After missing the playoffs last season, the faith of head coach Alvin Gentry and general manager Dell Demps hung in the balance. On Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans announced both men will be retained at least for one more season.
Speculation about the job status of head coach Alvin Gentry and general manager Dell Demps had been the topic of uncertainty since the conclusion of the season.
On Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans ended that speculation and announced the both head coach and GM will remain at their respective positions for at least one more season.
On behalf of owner Tom Benson and executive vice president of basketball operations Mikey Loomis, the Pelicans released the following statement:
"“After careful and thorough review of basketball operations, we have made the determination that the best course of action as we move forward into the 2017-18 season is to continue under the leadership of General Manager Dell Demps and Head Coach Alvin Gentry,” said Loomis. “We will continue to evaluate important roles on both the administrative and coaching staffs which will be resolved at the appropriate time.”“Our organizational expectations and goals have not changed and all of our efforts are focused on putting together a playoff caliber roster entering training camp and ultimately into the season,” said Benson. “The end result as we move forward – playoffs and winning a championship for our fans.”"
Prior to the arrival of head coach Alvin Gentry, the New Orleans Pelicans went 45-37 during the 2014-15 season to earn an eighth seed playoff spot under then coach Monty Williams. After getting swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round, Williams was fired and subsequently replaced by Gentry.
In the two seasons since Gentry has taken over the head coaching duties, the Pelicans have failed to secure a winning record and missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. Even more concerning, Gentry’s offenses have mostly underperformed despite his expertise on that end of the court.
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Some of the team’s woes can be attributed to injuries over the last two years. However, the inability to surround superstar Anthony Davis with impactful players has been the bigger issue. General manager Dell Demps has been on the hot seat for some time now due to his increasing track record of overpaying for mediocre talent – most notably, Omer Asik.
After many misses, Demps finally had a hit last season and it was a major one. The acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins gave the franchise the jolt it needed and seemingly saved the jobs of both men.
Despite a rocky post-trade start, the Pelicans showed vast improvement late in the season. They went 10-6 during the month of March, including a stretch of 8-3 from March 11-31.
The Pelicans finally relented on the season due to injuries and the realization that the playoffs were too far out of their grasp. Fortunately, ownership saw enough positives to keep the Pelicans leadership in place for at least one more season.
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Now with the cornerstones of the franchise in place with Davis and Cousins, both Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps will be given a chance to prove that they can lead the way as the Pelicans franchise tries to reach the next level.