Joe Dumars' tenure as the New Orleans Pelicans' president of basketball operations has been a pleasant surprise; it's just that it's only been really pleasant for the other teams around the NBA, not the Pelicans.
Dumars, a longtime former executive with the Detroit Pistons, had been working in the NBA league office for a few years when Pelicans owner Gayle Benson hired him to be the team's president, replacing David Griffin, who was fired after six years on the job. And while Dumars had plenty of success in Detroit, including an NBA title and Executive of the Year award, he has not been getting such high marks for his work — or lack thereof — in New Orleans.
“Shortly after taking over as president of the New Orleans Pelicans in July, Joe Dumars spoke to his team’s scouting department and emphasized two things — first, that character was of the utmost importance, and second, whoever they brought in had to be able to defend,” The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote.
“Shortly after he departed, those same scouts looked at their phones and were shocked to see the Pelicans had traded for Jordan Poole — a subpar defender whose attitude questions had dogged him for years; his comportment has already raised eyebrows in his limited time in New Orleans.
“That story, which made the rounds at Summer League and was recently reported by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, is merely one of the many entertaining tales in circulation about the Pelicans’ dysfunction over the last half year since team governor Gayle Benson hired Dumars.”
Hollinger continued to write that Dumars, who was reportedly hired without much in the way of an extensive search, has “outsourced nearly the entire job” to his general manager, former Detroit exec Troy Weaver, and, as a result, has a position that is “only slightly more demanding than Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement contract with Aspiration.”
Weaver's hiring was also described as having “baffled” executives around the league, considering Weaver's less-than-stellar job with the Pistons, who were among the worst teams under his leadership. Since partnering in New Orleans, Dumars and Weaver have made several moves, including the Poole trade and the deal for first-round draft pick Derik Queen, that have been maligned by fans and analysts alike.
That trade for Queen, in particular, remains a constant reminder to Dumars, Weaver, and the long-suffering Pelicans fanbase for the foreseeable future, as New Orleans dealt its unprotected first-round pick in next year's draft in the deal. And at 2-12, the worst record in the Western Conference, that pick is very likely going to be incredibly beneficial to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pelicans are set to host the 10-3 Denver Nuggets tomorrow night at 7 p.m. CT.
