Fansided

5 teams who need to make the 2017 NBA Playoffs

By Noah Strackbein

Feb 23, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forwards DeMarcus Cousins (left) talks Anthony Davis before their game against the Houston Rockets at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forwards DeMarcus Cousins (left) talks Anthony Davis before their game against the Houston Rockets at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next

2. New Orleans Pelicans

With the biggest trade of the deadline comes a lot of pressure. After the Pelicans moved Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, and a few other assets for DeMarcus Cousins, they caught the attention of everyone around the league. With Boogie and Anthony Davis manning the frontcourt, New Orleans just became the scariest post team in the NBA.

It seemed as though the Pelicans were one superstar away from playoff contention. Now they have him, so it’s time to prove themselves. At 30-52, they are pretty far out of the playoff race. With the Denver Nuggets sitting at the eight seed it’ll be a challenge to catch them. The fact that the Pelicans are 3.5 games back from Houston leaves a lot of doubt in New Orleans’ chances.

The Pelicans can’t continue to miss the playoffs, though. This team made the biggest trade of the year and now need to back it up. With Cousins’ contract ending after this season, there isn’t time to look to the future. This is a win-now or don’t win scenario, and all eyes are on this team.

So far, New Orleans has shown no improvement with Cousins. Dropping their first three games with the new big man isn’t inspiring optimism. It didn’t appear that they needed another center, but the front office believed it was the right move to make. Well, when you roll the dice on a big name like Boogie, you better be able to back it up.

Right now, this team is showing any signs of turning their season around. But with the trade they made, they better start winning soon before this gamble begins to haunt them.

Home/NBA Playoffs