Alvin Gentry, Pelicans meet to discuss open head coaching job

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry is the latest to interview for the New Orleans Pelicans head coach position.

While the NBA playoffs are still weeks from fully concluding, the coaching carousel is in full spin. Already we have a confirmed opening in New Orleans, a suspected one in Chicago, and two interim coaches whose fates have yet to be fully decided in Denver and Orlando. If we’ve ever learned anything in regards to coaching openings, they wait for nothing to resolve.

And that is why Alvin Gentry’s name is going to be in the news quite a bit in the coming weeks.

Gentry, who currently holds the role of Assistant Coach for the Golden State Warriors, met with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night according to Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Upon receiving permission from the Warriors to talk with Gentry, general manager Dell Demps and club president Mickey Loomis flew from New Orleans to San Francisco to discuss the job with Gentry.

Gentry’s prowess with setting up offensive systems has made him a hot commodity around the league and his name will likely come up in regards to any opening. Teams will be looking for Gentry to repeat his efforts in making Stephen Curry a star. That could mean huge boosts for the likes of Anthony Davis in New Orleans or the combo of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler in Chicago.

That said, the Pelicans will not be the last team to ask to speak with Alvin Gentry about their opening. Gentry has already been mentioned as the favorite to replace Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, but in order to interview for the role, the Bulls will need to formally decide what they are doing with incumbent coach Thibodeau, who is rumored to be all but out in Chicago. However, the Bulls also know that Thibodeau will be in demand as soon as he hits the market, and the team has no intention of letting him go without first exploring the ability to receive compensation from another team for his services. Thibodeau is still under contract for two more seasons and has $9 million remaining on his deal, as noted by Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

That may be a small window of opportunity for the Bulls, and perhaps that lends some creedence to the urgency the Pelicans exhibited by flying to San Francisco to meet with Gentry between series. It would not be unheard of for the Pelicans and Gentry to come to an agreement on a deal and then hold off on officially naming him the head coach until after the postseason was over.

The Pelicans are working quickly to fill an opening that was created when the team opted not to bring back Monte Williams despite making the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Gentry would be a great sell for them in appeasing Davis, who was said to have a great relationship with Williams. Instilling a coach that could build an offense around their star could make that all go away quickly.

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