NBA

Pelicans hire Joe Dumars as president of basketball operations

Dumars’ catalog of achievements as an executive is hard to match, but at 61, it’s fair to wonder if the game has passed him by. The league has changed, and many of Dumars’ greatest front office accomplishments — NBA Executive of the Year and NBA champion — happened over 20 years ago. Sure, Dumars has held basketball decision-making positions since then, but this is far from a forward-thinking hire. The Pelicans are in bad shape, and winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes might be the only thing that can save them in the short term.

Grade: D+

NCAAB

Lipscomb hires Kevin Carroll as head coach

This hire makes so, so much sense. Carroll previously served as an assistant coach for the Bisons, so his familiarity with the program will help. After his first stint with Lipscomb, Carroll was the head coach of Trevecca, finding tremendous success at the Division II level.

The recent trend of mid-majors hiring Division II head coaches is strong, but until it leads to consistent failed hires, it’ll likely continue.

Grade: A-