Chris Dodson Articles - Page 25

New Orleans Pelicans third-year head coach Willie Green has had to trot out patchwork rotations at times during his tenure. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and other key contributors being out for long stretches of time did provide an opportunity for two unheralded, undrafted free agents. Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall have both risen to every […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (16-11) are on a four-game win streak, with three of those coming on the road. Now Willie Green’s squad is headed home for a five-of-six home game stretch in the Smoothie King Center. Green is in the giving spirit this holiday season as well, revealing the blueprint that has New Orleans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been riding high since that embarrassing 44-point NBA In-Season Tournament loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals. The winners of four straight games even made history against the San Antonio Spurs, sinking 22 three-pointers, a franchise record. Eight players hit a shot from beyond the arc in a […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (15-11) are still a work in progress with some big question marks going into the NBA trade season. Literally big, as in 7-foot-0, 265 pounds worth of Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas big. The pros and cons of moving off or keeping the respected veteran seemingly sway in the balance with every win […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have won four of their last five and six of their last eight games. They’ve been on a roll since a mid-November players-only meeting. It’s almost hard to believe that the franchise and Zion Williamson were being called out by highly influential media members and NBA Hall-of-Famers just last week. Jose […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green likes to break down the schedule into 10-game segments but sometimes there are inflection points that must be recognized. For instance, CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. convened a mid-November players-only meeting for the struggling Pelicans. Riding a five-game losing streak at the time, the Pelicans have been […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (14-11) have gone 5-2 over the last two weeks against perhaps the toughest part of their holiday schedule. The Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and first-place Minnesota Timberwolves all found out how good Willie Green’s squad can be when close to fully healthy. Unfortunately, Zion Williamson (questionable) has been listed on the […]

The Smoothie King Center court has a way of going through warmups well before the New Orleans Pelicans tip off. Hours before Zion Williamson walks out of the tunnel, high school hoopers are getting to live out a dream by playing a game in the Big Easy’s NBA arena. The organization’s Court of Dreams program […]

There are some big red circles on NBA calendars over the last two weeks of the calendar year. Practically the entire league will be trade-eligible on December 15th, just days before every front office flies to Orlando for the annual G-League showcase. Over 30 players got NBA call-ups after last year’s event. New Orleans Pelicans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have assigned fourth-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. to the Birmingham Squadron, the team’s NBA G League affiliate. It’s been a slow fall out of favor for the 2020 NBA Draft’s 13th overall pick. The Alabama alum was getting consistent minutes to start the season. Now the 22-year-old is leaving the team […]

The moniker “The Knife” for Naji Marshall was a hard-earned honor through consistently stout defense and adaptable offensive versatility. He has a unique NBA origin story, too. The Xavier University alum initially got the attention of the New Orleans Pelicans during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected years, and his infectious personality has been a mainstay in Willie […]

New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jordan Hawkins has experienced a whirlwind of an NBA season after just 24 games. He got the first career start just three games into the schedule, sank seven three-pointers (31 points) against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, then poured in 25 points to beat the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA In-Season […]

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said of a December 11 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, “The story was 40 free-throw attempts and 19 of them in the third quarter. I think 28 in the second half. So, a lot of fouling. A lot of foul calls.” That’s just the gameplan Pelicans head coach […]

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans had one chance to show their home fans an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was a fluke. The team had just gotten home from a 10-day road trip and would be gone for another week after a visit from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They needed a counterpunch […]

The 2023-24 NBA season is already a quarter of the way gone and, though slightly premature, conversations about awards have started to take shape. The New Orleans Pelicans will be well-represented on the All-Defense team so long as Herb Jones stays healthy. The team also has a dark horse Rookie of the Year candidate who […]

The Crescent City is a frustrated sporting town currently. Practically the whole Gulf South region is agitated sporting-wise. The Saints are dealing with hostile home crowds, Tulane just lost the football program’s best coach following an ugly loss, and LSU lacked a defense to support the most recent Heisman winner. This impatience with underperforming teams […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a few days to lick their wounds after a humiliating 133-89 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Now comes the hard part: a positive response in front of an agitated home crowd. Zion Williamson, Willie Green, and David Griffin’s front office will face Smoothie King […]

Zion Williamson took a ‘back seat’ and head coach Willie Green had to experiment with the rotations but the New Orleans Pelicans have made it to Las Vegas. They are one win away from playing for the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament championship trophy. It’s safe to say they would not be in the position if […]

Lady Luck came up aces in Sacramento and the New Orleans Pelicans are now sitting pretty in Sin City. Willie Green’s squad landed in Las Vegas just hours before the Los Angeles Lakers booked their ticket. Now the NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals are set.  The championship experience of Anthony Davis and Lebron James meets a […]

The New Orleans Pelicans started the training camp as the 14th youngest team and got even younger once the regular season started. First, Jordan Hawkins was forced into a bigger role than expected following Trey Murphy III’s injury. Then the Zion Williamson-led Crescent City crew rose to 10th youngest when accounting for minutes played by […]

The NBA’s In-Season Tournament knockout rounds tip off on Monday and now the New Orleans Pelicans know exactly what is at stake on the road against the Sacramento Kings. Forget the financial incentives and flight to Las Vegas, there is “A new set of awards for a whole new competition” according to the league’s media […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been notoriously cautious with Zion Williamson, but at least one “hurdle” has been cleared on his road to being fully healthy and available. The 2019 first overall pick can now play both games in back-to-back sets. Pelicans coach Willie Green said after Saturday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, “It was […]

The 2008 Southwest Division Title is getting company in the New Orleans Pelicans’ trophy case. They may not hold a parade or hang a banner in the Smoothie King Center for the win, but the organization’s social media team can hang their hat on the new statue coming to New Orleans. The media team has […]

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have the max-level contract attention, but Trey Murphy III has the one elite skill that unlocks the potential of the New Orleans Pelicans. Murphy’s quick-trigger shooting from anywhere inside the gym is the last component of head coach Willie Green’s rotations and what the front office believes can be a […]

They needed help from Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks, but the Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans (10-9) have advanced to the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. The Pelicans In-Season Tournament run now leads to a matchup with the Sacramento Kings. A win on the road Monday means a reward money bump and the right to play in […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green has been blessed with a locker room continuity that most first-time head coaches are not allowed. Just by the nature of the job and situation, young first-time coaches taking over a lottery team usually have to manage a great deal of roster turnover. Green’s experience has been a […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been erring on the side of caution with Zion Williamson throughout the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season. Williamson has been listed on the injury report with the (rest) designation in the first three back-to-back sets but those restrictions may be a thing of the past. Pelicans head coach […]

After a nerve-racking final group stage night, the NBA In-Season Tournament knockout rounds bracket is set. Eight teams remain in commissioner Adam Silver’s new competitive vehicle. Seven of those teams are currently at least two games above .500. The other? They needed help from Dallas, but the New Orleans Pelicans (10-9) advanced to the quarterfinals […]

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans know that they have an opportunity to send a message to their critics with an NBA In-Season Tournament run. Williamson, CJ McCollum, and head coach Willie Green are all taking this chance to win some silverware very seriously. It’s not just lip service either. Both their play and […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are in “advanced discussions” with Fox 8 New Orleans to have 10 games broadcast on local and free over-the-air television waves, per NOLA.com’s Christian Clark. It is a huge move for a franchise looking to solidify thier contender status and further engage a fan base starved of access to the team. […]

Almost a quarter of the 2023-34 NBA season is in the history books and the New Orleans Pelicans (9-9) are treading water in the standings. The narrative should be familiar to any fan jumping on the bandwagon since Demarcus Cousins chased that free throw, or Zion Williamson was drafted. Injuries have again taken a toll […]

The New Orleans Pelicans dropped to 9-9 on the season following a 114-112 road loss to the Utah Jazz and have only themselves to blame. Forget injuries. The Pelicans are wasting easy opportunities to put more points on the board and it is costing them some pivotal Western Conference wins. More worrisome for the franchise […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green said “If it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixing it” when asked about the current starting five after a Thanksgiving week home win over the Sacramento Kings. Well, Green will soon be dealing with “some of those good problems” this holiday season. CJ McCollum is targeting a return to […]

The New Orleans Pelicans saw plenty of social media criticism from their fans following a 105-100 road loss to the Utah Jazz this past Thanksgiving weekend. First, Zion Williamson did not play due to rest. Then the Pelicans squandered an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, dropping a very winnable game in a very crowded NBA Western Conference […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green tries to keep the focus on the here and now with faith that things will work out in the future, especially when it comes to All-Stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. It’s how the third-year head coach has kept rosters ravaged by injury in the playoff conversation ever […]

The first month of the NBA season is in the books and the New Orleans Pelicans are currently fourth in games missed (56) so far this season, coming off a 2022-23 year with 220 total. They are a quarter of a way towards a full season’s total just 18% of the way through the 2023-24 […]

Zion Williamson and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green have both made public statements recently that left some of us in the press room wondering what exactly was meant by their replies. Well, CJ McCollum’s newest podcast provided some clarity on exactly how Williamson, Brandon Ingram and the team is diagnosing and addressing the […]

The old saying goes, “Once is lucky, twice is a coincidence, but three is a pattern.” Well, rookie Herb Jones was unlucky, falling victim to second-round stereotypes. Sophomore year Herb Jones was simply snubbed. Now, for the third season in a row, Jones is a hard-to-ignore problem for opposing teams. With every passing game, the […]

If you’ll allow for a food analogy this Monday before Thanksgiving, the NBA season is nowhere near baked done but 14 games is enough to get the smells circulating through the kitchen. Specific lineups are still working with small sample sizes but some spicy trends are starting to emerge. Well, it seems the New Orleans […]