Interviews

Do birds roll around in their own shit? We now have visual evidence — The 2018-19 Pelicans.

The Bird Calls Podcast, Episode 164: The vultures are circling, the coffin is built, the plot has been dug, the nails have been purchased — all that’s left is the finger sandwiches and reminiscing over the good things while eating stale donuts and drinking weak coffee with powdered creamer. It’s broke, but maybe this time don’t try to fix it.

By kevin.barrios@kevinbforbounce Jan 4, 2019, 6:00am CST

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans

After a brief glimmer of promise — an Anthony Davis-less win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — the Pelicans have returned to their defecating the sheets, or maybe just lying in the mess that has already made with a massive joy sucking stinker in Brooklyn.

How do we right the ship? Insert anime butterfly meme and ask if this is even a ship.

There are holes everywhere, from backup ball handler to leadership to rebounding to communication on the court and in the locker room to DNA. It’s so frustrating that even included a now deleted tweet from Lauren Holiday questioning Jrue’s aggressiveness, but mostly taking a shot at the game plan or lack there of. Being a professional athlete herself, Lauren likely understood that her tweet would be seen as an indictment of this season from top to bottom — which is why it is probably now deleted — however, that’s the kind of frustration this season has produced.

The Pelicans employ a top 5 player in the league — a perennial MVP and DPOY candidate if he could win games. They also have a 1st team All Defensive guard that is playing at an elite level — yet they anchor one of the worst defenses in the league. Joining them in this head scratching failure are two borderline all stars, a hometown hero fill each box in the box score point guard and one of the better role players in the NBA. Then comes the edge of the cliff — look down at that cloud of dust rising like impact of Wile E. Coyote being pushed off of that cliff’s edge and you’ll find the bench.

Most good teams are top heavy, but the collection of bones at the end of this bench is tragic. Some show promise, some would be serviceable if the Wizard of Oz could give them some courage and some that have provided some fight don’t seem to get the playing time they deserve.

Gentry waxed poetic about Jah before the game for a good 2 minutes. Which is 2 more minutes than Jah played tonight.

Bench scores 5 points in a 5 point loss.
— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) January 3, 2019

If the team doesn’t seem to care, should we?

The Pelicans are that student that procrastinates to the last night on a term paper.....just to get a C. “It’s passing though” “Next time I’m gonna start earlier”
— Chris Conner (@Impatientbull) January 3, 2019

We are tired of hearing that there is still time — 39 games into a season that is supposed to be cementing Anthony Davis’ desire to stay in New Orleans and we are closer to the post-LeBron Cavs than contending. Has the cloud of uncertainty over Davis’ locker dampened the rest of the room’s efforts or sense of urgency? Perhaps. There’s no easy answer to what ails this squad, but are they even a squad or just a collection of individuals right now? To summon the ghost of Lauren Holiday’s deleted tweet, “what is the game plan?” Not just for the next game, but for the structure and DNA of the New Orleans Pelicans in the long haul.

We discuss all of this and more on this latest edition — get a bucket of ice cream, a box of tissue and let out a good cry with us. The days are dark.