The bad news for Monty Williams was good news for the rest of the NBA.
There is now a strong chance that Anthony Davis leaves New Orleans and becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017.
That is the ultimate fallout from Tuesday’s shocking news that the Pelicans had fired Williams after he led them to the Western Conference playoffs, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. The firing came a mere two weeks after owner Tom Benson wrote a public letter to Williams, general manager Dell Demps and the rest of the organization congratulating them on their achievement. An excerpt:
“Dear Monty, Dell and all of the Pelicans Coaches and Players: I wanted to thank each and every one of you for a job well done this past season. We made the playoffs in a very strong finish at the end of the season. That is a tribute to your hard work and determination. You were able to overcome the adversities that face every team, but it was the way you all came together as a team that made us all very proud. Our fans were truly galvanized by your dedication.”
So what the heck happened in the interim?
Clear, concise answers were not forthcoming from front office executive Mickey Loomis, whose fingerprints are all over this move. Loomis, who also is the front-office overseer for Benson’s other team, the NFL New Orleans Saints, is a guy who believes in organizational charts. In his mind, the coach should report to the general manager, and the GM should report to the owner. That was not the case in New Orleans, where Williams and Demps were on equal footing on the organizational chart.
And in the twisted mind of Loomis, if you don’t have a functional organizational chart, you don’t have a fully functional organization.
So he fired Williams.
Idiotic.
What Loomis apparently failed to take account of was the bond that had developed between Davis and Williams, who not only was his coach in New Orleans, but also was his assistant coach with Team USA at the London Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Those were the first two times Davis had traveled overseas, and Williams was his guide, his mentor and his closest companion.
And Davis was not the only Pelicans player who was especially close to Williams. Ryan Anderson and Williams developed a spiritual bond as Anderson went through the grieving process following the suicide of his girlfriend, Gia Allemand, as described in eloquent detail in this article from Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated. Other Pelicans players appreciated how Williams would not push them to play with injuries, knowing full well that making a return even one game too soon had the possibility of taking years of a player’s career.
Columnist Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wrote a piece saying Loomis had fired the wrong guy, saying Demps was the one who deserved to go — if one of them had to go — for surrendering too many future assets in the deals to acquire Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik.
It is a fascinating story, and it will remain a fascinating story for the next several years because Davis is not going to forget how this hatchet job went down. Last time a player of his caliber had this type of beef with management/ownership, he got himself shipped out of town. You may have heard of the guy: Chris Paul.
And in my crystal ball, I foresee Anthony Davis becoming the next Chris Paul.
More in this interview with Kristian Garic and T-Bob Hebert on WWL Radio in New Orleans, the Pelicans’ flagship station.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.