Chris Dodson Articles - Page 17

It is crawfish season in the Gulf South region and the national media is starting to mimic those Mississippi River mudbugs when it comes to their comments on New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson. See, for those who do not know, crawfish walk backward when approached. Several television and radio personalities spent the morning doing […]

Willie Green and the New Orleans Pelicans (45-28) are still trying to find the best rotations right and get certain lineups locked in before the NBA Playoffs begin. They are not sacrificing wins for the sake of experimenting but certain players are getting asked to do more than usual. One very large Lithuanian is being […]

The term ‘All-Star whistle’ is around for a reason. NBA referees, for one reason or another, tend to give All-NBA talents more favorable calls than players still running out the years on their rookie contracts. Zion Williamson has been learning this the hard way and has the bruises to prove it. The New Orleans Pelicans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans could waste no time with any pats on the back following a 3-1 road trip. Sure, Willie Green’s group was coming back to the Smoothie King Center for a six-game homestand. The teams coming to town all have postseason aspirations, or in the San Antonio Spurs’ case, Victor Wembanyama. The Pelicans […]

The NBA Playoffs have already started according to one New Orleans Pelicans fan favorite. While the NBA does not recognize Jose Alvarado’s statement, the league’s teams are starting to buckle down for the last 10-game sprint to the regular-season finish line. Some have accepted their NBA Draft Lottery fate, while others are pressing to avoid […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (44-28) are getting one lottery pick-level reinforcement back into the rotation while losing a pesky fan favorite. Dyson Daniels finished the last step of the team’s return to action plan with a splendid night leading the Birmingham Squadron. The Australian has been recalled to the NBA roster, but Jose Alvarado (right […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are fighting battles on multiple fronts. Most historians would advise against such a move, but the franchise just might be able to pull off a few wins worth the effort. First, Willie Green’s group is on pace for a 50-win season. His Coach of the Year odds are improving with every […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have proven their resiliene through adversity this season. They even have a better road record (24-14) than home (20-13) after returning from a 3-1 road trip. Next up is a pivotal six-game homestand in the Smoothie King Center against a slew of playoff contenders. Sharpshooter Trey Murphy III, who is starting […]

Wille Green was right. Dyson Daniels is working hard to get ahead of the expected rehabilitation schedule set out following a successful meniscus surgery on February 15. Approximately six weeks after going under the knife, the 20-year-old has been assigned to the G-League’s Birmingham Squadron. The New Orleans Pelicans press release stated Daniels would be […]

Everyone with a rooting interest in the New Orleans Pelicans was left holding their collective breaths when Brandon Ingram hit the floor early in a March 21 road loss to the Orlando Magic. It looked bad initially but an MRI revealed only a bone contusion, the best possible outcome all things considered. Ingram should be […]

The initial, frantic wave of March Madness opening weekend usually produces at least one Cinderella team that surprises the nation. This year’s edition of the NCAA Tournament would be considered a dud if judged by those standards though. The Sweet 16 is mostly Blue Blood programs and Power Five members but that is a good […]

Every fan of basketball grimaced after seeing how Brandon Ingram collapsed in a fall during a road game against the Orlando Magic. No wand at Disney could wave away the feeling of doom immediately engulfing everyone slightly interested in the fate of these New Orleans Pelicans. The franchise got good news following an MRI, but […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, but the franchise has been playing things close to the vest. This upstart squad does not need any attention from the national media nor does it need to provide any rivals with bulletin board material. The social media team handles the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans wasted no time in taking care of the Detroit Pistons to close out a 3-1 road trip. The team lost Brandon Ingram (knee) to a freak fall and only got four points out of Zion Williamson, but still they head back to the Smoothie King Center well clear of the NBA […]

The New Orleans Pelicans visited the Miami Heat with the deck stacked against them. The Pelicans had not won a game in South Beach since 2017 and Brandon Ingram was ruled out for two weeks following an MRI on his knee. Dyson Daniels is also still recuperating from a knee injury, meaning Willie Green’s rotations […]

Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans are all in uncharted territory both individually and collectively. Williamson and Ingram are approaching their career highs in games played in a season. The Pelicans are approaching a rare 50-win campaign and will enter the NBA Playoffs with a level of expectation not known since the […]

The national media is starting to warm up to the New Orleans Pelicans as serious contenders for at least a Western Conference finals spot. It is hard to ignore an NBA team going 17-6 over two months, especially when that squad is 11-3 over the past 14 road games. The success comes down to focus […]

It got a bit too hot in the kitchen for the Miami Heat on Friday, the last before Easter weekend. The New Orleans Pelicans just brought too much smoke off the bench to start the spring cookout season, beating Miami 111-88 in South Beach. Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall added a bit of extra spice […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (43-27) had last beaten the Miami Heat on the road in 2017. The sportsbooks had plenty of reasons to heavily favor Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the last Friday before Good Friday. First, Willie Green’s rotations would have to operate without Brandon Ingram (knee contusion) and Dyson Daniels (knee). Any […]

The New Orleans Pelicans and Jose Alvarado can be described as many things but passive-aggressive is not one. The team has been confronting issues head-on this season, and Alvarado is one of the most upfront, outspoken reserves in the entire league. Sometimes big personalities can clash in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, any ill […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are making news for all of the right reasons heading into the NBA Playoffs. They are 16-4 over the past 20 games with a good shot at securing the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Brandon Ingram is playing career-best defense, CJ McCollum is cashing in open 3-pointers, and svelte Zion […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have tended to play down to the competition at times this season, and it’s led to some heartbreaking losses. They also play better on the road, going by their record outside of the Smoothie King Center. One of the team’s All-Stars even prefers road dates over a string of home games, […]

The New Orleans Pelicans can attack opponents in a variety of ways. Building a wall in the paint only works so well against an elite passer like Zion Williamson. Brandon Ingram can pick anyone apart from the midrange areas. CJ McCollum’s near career-high in three-point volume has led to one of his most efficient seasons […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have not been this healthy, and in this as good of a position down the stretch, since the moment before Demarcus Cousins shot that fateful free throw. Sure, Willie Green’s rotations have been missing a few key contributors. However, it sounds like Herb Jones, Larry Nance Jr., and even Dyson Daniels […]

The New Orleans Pelicans will be a team to watch ahead of the NBA playoffs as the contenders start to separate from the pretenders. The Boston Celtics are running away from the Eastern Conference’s middle class, with only the Milwaukee Bucks within 10 games. Meanwhile, The Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves have […]

Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin was dancing, practically gliding around the NBA Draft Lottery back in 2019. The new head of the New Orleans Pelicans was already working a deal that would add a haul of draft assets and Brandon Ingram to the roster in place of Anthony Davis. Griffin was celebrating […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have made regular-season progress every year that Willie Green has been in charge. The coaching staff has seen some turnover, but Green’s consistent message and steady resolve have been credited for leading the locker room through some very challenging situations. Green has dealt with injury-plagued seasons and slow starts yet still […]

The jockeying for playoff positioning is really starting to ramp up in intensity and there is one new development: The New Orleans Pelicans are no longer a running joke in the national media’s most uninformed conversations. The small-market squad is 15-5 over the past 20 games with the locker room’s main attractions are leading the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are a hard team to figure out on a night-to-night basis but the underlying strategy is pretty straightforward. This team’s potential is capped by the capacity of Zion Williamson to perform at an All-NBA level consistently. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum can only do so much, as evidenced by their previous […]

The David Griffin-led New Orleans Pelicans front office is starting to develop a reputation for unearthing late second-round or undrafted gems. Herb Jones has been an All-Defense, better than 40% from beyond-the-arc revelation. Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado provide an energy and attitude rarely found in lottery picks but definitely appreciated in the Crescent City. […]

The New Orleans Pelicans went into the NBA All-Star break on a 7-1 roll. They have sputtered out of that week off in stops and starts for a 6-4 record over the last 10 games. Three of those losses being at home is a concerning development. So is the team’s three-point shooting, which has come […]

Shooting slump? That was no shooting slump a few weeks ago, just an assassin adjusting aim on an old weapon. At least, that’s how Trey Murphy III’s pinpoint daggers from beyond the arc have to feel for opposing bench units. The New Orleans Pelicans are starting to run away from teams once the third-year pro […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are heading home having just wrapped up an undefeated three-game road trip through the Eastern Conference. The Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Atlanta Hawks were all missing key contributors but Willie Green’s squad took care of business to build a two-game cushion for fifth place out West. The team is playing […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have won four of their last five games, with three coming on the road. The team will wrap up a three-game road Eastern Conference road trip with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Willie Green got another, off-court win before tipping off against a sub-.500 team missing All-Star Trae […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are a tight-knit organization from the top down. The front office is open about philosophy but tight-lipped regarding specific negotiations, plans, and players on the market. The locker room has dealt with years of adversity and play things close to the vest, giving most of the national media little to work […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (37-25) are 12 games over .500 and sitting in fifth place with just under a quarter of the 2023-24 NBA regular-season schedule remaining, putting them in position to make the playoffs. The franchise has not always gotten off to a great start under third-year head coach Willie Green, but this locker […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are making out like bandits while on a three-game road trip through the Eastern Conference’s lower middle class of playoff contenders. They are getting to play hobbled squads missing NBA All-Stars. The Toronto Raptors were missing Scottie Barnes and Jacob Poeltl. The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Joel Embiid. The Atlanta […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been on a playoffs-or-bust mission since convening for an informal training camp around Labor Day 2023. Making noise in the postseason is the only way Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum would get league-wide respect as a trio. The Pelicans are currently fifth-place in the Western Conference, but Willie […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (37-25) offense has operated in fits and starts through 62 games, yet the team still sits alone in fifth place out West. They have the fourth-best net rating on the back of a near-elite defense led by Herb Jones. Third-year head coach Willie Green’s main job all season has been to […]