Pelicans HC Alvin Gentry Reportedly to Travel with Team to NBA's Orlando Bubble

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry will reportedly be with the team in Orlando, Florida, for the NBA season restart. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Gentry received clearance to travel with the team after he had to undergo "further scrutiny" from the NBA because of the risks associated with the coronavirus.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, who also serves as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, told reporters on July 1 that the NBA offered its assurance that coaches wouldn't be prevented from traveling to Orlando based on "age alone."

During an interview on TNT last month (h/t NBC Sports' Kurt Helin), commissioner Adam Silver said some of the league's older coaches may not be able to coach on the bench. 

Silver's concern was based on the World Health Organization's COVID-19 assessment that "older people, and people of all ages with pre-existing medical conditions, appear to develop serious illness more often than others."

A number of NBA head coaches, including Gentry, pushed back against Silver's statement. 

"That doesn't make sense," Gentry told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "How can I coach that way [in a locker room]?"

Per Wojnarowski, Carlisle said he had a conversation with Silver in which the NBA commissioner walked back his initial comments:

"I just spoke to Adam Silver and he admitted that he jumped the gun with his statement to TNT. The health and safety of our coaches is first and foremost. It's entirely possible that an NBA coach in his 60s or 70s could be healthier than someone in their 30s or 40s. The conversation should never be solely about a person's age. Adam assured me that we would work through this together to help determine what is both safe and fair for all of our coaches."

The Pelicans will be without assistant Jeff Bzdelik, who opted out of going to Florida after consulting with team physicians, per ESPN's Andrew Lopez.

Gentry, 65, is in his fifth season as New Orleans' head coach. The Pelicans will enter the season restart with a 28-36 record, 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.