It’s exceptionally rare that a player with the credentials and career resume of guard/forward Tony Allen is available during the late stages of NBA free agency, but the New Orleans Pelicans managed to sign the 13-year veteran on Sept. 15. The late-summer addition was a welcomed one to a roster that greatly improved its savvy and postseason experience this offseason, including the acquisition of 11-year veteran Rajon Rondo, a teammate of Allen on the 2008 champion Boston Celtics.
Perhaps no one was more excited – and maybe even a bit relieved – about the Allen pickup than Pelicans players themselves, who will spend 2017-18 playing with the uber-intense defender, rather than against him.