![]() In addition, the California Classic will run Aug. Teams will each play five games apiece during the 10-day, 75-game schedule with contests broadcast on ESPN or NBA TV.įour teams - Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and two Jazz squads - will compete in the Salt Lake City Summer League Aug. ![]() Of course, the Las Vegas Summer League features all 30 teams and will run Aug. And so far, he’s done just that.Now that the NBA draft has wrapped up, teams and players will now turn to free agency and the start of summer league next week across three different cities. But his chances may be running out so he must make the most of the opportunity in New Orleans. That’s what Evans and Holiday are so good at, and Stephenson will at least soften the blow of missing those two players.Ĭan Lance Stephenson return to being a borderline all-star, and the NBA’s most improved player? Hard to say. The jump shot needs work, but the Pelicans needed someone that could create for themselves and for others. He will take the ball and get to the rim. Stephenson can be described as a “north-south” driver. Stephenson didn’t put up crazy preseason stats (7 points, 4 assists in 24 minutes a game) but he adds a dimension to the Pelicans that was needed. New Orleans opted to re-sign him this offseason, and in a strange twist, Gee couldn’t make the team because of injuries. Gee was a big part of the Pelicans last season, not necessarily statistically, but Gee played 73 games for a banged up team. The Pelicans will still pay his full 1.2 million dollar salary. Stephenson absolutely played himself onto the team.Īlonzo Gee was the odd man out for the Pelicans. Stephenson only had 100 thousand of his contract guaranteed, so money wise it would have been easy to let him go. He told the Associated Press, “I feel like I can do whatever the coach wants me to do. Stephenson agreed with the assessment by Demps. Stephenson can fill that role for New Orleans. ![]() With the absences of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans at the beginning of the season, the Pelicans were in desperate need of ball handlers. We felt with Lance’s ability, especially without Tyreke and Jrue to start the season, we had more of a need for a playmaker,” said Demps. General Manager Dell Demps told the Times-Picayune that it was mainly about roster need.” It was more on the lines of team need than one guy beating out the other guy. Everybody got this expectation of me, I just want to show them a different side of me,” Stephenson told the Times-Picayune. “My goal is to prove everybody wrong this year - work hard and show a different side of me. He is determined to stick around this time and be a contributor again. Stephenson absolutely can be a good basketball player, he just has to prove he can do it outside of Indiana where most of his success came. I haven’t had any problems at all when I corrected him,” Gentry told the Associated Press. I haven’t had any problems at all coaching him. “All I can do is judge him by what he’s done here. He is embracing any role that Head Coach Alvin Gentry is giving to him. He has said it’s like being a rookie again. And it seems that Stephenson is ready to shed that perception of himself. But this is a player that averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for a number one seed in the playoffs. There are questions about his attitude and about his ability to fit into a team role. In fact, it was while playing for the Grizzlies that Stephenson put up a career high 33 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 14 points a game in his 26 games for the Grizzlies. In Memphis last season, Stephenson played a large role because of all the injuries. Yet, he remained unsigned until September. He was a disaster in Charlotte, didn’t really crack the rotation as a Clipper, but made a bit of a bounceback in Memphis. Stephenson has bounced around ever since leaving Indiana, having played on three teams in the last two seasons alone. It seemed that he was fighting just to get another chance in the NBA. Lance Stephenson was unsigned as training camps were only a few weeks away. Lance Stephenson signed a partially guaranteed contract late in the offseason and beat out Alonzo Gee and his fully guaranteed contract, to make the Pelicans opening day roster. The New Orleans Pelicans announced their opening day 15-man roster and there was one slight surprise.
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