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NBA: 5 Teams That Should Hire Luke Walton As Head Coach

By Aaron Ferguson

Dec 6, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) talks to head coach Alvin Gentry during the first half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) talks to head coach Alvin Gentry during the first half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are the NBA’s most disappointing team. They’ve opened the 2015-16 season with a 16-27 record after making the playoffs last season. There haven’t been any key injuries, until Eric Gordon was lost for the season on Jan. 19, so it’s a lack of a production that is the problem.

Alvin Gentry was brought in to improve the Pelicans’ defense, writes Sporting News‘ Sean Deveney. But it appears that the Pelicans haven’t adjusted to Gentry’s defensive changes. The Pelicans are tied for fifth-worst in opponent’s points per game, giving up 104.9 points per game. That is much worse than their 11th-best 98.6 points allowed per game from a season ago.

The Pelicans already have a superstar in the making with power forward Anthony Davis. They also return all five starters, so there isn’t much room for their roster to grow. They only have $16.8 million coming off the books, including Gordon’s contract.

The offseason will be a busy one for the Pelicans. They will need to replace Gordon with another scorer, either as a starter or to come off the bench. The Pelicans could do that through the draft, as they are on pace to have a lottery pick.

Whether the Pelicans fire Gentry or not remains to be seen, especially with their three-game winning streak and hope of turning their season around. But if Gentry is fired, New Orleans is another good landing spot for Walton.

Next: Phoenix Suns