Lance Stephenson ready to lead Pelicans, Media Day preparations and more

Justin Verrier of ESPN recently sat down with Lance Stephenson and got his take on a number of topics including how he ended up with the Pelicans and the role he envisions for himself.

The two bigger takeaways in my book, though, were the New Orleans Pelicans were reportedly interested in Stephenson prior to the team learning Jrue Holiday would miss the start of the upcoming regular season to tend to his wife, Lauren, and that Alvin Gentry appears very willing to hand over the keys to the offense.

“Coach [Alvin Gentry] does a great job with the guys, putting them in a position where they can succeed. Basically he told me just play off instinct and make smart decisions. Just play within the offense, look to make everyone better.”

Understandably it’s only the preseason and the Pelicans are in dire need of playmakers, but I’m a little leery that Lance might try to dominate too many possessions. With the roster overhauled and clear memories of how Tyreke Evans style of play clashed with Gentry’s strategies last season still fresh, I’d prefer to learn the entire team is on the same page about what’s expected in 2016-17.

Media Day is set for this Friday, September 23rd, and I’m proud to announce that fellow writers, Kevin Barrios and Zachary Junda, will accompany me to the event. Although we’ve already compiled a long list of questions, we’ll gladly try to include anything relevant you may have that we’ve overlooked. Please feel free to post your question(s) in the comments below.

In case you missed it, Brett Dawson announced this morning that he will be leaving The Advocate to take a new position with The Oklahoman to cover the Thunder.

Congratulations are most definitely in order, but I won’t lie, I’m going to miss reading his excellent coverage of the New Orleans Pelicans. Good luck to you, Brett!