No team in the NBA has been more disappointing this year than the New Orleans Pelicans, who currently sit at 2-9 ahead of Friday evening's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans came into this year hoping to bounce back into the playoff mix after a down 2024-25 season, but so far, the team looks to be among the worst in the NBA.
All of this has some fans wondering why head coach Willie Green still has a job. Recently, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson was asked about the chain of command as it pertains to deciding Green's future with the franchise.
“I really like Willie Green, but I hired Joe Dumars to assess our basketball operation. And that’s what he is doing. He is assessing Willie and all the players. He and I spent the entire halftime (of the Portland Trail Blazers game on Wednesday night) talking. When he makes a decision, that's up to him. That's why I hired him,” said Benson, per Jeff Duncan of Nola.com.
“I trust Joe, because I feel like he knows people. He's known Willie since he was a child, so they know each other. And if he can fix that problem, then he'll fix it. If he can't, then that'll be his decision, not mine. I've left that in his hands,” said Benson.
A rough start for the Pelicans
Sitting at 2-9, with Zion Williamson already facing injury concerns, would be bad enough as it is. Making matters ten times worse for the Pelicans is the fact that they don't own their first round pick next year courtesy of a puzzling trade they made with the Atlanta Hawks on draft night to move up and select Derik Queen.
The good news is that Queen has been performing well lately, but he'll have to blossom into a legit star in order to justify giving up what could be a high lottery pick in a loaded 2026 draft class.
In any case, the Pelicans will next hit the floor on Friday evening at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
