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The New Orleans Pelicans are a pretty recent franchise. They are, in fact, the youngest franchise in the NBA today, having been in existence for just 18 years. As such, it is safe to say that this team currently does not have much history behind it — especially compared to the other franchises that have been around since the early days of the league. Nonetheless, the Pelicans have still had their fair share of heartaches. Below are five of the most heart-wrenching moments that has transpired in New Orleans Pelicans history.
Zion Williamson Meniscus Tear
The Pelicans hit it big in the 2019 draft lottery when they ended up winning the first overall pick. There was no question about who New Orleans was going to select in the draft, and true enough, they finally got their hands of the phenom that is Zion Williamson on draft night.
Not too long after, however, tragedy struck. Williamson tore his meniscus in his right knee during the preseason, which forced him to go under the knife. The diagnosis wasn't so bad, as he was initially expected to miss around six to eight weeks (which ended up being three months by the time he made his debut in January of 2020).
What made this a cause for concern, though, is the fact that this is the same knee Williamson sprained during his time at Duke, which ended up costing him the latter part of his single year with the Blue Devils. Since then, concerns have been raised regarding Zion's weight. There are some who believe that his burly frame coupled with his explosive style of play will take eventually its toll on his body — his knees to be more specific. It did not bode well that Williamson had already sustained two injuries on the same knee even before playing in his first NBA game.
Denver Nuggets Thrashing
The Pelicans had one of their best spells as a team during the late 2000's. At that time, they made it to the playoffs thrice in the space of four years, including a memorable trip to the second round in 2008.
However, it was during their 2009 postseason run that they ended up suffering the biggest loss in franchise history — not just in the playoffs, but throughout all the games this team has ever played. The Nuggets absolutely humiliated the Pelicans in Game 4 of that series, as the score ended 121-63 in favor of Denver. That 58-point loss was not only the worst performance by the Pelicans in their entire history, but it is also considered as one of the most embarrassing losses in playoffs history.
13 Straight Losses
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The Pelicans did not have the best of seasons during the coronavirus-struck 2019-20 campaign.
On December 17, 2019, New Orleans suffered a 108-101 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. This was not their worst game of the season by any means. But what made this defeat so upsetting is the fact that this was a franchise record 13th straight defeat. That's pretty much as bad as losing streaks get. And unfortunately for the Pelicans, this dry spell proved that despite the early season promise, they had to face the reality of a difficult post-Anthony Davis life sooner or later.
Chris Paul Departure
There's no denying that Chris Paul is one of the greatest players to ever dawn a Pelicans uniform. This is exactly why it was such a disheartening moment when he parted ways with the team in 2011.
The primary narrative of Paul's departure was his supposed move to the Los Angeles Lakers that ended up being vetoed by then-league commissioner David Stern. However, what was perhaps buried underneath all the noise of this unprecedented turn of events was Paul's actual desire to leave New Orleans. The All-Star point guard had been with the team since they drafted him as the fourth overall pick in 2005, so the mere fact that he wanted out was a hurtful experience for the Pelicans faithful.
Nonetheless, Paul had such a good run with the franchise, that he is still fondly remembered to this very day. This is regardless of how things may have ended between both parties.
Anthony Davis Saga
The heartbreaking turn of events that led to Chris Paul's departure should have taught the Pelicans a lesson. Unfortunately, it's as if history repeated itself nearly a decade later when then-cornerstone superstar Anthony Davis publicly demanded for a trade in the middle of the 2018-19 season. Once again, the New Orleans front office failed to surround their superstar with the right pieces in order for them to take the next step. After seven long years with the team, Davis had had enough.
What made matters worse here was that the Pelicans were unable to trade away Davis prior to the February trade window. They had to endure an awkward couple of months — which Davis ended up sitting out for the most part — before New Orleans finally pulled the trigger on the deal with the Los Angeles Lakers the following summer.
What hurts the most is that this is the second time in so many years that the Pelicans let a generational talent out of their grasp.
