Joe Dumars was a star basketball player in both high school and college in his native h.
Will the Naismith Hall of Famer now get to try to leave his mark in his home state on the NBA level as well?
It seems likely.
¾ٳ out as the ' executive in charge of basketball operations after being fired on Monday, Dumars has reportedly emerged as the frontrunner to replace him.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, is the lead candidate to take over basketball operations for the Pelicans. The Detroit Pistons legend is currently in his third season working in the NBA's league office as the executive vice president and head of basketball operations.
"Hall of Famer Joe Dumars is a serious front-runner to become the lead basketball executive with the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN," . "The Pelicans and Dumars are expected to engage in conversations to finalize a deal by the end of the week, sources tell ESPN."
Dumars, a Shreveport native, was the 2003 NBA Executive of the Year and a 2004 NBA champion with the Pistons.
A talented guard in his playing days, Dumars was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the h Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. The McNeese State product won NBA titles as a player in 1989 and 1990.
The Pelicans went 209-263 during Griffin's six seasons and 109-103 in games Zion Williamson played. Williamson has only played in 45% of his possible games and he's never played a playoff game in his career. The Pelicans made the playoffs in the 2021-'22 season and also last season. Williamson missed the entire 2021-'22 season and was injured right before the playoffs last season.
The team now enters the NBA Draft Lottery with the fourth-worst record in the league at 21-61. The decision as to whether Willie Green will remain the Pelicans' head coach will be up to whoever is hired as Griffin's replacement, a source confirmed to The Times-Picayune.
