Willie Green, New Orleans Pelicans
This is Willie Green’s third season as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans and, believe it or not, the clock may be ticking for him. What’s most troublesome is that after a hot start to last season, there was hope that the Pelicans could emerge this season as somewhat of a dark horse threat to be a top 6 team in the Western Conference. And while the idea of that is not completely discarded, the fact that they’ve gotten off to a 5-6 start to the season can’t help any.
The slow start of the season could very well fall on the shoulders of Green. Right now, the Pelicans don’t really do anything well on the basketball court. They have a bottom 5 offense and a below-average defense. That’s the exact recipe for an average team. And that’s exactly what the Pelicans have been this season.
There’s time for Green to turn the Pelicans around. They certainly have the talent to rebound in a big way. Maybe getting healthy is exactly what this team needs. But that’s far from a guarantee. If the Pelicans don’t make the playoffs this season, there’s a very good chance Green ends up taking the fall.