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The pelicans of New Orleans left many who were puzzled to let the DeMarcus Cousins go to the Golden State Warriors in the offseason. It looked like the same old story: once again led by an MVP favorite in Anthony Davis, again without the pieces that would surround him to make his presence important?
If the opening night of the Pels against the Houston Rockets, 131-112, on the road has no merit, they may already have everything they need.
The explosion of New Orleans, in which the team never dragged, was not a total domination of Davis either. While 13 throws out of 23 were spectacular, with 32 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, everyone around him also contributed.
The Pels felt like a team built around AD instead of one built for him.
Nikola Mirotic was a deep flamethrower
New Orleans fired in the dark when she traded a slightly protected first-round pick against Mirotic at the end of last season. It was a desperate move after the Cousins lost an Achilles tear during the year, but this panic deal turned out to be a bargain.
Mirotic was instrumental in the race for the second round of New Orleans playoffs. He looked at every element of the player that we thought we could be when he arrived from Spain four years ago.
It will not need to be this good every night, but the shots will be there for him, and he's definitely going to the tanks.
Julius Randle was a tank in the post with touch
The Lakers set aside the Randle project with a signature LeBron James signature looming on the horizon, and New Orleans collected it for two years and $ 18 million. He has neither the size of Boogie nor the skills of Cousins, but Randle is about as close to Cousins as the hope of the team in the free market.
Maybe it will be even better. On the bench, Randle scored 25 points in 23 minutes on 15 shots, and even sank 2 out of 4. Boogie-esque is exactly what Davis needs to complete his workload.
Elfrid Payton? E'Twaun Moore?
They may not be stars, but pelicans have something in both Moore and Payton.
Payton, the former Orlando Magic bust signed in replacement of the late Rajon Rondo, finished with a triple double: 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a single round. Moore, formerly dismissed by the Bulls, managed 8 shots out of 12 for 21 points. These players could not find their way into their original teams, but surrounding a real anomaly in AD, they found a home.
It's terrifying what any team with Anthony Davis can do when built properly. Injuries and incompetence prevented us from keeping this long-term vision of the past, but thanks to some clever moves and happy accidents, the pieces could finally be here in 2019.
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