In an interview on Friday, Pelicans owner/governor Gayle Benson was asked about the job security of coach Willie Green and said, “I hired Joe Dumars to assess our basketball operation. And that’s what he is doing. He is assessing Willie and all the players.” Well, Dumars watched the Pelicans fall to 2-10 on the season Friday night, losing to the Lakers, and decided it was time to move on.
The Pelicans have fired Green as head coach after four-plus seasons, the team announced. New Orleans assistant head coach James Borrego — the former Charlotte coach — will take over as the interim head coach.
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“After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach,” Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I’m sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community. We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”
“As I have stated, Joe Dumars is in charge of basketball operations decisions, and as one of the best basketball minds in the business, I trust him to make the right decisions for our franchise,” Benson said. “I have tremendous admiration and respect for Willie Green, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our organization over the last few years. This is a tough business and these are difficult decisions. My expectation is to be a winning team that competes for championships, and I remain steadfast in our commitment to building a championship-caliber organization for our players, partners, and above all, our fans.”
Green had been on the hot seat after a slow start to this season and rumors had been swirling around the team, the move was not unexpected.
In his four-plus seasons at the helm, Green amassed a 150-190 record, leading the Pelicans to the playoffs twice (both times they fell in the first round). Green had to deal with a roster built around Zion Williamson, who was constantly in and out of the lineup due to injuries — he is currently out, recovering from a strained hamstring for the fourth consecutive season — but that had other talent that never seemed to be maximized.
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