NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday the team needs to add more toughness and play more consistently after finishing with a 26-56 record.<\/p>\n
Dumars also praised Zion Williamson for staying healthy and playing 62 games this season.<\/p>\n
He recounted one game when Williamson was sick at home but showed up to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround three o\u2019clock that afternoon, I got a text from someone and they said, look, he said he\u2019s gonna come and try to give it a go tonight,\u201d Dumars said. \u201cHe came, he played the first half, started feeling bad at halftime. That is a microcosm of what I thought he did this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dumars said the team has no intentions of trading Williamson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going into the offseason looking forward to Zion coming back next year and playing great again next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Full presserTougher on the court<\/p>\n
Dumars said the team will add toughness through both internal development and external acquisitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just wasn\u2019t consistent enough,\u201d Dumars said. \u201cWe would show some flashes. Five-game win streak. We beat some really good teams. We have a 25-point comeback against Houston. And you see all that and you go, man, look what we\u2019re capable of. But we just didn\u2019t do it consistently night in and night out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borrego a candidate for permanent job<\/p>\n
Dumars confirmed interim head coach James Borrego is a candidate for the permanent position but said the team does not have a finalized list of candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely, definitely James is a candidate for this job permanently going forward,\u201d Dumars said.<\/p>\n
Dumars said Borrego did a good job after taking over 70 games into the season following the firing of Willie Green.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he did a heck of a job of sliding over into the seat and kind of keeping the train going,\u201d Dumars said. \u201cWhat James did, I thought, really well this year was he never let the building get completely collapsed. He always tried to keep the team up and positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borrego said Monday there has been no official discussion about his future but made it clear he wants to stay in New Orleans.<\/p>\n
Dumars said he does not have a timeline for hiring a coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy timeline is to get it right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rookies, veterans show promise<\/p>\n
Dumars said rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derrick Queen showed promise despite the ups and downs typical of first-year players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they fought through it, like every rookie has to,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I thought they both finished strong. Obviously, Fears finished incredibly strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dumars praised veteran DeAndre Jordan for his leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a veteran pour into other players like he does,\u201d Dumars said. \u201cInvaluable. When nobody else was looking, he\u2019s pouring into those young guys the exact same way you guys see him during the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dumars also praised Sadiq Bey, who was acquired in a trade last offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe embodies everything that I believe in, in this league,\u201d Dumars said. \u201cHe\u2019s about his business. He\u2019s gonna compete hard every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bey is extension eligible in July, and Dumars said his agent will call to discuss a possible extension.<\/p>\n
Poole trade did not work out<\/p>\n
Dumars acknowledged the Jordan Poole trade did not work out as planned.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just didn\u2019t work for him on the court with us this year,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a tough year for him. But I\u2019ll say this, we still believe in his talent. We still believe that he\u2019s a guy that can help move us forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Message to fans<\/p>\n
Dumars said he understands fan frustration but believes the team is close to winning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI firmly believe we\u2019re gonna win,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think this is some long rehaul process. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the team is in a better position than when he took over the Detroit Pistons, where he was president of basketball operations from 2000 to 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re much further along than when I took over Detroit,\u201d Dumars said.<\/p>\n
The Pelicans do not have a first-round pick in the upcoming draft after trading it to the Atlanta Hawks last offseason to select Queen.<\/p>\n
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