Rumor: Joe Dumars could take over Pelicans’ front office

Dell Demps is still general manager of the Pelicans, who are a disappointing 12-26 (though injuries certainly contribute). Mickey Loomis – the New Orleans Saints’ general manager – is overseeing Demps.

If that sounds untenable, you’re not alone.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:

Saints GM Mickey Loomis has taken on a greater personnel role above GM Dell Demps, but rival execs understand that move is only temporary. “Mickey is a football guy, not a basketball guy,” one exec said. And at the D-League Showcase, the buzz was getting louder that it’s only a matter of time before former Pistons executive Joe Dumars -- who has a close relationship with Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson -- returns to his native Louisiana to assume control.

This isn’t the first time Dumars has been connected to the Pelicans.

The former Pistons general manager has a mixed record. He astutely and meticulously built Detroit into a team that won a championship and reached six straight conference finals. He also tore apart that group, choosing the wrong players to keep and selling too low on the ones he dumped. Then, he threw good money after bad with a series of poor free agent signings.

If Dumars has learned from his mistakes, if he’s more willing to embrace modern methods, he’d be a strong hire for New Orleans.

But if Dumars insists his previous ways will still work – especially if ownership is pressing him to build an instant winner – it becomes a much dicier proposition.