Things are getting pretty thin for the New Orleans Pelicans and the center position right now. After Alexis Ajinca was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, it looks like the other big man next to Anthony Davis is going to miss some time as well. The New Orleans Pelicans announced Omer Asik has a calf strain that will keep him out for the next three weeks.
Pelicans announce that Omer Asik is out three weeks with a calf strain. NOT what the Pels needed after losing Alexis Ajinca first
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 8, 2015
While both of these injuries seem relatively benign, the lingering ramifications could end up being troubling. First off, hamstring and calf injuries are prime maladies to keep showing up during the season. For big men especially, these can be difficult injuries to overcome because you're asking gigantic human beings to deal with weakened leg muscles. They miss time letting the injury heal and then they have to make sure to balance getting back on the court with making sure their conditioning is at the proper level as they get back into shape, or they end up getting hurt again.
Secondly, the Pelicans' backup options right now are Kendrick Perkins and Jeff Adrien. Perkins is really not good anymore (some people will argue he never was but he was solid for a long time on Boston), so much to the point that people wanted Scott Brooks to lose his job in Oklahoma City simply for playing Perkins at all. Adrien has had some nice spot roles around the league so far, but he's maybe 6-foot-7 and his strength only makes up for so much when it comes to that. It's possible he becomes the new Chuck Hayes, but that's a tough role to fill.
You could say just put Davis at center and go with a faster, smaller lineup. However, Davis has also had some issues staying on the court due to injuries over his young career. If possible, you want to avoid the wear and tear that Davids would endure playing center and allow him to be the world-eating pterodactyl inferno he is at power forward. Doesn't mean Davis should never play center, but you just want to avoid as much of the physical play as possible with him because he's so special. The Pelicans have time to figure this out since it's still preseason, but this could become a real problem.
