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Alvin Gentry to be named New Orleans Pelicans head coach
Golden State Warriors associate head coach Alvin Gentry has been chosen as the new coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, according to league sources.
Gentry, 60, and the Pelicans agreed to a deal Saturday, with New Orleans choosing the former Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers head coach over fellow finalist Jeff Van Gundy, an ESPN NBA analyst.
ESPN sources say Gentry will finish out the playoffs with the Warriors before taking over as coach of young star center Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. Golden State hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Sources say that a news conference to introduce Gentry as the Pelicans' new coach is unlikely until after the Finals are over.
Gentry has been one of the architects of the Warriors' potent offense. As the lead offensive assistant, players and other assistants looked to him as the one who could draw up a shot for anybody, notably sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Pelicans, sources say, ultimately chose Gentry because they wanted to infuse their offense with more creativity and pace, in hopes of taking advantage of Davis' uncommon gifts for a big man and the athletes on the roster around him.
New Orleans finished 27th in the league in pace last season under coach Monty Williams, whose insistence on playing slow -- but without great success at the other end defensively -- cost him his job after five seasons despite the Pelicans' 45-37 record and surprise trip to the playoffs as the West's No. 8 seed.
The Pelicans also interviewed Van Gundy and new Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles and initially had interest in the freshly fired former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, all of them known as hard-driving, defense-first coaches.
But the fact Gentry won plaudits for his offensive creativity in Phoenix, as well as his contributions to the Warriors' success this season, made him the favorite for the job from the start in many eyes. It also didn't hurt that the Warriors led the league in defensive efficiency almost start to finish this season, convincing the Pelicans that Gentry will also know how to strike the right balance.
Gentry, who reportedly had at least two interviews with the Pelicans, replaces Williams. Williams was 173-221 at the helm of New Orleans before being fired May 12.
Gentry will be the sixth head coach in New Orleans franchise history. Only Paul Silas finished with an above-.500 record, doing so in 2002-03.
Gentry has spent 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, finishing .500 or better in four of them. He led teams to the playoffs two times: 1999 with the Pistons and 2010 with the Suns. That Phoenix team reached the Western Conference finals, losing in six games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pelicans improved dramatically over the past two seasons and began 2014-15 with playoff hopes. They earned the Western Conference's eighth seed on the last night of the season before being swept in Round 1 by Gentry's Warriors.
The centerpiece of the Pelicans is Davis, the 22-year-old, two-time All-Star who averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks this season. Davis had a strong relationship with Williams, calling him "a great coach" and adding "the whole team loves him" a day after New Orleans' season ended.
Gentry, 60, and the Pelicans agreed to a deal Saturday, with New Orleans choosing the former Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers head coach over fellow finalist Jeff Van Gundy, an ESPN NBA analyst.
ESPN sources say Gentry will finish out the playoffs with the Warriors before taking over as coach of young star center Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. Golden State hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Sources say that a news conference to introduce Gentry as the Pelicans' new coach is unlikely until after the Finals are over.
Gentry has been one of the architects of the Warriors' potent offense. As the lead offensive assistant, players and other assistants looked to him as the one who could draw up a shot for anybody, notably sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Pelicans, sources say, ultimately chose Gentry because they wanted to infuse their offense with more creativity and pace, in hopes of taking advantage of Davis' uncommon gifts for a big man and the athletes on the roster around him.
New Orleans finished 27th in the league in pace last season under coach Monty Williams, whose insistence on playing slow -- but without great success at the other end defensively -- cost him his job after five seasons despite the Pelicans' 45-37 record and surprise trip to the playoffs as the West's No. 8 seed.
The Pelicans also interviewed Van Gundy and new Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles and initially had interest in the freshly fired former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, all of them known as hard-driving, defense-first coaches.
But the fact Gentry won plaudits for his offensive creativity in Phoenix, as well as his contributions to the Warriors' success this season, made him the favorite for the job from the start in many eyes. It also didn't hurt that the Warriors led the league in defensive efficiency almost start to finish this season, convincing the Pelicans that Gentry will also know how to strike the right balance.
Gentry, who reportedly had at least two interviews with the Pelicans, replaces Williams. Williams was 173-221 at the helm of New Orleans before being fired May 12.
Gentry will be the sixth head coach in New Orleans franchise history. Only Paul Silas finished with an above-.500 record, doing so in 2002-03.
Gentry has spent 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, finishing .500 or better in four of them. He led teams to the playoffs two times: 1999 with the Pistons and 2010 with the Suns. That Phoenix team reached the Western Conference finals, losing in six games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pelicans improved dramatically over the past two seasons and began 2014-15 with playoff hopes. They earned the Western Conference's eighth seed on the last night of the season before being swept in Round 1 by Gentry's Warriors.
The centerpiece of the Pelicans is Davis, the 22-year-old, two-time All-Star who averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks this season. Davis had a strong relationship with Williams, calling him "a great coach" and adding "the whole team loves him" a day after New Orleans' season ended.
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