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Before the start of the season, several of us gave predictions on a number of topics ranging from whether the New Orleans Pelicans would make the playoffs, Dell Demps and Monty Williams job security and what awards Anthony Davis would take home. So, how well did we do?
| Playoffs | Pelicans 2nd MVP | Least Valuable Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian | No | Tyreke Evans | John Salmons |
| David Fisher | No | Omer Asik | Jrue Holiday |
| David Starcer | No | Jrue Holiday | Tyreke Evans |
| Oleh | Yes | Omer Asik | Darius Miller |
| Rohan | Yes | Omer Asik | Jrue Holiday |
| Will | Yes | Tyreke Evans | Jeff Withey |
Half of the group believed the Pelicans would make the playoffs, but both David's (Fisher and Starcer) believed the team would win 45 and 44 games respectively. I'd say that deserves a pass.
With Anthony Davis obviously slated to be the best player, it was more apt to determine who would be the next most valuable asset on the team. Although it's quite a subjective question, I'd have to give the edge to Tyreke Evans. He appeared in the most games, played the most minutes and filled in admirably for Holiday at point guard for more than half the 2014-15 season.
Another subjective question was who would end up being the least valuable player. I think all of the answers above are worthy candidates for the award outside of Evans. Salmons was as bad as we feared, Holiday's tibia derailed another season, Miller didn't even make it to December and Withey's minutes and results in a number of categories took a step back.
| ANTHONY DAVIS | MVP finish | DPOY finish | All-NBA | All-NBA Defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd |
| David Fisher | top 8 | top 8 | 2nd | 2nd |
| David Starcer | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | N/A |
| Oleh | 5th | N/A | 1st | 2nd |
| Rohan | No | N/A | Yes | 2nd |
| Will | No | N/A | 2nd | 2nd |
Anthony Davis finished 5th in the Most Valuable Player award, 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned first team All-NBA and second team All-Defensive honors. Quite a haul, but as you can see, we were all in the ballpark.
| Monty Williams Fired | Dell Demps Fired | |
|---|---|---|
| Brian | No | Yes |
| David Fisher | No | Yes |
| David Starcer | No | No |
| Oleh | No | No |
| Rohan | No | No |
| Will | No | No |
Welp, no one saw Monty Williams losing his job. Even though everyone correctly figured the Pelicans needed to have a good season, no one ventured to guess he'd be let go despite a good campaign. On the other hand, several figured that if a head was going to roll, it would have been that of the general manager.
To anyone who has followed the Pelicans the last several years, these predictions shouldn't have come as a surprise. The prevailing view was that the organization valued Williams more highly than Demps for a variety of reasons.
How did you all do with your predictions this seasons? Please let us know in the comments below.