The New Orleans Pelicans are making steps to revamp their roster after an 8-8 start early in their 2014-15 NBA campaign according to Bleacher Report. The West is extremely loaded with 11 teams currently at .500 or better.
Last season, the Dallas Mavericks had to win 50 games just to secure an 8th seed in the playoffs. This season, it might just take even more than 50 victories and if the Pelicans want to book a ticket to next year's post-season games, they need more than just a .500 record. By signing Dante Cunningham early this season, the team was able to provide some much needed depth in the forward position.
Cunningham said that he is willing to fill whatever role New Orleans needs him to fill and head coach Monty Williams noted that his defensive versatility makes him valuable to a team.
"He's a different player than in Portland," Williams said per NBA.com. "He's more experienced. He's got great energy for the game; he's a smart player. He can play a number of positions and guard a number of positions. That's something we value here. He's a unique player in that he can do a number of things on the floor. We've added some experience, some toughness and certainly a guy who plays hard every night."
The 6-foot-8, 221 pound Cunningham is more of a natural power forward but has the versatility to play small forward especially on the defensive end. He has been a solid bench player in his entire six year career in the NBA, averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
But Cunningham's journey in the NBA was briefly halted after being charged with a crime that risked his basketball career. Per ESPN's Associated Press:
Cunningham was charged in April with felony domestic assault after his girlfriend at the time accused him of choking her and slamming her head against a wall. She also accused him of sending her threatening messages. The charge was dropped in August after an investigation uncovered inconsistencies in her story.
After all the drama that surrounded his life, Cunningham is relieved with getting back to playing basketball in a team that he sees as the ideal place for him to restart his NBA career.
"It's such a relief," Cunningham told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "I just knew that with the time and the situation that was going on, I kind of had to wait it out and get the right opportunity," ESPN reported.
But the Pelicans singed Cunningham this season to help them in their uphill battle into playoff contention in a brutal Western Conference landscape. His track record of success should make a difference for a young team trending in the right direction. The Pelicans are also just 1.5 games behind the 8th seed Phoenix Suns with a lot of games left to play before the start of the post-season. Having a veteran, blue collared player who knows how to win like Dante Cunningham will prove to be the key to New Orlean's surge to the playoffs.
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