Pelicans' Gentry: Evans won't be ready for start of season
Stop us when this starts to sound familiar: The New Orleans Pelicans will likely begin the 2016-17 season without their full complement of regular starters.
Pelicans swingman Tyreke Evans, who underwent right knee surgery in February to relieve pain caused by chronic tendinitis, is not expected to be fully healed by opening night.
"He won't be ready for the start of the season," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told ESPN's Zach Lowe. "He's in a rehab situation. I think for us we just gotta move forward with our season. And then, if he comes back and he's able to help us, that just adds icing to the cake."
The surgery in February was just the most recent of four procedures Evans has had on his right knee in the past two years, and it was the third in a span of nine months. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last October after injuring it during a preseason game, which came just five months after Evans had arthroscopic surgery to close out the 2014-15 season. He also had scar tissue removed from the knee at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
With the two operations bookending his most recent season, Evans suited up for just 25 games. When he played, he was effective, averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.3 steals, while posting career highs in 3-point percentage (38.8) and PER (18.4).
The Pelicans can only hope this isn't the first of several dominoes to fall. They came into last season with hope after a surprise playoff berth in 2014-15, but cratered after injuries gutted their foundation. They started the year with six regulars already on the shelf, and couldn't rebound, finishing tops in the NBA in man games lost.
Evans, for his part, can only hope he still looks like himself when he returns. He's entering the final season of a four-year, $44-million contract.
- With h/t to David Fisher