With Solomon Hill injury, Pelicans face talent deficit at small forward spot

No matter what they do, it seems the cloud of injury continues to linger over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The team announced Sunday that forward Solomon Hill will miss most, if not all, of the 2017-18 season with a hamstring injury.

Hill, who has already undergone surgery, is expected to need anywhere from 6-8 months to recover.

This news is a clear blow for a Pelicans team that was counting on Hill to show development as the team’s starting small forward.

Hill proved he was an above-average perimeter defender last season, often drawing the opponent’s best outside scorer. His biggest drawback was his inconsistent offense. Last season, Hill averaged 7.0 points per game on 38.3 percent shooting.

Even more than his production, the Pelicans lose depth on the wing, something they have precious little of already.

Quincy Pondexter and Darius Miller are now the only small forwards remaining on the roster. Pondexter has missed the last two seasons with injury and Miller is trying to reestablish himself as an NBA player after spending two years in Europe.

Dell Demps and Alvin Gentry will have to be creative in addressing this situation. With the team already near the hard cap, it will be very hard to go outside the organization for talent.

Jalen Jones, currently on a two-way G-League deal, could be brought up, but by the terms of his contract he is limited to 45 days with the big club.

Dante Cunningham has to be smiling. The free agent forward had his best season in New Orleans last year, and is better offensively than Hill. The market for his services hasn’t been hot, but his value to the Pelicans is only increased by this development. He should probably expect a phone call in the very near future.

The Pelicans could try to stretch Omer Asik’s contract to get him off the roster and lessen his damage to the team’s salary cap. Asik has been an underachiever when healthy, and his recovery from the bacterial infection that caused him to lose significant weight is still an unknown. Now may be the perfect time to let him walk.

Alexis Ajinca would be another possible chip to move via trade, but Gentry seems to like him and he is a viable backup at the center position.

Beyond that, options are limited or nonexistent.

More pressure now falls on the shoulders of Jrue Holiday and possibly E’Twaun Moore. Holiday has be an aggressive scorer on a nightly basis and Moore will probably see his minutes increase if the Pelicans implement more three-guard lineups this season.

No matter what the Pelicans do, the Hill injury is certainly a setback. To what degree remains to be seen.

Pelicans continue to add depth on the perimeter

Ian Clark

NEW ORLEANS — Over the past two days, the New Orleans Pelicans have signed guards Ian Clark and Charles Cooke and forward Jalen Jones in their continued pursuit of perimeter scoring.

Clark took a one-year deal worth $1.6 million dollars to come to New Orleans after spending the last two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Entering the offseason, Clark was expected to be in higher demand this offseason after converting nearly 37 percent of his three point attempts for the Warriors during his stay by the bay. He also shot a career high 48 percent from the floor in 2016-17.

At 6-3, 175 lbs, Clark joins a backcourt that now has an average height of 6-3. Pelicans shooters will have to be productive in order to offset their size disadvantage on the perimeter. But, at the cost and with Clark’s skillset, this is a quality move by Dell Demps and the rest of the Pelicans’ front office.

Charles Cooke (4)

Cooke, a 6-5 guard out of Dayton, and Jones, a 6-7 forward from Texas A&M were both signed to two-way deals by the team today. Per terms of their contracts, both players will spend most of their time in the NBA G League, but may spend as many as 45 days with their NBA team during the season.

Cooke led the Flyers in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (5.1) and was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. He was also a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2017 Summer League team and averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals over five games.

Jalen Jones (12)

Jones spent the 2016 season with the Maine Red Claws of the G League, averaging 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals and was named to the NBA G League All-Rookie First Team and All-NBA G League Third Team. Jones played in the G League All-Star game in New Orleans last season.

Playing for the Pelicans’ summer league entry, Jones played in six contests and posted 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

With New Orleans nearing the league’s hard cap and now with 14 guaranteed contracts on the roster, the Pelicans clearly have more leverage in their negotiations with free agent forward Dante Cunningham.

Cunningham, who turned 30 in April, is coming off of his most productive season for the Pels. Appearing in 66 games last season (35 starts), DC set highs in field goal percentage (.485), three point percentage (.392), rebounding (4.2) and scoring (6.6).

It appears that Demps is willing to let the market set Cunningham’s price, and with training camp stil nearly two months away, there is plenty of time to get him back into the fold.

Demps has always shown a willingness to go looking for talent. These past two days indicate that he may have found some.