Round and Round

Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over, all while expecting a different result.

Like a cruel rendition of Groundhog Day, New Orleans Pelicans fans are all too familiar with the definition of insanity. Instead of repeating the same day over and over, however, Pels fans ride the same roller coaster of hope and heartbreak over years-long cycles -- objectively a much more strenuous process.

For the uninitiated, a refresher:

• There was Chris Paul, the fifth overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft. A visionary point guard, Paul was chosen to be the shepherd for the artists formerly known as the Hornets through their temporary stay in Oklahoma City back home to New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The man known as CP3 did that and then some, leading New Orleans to a 56-26 record in the 2007-2008 season, the franchise's first back home. The breakout season bore much fruit, namely the second playoff seed in the Western Conference and a second-place finish in the season's MVP voting for Paul. There was a fellow NBA All-Star in David West, a young defensive stalwart in Tyson Chandler and a battle-tested veteran in Peja Stojaković. The Hornets' season ended in a Game 7 on its home floor against the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, but that was expected to be a speed bump at best, as the team was young and had potential for the future. Potential was never realized, though, as Paul tore ligaments in his left knee in the 2009-2010 season. West departed for the Indiana Pacers, Chandler wound up with the Charlotte Bobcats and Stojaković landed with the Dallas Mavericks where he would win an NBA championship alongside Chandler in 2011. The Chris Paul chapter mercifully ended on December 14, 2011 when the franchise star was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers after a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was nixed by NBA Commissioner David Stern six days prior. Ten years later, Paul is widely regarded as one of the two or three best point guards in the history of the league.

Chris Paul desired a trade to the Lakers to play alongside Kobe Bryant. He ended up in Clipper blue instead. (Photo by Stephen Dunn)

• There was Anthony Davis, one of the most anticipated professional prospects of the 21st century. The Hornets landed the superstar out of Kentucky with the first overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft. While not saddled with the same city-wide expectations as Paul was, Davis' slight shoulders were expected to do the heavy lifting of returning the franchise to relevance after Paul's departure. A couple of summers in the gym later, the returns on the newly-minted Pelicans' investment began to come in; New Orleans made the playoffs as the Western Conference's eighth seed in 2015 as Davis poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds per game. A four-game defeat at the hands of the eventual champion Golden State Warriors was expected to be a speed bump at best, though, as Davis was young and Golden State assistant coach Alvin Gentry was stepping into the head role in New Orleans at the start of the next season. Three seasons later, there was a fellow NBA All-Star in DeMarcus Cousins, a young defensive stalwart in Jrue Holiday and a battle-tested veteran in Rajon Rondo. The potential was at its boiling point. Potential was never realized, though, as Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in the waning seconds of a victory over the Houston Rockets on January 26, 2018. New Orleans finished the season strong, dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in four games in the first round of that season's playoffs, but a five-game defeat at the hands of Golden State in the second round was a dud of an ending to the loyal faithful. On the Fourth of July, less than two months after the Pelicans' season ended, Cousins departed for Golden State in free agency. Shortly after that, Rondo fled for the Hollywood Hills to join LeBron James in Lakerland. The Anthony Davis chapter very mercifully ended when New Orleans traded their franchise player to those pesky Lakers on June 16, 2019 after a months-long standoff between a disgruntled superstar and a middling small-town organization. Seventeen months later, Davis and Rondo won a championship in purple and gold with James by their side. As Davis said it best, "That's all, folks!"

Anthony Davis got his wish, his running mate and his championship. (Photo by Kim Klement)

Now, there's Zion Williamson, the YouTube highlight reel sensation come to life. The Pelicans struck gold twice in a decade, landing the first overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft to select the Duke product. Williamson entered the league with a level of hype not seen since LeBron James arrived in the Association in 2003, and with it came the expectation to lead New Orleans back to the playoffs and beyond what Davis and Paul had done in years past. The explosive 19-year-old's rookie season was put on hold after knee surgery delayed his official debut until January 22, 2020, but when said debut was made, a moment for the ages ensued:

The Pelicans missed out on the 2020 NBA Playoffs after a last-ditch effort in the league's Orlando bubble fell short seven months later, but there's reason to believe that history might look back on New Orleans' 2019-2020 season as a speed bump at best. Williamson is 20 years old, has stayed healthy throughout his sophomore season and is averaging 25 points per game. There's fellow NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram, a young playmaker and defensive stalwart in Lonzo Ball and...not too much in the way of battle-tested veterans, but no matter.

There's a deliberate design to the pattern in which this column is worded. The pattern that the years have followed for the New Orleans Pelicans has taken its toll on fans of the organization. One can't be faulted for being haunted by the potential of Williamson skipping town someday in the distant future, even while taking in his nightly exhibition of sky walking.

The cycle can be broken, however, as Williamson, Ingram and Ball harness a rare level of chemistry on a nightly basis. The NBA is a cruel hit, though. The Pelicans currently sit at 19-24, good for eleventh in the Western Conference and firmly out of the playoff picture with 29 games remaining in the season. On the eve of the league's trading deadline, rumors swirl around a potential deal to ship Ball out of town. For a tortured fanbase, every decision the organization makes feels like a fork in the road: one path leading forward to a bright future, the other leading to another round stuck on the carousel to nowhere.

As far as this Pelican fan is concerned, here's hoping it's nearly time to hop off that carousel. The rounds start to get costly after a while.

Cover photo by Alonzo Adams/USA Today Sports.