Southwest Notes: VanVleet, Murray, Flagg, Jerome
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet is still holding out hope he can return this season after tearing his right ACL in September RealGM relays. VanVleet made those comments on a recent episode of Unguarded.
“I’m about five, five and a half months, almost six months now,” VanVleet said. “So, I’m getting there. I’m getting stronger. I’m getting better. I’m moving around a lot better. I’m getting some good on-court workouts. I think a lot of the predictions of where I was going to be were made pre-surgery, so we’ve had to adjust that timeline as things go on. But again, selfishly, I’m always going to keep my window open. I’m not going to come on here and tell you, ‘Oh, I’m not coming back,’ and then I come back like, ‘Oh, surprise.’ But I’m not ruling it out, and I’m not saying I’m coming back. I’m just rehabbing, I’m working on myself, and I keep that goal in mind because I’ve made such good progress.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Dejounte Murray continued his strong comeback from his Achilles tear. The Pelicans guard racked up 35 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Houston on Friday in his eighth game of the season. “On both sides of the ball, he was fantastic down the stretch,” Pelicans’ interim head coach James Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
- Cooper Flagg had 25 points for the Mavericks against Cleveland on Friday and feels he’s finally recovered from the midfoot sprain that sidelined him for eight games. “I really feel I hadn’t come back with my pop, like my athleticism has kind of been lacking since I got hurt and came back,” Flagg told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “I finally felt like I was getting my pop back a little tonight.”
- Ty Jerome, who joined the Grizzlies during the offseason on a three-year, $27.66MM contract, had 21 points against Detroit on Friday. He’s averaging 20.1 points and 5.4 assists in 12 games. He’s missed most of the season due to a calf strain. “I mean Ty’s been very solid for us the whole time,” coach Tuomas Iilaso said. “He’s turning into one of the premier creators in the whole league. [He’s] able to create shots for himself and for others, and he gets the toughest assignments every night. Today, [the] Pistons we’re able to put a lot of length, a lot of physicality on him, and they also stepped up on the pick-and-rolls, to try to get the ball out of his hands. But, somehow, he always finds a way.”
Southwest Notes: J. Smith, Borrego, Marshall, Ingram
The Rockets pulled off a comeback victory in Orlando on Thursday night, their fourth win in five games since the All-Star break, but they lost forward Jabari Smith Jr. late in the game. Smith suffered an ankle injury with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter (NBA.com video link), though head coach Ime Udoka expressed optimism after the game that it wasn’t serious.
“He stepped on Alperen (Sengun)‘s foot and rolled his ankle,” Udoka said (Twitter video link via Space City Home Network). “I think it’s a game-to-game thing, day-to-day. It doesn’t look too terrible.”
Smith has been playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career in recent weeks and has started 57 of Houston’s 58 games this season, so if he has to miss some time, it would require the team to tweak its starting five and rely more on reserve wings and bigs like Josh Okogie, Clint Capela, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- James Borrego hasn’t played it safe as the Pelicans‘ interim head coach since he took over for Willie Green, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). Walker praises Borrego for his willing to make bold lineup decisions, including starting rookie Derik Queen and bringing highly paid veteran Jordan Poole off the bench for most of the season. “There are no egos,” said Dejounte Murray, who has replaced Queen in the starting five in his first two games back from an Achilles tear. “Nobody is pouting. We have young guys who were starting. They went to the bench and took it like they should take it. I give a lot of credit to them for that. We are all here to win and longevity is the key for everybody.”
- Mavericks forward Naji Marshall showed on Thursday why the team had no interest in moving him at this month’s trade deadline. As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details, Marshall became just the third undrafted player since the 1983/84 season to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game — he got to 36, 10, and six vs. Sacramento and was a +3 in 42 minutes in a game Dallas lost by nine points. “If healthy, I don’t know if he’s gonna play 42 minutes,” head coach Jason Kidd said, lauding Marshall for maintaining his compete level in an expanded role. “But shorthanded, he’s taken full advantage of his minutes. His ability to get into the paint and finish, get to the free throw line — he led the team in rebounds. He’s doing it all.”
- Spurs two-way player Harrison Ingram has only appeared in five games at the NBA level this season, but he’s thriving with the team’s G League affiliate in Austin. Ingram earned NBAGL Player of the Week honors after averaging 22.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in five games last week (Twitter link).
Southwest Notes: Poole, Hawkins, Flagg, Durant
Jordan Poole has been benched for the last four games for the Pelicans in favor of a starting lineup of Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, and Derik Queen. This move sent rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears to the bench and Poole out of the rotation altogether, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“Obviously, Poole will stay ready and he’ll be ready to go,” head coach James Borrego said when asked about the veteran guard’s diminished playing time. “(He was) back at it today in practice and so we expect him to stay ready. You never know when your number is going to get called. Everybody who has stepped in for us this year has made an impact. I expect him to do the same.”
Poole has been rumored to be a trade candidate for New Orleans, given his up-and-down play and role with the team since being brought over in a trade with the Wizards in the offseason.
He’s averaging his fewest minutes (25.4), points (14.5), and assists (3.1) per game since 2020/21, his second season in the league. He has started only six games, the fewest of any season of his career.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Jordan Hawkins is probably the Pelicans player most likely to be traded at this year’s deadline, Walker writes. Hawkins, like Poole, has been excised from the rotation of late, having not seen the floor in the last six games. After a promising sophomore campaign in which he averaged 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes per game, the third-year guard has struggled to find a rhythm this season, averaging just 4.3 PPG on .320/.301/.778 shooting splits. Billed as a shooting specialist coming out of UConn, Hawkins has hit just 34.2% of his career threes, but he’s still just 23 years old and could be viewed as a player in need of a change of scenery.
- The Mavericks believe that Cooper Flagg doesn’t get a fair whistle on his drive, and the numbers might back that up, writes Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. Curtis notes that Flagg drives to the rim 11.9 times per game, an equivalent rate as the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards, but gets only 1.8 free throw attempts on those drives, compared to Edwards’ 3.3. “You just gotta play through it,” Flagg said. “It’s not the first time in my life that I probably haven’t gotten calls and it probably won’t be the last.” Coach Jason Kidd had a slightly more less serene take on the matter after Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, lambasting the referees over what he perceived as a missed call on Amen Thompson, as did former owner Mark Cuban. “He’s going to continue to keep going until he hears the whistle,” Kidd said. “There were a lot of fouls missed with this young man. Maybe they just don’t know his game yet, but that’s who he is. He’s going to continue. He’s not going to get discouraged.” The no-call was ultimately upheld by the league in the NBA’s last two-minute report (Twitter video link).
- Kevin Durant will miss the Rockets‘ game on Monday in Indiana with a left ankle sprain, Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter). Durant played 38 minutes in the win over the Mavericks, going 6-of-17 from the field for 13 points. Will Guillory of the Athletic writes that this will be Durant’s first game missed due to injury this season (Twitter link).
Stein’s Latest: Atkinson, Harden, Sabonis, White
There have been “rumbles in coaching circles” that Kenny Atkinson’s job is becoming less safe amid the Cavaliers‘ recent stumbles and their disappointing 15-14 record, Marc Stein of The Stein Line states in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Atkinson led the Cavs to the best record in the East a year ago in his first season with the team, but a second-round playoff ouster and this season’s shaky start have built up frustrations in Cleveland.
A report that owner Dan Gilbert is “very unhappy” with the team’s recent play provides another reason to be concerned about Atkinson’s job security. The Cavaliers headed into the season expecting to challenge New York for the top spot in the East, but they’re currently in play-in territory after dropping eight of their last 11 games, with several losses coming against teams near the bottom of the standings.
However, a source tells Stein that Gilbert’s anger is unlikely to result in a quick coaching change. He points out that Gilbert was one of Atkinson’s strongest supporters during the hiring process, preferring him over James Borrego, who’s now the interim head coach in New Orleans.
Stein shares more inside information from around the league:
- After speculating in a recent column that the struggling Clippers might listen to offers for James Harden before the deadline, Stein heard from a rival front office member who’s expecting Harden to be made available in trade talks. Stein points out that as a one-year Bird Rights signee who remained with his team, Harden has the ability to veto any trade he doesn’t like. Harden’s new contract technically covers two seasons, but it contains a player option with a partial guarantee.
- With Domantas Sabonis projected to miss at least four-to-five more weeks while recovering from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, Stein points out that there’s a chance he might not return to the court by the February 5 trade deadline, which is roughly six-and-a-half weeks away. Stein states that it’s unclear if the Kings are willing to listen to trade offers for the former All-Star center, as they prefer to part with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. However, there’s sure to be league-wide interest in Sabonis if the front office commits to a full rebuilding project.
- Stein hears that rival teams are getting the impression that the Bulls are more willing to consider trading Coby White than they’ve been in the past. White has an expiring $12.9MM contract this season and is headed for unrestricted free agency next summer. Stein notes that White’s modest salary complicates Chicago’s effort to get back equivalent value in a deal, since he’s unlikely to sign an extension before reaching unrestricted free agency next summer.
Southwest Notes: Irving, Zion, Borrego, Rockets
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points wrote on Friday that it “truly seems” as if Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving will be able to return from his ACL tear at some point in January. However, head coach Jason Kidd said this week that there’s still no specific timeline for Irving as he works his way through the rehab process, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“There’s no schedule still,” Kidd said. “He’s just still doing the things he’s supposed to… He’s in a good place. He’s rehabbing. That’s the only update I can really give you — that he’s in a good place and he’s doing everything he’s supposed to.”
Irving tore his left ACL on March 3 and underwent surgery to repair the injury on March 27. Next weekend will represent the nine-month mark since that procedure, so the window for Irving’s potential return could open in the coming weeks.
Still, it’s not uncommon for an ACL tear to sideline a player for a full year or even longer than that, and the Mavs will certainly take a cautious approach with the 33-year-old — especially since the team currently sits outside the top 10 in the West.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has come off the bench in each of his first two games back from an adductor strain and spent the final 17 minutes of Thursday’s comeback overtime win over Houston on the sidelines. The decision – and the victory – felt significant, according to William Guillory of The Athletic, who suggests it could be interpreted as a sign of the team taking steps toward a future in which Williamson isn’t the top priority.
- With the Pelicans riding a three-game winning streak, Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required) contends that head of basketball operations Joe Dumars should remove the interim tag from head coach James Borrego — or at least place him high on the short list of candidates to coach New Orleans beyond this season. Pelicans swingman Trey Murphy III lauded Borrego for “igniting” the team, while forward Saddiq Bey also had high praise for the interim coach. “He’s made some helluva adjustments,” Bey said. “In the game, scout and when we are going through shootaround. He’s a great mind on both ends of the floor and we really trust him.”
- Tilman Fertitta‘s Rockets ownership group is engaged in “substantive” talks with the Connecticut Sun about the possibility of purchasing and relocating the WNBA, sources tell Alexa Philippou and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca previously reached a tentative agreement with the Sun to move the franchise to Boston, but the WNBA effectively blocked that deal, and there’s a belief the league would prefer to see the team move to Houston, per Philippou and Shelburne.
- In a feature story for ESPN.com, Michael C. Wright takes a look at how veteran forward Kevin Durant has meshed with the Rockets‘ young duo of Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, as well as the ongoing development of the chemistry between Sengun and Thompson.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Kleber, Luka, Reaves, Borrego
As expected, LeBron James is not on the Lakers‘ injury report for Monday’s game vs. Phoenix, which indicates he’ll be available to play, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group tweets.
The superstar forward sat out Sunday’s game with what the team called left foot injury management. Head coach JJ Redick explained prior to the win over New Orleans that Los Angeles was “just being cautious” with James, who has been dealing with a foot issue, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter links). Redick added that the team hopes to have James available for back-to-backs in the future.
The NBA’s oldest player extended his own league record last season by making his 21st consecutive All-NBA team — no other player has more than 15 total All-NBA appearances. James, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side, must play in 61 of the Lakers’ final 63 games in order to remain eligible to continue that streak, due to the 65-game rule.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- While James will return tonight, veteran guard Marcus Smart will miss his third straight game — and his injury designation has changed from lower back spasms to lower back injury management, Price notes. Redick expressed confidence on Monday that the 31-year-old would be back sooner rather later, calling him day-to-day, per Jovan Buha (Twitter link). “We expect him to be back soon,” Redick said. “It’s not a long-term thing.”
- Starting center Deandre Ayton appeared to aggravate a right knee bruise in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, an injury which cost him about a game-and-a-half last week, Woike tweets. However, the Lakers held a comfortable lead at the time and the former No. 1 overall pick isn’t on the team’s injury report ahead of Monday’s game.
- As Woike details in an entertaining story for The Athletic, during a poor stretch of play in the third quarter in which their lead was trimmed to 11 points, backup big man Maxi Kleber inexplicably air-balled an open layup on an and-one attempt (YouTube link), causing his teammates on the bench to start laughing. “We were just caught off guard. … We all thought he was going to dunk it. … Shot a fade-away layup. Crazy,” Gabe Vincent said Sunday. The Lakers immediately went on an 8-0 run after the moment of levity, which also served as a reminder of the good vibes around the team — the players often make fun of each other in a lighthearted way, Woike writes. “It’s very important,” Kleber said. “It’s a long season. Obviously, this was a funny play. But it could be serious, where we have a bad stretch, or a bad game, and it’s important that we stick together as a team. And that we can laugh about things and just work it out and not take it too hard. Because we know we’re good. And I think it helps to regain focus quickly.”
- It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Lakers won their seventh straight contest on Sunday to improve to 15-4 on the season. Backcourt stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for 67 points and 15 assists, notes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times, becoming just the fourth pair of teammates in the past 50 years to each score at least 30 points in three consecutive games. “The gravity that he has on the court, it’s impossible to guard him any certain way because [of] his ability to pass the ball, his unselfishness and his shot-making ability,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Then, once you blitz him, then you have advantage basketball and we like our chances.”
- Prior to Sunday’s game, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego reflected on being a finalist for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy during the 2024 offseason, which ultimately went to Redick (Twitter video link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “I grew up a Lakers fan, number one, so to come here and interview for the job was so surreal and like a dream,” Borrego said in part.
Pelicans Notes: Injuries, Peavy, McGowens, Borrego
Seven Pelicans — including their five highest-paid players — are out for Sunday’s game at the Lakers, per Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter links).
In addition to Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture), Jordan Poole (left quad strain), Karlo Matkovic (right calf strain) and Herbert Jones, who have all missed multiple games with their respective injuries, Jordan Hawkins will be unavailable for his second straight contest due to an illness, as will Trey Murphy III, who is battling right elbow soreness.
The seventh Pelican out tonight is star forward Zion Williamson, who is missing the second game of a back-to-back after the Pelicans lost at Golden State on Saturday. Williamson’s designation is left hamstring injury management — he missed eight games earlier this month with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- Second-round pick Micah Peavy and fourth-year wing Bryce McGowens have been taking on challenging defensive assignments recently with Jones sidelined, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “That’s what I want to do,” said Peavy, who finished Monday’s game with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals in 20 minutes. “Herb is a great defender. And I want to be known as a great defender in this league. I take on that challenge of guarding the best player, especially when Herb’s out. I think I’m doing a pretty good job.” McGowens is on a two-way contract with New Orleans, while Peavy signed a multiyear standard deal after being selected No. 40 overall in June’s draft.
- The Pelicans are just 1-7 since James Borrego took over as interim head coach following the dismissal of Willie Green, who was fired after a 2-10 start. However, the team has shown signs of progress, namely being more competitive in its losses, according to Walker. “As a competitor, I want us to win and I want us to make every shot,” Borrego said. “The results can overwhelm you at times. The best organizations I’ve been a part of are process-driven. They have an identity and they know what they believe in. They know what shots they are trying to create, whether they go in or not. Trust that this is where we need to go and the results will take care of themselves. We are getting closer to that. We are not near where we need to be, but we are getting close.”
- Players have been pleased with Borrego’s performance thus far, Walker adds in the same story. “I know he’s in a tough spot with everything that went on,” Williamson said. “He’s been doing a great job finding our identity for the team. The guys are behind him. The staff is behind him. We’re with him.”
Southwest Notes: Sheppard, Edey, Coward, Pelicans
Rockets guard Reed Sheppard made just 2-of-9 shots from the floor in his first start of the season on Monday in Phoenix, but he contributed five assists and three steals in his 27 minutes, and Houston was a +6 when he was on the court. It marked the eighth consecutive game in which the Rockets outscored their opponent during Sheppard’s minutes.
While the 21-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, Sheppard has taken a significant step forward so far this season, with his averages – 13.1 PPG and 3.2 APG on .490/.471/.706 shooting – up across the board. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Houston’s odds of competing for a title are only increasing as a result of the second-year guard’s improvement.
“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Sheppard last week. “You’re going to get more of a rhythm with the more minutes and opportunities you get. We needed him to take that step this year, regardless of Fred (VanVleet) being out. He’s really been great. We want him to continue to be confident.”
Sheppard, who started in place of Kevin Durant on Monday, could have another opportunity to be part of the starting five on Wednesday in Golden State, with Durant out for a second straight game for personal reasons.
Here’s more from out of the Southwest:
- After missing the first 13 games of the Grizzlies‘ season as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, center Zach Edey exited his fifth game back early on Monday due to a head injury. If Edey is forced to miss time, it would be a major blow to Memphis, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, given that the club has a +16.5 net rating in Edey’s minutes and a -8.0 mark when he doesn’t play. “Zach is a huge part of what we do, both offensively and defensively,” teammate Cedric Coward said after Monday’s loss to Denver. “Just his presence alone is so meaningful to the team. You guys understand, when he came back, how much better our team got defensively, on the rebounding end, even the offensive end. His roles are gravitating guys inside, so we’re getting easier shots on the outside. It was a huge loss.”
- Coward has been one of the NBA’s most productive rookies this fall and is making the Grizzlies look good for trading up to No. 11 in June to draft him, as a Western Conference scout tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. “He only played six Division I games after the partially torn rotator cuff, and that made him one of the biggest unknowns in the draft,” the scout said of Coward. “A lot of scouts weren’t sure how his game would translate against top talent because he’d spent most of his college career at Willamette and Eastern Washington. But Memphis clearly saw something real. … And now he’s outperforming even the optimistic projections. He looks completely comfortable at this level.”
- The Pelicans‘ past two games provided a reminder of Zion Williamson‘s impact. After scoring just 98 points on Saturday as Williamson sat out the second game of a back-to-back, New Orleans poured in 143 points on Monday vs. Chicago with Williamson back on the court. While the star forward led the way with 29 points, Monday’s performance was a team effort, with eight players scoring in double figures, writes Les East of NOLA.com. “You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” said interim head coach James Borrego, who registered his first win since taking over for Willie Green.
- Outside of the Hornets, who drafted four players in the top 34 in June, no team has gotten more minutes from its rookies so far this season than the Pelicans, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. That trend figures to continue going forward, Eichenhofer posits, since Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Micah Peavy are all part of the rotation now and should see regular playing time with several New Orleans veterans sidelined due to injuries.
Pelicans Notes: Dumars, Weaver, Borrego, Mosley, Peavy
The Pelicans didn’t conduct an extensive search before hiring Joe Dumars as their new head of basketball operations in the spring, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who hears from sources that Dumars has one of the NBA’s “most generous” executive contracts despite the fact that New Orleans isn’t typically among the league’s bigger spenders.
After the Pelicans hired Dumars and awarded him that “generous” contract just two days after firing David Griffin and three days after last season ended, the veteran executive seems to be deferring to top lieutenant Troy Weaver on many of the team’s biggest roster decisions, Hollinger writes. Echoing earlier reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Hollinger says the offseason trades for Jordan Poole and Derik Queen were both believed to be spearheaded by Weaver.
According to Hollinger, executives around the NBA were “utterly baffled” by the Pelicans’ decision to bring in Weaver as their senior VP of basketball operations, since there “wasn’t exactly a bidding war” among teams looking to hire him in a high-ranking front office role after a disappointing run with the Pistons. Sources in Detroit tell The Athletic that no one from the Pelicans called Weaver’s former team to vet him before he was hired in New Orleans.
Still, Hollinger isn’t blaming Weaver for the Pelicans’ slow start this season, suggesting that team owner Gayle Benson and Dumars deserve more of the criticism for their “arm’s-length operation” of the organization and the basketball operations department, respectively.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), James Borrego‘s best chance to keep the Pelicans’ head coaching job beyond this season would be to significantly improve the team’s offense, which ranked 27th in the NBA at the time of Willie Green‘s dismissal. Borrego is known for his offensive acumen, Fischer notes — the Hornets ranked eighth in that department during the coach’s final year in Charlotte in 2021/22.
- Hollinger is skeptical that Borrego will remain in New Orleans long-term, suggesting this season will more likely be an audition for his next job, with a Weaver-connected candidate such as Kevin Ollie getting the Pelicans’ permanent job next spring. While Fischer has also heard the rumblings linking Ollie to the Pelicans, he says Ollie’s standing in New Orleans is “a bit murky.”
- One name that would be on the Pelicans’ wish list, according to Fischer, is Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, though there’s no indication that he’ll become available anytime soon. As Fischer writes, Orlando’s front office initiated some changes to Mosley’s coaching staff during the offseason, and the team got off to a slow start this fall amid whispers of a disconnect between Mosley and star forward Paolo Banchero. However, the club appears to be hitting its stride this month — the Magic have won seven of their last 10 games, with two of those losses coming by just four points apiece.
- Queen and Jeremiah Fears have played greater roles in the early going, but another Pelicans rookie, second-rounder Micah Peavy, is starting to earn regular playing time too, observes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. A 6’7″ wing, Peavy has appeared in each of New Orleans’ past seven games and submitted his best performance of the season on Monday vs. Oklahoma City, contributing 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with four assists and four rebounds. “I thought he came out and gave us great energy,” Borrego said. “Crashing the boards. Defensively, he really impacted that game. So I’m really proud of him. He responded tonight and that was a bright spot, for sure.”
- As Walker details, Peavy takes pride in his defense and has said he wants to make a Jose Alvarado-esque impact by bringing “energy” as part of the Pelicans’ second unit. “I want to be that spark plug off the bench. I see how Jose goes in and he’s the spark plug, and I want to do that as well,” Peavy said. “Do whatever it takes to be on the floor and make winning plays. Especially with my defense. That’s where I think I can help the team the most. And then knock down shots like I did (Monday).”
Pelicans Notes: Borrego, Green, Dumars, Poole, Coaching Search
The Pelicans had a new head coach for Sunday’s game against Golden State, but the result was familiar, writes Les East of NOLA.com. Playing its first game under James Borrego, who was promoted after Willie Green was fired on Saturday, New Orleans suffered its fifth straight loss and fell to 2-11 on the season.
“We’ve got a lot to do,” Borrego said. “The beauty of this game is you come back to work the next day. … It doesn’t get any easier. We’ve got another juggernaut coming in.”
He was referring to Monday’s contest against 13-1 Oklahoma City, which provides another tough challenge for a team badly in need of wins. Borrego made his first lineup change on Sunday, giving a first career start to rookie big man Derik Queen, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in 24-plus minutes. The Pelicans got balanced scoring with four players in double figures, but committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 27 Warriors points.
“There were costly, careless turnovers in transition,” Borrego said. “We’ve got to have more poise. There’s a balance between playing fast and frenetic and playing with poise. We’ve got to be opportunistic (in transition).”
There’s more from New Orleans:
- There was surprise around the league that Green wasn’t fired sooner considering the Pelicans’ poor start, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto hears that executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars was supportive of Green early in the season, but conveyed a constant message that the team needed to improve. Sources tell Scotto that offseason addition Jordan Poole was upset after being removed from the starting lineup on October 29, and Green’s coaching style had become “stale” with Trey Murphy III. Scotto adds that some players and other members of the organization believed Green didn’t do enough to hold Zion Williamson accountable.
- Dumars held a meeting with his staff this summer where he talked about emphasizing defense, toughness, high basketball IQ and a high motor, then completed a trade an hour later for Poole, who doesn’t fit that description, sources tell Scotto. Poole’s salary of $31.8MM this season and $34MM in 2026/27 was considered “a tough contract to move” by rival executives, Scotto adds. That trade and the deal sending an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Atlanta in exchange for Queen were pushed by senior vice president of basketball operations Troy Weaver, Dumars’ long-time associate, Scotto reports.
- Weaver is also a strong supporter of Kevin Ollie, who has been mentioned as a possibility to eventually take over as head coach, Scotto adds. Scotto identifies Tom Thibodeau, Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins as free agent coaches who might interest the Pelicans, but speculates that their “price tags could be too rich” for the team. In his latest Substack column (subscription required), Marc Stein of The Stein Line points to Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as a name to watch in the coaching search.