LAS VEGAS — The Houston Rockets won the free agency season by landing Dwight Howard, elevating their already-promising program by pairing him with James Harden. The Brooklyn Nets ruled the offseason in terms of roster makeover among supposed title contenders, striking a deal to land Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics as part of their plan to unseat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat.
But when it comes to moves being made that could lead to the most dramatic of turnarounds, the New Orleans Pelicans stand alone.
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After a 27-win season in which a lack of health and lack of help were the recurring themes, 2012 No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, forward Ryan Anderson and now-happy-to-be-here shooting guard Eric Gordon are suddenly surrounded by the sort of talent that will make them one of the most intriguing teams around. To review:
• The Pelicans drafted Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel with the No. 6 pick, then traded him and a 2014 first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday and second-round guard Pierre Jackson.
• They added a former rookie of the year in Tyreke Evans, who came via a four-year, $44 million deal in a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. The move cost the Pelicans center Robin Lopez and point guard Greivis Vasquez, but they brought in rookie center Jeff Withey.
• Shooting guard Anthony Morrow and center Greg Stiemsma were brought in as free agents, while small forward Al-Farouq Aminu signed an extension.
Yet there's a mystery to this mix that can't be solved until the season comes around, questions about the new pieces and how they'll mesh that I posed to the involved parties this week at NBA summer league in an attempt to make sense of this unexpected storyline. They can't truly be answered until the season rolls around, but the team that has gone 48-100 in the last two seasons is clearly worth paying attention to again.
How will coach Monty Williams use Evans?
No one questions Evans' talent, but his first four seasons did little to determine his identity as a pro. He won 2009-10 rookie of the year honors while playing the point, but the plan was changed in his second season as he started playing off the ball more. Year No. 3 brought yet another change, as he was often used at small forward while his frustration rose and his confidence fell.
But his new setting could be just what Evans needs. The strain of trying to carry a bad team and be the franchise centerpiece is gone, as the Pelicans see him as a complementary threat who will help keep the pressure applied on opposing defenses. The rumor that he could be used as a Manu Ginobili type is real but not yet determined.
"That'd be nice," Williams told USA TODAY Sports of the possibility of Evans being a super sixth man like Ginobili. "I think he can post up more than Ginobili ever did, but I think if he brings that to the table we're going to be a pretty good team. We have a term, where we have a few guys who we think are just renegades, and you kind of let them go out there and just play and try not to structure them too much offensively. On the defensive end, we're not going to bend on that. But guys like Tyreke and Austin (Rivers), Ryan, those guys you kind of have to let them go a little bit. Tyreke, I think, fits into that model, and that would lend to the Ginobili comparison."
Williams, who came up through the San Antonio Spurs system with New Orleans general manager Dell Demps, will use training camp in October to find the answer to this particular question.
"Obviously (Evans) is really gifted on the offensive end," Williams said. "It's hard to keep him from getting to the basket. I like the fact that we have the versatility with the size defensively. He can guard one, two and three. I think once he learns the way we play defense and the level that we play with every day — offensively a lot of it is just going to be up to him.
"He can play the point, the two or the three. I think it will take a good training camp to see how he's going to fit into our system. Playing with Anthony, playing with Ryan and Jason, that's going to be a major deal for us to figure out some chemistry with those guys. And they play with Austin (Rivers) a lot, so we just have to wait and see. With Jrue, and Eric and Tyreke in the lineup, at times, it can be difficult for teams to match up against that."
Is Eric Gordon happy now?
It wasn't too long ago that it seemed Gordon wouldn't be part of this plan, as he was forced to return last summer after the Phoenix Suns gave him a maximum-salary offer sheet that New Orleans matched against his wishes. Yet as he struggled through a chronic knee injury (42 games played last season) and the Pelicans began to explore trades involving him, their eventual parting seemed inevitable.
This is a game-changer on that front, though. Not only is Gordon tough to trade because of his health struggles and his mammoth contract (three years, nearly $44.7 million combined remaining), he's now a valuable piece of a core that is more than promising enough to change his stance on the New Orleans scene. It's a win-win for both sides that seemed very unlikely before.
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And if ever there was a sign that he wants to be part of this program, it was there for all to see inside the Cox Pavilion at UNLV: Gordon stood courtside for Pelicans games when he could have been vacationing, having made the trip from Los Angeles to watch his teammates in action.
"It's an all new beginning for me," Gordon told USA TODAY Sports. "That Holiday (trade) — that was surprising because he's still a young dude. You would've never thought that would happen. It's good that we have him for sure, and we've made some pretty good moves for sure.
"It's definitely heading in the right direction. We've got a lot of good young talent that's been experienced and they've proven themselves. Especially with Tyreke and Jrue, where we all can play together and break down (defenders), it just makes more opportunities for this team."
And, as Gordon noted, a chance to make a playoff push.
"I definitely would like for it to be a playoff team, but you've also got to look at some of these playoff teams from this past year in the West that have gotten better," he said. "I think we're going to be fighting for it. As long as we stay healthy, we're going to be fighting for it. I want us to be a playoff team. That's definitely the main expectation, because we're still a young team and this is our first year playing together."
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What does all this mean for Rivers?
Rivers knows he had a rough rookie season, what with his injury woes and inefficient play and all. But there were lessons learned and improvements made, he said, and now comes the part where he does everything within his power to not be the odd man out here. He got off to a good start on that front at summer league, averaging 17.3 points (46.5 field-goal percentage) and 2.7 assists in the first three games.
"I plan on playing a lot next year, no matter who's there," Rivers, who was drafted 10th overall out of Duke, told USA TODAY Sports. "Outwork them, come to practice early, leave late, so we'll see what happens. I'm not really worried about it too much. I trust that they know what I can do.
"At the end of the day, we got better. I know I'll play. I'm never worried about me not playing. I know if I continue to work, I'm going to play a lot of minutes. I just need to continue to work and learn from coach, and I trust that if I do that I'll get better."
He simply has to be better than last season, when Rivers' player efficiency rating of 5.9, as noted by CBSSports.com, was the lowest in NBA history for a rookie who played as much as he did (1,418 minutes) while he averaged 23.2 minutes and 6.2 points a game on 37.2% shooting. In the process, the swagger that was such a big part of his game when he took Winter Park High School to consecutive Florida state titles and during one season with the Blue Devils disappeared.
"Yeah (the confidence took a hit), especially with being hurt," Rivers said. "I was hurt so much, it was like, 'Man, when am I healthy and when am I going to get back?' So I was just like, 'Am I 100 percent? Can I make this move without my ankle getting hurt again? Will my hand break again?' And then I finally got healthy and I was thinking so much, and I was like, 'Now, I've got to get my minutes back. I've got to press it.'
"Now I don't care anymore. I'm 100%. I don't need to impress anybody. I've got relationships with everybody, and you kind of have to have an attitude of 'forget you' and just go play. You've got to go out there and do what you do to help the team win, and whatever that consists of is all that matters. That's what has helped me get better."
Adding composure and control to his game, among other things, is on Rivers' long list of improvements.
"Playing with pace, understanding the game," he said. "I've always had a high IQ of the game, but I've always been so competitive that sometimes I'd go a hundred million miles per hour and take on their world. This year I'm learning to slow down, to change speeds, and that's made me a lot better. Last year, I was struggling and this year it's kind of come easy. It'll get better and better."
Oh yeah, that Anthony Davis guy ...
How do you know when a team is on the verge of getting much better? When the franchise centerpiece is getting lost in the conversation.
Davis is still at the center of it all, still on track to be one of the best big men in the game. His debut campaign was a mixed bag — Williams brought him along slowly early on, and he came on strong late before injuries that took him out of 21 games in all stained his season. And now, this: Davis may be emerging as a leader.
Davis was an unofficial Pelicans assistant coach this week, looking the part in his white collared shirt and pulling players like Withey aside to dissect the action during timeouts. It was just the sort of thing that Williams expects to see much more of this season.
"I think he's more comfortable with saying things," Williams said. "When you're 19, and you're the No. 1 pick, you don't want to step on toes. We've really pushed him to go out there and do what you've got to do. You're going to be the face of the franchise for a long time, and with that comes a ton of responsibility. He's got to get used to it."
Williams drew criticism for the way he handled Davis, keeping his minutes lower than expected (28.8 per game) while the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard ran away with top rookie honors. But Williams didn't want Davis to have too much on his plate too soon, and the strategy will be seen as a success if Davis takes another step forward as part of a team pulls off this turnaround.
"I just thought it was the best way for him to come along," Williams said. "With all the expectations, and from spending time with him, I thought the best thing for him was to bring him along slowly and I think he's better for it.
"I did take a lot of hits, but that's part of my job. I'm only going to feel vindicated when we win, and to me that's the icing on the cake. Everything else is just fluff and noise. (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) taught me that what we play for is wins, and to be the winner. ... And now, we're starting to see how much more comfortable he is in the role because we slowly built him up to this point."
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