Years later, the 201718 New Orleans Pelicans remain one of the NBAs great unanswered what if teams.While the Houston Rockets are often remembered as the lone Western Conference squad that truly threatened the Golden State Warriors that season, DeMarcus Cousins believes New Orleans was closer to contention than history suggests.Before injuries derailed their momentum, the Pelicans were surging behind a dominant frontcourt pairing of Cousins and Anthony Davis.Davis finished the season as the runner-up in MVP voting, averaging 28.1 points per game while leading the league with 2.6 blocks per game.Jrue Holiday added 19.0 points per game and earned All-Defensive First Team honors, while veterans like Rajon Rondo, ETwaun Moore and Darius Miller rounded out a deep and versatile roster.Cousins himself was in the midst of an All-Star season, averaging 25.2 points per game before suffering a torn Achilles. But even with that setback, Cousins now says he believed New Orleans was one move away from something special.Cousins revealed he had already begun plotting a major addition to the roster.We might have won it in 2018? Thats my dawg, AD. I got the ultimate confidence; you can put me against anybody and Ill like my chances, Cousins said appearing on the Run It Back show. But that gauntlet I think we had a lot of potential in the Pelicans team. I think we were a piece away. Its crazy. I was actually trying to recruit Melo to that Pelicans team. If I couldve got Melo there, Ill stamp that quote. That missing piece, I was talking bout, that three man in the worse way.Anthony Davis said the Pelicans wouldve won a ring in 2018 if Boogie Cousins didnt get hurt I think we were a piece awayI was trying to recruit Melo to that team.Imagine if Boogie got Carmelo Anthony to NOLA @MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @boogiecousins pic.twitter.com/ZJsxRuI8sB Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 6, 2026At the time, Carmelo Anthony was averaging 16.2 points per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder, still capable of providing high-level scoring on the wing.Related Article: LeBron James Addresses Future at All-Star Weekend: "I Want to Live"Cousins believed that offensive firepower could have transformed the Pelicans into a true Big Three alongside himself and Davis.READ MORE: Luka Doncic Speaks on Hamstring Injury Progression After All-Star Cameo
