METAIRIE, La. (AP) — As Pelicans coach Willie Green took repeated questions about his job security, he kept calm and expressed empathy toward the very New Orleans fans that have made him the object of their ire.

“When you take these positions, this is what comes with it,” Green said as his 0-6 team prepared for Tuesday night’s home game against Charlotte.

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“There is no way around that,” Green continued. “If the team doesn’t do well or doesn’t start the way you want it to, I’m up front and center.”

Not only have the Pelicans opened on a six-game skid, but three of those losses have come by 31 or more points.

Green said the only way forward is “turning the page” on a dreadful past two weeks.

“Obviously we’re all disappointed, frustrated with our start,” said Green, not that he speaks daily with first-year basketball operations chief Joe Dumars. “We continue to come in, work at it and address it.”

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Green is now in his fifth season as the Pelicans’ coach. New Orleans has made the postseason in three of those four seasons, but has yet to finish as a top-six seed in the tough Western Conference.

Twice, the Pelicans advanced past the play-in tournament before losing first-round playoff series to Phoenix in 2022 and Oklahoma City in 2024. In 2023, the Pelicans were eliminated in the play-in stage by Oklahoma City.

Last season, the Pelicans were plagued by injuries, including to star power forward Zion Williamson, and lost the last seven games of the regular season to finish second to last in the West at 21-61.

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“We are definitely in a spot where we need to win games,” forward Trey Murphy III said. “We are not happy with what’s going on right now.

“We are going to have to go out there and fight and compete,” Murphy added. That’s the biggest thing.”

Murphy takes heart in the fact that as a rookie, during the 2021-22 season, the Pelicans started 1-12, but finished strong to narrowly qualify for the play-in before advancing to the playoffs.

It’s not about how you start.,” Murphy said. “It’s how you finish.”

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While Dumars has doubled-down on oft-injured Williamson as New Orleans’ franchise player, he made a number of roster changes this past offseason. New players in starting or more prominent reserve roles include free-agent signings Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Saddiq Bey. He also drafted guard Jeremiah Fears seventh overall before trading back into the first round to take forward Derik Queen with the 13th overall pick.

New Orleans’ early season depth also has been effected by an injury to Looney and guard Dejounte Murray’s prolonged recovery from his Achilles tear last season.

“Not to make any excuses, but it’s a new group playing against really experienced teams,” Green said when asked about his club’s three blowout losses. “With Boston, Denver and OKC, if you don’t compete for 48 minutes — play hard and play together against groups like that — they expose you.

“I totally understand the frustration from fans,” Green added. “We all feel the same way, and we want to get it right.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Brett Martel, The Associated Press