When the New Orleans Pelicans announced that they had fired former Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and had replaced him with Joe Dumars, there was a palpable uproar coming from the fanbase. While the faithful weren't exactly rushing to Griffin's defense, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the choice for his successor and the entire process, or lack thereof, leading up to it.
Joe Dumars's reputation as an NBA decisionmaker took several hits towards the end of his time with the Detroit Pistons, starting with his infamous draft debacle in 2003, selecting Darko Milicic second overall ahead of future legends such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Between Dumars's soiled image and the Pelicans' minimal process before choosing him, many fans were rightfully skeptical of the hiring.
Things only got worse as more information came out surrounding Dumars's hiring. Reportedly, his new job came with a couple of specific mandates from New Orleans's ownership, ones they tasked Dumars with knowing how unpopular they'd be. Apparently, the Pelicans brass required that their new head of basketball operations trade franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson and keep Head Coach Willie Green. Rumors have since come out that suggest those positions might not have been as mandatory as initially indicated, or Joe Dumars isn't taking them that way at least.
Joe Dumars's resistance to the Pelicans' ownership's mandates is a good sign of things to come
It was reported that Dumars was to trade Zion Williamson as a condition of his hiring. However, it was also stated that Dumars was insistent on speaking with Big Z in an attempt to mend any kind of divide between him and the team's brass. Apparently, he and Williamson have had those talks, and they went extremely well, although Zion's future in New Orleans hasn't become any more secure.
Still, anyone hoping that he'll remain the face of the Pelicans should be encouraged by Dumars's preference to keep him in the Bayou as well as the reports that his conversations with Williamson were productive. Only time will tell if Dumars is successful in keeping Zion in New Orleans for the long haul, but making sure that he at least leaves on good terms will be significantly better for the franchise than if he were shipped out in disgrace. Hopefully, it'll inspire more confidence in the Pelicans players than Daryl Morey got from his Philadelphia 76ers after this past season.
That's not the only area that Dumars is pushing back on, though. According to ClutchPoints's Brett Siegel, the Pelicans' new EVPOBO isn't too convinced that Willie Green is the right coach for this team, despite the supposed mandate from ownership. Because of Green's favor with New Orleans's brass, he's expected to retain a role with the organization regardless of what happens next, but it appears that Dumars is at least reconsidering the idea of making a coaching change.
I'm not saying that keeping Zion or replacing Willie Green on the bench are definitely the correct moves. Even if he makes the wrong decisions or ends up sticking to ownership's mandates anyways, it's encouraging that he's at least willing to do his own due diligence before making any major commitments. Unless this is all an intentional leak to make it seem like he has more control than he actually does, that is.