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New Orleans Pelicans pick up coach Alvin Gentry’s team option for the 2020-21 season

The New Orleans Pelicans are committing to Alvin Gentry for another season.

Not long after the Pelicans pulled off a blockbuster deal sending All-Star big man Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, they’ve made another major move. The Pelicans have picked up their team option on Gentry as their head coach for the 2020-21 season.

New Orleans confirmed the move through a statement released by general manager David Griffin, via Malika Andrews of ESPN.

“We couldn’t be happier to extend our relationship with Alvin,” David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement. “He is exactly the right coach at the right time for this franchise. As I have mentioned several times previously, the shared vision we have for the future of Pelicans basketball both on and off the floor will enable us to build a roster that fits both culturally and tactically.

“Perhaps more importantly, the relationship we have built over our many years together will enable us to challenge, empower and further one another and our franchise.”

As the Pelicans prepare for a new era with the likes of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and future No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, the organization believes that Gentry is the right coach for their personnel, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 64-year-old Gentry has been around the NBA coaching ranks since the 1989-90 season and has been the Pelicans’ top man since the 2015-16 season. Gentry has led New Orleans to just one playoff berth in his four seasons, with his greatest success occurring during the 2017-18 season when he was able to lead the franchise to its first playoff series win since the 2007-08 season.

However, that was with Davis leading the way. New Orleans will go through a rebuilding of sorts with Williamson, Ingram and Ball leading the way. The Pelicans also have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft along with several other future first-round draft picks acquired from the Lakers. In essence, while the Pelicans won’t be winning the NBA championship in 2020, they project as having the brightest future of any up-and-coming NBA franchise.

Based upon this move and Griffin’s statement, the Pelicans believe that Gentry will be the right guy to lead the franchise as they rebuild around several young pieces.

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