Alvin Gentry to Pelicans: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry will now have one eye on the NBA Finals and one eye on how he'll utilize Anthony Davis next season.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced on Saturday that Gentry will be the team's next head coach:
ESPN's Marc Stein initially reported the news and also added that Gentry is going to finish the postseason with the Warriors:
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported the contract will be a four-year deal.
Stein added that former NBA head coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy was also in the running prior to the decision to go with Gentry.
Gentry has been one of the hotter coaching candidates this year after his role in the Warriors' success. Both he and fellow assistant Ron Adams have received a lot of credit for the team's league-leading record and Dubs head coach Steve Kerr's seamless transition to the sidelines. It was only a matter of time before Gentry ran his own team again.
He wasted little time in filling his coaching staff with quality, hiring defensive guru Darren Erman away from the Boston Celtics on June 2, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Kerr also gave Gentry his blessing to pursue any head coaching vacancies this offseason.
"He's not missing any work," Kerr said of Gentry's pursuit of a head coaching position, per John Reid of NOLA.com. "As long as it comes on an off day, I'm fine with it. I want every member of our staff to embrace any opportunities that come their way regardless of what they are, and as long as it doesn't interfere with our game planning, which it hasn't."
Gentry has a 335-370 record in his 12 seasons as a head coach. His last stop came with the Phoenix Suns, with whom he had the unenviable role of essentially succeeding Mike D'Antoni—Terry Porter coached 51 games for Phoenix after D'Antoni left before Gentry took over to start the 2008-09 season.
Although his tenure with the Suns ended with just one trip to the playoffs in five years, many view his hiring in New Orleans as a coup for the organization. Both CBS Sports' Matt Moore and the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur are fans of the move:
"Gentry’s a home run hire.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 30, 2015"
Gentry will be tasked with helping both Davis and the Pelicans as a whole take the proverbial next step. New Orleans' run to the playoffs this year was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Now that the team reached that goal, simply getting into the postseason and exiting in the first round won't be enough in the future.
Meanwhile, Gentry's departure will leave a big hole for the Warriors next year. However, Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick doesn't think Kerr will struggle to find a quality replacement:
"Alvin Gentry in New Orleans + modified Suns/Warriors offensive system + Anthony Davis = yes please
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 30, 2015"
There's no question that Gentry's basketball acumen was invaluable to Kerr, but as long as Kerr surrounds himself with another excellent assistant heading into the 2015-16 season, both he and Golden State shouldn't be much worse for wear.
