The New Orleans Pelicans saw a couple of changes on their coaching staff on Saturday. On the hiring front, the team will bring in Corey Brewer as a player development coach, as reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 KRIV in Houston.
Brewer did not play last season but was apart of the Sacramento Kings’ roster inside the bubble. He last played in the 2019-20 season for the Kings, featuring in five games at the end of the season.
Interestingly, Brewer does have a history with the baby Lakers on the Pelicans roster after playing half a season with them in 2017-18. Ingram and Brewer, particularly, have a close relationship as he described last year.
“…that was like my vet. [Brewer] talked to me about everything. Everything that went on behind the scenes, some of the stuff that you can’t say outside [of the locker room] and in front of everybody else. We called each other ‘The Thin Twins.’ We were both under 190 pounds. That’s my dude. He’s been really, really good to me.”
It’d be pretty easy to spin this as another reason Ingram might stay, but all indications are that Ingram will be staying in New Orleans with his restricted free agency to be short-lived this off-season.
On the flip side, the Pelicans appear to have lost an assistant coach and an important one at that in Chris Finch. Interviewed for the head coaching job in Indiana, Finch eventually was passed over for the position. With a new regime led by Stan Van Gundy coming in this season, Finch opted to move on from New Orleans and will join Nick Nurse in Toronto, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Ironically, Finch is likely filling the role vacated by Nate Bjorkgren who was the candidate the Pacers chose to hire as head coach.
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