Recent speculation suggests that Mike D’Antoni might be among the candidates to replace former New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry , who was reportedly fired on Saturday after the team failed to make it to postseason play.
The talk of D’Antoni stepping up as a potential replacement for Gentry started on Saturday afternoon when Danny Leroux of The Athletic tweeted that New Orleans’ decision to part ways with its longtime bench leader could be a setup for the two-time NBA Coach of the Year winner’s arrival. Shortly after, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports responded to the tweet, suggesting that the move could be “something to watch” should D’Antoni’s Houston Rockets get eliminated from the playoffs. You can view this reply on Twitter here .
As explained by ClutchPoints , Gentry had recorded only one winning season in his five years with the Pelicans, with their only playoff appearance during that time resulting in a second-round exit in 2018. He was let go by the organization on Saturday, following a campaign where they finished 13th in the Western Conference with a 30-42 record and won just two out of eight games during the recently concluded seeding stage in Orlando. This was despite the presence of young stars such as 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball, as well as veteran guards Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick.
Meanwhile, D’Antoni has spent the past four years with the Rockets, having led them to three straight campaigns with at least 50 wins. Although this streak was technically broken in 2019-20, ClutchPoints explained that the team’s 44-28 record would equate to a 50-win effort had the coronavirus not forced the NBA to shorten the current campaign.
Despite his regular-season coaching success and the presence of superstar guard James Harden, the Rockets have yet to reach the NBA Finals with D’Antoni, whose contract is due to expire after this season. Previous rumors have also suggested that the 69-year-old might be on his way out of Houston, with one report from earlier this week suggesting that former New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy could be among the leading candidates to replace him.
As for the Pelicans vacancy, D’Antoni is the latest name rumored to be in the mix for the job, as there have been a few people mentioned in recent days as possible replacements for Gentry. These include assistant coaches Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Jason Kidd of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson.
