New Orleans, LA– The Pelicans signed former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin to become its VP of basketball operations & they seem to be getting a great return of the investment. Griffin hasn’t waisted a minute doing his best to build a reliable core around him to move the Pelicans to respectability. The first move was an attempt to lure Los Angeles Clippers ast GM Trent Redden away but he decided not to leave citing unfinished business.

The next move was to improve the Pelicans training staff by hiring some say one the best trainers in the NBA Mr Aaron Nelson. The relationship between Griffin & Nelson goes way back to the early nineties when they worked together with the Suns. He has a reputation of helping older players and rejuvenating their careers. The move was announced by ESPN’s Marc Stein via twitter.

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The Phoenix Suns released a statement regarding Nelson saying “We are extremely thankful to Aaron for his contributions to the Phoenix Suns over the last 26 years, including the care he provided to hundreds of Suns players along the way,” Suns general manager James Jones said. “We are excited for Aaron as he pursues the next step in his career and wish Aaron, Jessica and their family nothing but the best.”

This is a major move for New Orleans, who has been dealing with injuries & many believe subpar treatment for years. The Pelicans had multiple injuries throughout their season which ended in disaster in part because of AD’s trade demands. The acquisition gives the training staff respectability instantly and adds credit to Griffins plans to build the team into a winner.  The Suns’ training staff has long been considered one of the best in all of basketball, and Nelson is a huge reason why. He has held the head athletic trainer position with the Suns for 19 seasons and was named the NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2009.