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For the first time since LeBron James’ early days or Michael Jordan’s nascent years with the Chicago Bulls, the NBA considered the MVP candidacy of a player on a 45-win team. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] Had Pelicans big man Anthony Davis not missed 14 games due to injury in 2014-15, many would have placed him right next to Stephen Curry and James Harden in the Final Triptych of Deserving Dudes. Really, when you start a descriptor off with “for the first time since LeBron James or Michael Jordan,” you’re on the right path. The Pelicans as a franchise eventually might not work the right way up their figurative path towards championship contention in the West, but Davis certainly is. If the career arc continues apace for the 22-year old, we’re going to be watching something special. In fact, we already have. Davis was a monster in 2014-15, leading a mismatched and oft-injured New Orleans franchise to the postseason for the first time since the Chris Paul Era. He managed 24.4 points, making over half his shots and 80 percent of his free throws, adding 10.2 boards, 2.2 assists, and a combined 4.4 blocks/steals for the Pelicans. His game-winning three-point shot against Oklahoma City in February helped break an eventual tiebreaker and send NOLA to the postseason – and guess what? He does that now . His help side defense improved without sacrificing rejections. He played defense without fouling. His range improved, considerably. His passing improved and yet, somehow, his turnovers dipped – the man played nearly 2500 minutes as his team’s focal point, also setting offensive foul (read: turnovers)-inducing screens along the way, and yet Davis only turned the ball over 95 times all season. [ Yahoo Fantasy Basketball: Sign up for a league today ] Davis led a mangled, lacking Pelicans team to the playoffs. Yes, the aforementioned Thunder were without Kevin Durant for 55 games and Russell Westbrook for 15 contests, but Davis wasn’t with a whole heck of a lot himself. His supporting cast either disappointed him with their play, or their ability to stay on the court. It all ended in a sweep, at the hands of the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, in the first round. Davis led the playoffs in scoring average at 31.5 a game and blocks at three per contest, alongside 11 boards a game, but his team’s defense was porous and Anthony was frustrated in key moments by Warriors defenders Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. NOLA had great chances to win both Games 3 and 4 back home but failed, and the disappointing inability to grab a single game gave the Pelicans front office room to do what they’d probably planned on months prior – the team fired coach Monty Williams following the postseason. In stepped Alvin Gentry, a Warriors associate head coach and respected leader. He comes with assistant Darren Erman, who hopes to straighten out New Orleans’ 22nd-ranked defense. And, from there, little else. New Orleans hasn’t had its own first round draft pick since 2012, when it selected Davis, and all it has to show for three lost picks (two from the lottery) is a sadly limping Jrue Holiday, and a center in Omer Asik that has yet to prove he can act as a proper fit alongside Davis. General manager Dell Demps appears to have overcommitted to Tyreke Evans and overestimated the allure of Eric Gordon at times in his run, and the depth is still lacking. The team has the ninth-highest payroll, with three and nearly four players making eight figures, just a few million under the luxury tax. Worse than any of this is the injury bug that held New Orleans back next season and threatens not only its start to 2015-16, but the team’s entire season. The latest player to go down is Tyreke Evans, out for two months after his second career right knee surgery (he had a similar cleanout procedure on his left knee following the playoffs). His game isn’t always fun to look at, and his personal numbers won’t astound, but the Pelicans were absolutely miserable with Evans off the floor last season. Holiday’s career is teetering due to his repeated lower leg fractures, and he’ll be on a minutes restriction of 15 a game to start the season. Reserve Norris Cole suffered a high ankle sprain in camp, a nagging setback that can affect a player for months, while Luke Babbitt, center Alexis Ajinca and Quincy Pondexter (coming off of a disappointing season) are out for the foreseeable future. The coach better click, and the star better shine. 2014-15 season in 140 characters or less: Check out @AntDavis23 's game winner from all of the angles! http://t.co/coNyMO801C — NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2015 Did the summer help at all? It started strong, went quiet in the middle, and fell to bits in the end. Monty Williams was an interesting coach. Loved in the locker room, his work on both ends was rather intriguing – he set up an active defense (with awful results) and a quirky offense (with darn good results), but the writing was on his particular wall by spring. Gentry will change things. He’s forthcoming without being challenging, this will be his fourth head coaching gig and his stock has never been higher after he completely revamped an underachieving Warriors offense last season. Beyond his presence, however, the Pelicans weren’t able to do a whole lot with this roster.
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