One of the most surprising teams this regular and post-season have been the New Orleans Pelicans who currently await their second round matchup after sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers.
Though the monstrous numbers Anthony Davis is posting obviously gives the Pelicans the on-court production they need, head coach Alvin Gentry has been just as instrumental. He and the Pels front office have begun to surround Davis with ample talent and he’s also found a way to operate a Rajon Rondo-Jrue Holiday backcourt tandem smoothly. Though their 2017-18 campaign still isn’t over, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the team plans to pick up Gentry’s option for next season:
Prior to the sweep of the Blazers in the opening round of Western Playoffs, New Orleans informed coach Alvin Gentry that the team was picking up the 2018-19 team option on his contract, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 23, 2018
New Orleans picking up his option will mean the team will retain the veteran coach for at least one more season. Alvin Gentry led the Pelicans to a 48-34 record and managed to land the fifth seed in a highly-competitive Western Conference when it looked like they were dead in the water after losing DeMarcus Cousins for the season.
Instead, the Pelicans played inspired basketball down the stretch behind their MVP-caliber centerpiece Anthony Davis. The deadline trade for forward Nikola Mirotic has also proved to pay major dividends as he’s averaged 18.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game so far in the NBA Playoffs.
Even with an improved roster, this success likely wouldn’t be possible without Gentry at the helm. The 63-year-old Gentry has always been a solid coach but has seemed to find his true niche in New Orleans, and we could see him remain with them for some time depending on how the team develops.
