Alvin Gentry chosen to be next Pelicans head coach

— -- 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  Pistons, Heat,  Suns and  Clippers head coach over fellow finalist Jeff Van Gundy, an ESPN NBA analyst.

ESPN sources say Gentry will finish out the playoffs with the Warriors before taking over as coach of  Anthony Davis and the Pelicans.

Gentry is one of the architects of the Warriors' potent offense. As the lead offensive assistant, players and other assistants look to him as the one to draw up plays designed for any player.

Gentry, who will replace Monty Williams, had two interviews with the Pelicans. Williams had a 173-221 record in five seasons with New Orleans before being fired May 12.

Gentry will be the sixth head coach in New Orleans franchise history. Only Paul Silas finished with an above-.500 record, doing so in 2002-03.

Gentry has spent 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, finishing .500 or better in four seasons. 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, losing in six games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pelicans improved dramatically over the past two seasons and began the 2014-15 season with playoff hopes. They earned the Western Conference's eighth seed on the last night of the season with a record of 45-37.

ESPN.com's Ethan Sherwood Strauss and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.