The New Orleans Pelicans should be thanking LeBron James. No, not for orchestrating Anthony Davis‘ exodus from New Orleans. Back in 2014, James lobbied NBA commissioner Adam Silver to extend the time after the break so players who have All Star weekend commitments can actually have a break as well. Coincidentally, the All Star break was in New Orleans that year. By the summer, the NBA agreed to this proposal and granted an eight day break in February for players.
This year that extended break seems to hold even more importance for the Pelicans.