The training camps are set to begin in a couple of weeks and teams are now finalizing their roster. With the NBA regular season right around the corner and the offseason coming to an end, the NBA hype is slowly building up. Here are a couple of more updates on the NBA scene:
Pelicans continue to acquire solid role players
The new orleans Pelicans are determined to compete for an NBA playoff spot next season ever since the acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins last February earlier this year. Heading into this offseason, the Pelicans concentrated on adding veteran players that can help them take that next step to contend for a playoff spot.
They started of acquiring veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to compliment and facilitate their offense with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis, and this move moves Jrue Holiday to the shooting guard position for next season. They continue to make moves as Shams Charania of The Vertical has reported that the New Orleans Pelicans and Tony Allen are finalizing a one year deal for next season.
Tony Allen entered the pro basketball scene in the offseason of 2004 when he was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 25th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Allen continued to play for the Boston Celtics for six seasons, he tore his ACL in his third season but came back next season and helped the Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.
In the offseason of 2013, he was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies to a four year 20 million dollar contract. He played seven seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies and made the All NBA Defensive team six times in total when he was playing in Memphis. Tony Allen had career averages of 8.2 points, 0.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, 1.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 28 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Can the Pelicans compete in the west?
The Pelicans are making lots of additions to really make an impact next season in the West, but with Paul George joining the Thunder and Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, can they really compete in the West? So far this offseason they signed Rajon Rondo and gave him the starting point guard position since he and Cousins played really well together in Sacramento.
The Pelicans also suffered a major set back with Solomon Hill tearing his hamstring a couple of months back thus making the move of acquiring Tony Allen to fill that three spot with a veteran and elite defender in the NBA. On paper, they really can compete with Cousins and Davis leading the team, but the only real question is can they co-exist together in the court.
