Before the Pelicans faced the Knicks inside Madison Square Garden Monday night, Alexis Ajinca publicly voiced his frustrations about his current situation to a French publication, à L’Equipe. To sum it up, the 4-year player for New Orleans no longer believes he has a future with the team and would prefer to be included in a trade to continue his career elsewhere.

Ajinca and the team’s other traditional center, Omer Asik, have been removed from Alvin Gentry’s current rotation and neither has appeared in a game since before Christmas. Ajinca started ten straight games in December, but he failed to leave the bench in the very next matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. His DNP-CD (did not play — coach’s decision) streak has now reached seven games.

Ajinca and Asik sit regularly on the sidelines because the coaching staff has committed to a small ball lineup on a full-time basis featuring Anthony Davis at center. At the time the switch was made, the Pelicans were desperate to shake things up due to the fact that the defense, the strength up to that point, was showing significant cracks in the foundation and Ajinca’s insertion in the starting lineup failed to provide the necessary boost to the offense.

During Ajinca’s ten starts, the Pelicans boasted a 101.8 offensive rating (ORtg) and a 108.9 defensive rating (DRtg). Since the Frenchman’s demotion, New Orleans has posted a 104.9 ORtg and a 100.9 DRtg. The offense’s ranking has improved mildly, from 24th to 21st, but the defense has absolutely taken flight, going from 22nd to 3rd!

Thanks to the current results, it’ll be interesting to watch if Dell Demps can grant Alexis Ajinca his wish before next month’s trade deadline because the odds of the center seeing NBA action appear significantly stronger anywhere outside of New Orleans.

Below is the full google translation of the basketusa.com article.