New Orleans Pelicans: Why Willie Green is the NBA’s next great coach

The New Orleans Pelicans made an unexpected run to the playoffs behind first-year head coach Willie Green, who will be the NBA’s next great coach.

Most fans and national media had written the Pelicans off after their horrendous start, but Green kept his young team focused and confident through all of the losing and injuries and it eventually paid off.

I thought his coaching job deserved some Coach of the Year buzz, but it was nice to see Monty Williams (former Pelicans’ head coach and Green’s mentor) win the award for a much-deserved second time.

Willie Green came into the season with a plan and a set of non-negotiable rules, which he stuck by through the season. The Pels played hard all year for their coach, had nothing but good things to say about them, and he clearly has plenty of respect in the huddle.

The New Orleans Pelicans and finally got their guy in Willie Green, and all signs point to him being the NBA’s next great coach.

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green has the right balance

When taking about characteristics of coaches, we often talk about X’s and O’s coaches and “players” coaches, but Willie Green is the best of both worlds.

He showed the ability to adjust and learn on the fly in the playoffs, and though he didn’t always make the perfect move, he learned from his mistakes and kept finding ways to slow down the heavily-favored Suns.

The Pels came up just short, but I thought Green had some masterful performances, including in Game 4, when the Pelicans were able to shut down Chris Paul with two rookies, mostly because of Green’s game planning and strategy.

Green also showed that he can be a passionate leader and “players” coach after his “you have to fight” speech, which I have watched approximately 8,000 times and use every time I need motivation to do anything.

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Feeling too lazy to work out? Put on the Green speech. Need some extra motivation to finish an assignment? Willie Green has you covered.

The normally calm Green knows when to crank up the emotion and lead, and he did just that this season.

Willie Green was the calm voice in the Pelicans’ huddle

Willie Green took a much different approach to his predecessor Stan Van Gundy, who was prone to losing his voice from all the screaming.

Green had a calm way about him, which I really think helped carry the New Orleans Pelicans through their rough patches.

He always stayed calm, consistent, getting his message across without being an army drill sergeant. The young Pelicans responded, and he gained their respect throughout the season by being more of a teacher and mentor than a guy who blows a gasket screaming.

Even when Coach Green did get animated, he always communicated clearly and let players know exactly why he was calling them “Up” and not “out.”

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He was the type of teacher and leader the Pelicans needed, as he had a sense of when to give his players tough love and when to back off, which is something all modern coaches need to know how to do in a league dominated by egos.

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green cares about his team and winning

Every coach in the NBA wants to win, as if they didn’t have that ambition and desire they never would have sniffed an NBA coaching job in the first place.

But it was great to see the emotion that Willie Green showed after the Pels’ first-round playoff loss to his former team.

He clearly earned the respect of the Suns’ players and coaching staff because he is a guy who throws his whole heart into what he does.

This was a series the Pelicans were not expected to win, but someone forgot to tell Green, who coached his heart out and left everything on the court, which is exactly what you want.

He is not going to be satisfied with losing, and actually gives a **** about his players and the city of New Orleans.

What more could you want?

Coach Willie Green has all of the intellectual and emotional tools to be the NBA’s next great coach, and New Orleans should feel lucky to have him.