The Cost Of Leadership

An accounting of the extreme lengths the Pelicans have gone to acquire leaders

Leadership is a theme that has been a frequent visitor in the posts on this substack. It’s not a quality that is easy to define regarding the individuals in a sports organization, but as Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, once said, “I know it when I see it.”

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, I have not seen much leadership from their two best players during this era. Both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have had individual moments and stretches where they have inspired their teammates and driven the bus towards winning. However, there has been a great deal of inconsistency with which the leadership has been delivered. Perhaps the biggest tell that the Pelicans do not value their best players as leaders, despite what they might claim publicly, is the meeting Willie Green had with what I call the “Leadership Junta”. After a disappointing loss to the Lakers at home, Willie Green called a meeting with CJ McCollum, Larry Nance, and Garrett Temple - reported by our good friend Will Guillory of the Athletic. Noticeably absent in the Junta were Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Now of course Williamson was hurt during this time, but that did not prevent him from trying to speak to his teammates after that same loss as Chris Haynes reported during a broadcast. Despite his best efforts, it is to my understanding that this speech was not met with as strong of a reception that Williamson intended. Ingram was injury free at this time and also excluded from the vaunted Junta. These are two max contract and max contract to be players who were not counted on by Green to deliver a message to the team. This does not bode well in my opinion.

Further evidence of how the Pelicans’ view the leadership qualities of Williamson and Ingram resides in their transaction history and actions over the past 4 years. Here is an annual accounting of actions the Pelicans have taken to facilitate leadership one way or another.

2019-2020

• David Griffin told reporters that “this is Jrue Holiday’s team”. Furthermore, in an interview with SiriusXM, Griffin compared Holiday to Nash and promoted him as a future MVP candidate.

• The Pelicans used cap space to sign JJ Redick to a 2 year, $26.5 million deal.

• The Pelicans paid two 2nd round picks to absorb Derrick Favors into cap space.

Context: The events of this season took place in the wake of the Anthony Davis trade. Williamson was a freshly drafted rookie and Ingram was a questionable, yet coveted commodity acquired as part of the Davis trade. It was not reasonable to expect the duo to be leaders and Griffin wisely removed the pressure from them and placed it upon the incumbent Holiday.

Ingram, Ball and Hart came from a high turnover and turbulent environment from the Lakers. In an effort to provide stability and consistent leadership, Griffin spent resources and draft capital to acquire steady veterans in Redick and Favors. I do not fault the Pelicans for taking this approach with a young team. However, there was real opportunity cost in not using the nearly $30 million in cap space to acquire additional assets for the pleasure of taking on unwanted contracts.

The Memphis Grizzlies in the same summer received a 2024 top 4 protected first round pick from the Warriors to take on Andre Iguodala. Iguodala did not end up playing a single game for the Grizzlies and was later sent to the Heat, but the draft pick remains. The Pelicans, meanwhile, flamed out in the Bubble in a rather embarrassing fashion. There were many questions surrounding Williamson’s mysterious departure as well as the overall listless play of the team. The conclusion of the Bubble saw the firing of head coach Alvin Gentry and most of his coaching staff. Derrick Favors left in free agency.

2020-21

• Stan Van Gundy is hired on a reported 4 year contract that paid him over $5 million annually. David Griffin comments, “We feel like we are hiring one of the most accomplished leaders and authentic human beings in the NBA.”

• Jrue Holiday requests a trade and is traded for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, and heavy draft consideration

• The Pelicans went out of their way to add Steven Adams into the Holiday trade, giving up a first round pick and two second round picks in addition to matching salary of Darius Miller, George Hill, and several small contracts.

• The Pelicans immediately extended Adams, adding 2 years, $35 million to his contract. Pelicans sources at the time told me Adams was viewed as a “cultural touchstone” moving forward.

• Pelicans trade JJ Redick for expiring contracts and a second round pick

Context: After the disappointing showing in the Bubble, David Griffin and the Pelicans revamped just about everything about the team. Stan Van Gundy was brought in to be the no-nonsense, defense first coach who would hold the players accountable. Adams and Bledsoe were advertised as tough competitors with playoff experience. Once again, it was not reasonable to expect Zion to be a leader in year two, especially after the injury ridden rookie season. Ingram, meanwhile, was coming off his first all-star appearance and won the league’s Most Improved Player Award. Still only 23, Ingram was just growing into himself as a player. The Pelicans likely felt it was premature to anoint him a leader in the locker.

As the season progressed, the Pelicans were mired with inconsistent effort once again. Zion had a breakout season, earning him his first all-star berth, but it was cut short with injury. Likewise, Ingram continued his improved offensive play but was lacking on defense. He too suffered injuries down the stretch. Behind the scenes, Van Gundy had lost the locker room, with Ingram being a key player who tuned out. JJ Redick was moved at the trade deadline in return for a second round pick and cash considerations. The $13.5 million in cap space used to sign him effectively yielded nothing. George Hill, who the Pelicans sent to OKC, netted two second round picks for the Thunder in a similar deadline trade.

At the conclusion of the season, the Pelicans made the surprising call to fire Van Gundy just one year into his deal. Once again there was a failure on the leadership front and the ability to hold players accountable. Meanwhile the powerful veterans, Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe, were shipped out expeditiously. I’ll get into the details of those costs in the next section, but this made it the second year in a row where the Pelicans fell short and were left disappointed by the leaders in the locker. I don’t put this on Williamson or Ingram squarely, but the need to put leaders around them (and the rest of the young squad) led to these decisions.

2021-22

• Pelicans hire Willie Green. David Griffin touts Green’s “exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect with players, staff and fans alike”

• Pelicans attach two first round picks to move off of Adams and Bledsoe in an effort to create cap space. In return they acquire Jonas Valanciunas and the 17th pick (Trey Murphy).

• Jonas Valunciunas is given a 2 year $30.1 million extension

• Pelicans attempt to use their cap space to aggressively pursue noted leaders, Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul

• Upon failing in the free agency pursuit, the Pelicans expand the Memphis trade and acquire Devonte Graham at the cost of an additional first round pick.

• Pelicans acquire Garret Temple as part of the Lonzo Ball sign and trade and sign him to a 3 year, $15.5 million deal, with the final year full unguaranteed.

• Pelicans acquire CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, a first round pick and two second round picks.

Context: The Pelicans began their summer rapidly undoing the mistakes of the previous year. After an aggressive pursuit of point guards Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry, the Pelicans end up signing Graham. David Griffin told reporters, “As we entered this offseason, we were intently focused upon improving our shooting, leadership and the overall fit of our roster.” Once again, leadership was brought up as an integral reason reason for the changes. The other thing the Pelicans did was draft a relatively older, and mature crop of players in Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, and Jose Alvarado (udfa).

Sadly, before the season even began, Williamson broke his foot and was sidelined for the year. There was a great deal on confusion surrounding the details of his injury and rehab, and at one point, he had to leave the team and rehab in Portland. Questions about his professionalism arose as reports of him not attending workouts and taking his rehab seriously floated out. There was never much clarity given by the Pelicans, and once again they could not rely on Williamson to assume the role of a leader.

Ingram, on the other hand, appeared more bought in than ever. Whatever magic Willie Green was wielding, it was working. Despite a 1-12 start, the team never looked as lost as it did in previous seasons. The Pelicans competed on a nightly basis and Green steadily steered the season back on track. Things were going so well for the Pelicans that they were able to swing a trade for McCollum and Nance.

The trade was an important moment for the Pelicans. They had desperately been searching for a player of McCollum’s caliber to add to their locker room, and Griffin lauded him as a “human being who is unparalleled in the NBA in a lot of ways”. The Pelicans rolled out the red carpet for McCollum and empowered him with a voice, and McCollum immediately embraced it. The notorious “I’m gonna get to the bottom of it” interview that McCollum gave during all-star weekend regarding the Zion situation was the first instance any player on the Pelicans had held another accountable publicly.

McCollum quickly became a prominent voice for the team, both in the locker and on a national stage. He was a much needed vocal proponent of the organization. Alongside McCollum, Temple - a vice president of the player’s union - earned the confidence of Willie Green. It appeared as if the Pelicans finally had some voices that were getting through to their young players, but also a group of young players receptive to the voices. Ingram continued his lead by example type approach, and by the playoffs, Larry Nance had entered the foray. Despite heavy acquisition costs, it appeared the Pelicans finally had the right mix of leadership and veteran experience to lead their group.

2022-23

• Pelicans sign CJ McCollum to a 2 year, $64 million extension

• Pelicans sign Larry Nance Jr. to a 2 year, $21.6 million extension

• Pelicans trade Devonte Graham and 4 second round picks for Josh Richardson’s know how expiring contract

Context: This was an up and down season that saw massive peaks and extreme lows. Williamson started the year healthy and ushered in dominant performances while leading the Pelicans to the first seed in the West. It appeared, very briefly, that Williamson was emerging as the heart and soul of the team. He was bought in on both ends of the floor and driving the team to wins. This had both the team and the fanbase energized. That run was cut short in early January when Williamson strained his hamstring - an injury that would cause him to miss the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile Ingram was having a roller coaster season of his own. The Pelicans slipped precipitously in the standings while Ingram missed over two months to a toe contusion. Reports came out during this time that there was frustration among teammates and the organization regarding Ingram’s approach to the injury. NOLA.com’s Christian Clark reported that “multiple team sources told The Times-Picayune that they believed Ingram was physically capable of returning to the floor well before he did in late January”. Ingram ended up returning, and after an acclimatization period, ended up stringing together some impressive performances late in the season.

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, this was too little too late. The Pelicans lost to the Thunder in the play-in game despite holding home court advantage. After the season ended, CJ McCollum made several comments on the importance of taking care of your body and playing through minor injuries. McCollum played through an ailing thumb injury which would require surgery as well as an injured shoulder.

2023 And Beyond?

The Pelicans have committed over $100 million in salaries to players and coaches and spent nearly a dozen draft picks in search of leadership. This does not begin to account for the opportunity cost of these decisions. Not all of this has been a waste, but the costs have been heavy.

Once again, they are linked to a player in Scoot Henderson, who is being touted as a potential leader for the franchise in the future. We are entering year five of the experiment and neither Ingram nor Williamson have developed into the leaders the organization has hoped for. A large part of this has been their inability to stay on the court long enough. It is clear though, at this point, both players come with a set of limitations that have left the organization frustrated in different ways.

My biggest question here is, how good can a team realistically expect to be when its best players are not leaders in the traditional sense? I have no doubt both players have the ability to inspire in their unique ways, but can they be the leaders a championship caliber team needs? How often do you see championship or championship caliber teams where their best players are not leaders? Taking a cursory glance at the last 10 champions - how many have spent repeatedly and to the extent the Pelicans have to acquire leadership?

I don’t think the Pelicans are dead in the water here, but they have to figure out if continued spending on leadership is sustainable. This was also an issue during the entire Anthony Davis era, and at some point, the experiment has to stop before the costs become exorbitant. For David Griffin’s sake, I hope he finds his white whale soon.