LA Clippers: 5 candidates to replace Doc Rivers as head coach

4. Alvin Gentry

Alvin Gentry was recently ousted from the New Orleans Pelicans, but he’s found success in this league before, especially when he’s had legitimate talent to work with. That’s typically the case for most NBA head coaches, but in watching the Clippers’ second-half offense falter time and time again against the Nuggets, it was clear they needed more structure and ingenuity on the offensive end.

Gentry could potentially bring the kind of revamped offense that would make Kawhi and PG unstoppable without entirely robbing them of their opportunities to isolate and go to work. Installing an up-tempo system would make it virtually impossible to slow down a Clippers squad with capable scorers and shooters Leonard, George, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Landry Shamet.

However, despite reaching a conference finals with the Phoenix Suns back in 2010, Gentry has only been there once. Other than that, he only has one conference semifinals appearance to his name (in 2018 with the Pelicans) and has missed the playoffs in 11 of the 14 seasons he’s completed as a head coach. Sure, quite a few of those were spent with rebuilding, young teams, but even if the Clippers have too much talent to fear missing the postseason, Gentry might not be much of an upgrade over Rivers when all is said and done.