THE New Orleans Pelicans could be making a deep run for the playoffs. New head coach Stan Van Gundy, whose last job was TV analyst for TNT during the NBA’s quarantine bubble, is now calling the shots for the Pelicans.
Van Gundy had coaching stints with the Miami Heat (2003-2005), the Orlando Magic (2007-2012) and the Detroit Pistons (2014-2018) before taking a broadcasting job. He did well with those three teams, bringing the Heat to the Conference Finals in 2005. With Orlando, SVG’s Magic faced the LA Lakers for the 2008 Finals. He guided the Pistons to the playoffs in 2016.
A two-time All-Star Game head coach, Van Gundy is now with his fourth team, and in these abnormal times, he must wear a mask during games, like every other coach in the league, and for everyone on the bench for that matter, in accordance with the new regulation which was not implemented in the Orlando bubble.
The Pelicans’ frontcourt pair of Steven Adams and Zion Williamson makes them the strongest and the heaviest in the league, literally and figuratively. Zion is six-six, almost 300 pounds and he’s another freak of nature that has both strength and agility. Adams is a 280-pound seven-footer and considered by his NBA peers as a strongman. ESPN writer Royce Young described him as “a walking concrete wall of physicality.” Even LeBron James in full throttle will have second thoughts banging bodies with him.
Today’s game had become faster, going toward slashing, spacing and outside shooting where mid-sized players thrive. But Coach Van Gundy had gone old school with his big boys. Zion and Adams create problems for other teams with their size and physicality, and both had developed chemistry in the low post.
With a new and bigger contract as an incentive, Brandon Ingram is in his All-Star form. A Zo to Zion connection, with Lonzo Ball coming back in after some foot issues will be fun to watch. Youngsters Jaxson Hayes and Nickel Alexander-Walker plus veterans Josh Hart, JJ Reddick and Eric Bledsoe complete the rotation.
Van Gundy’s effective coaching style could lead the Pelicans and their young score to a post season push and with a Draft capital in their stock, New Orleans in the long run will go far in the years to come, barring injuries./PN
