Ex-Mav Alexis Ajinca Helping NO Get By Without Anthony Davis

For the first time since switching their namesake to the Pelicans and the first time overall since 2008-2009 the basketball team coming out of New Orleans is vying for a spot in the NBA Playoffs.

As recently as 2011-2012 the Pelicans (then-Hornets) had the worst record in the Western Conference. They went 21-45 in the lockout shortened season and through the NBA Draft Lottery were awarded the first overall pick.

Cleveland, Washington and Charlotte all had better odds, but the Hornets were owned by the league at the time and won the Lottery. Conspiracy theories always surround the ping pong ball dependent event and getting the top pick –and subsequently future superstar Anthony Davis— helped sell the team.

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

“The Brow” has indeed become a full-blown NBA stud in his third NBA season. His averages are crazy, 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.5 steals and again is the league leader in blocked shots with 2.7 a game.

However, as it always seems to happen with big men selected first overall, he has not been able to elude the injury bug this year.

This has opened the door for Alexis Ajinca, part of the “Former Mavericks Legends” club I like to get really carried away with.

Ajinça began his career in Charlotte, before being dealt to Dallas in a salary dump trade alongside Tyson Chandler.

To clear a roster spot for Peja Stojakovic, the Mavericks sent him and a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors for the rights to Giorgos Printezis.

Out of the league for two seasons, Ajinca came back to the good ‘ol U.S of A to latch on to the New Orleans Pelicans.

While in a minimal role, he still made 30 starts for the team in 2013-2014.

The MVP caliber Pelicans PF-C was injured in a win in Miami vs. the Heat. Once the timetable of two weeks came down, many thought it was doomsday on this impressive but seemingly over 2014-15 New Orleans Pelicans season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had finally conquered the #8 spot in the West, while Phoenix was sliding but not dead amidst the Goran Dragic–Isaiah Thomas–Brandon Knight Trade Deadline extravaganza.

However, in the four games since they lost their unchallenged best player (and are also without Jrue Holliday and Ryan Anderson), the Pelicans have done only one thing and one thing only: win.

Granted, a schedule of Denver, Miami, Brooklyn and a sliding Raptors squad isn’t all that hard, wins are wins.

In those games, Ajinca is averaging 15 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, .8 steals and channeling his inner-Brow (they’re both ugly if we’re really going there) with 1.8 blocks a game.

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In the Pellie’s February finale against the Heat, Ajinca had a career-high 24 points.

As I said, the Pelicans have won all four games without Davis and are riding a 5-game winning streak in total, this following a five game losing streak.

Without both members of everyone’s favorite Dallas law firm (Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler) again tonight, Dallas will look to start a new streak of their own after dropping their last two in Atlanta and vs. Brooklyn.

Hopefully Ajinca doesn’t go Hassan Whiteside (24 rebounds) or Deandre Jordan (27) against the Mavs tonight, but a win could ease all glass-related suffering.

Next: Western Conference Bench Rankings: Where Do the Mavericks Sit?

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