The NCAA Final Four does not return to The Big Easy until 2022, but apparently Chris Webber found a way to channel himself back into the NBA last night.
With under five seconds remaining in regulation, the Pelicans held a 136-133 lead in overtime against the hapless Phoenix Suns. The Suns came in tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second-worst record in the league, both chasing the New York Knicks to the bottom. However, the bottom three have equal chances to draft Duke’s Zion Williamson in June, so I really do not see why there is such a race at this point.
Josh Jackson hit a long three to tie the game with 1.1 seconds remaining, and likely sending the game to a second overtime. The Pelicans are all but eliminated in the playoff race themselves, standing nine games back of the eighth seed, with 10 to play. Oh yeah, Houston and Golden State make up two of those games.
After Jackson’s three went through, the officials blew the whistle. Normally this would be for the offense to set up, or a reset of the ball went astray. The problem was that both teams were out of timeouts. It took about 90 seconds of deliberation, but the officials called New Orleans for a technical foul, and Phoenix drained a pair of free throws (one for the technical, and one for the impending foul after retaining possession), to escape with the victory.
Jrue Holiday, E'Twaun Moore, and Jason Smith are all hurt, and Anthony Davis is all but packed up to leave the day after the players clean out their lockers. This was supposed to be a year where New Orleans could compete, after finishing second in the Southwest Division a year ago. Instead, the team opted not to resign DeMarcus Cousins, and Davis was rumored to be traded since the moment LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gentry told reporters he assumed his squad had a timeout in hand. When Webber made his gaffe in the 1993 Championship Game, he was more focused about not getting whistled for a blanant traveling violation he made seconds earlier.
Gentry has seven assistant coaches on his staff. You mean to tell me that not one of them could have grabbed him by the sleeve of his suit coat, and told him not to call a timeout?
Perhaps this could add to the list of why Gentry has been fired three times, and has only three playoff series wins in 16 years as an NBA head coach.
What makes the situation all the more embarrassing is that the Pelicans did not have a foul to give, and fouling Jackson would have put him at the charity stripe for a pair. Even if Jackson hits both, the Pelicans are still up one, with likely less than three seconds left. Gentry could be seen sprinting towards Elfrid Gentry to NOT call a timeout while the Suns were inbounding, which led to Jackson’s three.
The Pelicans have lost six straight, and have gone from knocking on the door to being ousted in the first round by Golden State or Denver, to figuring out who to draft to put people in seats after Davis leaves. Their chances of landing the top-overall pick are only 4.5% as of today, and are at 20.3% to land a top-four pick. Even if New Orleans falls to the back-end of the top 10, they will still get a quality starter for 2019-20, as this is expected to be one of the better draft classes in recent years.
You wonder if a top-10 draft pick is not the only thing General Manager Dell Demps may be looking to replace this summer.
-JC24