Zion & the Pels Struggling, Willie Green FIRED + Can the Clippers Turn It Around? | ALL NBA PODCAST

Zion & the Pels Struggling, Willie Green FIRED + Can the Clippers Turn It Around? | ALL NBA PODCAST

What is up everybody and welcome to a weekend edition of the AllNBA Show powered by FanDuel, America’s number one sports book. Get started with 150 and bonus bets when you win your first $5 bet at fandal.com/allmbba. I’m your host Adam Mes. I’m joined by my esteemed colleague Mark Stein as always on the weekends. The man with the inside scoop in the NBA. Mark, how you doing this weekend? Adam Mades, it never ends, man. You wake up Saturday morning, you think it might be a sleepy start to the weekend. Nope. Not in the NBA. Not in the NBA, my friend. Oh, I know it, man. I’m actually in my coaching gear. I was coaching my nine-year-old daughter’s basketball team all weekend. We got the championship. So, I’m I’m pumped up. Uh, but now we got the Nuggets game tonight. We got this show. So, I we can dive right into it. How many texts? How many texts this week in the in the tournament? No texts for me tonight. The girls played too good. I couldn’t yell at the refs. They were playing too well. And that then you did your job. Good composure. Had a little bit of composure. It’s so fun though, man. I I love uh youth sports. I love coaching my daughters. It’s a lot of fun. But the NBA, you know, a lot of stuff going on. Sometimes we do this weekend show, what are people talking, some hot topics here or there, but as you mentioned, some news is breaking on this uh Friday and Saturday as we headed into our weekend. And the first one I want to ask you about, the Pelicans made a move. And if you ask me, maybe a little too late. They fired Willie Green. Now, I saw New Orleans come to Denver in the first week of the season. And to me, and I don’t say this lightly, I think I said it on our show. I said it to Tim Legler earlier in the year. I said that is a team I can always tell when a team is over the coaching staff that is that is uh on the bench and that was a team that had clearly tuned him out as they lost by 40 points to the Nuggets or were down 40 points at one point but the Pelicans made it official. They’ve let him go just 11 games into the season. What can you tell me about that decision and and where the Pelicans are right now? I would say you are not alone in suggesting that this was a bit too late. I mean, it got to the point in New Orleans where they weren’t announcing Willie Green at home games after the starting lineup because of fan discontent. And look, you know, where I live and fan discontent has been such a story. There are a lot of Pelicans fans out there who feel like they are not being heard that, you know, look, let’s not forget David Griffin wanted to make this move last season. He wanted to make this change. By all accounts, the strong belief throughout league league coaching circles was that Pelicans owner Gail Benson, who is known to be a huge Willie Green fan, did not want to make the change and they stuck with Willie Green all of last season. And then if you remember in the off season, the Knicks wanted to hire James Berago as the top aid to Mike Brown on Mike Brown’s new staff. Now, that would have been a lateral move. So, the Pelicans are not the only team that would say no to that kind of arrangement because he was associate head coach already in New Orleans. And there are most teams would say, “We’re not going to let you go for a lateral move.” But a big part of that behind the scenes was the Pelicans knew they might have to make a coaching change early and they didn’t want to give up Berego who was the most likely choice to take over as interim coach. But this has been percolating really for days maybe even weeks. I think when the Pelicans started 0 and6 a lot of people thought it might happen then. Willie Green did end up lasting five six more games. won a couple, including a win over Dallas that really really got the the spiral that inevitably led to Nico Harris’s dismissal, a home loss to a New Orleans team on the second night of a backtoback with no Zion Williamson when the Pelicans were 0 and6. That really accelerated the end for Nico Harrison in Dallas. But now the Pelicans have made this change. Joe Joe Dumar is now calling the shots in New Orleans. He said today, earlier today, we’re taping this on Saturday early evening. Joe Dumar said it’s his expectation that Bergo will coach the rest of the season. Is that the way it plays out? Let’s see. It’s still, I think, too early to call. And look, you know, I know we’re going to get to this, too. at the bottom of both conferences, man. It is not pretty. Yeah. And the records are way worse in the East, but all the pressure is being felt by the teams at the bottom of the West. Pelicans, Mavs, Grizzlies, Kings, Clippers, all of them are feeling it. And we saw that a bit today. Well, before I get to those teams, I do want to ask one more about the Pelicans, and that is to me they need a cultural reset. Since they have drafted Zion Williamson, it has seemed like it has been an organization that has not been able to establish a culture and an identity. Some of that is on Zion himself, his availability, and and you know, your best player often helps set the culture. But they’re a team that has players I like. They have Herb Jones, they have Trey Murphy, they’ve got Derek Queen has been playing well here over the last handful of games, but to me, whenever you start with a new era, now you have a new coach, you have some young players, you first have to figure out what the culture is and establish it. So, is this something that Barago is being tasked with? And is that is that the conversation you’re hearing of, hey, what is this team’s culture going to be to kind of move forward now into a new era? It’s really what Joe Dumar is tasked with. You know, this is that’s kind of his responsibility. And in explaining this decision today, Joe Dumar said, “I don’t see an identity out of our team.” And that’s a big reason why a change should be made. But again, the anticipation, there was a strong thought around the league that when Joe Dumar took over this front office at the end of last season, ve you know, this change was made swiftly with the Pelicans not making the playoffs very early in the off season, even before the season ended. And the thought was then that there would be a coaching change and Joe, you know, Joe Dumar’s stuck with Willie Green. I mean, frankly, there has been a qu a pretty consistent question posed around the league. Is that the way Joe Dumar’s wanted to do it or did ownership insist that if he takes the job, he has to keep Willie Green in place? And look, also even the search process in New Orleans, there really was no search process to replace David Griffin. It was Joe Dumar’s job from the start. And so a lot of people have been looking at this Pelican situation and asking the questions that you’re asking, but on top of everything now, and this is, you know, again, with these teams at the bottom of the West, more than one, more teams than not in the bottom five of the West have these draft issues that hang over the franchise. And two of the first moves in the Joe Dumar’s era in New Orleans was trading Indiana back its first that is now critical to the Pacers rebuild because the Pacers off to a 1-1 start. Indiana has reacquired its 2026 first round pick that belonged to the Pelicans and the Pacers were able to get it back in June. And then of course the trade that everybody talks about where you trade what amounts to your unprotected first in the coming draft to Atlanta. And all of this is related to getting Derek Queen. It puts a huge amount of pressure on Queen. It puts a huge amount of pressure on Joe Dumar’s. And that’s the thing is like the Pels I mean they’re not going to make the playoffs from the hole that they’ve already dug for themselves especially when Zion Williams has only played about half the games. So yeah. Yeah. I mean the the in a draft that everyone is excited about. I mean there’s a constant dialogue already. We’re not even to Thanksgiving. The college season has barely started. There’s so much anticipation for the top of the 2026 draft. Might be more than three names, might be four or five really good players at the top of the draft. And the Pels have already traded out of two possibilities to get lucky and get another top tier pick. So, man, it is uh it’s tough out there for P. You know, the great Yogi Bear said it. It gets it gets late early out there. And that’s what the that’s that’s what’s happened in New Orleans. That’s what’s happening in Dallas. That’s what’s happening in Clipperland. That’s what’s happening in Sacramento. That’s what’s happening in Memphis. I mean, yeah. Yeah. It gets dark early for sure for all those teams. If I look at them, Dallas, Sacramento, Memphis, the Clippers. You know, Dallas’s situation is well publicized and I think the question is, do they pivot? Where do they go from here? You know that that’s a huge question. Sacramento, Memphis, and the Clippers. Those ones are all interesting to me, too. You mentioned it gets dark early, but one thing I will say is we’re so early in the year that those teams are one four game winning streak. Not even a huge winning streak, a fourame winning streak from being back in the playin and then from there you just get yourself going. So, you know, what is the conversation you’re hearing about those teams? And does it feel completely hopeless for all of them, you know, about the just where they’re at emotionally and everything else, or is there still hope that, hey, it’s early and these are some teams that can can pivot and get themselves going? Look, in principle, you’re right. I mean, it is still early and it’s not irretrievable, but look, I mean, let’s take some of, you know, we’ve talked so much about Dallas, so forgive me, but I kind of want to talk about some of these other teams cuz I feel like all I have done for days is is is talk about Dallas. I think I think last weekend’s pod when we did it together, I was in LA and you you remember me frantically having to interrupt and answer my phone. It was already it was already bubbling then. Yeah. And you know, so that’s obviously been the story that everyone is talking about. But look, Memphis, you know, John Morant was electric a couple seasons ago. I mean, the guy was just mustsee, mustwatch, and they have had him, they they are, you know, he left Saturday’s game in Cleveland with ankle soreness and getting him re-engaged. I mean, they they went into this game against Cleveland tonight having lost seven of eight and the one win was against Dallas. I mean, this is a big reason why Nico Harrison is no longer there. New Orleans, Washington, Memphis, these teams that are struggling mightily. Did I said it? New Orleans, Washington, Memphis. Yeah, they all they’ve all beaten the Mavs and Indiana almost did. I mean, that was a big factor in the timing for Nico Harrison. Like Memphis, the good news for Memphis is they have draft picks. They’ve got Jiren Jackson Jr. signed. You know, they just traded Desmond Bane for that hall of picks and Cedric Coward has been one of the best rookies. So, like the Grizzlies are going to be able to pivot and go forward no matter what happens with John Mor. I, you know, again, to this point, the messaging is still that they want to keep him, that they’re not actively looking to move him. That’s been the messaging to this point. But the way Morance’s playing, I don’t think the market would for him would be robust. But like the Clippers, I just saw them Friday night, two weeks in a row, I’m using the same joke, a crisis bowl against Dallas. Last week it was Dallas at Memphis crisis bowl. The Mavs go down by 35. Last night I saw a double overtime crisis bowl. The Clippers in the midst of a five-game losing streak. No Kawhi Leonard. the Mavs with all their issues that are well documented. The Clippers were so happy to win that game. I you you know I am the worst photojournalist in the in the all city family. So of course I have no footage or pictures to prove it, but I’m telling you I watched them celebrate heartily to win that game in double overtime without Kawhi Leonard. It took James Harden putting up the first 40point triple double in franchise history for them to escape and do it. But the Clippers, man, their 2026 first is going to the Thunder. Do the Thunder need a lottery pick from the Clippers? We know they got they took all of the Clippers future assets in the SGA trade. We don’t we don’t talk about that trade enough. We like We might I I mean the seriously, it’s not just I mean nowhere like that trade they had you had to do it. So many teams around the league will say, “Well, it got us, it got them Kawhi Leonard, so they had to do it.” But SGA is now a consensus top four player in the league. You put him right there that probably with Lo with Joic, Luca, and Giannis. SGA is in that sentence with those guys. It’s it is a for it is a golf forsome. They are together. They are the four best players in the league and and WBY is ascending to try to join them. So like the the Thunder get SGA and all of the Clippers picks. So it’s like the Clippers, they owe their 2026 first to the Thunder. The Mavs after 2026, the Mavs don’t control a first round pick again until 2031. The Kings are off to this rough start and there’s already rumbles that maybe the Kings want to tear it down, but what kind of interest are they going to get if they put their former Allstars on the market? So, you know, the position that Memphis is in, it’s slightly different. And you’re looking at the standings. Who am I leaving out? I mentioned four of the teams down there. Who am I leaving out now? Sacramento, Memphis, the Clippers, Dallas, New Orleans. Those are the five. And New Orleans, as we documented already, they’re done. New Orle New Orleans, two lottery picks that they should have in this coming June draft, they don’t have them. So between the Mavs, the Pels, and the Clippers, there are real draft day consequences connected to the plight of where they are in the standings. Well, this is all bad news. And we knew in the Western Conference, the West coming into the year, in the preseason, you said, “Okay, there’s a lot of teams that are going to have hopes of making the playoffs, making some noise. Somebody is going to be disappointed.” We now know, I think New Orleans, okay, they had a shot. you thought, okay, the roster, maybe they could make some noise. I think they’re done. Dallas, disaster so far. Sacramento, Memphis, I think it’s a little early to say, but we’ll have, but it’s not looking great. And the Clippers, to your point, they get the win last night to hang by a threat. If they would have lost last night, I think I would have thrown them in the eliminate them pile as well. Getting a win might have just given you at least a little bit of hope for the coming weeks to try to stabilize yourself. Those are all tough stories. And look, it’s the West. It’s loaded. That is it is what it is. Is there any good stories and I’ll hint try to hint you is are people around the league talking about anything about a super efficient score maybe Detroit Detroit is the story I mean okay you know they they won a game last night without all their guys including Kate Cunningham who’s been you know an early MVP can’t there has been good basketball in the first month of the season. Oh for sure. Yeah. I mean you and like you and legs I know you guys have been had lots of things to discuss that you’ve enjoyed. It’s not you know let it is not gloom and doom like I’m painting for you. But the the problem is and kind of what I’m fixated on today the bad situations in the league are alarm bells ringing situations. That that’s the thing. And like like you know I can’t help it in the you always ask me what are people talking about? That’s what people in the league fixate on. People in the league don’t fixate on, damn, the Pistons are on a roll. I mean, they are like, they want to know where the chaos is. Well, yeah, I was actually trying to prompt you. I was hoping you were going to tell me everybody’s talking about Nicola Joic and his super efficient start, but uh I that was just me trying to shoehorn Joic into every single episode like I always do. Well, that’s not that that’s that’s not a hard lift because he’s been I mean, yeah, I I heard legs with Simmons going to the whole spiel of his shooting percentage from various spots on the court and it’s just I mean, the man is just Yeah. But but but again he has the same problem that everybody in the west has and that’s that Oklahoma City just looks so good with all I mean they have not even been close to hole yet and they just they are playing they are a twoway monster and they yeah the Nuggets the Nuggets look good. Their moves have worked to this point but yeah Oklahoma City looks for real they’re in the wrong conference. They might be. Uh, well, we don’t have to talk about Joic today, but I am going to go talk about him over on the DNVR Nuggets pregame show, which starts here in about five minutes. He is Mark Stein. You can catch him on the DLLS Mavs show. You can also read him at the Stein Line where he’s giving you all the inside scoops around the league. Stein, thanks so much for hopping on. You got it. We’ll do it again soon. Everybody hit that like button on the way out. We all sitting like the mayor.

Adam Mares and NBA insider Marc Stein dive into the biggest storylines around the league, starting with the New Orleans Pelicans firing Willie Green and what it means for their future. They examine whether the Pelicans need a full culture reset, then break down whether the Kings, Grizzlies, and Clippers can still turn their seasons around. The guys also highlight the standout teams of the year so far and what’s separating them from the pack.

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00:00 – Intro
01:19 – Pelicans fire Willie Green
05:14 – Do the Pelicans need to reset their culture?
09:34 – Can the Kings, Grizzlies and Clippers still turn it around?
16:31 – Who have been the standouts teams so far this year?

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All music credited to Greg Kramer, check him out on Spotify!

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