New Orleans Pelicans might enter the next NBA season with a new head coach on their bench. According to multiple reports, Pelicans’ current HC Alvin Gentry is on the hot seat after the team’s disappointing performance since the NBA season restart.
William Guillory, Pelicans beat writer for The Athletic, reported in his recent piece that NBA’s “worst-kept secret” is that Gentry’s time with the organization “won’t last much longer.” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, on the other hand, also indicated that New Orleans’ front office is considering a coaching change.
Wojnarowski suggested that Pelicans’ new executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin already has LA Clippers assistant Ty Lue and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd as his preferred choices for the position. Griffin won the NBA championship with Cleveland Cavaliers while Lue was Cavs’ head coach, while he worked with Kidd during his time with Phoenix Suns.
New Orleans Pelicans entered the Orlando bubble with good chances of making the playoffs, but have found themselves out of the race with two games left to play in the regular season. Most of the blame went to Gentry, with many believing that he failed to maximize the potential of Pelicans’ young and talented squad. The 65-year-old particularly raised eyebrows with his handling of star rookie Zion Williamson’s playing time since the restart.
Alvin Gentry joined the Pelicans in 2015, guiding the team to just one winning season and trip to playoffs since then. Gentry previously also served as the head coach of Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, LA Clippers, and Phoenix Suns.
