Dear Pelicans fans, we have been saying “fire Gentry” for a couple of years now, but this is different. This time, we really mean it. Of the five seasons Gentry has spent as the head coach of the Pelicans, only once did we finish with a winning record. The Pelicans have gone 5-4 in the playoffs since hiring Gentry. However, four of those wins were from the Pelicans’ sweep of Dame D.O.L.L.A. and the Trailblazers. Those four losses came from the Pelicans’ 1-4 second round exit to the Warriors who ended up sweeping the Cavaliers in the finals.
Let’s move on and take a look at some of the players Alvin Gentry has had in the last five years including this year (asterisks and carets mark players who were on the roster at the same time):
Anthony Davis*
Demarcus Cousins*
Rajon Rondo*
Julius Randle*
Jrue Holiday*^
Zion Williamson^
Brandon Ingram^
Gentry has had good talent and at least one superstar on the roster every year in New Orleans, but the best any of those teams ever did was 48 wins and the 6th seed (both the 4 and 5 seeds won 48 games, while the 7 and 8 seeds won 47 games).
Below is a list of a few heach coaches that Gentry has outlasted compared to his statistics with the Pelicans.
Alvin Gentry: 175-223 (43.9%), 5-4 in the playoffs
Tom Thibodeau (Minnesota): 97-107 (47.5%), 0 playoff appearances
Jason Kidd (Milwaukee): 139-152 (47.8%), 12-4 in the playoffs
Tyronn Lue (Cleveland): 128-83 (60.7%), 41-20 in the playoffs, 1 ring
I find it very interesting that these coaches all spent less time with their teams than Gentry has and have mostly better statistics, but Gentry still hasn’t been fired. Ty Lue was fired one season after his star player left, so could this mean that we are finally going to see Gentry get canned, or is David Griffin just going to let Gentry finish the last year on his contract? Let us know what you think!
