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Success Leads to Alvin Gentry Promotion and Departure

By Greg Chin

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It was bound to happen. With the Golden State Warriors flourishing and preparing for the NBA Finals, it was just a matter of time before assistant head coach Alvin Gentry would be snapped up for a head coaching position. In fact, there were rumblings that the Oklahoma City Thunder were looking to replace former head coach Scott Brooks with Gentry, before settling with Billy Donovan.

But now, according to Marc Stein, it seems as though the New Orleans Pelicans have chosen Gentry as their new head coach after conducting two rounds of interviews with him. Gentry will finish the Warriors’ Finals campaign before joining the Pelicans.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Gentry will sign a four-year deal, but the Pelicans have not revealed the terms of the agreement. Gentry was being considered for the Chicago Bulls’ coaching position as well, but he revealed to CSNBayArea.com that he had a preference for the Pelicans.

Gentry’s role with the Warriors was to coach and lead their offense, which resulted in the Warriors having the second-best offense in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers, with whom he was an assistant coach the previous season, had the best offense in the league – a testament to Gentry’s offensive coaching ability. He also coached the 2009-10 Phoenix Suns, which had the fourth best offensive rating of all time.

In his initial interview with the Pelicans, Gentry explained that he felt as though Pelicans’ superstar Anthony Davis was being underutilised. Averaging 24.4 points per game this season, it will be frightening to see what Gentry can do with an “unleashed” Davis.

When asked about Gentry’s departure, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had these kind words to say:

"I’m extremely happy for Alvin and wish him the best of luck in this new challenge. He’s had a tremendous impact on the success of our team this season and, personally, has been instrumental in my development as a coach. His experience as a head coach in the NBA has been invaluable during my first season and will, likewise, serve the Pelicans well as they move forward. Our loss is New Orleans’ gain and I know he’ll do an outstanding job with the Pelicans once the NBA Finals are completed."

The interesting aspect of it all will be who the Warriors pick to replace Gentry on the bench. With a successful run this season, the Warriors should be a desirable destination for assistant coaches. One named that has been thrown around is former Denver Nuggets’ head coach Brian Shaw, who was let go towards the end of this season. Shaw, like Kerr, is also a student of the Triangle offense. However, Shaw’s Nuggets teams were poor offensively, and the Warriors will be looking for an offensive-minded assistant coach to fill Gentry’s void.

This will be a bittersweet move for Warriors’ fans everywhere. It is sad to see Gentry go, but it was always a case of when and not if Gentry would be offered a head coaching job somewhere else.

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