James Borrego doesn\u2019t mind thinking outside the box, no matter how far outside the box his thoughts may take him.<\/p>\n
So when the New Orleans Pelicans were struggling defending in the paint, Borrego didn\u2019t hesitate to insert 37-year old DeAndre Jordan (who hadn\u2019t played since a few days before Halloween) into the starting lineup. The move has paid off, with the Pelicans beating the Utah Jazz Thursday night for their third straight game with Jordan in the lineup.<\/p>\n
It’s one of several unconventional moves Borrego has made since taking over as interim head coach 12 games into the season.<\/p>\n
Good leaders get paid to make gutsy calls and Borrego has shown he isn\u2019t afraid to do so. He\u2019ll shake things up when he has to, evident from his very first game after taking over after Willie Green was fired.<\/p>\n
Joe Dumars, the Pelicans\u2019 executive vice president of basketball operations, said on the day Green was fired that he would leave all the on-court decisions up to Borrego. In Borrego\u2019s first game, he inserted rookie Derik Queen into the starting lineup. Three games later, Queen scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Two nights after that, Queen recorded his first double double.<\/p>\n
Borrego was just getting started. When Zion Williamson returned from an injury that sidelined him for six game, Borrego chose to bring him off the bench. Williamson, the face of the franchise, had never come off the bench in his career. Yet the move worked as the Pelicans won four straight games and went 4-3 before Williamson was put back in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n
Then there was the decision to bench Jordan Poole, the second highest paid player on the roster. Poole was struggling, so Borrego sat him for nine consecutive games.<\/p>\n
When Borrego decided\u00a0 to use a bigger lineup, that meant letting Herb Jones handle point guard duties. In turn, that led to moving rookie Jeremiah Fears to the bench. Then in Tuesday\u2019s game against the Golden State Warriors when Dejounte Murray returned from a year-long absence rehabbing from a torn Achilles, Borrego started Murray right away and benched Queen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt Dejounte was the right move to start him,\u201d Borrego said. \u201cThat was not an easy decision because there was a group that had some chemistry. But I like the balance of the two groups (starters and reserves).\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pelicans, unlike the other teams in the NBA with no playoff shot, are still trying to win. They don\u2019t have a first round draft pick, so there\u2019s no need for Borrego to tank.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal for us is to win and DeAndre is moving that needle for us,” Borrego said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So Borrego will continue trying to push all the right buttons down the final stretch of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t tell you what we are going to do next game,\u201d Borrego said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to figure that out together. Is this a one-game thing? A five-game thing? I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m just taking it one game at a time with the focus being on winning each possession.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately for Borrego, his players seem to have bought in even with the changes in their roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cPoole has stayed ready and has been a pro the whole time,\u201d Borrego said. \u201cThis has not been easy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poole came off the bench and scored 23 points in his second game back after being benched. He had 12 points and six rebounds in the win over the Warriors. That game was the first one both Fears and Queen came off the bench since the second game of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no egos,\u201d Murray said. \u201cNobody 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
But also credit the guy who is calling the shots. The decisions will get even tougher once Trey Murphy (right shoulder contusion) and Yves Missi (left calf strain) return from their injuries.<\/p>\n
Does Borrego replace Jordan with Missi at center?<\/p>\n