Alex Speers

For all the talk about tanking over the last month, anti-tankers, they should be thanking their lucky stars that Joe Dumars made that trade.

Because if he hadn't traded for Derek Queen, we'd have another tanker on our hands.

Instead, we'd just have a bad team.

But they're definitely trying to win.

And they have some things working in their favor as of late.

So currently, Pelicans 18-42.

They've won three in a row, five of their last seven.

Okay, that's pretty good.

Big news this week for the Pelicans was the return of DeJounte Murray.

He started the last two games.

In his most recent game, team high, plus 16, 17-9 with four steals.

It was against the Jazz, but it's good to see him back, and he's already contributing.

Other good news includes the continued health of Zion, who has now played in 34 consecutive games, the longest streak in his career.

During this recent seven-game stretch, where they've gone 5-2, Zion is averaging 24.4 points per game on 64% shooting.

Another guy who's been giving them a ton lately is Sadiq Bey, averaging almost 23 per game while shooting 38% on almost eight threes per game.

And they've needed Bey's scoring because the one bad piece of news is the continued absence of Trey Murphy.

He's dealing with a shoulder injury.

Looking ahead, though, the Pelicans have a real shot in this final stretch to really help out Joe Dumars and do some damage control on that trade that everyone has been obsessing over since it happened.

It wasn't too long ago that the Pels had the third worst record, 15 wins, but they've since jumped Brooklyn and Washington, only a half game back of Utah, who they're definitely going to pass.

And then you get this trio of Dallas, Memphis, and Chicago.