The New Orleans Pelicans officially parted ways with Alvin Gentry on Saturday, a move that had been telegraphed for days and weeks. The Pelicans now move into the off-season with an opening for one of the most exciting young teams in the league and certainly will have plenty of interested candidates lining up for the job.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin’s interest in Clippers assistant Ty Lue and Lakers assistant Jason Kidd last week. Fellow ESPN writer Andrew Lopez corroborated those names on Saturday while adding a third name in current Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn. Lopez also brought up a name formerly connected to the Nets as an option in former head coach Kenny Atkinson.
It’s only the tip of the iceberg for rumors related to the Pelicans opening as certainly many names will be linked to the franchise. By firing Gentry early in the off-season, the Pelicans not only have some time to find a replacement, they also have every candidate available eyeing the opening, setting up for an interesting summer for New Orleans.