Last year’s NBA preview featured a very understandable desire from TNT analyst David Aldridge. Among things Aldridge wanted to see — like a healthy Kevin Durant — was this:
“I Can’t Wait to spend an entire night in front of the TV, on League Pass, maybe in early January, and just watch Anthony Davis play 40 minutes or so. No one else. I’m just going to watch what he does every second he’s on the floor, to get a real sense of how good he really is.”
Aldridge may have done just that. But that turned out to be the only enjoyable way to watch the Pelicans — by watching just Anthony Davis. Because the team that had made the playoffs the year before suddenly fell from grace, going 30-52 and making everybody scratch their heads. What happened? Nobody will ever know, except for injuries and a coaching change that brought in Alvin Gentry. This year will be different. Question is how much. The best news is that the freshest talent in New Orleans is college shooting sensation Buddy Hield — and Hield was too busy filling it up for the Oklahoma Sooners to remember much about the Pelicans’ season of frustration. The other good news is that pretty much any night David Aldridge wants to complete his plan again, it’ll be satisfying. The amazing Anthony Davis will reward the attention.
