The New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Alvin Gentry on Saturday.
Gentry has one year left on his contract. Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant Jason Kidd, Los Angeles Clippers assistant Ty Lue and former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson are expected to be part of the Pelicans coach search, according to Andrew Lopez and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn could also be a candidate if he doesn’t stay with the Nets.
“I want to thank Alvin for his contributions to the Pelicans and the New Orleans community,” Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said. “We believe that making a head coaching change is necessary at this time. I truly appreciate Alvin’s leadership, dedication, and perseverance through some challenging circumstances over the past five seasons.”
Benson added, “Our intention moving forward is to find the right head coach that will guide this Pelicans team to compete for championships. That is what our fans deserve.”
Gentry was hired by the Pelicans in 2015 after he won a championship as part of the coaching staff of the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans were 30-42 and were eliminated from playoff contention with two games left. They missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Gentry went 175-225 with the Pelicans. His 175 wins place him second all-time in Hornets/Pelicans franchise history behind Byron Scott. He is the only coach in Pelicans history to have a winning record in the playoffs (5-4).
With Gentry’s firing the Pelicans join the Nets and Chicago Bulls as teams that are looking for new coaches.
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