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The NBA’s regular season is a distant memory for some franchises. A lucky few are still fighting for an NBA Finals berth. Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, postseason qualifiers who fell short of internal expectations, are still licking their wounds. The frustrated fans are now nitpicking specific plays and games for evidence to back up wildly reactionary solutions to perceived problems. A couple of coaches have already gotten the axe, with more possibly to come, but Willie Green’s job is not on the chopping block this summer.
First, it does not financially make sense. Ownership is just got off the hook for Stan Van Gundy’s four-year deal signed before the 2020-21 season. The Pelicans inked Green’s contract extension last spring. EVP David Griffin and GM Trajan Langdon also had years added onto their deals. This leads to the second reason Green will be the leading voice at training camp this fall: continuity and team culture.
The Pelicans may need a James Borrego (associate head coach) replacement in the coming weeks, depending on whether the offensive guru gets a job with the Los Angeles Lakers. GM Trajan Langdon is also a candidate to take over the Detroit Pistons. Griffin will almost assuredly not add to the organizational churn by replacing a well-respected head coach. Green gets to the NBA Playoffs more often than not and comes with one of the more affordable salaries (re: bottom half) in the league.
Green knows fans are disappointed. So is Zion Williamson but the 42-year-young coach is stressing personal improvement and a bigger picture to the squad.
“Those are questions and decisions that I go back to as a coach and try to reevaluate what can I do better. How can I put those guys in a better possible position? What groups can we have on the floor that work well together and complement them? Even with the disappointing loss, the disappointing playoff performance, you know, the big picture is we had a successful season.”
The third-year head coach has delivered constant year-over-year results in the win column and is ready for a fourth campaign through the Western Conference.
“It’s a tough conference to be in…We were right there. We had a chance to be in the (fifth vs. sixth game) in the West. We didn’t get there, but we had opportunities. That’s where it’s in our control and so we’re right there. We’re going to continue to take steps to get there. We know the West is going to be tough again next season. We all look forward to that challenge, we all look forward to it.”
Pelicans EVP gives Willie Green a good review
It is hard to argue with sustained growth and success in any industry. Well, Green inherited a fractured locker room after taking a small-market job that other candidates passed on. The Detroit Mercy alum then earned the franchise’s first back-to-back non-losing seasons since the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons.
Getting to 50 wins this season was well within reach. The Pelicans do not flirt with that possibility often. It’s only the fifth time a New Orleans-based team topped 47 wins (including the Hurricane Katrina years spent in Oklahoma City). For all of Green’s faults, his rotations wound up being 11th in Offensive Rating and sixth in Defensive Rating. They were also sixth in Net Rating.
Executive Vice President David Griffin gave proper credit to Green for getting an injury-riddled roster to churn out that many wins during the exit interview session.
“I think the 49 wins were due in part to several things that happened this year,” stated Griffin. “(The 49 wins) led you to believe we would be playing deep into the summer at times. I think there were times when, for very large chunks of the season and months at a time, we had the second-best net rating in the league. If it were not for Boston we would have looked like the best team for stretches.”
“We had the number one road record in the NBA,” continued Griffin. “We were sixth in Defensive Rating and sixth in Net Rating. We had moments where we really showed what we could be but I think we did it often in fits and starts, which is disappointing.”
The disappointment stems from what could have been thoughts of a team cut down but untimely injuries. Brandon Ingram’s momentum was halted due to a nasty fall about a month before the NBA Playoffs tipped off. Zion Williamson pulled up with a hamstring injury in an NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Lakers. Williamson limped to the locker room having poured in 40 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished five steals, snatched a steal, and swatted a block in his first postseason action.
There will be changes this summer but a delayed parting of ways with Green is not likely to be in the cards. He was definitely not talking like a coach concerned with job security after being eliminated from the NBA Playoffs once again.
“I know for Griff, for our organization, there’s not going to be any emotional changes that we’re going to make. We’re going to take a step back, look at our group, and really be diligent about what those changes are. We’ve got a great foundation, I think Griff alluded to it. We’ve got a great foundation here. We want to continue to build on that.”
More must-reads:
- Hall of Famer, beloved broadcaster Bill Walton dead at 71
- LeBron James shouts out Jaylen Brown after Celtics advance to NBA Finals
- The 'Most three-pointers made in the playoffs' quiz
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