As an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, Alvin Gentry is currently helping head coach Steve Kerr ready their team for the Western Conference Finals. But Gentry stepped away from the Warriors for a little bit last night to focus on another team - the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to ESPN, the Warriors gave the Pelicans permission to interview Gentry for their open heading coaching position. And according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, New Orleans president Mickey Loomis and general manager Dell Demps flew to San Francisico to chat with Gentry.
New Orleans Pelicans president Mickey Loomis and general manager Dell Demps are meeting with Golden State Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry on Monday night in San Francisco, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Golden State granted permission for Gentry, the associate head coach, to interview for the head-coaching vacancy between playoff series, sources said.
Gentry is selling the idea of bringing an offensive system to New Orleans that would benefit star Anthony Davis, in part the way he did for NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry under Steve Kerr with the Warriors, league sources said.
A large part of Golden State's success this season has been because of Gentry. He worked with Kerr to put in an offensive system that became the second most efficient offense in the NBA this season. So it is no surprise that the Pelicans would want Gentry to try and do something similar in New Orleans.
Last season Gentry was an assistant coach with the Clippers and before that he was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns for over three years. He has a ton of experience and could potentially be a good fit for the Pelicans. However, he has repeatedly stated that he is happy in Golden State. Only an unique situation could cause Gentry to leave the Warriors but that is what the Pelicans are offering - a chance to help mold Anthony Davis into a MVP while building the team around him. How more unique can you get?
The Pelicans are also rumored to be interested in Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau but he still has two years left on his contract and it is uncertain how his future in Chicago will end. That is why New Orleans is being proactive by interviewing Gentry. They will need to get a new head coach before June's NBA Draft and have already started the process a week after firing former head coach Monty Williams.
