Alvin Gentry, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans hired Gentry in the summer of 2015 to take their offense to the next level. At the time, they were coming off a 45-win season that saw Anthony Davis lead the league in PER. Things could only get better with Gentry — an architect of the Phoenix Suns’ seven seconds or less offense and the Golden State Warriors’ motion offense — at the helm.
However, things did not get better. In fact, the Pelicans’ 108.2 offensive rating in 2014-15 cratered to 105.6 in 2015-16. Gentry could plausibly blame that on injuries — Davis played just 61 games, Eric Gordon missed half a season, Tyreke Evans played just 25 games and players like Jordan Hamilton and Alexis Ajinca started at times — but things are even worse this year.
The Pelicans’ offensive rating is down to 104.1, which ranks 27th in the league. And there are no injury excuses to be found. Davis has played 53 games and Jrue Holiday 42 while role players like Solomon Hill have stayed healthy. The Pelicans sit at 23-34, 11th in the West, having gone backwards from the promising point they found themselves at two seasons go.
After last night’s trade for DeMarcus Cousins (more on that here), expectations are firmly set for the Pelicans to at least make the playoffs. The twin towers combination of Cousins and Davis is likely the best 4/5 duo in the league, even with questions about spacing. If Gentry fails to win now, it’s tough to see him on the bench again next season, especially with a logical replacement — Darren Erman — sitting just a few seats down.