Pelicans decide to fire head coach Alvin Gentry

Alvin Gentry is no longer the head coach of the Pelicans. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Pelicans fire head coach Alvin Gentry

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 8/15/20

The New Orleans Pelicans now are in need of a new head coach.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans have dismissed Alvin Gentry. Ty Lue and Jason Kidd reportedly are candidates to replace him, ESPN's Andrew Lopez adds.

As @wojespn reported last week, two names expected to be in the search are Ty Lue and Jason Kidd.

Another name to watch - if the Nets don’t retain him - is Brooklyn’s Jacque Vaughn. https://t.co/wlqGMtxBCo
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) August 15, 2020

Gentry has been the head coach of the Pelicans since the 2015-16 campaign. During his tenure, New Orleans has made the playoffs once — losing to the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Semifinals during the 2017-18 campaign.

The Pelicans entered the NBA's Orlando bubble with playoff hopes, but never got above the .500 threshold before finishing the campaign with a 30-42 record, which was good for 13th in the Western Conference.

Gentry took a fair amount of the blame for the Pelicans' struggles this season despite New Orleans being hammered with injuries throughout the year.

Before the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gentry had his team playing at a fairly high level. However, the layoff proved to be detrimental to the club, and Gentry, like many coaches, took the blame for the team's inability to produce.

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