The incoming text messages of an NBA front-office executive must be fascinating to read – particularly during the offseason – but this was a bit different from fielding trade ideas and proposals. As New Orleans began the process of finding a new head coach in late June and July, Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin started seeing numerous, unsolicited advice in texts from players he got to know in previous NBA stops. The messages delivered an ardent, common theme: “Griff, you need to hire Willie Green.”
The large contingent of current and former NBA players who’ve crossed paths with the 39-year-old Green had read tweets from Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania reporting that Green was a serious candidate in the Big Easy.