David Griffin came to the New Orleans Pelicans with a mandate and free reign to implement his plan. Gayle Benson has signed the checks to build the infrastructure. The end result is perhaps the deepest, most talented team in franchise history.
Sure, the Chris Paul Hornets teams were pretty good. Yea, Anthony Davis helped Jrue Holiday sweep the Portland Trailblazers. Name the sixth-best player on those teams or even the fourth. Now look at the end of the bench, then glance at next season’s roster. Which team would you choose to win a seven-game series?
It’s granted that next season’s New Orleans Pelicans have the benefit of recency bias and refreshed optimism.