Demps can not blame Anthony Davis for being fired, but an AD exchange request seals his fate | Bleacher's report

Breathe, exhale, New Orleans fans …

A recommendation that every doctor would surely give to this oppressed fan base in what is unquestionably becoming the wildest and wackiest month in the history of the Pelicans franchise.

In a series of unfortunate events, New Orleans has gone from one of the West Conference's darlings during the off-season, which has been reinforced by a sparkling 4-0 start in October, at most Big circus media NBA in less than four months.

Former CEO Dell Demps was sacked Friday, as ESPN.com reported for the first time. Adrian Wojnarowski… will deserve a lot of blame and for good reason. A record 311-388 with the Pelicans in just under nine seasons, with a superstar among the top five at both ends of the mat for most of the course, deserves more than a generic criticism.

The most overwhelming statistic of all, like NBC Sports & # 39; Tom Haberstroh highlighted in a recent column, revealed the total failure of the organization:

"Since that 2012 lottery, Charlotte has won 235-293 (winning percentage .44), by Basket-Reference.com, and has reached the playoffs twice." The Pelicans went to 235-295 (. 443) since they came to Davis.The playoffs have reached the same number of times and have already passed the first round.Charlotte is one of 20 teams with a better record than New Orleans since entering in the league. "

The national television media also decided to put the New Orleans office at the center of its concerns. Rachel Nichols claim "Can any one ask for help from Anthony Davis ?!" on ESPN The jump helped put the conversation on "Can pelicans reverse their fate?" to "When will AD force his way out of this eternal underperforming small markets?"

The fate of Demps was almost sealed once Anthony Davis released his exchange request on January 28, by Wojnarowski. However, it was only when Davis left the Pelicans locker room and left the Smoothie King Center early in the third quarter of Thursday's inferior victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder that the need for his dismissal became immediate.

The term of Demps depended on Davis. The general manager who went from two major franchises never had a lot of time with Chris Paul. Demps performed a series of clever maneuvers (including an exchange for Trevor Ariza in August 2010) during his inaugural season (and a sixth for CP3), but the team did not meet the expectations of Paul after an exit of round 1 against the Lakers of Los Angeles, second seeded. in the playoffs of 2011.

The basketball gods shone the spotlight on Demps in his third season at the helm, giving him Davis with first overall and Austin Rivers 10th. However, rather than building a young core around Davis with successive drafts, Demps had a penchant for acquiring young veterans instead of cost-effective talents, and he placed the Pelicans in a precarious position now-and-now . Few people have praised this strategy.

Pelicans have unloaded most of their first-round picks in Demps's mandate for young veterans. Rivers, Nerlens Noel, Elfrid Payton, Sam Dekker, Buddy Hield, Zach Collins and Chandler Hutchison turned into Quincy Pondexter, Jrue Holiday, Omer Asik, DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Nikola Mirotic.

While the unloading of these choices is a madness on paper, Demps managed to thwart the national conversation by winning the great exchange for DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Omri Casspi during the 2017 All-Star Weekend in exchange for Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Hield and what else. to become Collins.

Demps has built a core unlike any other in the NBA, with Davis, Cousins ​​and Holiday approaching their leading roles. On January 26, 2018, the Pelicans appeared to be all opponents of the Golden State Warriors facing the Western Conference, having defeated the favorite for the nomination (the Houston Rockets) on their floor on January 27, 2018 to reach 27-21.

But we all remember what followed: Cousins ​​was missing for a year after tore his Achilles in the final moments of this fight.

Should we go back to the end of the time that Davis and Demps devoted to New Orleans at this inescapable moment in the history of pelicans?

What about the perpetual rate of unlucky franchise in the franchise?

According to InStreetClothes.com (via Haberstroh), only the Philadelphia 76ers have lost more player games following an injury over the past five seasons. In the only current campaign, the Pelicans lost 97 competitions to the detriment of Davis, Mirotic (traded to Milwaukee), Payton, Randle and Moore. Head Coach Alvin Gentry was forced to draw 24 different starting lineups in just 59 games.

Can the complaint be added to another among a series of disadvantages of small markets? Tyreke Evans, Julius Randle, Solomon Hill, Rajon Rondo and E & # 39; Twaun Moore have been among the most outstanding acquisitions of free agents during his tenure.

A litany of excuses that extends as long as the Mississippi River will never be enough to save Demps from his fate, but his most notable disadvantage is one that decides his future: Davis.

"I think about it all the time," Davis said in a candid interview with Wojnarowski in December 2017. "I hear these TV shows and see social media." They say [Kristaps] Porzingis. They say Giannis [Antetokounmpo]Joel [Embiid]. And it's good I'm just going to play basketball. "

Davis went on to talk of "winning" as his main goal, and the pelicans did it. A 21-13 finish in the 2017-18 season – without the Cousins ​​- led to a first round sweep of the Blazers that was supposed to give AD the satisfaction it wanted.

Fast forward to this season: A team consisting of two players from the first defensive defense team of 2017-18 has the seventh worst defense in the league, according to NBA.com.

"We broke down," Davis told reporters after the embarrassing clunker of the Pelicans (118-88) against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. "It seemed like nobody was interested in playing, and when you play like that against a fighting team, you have to expect that result."

Once the details of Davis' desire to travel to Los Angeles seemed to become clear, the evidence suggested that victory and legacy may not have borne the weight that many thought previously. Davis may be interested in winning, but he seems to be paying special attention to a fresh start – something he would never find in New Orleans.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Davis's favorite destination, by Wojnarowski, sitting just three more victories than the Pelicans in the Western Conference standings despite all the difficulties of New Orleans. Although it's fair, Davis could be ready to win a title this year at LA, knowing that LeBron and he would be closer to a championship with the Lakers in 2019-20 than he would be with the pelicans.

According to CBS Boston's Matthew Geagan, the desired Celtic Pelicans' partner was openly dismissed by AD's father, who cited loyalty as the main blocking point only days after his son asked for an exchange.

"I would never want my son to play for Boston after what they did to Isaiah Thomas," said Anthony Davis's father, Ramona Shelburne, of ESPN.com.

According to FanSided's Ryan Snellings, the Los Angeles Clippers have been shortlisted from AD, although they unceremoniously landed franchisee Blake Griffin last winter, puzzling him for worry about the loyalty of Davis Sr. (if he is indeed a public voice for his son).

Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, have earned the right to create their future together. According to the collective agreement, the players' obligations only extend over the duration of their contracts. Franchises in almost all registered cases have at least six seasons to try to gain the trust and continued participation of a player.

Davis controls his right to play wherever he wants. And the pelicans graciously left him the minutes he desired after his request for an exchange, even though many people in New Orleans have claimed for him to spend the rest of his life. the season.

Davis told reporters that he regretted nothing of the Pelicans' victory last Friday on the Minnesota Timberwolves, but sources told Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com that he had specifically apologized to owner Gayle Benson for everything that had happened since the public had been informed of his exchange request.

If he could come back and redo everything, would he wait until the summer? Would that have given Pelicans the chance to sneak into the playoffs, possibly guaranteeing a longer future for Demps?

It is possible that Davis only cares about winning. Russell Westbrook is portrayed as the prime example of the small market superstar who is not afraid to play jokes, and enjoys an appearance in the NBA Finals for two trips to the Western Conference Finals .

Nevertheless, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles continue to be tied to Davis, as well as Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But what have these franchises exhibited in recent history to deserve such consideration?

New Orleans can never hope to compete with the national attention that New York and Los Angeles can provide to their players. He can not compete with the media on LeBron James.

Was it up to Demps to discover the true motives of the young superstar in July? Or was he supposed to do it in September after Davis signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports (James' agency)?

Should all GMs in small markets acquire young talent, take out six, and then offload all the extremely valuable assets for smaller premiums? Rinse, recycle, repeat? Never take a chance on a longer, brighter future?

And regarding the dismissal of Demps, why make that decision now? Why not wait for the off season? This move gives pelicans plenty of time to walk the NBA landscape and find the best possible target. Do not forget that the June 20 draft NBA will likely figure prominently in future plans.

The former general manager of the Cavaliers, David Griffin, who recently spoke openly about the Pelicans and their trade negotiations, is already on the list of potential candidates to replace Demps, according to Wojnarowski.

In the meantime, Danny Ferry, who was special advisor to the general manager, will assume the role of Demps.

Ferry was congratulated for his work in Atlanta, where his team has collected 60 impressive wins without benefiting from a foolproof superstar in 2014-15.

The future general manager of the pelicans should not continue to report to the executive vice president of basketball operations, Mickey Loomis. Instead, the General Manager will deal directly with Benson. That would have been at the request of Loomis, who wishes to focus solely on football in the future. This should make the occasion a little more attractive for potential candidates.

The pelican season is lost, but not the future. With the redesign of the front-office at top speed and the team stuck in contracts with Holiday, Jahlil Okafor, Kenrich Williams and Frank Jackson, pelicans could resume the West Conference conversation sooner than some people think .

AD will be gone for a long time.

If Davis fails to get the success that he hopes in the playoffs, will history remember Demps for his failures in New Orleans or will he hold AD more accountable?

Demps is responsible for his failures and Davis should be tied to his. The two men have failed together and will leave New Orleans under a veil of disappointment and regret, at least for the moment.