The Sacramento Kings won’t bring back interim coach Alvin Gentry and are opening up a search for a new head coach, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022

Gentry took the head coach position after the front office dismissed Luke Walton in November. The veteran coach led the Kings to a 24-41 record over the final 65 games of the season. The Kings (30-52) finished the season at 12th in the Western Conference. According to Woj, Gentry and Kings are negotiating a role in the front office that will be made official later this week. Gentry has one year remaining on his contract with the Kings.

The Kings and Alvin Gentry are discussing a front-office role and a resolution is expected sometime this week, sources tell ESPN. Gentry has a year left on his contract.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022

Gentry owns a 534-639 record over his 18-year career as an NBA head coach. He’s spent time with the Heat, Pistons, Clippers, Suns, and Pelicans before coming to Sacramento.

The post REPORT: Alvin Gentry Won’t Return As Kings Coach appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday, The Atheltic’s Shams Charania reported that the Sacramento Kings are experiencing an outbreak among a “handful of total players entering protocols along with several more staff members.”

According to Charania, a few Kings members have already entered into the league’s health and safety protocols, including staffer; De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Alex Len, and interim head coach Alvin Gentry. 

Although he plays for the Kings’ G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, Louis King also entered protocols per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

This season, the Kings are far from the only team to have an outbreak problem. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers have four players in the League’s protocol after Malik Monk cleared protocols Thursday night. The Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets reached experienced outbreaks of their own in recent weeks.

The Kings’ next game is Friday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The post REPORT: Sacramento Kings Experiencing COVID Outbreak Among Team appeared first on SLAM.

Sources: The Sacramento Kings are having a COVID-19 outbreak of multiple positive tests among players and staffers, including Marvin Bagley, Alvin Gentry — with potentially multiple additional players and staff entering protocols. There are some symptomatic cases.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 16, 2021

After Coach Alvin Gentry tested positive on Wednesday, Marvin Bagley III and Terrance Davis reportedly entered health and safety protocols the same day with Bagley testing positive. It’s been reported that multiple unnamed teammates and staff members. However, those cases have been reported to be symptomatic cases. Both Gentry and Bagley missed the Kings’ 119-105 win over the Wizards.

League rules state that players who test positive for COVID-19 must register two negative tests 24 hours apart to return to team activities. The Kings are 12-17 and 5-6 under Gentry, who took over for Luke Walton midway through the season.

The post REPORT: Kings Cancel Practice and Have Fears of COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on SLAM.

Gentry needs successive negative tests 24 hours apart to return to bench. He says he’s largely asymptomatic, except for a scratchy throat. Sacramento will have an acting coach for its interim coach. https://t.co/W8LuxKY5z3

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 15, 2021

Gentry says he is asymptomatic but does have a scratchy throat. To clear protocols, Gentry needs to register two negative PCR tests within a 24-hour-period. The Kings canceled their morning shootaround and are testing players and staff to figure out whether or not there are more positive tests per Woj. They join the Lakers and Raptors amongst teams that have recently canceled practices after a player or staffer entered virus protocols.

The League is currently facing an outbreak with the Bulls and could be having growing concerns about the Nets (20-8). Brooklyn has seven players in COVID-19 protocol, including James Harden and LaMarcus Aldridge. The NBA has postponed two games, the Bulls-Pacers on Tuesday and Bulls-Raptors on Thursday.

Sacramento has not decided who will be acting head coach but assistants Mike Longabardi and Doug Christie are the leading candidates to take over temporarily.

The Kings are currently 10th in the League with an 11-17 record. Gentry took the head coach job over after Luke Walton was fired midseason after starting the season with a 6-11 record. Gentry previously coached the Heat, Pistons, Clippers, Suns, and Pelicans.

The post Alvin Gentry Tests Positive For COVID-19 appeared first on SLAM.

Gentry had previously been the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, stabilizing the franchise through the transition from the Anthony Davis to Zion Williamson era. He was dismissed by the Pels in the summer.

Gentry has 35 years of experience on the sidelines and was previously a head coach with the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. He won a title as an associate head coach with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

The Kings will draft 12th in next month’s draft, eager to shore up a rotation around De’Aaron Fox.

While the franchise has seen some change already this year, general manager Vlade Divac stepped down, the team has been committed to Walton as their head coach.

The post Kings Hire Alvin Gentry as Associate Coach appeared first on SLAM.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Ty Lue and Jason Kidd are among the prime candidates to fill the vacancy. Lue is currently an assistant coach with the Clippers while Kidd serves as an assistant with the Lakers.

Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin of basketball operations was the general manager of the Cavaliers when Lue won a title back in 2016. He also spent nearly 20 years in several roles with the Suns, overlapping with Kidd’s stint a perennial All-Star point guard there.

Gentry had been a stabilizing force on the Pelicans, who underwent a substantial transition last offseason when Anthony Davis was traded.

Gentry’s Pelicans teams made the postseason just once but that successful 2017-18 playoff run ended in the second round. That was the season that DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles, robbing the Pels of half of their superstar Cousins-Davis pairing.

Prior to coaching the Pelicans, Gentry had won a title as an associate coach with the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors. He’s been on the sidelines of an NBA team since 1989-90.

The Pelicans will look to hire a new coach at the same time as the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, creating an intriguing sense of competition in the market.

The post Pelicans Dismiss Head Coach Alvin Gentry appeared first on SLAM.

“I didn’t expect to do nothing like this,” Williamson told reporters Tuesday night after posting a game-high 31 points in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 138-117 blowout of the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

The 19-year-old rookie added nine rebounds and five assists while shooting 10-of-17 from the field.

Per The Athletic:

“I expected to make an impact, but I didn’t expect to do nothing like this,” Williamson said. “I was kind of looking to come in and just kind of fit in and just not try to mess up. My teammates and coaches are always pushing me, like, ‘No, be outside the box.’”

The No. 1 pick in last year’s draft is averaging 21 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.

“He’s a walking 24-and-8 guy. He’s a guy that you think he’s doing well, then you look up and he’s 39 (points) and four (rebounds). That’s the kind of player he is,” Josh Hart said. “He’s only played (nine) games. It’s scary to see how good he is this early. Hopefully, he can continue to keep getting better day by day. He’s going to be a problem.”

As his reputation grows, he’ll have to find different ways to be effective with more teams forcing him to rely on his weaknesses.

“People are trying to find their own way (to stop me), but I feel like my game is so unique that I’ll be able to adjust to it on the fly,” Williamson said. “At the end of the day, I’m 19. I’ve still got a lot of room for growing. I will mess up. I’m not perfect, I will have bad games. I’m just going to learn from them.”

Related Zion Williamson: ‘I Don’t Want Any Restrictions’

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Williamson, 19, finished with 22 points for the Pelicans, who fell 121-117 to the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

Head coach Alvin Gentry said New Orleans’ medical staff made the call to sit out the prized rookie for the game’s final five minutes.

Per The AP:

“The medical people said that was it,” Gentry said, alluding to precautionary restrictions placed on Williamson’s playing time in the early days of his return to action.

“Me, personally, I don’t want any restrictions,” Williamson said. “But I’m not a doctor or a trainer, so I’ve just got to listen to them.”

He certainly found his rhythm in the fourth quarter of his first game, raising hopes for what lies ahead in New Orleans’ remaining 37 games.

“It was everything I dreamed of, except for the losing part,” Williamson said. “Just the energy the crowd brought, the energy the city brought, it was electric and I’m just grateful that they did that. So it was a dream come true to finally get out there, but at the end of the day I did want to win, so we’ve got to look to the next game.”

Related Zion Williamson: ‘I Finally Get to Go Back Out There’

The post Zion Williamson: ‘I Don’t Want Any Restrictions’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I’m not out forever,” the 19-year-old rookie told reporters Thursday, while adding that there’s no need to panic over New Orleans’ rough 1-6 start to the season.

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry says it would be “very ambitious” for Williamson to suit up again in November.

Per The Athletic and Times-Picayune:

“It hurt at first, but I’m not out forever,” Williamson said. “My mindset is just come back stronger, come back better so I can help my team.”

The team initially provided a six- to eight-week recovery timetable, an estimate that would put Williamson back on the court in early or mid-December.

“It’s a long season,” Williamson said. “This isn’t like college or something where it’s 30 games. It’s 82 games, so I don’t really see a need to rush back.”

The injury, Williamson said, occurred in New Orleans’ second-to-last preseason game in San Antonio. Williamson looked excellent in one of his team’s final dress rehearsals, notching 22 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes, but began experiencing discomfort afterwards.

“I felt some soreness,” Williamson said. “I went and got it checked out, and I found out.”

Related Pelicans: Zion Williamson’ Knee Injury Unrelated to Weight

The post ‘I’m Not Out Forever’: Zion Williamson Upbeat in Rehab from Knee Injury appeared first on SLAM.

“We are comparing Zion to Zion,” Gentry told reporters after making the inevitable comparison himself.

The 19-year-old rookie made his preseason debut Monday night for New Orleans, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 133-109 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Per ESPN:

“There’s very few guys — at 19 years old — who can come in and impact this league,” Gentry said. “There’s one in California but there’s also not anybody like him.”

And Williamson’s debut scheduling wasn’t an accident. After all, 16 years ago to the day, James made his NBA preseason debut.

“They shouldn’t do that [comparing],” Gentry said. “We are not doing that. We are comparing Zion to Zion. We want Zion to be the best Zion Williamson that he can be. Not anybody else. We want him to be the best basketball player he can become using his name and no comparison.”

He continued: “I know that it’s inevitable that that’s going to be the case, but we are not drinking that Kool-Aid.”

Related Zion Williamson: ‘This Isn’t High School or College Anymore’

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The top pick in this summer’s draft says “it’s almost like a dream come true.”

Williamson, 18, adds that he’s looking forward to showcasing more of his offensive arsenal in New Orleans.

Per the Pelicans’ team website:

“I do like the spacing a lot more,” said the 18-year-old, whose quick first step and athleticism allow him to pivot around defenders for lefty dunks. “(Defenders) can’t really (just) stand in the paint, so it gives me a lot more room to operate.

“The three-point line does create more spacing, because everybody can shoot. You can’t really help off too much, otherwise it’s an open three. I love the spacing. It’s almost like a dream come true for me. Because every time I attack the basket, there is space for me.”

At Duke, Williamson often created offense for himself or others from the perimeter or mid-range area by relying on his varied skills, including the ability to drive past defenders or power his way to the basket. He noted after Tuesday’s practice that he’s looking forward to potentially showing another dimension of his game, one that will originate closer to the paint and the rim.

“I feel like I don’t get enough credit for my low-post game,” he said. “I can attack off the wing, I can attack from up top, but in college it’s a little different, because everyone can help over (defensively). In the NBA, they can help over, but not really (as much), so I’m able to show more of my skill.”

Related Pelicans: Zion Williamson Not ‘Here to Save This Franchise’

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Since taking the reins in 2015, Gentry has overseen the franchise through several rebuilding stages, winning .442 percent of games in the process.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes that Pels executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin believes that Gentry’s style will serve the personnel he’s assembling well.

Although last year ended in disappointment for the franchise, the Pels upheld themselves well in 2017-18, finished in the upper half of the league in both offensive and defensive rating while winning 48 contests.

Gentry will coach a number of fresh faces in 2018-19, including projected No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.

The post Pelicans Exercise Team Option On Coach Alvin Gentry appeared first on SLAM.

Gentry says the 26-year-old NBA All-Star is a “good, solid guy with good character.”

AD, who raised eyebrows with by wearing a shirt with the words “That’s all Folks” emblazoned on it to Tuesday night’s home finale, told reporters Wednesday that he will wait and “see what the future holds.”

Per The Times-Picayune:

“I think he’s a great kid. I think he’s a very good kid. I think he’s a solid guy,” Gentry started.

When he realized it was the end of the season and there were no more games to play, he continued.

“I think he got some bad advice, if you want me to just tell the truth,” Gentry said. “I’ll leave it at that. There’s nothing wrong with AD. He’s a good, solid guy with good character. That’s the way I feel.”

Davis acknowledged the fact that he could be playing in New Orleans when next season gets underway.

“I know that it’s a possibility,” Davis said. “So I can’t be mad if I’m here next year.”

Related Kobe Bryant: ‘If You Can Trade for Anthony Davis, You Do it’

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Interim general manager Danny Ferry told reporters the NBA “made it clear” that AD had to play if healthy.

Things promise to remain extremely awkward and uncomfortable in New Orleans for the forseeable future.

Per The Times-Picayune:

“As we’ve done previously, we’ll continue to follow their lead,” Ferry said on a conference call. “But we’ll also focus on the future of the team. Therefore, you’ll see a reduction in Anthony’s minutes.”

That means increased minutes for younger players like Frank Jackson, Cheick Diallo and Kenrich Williams as well as for potential free agents such as Elfrid Payton, Julius Randle, Stanley Johnson and Darius Miller.

“For the younger guys, it’s a critical period of evaluation and development,” Ferry said. “Everyone is on board with that. We’re also evaluating the veterans and making sure they’re playing how we want them to play.”

Ferry, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, owner Gayle Benson and executive Mickey Loomis are all on the same page moving forward, he said.

“Mrs. Benson is committed to building a successful organization and has promised the resources and willingness to do whatever is necessary,” Ferry said.

Related Report: Pelicans to Re-Engage NBA About Shutting Down Anthony Davis

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Anthony Davis, who demanded a trade last month, left New Orleans’ 131-122 Thursday night win against the visiting OKC Thunder with a left shoulder injury, and cameras showed him exiting the building in the fourth quarter to get an MRI.

“I’m going to talk about the guys that played,” an exasperated Gentry told reporters.

Per The Times-Picayune:

“I’m happy for all of them,” Gentry said. “To tell you the truth, this whole thing has been a dumpster fire.

“It’s just hard, you know, we want guys to be professional and do this, but it’s hard for guys to go through what they’ve been through. To be able to come out and beat a team of that quality, I’m happy for all the guys. I thought that they did a great job.”

Davis had 14 points and four rebounds in the first half on Thursday but it was Julius Randle and Jrue Holiday that carried the team to victory.

When asked his thoughts on Davis leaving, Gentry said, “I’m happy for the guys that played the game and we won.”

Another reporter asked a follow-up question to Gentry about if it bothered him that Davis left.

He responded with, “Hey guys, I’m going to talk about the guys that played. They did a great job. We found a way to win the game. That’s what’s important.” After that, Gentry grabbed his box score and ended the post-game press conference.

Related
‘We Sucked’: Anthony Davis Blasts the Pelicans’ Effort in Loss to Orlando

The post Alvin Gentry Calls the Anthony Davis Saga a ‘Dumpster Fire’ appeared first on SLAM.

“Nobody was interested in playing,” Davis observed after scoring just three points, to go along with six rebounds and three blocks while shooting 1-of-9 from the field in 24 minutes.

Anthony Davis on New Orleans Pelicans’ loss to Orlando: ‘We sucked’ https://t.co/szYRJQjrbX

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 13, 2019

Head coach Alvin Gentry says New Orleans needs to “bury” the drama surrounding AD’s trade request.

"We need to bury it."

Alvin Gentry is ready to be done with the public drama over Anthony Davis' trade demand.

More from @brettmartel: https://t.co/RMoeu9SAjZ pic.twitter.com/myGdfCAgEo

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 13, 2019

Per The Times-Picayune:

“We sucked,” Davis said. “Nobody was interested in playing, that’s what it looked like. You play a team like that fighting for a spot, you should expect that to happen.”

He was on the floor early as Orlando led by 20 points just eight minutes into the game. The Magic took a 28-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

“They came out ready to play,” Davis said. “We missed a lot of shots, easy shots, layups and stuff, that we normally make. They came out more desperate. They were playing like we were fighting for something.”

Related
‘That Was Definitely Awkward’: Anthony Davis Booed By Pelicans Fans

The post ‘We Sucked’: Anthony Davis Blasts the Pelicans’ Effort in Loss to Orlando appeared first on SLAM.

The team removed the superstar big man from a pregame intro hype video and its social media profiles.

The Pels already took AD out of their intro vid. Petty pic.twitter.com/sndEOIKHsD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2019

Head coach Alvin Gentry says whether or not AD will suit up for New Orleans again—he’s currently out with a volar plate avulsion fracture in his left finger—is a “hard thing to answer.”

Alvin Gentry didn’t know how to answer when asked if Anthony Davis will play another game for New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/5JwUBqbK6V

— Mike Singer (@msinger) January 30, 2019

Per The Times-Picayune and ESPN:

“That’s a hard thing to answer … I assume that he will,” Gentry said before Wednesday’s game. “That’s something that’ll have to be discussed about what’s best for him and best for our team.”

A league source told ESPN that Davis’ removal from the video was an intentional decision the Pelicans made in an effort to prevent negativity around Davis. “Putting his image on the big screen could just have encouraged booing.”

Despite the clear discomfort in the situation, Gentry said it’s mostly business as usual.

“It’s not awkward at all,” Gentry said. “I think if you ask every guy in the locker room, they’ll tell you the same thing. He’s the same guy. He asked to be traded, but he’s the same guy. All of a sudden his personality didn’t change and all of a sudden we don’t feel differently about him at all. It’s one of those things. We’ll have to manage it as an organization, and he’ll have to manage it as an individual and we’ll get through the whole thing.”

“AD is a good kid,” the coach added. “A good, solid kid. The guys in the locker room, obviously, like him, and he likes them. Nothing has changed from a coaching standpoint. It was within his right to do, to ask for that. It’s out there, but the one thing we can’t do as coaches and players and as a team is we can’t let that be an excuse for us or, two, affect the way we think or what we’re trying to do.”

Related
Pelicans: Anthony Davis Trade to Happen on ‘Our Terms and Our Timeline’

The post Pelicans Remove Anthony Davis from Intro Hype Video appeared first on SLAM.

The organization is also pushing the NBA to enforce its anti-tampering rules as it figures out a path forward with Davis.

Statement from the New Orleans Pelicans regarding Anthony Davis: https://t.co/6GRRcpZMt5 pic.twitter.com/TrrkOpU2AB

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 28, 2019

“This past weekend, Anthony Davis’ representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade. Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization’s top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans and build our team for long-term success.

“Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our terms and our timeline. One that makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction.”

Pels head coach Alvin Gentry says AD “plans on playing out the season” once he returns from his finger injury.

Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis ‘plans on playing out the season’ when healthy https://t.co/5tdh284DX4

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 28, 2019

Per The Times-Picayune:

“He plans on playing out the season,” Gentry said on Monday afternoon. “That’s my role; it’s to try and win as many games as we possibly can. I think A.D. is a professional guy. He’s going to play as hard as he can once he gets well, and we’re going to the best we can to try and put our team in a position to win games.”

He added that the team approached practice as normal Monday and the team understands Davis’ request.

“I spoke to the team this morning and I think everybody understands it’s part of the business,” Gentry said. “I thought we had a good practice. It was a spirited one. That’s all we can do. We have to come out and prepare the team. He’s still under contract. When he gets healthy, he’ll play.”

Related
Pelicans Wouldn’t Trade Anthony Davis for Anyone—’Even Beyonce’

The post Pelicans: Anthony Davis Trade to Happen on ‘Our Terms and Our Timeline’ appeared first on SLAM.

Davis scored 34 points and pulled down a career-high 36 rebounds in a 126-121 road loss Wednesday night to the Brooklyn Nets.

The #Nets hit the #Pelicans with a 73-point first half, and they needed almost all those points to hold on after Anthony Davis had 34 points and a career-high 26 rebounds.https://t.co/S3Kdu0AFQ2

— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) January 3, 2019

AD still believes a winning streak can get the Pels back into the playoff picture in the “loaded” Western Conference.

Per the AP:

“The frustration is just that we’re a better team than our record shows,” Davis said.

The Pelicans’ reserves managed a paltry five points, getting outscored by 50 by their Brooklyn counterparts. It was their seventh loss in nine games, dropping them to 17-22 in the powerful West, where only Phoenix sits below them.

“We can’t sleep in the West. We know that. It’s a loaded conference,” Davis said. “I think Brooklyn had the same record as us and they were ninth. And we’re in 14th. So it’s a loaded conference. We’ve got to be able to put a streak of wins together, three out of four, four out of five and try to get back in the mix.”

If they don’t, the questions about Davis’ future in New Orleans will grow louder. But he’s thinking about the recent past, when the Pelicans swept Portland in the first round of last year’s playoffs, then opened this season by pounding Houston en route to a 4-0 start before the injuries began.

“We know what we did last year, we know how good a team we are this year,” he said.

Related
Kevin Garnett: Time for Anthony Davis to Leave New Orleans

The post Anthony Davis: ‘We’re a Better Team Than Our Record Shows’ appeared first on SLAM.

James happily added to his list of superstars he’d love to theoretically team up with:

“Ask me if I’d like to play with Jimmy Butler,” James told reporters Friday night in Los Angeles. “Say it right now. Ask me about Kyrie Irving, Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. Ask me about [Joel] Embiid, Ben Simmons. Go ahead, all of them. Luka Doncic. Ask me right now.

“Come on, guys, this is not rocket science. These are great players. Absolutely. I would love to play with a lot of great players. That is just who I am. People get caught up in bunches sometimes when they wish they could control what you say, and they can’t control me, at all.

“And I play by the rules.”

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, meanwhile, says James is clearly “tampering” with AD.

After LeBron James lauds Anthony Davis, Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry says 'It's tampering' https://t.co/w2SjSfUDVi pic.twitter.com/NuafGTQIzi

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) December 21, 2018

Per the LA Times:

“No, we’re not trading him,” Gentry said. “We’re not trading him under any circumstance. You can move on from that one.”

Did he think what James said was tampering?

“Yes, it is,” Gentry said. “Why would it not be?”

Though the official rules on tampering don’t indicate a distinction depending on who utters the offending words, the league has repeatedly said context affects its view on whether something qualifies as tampering.

“Each case is assessed on its own facts,” league spokesman Tim Frank said in an email. “In general, absent evidence of team coordination or other aggravating factors, it is not tampering when a player makes a comment about his interest in playing with another team’s player.”

Gentry’s response to that logic?

“Of course they did,” Gentry said. “What else are they going to say? If an executive said it, would it be tampering? … It’s tampering, OK? It’s tampering. So should we start having AD say, ‘Why don’t we trade for LeBron?’” Added Gentry: “I thought if you talk about a player under contract, that’s tampering. That’s just me. I’ve only been in the league 31 years.”

Related
Rival GMs Upset With LeBron James Commenting on Anthony Davis’ Future

The post LeBron James: ‘I Would Love to Play With a Lot of Great Players’ appeared first on SLAM.

They argue that James is publicly interferring with the New Orleans Pelicans by publicly endorsing the possibility of a trade with the Lakers.

After LeBron James publicly endorses trade for Anthony Davis, small market GM's privately seething over NBA's unwillingness to enforce tampering rules. One GM: "It's open season on small markets and our players." Story on ESPN: https://t.co/xnqAQas59i

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2018

Davis, 25, recently hired LeBron’s agent and is under contract until after the 2019-20 season.

Per ESPN:

“It’s New Orleans’ problem today, and a problem with a different player tomorrow for the rest of us,” one Eastern Conference GM told ESPN. “It’s open season on small markets and our players.”

League executives contend that the NBA needs to start holding players responsible for public comments the way they generally do owners and management.

“If these are the rules, enforce them,” one Western Conference GM told ESPN. “If you want to push Anthony Davis in LA, if you allow LeBron to interfere with teams, then just do it. Change the rules, and say “It’s the wild, wild west and anything goes.

“But give us a list of the rules that you’re enforcing, and give us a list of the rules that you’re going to ignore.”

The NBA views player comments differently than those of management and suggests they only act to level punishment with evidence of the team’s involvement in a player violation.

“Interference is as bad as tampering — maybe worse in this case,” one Eastern Conference GM told ESPN. “This becomes a campaign meant to destabilize another organization, install chaos and unrest that make it harder to keep an environment that the player would want to stay in. There’s no use in complaining to the league about it. We all get that it’s a players’ league, but there are rules on the books that they need to follow, too.”

Related
‘We’re Not Trading Him’: Pelicans Vow to Hang on to Anthony Davis

The post Rival GMs Upset With LeBron James Commenting on Anthony Davis’ Future appeared first on SLAM.

With AD’s future on everyone’s mind in the NBA, Gentry continues to insist that the 25-year-old superstar will not be made available to rival teams under any circumstance.

Giannis woos Anthony Davis, Alvin Gentry gets emphatic and Jrue Holiday shrugs that he thought it was only the Celtics and the Lakers vying to swipe his team's star. Intrigue before and after the Bucks beat the Pelicans. https://t.co/AAtr7VtBdO

— Steve Aschburner (@AschNBA) December 20, 2018

LeBron James said this week that playing with Davis “would be amazing,” while Giannis Antetokounmpo jokingly asked him to join him in Milwaukee.

Per NBA.com:

“Come to the Bucks, man,” Antetokounmpo said, smiling and shaking Davis’ hand. “Come to the Bucks.”

The two All-NBA players, cornerstones of their respective franchises, laughed. But Davis’ future whereabouts is no joke to a lot of nervous New Orleans fans, and neither is the openness with which other teams’ players can recruit the Pelicans’ meal ticket.

“We’re not trading him,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said emphatically before the game, for the umpteenth time. “I can say that to the world. We’re not gonna trade him, no matter what. That’s not an option. It doesn’t matter what anybody says or does. We’re not trading Anthony Davis.

“And they’re not trading Giannis.”

Related
‘I Don’t Really Care’: Anthony Davis Brushes Off LeBron James’ Comments

The post ‘We’re Not Trading Him’: Pelicans Vow to Hang on to Anthony Davis appeared first on SLAM.

“If I have to be [Russell] Westbrook, I will be Westbook,” David vowed just prior to the greatest three-month stretch of his NBA career.

For many NBA superstars there’s a time when they achieve a consciousness about their powers. Anthony Davis appears to have arrived there: https://t.co/LCA7Cg95et

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) October 17, 2018

AD says he’s the League’s best player, and he will have to continue playing like Russ in order for the Pelicans to win.

Per ESPN:

“I heard what Coach was saying to me, I know what he was trying to do,” Davis said. “But that’s not what I wanted. I wanted to be great and I had to accept the challenge. From that day forward, I had to understand that if I wanted to be great that I had to do it. I had to be great every night.

“I saw what Russ Westbrook did when [Kevin] Durant went down with that foot injury in OKC. And that’s what I told Coach [Alvin] Gentry I have to be. If I have to be Westbrook, I will be Westbrook.”

In practices this preseason, Davis has rarely shot the ball. He wants his teammates to get used to not always going to him. During games he wants others to find confidence, especially Mirotic, because his scoring often unlocks the Pelicans’ offense. Last week in the final preseason game he wanted to put up a huge line — he had 36 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes — because he wanted his opening-night opponent, the Houston Rockets, to see he was ready for the start of the season.

“When you look at LeBron [James], every year you know he’s going to be great and his team is going to have a chance to win the title,” Davis said. “From here on out, I want to be in that conversation every year. Not every other year. Not every few years. Every year. If that’s going to happen, we’re going to have to win, and I’m going to have to be the most dominant player.”

Related
‘My Game is Different’: Anthony Davis Says He’s the NBA’s Best Player

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Gentry agrees with AD’s belief that he’s the best player in the NBA, and says the big fella is “untouchable.”

Alvin Gentry on Anthony Davis: “When you have someone who you can trade for anyone, I think that makes him the best. Or at least most valuable. … Now, we aren’t considering that. We wouldn’t trade him for anyone. Even Beyoncé. I think that makes him untouchable.” #Pelicans

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) October 15, 2018

Davis, 25, recently switched agents, leading to speculation that the All-Star forward could be looking to engineer a trade out of New Orleans in the not-too-distant future.

Per The Times-Picayune:

“Somebody argued the fact that, is he the best player in the league? I think so,” Gentry said. “I’m sure I might be a little bias. I think when you have a player that you can trade for anybody in the NBA, then call him the best player, if you don’t want to call him the best, I call him the most valuable. Because if you can trade him for anybody then he is the most valuable guy in the league.

“Not that we would ever consider that. Don’t you guys take some kind of spin and put on that one. There’s no one in the league we would trade him for. There’s no one out of the league. Not even Beyonce. We wouldn’t trade him for her, then he’s probably untouchable.”

Davis himself told reporters Saturday he doesn’t listen to the trade talk but it’s still going to follow him until he signs a possible supermax extension next summer with the Pelicans worth over nearly $230 million over five years.

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The All-Star center, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has said he’s “very open” to re-signing in NOLA.

Alvin Gentry on DeMarcus Cousins: "There's not anyone that does not want him back with our franchise." https://t.co/a0voZctbIe

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 21, 2018

Cousins, 27, ruptured his Achilles tendon in January and watched the Pels make a remarkable run with him in street clothes, leading to speculation that the team may be better off without Boogie.

Per The Times-Picayune:

“There’s not anyone that does not want him back with our franchise,” Gentry said Monday (May 21) at the Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic at Bayou Oaks City Park’s south course.

Because of the injury and the success the Pelicans had without Cousins, some people think the team would be better off letting him leave, but Gentry strongly stated his desire to have Cousins stay in New Orleans.

“The bottom line is that obviously we’d like to have him back on our team,” Gentry said. “Anyone that thinks you’re better having a guy that averaged (25 points) and 13 (rebounds) not on your team, is really kind of not in tune to what it takes to win in this league. There’s just so many factors that enter into it, but there’s not one single person, player, coach, or in the basketball (operations) department or ownership that doesn’t want him back.”

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Before the Pelicans’ Game 4 loss to Golden State, Gentry paid his star big man the ultimate compliment.

Alvin Gentry says Anthony Davis has some Tim Duncan DNA in his game. Also thought it was cool that Davis said Duncan used to talk to him during games and try to help him with his moves. https://t.co/1Wzf0USru2

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) May 8, 2018

Via ESPN’s Nick Friedell:

“I think any time you have a superstar player like AD—I think he’s got like Tim Duncan DNA.

“He’s just a low-maintenance guy, loves being around the guys, likes being part of the team and just wants to be one of the guys that’s part of the team.

“And I think any time you have that, you’re probably going to have a closeness on your team.”

RELATED:
Jrue On AD’s Takeover This Season: ‘I’ve Never Seen A Player Be Able To Do That’

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Prior to the sweep of the Blazers in the opening round of Western Playoffs, New Orleans informed coach Alvin Gentry that the team was picking up the 2018-19 team option on his contract, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 23, 2018

General manager Dell Demps told Gentry of the Pelicans’ decision prior to the opening-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources said.

The Pelicans’ assistant coaching staff, including associate head coach Darren Erman, Chris Finch and Fred Vinson, also had their contract options picked up, league sources said. Gentry signed an original four-year deal with a team option in 2015.

After going just 64-100 in his first two years as Pelicans coach, Gentry led New Orleans to a 48-34 record this season and their first playoff series win since 2008.

The Pels now await either the Warriors or the Spurs in the second round.

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The post Report: Pelicans Pick Up 2018-19 Option On Alvin Gentry’s Contract appeared first on SLAM.

Before facing the Rockets on Saturday, Gentry said that he gives Harden the nod over Anthony Davis because of the Rockets’ success.

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry: James Harden 'is the MVP' https://t.co/j2tEj0Y9a5

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 17, 2018

Via the Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen:

“In my opinion, [Harden] is the MVP of the league,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “It’s not even close, really, what he’s doing with his team and the numbers he’s putting up.” […]

“He’s been fantastic. He’s been unbelievable,” Gentry said of [Anthony] Davis. “I think the only difference in him not being heavily, heavily in the conversation is obvious we haven’t had the type of season that a Houston has had or a Toronto has had, you know with [DeMar] DeRozan and those guys.”

RELATED:
Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis Never Gets Calls ‘Because He Doesn’t Bitch and Complain’

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One of the major notes Gentry made was in defense of his star player, Anthony Davis:

We try and play the right way and we play our asses off and what happens to us is (Anthony Davis) never gets a call, he never gets a call … You know why? Because he doesn’t bitch and complain about it.

“This league has really changed.”

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was not pleased with tonight’s officiating (via @FOXSportsNOLA) pic.twitter.com/3xjMpKIgee

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 18, 2018

“We try and play the right way and we play our asses off and what happens to us is (Anthony Davis) never gets a call … You know why? Because he doesn’t bitch and complain about it.” (via @defpenhoops) pic.twitter.com/nKv35IyVBE

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 18, 2018

Gentry was assessed a technical during the game after James Harden was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 5:39 to go in the fourth quarter.

The post Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis Never Gets Calls ‘Because He Doesn’t Bitch and Complain’ appeared first on SLAM.

Despite loss of Cousins for season, the Pelicans plan to remain active in acquiring talent prior to the Feb. 8 trade deadline, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2018

New Orleans is sixth in the West with a 27-21 record, but Boogie, who has not missed a game, is a major reason why. Cousins was having one of the best years of his career,  averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per contest.

According to head coach Alvin Gentry and big man Anthony Davis, the Pels were really starting to gel. They are currently on a four-game winning streak and have toppled both the Celtics and the Rockets in the last two weeks.

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry tells ESPN in a text message: “We were starting to play damn good basketball. DeMarcus has been great.” Pelicans are 27-21, just one game out of the 5th seed in the Western Conference.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2018

“We were just getting it. We were just figuring everything out, that’s the tough part,” Davis told reporters.

Can the Pelicans still make the playoffs? And who should they target to increase their chances?

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NBA Players React to DeMarcus Cousins’ Season-Ending Injury

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Yeah, not so much …

The Pels (23-36) came into Wednesday night’s tilt in Houston trailing the eighth-seeded Rockets by five games, and following their 100-95 road loss, Gentry declared the team’s Playoff push all but over.

Per The Times-Picayune:

“We come out here after every game and we talk about that we’re still in the playoff race, ‘No we’re not, Ok,'”Gentry told reporters after the game.

 

“What we are is a team that when we have an opportunity to do something, we didn’t get it done. So that is the bottom line.”

 

“We turned the ball over and didn’t give ourselves a chance to get back on defense and get some stops,” Pelicans guard Norris Cole said. “You can’t have turnovers like that, and we have to give our defense a chance to get set. Houston made more plays down the stretch than we did.”

The post Alvin Gentry: Pelicans Are Out of the Playoff Race appeared first on SLAM.

Point guard Tyreke Evans appears to have fully bought into his coach’s playful braggadocio.

Evans thinks the Pels aren’t all that different from the defending champion Golden State Warriors—the same team that swept N.O. out of the 2015 Playoffs—and that they’re ready to become title contenders.

Per the Sporting News:

“I don’t see why we can’t do it,” Evans said. “We have a great team. I don’t see our team any different from the Warriors. I think we’re right there, even though this is going to be our first year with coach (Alvin) Gentry. If we push each other and work hard, we can make that next step. It’s not going to be easy, but I think we have that chance.”

 

“We’re a young team. We need to get up and down,” Evans said. “The last game of the season, when we played the Spurs (needing a win to make the playoffs), we played an up tempo game. We came out of the gate getting stops and going for baskets. That’s been our best style. Playing like that is going to be good for us. We have a lot of guys with athleticism.”

 

The adjustment for the team will be losing Monty Williams, the Pelicans’ coach for the past five seasons who oversaw improvement in each season after trading Paul. Williams was fired after the playoff loss, while general manager Dell Demps was kept in place after both were thought to be in jeopardy earlier in the season. […] “It’s tough,” Evans said. “We made a good run. We made it to the playoffs. So I wasn’t expecting it. I thought he would maybe finish out next year, see how that goes. But I definitely was shocked. With the season we had, I think he did a great job with the injuries for two years and making the playoffs and beating the Spurs in the last game of the season. That seemed like a big game for him and for us. So I was shocked when I found out. […] We moved on it. We’ve talked about it with each other. When it happened, a lot of guys were asking each other if anyone was expecting that. But that’s the business part of the NBA. He’s with another team (as associate head coach of the Thunder) now, and I know he’s going to do good over there. And I’m looking forward to playing against him this year.”

Related
Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis is ‘the Best Player in the NBA, Not Named LeBron James’

The post Tyreke Evans Says Pelicans Are ‘Right There’ With the Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

AD was bummed to see the Pels get rid of Monty Williams, but believes Gentry is the right person to take him to the next level.

Davis, 22, says signing a monster long-term deal in New Orleans this summer was a no-brainer.

Per the AP:

“I definitely love his playing style,” Davis said. “My teammates, they have a lot of confidence in coach Gentry. I think that’s why everybody’s coming back. […] In order for us to be that contender that we want to be, we have to have a lot of chemistry, which we have from the past few years,” Davis added. “So it’s good that everybody’s going to come back and we’re going to be able to have that chemistry ready for coach’s new system.”

 

Davis said the Pelicans’ current roster still has a lot of upside because core players are young and some key players such as Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson are still working their way back to better health from injuries in the past couple seasons. […] “We know that guys were hurt and we could be way better than we were last year, and that’s the scary thing about our team,” Davis said.

 

It also meant a lot to Davis to see Gentry look into a TV camera during the Warriors’ locker room celebration immediately after Golden State had won the title, saying, “A.D., we’re going to be right back here!” […] “That’s the biggest thing that really got me excited because he wasn’t just saying that to say it. He really believes that,” Davis said. “Saying it after he just won was another thing, you know? So you’re thinking about (how) the Pelicans are trying to win next year when you could be enjoying your time with Golden State.”

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Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis is ‘the Best Player in the NBA, Not Named LeBron James’

The post Anthony Davis on Board With Alvin Gentry’s Changes appeared first on SLAM.

Davis has been working hard this summer to improve his range—the All-Star has only made a trio of three-pointers throughout his three seasons in the NBA—and his new head coach says the big fella will be expected to launch and connect from beyond the arc next season.

Gentry is confident in AD’s ability to hit threes since he was adept at it early on in his high school career.

Per The Times-Picayune:

In a conference call to season-ticket holders on Tuesday night, Gentry says he has already told Davis that every day he works out in the gym this upcoming season he wants him to make 150 corner 3-point shots from each side of the court.

 

“That’s got to become a consistent shot for him,” Gentry said. “I don’t think he’s going to have any problem doing it. If you go back and look at his high school days, he was a very good 3-point shooter. But all of sudden he decided to grow six or eight inches. He still has that range, but I don’t think it has been incorporated in the offense in college or the pros that he’s been in. […] We want him to shoot that shot. So I think you probably see him make more 3s than he’s made his entire career.”

 

The eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors swept the Pelicans in four games, but Davis became the first player in 40 years to average at least 30 points and 10 rebounds participating in his first NBA playoff series. […] “He’s a building block for everyone and we will try to run our offense through him,” Gentry said.

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Alvin Gentry: Anthony Davis is ‘the Best Player in the NBA, Not Named LeBron James’

The post Alvin Gentry Pushing Anthony Davis to Become a Three-Point Shooter appeared first on SLAM.

Gentry says that AD is the League’s second best player, and that the Pelicans have a chance to win a title in the not-too-distant future.

Hosting Alvin Gentry Presser as Pels Coach… "We've got the best player in NBA not named Lebron" (Anthony Davis)

— Ric Renner (@RicRenFSSW) June 22, 2015

Gentry is coming off a championship with the Golden State Warriors.

Per the Times-Picayune and AP:

”We got the best player in the NBA, not named LeBron James,” Gentry said. ”But I’m really excited. I look at the roster and I lot of these guys I have a special relationship with. […] Jrue Holiday, we came so close of drafting him, when I was the head coach in Phoenix. Eric Gordon, everyone knows we (Phoenix Suns) offered him a tremendous contract, but he decided to stay here in New Orleans.”

 

Gentry, 60, was hired on May 30, but he remained with the Golden State as their lead assistant until the NBA Finals were completed last week in which the Warriors won their first NBA championship in 40 years. […] He plans to install an up-tempo offense that involves around spacing, ball movement and quick-strike scoring. But Gentry said improving the Pelicans’ defensive play is a priority heading into next season.

 

”I feel like we have an opportunity to leap frog a few teams (in the West),” said Gentry, who signed a four-year, $13.7 million contract with the Pelicans. […] “I’d like nothing more for us as Pelicans to have a parade right down Canal Street and enjoy it, too,” Gentry said. “That’s our goal here and I think it’s very attainable.”

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The deliriously happy Gentry will soon be coaching Anthony Davis, and he’s already planning on returning to the NBA Finals with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Steve Kerr and the rest of the Warriors’ staff good-naturedly told Gentry that he’s no longer welcome in their locker room.

Per SI:

Before he left the arena, (Stephen) Curry was fire-hosed with Mumm Napa. “I smell like a frat,” he said. (Andre) Iguodala ate pizza in a towel. “We’re going to Augusta!” he shouted at Curry’s dad, a fellow golfer. The normally understated (Klay) Thompson belted out Queen’s, “We Are The Champions.” “So you do smile?” a startled member of the traveling party asked him. In the locker room, somebody chirped, “Now let’s go win summer league!” In the hallway, general manager Bob Myers was surveyed about a pickup game the next day, and the draft the next week. “Pickup?” he said. “Tomorrow?”

 

On the five-minute bus ride to Morton’s, (Steve) Kerr and Myers talked about Iguodala, who was sent to the bench in training camp and wound up Finals MVP. “That’s the best part of this,” Kerr said. Michael Silver, an NFL Network analyst and high-school buddy from Pacific Palisades, on the western edge of L.A., also rode along. “Remember how you used to listen to Chick Hearn and Bill King at the same time?” Kerr asked Silver. Hearn was the Lakers’ broadcaster, King the Warriors’, and Silver hooked up two radios at the same time when the teams met. “Chick Hearn would say, ’20-footer no good,’ and two seconds later Bill King would say, ’17-footer no good.’” Silver didn’t remember. Kerr did.

 

They were still reminiscing on the elevator at the Ritz when associate head coach Alvin Gentry stepped off at his floor and started toward his room, where he was changing for the party. Gentry is the new head coach in New Orleans, charged with finding a way to do what no team this season could: vanquish the Warriors. Just before the elevator door closed, and Gentry walked away, Kerr delivered one poignant parting message to his treasured lieutenant. “I can’t wait,” he said with a playful smile, “to start kicking the Pelicans’ ass.”

The post Alvin Gentry to Anthony Davis: ‘We’re Gonna Be Back Here Next Year’ (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Despite making the Playoffs, New Orleans fired head coach Monty Williams after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Warriors. Several names were reportedly linked as possible candidates for the job, including John Calipari, Jeff Van Gundy and Vinny Del Negro.

Gentry was previously a head coach with the Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns where he compiled a 335-370 career record.

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports it’s a four-year, $13.75M deal, including a $4M team option in final season. Here’s the official announcement from the team’s website:

The New Orleans Pelicans named Alvin Gentry the team’s head coach, it was announced today by Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Dell Demps. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

 

Gentry becomes the sixth head coach in franchise history.

 

“We are excited to announce that Alvin Gentry is the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. We warmly welcome Alvin and his family to the Pelicans organization,” said Demps. “After assessing our team, along with the core values of the Pelicans, we created a list of characteristics and qualities we wanted in our head coach. We conducted an extensive coaching search that identified Alvin Gentry as the right person to lead our team.”

 

…

 

Gentry, who currently serves as the associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors, will begin his duties with the Pelicans immediately following the 2015 NBA Finals.

The post Alvin Gentry Named Head Coach of New Orleans Pelicans appeared first on SLAM.

Vinny Del Negro is reportedly the latest former coach to throw his name in the hat; he is said to have discussed the gig with Pelicans GM Dell Demps.

VDN has been working for NBA TV since the LA Clippers fired him in 2013

Alvin Gentry, Jeff Van Gundy and Scott Skiles have also interviewed for the job.

Per Yahoo! Sports:

Del Negro emerged as a candidate based upon his successful five-year run as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers.

 

In five seasons he reached the playoffs four times, including the 2011-12 Western Conference semifinals. In his final season with the Clippers, Del Negro led the franchise to its best regular season in history, winning 56 games. His career record is 210-184.

 

Del Negro was credited with playing a part in the development of several talented young players in both jobs. He worked in the Phoenix Suns’ front office, where he ascended from player personnel director to assistant general manager. Del Negro had a 13-year playing career in the NBA.

The post Vinny Del Negro Interviews for New Orleans Pelicans Coaching Job appeared first on SLAM.

Scott Skiles—who’s been linked to the job in Orlando—and Golden State Warriors associate coach Alvin Gentry are also in the running for the gig.

When asked directly Wednesday if he wants to coach Anthony Davis, the 53-year-old JVG squirmed and danced around the question (while basically conceding that, yes, any coach would be crazy to turn down the opportunity.)

Per The Times Picayune :

New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps met with Jeff Van Gundy on Tuesday in San Francisco, league sources confirmed.

 

On Wednesday, Van Gundy, 53, declined to acknowledge on the “Dan Patrick Show” if he has been contacted by the New Orleans Pelicans for their vacant head-coaching job. […] Until Van Gundy, Golden State lead assistant Alvin Gentry was the only known candidate who had formally interviewed. But sources say Demps, who’s conducting the search with executive VP Mickey Loomis, doesn’t have a frontrunner for job which became vacant on May 12 when Monty Williams was fired after five seasons.

 

When asked on the ”Dan Patrick” show if he would like to coach Davis, Van Gundy said: “There is no one who ever coached that wouldn’t want to coach a great player with great character. And so I’ve been able to do that in my life. I’ve already coached a player with a great character and you know how important that is if you want to win big in a situation. I had Patrick Ewing, Yao Ming and (Tracy) McGrady in Houston, (Charles) Oakley and all these guys. […] “Anybody who that says, nah … I wouldn’t want to coach (Davis) who is a top-five player and a great person, I wouldn’t believe that if someone said that.”

The post The New Orleans Pelicans Interviewed Jeff Van Gundy appeared first on SLAM.

Tom Thibodeau is also expected to be heavily recruited for the job in the Big Easy.

Gentry’s Warriors kick off the Western Conference Finals Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

Per ESPN and Yahoo! Sports:

The New Orleans Pelicans have ‎been granted permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry for their coaching vacancy, according to league sources. […] Sources said that Gentry has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the position, along with Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who is widely expected to part company with the Bulls this offseason.

 

It reported last week after the Bulls’ second-round elimination against Cleveland that there is mutual interest between Thibodeau and the Pelicans in discussing the job that was vacated when Monty Williams was fired earlier this month. […] Thibodeau, though, is under contract with the Bulls for the next two years at nearly $9 million.

 

Gentry is selling the idea of bringing an offensive system to New Orleans that would benefit star Anthony Davis, in part the way he did for NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry under Steve Kerr with the Warriors, league sources said. […] Gentry was 140-131 in three-plus years as the Phoenix Suns head coach, including a trip to the Western Conference finals. He was fired in 2013 after the Suns gutted the team in a rebuild.

The post New Orleans Pelicans Interview Alvin Gentry for Coaching Job appeared first on SLAM.

Former Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry tells a harrowing story about how a very large, very naked Shaquille O’Neal would pin his poor teammates to the floor, forcing them to wrestle. Per True Hoop:

“The thing that he did that he got to be notorious for is that, every few days or every week or so, he would decided that it was time for this Brazilian naked wrestling contest.

You didn’t know who the chosen one was, but what would happen when you least expect it, this 7-foot, 310-pound guy would turn the corner, and he would be stark naked and he would run right at you full speed, grab you, he would take you to the floor and then he would do about five rollovers with you. And he would always tell our trainers who it was going to be, so they were always prepared for it, but you never knew who it was going to be.”

The post Shaquille O’Neal Used to Wrestle His Teammates Naked (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Alvin Gentry has agreed in principle to join Warriors staff, agent Warren LeGarie said.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) June 20, 2014

The post Warriors Add Alvin Gentry To Coaching Staff appeared first on SLAM.

The Cavaliers are working their way down the Los Angeles Clippers’ bench to maybe find their next coach.

 

The team will interview Clippers assistants Tyronn Lue and Alvin Gentry over the next two days for their coaching job, a person with knowledge of the meetings told The Associated Press.

 

Lue, who has spent the past four seasons working under Doc Rivers in Boston and Los Angeles, is meeting with the Cavs on Thursday and Gentry is scheduled to sit down with the Cavs on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting during its search.

 

The Cavaliers are looking for their third coach in three years after firing Mike Brown – for the second time – this month following a 33-49 season. The team interviewed Chicago assistant Adrian Griffin on Tuesday and is expected to interview former Memphis coach Lionel Hollins.

The post Cavaliers to Interview Tyronn Lue, Alvin Gentry for Coaching Job appeared first on SLAM.

A separate source with knowledge of the coaching search said the Cavs have not interviewed any candidates yet.

 

Gentry, 59, is considered a leading candidate for the Cavs job because of his Phoenix ties to General Manager David Griffin. He has a 335-370 record in parts of 12 seasons as a head coach with the Phoenix Suns, Clippers and Detroit Pistons. He also served as interim coach of the Miami Heat.

 

He has reached the playoffs twice, winning 54 games and reaching the Western Conference finals with the Suns in 2010.

 

The Cavs aren’t in a rush to hire a head coach and have planned an extensive, wide-ranging search that includes multiple candidates.

 

Landing the No. 1 pick in the draft this week certainly makes the Cavs’ job seem more attractive.

 

“It makes us a more attractive destination than we already were,” ­Griffin said.

 

ESPN reported that the Cavs have also reached out to University of Florida coach Billy Donovan.

The post Cavs Request Permission to Interview Clippers Assistant Alvin Gentry appeared first on SLAM.

As the search for a new head coach gets underway, the Charlotte Bobcats are going to hear from Alvin Gentry and Elston Turner about the gig. Per Turner Sports: “The Charlotte Bobcats will interview former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry next week for their vacant head coach job, according to league sources. The Bobcats will also interview longtime assistant coach Elston Turner, who was Gentry’s assistant in Phoenix before Gentry was fired early this season. Gentry, a North Carolina native who played collegiately at Appalachian State, had expressed interest in the Bobcats’ job last week. The Bobcats are looking for yet another head coach after firing Mike Dunlap following a single season. […] Turner hoped to be considered for the job after Gentry was fired, but he was passed over in favor of the Suns’ player development coach, Lindsey Hunter, who coached the rest of the season. The Suns, who also dismissed former general manager Lance Blanks after the season, have already given Hunter permission to interview with Detroit for its vacant head coaching job.”

The post Charlotte Bobcats to Interview Alvin Gentry and Elston Turner appeared first on SLAM.

Angered that he didn’t get the head coaching gig in Phoenix after Alvin Gentry was shown the door — it went instead to Lindsey Hunter — assistant coach Dan Majerle walked away from the Suns, which wasn’t unexpected. Per the AZ Republic: “Majerle was in his fifth season as a Suns assistant coach but had stopped working with the team Sunday when Lindsey Hunter was selected as the interim head coach in place of Alvin Gentry. Hunter was selected Sunday over lead assistant coach Elston Turner, assistant coach Igor Kokoskov and Majerle, who had been the suggestion of many Suns players to General Manager Lance Blanks during interviews Friday and Saturday. When Blanks called Majerle to inform him of the decision Sunday morning before practice, Majerle left US Airways Center and did not participate in Sunday’s and Monday’s practices. Majerle had been willing to return to the staff if Turner was selected. Majerle will receive his full salary for the season. Majerle is one of the most popular figures in Suns history, having playing eight seasons for the Suns (1988-95, 2001-02) with three All-Star appearances. His notoriety led to a chain of successful sports bars bearing his name, four seasons as a Suns broadcast analyst and several endorsement deals. After becoming an assistant, Majerle was made head coach of four Suns NBA Summer League entries.”

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Following Alvin Gentry’s dismissal, the Phoenix Suns tabbed Lindsey Hunter as their new, interim head coach. (As for Gentry, the man is already bored out of his mind.) Per the AZ Republic: The Suns selected first-year player development coordinator Lindsey Hunter to be the interim coach for the second half of the season. After former four-year coach Alvin Gentry’s departure Friday morning, Suns General Manager Lance Blanks led the decision on picking an internal replacement and chose Hunter over Suns veteran assistant coaches Elston Turner, Dan Majerle and Igor Kokoskov. Majerle likely will choose to not return to the staff. He left US Airways Center before practice began Sunday morning, when Hunter, coaches and players learned of the decision. Turner, the lead assistant for the past two years, was meeting with Hunter at US Airways on Sunday morning and then with vice president of player programs Mark West. The Suns other assistants joined Hunter’s first practice. Hunter, 42, joined the Suns last season as a scout and was named the head of a new player development unit in the summer. Hunter has sat in the second row behind the Suns’ coaching staff during most games but had not coached since ending his 17-year NBA playing career in 2010. Hunter was a part of 12 playoff teams and two championships (the 2001-02 Lakers and the 2003-04 Pistons).”

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Steve Nash provided an honest perspective on Alvin Gentry’s removal as the Suns head coach. Nash told ESPNLosAngeles that the Suns firing his former coach ultimately have been a good thing, considering the direction the team was headed: “Said Nash: ‘Obviously I’m sad for Alvin, but in some ways, maybe this is a good thing for him. He’s a great coach. A really good coach, and any club would be lucky to have him, that’s for sure. He’ll land on his feet, because he can really do a good job. I think the writing’s been on the wall. It just looks like it to me. They wouldn’t extend his contract. They just gave him the year to just kind of play it out. It looked like they wanted to get their own guy in there.'”

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According to the Phoenix Suns, they have “mutually agreed” to part ways with head coach Alvin Gentry as the team struggles through a rebuilding year. The decision was made this morning, following a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Per the AZ Republic: “The Suns have parted ways with coach Alvin Gentry after the team posted its worst record for the first half of a season in 25 years. An interim coach was not immediately known, although lead assistant coach Elston Turner would be the next in line and has been a finalist for other league head coaching jobs. The Suns lost at home Thursday night to Milwaukee for the first time in 26 years to fall to 13-28, the franchise’s worst midpoint record since the 1987-88 team went 13-28 coming out of the drug scandal. Gentry, Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver and President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby had a late-night meeting but Gentry was not let go at that time. A decision was made Friday morning. Sarver told USA Today on Dec. 11 that Gentry would be the Suns coach for the entire season.”

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Despite the preseason optimism, things have not worked out for Michael Beasley so far. After yet another poor performance, this time on national television in a loss to the visiting Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry says it’s very likely that Beasley will be moved to the bench. Per the AZ Republic: “Muddled underneath the disappointment of their recent 1-5 road trip was the narrow margin of defeat that stung the Suns in most games. A three-point loss. Another by four. An unfortunate overtime ending. Each result could easily have been flipped on a late, game-defining play. But the Suns couldn’t execute, and that deficiency apparently wasn’t a symptom of the road as it plagued the Suns when they returned home – this time in the form of a 97-94 to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday at US Airways on ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed Night.’ It was a season-high fifth straight loss for the Suns, who had a chance at a tie in the final minute but were kept at bay after a missed layup by Goran Dragic. […] Forward Michael Beasley was the epitome of the team’s struggles. He shot 3-for-12 and during one stretch missed seven straight shots. Afterward, Gentry said it’s ‘more than likely’ time to move Beasley out of the starting rotation and the switch ‘could possibly’ be as soon as Saturday’s tilt in Los Angeles against the Clippers. ‘I don’t know what it is,’ Beasley said. ‘I come in every game optimistic about my play and my shots. It’s just not good right now, and it’s not what anybody’s doing. It’s all me. I’m getting extra shots. I’m getting extra shots on top of extra shots. I’ve just got to be patient. Let the game come to me. Just sort of ride it out.'”

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Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley hasn’t been especially productive at crunch time this season, which has resulted in him being benched by head coach Alvin Gentry. Beasley says he’s discouraged when he doesn’t play while the team loses. From the AZ Republic: “Beasley has sat out the entire fourth quarter in eight of 17 games so far with reasons varying from a rout to another player’s hot hand to a need for a better defensive player. Beasley’s fourth-quarter run in Philadelphia was the reason the Suns had a shot to tie, although he missed a late layup. Otherwise, his fourth-quarter play has been as sketchy as it is spotty. In 53 fourth-quarter minutes, Beasley has made eight of 32 shots. […] Beasley has said he was fine with sitting when the Suns won. How about in a loss? ‘Not good,’ Beasley said. ‘If I’ve got to sit in a trash can at the end of the bench during crunch time for us to win games, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But if we’re not winning games, and I feel like I can contribute, it’s just discouraging. We don’t have problems. I just feel like we could’ve won the game. I feel like I played, not well, but decent and definitely better than how I have been playing.’ For the season, Beasley has started off his three-year, $18 million contract by averaging 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists. His 38.9 percent shooting is the worst of the Suns’ 10 rotation players, although he said a sore left pinkie has affected him all season. Beasley was considered the ‘X’ factor for the Suns’ playoff hopes. It is almost a surprise that they are even [7-11] with Beasley not living up to the starring role. ‘That’s what I’m still looking for,’ Beasley said. ‘That’s what is so frustrating and so disheartening. I want that role so bad. I feel like I am that player that we need. I haven’t had a chance, or maybe I haven’t taken the opportunity to show it.’ In most cases, the Suns simply need to be better defensively and turn to P.J. Tucker at small forward for important minutes.”

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Phoenix Suns forward Marcin Gortat came into this season full of confidence and bravado, determined to prove to the hoops world that he can thrive without Steve Nash spoon-feeding him for baskets. It hasn’t quite worked out, and the Polish Hammer is none too pleased. Gortat blames his new point guard, the head coach, and a host of others for his struggles. From Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy (translated by the blog Gothic Ginobili): “A lot has changed in the Suns since last season. Marcin Gortat: ‘Unfortunately, in my case – for worse. I’m certainly not the player I was last season, I need to find my place in the new order. I’m still capable of helping this team, and regularly recording a double double, but when the ball sticks to one person on offence, it’s hard to find a good rhythm.’ Last season you’ve scored a lot of points off of Steve Nash pick and rolls. The team doesn’t play that way anymore. MG: ‘That’s true, but I can score in various situations. Finishing pick and rolls, in transition, from midrange, around the rim. There are a lot of options. Unfortunately, my two strongest plays – the pick and roll and post-ups have been taken away from me. It’s not easy, we have a lot of plays that don’t include me. And my chemistry with Goran Dragic hasn’t been quite equal to what I had with Steve. These are things that we need to work on.’ Coach Alvin Gentry told me that the main post option was Luis Scola. You, on the other hand, are number one on defense. MG: ‘Unfortunately… I’ve been doing the dirty work all my life, and now I have to come back to that. I will fight for what’s mine. I’ll try to prove to the coach that I can play an important role in the offence. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m even an option for Gentry. He doesn’t even take me into consideration. The situation is critical. We’re playing the same thing we’ve been playing last year, but the truth is we have a completely different set of players. I don’t think it really works. I can’t get frustrated now though, I have to stay positive.’ The Suns have a lot of players that create for themselves. MG: ‘We have plenty of players who like to create for themselves, but it doesn’t always work. We don’t share the ball as much as we have in previous seasons. The ball doesn’t move around the perimeter – it usually stops after one or two passes. You can’t play like this, let alone win. Basketball is a team sport. Nobody ever won a game alone.’ […] Did the coach honestly tell you what he expects from you? MG: ‘We’ve talked before the season started. He said he expects me to play defence, rebound, block shots and quarterback the defence. He also said he wanted me to set up in the paint and wait for my shots. And I’m still waiting… (laughter) ‘”

(H/T: PBT)

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Shannon Brown isn’t enjoying his time in Phoenix these days, as he has fallem out of Suns head coach Alvin Gentry’s rotation. Brown expressed his frustration to the AZ Republic: “Brown signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the thought that the opportunity to play would increase his value. Instead, Brown fell out of the rotation to make room for Michael Redd just as the Suns began playing better. ‘It’s very frustrating sitting on the bench,’ Brown said. ‘I’ve put my time in. I’ve earned my stripes. I’ve been through the fire. I know I can play this game. That’s the only thing keeping me positive. It’s not like I can’t do something. I can knock down big shots. I’ve done that. I won’t hate on nobody. I want to see the team successful. It’s just tough for me to sit on the bench, day in and day out, knowing I can help the team.’ Brown averaged a career-high 9.0 points per game in 22 games entering Monday night but was shooting 39 percent, his worst shooting since he played 21 games for two teams in 2007-08. Brown has not been out of the rotation like this since December 2008, when he did not play in nine consecutive games for Charlotte. Brown said coach Alvin Gentry has asked him to stay ready.”

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STAT makes his triumphant return to Phoenix as a member of the Knicks tonight, a place where despite his spectacular play, he never felt truly appreciated.

Stoudemire — on his way to yet an All-Star berth, and having led the stirring turn around in New York — tells the media in Suns-land that he didn’t get his just due during the eight years he played there.

From the AZ Republic:

Friday, Stoudemire will come out of the visitors’ tunnel at US Airways Center for the first time. Like he often was with the Suns, he will be the star of the better team. His play revitalized the Knicks (20-14). His absence has decimated the Suns (14-19).

“It’s something I couldn’t have imagined for the simple fact of how we’re winning and how beautiful the city and fans are,” said Stoudemire, the NBA’s second leading scorer to Kevin Durant at 26.4 points per game. “It’s rock-star status here in New York. If we would’ve kept it together in Phoenix, we could’ve had the same success. I’m satisfied. I wouldn’t do anything different … If they were looking to rebuild and thought I was the guy they wanted to rebuild with, then we could’ve came to an understanding,” Stoudemire said. “But apparently it wasn’t that way. It felt like I wasn’t wanted. It felt like I wasn’t appreciated. I felt like my play on the court was overlooked.”

Alvin Gentry thinks Ama’re Stoudemire ultimately wanted a team he could call “his”, and he’s gotten his wish.

Phoenix refused to give Amar’e the max deal he was looking for; they were in cost-cutting mode, and had fears about the health of his knees and eyes (all of which have been operated on.) So far, the move has obviously backfired on them, and Stoudemire is thriving in Gotham.

Tonight, Suns fans will likely cheer for the returning Amar’e; the reaction to the team’s front-office may be a tad different.

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Steve Nash has always been candid with the media, and never shied away from expressing what’s really on his mind. When it comes to his team this season, Nash isn’t holding out much hope for similar success to last year.

Phoenix surprised everyone by making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last summer (and pushed the champion Lakers), but now playing with a radically different roster, let’s just say that Steve Nash isn’t exactly jazzed about what he sees on the floor.

SB Nation reports:

“To be honest, if I was outside this picture and a betting man, I would probably pick us to be outside of the playoffs considering all the changes and the new guys,” team leader Steve Nash said after Sunday’s team practice.

The problem, according to Steve Nash, is that winning might be a long ways off. Nash was particularly frustrated with the process of going from a team he felt was very close to winning an NBA Championship to essentially starting over again. “I spent four months this summer and a month this training camp feeling like I’m trying to get to the top,” Nash said. “It’s hard as a competitor to convince yourself every day all summer and then through the preseason that you’re going to get back to where you were and hopefully take the next step, and then you realize that camp is starting all over again and it’s not quite as linear as you made it out to yourself all summer.”

Time to get excited, Suns fans! Or, you know, not.

Perhaps this is Nash’s way of taking the pressure off his team by tempering expectations, but as he heads into the twilight of his career, the current situation is probably not what he had in mind.

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“Teams don’t shoot 58 percent against us,” Gentry said Friday, referring to the Lakers’ shooting in Games 1 and 2. “That’s not who we are, contrary to what Chris Webber thinks, OK? Yeah, and I’m throwing that out there too, all right? They don’t. He should check his stats also. Like I said, I’m a factual guy. His definition of a horrible defensive team is not the same as ours. That’s my hit for the day.

I don’t mind him talking about the coaching. He can talk about how bad the coaches are but to say that these guys are a terrible defensive team is not fair. It’s unfair to these guys because they worked hard to get better in that area right there. That’s my (ticked-)off statement for the day, OK?”

Given Phoenix’s exceptional play over the series last three games, it seems Webber would be willing to reconsider his asessment. We’ll see if Gentry gets a win or an apology tonight.

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Despite the troubles they’ve had handling the Phoenix Suns’ “girly” zone defense in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers have done just fine on the offensive end.

According to every metric, the offense has performed well enough to win those games, but that has obviously not been sufficient.

The reason L.A. now must play a pivotal Game 5 back at Staples Center on Thursday night, against a surging Phoenix team that’s slowly beginning to believe it can win the series, is because their defense has been so atrocious lately. Or as Kobe might say, it has “sucked.”

Bryant — who once again performed brilliantly in a losing effort — was livid following the game last night, tersely addressing the assembled media about his team’s lack of urgency, and porous attention to detail on the defensive end of the floor.

The OC Register captured the quotes:

“Our defense could have been much better, I think. You know coming up here, we lost a sense of urgency defensively. I think our concentration was focused on how to attack the zone. And I think it kind of flipped our attention to detail defensively. Our focus was on the other side of the floor, which doesn’t win championships. So we need to get back to ground zero when it comes to that.”

“We lost the game because our defense sucked … Like I said, we’ve got to do a much better job defensively. Paying attention to those guys, all of them, and staying in front of your man and things like that … Our attention needs to be on the defensive end, period. That’s second chance opportunities. Their bench came in and gave them a big boost in getting balls back and getting them extra possessions. We’ve got to cut that stuff out.”

If the Lakers hope to make their once seemingly-assured return trip to the NBA Finals next week, they can’t allow Phoenix (as they have in Games 3 and 4) to score upwards of 117 points, shooting 47.5% from the field, 32% from three-point land, and for the Suns’ bench to dominate the game.

Game 5 now has all the makings of a classic battle. The winner will have their defense to thank.

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There’s a saying that it’s better to be lucky than good. Most teams would like to be both.

No matter the explanation, the Los Angeles Lakers will take the result: a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference Finals match-up with the Phoenix Suns.

“Lucky” was the word on everyone’s minds after Amar’e Stoudemire used it to dismiss Lamar Odom’s 19-point, 19-rebound output in Game 1. But the term applied more broadly than just to Odom. The Lakers couldn’t duplicate the outcome and ease of their opening performance, could they?

The win didn’t come as easy as it did the first time. But it required little luck at the end.

Spurred by an offense that was rarely challenged, the Lakers downed the Suns, 124-112, Wednesday night at Staples Center.

The Suns assured everyone Tuesday that defensive reinforcements were on the way after the team gave up 127 points in the opener. But a patient Lakers team toyed with the zone defense thrown their way in the early going, consistently finding wide open three-point shooters. With Kobe Bryant balancing the roles of distributor early (playoff career-high 13 assists) and scorer late (21 points), Los Angeles seldom struggled with putting up points.

The Suns’ plan to contain Bryant paid few dividends.

“They do a great job [playing defense] on Kobe, and then it goes to Pau [Gasol],” Gentry said. “You double-team Pau, and then it goes to Lamar. You get it out of Lamar’s hands, and Jordan Farmar makes shots.

“That’s the reason they’re world champs.”

Stopping the Suns, however, was a more arduous task for the Lakers. Phoenix couldn’t match Los Angeles’ efficiency, but its players frequently capitalized on open jumpers. Jared Dudley earned his keep with five 3-pointers. Grant Hill’s second-half revival catalyzed an integral run, and Steve Nash provided some much-needed counterpunches after many Lakers baskets.

But the Suns couldn’t go any further than tying the score at 90 at the end of the third quarter. Despite Gasol getting 14 fourth-quarter points, Bryant credited Jordan Farmar with “single-handedly” swinging the momentum back in the Lakers’ favor. Once the game was settled in the final minutes, one section of the crowd started a “we want Boston” cheer.

With the series headed to Phoenix, there was a sense of cautious optimism among the Lakers. The Suns’ crowd is sure to be more hostile than the quiet Staples Center group, whose loudest cheer came when referee Joey Crawford hit the deck. Bryant noted that dictating tempo would be more difficult on the road but also said the team knew how to adapt.

“We can play pretty much every style,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t mean we’re better than the team we’re playing against. But it holds us in stretches.”

Both Gentry and Steve Nash voiced a subdued frustration with the team’s inability to defend the Lakers consistently. After choosing to double Bryant and pay the Price, Gentry joked, “Maybe we’ll let Kobe get 80 and try to guard the other guys.” After taking his final question, Gentry panned, “I’m open to suggestions, guys.”

Sounds like a guy who could use a little luck.

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Last week I got an email from the NBA asking me to vote in the official NBA postseason awards balloting. This is my third year voting in these awards, and I always take it seriously. I’ve always been transparent in my voting, telling you guys whom I voted for and why I voted for those guys. It’s always bothered me when you hear some random player got like one vote for Defensive Player of the Year, and the vote came from a guy who works for that team. I’ve always taken the voting for these awards as seriously as I can. I am honored that the NBA thinks highly enough of me to value my vote, and I’m going to stand behind my vote.

That said, I have until later next week to actually file my vote, and I’m going to take a few days to meditate on this. Which is why I want your opinions. As much basketball as I watch, I don’t see everything. Also, I’m from SLAM, and you guys — our readers — are a huge part of SLAM. Always have been, always will be. So I’ll take your opinions into consideration. Make a reasoned, well thought-out case, and I’m willing to think about it.

As always, I’ll listen to your arguments, but the final say is mine. It’s my name on the ballot, for better or for worse.

Here are the categories I’m supposed to vote on. And all players I mention will be mentioned in alphabetical order, just so there’s no favoritism going on.

Rookie Of The Year
NAMES: Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings.
THOUGHTS: These three guys have to be the top three candidates. This one could get controversial — the other day back in the office I mentioned my early thoughts on how I wanted to vote in this category, and everyone got all worked up about it. Curry’s been the most effective scorer (and is second in the NBA in steals), Evans the leader of his team, and Jennings is the only one going to the Playoffs. Yet you could argue Jennings doesn’t play in crunch time and has a poor FG percentage, Evans is successful only because he dominates the ball, and Curry is just a product of playing time and their system.

Coach Of The Year
NAMES: Rick Adelman, Scott Brooks, Larry Brown, Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins, Nate McMillan, Scott Skiles, Jerry Sloan.
THOUGHTS: And I didn’t even mention Mike Brown, who has the best record in the NBA (and the best player in the NBA).

Defensive Player Of The Year
NAMES: Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace
THOUGHTS: I think it’s Dwight’s award, but Rondo makes a good case as sort of a protest candidate as a guy who is dominant defensively on the ground. Also interesting that there’s very little talk about Ron Artest or Shane Battier, two perennial candidates in this category.

All-NBA Team (three teams)
NAMES: Too many to list here
THOUGHTS: With three teams to figure out, there’s a lot of think on. Worth noting is that the ballot only asks for two guards, two forwards and a center on each team. NOT A POINT GUARD AND A SHOOTING GUARD, ETC. For purposes of filing players within positions, I use NBA.com and see where they have a player listed (for instance, they say Kevin Durant is a Forward, so you have to put him at Forward and can’t slot him as a Guard.) But there’s a lot to think on. For instance, if Dwight Howard is the first team center, and maybe Amare Stoudemire is second team, who is third team center? (And it can’t be Tim Duncan, because even though he plays center, he’s listed as a Forward.)

Sixth Man
NAMES: Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom, Jason Terry, Anderson Varejao
THOUGHTS: Jamal’s got this in a runaway. Worth noting: Ginobili’s started almost one-fourth of San Antonio’s games, and Lamar’s started about one-third of L.A.’s games.

MVP
NAMES: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade.
THOUGHTS: Oh, did I put LeBron first even though alphabetically he should be listed later? Whoops! My bad!

Most Improved Player
NAMES: Corey Brewer, Aaron Brooks, Channing Frye, Marc Gasol, George Hill.
I know Brooks is much improved, averaging 19.7 ppg up from 11 ppg, but it’s hard for me to consider those stats from a point guard who averages 16 shots and 5 assists per game. And another thought: His numbers might not be all that different from last season, but I think you can make a pretty good case for Josh Smith having made as much improvement as anyone else.

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The Phoenix Suns are one of the most entertaining teams in the NBA and have been for years. As a whole, offensive displays draw fans in and the Suns run-and-gun style makes for many fun nights during the regular season. The behind-the-back passes, the alley-oop dunks and the near perfection of the fast break are all regulars on SportsCenter. Suns guard Leandro Barbosa has been a part of the offensive exploits for a long time, but, of course, he knows one of the main reasons for this is their leader, two-time Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash.

“I’ve been playing with Steve for so many years and I learn a lot of things from him,” says Barbosa, now in his sixth season with Phoenix. “I love to play with him and he’s doing such a great job with us. He’s carrying the team on his back and he makes it easy for everybody. I’m sure that players from other teams would love to play with him, but I’m very happy–and all my teammates are very happy–to have him on our team.”

The most obvious difference in this year’s team is the subtraction of Shaquille O’Neal and addition of Channing Frye. After two years in New York and two relatively disappointing seasons in Portland, Frye is having one of the best years of his young career, certainly benefiting from having a point guard of Nash’s stature. His skills are a great addition to an already incredibly potent offensive team and the smoothness of the transition was surprising to some, including his teammates.

“When Channing signed the contract in Phoenix, I didn’t know he could shoot like he shot,” says Barbosa. “Many guys told me that he really could shoot and I didn’t believe them, so when I got to Phoenix and saw his playing of five-on-five before training camp, I was really happy. I knew that he was going to help us really well and he does a great job on the team. He’s always in the right place to get his shot and he spaces out a lot of the floor, so that makes it easy for everybody. He’s been a factor of our team and we’re happy to have him here.”

Yet, with all of the firepower the Suns have had throughout the past few seasons, they have never been mistaken as a defensive team by any stretch of the imagination. That has been a defining factor for this team when the entertainment spectacle of the regular season ends and the reality of playoff basketball begins. Coach Alvin Gentry has made his team aware of how their lack of a defensive identity, their playoff frustrations will continue.

“He’s working really hard with defense since we started training camp and that has effected why we’re doing such a good job,” continues Barbosa. “All the guys are doing better on defense and it brings the ball into our hands so we can run. This is the way we like to play. This is our style. We’re doing well now and this is bringing up a good start for us. Sometimes we forget about that we don’t have a big guy like we used to have last year. We need to do a better job on rebounds, so that becomes a defense thing. We’re doing better than we used to do and this has been a factor for us.”

How well is Coach Gentry doing with his team on the defensive end of the court? They give up 105 points per game, which is fourth worst in the League. But that is also a misleading statistic because of the uptempo style the Suns play since both teams get a larger number of possessions per game. Suns opponents shoot 45 percent from the field and 36 percent from three, ranking Phoenix as 13th and 8th worst in the League, respectively.

“Sometimes we forget about that we don’t have a big guy like we used to have last year,” says Barbosa. “We need to do a better job on rebounds, so that becomes a defense thing. We’re doing better than we used to do and this has been a factor for us.”

Phoenix averages nearly 42 rpg, but that ranks as 20th in the League and they are outrebounded by nearly two each night. As a team that likes to run, getting possession of the ball is of utmost importance. It could be a disturbing foreshadowing of another short playoff run when your starting bigs combine to average just over 13 rebounds per game, but with nearly every player who sees valuable time contributing in the department, the Suns make due with what they have.

“I’ll tell you now, we are capable of doing a lot of things, as we have been doing so far,” proclaims Barbosa. “We’re surprising people because I know a lot of people didn’t think we could be where we are and they thought we couldn’t do well, especially without having a big guy. We’re surprising many people, so I’m very happy to do that. I like this way and we’ll be great. We just have to do what we’ve been doing.”

For those who watch the team closely, the defensive play has improved from past years. In ‘09-10, they are having a typical season for the Phoenix Suns, full of excitement and fun. However, if they want the conclusion of the year to be atypical, they will need to improve their play on the defensive end even more. Improvement is great, but a championship level defense is an entirely different story.

“I think we can be,” says Barbosa when asked if the Suns can be the best team in the League. “I don’t think we are, but we can be. I know we have a good record, but we definitely can be the best team. We need to do more and we’re working to make that happen.”

With one of the best records in the League early on, the Suns have time to tinker with their defensive scheme. Coach Gentry and his staff have done a fine job at working with what they have and improving the defense, but as Barbosa mentions, there is still work to do.

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Several hours after GM Steve Kerr walked into Terry Porter’s home, to deliver the news that – after only four months on the job – he was no longer gainfully employed by the Phoenix Suns, Alvin Gentry held his first press conference as the team’s new bench boss.

And ol’ Alvin had a message of hope for the media and Suns fans: We’re going to suddenly transform into the Suns you all once knew and loved.

The AP reports:

Terry Porter is out as coach of the Suns. The failed effort to tame the Suns’ offense went out the door with him.

[…]

“We are who we are and I think we have to go back to trying to establish a breakneck pace like we’ve had in the past,” Gentry said.

Of course, it’s important to remember that those famous “breakneck” Suns teams had the athletes necessary to make Mike D’Antoni’s dreams of endless fastbreaks a reality. Oh, and it was also a philosophy the team had adopted well before training camp kicked off.

Best of luck to you, Mr. Gentry.

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