Khem Birch(R) takes over from Doc Rivers as head coach
The New Orleans Pelicans announced their newest head coach after Doc Rivers' contract was allowed to expire, signing 42 year old former UNLV Rebel and CSL player Khem Birch. It is his first shot at the brass ring at the CSL level after having coached Long Island in the D-League the last six seasons, and it's anticipated he'll install a pressure-oriented system while living up to the 3 pointer streak made so popular by his college team.
"Understand that we're not going to turn into a run-and-gun team," Birch said at the press conference announcing his hiring. "But what we are going to do is our own version of Tark's Amoeba defense, the Slime Defense. Opponents will get stuck in our relentless sludge and cough up the ball because there's no escape for them."
Otto Porter, Jr. will be Birch's right-hand man
Fresh off a championship ring with Sacramento, 42 year old Otto Porter, Jr., the former CSL All-Star famed for his torrid playoff run during his career, takes on the job of 1st assistant. Several years as the Kings' 3rd assistant translated into a 2nd assistant promotion last season, but the chance to move up to the top secondary chair was too much to resist.
"I look forward to bringing that championship energy to the Pelicans," Porter grinned at the same press conference.
One thing Birch won't have an opportunity to do is swap Sin City stories with Donovan Williams, as he was packaged with three blocks of coaching time and sent to the Boston Celtics for Mychal Mulder in a minor move, New Orleans' first trade this offseason.
Donovan Williams will take his high-flying act to Boston
The 22 year old Williams was drafted on potential to be a solid all-around fifth starter, but his two years in the Big Easy have been anything but. He struggled to find playing time in Baton Rouge his rookie season, and this year in New Orleans, averaging just over 3 minutes in his double-digit appearances for each team. Still, the athleticism is jaw-dropping, as evidenced by two straight appearances in the Slam Dunk Competition, and there might still be hope for him.
Mychal Mulder is excited about the opportunity for regular playing time with a competitive franchise
24 year old Mychal Mulder split time between the D-League and the CSL last season, combining for 42 appearances. Hailed as a 3 point sniper on the level of Corey Krispert and Justinian Jessup, he didn't quite show that his rookie season. Still, analysts project he'll be a sharpshooter, and one who will benefit from the change of scenery.
"I see him as a smallball bench SF in the Pelicans' system," said one scout. "The 3 and steals is really nice to have, and he definitely fits in to the scheme they're plotting on paper. Concerns about the ball skills and on-ball defense are legit, but consider they have a lot of guys there who are solid defenders."
Summer League Results
Another 2-3 campaign in the books, as is par for the course. Oso Ighodaro of course drew the most interest, and he averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks as the starting center, shooting 63.6% from the floor. Curiously, Olivier-Maxence Prosper came off the bench, averaging 10.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks. J.D. Davison put up excellent shooting numbers at 50% from the floor, 60% from behind the 3 point line as he averaged 10.8 points, 6.2 assists to 1.4 turnovers and a steal per game, trying to build his case for a paycheck this summer. Savion Flagg produced 9.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 40.9% from downtown, suggesting his surge after the trade from the Lakers was indeed not a fluke.
But the player who generated the most buzz was last year's #1 overall pick, Cam Whitmore, putting up a team-high 16.6 points with 3.8 rebounds and 2 steals, shooting 56.6% from the floor and 54.5% from downtown. After a rough rookie season from an efficiency standpoint, it seems to suggest the trendlines are pointing up for his sophomore campaign (for comparison, Whitmore averaged 17.4 points on 46% shooting from the field his first summer - showing a 10% increase over his first outing, even with slightly reduced point totals). His +8.6 ON and +18.8 NET were both tops on the team, while Ighodaro's +6.2 ON and +14 NET were third on the roster behind Jaden Hardy, who was part of the 2032 draft class, but has yet to even crack a D-League roster.
In trade-related news, Departing Donovan Williams averaged 5.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on some of the worst shooting ever seen, while Mychal Mulder averaged 7.2 points and 1.6 steals, shooting 43.8% from the field, 35.3% from behind the arc.
Other Trade Rumors
The trade market has been slow going in New Orleans, as predicted. Poku, Tatum, and Quickley have drawn some level of interest each, but all explorations involve massive value loss for the Pelicans, so it does indeed seem likely that the roster will remain largely intact from last season's disappointing end team, and that improvements will come from experiments with the system, along with continued growth from the young players.
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