Alvin Gentry
General manager Dell Demps
Owner(s) Tom Benson (until March 15, his death)
Gayle Benson (March 15 onwards)
Arena Smoothie King Center
Results
Record 48–34 (.585)
Place Division: 2nd (Southwest)
Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finish Conference Semifinals
(Lost to Warriors 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television Fox Sports New Orleans
Radio WWL-FM

The 2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season was the 16th season of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Pelicans were coached by Alvin Gentry in his third year as head coach. They played their home games at the Smoothie King Center as members of the Western Conference's Southwest Division.

The team's second-leading scorer, DeMarcus Cousins, suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury during his subsequent final game as a Pelican on January 26, 2018, and missed the remainder of the season.[1] That lead to Cousins' decision to controversially join the Golden State Warriors the following season. Cousins signed with the Warriors despite speculation he would possibly join the Los Angeles Lakers or the Washington Wizards to reunite with former Kentucky Wildcats teammate John Wall. Despite losing Cousins, the Pelicans clinched their first playoff berth since 2015 with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9, 2018.[2] They finished the season 48–34 to finish in second place in the Southwest Division.

In the Playoffs, the Pelicans faced off against the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the First Round. On April 14, 2018, the Pelicans won the first game in the First Round playoff series which marked the franchise's first playoff game win since the 2011 playoffs' First Round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.[3][4] On April 21, the Pelicans completed the playoff series sweep over the Trail Blazers, marking the franchise's first series win since 2008.[5][6] It also marked the first playoff series sweep in franchise history, and the first time that a team seeded sixth or lower had swept a First Round series since the NBA had expanded the First Round to a best-of-seven series.[7] They advanced to the Conference Semifinals to face the second-seeded and eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the team that swept them in the First Round of the 2015 playoffs.[8] The Pelicans lost the series in five games and were eliminated from the playoffs.[9][10]

Draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Club
2 31 Frank Jackson PG  United States Duke

Prior to the NBA draft, the Pelicans had only one second round pick, having traded their first round pick, rookie Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and the Philadelphia 76ers' original second round pick to the Sacramento Kings in a blockbuster trade for star center DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.[11][12] On June 21, 2017, however, the Pelicans acquired the Washington Wizards' second round pick (No. 52 overall) in exchange for guard Tim Frazier.[13] As a result, the Pelicans entered draft night with two second round and no first round picks. On the night of the draft, the Pelicans traded away their second round pick (No. 40 overall) and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the Hornets' second round pick (No. 31 overall).[14] With that pick, the Pelicans selected Duke point guard Frank Jackson.[15] With the No. 52 overall pick, the Pelicans selected Xavier point guard Edmond Sumner and traded him to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations.[16]

Roster

2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 42 Ajinça, Alexis 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 248 lb (112 kg) 1988–05–06 INSEP (FRA)
G 2 Clark, Ian 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1991–03–07 Belmont
G 4 Cooke, Charles (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1994–07–01 Dayton
C 0 Cousins, DeMarcus  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1990–08–13 Kentucky
G 27 Crawford, Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1988–10–23 Xavier
F/C 23 Davis, Anthony (C) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1993–03–11 Kentucky
F 13 Diallo, Cheick 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1996–09–13 Kansas
F 44 Hill, Solomon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1991–03–18 Arizona
G 11 Holiday, Jrue 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1990–06–12 UCLA
G 15 Jackson, Frank 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998–05–04 Duke
G 34 Liggins, DeAndre 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1988–03–31 Kentucky
F 21 Miller, Darius 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1990–03–21 Kentucky
F 3 Mirotić, Nikola 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1991–02–11 Spain
G/F 55 Moore, E'Twaun 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1989–02–25 Purdue
C 50 Okafor, Emeka 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1982–09–28 Connecticut
G 9 Rondo, Rajon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1986–02–22 Kentucky
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2018–04–05

Standings

Division

Southwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div GP
z – Houston Rockets 65 17 .793 0.0 34–7 31–10 12–4 82
x – New Orleans Pelicans 48 34 .585 17.0 24–17 24–17 9–7 82
x – San Antonio Spurs 47 35 .573 18.0 33–8 14–27 9–7 82
Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 41.0 15–26 9–32 5–11 82
Memphis Grizzlies 22 60 .268 43.0 16–25 6–35 5–11 82

Conference

Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 z – Houston Rockets * 65 17 .793 – 82
2 y – Golden State Warriors * 58 24 .707 7.0 82
3 y – Portland Trail Blazers * 49 33 .598 16.0 82
4 x – Oklahoma City Thunder 48 34 .585 17.0 82
5 x – Utah Jazz 48 34 .585 17.0 82
6 x – New Orleans Pelicans 48 34 .585 17.0 82
7 x – San Antonio Spurs 47 35 .573 18.0 82
8 x – Minnesota Timberwolves 47 35 .573 18.0 82
9 Denver Nuggets 46 36 .561 19.0 82
10 Los Angeles Clippers 42 40 .512 23.0 82
11 Los Angeles Lakers 35 47 .427 30.0 82
12 Sacramento Kings 27 55 .329 38.0 82
13 Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 41.0 82
14 Memphis Grizzlies 22 60 .268 43.0 82
15 Phoenix Suns 21 61 .256 44.0 82

Game log

Preseason

2017 pre-season game log
Total: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1)
Pre-season: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1)
2017–18 season schedule

Regular season

2017–18 game log
Total: 48–34 (Home: 24–17; Road: 24–17)
October: 3–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–2)
November : 8–6 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–3)
December : 7–8 (Home: 4–4; Road: 3–4)
January : 9–5 (Home: 5–2; Road: 4–3)
February : 8–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 5–2)
March : 8–7 (Home: 5–4; Road: 3–3)
April : 5–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–0)
2017–18 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Total: 5–4 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–3)
First Round: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Conference Semifinals: 1–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–3)
2018 playoff schedule

Transactions

Trades

June 21, 2017 To New Orleans Pelicans
52nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft[17]		 To Washington Wizards
Tim Frazier
February 1, 2018 To New Orleans Pelicans
Nikola Mirotić
2018 second round pick (from New Orleans via Chicago)		 To Chicago Bulls
Ömer Aşık
Tony Allen
Jameer Nelson
2018 Top 5 protected first round pick
Right to swap 2021 second round picks with New Orleans[18]

Free agency

Re-signed

Player Signed
Jrue Holiday[19] 5-year contract worth $126 million

Additions

Player Signed Former team
Tony Allen[20] 1-year contract worth $2.3 million Memphis Grizzlies
Ian Clark[21] 1-year contract worth $1.6 million Golden State Warriors
Charles Cooke[22] Two-way contract Dayton Flyers
Jalen Jones[23] Two-way contract Maine Red Claws
Darius Miller[24] 2-year contract worth $4.3 million Germany Brose Bamberg
Rajon Rondo[25] 1-year contract worth $3.3 million Chicago Bulls
Mike James Two-way contract Phoenix Suns
Emeka Okafor Signed two 10-day contracts / 1-year deal Delaware 87ers
Walter Lemon Jr. Signed a 10-day contract Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Subtractions

Player Reason left New team
Quinn Cook[26] Waived Atlanta Hawks[27]
Axel Toupane[26] Waived Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
Donatas Motiejūnas Unrestricted free agent China Shandong Golden Stars
Hollis Thompson Unrestricted free agent Greece Olympiacios Piraeus
Jalen Jones Waived Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends
Mike James Waived Greece Panathinaikos Athens

References

  1. ↑ "Injury ends Cousins' season in Pelicans' win over Rockets". Boston.com. 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  2. ↑ "New Orleans Pelicans earn second postseason berth in five seasons". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  3. ↑ Press, Associated. "NBA playoffs: Pelicans hold off Trail Blazers 97-95 in Game 1". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  4. ↑ "Anthony Davis, Pelicans steal Game 1 in Portland". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  5. ↑ "Brooms out: Pelicans sweep Portland, 1st playoff series win in a decade". WGNO. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  6. ↑ "New Orleans Pelicans sweep Portland Trail Blazers with 131-123 Game 4 win: Rapid Reaction". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  7. ↑ "No. 6 seed Pelicans make NBA playoff history with first-round sweep of Trail Blazers". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  8. ↑ "Pelicans face the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals: Live updates". nola.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  9. ↑ Team, WDSU Digital (2018-05-10). "Pelicans eliminated from NBA playoffs". WDSU. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  10. ↑ "Pelicans coach's final words after Warriors eliminated them: '1-2-3, Cancun'". For The Win. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  11. ↑ Polacek, Scott. "DeMarcus Cousins Traded to Pelicans for Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield and More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  12. ↑ "Kings agree to trade DeMarcus Cousins to Pelicans". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  13. ↑ "Pelicans trade G Tim Frazier to the Washington Wizards for 2017 2nd round pick". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  14. ↑ "Pelicans trade up in NBA Draft, select Duke guard Frank Jackson with 31st pick". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  15. ↑ "Pelicans Select Frank Jackson with 31st Pick in 2017 NBA Draft | New Orleans Pelicans | BourbonStreetShots.com". Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  16. ↑ "Pelicans trade No. 52 pick in NBA Draft to the Indiana Pacers". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  17. ↑ "Pelicans Acquire 52nd Overall Pick in 2017 NBA Draft". NBA.com/pelicans. June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Chicago Bulls trade Nikola Mirotic to New Orleans Pelicans". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Pelicans Re-Sign Jrue Holiday". NBA.com/pelicans. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Pelicans sign Tony Allen". NBA.com. September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Pelicans sign Ian Clark". NBA.com/pelicans. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Pelicans sign Charles Cooke to two-way contract". NBA.com/pelicans. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Pelicans sign Jalen Jones to two-way contract". NBA.com/pelicans. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Pelicans Sign Darius Miller". NBA.com/pelicans. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Pelicans Sign Rajon Rondo". NBA.com/pelicans. July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  26. 1 2 "Pelicans waive Quinn Cook and Axel Toupane". NBA.compelicans. July 25, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Hawks Sign Point Guard Quinn Cook". NBA.com. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
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