It seems the New Orleans Pelicans are still riding that “Hey! We made the playoffs for the first time since 2011” high.
Being on the wrong end of first-round sweep isn’t something to typically celebrate—especially when, in all honesty, you probably wouldn’t have even made said postseason appearance if not for Fate tearing the Oklahoma City Thunder a new one in the form of campaign-crippling injuries. But the Pelicans are just happy they made it at all and are hoping it signals a changing of the guard.
That change doesn’t look like it’ll include the departures of head coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps. Previous rumors posited that they were issued an ultimatum ahead of the regular season. If they didn’t make the playoffs, they were done. Well, they made the playoffs. Shit, the Pelicans were in position to win at least two games against the league-lording Golden State Warriors until their youth and inexperience and inability to maintain double-digit leads came back to screw them.
Still, after a sweep like that, it’s not entirely unreasonable to think both Demps and Williams could have been on the chopping block. After all, the Pelicans have Anthony Davis. First-round sweeps aren’t going to cut it forever, and it remains to be seen whether this regime is the one that can parlay Davis’ megastardom into anything more than low-end playoff contention.
Owner Tom Benson thinks it is, though. He voiced his support for both men on the heels of New Orleans’ first-round exodus, per The Associated Press (via USA Today):
A person familiar with the situation says New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson has sent a message of support to Pelicans coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps following the club’s first playoff appearance in four seasons.
The person provided contents of the letter to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it has not been publicly released.
In the letter, Benson thanks staff and players for “a job well done” and says he’s “very excited about the future.” Benson also says staff and players have his word and resolve “to bring everything to bear to win.”
The letter, first reported by Nola.com, was sent to staff after the Pelicans’ first-round playoff loss to Golden State ended their season.
Williams is under contract for another year, so keeping him around isn’t really a big deal. If he fails to meet expectations, he and the Pelicans can simply go their separate ways without the organization incurring any financial damage.
But that almost makes Williams a lame duck. Coaches are normally offered extensions ahead of their final year, if not earlier. If they aren’t, that’s usually a sign of indecision or unrest. At the very least, the absence of an extension isn’t a ringing endorsement of Williams’ future.
To that end, the Pelicans might be putting him in a no-win situation. If the West is healthier next season, the Pelicans will still be a fringe playoff team–unless, of course, they make significant roster changes.
Which they can’t.
Once Eric Gordon exercises his player option, the Pelicans will basically be capped out. They can offer Davis a max extension, re-sign Omer Asik and perhaps use some leftover scratch to fill out the bottom of the rotation, but what they have now is what they will basically have next season. And unless what they have now is preparing to make a leap on its own, there’s a chance that Benson won’t be writing another letter like this one next summer.
