The tone of the conversation around the New Orleans' Pelicans immediate future was notably upbeat on ESPN's NBA Countdown this week, but the execution wasn't quite perfect.
Throughout a conversation ahead about Pelicans EVP David Griffin's words regarding a potential max extension for star forward Zion Williamson, former NBA and ex-Pelicans player Kendrick Perkins still seemed to be working on an outdated flowchart of the team's hierarchy.
"Remember, David Griffin is not the ultimate shot-caller in this situation," Perkins said. "Mickey Loomis is, who runs the New Orleans Saints. He's the ultimate decision-maker."
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The conversation took place Friday evening ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which was carried on ABC. Michael Wilbon, Jalen Rose and host Mike Greenberg each spoke following Perkins' claims, and none offered a corrective.
Perkins' claim is, of course, mostly incorrect. Griffin's title of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations does leave room above him, but only for team president and owner Gayle Benson. Griffin was appointed as the lead executive to run the team, so far all intents and purposes he is the final shot-caller. Swin Cash is also a Vice President of Basketball Operations, and Trajan Langdon is General Manager all of whom have a large say in front office decisions.
Perkins can at least be forgiven for being a bit confused at the jump, considering Loomis did have the final say in such decisions during the former NBA center's season in New Orleans (2015-'16). Loomis did hold Griffin's current title from 2012-'19, a setup that admittedly didn't make a ton of sense. He has been the Saints' GM since 2002, and had more than enough responsibility on that end to keep him busy.
With that in mind, Perkins and his fellow expert panelists should be happy to learn that Griffin has been the "ultimate shot-caller" for the Pelicans since coming on in 2019, and Loomis has gladly focused his time leading the other of Benson's teams. The same way Loomis is in charge of the Saints, Griffin is in charge of the Pelicans. But that hasn't stopped the criticism from continuing to claim an NFL front office is leading an NBA team. A Pro Football Focus podcast made a similar point earlier this year in the opposite sense, claiming that Loomis' NBA duties might be keeping him too busy from managing the Saints well.
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Beyond that flub, though, Perkins and others spoke clearly on how the Pelicans should proceed: Give Zion a max deal this summer, the first that he is eligible. As Perkins pointed out, the bigger question is whether there are workout, weight, performance or other stipulations included, not unlike the Philadelphia 76ers did with Joel Embiid's deal a few years back when he struggled to stay healthy to start his career.
"It just comes down to whether they're going to try to do an Embiid-type contract, which if I'm Zion Williamson's agent, I want everything guaranteed," he said.
Wilbon and Rose agreed that the Pelicans need to keep Zion in-house, and the team is set up for success with the core of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and several up-and-coming players after an inspiring postseason run in which they pushed the top-seeded Suns to 6 games in the first round.
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"They've got everything on that team ... to anchor that lineup. What are they missing? They look like they're going to be a contender, at least a threat in the Eastern Conference for years to come," Wilbon said. "I know he has to be a healthy Zion, but to have a healthy Zion, you have to have Zion. So this, to me, is a no-brainer."
The conversation was stemming from Griffin's statement that extending Williamson was a "pretty easy decision," while speaking on the Ryen Rusillo podcast.
Williamson's situation was in question earlier in the year, but any contentious situation that existed appears to have been resolved. The star forward missed the entirety of his third NBA season with a foot injury, but he rejoined the team late in the season and late spoke to the media reaffirming his commitment to the team. The Pelicans also shared images of Williamson with the team during offseason workouts, and all appears to be on the right track for a return in the 2022-'23 season.