Joe Dumars was perfectly happy in his previous job, head of basketball operations in the NBA league office where he, in part, meted out discipline across all 30 teams.
It would've taken a perfect opportunity, at the perfect time, in the perfect place. That's what the Louisiana native believes he's found with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he's taken over this week as the new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
"I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think that we could build and become winners here and so that was the whole purpose for me coming, otherwise I would’ve stayed where I was," Dumars said, speaking during his official introduction at the team practice facility in Metairie. "I think you have to be able to pick the right place, the right time, the right people, the right team. ... You’ve got to know what you can do, what you can't do. You’ve got to know what works for you, what doesn’t work for you. I just think New Orleans works for me.”
Dumars made it clear that in his conversations with team owner Gayle Benson, building something for Louisiana was a major motive. When a winning product goes on the floor, any questions about the basketball interest level in the city and state will disappear, he says.
It's a job that will carry more than its share of challenges as he takes over the role previously held by David Griffin for the past 6 seasons. Dumars said one of the things that sold him on the team was its array of young talent, even if a large chunk of it was hurt during a season that ended with the worst record since the team rebranded to the Pelicans.
A return to the playoffs appears to be a long way off, but that's not where things will start for the NBA Hall of Famer who was one the NBA's executive of the year and a champion as the leader of the Detroit Pistons. It starts with a culture, which he says is built through consistency. It's also about reflecting the city of New Orleans and the resiliency it's always embodied.
"This organization, we’re gonna do things the right way and we’re not gonna waver from that and I think culture is that," Dumars said. "It’s what you see every day when you come in. It can’t fluctuate from day to day, it can’t fluctuate from win to loss. That’s what culture is and that’s how you get there. That’s how you get to playing in June every year.”
The Pelicans hold the 4th best odds to pick No. 1 overall in the upcoming NBA draft.
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Did you have any edicts or mandates coming into the job?
“None whatsoever. I read that last week, that I had a mandate and I was just like, if I have, nobody’s called me and told me that. No, really, absolutely zero. When me and Mrs. Benson talked, she really just said what she said here. She said to me, she said ‘Joe, I would love to know what it feels like to win an NBA title.’ That was it, that was as close to as an edict as you would get, and so I intend to do just that, what you just said, once I get to know people first, because I don’t know the culture inside the building. ... I’m slowly starting to do it now and, like, talk to everyone, but no mandate, I mean, zero, nothing like that.”
What is your relationship with Zion Williamson
“I will say this, at the league office I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times, so I do have a relationship with Zion that started in my role at the league office. I won’t go into those conversations there, but we’ve talked since then and I’ve talked to Zion since I became EVP here, and we had exceptional conversations on the phone, actually I’ve talked to every player. Willie and I talked, what, five minutes, Willie, on the phone, something like that. We talked for a couple minutes on the phone, but I’ve talked to every player … I’ve called every player and talked to each one of them individually, so yea, I’ve tried to reach out and made sure I’ve touched these guys and let them know let’s go, it’s time. It’s time here in New Orleans.”
Thoughts on the extreme number of injuries the team has battled
“Find out what’s happening. You see it from afar. I’m watching it this past season, I’m watching all the injuries happen here and, you know, I don’t know exactly what’s happening and so as I said before, I’ll sit and talk with medical staff and all of the health and performance people and at some point I’ll get to sit down with them, this week, hopefully, and just kind of get a handle on what’s been going on, what’s been happening, why are these injuries happening, what are your thoughts on this. I think that’s the best thing that you can do is listen to the people who are dealing with this on a daily basis. Don’t come in with any preconceived notions because I wasn’t here, I don’t know what happened.”
What qualities do you look for in draft picks
“Whether it’s a top four pick or whether it’s the 50th pick, the approach that guys take to this is like, look, you’re not gonna be successful just with talent alone. There are some intangibles that you have to have. ... You’ve got to want to be great. Like, every player in the NBA is not striving to be just great. So, you’ve got to figure that out, like, does this guy really want to be great. You’ve got to have the intangibles. Is he a worker, is he gonna show up, does he have toughness. You know, all of those intangible things besides the, he can run fast, he can jump high, he can shoot the ball. Once you get past that, I can see that, anybody in here can see that. What you don’t know is what’s here, like, does this guy have it, and so that’s the part that you have to put a tremendous amount of emphasis in with your staff, to dig in, to find out what’s this guy made of. Does this guy really want to be great. Is he gonna come here and be a part of the culture here, is he gonna buy in, those are the things for me, whether it’s the draft, free agency, trade, those are things I want to know more than anything else and with all of my staffs I’ve always said that."