New Orleans Pelicans: indecisive ownership is already costing them in the offseason

The New Orleans Pelicans ownership is costing the team in the offseason with their indecisiveness on whether to keep or fire current GM Dell Demps.

The waters have been quiet for the New Orleans Pelicans since the end of the season. Even though that seems like a plus compared to the constant injury updates, the lack of news this far into the offseason is worrying for fans and the team alike.

The New Orleans Pelicans still have not made a decision on who their General Manager will be for the future. The team has current GM Dell Demps awaiting the word on if he will be returning to his post in the upcoming season.

To put it simply, that’s not good. At all. The NBA Draft is drawing ever nearer and this franchise does not know who will be in charge of making the decision as to who the next Pelican will be. Rumors have gone back and forth on whether Dell Demps will actually be let go from the team; however, the bigger problem is the fact this is still going on. Some see Demps leaving as a win, and some see him staying as a more positive result. At the end of the day, the Pelicans are already botching the decision by dragging their feet.

With the position still up in the air, the entire decision making process has been put on hold. Players are not getting the scouting they deserve before the NBA Draft. Free agents are not getting looked at as they should. The current roster is not being evaluated as it needs to be. The team has completely stalled in operation until a decision is made on who will be in charge. Every day wasted without a verdict on the GM hurts the New Orleans Pelicans even more.

If Dell Demps is retained, nearly a month will have been wasted on a decision that could have been made a long time ago. Ever since taking the post as GM, Demps’ decisions have greatly hindered this franchise, and that’s evident with where the roster finds itself at this very moment. He’s struggled to turn the higher up’s hopes of what the team could become into a reality.

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He’s made questionable trades to try and pair more established talent with Anthony Davis. He’s passed on drafting younger players in search of more veteran savvy. Since 2010, the only players not named Anthony Davis that Demps drafted are Austin Rivers, Darius Miller, Nerlens Noel and Brenden Dawson, all of whom are no longer on the roster. This team has no youth. And yet, he’s still found great “Diamond in the Rough” pieces such as Alexis Ajinca and Dante Cunningham. He’s found value when others failed to see it. When given the time to find under-the-radar pieces, he can do it.

Yet, if he’s re-signed now, the Pelicans will not give him the time he needs to make those signings. While he’s had the time to look at players in the draft and gauge the free agent market while waiting on a decision, it’s hard to focus on a job when it could be lost at any moment. It’s hard to blame a man for not putting 100% of what’s required into gig when he doesn’t know if he’ll have the job in a week. This situation is not fair to him, even if the decisions he’s made have been questionable.

Nor is it fair to the new hire for the New Orleans Pelicans if they do let go of Demps. A new GM has been rumored since the middle of the season. The expectations going in were another trip to the playoffs, just like last season where Demps’s and former coach Monty Williams‘s jobs depended on it. The Pelicans failed to meet those expectations this year, so Dell losing his job as a result would not be too much of a shock. If that’s the logic the Pelicans want to use, the length of this decision making process makes very little sense.

Think about this. If someone is hired to a brand new job, especially something as taxing as the general manager of an NBA team, how long should they have to analyze the team? Free Agents? Draft Picks? One would assume as much time as possible would be ideal. If the New Orleans Pelicans look to hire someone now, they’re giving this new general manager about a month before the draft and less than two months before free agency begins.

And, that’s if a new general manager is in place the moment Demps packs his bags. There’s still the interviewing process that has to happen after Demps is let go. That cuts the time even more, depending on how long the Pelicans take to make that call. If this team continues to be indecisive, that time evaporates even more. It puts great pressure on whoever is thrown into this job, especially when factoring in the expectations of the ownership.

A new GM could help give this franchise a fresh look. Someone who could work better with the ownership to help change this team from a group of talented players to a unit of stars that not only play well, but actually fit together, would be ideal. Sometimes, the best thing for a team is a fresh look. A fresh face to see a different vision and build a new supporting cast. After years of Anthony Davis struggling with those put around him, a different man building that core could be the answer.

However, that person needs time to look at the team and the league as a whole to fully do their job. It’s unlikely someone thrust into the job this late in the process is going to succeed right out of the gate. And with time ticking to prove to Anthony Davis this team can be a contender, the team can not afford anymore delays. If there is a new General Manager, they are the last hope to convince AD this is the place to stay for the long haul. It’s not fair to expect the new GM to display solid decision making when the time to prepare is just not there.

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The biggest problem lies with the owner’s nonchalant manner about the situation. So many excuses have been made for the delay of this quite simple decision for the future. On April 25th, it seemed New Orleans made their decision with a press conference for Dell Demps scheduled. It looked like his return for the 2016-2017 season was locked up. That press conference was cancelled, resulting in all kinds of confusion and speculation from the fan base.

After that, the excuses became not about Dell Demps or the Pelicans franchise, but Benson’s other ownership roles coming before his basketball team. Tom Benson owns the New Orleans Saints as well, so that was the first excuse made for the indecision. New Orleans has been a football first town for a while, so this was not exactly a surprise. Mickey Loomis, the man likely making the decision, was unavailable as a result of the NFL draft, but after that was a wrap, a decision still was not announced.

Just recently, the excuse shifted to the Kentucky Derby, where owner Tom Benson owned two horses in the race. And while the decision seems to finally be getting closer, there has already been an unnecessary amount of time lost. To put it bluntly, Tom Benson’s other priorities have put the New Orleans Pelicans on hold at the worst possible time. This is a team that needs a decisive direction, and yet, they are in an indecisive rut while waiting for ownership to decide how the franchise should proceed.

This situation has the Pelicans in a huge hole before the NBA playoffs have even finished. Time has been wasted for the franchise to make major decisions that will alter the short and long term future. Sometimes, no news is good news; this is not that case. No news has become more and more disastrous news as time continues to pass. No matter what the decision is, it’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans’ ownership to finally decide on a direction.

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Tom Benson and the ownership of the Pelicans have had their mind on other issues, but it’s only fair to the team’s staff, players and fans to make a decision soon. The team is being set up for failure with the lack of clarity. Even if this truly is about the ownership’s uncertainty on Dell Demps and if he can run the franchise, the time has come and gone to make a reasonable decision. Sometimes, the worst decision to make is to not make a decision. This is one of those cases.

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