The Tribune

IT’S beyond comical now. After Saturday’s lopsided 126-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans have now squandered seven 30-point-plus performances by Anthony Davis, two of which topped the 40-point mark.

The Kentucky product is nothing short of spectacular on a night-to-night basis for the Pelicans, whose win-loss record for the new NBA season is 1-9.

The question has become can the New Orleans risk losing one star as it patiently waits on the growth and development of others.

While I for one don’t want to see the Pelicans rush to judgment and get rid of any of their young pieces to appease its upset big man, I have to admit watching his output amidst the team’s struggles could force any basketball purist to consider the possibilities of him playing alongside comparable talent.

After the team’s fourth consecutive loss to start the season, an obviously frustrated Davis told the media the team had too many mental breakdowns on the court to be successful. One could attribute that phrase to the youth and inexperience of the team.

Davis continued: “We’re not talking out there and so, therefore, we have mental breakdowns that gave them easy layups at the basket and open shots. It’s definitely frustrating. We can’t get a win, it’s frustrating. Whatever we need to do, we need to do it fast.”

His level of frustration did not start with that loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, it only grew. You see, Davis kicked off the season with a 50-point performance against the Nuggets and followed that up with a 45-point game against the Warriors. The team in those two games struggled to get anything from its supporting characters, often leaving Davis to work almost often one on five.

The team drafted our hometown boy Buddy Hield to play a big role in that supporting cast last June, but so far the Grand Bahama native has been lost in his transition to the pros. Buddy finished those two early games with two and four points respectively.

Following the two earlier losses at home, it was head coach Alvin Gentry who feverishly waved the flag of caution over the struggling team, telling reporters and anyone that would listen that the team was a young bunch that simply had to find its way. Speaking specifically to the struggles of his young two-guard, Gentry echoed several assertions he had made earlier in the week, suggesting that Buddy’s struggles were the norm for any rookie transitioning to the NBA.

In the team’s third game of the year, a pit stop in San Antonio, Davis piled up 18 points in a blowout loss as Buddy took advantage of garbage time to pour in eight. After the game it was again Gentry trying to yet again find a silver lining in an otherwise gut-wrenching start to the season.

At this point it wasn’t about the losses, but more so the way in which the team dropped its first three matchups of the year - sloppy play down the stretch against the Nuggets, no heart or effort against the Warriors, and a refusal to show up against the Spurs. The Pelicans, beyond Anthony Davis, starting point guard Tim Frazier and sixth man Lance Stephenson, showed no heart, hustle or grit.

In the weeks since that shaky start to the season, the Pelicans have managed to produce only one win. In that time, the team has released Stephenson and pushed Davis even further into his disenchantment with the direction and development of the team.

Despite Buddy pushing his season averages to respectable levels, New Orleans still looks like a team without direction. Watching the team closely in their loss to the Lakers, one could easily see how the team’s shooter-heavy rotation of Buddy, Langston Galloway, Solomon Hill, Dante Cunningham, Solomon Hill and E’Tawn Moore has proven fruitless for the Pelicans and Anthony Davis.

This is where coaching is key, and where I feel the Pelicans have done themselves a huge disservice. The lack of defensive intensity by this group has rendered the team a dream match-up for any opponent with a score-heavy backcourt, a trend that has taken off in recent years. Buddy and friends are simply unable to cover capable shooters.

Again, my premise is not to get rid of these players, simply to play with the rotation and putting guys in the right spot. The Pelicans must avoid a knee-jerk reaction to their slow start and wait out the return of Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday, two big guards that can limit ball movement at the defensive end.

Once those guys are back on the court, the team should look to work Buddy into the starting lineup. Playing him alongside Holiday and Evans in the backcourt can reduce the defensive pressure on him, allowing him to play more of a floater role on that end.

On the offensive side of the ball, the team will see equal advancement, as the presence of Evans should allow Buddy to play more off the ball, allowing him to spread the court with his three-point shooting ability.

Again, Anthony Davis is a tremendous player with above average potential, but so are Hield, Evans and Holiday. This young core, if kept intact, could see New Orleans make a run in the west in the not so distant future.

But now I guess the better question would be: can the Pelicans endure the struggles and wait for success?

• Ricardo Wells writes Fourth Quarter Press every Monday. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net