New Orleans Pelicans Would Be Crazy To Keep Norris Cole Over 2016 Offseason

The New Orleans Pelicans were a mess this season. Injuries derailed any hopes the team had of capitalizing on last season’s postseason appearance. Effort was often a question because of the lack of certainty regarding who would be in the lineup. There is a reason the team went from being 45-37 to 30-52 this season.

The Pelicans’ point guard situation was particularly bad. Tyreke Evans missed significant time because of injuries, Jrue Holiday wasn’t 100 percent for any long period of time and the team even had to start Nate Robinson at one point. The Pelicans had to rely on Norris Cole to play the bulk of the point guard minutes, and Cole isn’t that type of point guard. Letting Cole go this offseason will be the first step towards helping the Pelicans have a better point guard situation moving forward.

Cole has won championships with the Miami Heat. He was the backup point guard, but he did play meaningful minutes. But the Pelicans don’t need players with championship pedigrees, especially if they are at Cole’s skill level. The Pelicans need talented point guards who can last throughout the season, and they need point guards who can grow together with Anthony Davis. Davis is still in his prime, but the team shouldn’t be trying to waste it by putting him next to constantly injured or below-average point guards.

If the Pelicans had earned the same amount of wins as last season, they would be the No. 5 seed in this year’s Western Conference playoffs. But facing off against the Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers, Cole’s lack of talent would be heavily exposed. Evans and Holiday would have hardly fared better.

Cole was re-signed this season out of necessity. Evans and Holiday can’t be counted on in terms of health, and Cole was the only choice the team had at point guard. But this upcoming season, the Pelicans should have enough resources to be able to land at least one starting caliber point guard who can be healthy for 75 percent of the season. That’s why it would be crazy for the organization to want to keep Cole over the offseason.