NBA: Head Coaches On The Hot Seat
By Preston Mott
5. Alvin Gentry
The New Orleans Pelicans had high hopes under the first year of Alvin Gentry but failed miserably to meet those expectations. The Pellies recorded a disappointing 30-52 record last season — good enough to find decent talent in the lottery but bad enough to seriously question just how far away they are from reaching the playoffs again.
The biggest reason for the Pelicans’ disappointing season was out of Gentry’s control. The injury bug managed to sink its teeth into a notable portion of the roster last season, causing key guys such as Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, and Mr. Injury himself — Anthony Davis — to miss a significant amount of games.
Signing Davis to a max extension bought the Pelicans some time but they can’t afford to waste away Davis’s prime years. At some point the Pelicans must surround Davis with real talent.
E’Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill headlining as your big free agency prizes aren’t going to cut it. Perhaps Buddy Hield will blossom into a star player in the near future and ease the scoring load off of Davis’s shoulders. Either way, Gentry will be faced with the daunting task of getting this group back to the playoffs this season.
Next: No. 4