Days after the New Orleans Pelicans fired David Griffin, the team has officially welcomed Joe Dumars as its executive vice president of basketball operations.
In a statement released Wednesday, team governor Gayle Benson announced that she was “delighted” to welcome Dumars to the front office, praising his “strong leadership qualities” and “unparalleled perspective.” Dumars, who was born and raised near Shreveport, LA, spoke about the opportunity to return to his home state.
“As a Louisiana native, this is truly a full circle moment,” Dumars said in the statement. “I look forward to being a part of the Pelicans organization, and building a team that proudly represents our fans on the court and in our community.”
“There is a lot of talent on this roster. My vision is to build a disciplined team that is built on toughness, smart decision-making and a no-excuses mindset,” Dumars added. “I am proud to have grown up in Louisiana and know how passionate, resilient and tough we are as a community. Our fans deserve a team that represents that spirit, and those characteristics will be the foundation of our team’s culture.
The NBA Hall of Famer ran the Pistons, with whom he spent his entire playing career, from 2000-14, winning an NBA championship in 2004. Since then, Dumars has been an executive with the Sacramento Kings and was named executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA in 2022.
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The Pelicans announced Griffin’s firing Monday, saying in a statement it was time for a “fresh approach” in New Orleans.
Griffin joined the franchise ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season. His first couple months with the team altered the direction of the franchise. A month after hiring Griffin, the team won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Just before the draft, Griffin traded a disgruntled Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for a number of players, including Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. With the top pick, the Pelicans took Duke big man Zion Williamson. After trading the fourth pick, the Pelicans took Jaxson Hayes at No. 8 overall.
Those decisions came to define Griffin’s tenure with the franchise. Davis put up excellent numbers with the Lakers and helped win a bubble title in 2020 before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks at this year’s trade deadline. Hayes failed to develop into a consistent starter with the Pelicans and left the team after four seasons. He is now a Laker.
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When healthy, Williamson has performed like a No. 1 overall pick. Over his career, he’s averaged 24.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Injuries once again limited Williamson this season. He played in just 30 games due to hamstring and back issues.
While the Pelicans started slowly under Griffin — going 97-129 in his first three years — New Orleans found its stride in time. The Pelicans finished just above .500 in 2022-23 before going 49-33 last season and earning the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The team failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, however, falling to top-seeded Oklahoma City.
With things looking up, the team couldn’t capitalize this season. The Pelicans crashed to 21-61, leading to Griffin’s firing. He compiled a 209-263 record in six seasons with the franchise.
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