“He Never Really Got a Fair Shot”: Paul Pierce Defends Willie Green After Being Let Go as Pelicans Head Coach

The New Orleans Pelicans have begun to usher in a new era following the firing of Willie Green. The writing was on the wall for some time, considering the team’s lack of success. Typically, head coaches are the first to go, but that doesn’t mean all the blame should fall on Green’s shoulders. Paul Pierce certainly believes Green got the short end of the stick.

It’s quite interesting how fast the NBA changes. Just a few seasons ago, people were raving about Green’s abilities as a coach. Green could do no wrong following the Pelicans‘ getting to the playoffs in 2022 and then in 2024. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to build upon that momentum since then.

Green has tried his best to work with what he has. It’s a shame that injuries have derailed any hopes of contention the Pelicans have had. After all, Zion Williamson has only played in 219 out of a possible 490 games. It’s hard to expect any coach to be successful without their best player, which is exactly how Pierce feels.

Last season, the tandem of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Dejounte Murray barely got any time together, with each suffering from one injury after the other. To make things worse, the Pelicans traded BI at the trade deadline.

“Never had a team that was healthy,” Pierce said on the No Fouls Given podcast. “You dealt with Zion injuries the last three or four years. You trade away Ingram, you get rid of CJ McCollum. Then Dejounte’s been hurt. He never really got a fair shot.”

When the Pelicans were relatively healthy, Green made things work. Of course, that was rarer than the team would’ve liked. Three-time NBA champion Danny Green pointed out how that’s not Willie Green’s fault. The blame should fall more on the higher-ups.

“They set him up. They need to be looking at the people above him because he didn’t put the roster together. He can’t control injuries,” Green said.

Unfortunately, head coaches tend to be the scapegoats in these situations. However, now the team can’t put the blame on a coach anymore. It would be delusional to expect the interim coach, James Borrego, to turn things around overnight.

Joe Dumars, the Pelicans’ head of basketball operations, will now have to work even more diligently than before. The light at the end of the tunnel isn’t too bright for New Orleans. His decision to trade their 2026 first-round pick looks worse by the day. Even after firing Green, the Pelicans’ issues haven’t magically vanished. It’ll take a miracle for things to change in the near future.