Report: Joe Dumars could take over Pelicans basketball operations

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments in 2015-16, and it could mean changes are on the horizon.

According to CBS Sports’s Ken Berger, there was significant buzz that it was only “a matter of time” before the Pelicans bring in former Pistons executive Joe Dumars to take control of the team’s basketball operations.

Berger notes that Saints GM Mickey Loomis has taken on a greater role ahead of current GM Dell Demps, but this is considered temporary. He also notes that Dumars enjoys a strong relationship with Pelicans owner Tom Benson.

Dumars has a mixed history to say the least. He spent fifteen years running the Pistons and built a juggernaut that won an NBA title, came extremely close to winning a second, and appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals for six consecutive years between 2003 and 2008. Once the core of that team declined or left, however, Dumars couldn’t right the ship. Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2009, haven’t even come close since, went through five coaches in six seasons prior to Dumars’s resignation in 2014, and only now are beginning to show signs of life under Stan Van Gundy.

The Pelicans are an inexplicable mess. They had high expectations for this season after bringing in Alvin Gentry as head coach, but it’s a move that surprisingly hasn’t yielded results. They have a cornerstone player in Anthony Davis, so there’s room to grow there if they choose to bring in a new general manager.