The Pelicans are reportedly having “serious” internal discussions about head coach Willie Green. Should they fire him?
Rod Walker of NOLA.com explores that subject, writing that while there is plenty of blame to go around for the team’s 0-5 start, the players seem like they’re tuned out to Green’s messaging at times. More importantly, the Pelicans largely haven’t played with the effort required to be competitive in an extremely difficult Western Conference.
After back-to-back blowouts at the hands of Boston and Denver, the Pelicans put up a much better fight in Friday’s game against the Clippers. They were down 17 points in the third quarter, but managed to even the score late in the fourth prior to a Kawhi Leonard game-winner. Yet it still counts as a loss all the same.
“Even through a difficult loss, the response we all saw tonight is a group that is learning each other and coming together,” Green said (story via Walker). “But they care. They went out and competed at a high level and gave everything they got.”
New Orleans has now dropped 12 straight games dating back to last season, Walker notes.
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- Jordan Poole, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Wizards, had his best game as a Pelican in Friday’s loss, Walker adds. The 26-year-old guard came off the bench for the second straight game and finished with a team-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting. “Jordan was great,” Green said. “It’s a tough adjustment for him (coming off the bench). We are all aware of that. He’s such a dynamic player. What he does for our second unit is he’s the hub.”
- Kevon Looney is “extremely close” to making his Pelicans debut, Green said on Friday, according to Mark Medina of EssentiallySports. The veteran big man, who is recovering from a left knee sprain, is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in Oklahoma City, per the league’s official injury report.
- In an in-depth interview with Medina, Looney says he’s been trying to make his presence felt despite the injury. “I’ve still been trying to use my voice,” Looney said. “It’s harder to lead and be that guy when you’re on the sideline. But the team and the guys respect me. I’ve done a lot of practices before I went down. I played two preseason games. So I was able to be on the floor with them some. They’ve been losing some games. So I’ve been trying to use my voice and use my experience. I’ve been in a lot of different circumstances in this league and have played a lot of different roles. So I’m just trying to connect with all the guys, talking to them and leading my way. And hopefully, when I get on the court, I can do even more. It’s been different. But it’s still been fun. We have a great group of guys. We have a young team who is excited to come to practice every day. We’ve had that joy and have been practicing hard. So it’s been a lot of fun just connecting and learning these new guys every day.”