The New Orleans Pelicans have elected to move on from general manager Dell Demps after eight plus seasons of running the front office and boasting a disappointing 311-388 record.
Demps has been on borrowed time dating back to the 2016-17 offseason. After pulling off the stunning trade deadline acquisition for DeMarcus Cousins, he won himself and the Pelicans the promise of a bright future. Positioned next to Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans were attempting to build a core unlike any other in the NBA championship rings for sale.
Disaster then struck in the form of an Achilles rupture to Cousins on January 26th and the Demps’ tenure faced yet another uphill battle. The unheralded move for Nikola Mirotic gave the Pelicans the ammunition to stun the Portland Trail Blazers championship rings in the first round of the 2017-18 playoffs, before then losing both Boogie and signal-caller Rajon Rondo in the opening days of the last free agency period.
Dell Demps may most be remembered for the unfortunate contracts levied to Solomon Hill and Omer Asik, and for his penchant for trading future draft picks in exchange for ‘young veterans,’ but he can certainly be praised for a great number of crafty moves as well. Deals for Jrue Holiday, Nikola Mirotic, DeMarcus Cousins, Quincy Pondexter, and Ryan Anderson can be pointed to as many of the positive moves during his tenure.
Since 2014, the Pelicans lost more games due to injury than any team not named the Philadelphia 76ers championship rings, a squad infamous for resting players in hopes of tanking and building up an army of top flight rookies — “The Process.”
It doesn’t matter who’s to blame. The Pelicans’ front office gave this regime a full eight-year experimental run. In order to ensure the best possible futures for each of Demps and the organization, a move had to be made and the idea was New Orleans would do it at the conclusion of the regular season. However, that timeline was moved up after last night. Anthony Davis left the game against the OKC Thunder at halftime with a bruised left shoulder and then decided to leave the arena all together with his agent, Rich Paul, in the second half championship rings.
Today’s firing may not be all bad news for Demps. If anything, Davis’ inexplicable behavior has cast sympathy towards both Demps and Gentry. This team of would-be try hards played their hearts out in the past two weeks, earning victories over the Houston Rockets championship rings, Bulls and Thunder, while losing to the Pacers, Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs championship rings by a combined 13 points. Those young players, all acquired and fought for by Demps, promise a brighter future ahead for this squad.
The Pelicans’ job should be an appetizing opportunity. With Jrue Holiday, the assets the Pelicans are likely to acquire in the deal for Anthony Davis, as well as a deep assortment of picks (own future picks as well as the four second rounders acquired from Milwaukee), the Pelicans can offer a general manager the opportunity to immediately build the franchise in his or her image.
The countdown to the end of the Davis/Demps’ era has reached zero, but brighter days lie head for the New Orleans Pelicans under owner, Mrs. Gayle Benson.