Is it time for Pelicans to clean house?

With seven games remaining in the regular season, it’s not looking good for the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite Wednesday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, they trail the Portland Trail Blazers by 4.5 games for the eighth seed in the Western Conference standings and have a 0.2 percent chance of making the playoffs.

General manager Dell Demps and head coach Alvin Gentry have been rumored to be on the hot seat for what will presumably be the Pelicans’ second year in a row of missing the playoffs, which begs the question: Is is time for the Pelicans to clean house?

Since Demps took over in 2010, the Pelicans have made the playoffs just twice. The most recent came during the 2014-15 season, after which Demps made the questionable decision to fire then-head coach Monty Williams, who was well-liked by the players, including the franchise’s marquee player, Anthony Davis.

Demps replaced Williams with Gentry, who went 30-52 in his inaugural season with the Pelicans, though it didn’t help that almost the entire team battled injuries, including Davis who was shut down after 61 games with knee and shoulder injuries.

This season, however, the Pelicans fielded a healthy squad for the most part, and Gentry still couldn’t get the job done, not even with two of the best big men in the game. New Orleans shook things up before the trade deadline last month, acquiring All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins from the Sacramento Kings. But the Pelicans have gone 9-9 with Cousins in the lineup, failing to take advantage of a big-time opportunity.

Steve Kyle of Basketball Insiders reported Thursday that Gentry, despite signing a four-year deal in 2015, will probably be let go. As for Demps, he’s not safe either:

A few league sources peg the New Orleans Pelicans as a team that is going to make sweeping changes once their season ends in eight games.

The Pelicans have long been rumored to be the next stop for former Piston’s executive Joe Dumars, who is a Shreveport, Louisiana native and has close ties to the ownership and leadership of the Pelicans and Saints organization.

League sources said recently that Dumars has been active in the NBA front office circles, scouting players and reconnecting to the process.

With Cousins under contract for one more season, the Pelicans don’t have time to wait. It’s definitely time to clean house and start over with a new GM and new head coach.

About Marcelo Villa