The New Orleans Pelicans have had a rough go this season. Billed as a year for the team to improve on a playoff berth, the season has instead gone the other way. The Pelicans currently sit at 10-21, a massively disappointing record for a team with a superstar in Anthony Davis. With the team having not meshed well, and the makeup of the team being less than desirable, it seems as though the Pelicans may be looking to make some changes in their front office (via Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports):
Mickey Loomis, the Saints’ executive vice president and general manager, is likely be given a more overarching role, with a perch that takes him out of the day-to-day decision making of the Saints and puts him in a position that further involves him in the NBA’s Pelicans, also owned by Benson, and involves assuming more macro-level duties with both clubs (the Pelicans have fallen on very hard times as well and are in need of a rebuild).
This is an interesting, and somewhat confusing, bit of information. Loomis is definitely a football guy, as evidenced by his role as general manager of the New Orleans Saints. Giving him more power within the Pelicans organization does not seem like the way to fix their situation. I doubt that Tom Benson, the owner of both the Saints and Pelicans, is looking at Loomis as an actual decision maker in terms of personnel decisions. However, even giving him the authority to have the final say on proposed moves seems redundant at best. While the current Pelicans’ general manager, Dell Demps, has not done a wonderful job of building the team, this decision would not make him better at his job.
If the Pelicans do want to make snap judgments and decisions, the best would be to either fire Demps and start over or bring in an actual knowledgeable consultant, much like the 76ers did with Jerry Colangelo. Giving Loomis more power, whatever that may entail, for an organization that plays a sport he is not involved in is at best more of the same and at worst an unmitigated disaster.
