METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Joe Dumars grinned when Zion Williamson’s name came up during the 61-year-old Hall-of-Famer’s formal introduction as the New Orleans Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations.
“At the league office, I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times,” said Dumars, who spent the past three seasons as the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations — a job that included oversight of player conduct.
“I won’t go into those conversations. But we talked since then, and I’ve talked to Zion since I became the EVP here, and we had exceptional conversations on the phone.”
That’s the extent of what Dumars chose to say about Williamson on Tuesday, a week after his hiring. The topic is sure to come up again this offseason, as Dumars goes about determining the path forward for a franchise coming off its worst record (21-61) in two decades.
Williamson, drafted first overall out of Duke in 2019, is still just 24. He has averaged 24.7 points in 214 games, showing the potential to be a transformational star. But injuries have sidelined him for 258 regular-season games, as well as every postseason contest New Orleans has played since he was drafted.
Then there have been some unsavory off-the-court episodes with romantic partners splashed all over social media, some of which very well could have been the topic of Dumars’ past talks with Williamson. And Williamson was suspended one game this season for being late for a team flight.
In his general comments at team headquarters, Dumars indicated that his tolerance for players who are unreliable on the court and irresponsible off of it will be low.
“You have to set standards — and you can’t waver from those standards,” Dumars said.
Standards that change over time are not conducive to elite basketball, Dumars said, adding, “That’s not elite anything when you allow things to just slide.”
Just two players attended Dumars’ introduction: guards CJ McCollum and Jose Alvarado. Also in attendance was coach Willie Green, who has one year left on his contract, and whose future with the club remains in limbo.
Dumars was largely complimentary about Green, a native of Detroit, where Dumars won two NBA titles as a player with the Pistons before winning a third as general manager.
“I’ve been knowing Willie forever — great man,” Dumars said.
Dumars is taking over for David Griffin, who was fired last week after a six-year stint that began with the drafting of Williamson.
What Dumars intends to change remains unclear. He was noncommittal about his plans, saying he wanted to spend more time meeting everyone and spend a lot of time listening.
“Griff did some nice stuff,” Dumars said. “You got some nice pieces here. It’s a hard job.”
This past season, the Pelicans were done in largely by extended injury absences involving not just Williamson, but all of their starters. That’s another area in which Dumars aims to “find out what’s happening,” adding that he doesn’t want to “come in with any preconceived notions.”
The Pelicans announced Dumars’ hiring just two days after firing Griffin. The club never discussed other candidates or a search process for Griffin’s successor.
Gayle Benson, who owns both the Pelicans and the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, described a relationship with Dumars that grew considerably while he worked at NBA headquarters. Something she liked most about him, she said, was that he will “always give you straight, truthful and honest feedback, even when it’s not what you want to hear.”
She also touted Dumars’ Louisiana roots; he grew up in Natchitoches, played in college for McNeese State and is an unabashed Saints fan.
“As a proud native of Louisiana, he knows how important our teams are to our community,” Benson said. “He and I have spoken about this.”
She added that Dumars “has my full support to make any decision he deems necessary.”
Dumars, who has made Michigan his primary family home, said he was happy working for the NBA in New York and wasn’t looking to leave until Benson reached out to him.
“Sometimes opportunities come along and, you know, right place, right time, right people,” Dumars said.
One of the first steps toward success, Dumars said, is to “fill your building with like-minded people.”
“We want people that are going to embrace New Orleans,” Dumars said. “They’re going to embrace being in this city, in this state.”
