The New Orleans Pelicans made the surprise announcement on Wednesday to part ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy after just one season in charge. While the move came out of nowhere, reports of discontent among the Pelicans roster did exist prior to Van Gundy’s firing, specifically in regards to the players and coach connecting.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick initially reported that the Pelicans players were not “vibing” with Van Gundy in late May. After his firing, The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Will Guillory reported a much larger, a potentially more impactful, story of Zion Williamson’s unhappiness in New Orleans.
Ever the present voice on Twitter, Van Gundy never left social media despite being a prominent figure in NBA news over the last week, which led to him discussing his own firing. In response to a tweet from an Orlando-based radio station, Van Gundy was certain not to push blame onto his former players.
Players don’t get coaches fired. That’s not fair to them. They may voice displeasure, but the decisions are made by front offices and owners.
— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) June 18, 2021
For all his faults this season, Van Gundy was never anything but honest. In fact, it was his honesty that may have led to some of the division between him and his players, including calling his team out after a gut-punch loss on the road against the Knicks.
But credit to Van Gundy for not only not dodging the subject on Twitter but voluntarily addressing it.