Pelicans phase Jonas Valanciunas out of future plans

The NBA’s traditional big-man role has been under attack since Steph Curry stepped into the league. Perhaps it was a bit before the 2009 draft class had their names called but the four-point line (The Curry Curve, if you will) is being implemented onto practice courts by practically every team. That has led teams like the New Orleans Pelicans to phase out their dependable starting centers, to mixed results. Those tactics have left Jonas Valanciunas in the lurch going into free agency.

Sure, Willie Green’s strategies down the stretch got the Pelicans to the NBA Playoffs through the Play-In Tournament. Unfortunately, figuring out how Valanciunas would be used night-to-night was a fool’s bet. In the final six games, the Lithuanian’s game log read as follows under Minutes Played: 28 – 4- 21 – 33 -16 – 7.

That’s a great spread of numbers for a PowerBall ticket. It’s horrible when it comes to building a rhythm through repetitions for the postseason. The universally respected 12-year veteran started every game but sometimes barely broke a sweat. His talents deserve better and the Pelicans can make better use of that cap space.

Valanciunas was averaging 25.5 minutes per game before the NBA All-Star break. The Pelicans were 33-22. New Orleans went 16-11 down the stretch with Valanciunas averaging 19.3 minutes a night. It’s a very simplified way to look at the season but it says something that cannot be ignored totally either. Still, Valanciunas complimented his teammates on the way out of the facility, perhaps for the last time.

However, he did not want to talk about his first venture into unrestricted free agency or a contract extension during the team’s exit interview sessions.

“It’s early and now I’ve got to wind down and spend some time with my family and see my kids. That’s all the focus. Then we’ll make a decision,” Valanciunas said. “…At moments we were really good. It was ups and downs, like every season, but I loved the group I played with. We did some great stuff on the court. It was memorable.”

Jonas Valanciunas paid off in a big way for the Pelicans