The Atlanta Hawks have a big game on Saturday, facing the Milwaukee Bucks with a chance to play for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup on the line, and they can thank Dyson Daniels for inspiring some of his teammates to up their efforts on the less glamorous defensive end of the floor.
Daniels told former teammate Trey Murphy that he loved his time with the New Orleans Pelicans, but felt like “nothing was clicking” for him and that he played “scared” there.
He also said that he felt freed by a “fresh start” with the Hawks.
Well, in an interview with NBA insider Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, Daniels was a lot more direct about his happiness with being out of New Orleans and why. According to Daniels, the Pelicans are “cursed.”
Hawks’ Dyson Daniels: ‘Something Down in Water’ in New Orleans
“That organization's cursed,” Daniels told Fischer in an interview published on December 13. “Every year there's something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore.”
“The curse, man. I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don’t know what it is. Playing hard I guess?”
The Pelicans indeed currently have had one of the league’s more extensive injury reports.
Former Hawks star Dejounte Murray, who was the central player in the trade to acquire Daniels from the Pelicans, suffered a broken hand in his first game with his new team. He has since returned, but the Pelicans remain without several key players.
"The Pelicans have been plagued by injuries this season. The team's three former All-Stars -- Ingram, Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray -- have not played a game together this season."
— Fervent Flâneur (@ferventfinance) December 8, 2024
You plan and the universe laughs.
Even Murphy missed time to start the season, perhaps explaining why Daniels was hesitant to bring up the issue during their conversation on “The Young Man and The Three.”
Daniels reiterated that he did not blame anyone in New Orleans but himself for his struggles in New Orleans. His comments still reflect poorly on the organization that is still experiencing those issues.
At any rate, the Hawks have come out on top in the trade.
The trade deadline is fast approaching, set for February 6. But the Hawks may have already won the trade window without making another move.
“It will take some doing, over the next six weeks or so, for any team to emerge with a greater trade steal than the player acquired by the Atlanta Hawks in June known as The Great Barrier Thief,” Fischer wrote.