Since they decided to rebuild on the fly with trades and free agent signings instead of draft picks, the New Orleans Pelicans have always been a controversial franchise. Opponents of the strategy have crushed the Pelicans for giving away cost controlled young assets with a chance at finding a diamond in the rough star, while those that believed in the system have pointed to the team finding talented young players that were already established at the NBA level.
After a playoff appearance in the 2014-2015 season many of the people who have believed in the way the Pelicans have rebuilt have been proven partially correct, as the Pelicans fought through incredible injuries to flash incredible single game highs.