The Detroit Pistons legend and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans in April, ending his tenure with the NBA League Office as the executive vice president and head of basketball operations. After moving on from GM David Griffin following the worst season for the franchise in 20 years, the Pelicans brought in Dumars to be the lead decision maker in New Orleans.
This was a surprising development as the 62-year-old hasn't been in a front office for three years. Before then, he served in a different role as a chief strategy officer for the Sacramento Kings for a few years. The Pelicans' decision to hire Dumars without an extensive search or interview process raised some eyebrows around the league.
Dumars now has fascinating decisions to make. The Pelicans are an expensive team, paying over $100 million next season to Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Zion Williamson, while being very far away from title contention. While NBA fans are anxious to see which direction Dumars is going to take New Orleans, the former Pistons icon isn't off to a good start.
Joe Dumars' Tenure in New Orleans Is Off to a Questionable Start
In his first extensive interview in his new role, Dumars revealed that he isn't going to make any sweeping changes. In addition to keeping Williamson going forward, the Pelicans will also retain head coach Willie Green, giving him "a chance to lead a healthy roster".
This is obviously a big mistake. Even in the best-case scenario with this core, the Pelicans have been first-round fodder. The healthiest version of this group was a sub-50-win team. Especially in a loaded Western Conference, with almost no teams tanking, it's impossible to imagine Green and the Pelicans making any noise with this roster.
Dumars has enjoyed a ton of success, both as a player and an executive, in Detroit. The Pistons were consistently a contender during his executive tenure. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to replicate that success after leaving the Pistons. Whether he will be able to turn things around in New Orleans remains to be seen, but things are off to a questionable start.