As part of our continuing look at New Orleans’ 2016-17 schedule, the following is a breakdown of some dates and games to circle for the team’s frontcourt players.
RETURNEES
Anthony Davis
You never have to look very far to find challenges at power forward, with the position perhaps the second-toughest in the NBA (behind only point guard). In the first two weeks of the regular season, three-time All-Star Davis will go up against elite fours, including current or past All-Star picks Draymond Green (twice), LaMarcus Aldridge (Oct. 29) and Zach Randolph (Nov. 2). Not to mention that over the remainder of November, there are bigs on the schedule such as fellow Kentucky products DeMarcus Cousins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Davis heads to his hometown of Chicago on Jan. 14.
Dante Cunningham
Although he regularly downplays his matchups against former teams, between Nov. 18 and Dec. 6, Cunningham will face a previous squad a total of five times (Portland twice, Memphis, Minnesota, Charlotte). The combo forward gets to go “home” twice in the middle of winter. The proud product of Villanova University – 2016 national champs! – plays in Philadelphia on Dec. 20; the Washington, D.C., area native visits the Wizards on Feb. 4.
Alonzo Gee
The athletic forward has played for so many NBA teams that he runs into a past teammate on the majority of nights during the regular season (current Pelicans teammate, point guard Tim Frazier, also played alongside Gee when both were in Portland during the 2014-15 campaign). A Florida native, Gee now makes two road trips per season to the Sunshine State, this time Nov. 16 at Orlando and March 15 in Miami.
Quincy Pondexter
As a proud native of Fresno, Calif., Pondexter lists “all trips to California” as his favorite NBA road excursion. The small forward gets to play at Golden State and Sacramento during the Pelicans’ first multi-game road trip of 2016-17, in a Nov. 7-8 back-to-back. A few days earlier, Pondexter gets reacquainted with some of his former Grizzlies teammates via a Nov. 2 trip to Memphis. He played three-plus seasons for the Grizz.
Alexis Ajinca
Ajinca began his NBA career with the then-Charlotte Bobcats and lives in the Queen City during the offseason with his family. The 7-foot-2 center will have to wait until March 11 to visit North Carolina, however. Ajinca also played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks (first matchup Nov. 27 in Big D) and the Toronto Raptors (Jan. 31 in Canada, March 8 in Louisiana).
Omer Asik
The 7-foot center will play a total of six games against his two former teams (Chicago, Houston), but none until Dec. 16 in Houston. The native of Turkey may also look forward to Oklahoma City games a bit more now, since he gets to compete with fellow countrymen Enes Kanter and Ersan Ilyasova.
NEWCOMERS
Solomon Hill
After Indiana allowed Hill to leave in free agency after three seasons, he may look at a Dec. 15 home game vs. the Pacers and a Martin Luther King Day visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse as key dates on the docket. The University of Arizona product also gets two trips to Phoenix (Dec. 11, Feb. 13), as well as three separate visits to his native Los Angeles.
Terrence Jones
According to Basketball-Reference.com’s handy database, Jones is one of only four active NBA players who were born in Portland, Ore. (the others are Kyle Singler, Terrence Ross and Jerami Grant). Jones will get to spend part of Thanksgiving in the Rose City, then play in Moda Center on Nov. 25 against the Trail Blazers. Jones also gets four cracks at his ex-NBA team, Houston, beginning Dec. 16 at the Toyota Center.
Cheick Diallo
As a native of the African nation of Mali who played just one NCAA season at Kansas, the rookie doesn’t have many notable NBA connections yet. He’ll play closest to friends he made in college when the Pelicans travel to Oklahoma City (Dec. 4, Feb. 26). Diallo, a high school All-American while playing on Long Island, will visit New York City on Jan. 9 (Knicks) and Jan. 12 (Nets).
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