Report: New Orleans Pelicans hire Alvin Gentry as coach

The New Orleans Pelicans have decided that 60-year-old NBA coaching veteran Alvin Gentry is the best candidate to mold a young roster featuring 22-year-old budding superstar Anthony Davis.

Gentry, who is currently a top Golden State Warriors assistant, has been hired as New Orleans’ new head coach, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made.

Gentry is expected to remain with Golden State until the Warriors complete the NBA Finals against Cleveland, the person said.

Gentry has served as a head coach four times, compiling a career record of 335-370. His most successful tenure came in Phoenix, where he went 158-144 in five seasons. He took the Suns to the 2010 Western Conference finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Now he gets to coach a team which is coming off its first playoff berth in four seasons and is led by the dynamic, 6-foot-10 Davis, who is already a two-time All-Star, as well as an Olympic gold medalist and FIBA World Cup champion.

Gentry succeeds Monty Williams, who was fired despite making the playoffs this season as the Western Conference’s eighth and final seed. The Pelicans were swept by the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs, but three of the four games were close down the stretch, and one went to overtime.

The hiring is the first by Pelicans general manager Dell Demps, who joined the franchise shortly after Williams had been hired during the 2010 offseason, when the club was under different ownership.

During the past five years that Williams coached, he and Demps seemed to operate as equals in the chain of command. But on the day Williams was fired, Pelicans executive vice president Mickey Loomis said he prefers a clear hierarchy in which the coach reports to the general manager, and the general manager reports to ownership.

Loomis, also general manager of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, limits his role with the Pelicans to that of a senior adviser to Tom Benson, who owns both teams, and he made it clear that Demps would be in charge of selecting the new coach.

Now Demps will be accountable for the Pelicans’ performance under Gentry, and his fortunes in the Big Easy could hinge on how much confidence he inspires in Davis, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract. Davis could sign a five-year extension as early as this July, but he also could choose to wait until next summer, when his options would include playing for a one-year qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. The latter scenario would allow him to test unrestricted free agency as early as the summer of 2017.

Gentry had been a head coach with the Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03), Detroit (1997-2000) and Miami (1994-95). He served as Doc Rivers’ top assistant with the Clippers last season.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hired Gentry as his associate head coach and offensive coordinator when he came to the Warriors last May. Kerr was the general manager in Phoenix. Kerr’s top choices for his lead assistant last summer were Gentry and David Blatt, who ended up as head coach in Cleveland.

The spot Gentry leaves behind will be one of the most coveted assistant jobs in the league. Current assistant Luke Walton could be promoted, or Kerr could seek help from the outside from a more experienced coach.

Gentry was not at the Warriors’ practices Friday and Saturday, likely because he was meeting with Pelicans officials.

Asked about Gentry on Saturday, Kerr said his affable personality had been missed.

“It seems so quiet,” Kerr said.

KERR EXPECTS KLAY TO PLAY

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is so confident Klay Thompson will be cleared for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Cleveland that he isn’t preparing to play without him.

The All-Star guard sat out a second consecutive practice Saturday recovering from a concussion. Kerr said Thompson is feeling well and progressing through the NBA’s concussion protocol.

The Warriors are off today and resume practices Monday. They host the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Thursday.

“I’m anticipating he’s going to be there,” Kerr said.

Asked what his options are if Thompson can’t play, Kerr responded: “I haven’t even thought about it. The series is like five weeks away. We have plenty of time to think about that.”

He later said backups Leandro Barbosa and Justin Holiday would be the most likely options if Thompson isn’t cleared to play - though he doesn’t believe that’ll be the case.

“I expect him there,” Kerr said.

Thompson suffered a concussion after getting kneed in the head by Houston’s Trevor Ariza in Golden State’s Western Conference finals clinching win Wednesday night. Team doctors initially cleared Thompson to return to the game. He ended up not playing, and the team said he started developing symptoms after the game.

Thompson’s father, former NBA player Mychal Thompson, had to drive his son home because he was feeling ill - including vomiting a couple of times. He also needed stitches on his right ear after the hit caused blood to spill down the side of his head.

Thompson must be symptom free before he can return to practice.

The NBA’s concussion policy requires players to pass a series of steps without experiencing symptoms before they can come back. That starts with riding a stationary bike and progresses to jogging, agility work and non-contact team drills, according to the league. Players must start over if they experience any symptoms.

The protocol also requires the team physician to discuss the process with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the director of the NBA’s concussion program, before a player can return.