The New Orleans Pelicans' Willie Green problem is only getting worse with the disastrous starting lineup choices he made Monday night against the Phoenix Suns. The Pelicans' season has been extremely dull, and the only real bright spot has been the team's two lottery picks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Not only have they shown All-Star potential, but when they are on the court, the team is better, so it would make sense to kill two birds with one stone and start Queen at the five going forward. This would prioritize the development of the team's young talent while also giving them a better chance at winning games.
So did Queen start tonight? No, he didn't, as Green continued to roll with Kevon Looney as the team's starting center. This not only contributed to the team's 121-98 loss, but also let fans down.
Following DQ's 13-point, five-rebound, and eight-assist performance against the Spurs, the expectation among fans was that the rookie big would get his first career start against Phoenix. Once again, disappointment struck when Green opted for his veterans over the young talent right in front of him. The pill of Queen not starting would have been easier to swallow if Karlo Matkovic were the team's starter. He, like Queen, is young and has flashed serious potential, but to see both of them miss out on a starting spot because of Looney is downright frustrating.
Enough is enough, Green needs to go
I understand the team doesn't own its own first-round pick, and the front office specifically brought Looney in to be the team's starting center. However, as a head coach, you must adjust, make changes, and understand that repeating the same thing will yield the same result.
In theory, starting Looney makes more sense. He's a veteran and multiple-time champion, but that hasn't amounted to anything positive for this team.
I just can't come up with any logical reason as to why Queen shouldn't be starting for this team right now. He hasn't been bad defensively, and his playmaking has looked great lately. His ability to initiate the offense opens things up for this team, and starting him would only accelerate his development. These are all valid reasons as to why it would make sense for him to start, but clearly, Green doesn't see it that way.
There have been talks and rumors of this front office firing Willie Green and finding a different head coach, and if there was ever a time to do it, it's now. Not only were you embarrassed by an inferior Suns team, but Green also continues to damage your more prized rookies' development by forcing them to come off the bench.