Pelicans Fans Can Now Focus on the Real Problem After Willie Green's Departure

The New Orleans Pelicans' real problem was never Willie Green.

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New Orleans Pelicans fans got what they wanted on Saturday when the team announced the firing of Willie Green. James Borrego has taken over as the head coach, and the hope is that there will be a quick turnaround for the franchise after the 2-10 start.

Green has almost certainly done a subpar job, especially this season. Injuries to Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, and Dejounte Murray didn't make things easy for the fifth-year head coach, but the Pelicans' lack of competitiveness in some of their losses was unacceptable. This team still had more talent than their -12.9 net rating suggested.

Pelicans Ownership Deserves Way More Blame Than Willie Green

While the fans rightfully want to take a step forward under Borrego, the coaching change also allows them to focus on the real problem at hand. Green was obscuring how awful a job Gayle Benson has been doing as the team owner.

One fact sports fans don't like to admit is the fact that ownership defines a franchise. The difference between a consistent winner and a loser almost entirely depends on the competence of the ownership. Since taking over the franchise in 2018, Gayle Benson has had nothing but a series of highly questionable decisions.

The most obvious disadvantage Benson brings to the Pelicans is the fact that she avoids paying the luxury tax every season like clockwork. The Pelicans have never paid the luxury tax during Gayle Benson's tenure, despite having competitive teams over the years that merited more investment. The Pelicans are a cheap organization, and that has been evident in contract negotiations, as well as the hiring of GMs and coaches.

The biggest mess Benson has created in recent years, however, was her decision to hire Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver. Before being hired by the Pelicans as the president of basketball operations six months ago, Dumars had not had a permanent front office role in over ten years. He had stepped down from his role as the president of basketball ops with the Pistons in 2014 after six straight seasons with a losing record.

Since then, he has had advisory roles with Detroit and Sacramento (not necessarily examples of competent franchises) before starting to work for the NBA League Office in 2022.

The Pelicans also hired Troy Weaver to be the general manager under Dumars. Weaver had a similarly disastrous tenure with the Pistons. During his tenure as a GM between 2020 and 2024, Detroit had the worst record in the NBA and never won over 23 games in a season.

The fact that the Pelicans entrusted Dumars and Weaver to run their basketball operations, without a real hiring process, tells you everything you need to know about how Benson does business. There were no other candidates, formal interviews, or due diligence. Since their hiring, there have been a slew of disastrous moves, including trading their unprotected 2026 first-round pick, trading for Jordan Poole, and giving a multi-year contract to Kevon Looney.

The Pelicans will almost certainly play better under James Borrego. However, their actual problem is the ownership, and unless that changes, it's hard to see a bright future for the organization.