Former New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. posted a hilarious Jose Alvarado image on social media. A recent scandal rocked the MLB, with Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado being suspended for 80 games. The 29-year-old tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and now will miss most of the season due to this violation.
Shortly after hearing this news, Nance chose to poke fun at his ex-teammate over Twitter. The photoshopped image immediately went viral, even though, of course, it was referring to a different Jose Alvarado.
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Nance spent two and a half years in New Orleans, all of which Alvarado was there. Both guys have worked hard throughout their careers to become quality role players. Alvarado was an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech in 2021. The Williamsburg, Brooklyn native worked his way into the Pelicans' rotation his first season and played a key role on a team that made the playoffs. Alvarado has remained reliable throughout his career, but unfortunately, New Orleans has regressed this past season.
A year after making the postseason once again, New Orleans went 21-61 and is now potentially looking at a rebuild. Zion Williamson has not been healthy enough throughout his career, and the franchise dealt star forward Brandon Ingram over the trade deadline. CJ McCollum is also toward the end of his prime years. With all that said, there are still many valuable players on this roster. In addition to Williamson and McCollum, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy are super talented wings who can either be a part of this rebuild or key trade pieces. Alvarado and Yves Missi help make a roster that should be competitive in the Western Conference.
Overall, the Pelicans must decide which players are part of their future core. The franchise has the No. 7 overall pick in what is supposed to be a very strong NBA Draft. Who New Orleans selects and how good this player is right away could go a long way in determining whether a rebuild is on the horizon or if this group is gearing up for another playoff run.