Coming into this season, many had the New Orleans Pelicans being a darkhorse team in the Western Conference. With the additions of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram, as well as draft pick Zion Williamson, it looked like this team could really do some damage. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, they got off to a fairly slow start while eventually picking things up later into the season. However, once they got into the bubble, they went 2-6 and quickly became the 13th seed in the Western Conference, despite coming into the bubble 10th. It was a disappointing display that eventually led to the firing of the head coach, Alvin Gentry.
Gentry has been quiet about his dismissal, until today when he decided to appear on ESPN's First Take where he spoke to the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman about what happened. As you can see in the video below, Gentry was very surprised by his firing, saying that the team just felt like it was time to go in a different direction.
Gentry has been a head coach for 17 seasons although he has had marginal success with an overall record of 510-595. With this latest season in mind, it remains to be seen whether or not Gentry will get another head coaching job.
As for the Pelicans, they will be looking for a replacement as next season is bound to start in the next few months.
