Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez. The Pelicans have made six playoff appearances since moving to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season. He will always be a part of our Pelicans family, and we wish him and his family all the best in the future. Lue and Kidd have both been mentioned in connection with the open Brooklyn Nets coaching job. No one seemed focused on the opportunity to make the postseason. "These types of moves are often about fit and timing," Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin said. USWNT star Crystal Dunn has been traded in a blockbuster NWSL deal. But New Orleans faltered once again this season, starting 6-22 and laboring through a franchise record 13-game losing streak while Williamson missed the first 44 games of the season while recovering from knee surgery. This is about the shared vision of how we’re going to go forward and what this looks like as we build.”. Gentry went 175-225 since his hiring by former Pelicans general manager Dell Demps after the club fired Monte Williams following the 2014-15 season, when Davis was the face of the franchise. Lue, Kidd, and D’Antoni will be expensive and demand five-year contracts. The 2020 Holiday Bowl will not take place this December due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The Pelicans' disappointing year wrapped with a 30–42 season record. He’ll be part of our conversation moving forward. SI's John Garcia is joined by Buckeyesnow Brendan Gulick to discuss what ...read more. “We will not be quick with this at all. “We believe that making a head coaching change is necessary at this time. But the Pelicans were derailed the following season by a combination of injuries and Davis' trade demand, which precipitated Demps' firing. (A sitting coach is always on shaky ground when the management above him changes, as happened with Gentry.) “It’s very difficult to find the right voice with the right group of people that have a shared vision. “I want to thank Alvin for his contributions to the Pelicans and the New Orleans community,” Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. They looked like they were going through the motions, and all season long were less than the sum of their parts. “I want to thank Alvin for his contributions to the Pelicans and the New Orleans community,” Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said. n. The challenge with big-name replacements in New Orleans is money — this is the smallest market in the NBA and ownership has been hit hard by the economic slowdown in the wake of the coronavirus. Gentry's coaching staff remains employed and includes assistant Chris Finch, who Griffin said will be a head coaching candidate for several teams. Our intention moving forward is to find the right head coach that will guide this Pelicans team to compete for championships. "This is far more about finding the right fit and a shared vision for a very young and ambitious group moving forward.”. The story was broken by Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN and soon after confirmed by the organization. That attitude is why the Pelicans fired their coach. That is what our fans deserve.”, Clippers lead assistant Tyronn Lue and Lakers lead assistant Jason Kidd — two veteran coaches who are considered player-friendly — were mentioned as potential replacements by ESPN and Marc Stein of the New York Times. Getty Images Van Gundy’s brother Jeff — a longtime NBA analyst for ESPN — interviewed last week for … The Pelicans rallied back into contention for a playoff berth and were virtually at full health when the season resumed in central Florida late last month after a hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

He also has served as a head coach with Miami, Detroit, the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix, compiling a career coaching record of 510-595. The Pelicans fired 65-year-old coach Alvin Gentry on Saturday after the club missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

The Pelicans excused Gentry with one year left on his contract. New Orleans went 30-42 this season, finishing with just two victories in its final eight games despite the presence of top overall draft choice Zion Williamson and first-time All-Star Brandon Ingram in the lineup until the club was eliminated from playoff contention with two games to play. And it’s our intention that many of our staffers here will continue with the next regime in some form.”, More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "Some of those individuals potentially will be head coaching candidates elsewhere — Chris Finch certainly among them. All Rights Reserved. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), story was broken by Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Two other regulars — Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander Walker — were also 2019 first-round draft choices. Van Gundy replaces Alvin Gentry who was fired in August after five seasons in New Orleans.The Pelicans finished the 2019-2020 season a disappointing 30-42 and in 13th place in the Western Conference. And the Pelicans have a slew of draft picks still to come from last year's trade of Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Gentry came to New Orleans from Golden State, where he was a top assistant under Steve Kerr when the Warriors won the 2015 NBA title. After a disappointing performance in the NBA's … We have a job that we believe is going to be the most attractive in the NBA," Griffin said, adding that the coronavirus pandemic also could slow the timeline for a hire because of the importance he places on getting to know candidates face to face. The story was broken by Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of … “The wins and losses have very little to do with this," Griffin said. It was not a surprise. Odds makers favored them to make the playoffs, but losses in four of six after resuming their season eliminated them from playoff contention. Bryant hasn't played in an NFL game since November 2017. Saturday New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry paid the price for that and was fired, the team announced. Pelicans fire Alvin Gentry after 5 seasons as team's coach, Fact-checking Trump and Biden during 2nd presidential debate, Biden and Trump address national security threat of foreign influence during election, 5 key takeaways from the final presidential debate, FILE - In this March 20, 2020 file photo, New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry watches during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in New Orleans. “All ...read more, Big Ten is back with its first scheduled game between Illinois and Wisconsin, and while  teams are still eligible for CFB Playoff, how will the College Football Committee treat teams that started so late? The key for whoever gets the head coaching job is to form a strong bond with Zion, the future of the franchise, and figure out how to get the most out of him. With all that, no team was as disappointing in the bubble as the Pelicans, who went 2-6. The Pelicans could look at seasoned assistant coaches who have not yet held a top spot — Sam Cassell, Ime Udoka, and there are many others — who could do the job and come at a price more within their budget. Gentry, 65, came to the Pelicans in 2015 from the Warriors (associate head coach), and led New Orleans to a 175–225 record in five seasons.

“We feel very strongly about the assistant coaching staff," Griffin said. On Thursday, Skyy Clark, a 6-foot-3 combo guard from Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, committed to Kentucky over UCLA, North Carolina and Memphis. Gentry was considered on shaky ground before teams flew to Florida and the disappointing play of his team while there led to team VP of basketball operations David Griffin making the change. The Pelicans have fired Gentry, Saturday, Aug. 15, after the club missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. While Griffin declined to answer specific questions about potential candidates, he said he expects the club's coaching search to move deliberately, in part because many candidates are on the staffs of teams that have made the playoffs. Reports of Gentry's departure began swirling before the Pelicans' season-finale loss to the Magic, 133–127, on Thursday. NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans are looking for a new coach to oversee the still nascent Zion Williamson era.

New Orleans marked Gentry's fifth head coaching stop. He dealt with a variety of injuries on his rosters over the years, but still managed to set a record as the only coach in franchise history to have a winning record in the playoffs (5–4). But Griffin asserted during a video media conference that a coaching change might have been forthcoming even if New Orleans had rallied to capture one of the Western Conference's final playoff spots. What you need to know about players who could be on the move and how the pandemic is making teams think about doing business. New Orleans made the playoffs in Gentry's third season, sweeping Portland in the first round before falling to eventual champion Golden State in the second. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Griffin worked with Lue in Cleveland when Lue led the team to its 2016 NBA title as head coach. "We believe now is the right time to make this change and bring in a new voice.". Saturday New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry paid the price for that and was fired, the team announced. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.

Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I truly appreciate Alvin’s leadership, dedication and perseverance through some challenging circumstances over the past five seasons.". “The main thing was my relationship with Coach (Joel) Justus and Coach (John) Cal,” said Clark, a junior at Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy. The wide receiver's status is TBD ahead of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans was already out of postseason contention and struggled during the NBA's restart, going 2–6 in the bubble. This is not a rush. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. © 2020 ABG-SI LLC. On what seemed like a sure-fire touchdown, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones got a little bit ahead of himself.

Gentry was retained even after Demps was replaced by Griffin and the coach's contract was extended through the end of next season. The Pelicans are hiring Stan Van Gundy as their new head coach. New Orleans reportedly is could be interested in Nets interim head coach Jacques Vaughn as well if Brooklyn doesn't retain him. No team entered the NBA restart bubble in Orlando with the buzz of the New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson was back, they had an All-Star in Brandon Ingram and solid veterans such as J.J. Redick and Jrue Holiday around them. “This isn’t going to be done solely via Zoom,” Griffin said.

The Pelicans had three starters this season — Williamson, Ingram and Lonzo Ball — who were younger than 24 and had no playoff experience.