Tyreke Evans Twitter (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
Every year, Tyreke Evans of the New Orleans Pelicans gives back to his hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania by partnering with VSP Vision Care to conduct a basketball camp for students, as well as give free eye exams and glasses.
It was also in this said program where Evans clearly stated his vision for the team: a 2016 NBA Championship.
"I don't see why we can't do it," he answered to Sporting News. "We have a great team. I don't see our team any different from the Warriors."
New Orleans fans might recall the roller coaster ride of last year's playoffs when they had to eke out a hard-fought victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the final game of the regular season; only to get swept by the eventual champions Golden State Warriors in the first round.
The Pelicans enter the upcoming NBA season with a new head coach in the presence of Alvin Gentry.
Coming off a fantastic championship run with Golden State where he served as the top assistant, Gentry brings a different structure to a young New Orleans squad.
"Hopefully I can focus on one position this year," Evans said. "Last year, playing three different positions and figuring it out, we still made it to the playoffs. So this year, I just want to get with the team and get back and get ready for this year."
Of course, the team was hampered throughout last season with multiple injuries to key players such as Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson, and even their franchise cornerstone Anthony Davis.
The 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year - who beat the likes of Blake Griffin, James Harden, and Steph Curry - also thinks that the team should take advantage of their youth and play an up-tempo style similar to the Warriors'.
"We're a young team. We need to get up and down," he claimed. "That's been our best style. Playing like that is going to be good for us. We have a lot of guys with athleticism."
With training camps set to begin in a couple of weeks and a fresh, healthy roster, Tyreke Evans and the whole New Orleans Pelicans are raring to go to make this championship vision a reality.
