If you’re a fan of pro sports in New Orleans, you’re going to love this next sentence: The Pelicans’ season is almost over.
Just eight games remain for the Pelicans in what will end up being the second-worst season in franchise history.
Couple that with what the Saints did this past season and you can probably understand why fans in the city are just ready for it all to be over.
The Saints finished 5-12 this season. The Pelicans are currently 20-54.
If the Pelicans don’t win another game, the combined 25 wins by them and the Saints would be the lowest total by the two franchises since NBA basketball returned to the city in 2002.
As of now, the worst year of combined wins was in 2004 when the Saints went 8-8 and the Pelicans finished 18-64, giving the franchises just 26 wins.
But at least the Saints finished .500 that season.
This will be just the fifth time the Saints and Pelicans have finished below .500 in the same year, and it's the first time that’s happened in nine years. The Saints went 7-9 in 2016 and the Pelicans went 34-48 in the 2016-17 season.
The Pelicans have eight more chances to add a few more wins to their slate.
Fittingly, the first of those eight games comes Sunday when the Pelicans host the equally struggling Charlotte Hornets.
No two cities with NBA and NFL franchises have struggled quite like New Orleans and Charlotte this season. Only Charlotte’s Hornets and Panthers have less combined wins (23) than the Pelicans and Saints. The Hornets bring an 18-55 record to the Smoothie King Center on Sunday. The Panthers finished 5-12, including a win over the Saints that was the swan song of Dennis Allen’s time as head coach in New Orleans.
It's been seven months of frustration for Gayle Benson’s two franchises. Boos have been loud at times in the Caesars Superdome and across the street at the Smoothie King Center.
Injuries decimated both teams, starting with the groin of Saints center Erik McCoy on the opening drive against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 to the shoulder of Pelicans forward Trey Murphy that ended his season on St. Patrick’s Day.
For a crash course on injuries, just look at the never-ending injury reports of both franchises. You name it, the Saints and Pelicans injured it. Achilles. Shoulders. Hands. Ankles. Obliques. Concussions. Backs. Elbows. Hamstrings.
Well, lots and lots of hamstrings, including the one that sidelined Zion Williamson for 28 games this season. He’s also missed the last three games with a lower back contusion after a hard fall against the Detroit Pistons.
With just eight games remaining and nothing to play for, the Pelicans should shut Williamson down the rest of the way. There is no use in risking another injury for a team that already has used 41 different starting lineups this season. That averages out to a different starting lineup every other game.
Credit Pelicans coach Willie Green for getting his team to play hard during a trying season. That was evident Friday night when the shorthanded Pelicans played three-plus strong quarters against a Golden State Warriors team playing at full strength. Green’s message to his team, despite the circumstances, has been a simple one, said Pelicans wing Bruce Brown.
“We’re not here to lose,” Brown said. “We ain’t trying to lose. Go out there and play for each other. Share the ball and play the right way and we can win games.”
More times than not, that hasn’t been the case for the Pelicans. It wasn’t the case for the Saints, either.
Thankfully, it's almost over.