NEW ORLEANS — A second straight non-playoff season will not cost general
manager Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry their jobs – at least not before the
start of next season.
How much patience owner Tom Benson, who turns 90 in July, and Executive Vice
President Mickey Loomis will have with the pair once the season starts is
another matter.
Benson and Loomis announced their decision to stick with Demps and Gentry, who
are both under contract through next season, in a written statement on Monday.
Loomis said the club decided to retain the GM and coach after “a careful and
thorough review” and represents “the best course of action as we move forward.”
Loomis added, “We will continue to evaluate important roles on both the
administrative and coaching staffs, which will be resolved at the appropriate
time.”
Demps hired Gentry two seasons ago, and the Pelicans have since gone 64-100
since. However, the club has struggled to maintain a stable lineup, largely
because of injuries and other misfortune, such as starting guard Jrue Holiday
missing the start of this season while attending to his wife, Lauren, as she
sought treatment for a brain tumor.
New Orleans also showed promise after Demps orchestrated a trade in February
that paired 6-foot-11 DeMarcus Cousins with fellow 6-11 All-Star Anthony Davis
in the Pelicans’ front court. New Orleans won eight of 11 games during one
late-season stretch, including victories over playoff-bound Houston, Memphis and
Portland.
Once New Orleans was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the club
rested Cousins and Davis and lost all but one of its final five games, finishing
34-48.
The announcement comes on the eve of the Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery, at
which Gentry is slated to represent the club.
New Orleans would have the 10th overall pick based on finish. That pick is
slated to go to Sacramento as part of the Cousins trade – unless New Orleans
wins one of the top three picks in the draft lottery.
While the club is continuing to back Demps and Gentry for now, pressure on both
of them is mounting.
Demps has been with New Orleans for seven seasons since being hired after the
2010 draft. The Pelicans have made the playoffs just twice under Demps, both
time with Monty Williams as coach in 2011 and 2015.
But after the Pelicans were swept by Golden State in the first round of the 2015
postseason, Demps fired Williams and hired Gentry. The hope was that Gentry, a
former top assistant for the Warriors’ 2015 title squad, would have success
installing an up-tempo offense similar to the one Golden State runs in New
Orleans, with the quick, agile and good shooting Davis as the center piece.
An unusual rash of injuries seemed to derail those plans, and Gentry will have
to adjust his scheme next season to accommodate the more plodding Cousins.
Gentry said he saw evidence that a Cousins-Davis pairing I the front court could
work well, particularly if he has an entire training camp to refine his new
scheme – as opposed to having to adjust on the fly more than halfway through the
season, as was the case last February.
