The New Orleans Pelicans’ Willie Green problem is only getting worse with the disastrous choices he made against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. The Pelicans’ season was extremely boring and the only real bright spot was the team’s two lottery picks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Not only have they shown All-Star potential, but when they are on the field the team is better, so it would make sense to kill two birds with one stone and start Queen at the five moving forward. This would prioritize the development of the team’s young talent while giving them a better chance of winning matches.
Did Queen start tonight? No, he didn’t, as Green continued to roll with Kevon Looney as the team’s starting center. This not only contributed to the team’s 121-98 loss, but also left the fans in stitches.
After DQ’s 13-point, five-rebound, eight-assist performance against the Spurs, the expectation among fans was that the rookie big would get his first career start against Phoenix. Disappointment struck again as Green chose his veterans over the young talent right in front of him. The pill of not starting Queen would have been easier to swallow if Karlo Matkovic had been the team’s starter. Like Queen, he is young and has serious potential, but it is downright frustrating to see them both miss out on a starting spot because of Looney.
Enough is enough, Green has to go
I understand the team doesn’t have its own first-round pick, and the front office specifically brought in Looney to be the starting center for the team. However, as a head coach you have to adapt, make changes and understand that repeating the same thing will produce the same result.
In theory, starting Looney makes more sense. He’s a veteran and multiple champion, but that hasn’t brought anything positive to this team.
I just can’t think of any logical reason why Queen shouldn’t be starting for this team right now. He hasn’t been bad defensively and his play has looked great lately. His ability to initiate the offense opens things up for this team, and starting him would only accelerate his development. These are all valid reasons why it would make sense for him to start, but Green clearly doesn’t see it that way.
There have been talks and rumors that this front office would fire Willie Green and find another head coach, and if there was ever a time to do it, it’s now. Not only were you embarrassed by an inferior Suns team, but Green continues to hurt the development of your more prized rookies by forcing them off the bench.
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