Fansided

10 worst NBA front offices

By John Buhler

Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 22, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry holds up a jersey with executive vice president Mickey Loomis (left) and general manager Dell Demps (right) during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry holds up a jersey with executive vice president Mickey Loomis (left) and general manager Dell Demps (right) during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

. West. Southwest. New Orleans Pelicans. 2. player. 69

Entering the 2015-16 NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans were receiving tremendous hype as a serious dark horse contender in the Western Conference behind star power forward Anthony Davis. Davis had an All-NBA season in 2014-15 and had the Pelicans in the Western Conference Playoffs for the first time since their rebrand. The sky was the limit for Davis and his team.

Well, that was all smoke and mirrors, as the Pelicans easily had the most massively disappointing season in 2015-16 of any team in the Western Conference. Davis couldn’t stay healthy and frankly nobody else on the roster could either. General manager Dell Demps had put together an atrocious roster of often-injured players complimented by basically D-Leaguers.

If Davis had a healthy 2015-16, things might have been different for the Pelicans instead of finishing with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Buddy Hield selection at No. 6 was a smart move and so was bringing in former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry into the New Orleans front office, but the Pelicans’ 2015-16 season was a complete disaster thanks to Demps, team president Mickey Loomis, and owner Tom Benson.

Firing former head coach Monty Williams after qualifying for the NBA Playoffs was weird. Choosing failed interim head coach with the Phoenix Suns in Alvin Gentry when Tom Thibodeau was available was beyond painful.

New Orleans was a top 10 offense in 2014-15, but were mediocre at best defensively. Gentry was the former defensive guru with the Golden State Warriors. Not only did offense suffer in Gentry’s first year in the Crescent City, but the Pelicans defense was one of the three worst in the league. Thibodeau took a year off and now has one of the best gigs in basketball coaching the exciting Minnesota Timberwolves.

Benson is in his 80s and owns the city’s premier sports franchise in the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. Loomis does work for both organizations, with the Pelicans clearly taking a back seat to the Saints, despite Davis having the potential to be better than Jimmy Graham and possibly Drew Brees.

There’s like this absentee component to the Pelicans front office, leaving Demps in way over his head. Getting Ferry will help, but New Orleans still has a roster of bad contracts and players that just aren’t good enough to help Davis get into the Western Conference Playoffs. His talent is too good to be squandered, which is exactly what New Orleans is doing for him.

Next: 1. Sacramento Kings.

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