Alvin Gentry chosen to be next Pelicans head coach, sources say
— -- Golden State Warriors associate head coach Alvin Gentry has been chosen as the new coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, according to league sources.
Gentry, 60, and the Pelicans agreed to a deal Saturday, with New Orleans choosing the former Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns coach over fellow finalist Jeff Van Gundy, an ESPN NBA analyst.
ESPN sources say Gentry will finish the playoffs with the Warriors before taking over as coach of young star center Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. Golden State hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Sources say a news conference to introduce Gentry as the Pelicans' new coach is unlikely until after the Finals are over.
Gentry has been one of the architects of the Warriors' potent offense. As the lead offensive assistant, players and other assistants looked to him as the one who could draw up a shot for anybody.
The centerpiece in New Orleans is Davis, the 22-year-old, two-time All-Star who averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game this season.
The Pelicans, sources say, chose Gentry because they wanted to infuse their offense with more creativity and pace, in hopes of taking advantage of Davis' uncommon gifts for a big man and the athletes on the roster around him.
New Orleans finished 27th in the league in pace this season? under coach Monty Williams, whose insistence on playing slowly -- but without great success defensively -- cost him his job after five seasons, despite the Pelicans' 45-37 record and surprise trip to the playoffs as the West's No. 8 seed. They were swept by Gentry's Warriors in Round 1.
The Pelicans also interviewed Van Gundy and Scott Skiles, who was hired by the Orlando Magic on Friday, and initially had interest in freshly fired former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Each is known as a hard-driving, defense-first coach.
Gentry and Van Gundy were the only candidates to interview twice with the Pelicans, but USA Today reported Saturday that New Orleans also interviewed Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg -- who is negotiating with the Bulls to fill their coaching vacancy, according to multiple league sources -- and veteran NBA coaches Sam Mitchell and Vinny Del Negro.
But the fact that Gentry won plaudits for his offensive creativity in Phoenix, as well as his contributions to the league-best Warriors' success this season, made him the favorite for the Pelicans job from the start, in many eyes. It didn't hurt that the Warriors led the league in defensive efficiency almost start to finish this season, which convinced the Pelicans that Gentry will know how to strike the right balance.
Gentry, who reportedly had at least two interviews with the Pelicans, replaces Williams, who was 173-221 before being fired May 12. Davis had a strong relationship with Williams, calling him "a great coach" and, a day after New Orleans' season ended, said "the whole team loves him."
The hiring is the first by Pelicans general manager Dell Demps, who joined the franchise shortly after Williams had been hired during the 2010 offseason, when the club was under different ownership.
Gentry will be the sixth head coach in New Orleans franchise history. Only Paul Silas finished with an above-.500 record, which he did in 2002-03.
Gentry has spent 12 seasons as an NBA head coach. He finished .500 or better in four of them. He led teams to the playoffs two times: 1999 with the Pistons and 2010 with the Suns. That Phoenix team reached the Western Conference finals and lost in six games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr hired Gentry as his associate head coach and offensive coordinator when he came to the Warriors last May. Kerr was the general manager in Phoenix.
Kerr's top choices for his lead assistant last summer were Gentry and David Blatt, who ended up as head coach in Cleveland.
Gentry was not at the Warriors' practices Friday and Saturday, likely because he was meeting with Pelicans officials.
Asked about Gentry on Saturday, Kerr said his affable personality had been missed.
"It seems so quiet," Kerr said.
ESPN.com's Ethan Sherwood Strauss, ESPN Stats & Information and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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