Former New Orleans Pelicans Star Rips New Orleans Front Office

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Svyato Rovenchuk | Last updated Dec 19, 2024 4:32 PM ET

With the disappointing 5-22 start to the 2024-25 NBA season, it would take something akin to divine intervention if the New Orleans Pelicans want to qualify for the NBA postseason. Unfortunately, this is a matter that the team is all too familiar with.

The Pelicans have only made the NBA Playoffs four times since the 2011-12 season. In that span, they only made it out of the first round once.

There was a brief period of time when there was optimism around the team's potential in the late 2010s. However, that was hope faded all too quickly.

On a recent episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV, former Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins joined the show. The former All-Star spent a couple of seasons in New Orleans, but had his time significantly dampened due to injuries.

However, that did not stop him from taking a shot at the team's front office for his experience with the Pelicans. Cousins believed the ceiling of that group was much higher than what they got to experience together.

Cousins explained, "I don’t think the year that I blew my Achilles it would have happened, but they would have kept that squad together, we definitely would have made a run, at least by Year 2, I believe. But it’s some [expletive] GMs out there, shoutout to Dell Demps."

Demps and the Pelicans parted ways amid the Anthony Davis saga in New Orleans, when the superstar big man wanted to move on to greener pastures.

Cousins was acquired by the Pelicans during the 2016-17 season. He was an All-Star during the following 2017-18 campaign, before going down with injury.

It feel safe to say that the man believed to be the best center in the NBA, at his peak, did not enjoy his time in Louisiana.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: