quote:
The reports of Austin’s work ethic were not overblown, and you are starting to see now what happens when Rivers figures out what he needs to work on in order to succeed. He is relentless in his pursuit, and he has a clear plan of attack for how he is going to get better. He cited his left hand and his balance as two things he has been working on so far. Next step is the mid-range game, and I am sure that once he feels comfortable with that, he will move on to something else. Starts to get you excited about where he could be this time next year. And the year after that. And the year after that…

...I will have a full recap of Summer League this weekend, but one of the things that sticks out as I leave Vegas is that there is just such a positive vibe around this team, and all the players seem thrilled about everything that went down this offseason. Enthusiasm within an organization is one thing that can’t be measured with fancy WARP statistics or financial calculations, but it is something that is real nonetheless. Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Gordon have acknowledged that perhaps they weren’t thrilled with being traded here initially, but now they are both all in, and they can’t wait to start the season. Anthony Davis lights up every time you ask him about the talent he now has surrounding him. Austin Rivers saw the new additions as reasons to work just that much harder. Coach Gates says the coaching staff can’t wait to work with the new talent on the roster. And on and on.

There is an energy that you can feel around this team, as the guys seem anxious to get the stink of these last two seasons off of them. It’s a whole new era, not just because of the rebrand or the acquisitions, but because of the culture shift, the heightened expectations, and the contagious enthusiasm. It is something that we are all going to be lucky to be a part of, and quite frankly, all of you who have stuck with this team through the last few years deserve it. There is a whole new energy surrounding this team. Wait until you enter that arena for your first Pelicans game. Trust me, you will feel it too.

LINK /

There's more specifics about Rivers, Miller and Withey at the link, but I'd rather focus on the general excitement angle. I think someone posted a picture of Morrow in Vegas yesterday. Vasquez and maybe Smith are the only guys I recall that didn't have to be there visiting Vegas last year. This year you've had Anderson, All In Eric, Aminu, and Morrow, and AD has been an assistant coach. And I have a feeling Smith and Holiday would have visited too if they hadn't just gotten married. This team is ready to put in the work required to make some noise.