Pelicans feeling really good about this season

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“Our expectations are always high,” Davis said. “We definitely want to make the playoffs, and beyond. … We’re not sure how it’ll all fit; we’ll have to wait until we get into training camp and get to play with each other. Coach is still working it out, but whatever it is, I know that they’re going to help us make a push for the playoffs.”

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“All I have to do is pass; I got the easy part,” Holiday said with a laugh. “They have the part of shooting the ball, grabbing the boards, lobs and all of that. I just have to get them the ball where they want to get it.” Holiday says that he’s determined to “be more efficient” next year, which is a good goal for the young point guard, who last season averaged a career-high 3.7 turnovers and had an efficiency rating of just 16.74 (barely above the league average of 15.0). He believes that the change of scenery, another year of his experience and his work with Coach Williams should help him achieve that goal. “He had Chris Paul,” Holiday said of Williams, who coached Paul in New Orleans during the 2010-11 season. “So from a coaching standpoint, he can help make me more efficient and better as a point guard. I’m just going to continue learning every day.”

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We have higher expectations for ourselves than anyone else can have for us,” Williams said in July. “So we don’t pay much attention to that stuff. We’ll evaluate where we are by December and then we’ll understand what kind of team we have, but as of right now we’ve got to put it together.”

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“For one, we want to have fun,” Holiday said earlier this offseason. “I think that’s the biggest part; having fun with your team. I think I’ve done that every year, especially making it to the playoffs, which were an awesome experience. Getting back there is the ultimate goal.”

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“We’re a better team,” Rivers said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Well, what do you think of the trades?’ Well, we’re better, man. We could be a playoff team. This year sucked. It was the first time I did not enjoy watching the playoffs. I’ve always loved watching the playoffs, but this year I didn’t want to watch it because I wasn’t in it. I was jealous seeing my other peers who were rookies last year get to play in the playoffs. So, these offseason trades have been great and this gives us a chance to be able to compete in the playoffs and give me a chance to where I could play there, so I’m excited. … We’ve got great players on the team. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We got Jrue Holiday, we got Tyreke Evans, we got Eric Gordon at the guard position. Those are all monsters down there.”

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“Oh yeah, in my mind, most definitely [we can make the playoffs],” Anderson said in July. “For this team, it’s really how hard we work and how we jell as a group. There are a lot of new guys, a lot of new faces and I think we have a lot of young veterans, young guys that can really play the game. It will be really fun to be mixed into this group and really see how good we can be because, for me, really the sky is the limit.”

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“I’ve been getting stronger, working on my shot, post moves, everything like that,” Davis said. “Just becoming a better basketball player so I can help my team win.” Because the Pelicans have so many young players, Holiday is looking forward to developing alongside his new teammates over the next several years. “I’m excited, man,” Holiday said. “Obviously, I’m in the right place. … I feel we’ll grow together because all of us have three- or four-year contracts and all of us are going to learn with each other, learn each other’s ways and tendencies. From there, big things can happen.”

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