Anthony Davis and his teammates had been left for dead. Local media personalities proclaimed it from the mountaintops as early as January. The New Orleans Pelicans were mathematically eliminated on January 9th, just 36 games into the season according to one esteemed mathematician. That was before injuries took out Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson, and AD for long stretches. The undertaker was lurking, half written obituary in hand.
This season was rumored throughout national and local media circles as the final test for Monty Williams and Dell Demps.