Pelica Debrief
Fansided

Sam Amick gives new information on New Orleans Pelicans coaching decision

By Matt Cianfrone

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Since the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Monty Williams earlier this week there have been plenty of reports about why Williams was fired, including the idea that there was some type of power struggle between Williams and general manager Dell Demps to the Pelicans just wanting to try to find a new voice. According to veteran reporter Sam Amick much of the firing was actually about the latter. 

"This wasn’t about a power struggle with general manager Dell Demps or a lack of communication (both of which I’m told didn’t exist), but more the fact that the internal desire for new leadership and a new era far outweighed the idea of making Williams the guy for the long-haul."

That makes much more sense then a power struggle or anything of that kind, something the Pelicans had been shooting down any time it came up recently anyway. Moving on from a coach because you don’t think he can win a title is a smart move, there isn’t any point in waiting until he has a down year to can him. Teams are playing to win titles, so finding a guy who can lead you there is incredibly important.

There are a few other interesting tidbits in the Amick report as well. First is the idea that the public perception of Williams played a minor part in the firing.

"Williams’ low-approval rating with the fans didn’t help, as he was booed by the fans at home games all the way up until the end.The public pressure was clearly a factor here, and it reached yet another level when Williams made an honest and uncomfortable admission to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears:because of the way he’d been treated at the Smoothie King Center, he told his wife and five children to stop attending games so that they didn’t have to experience all the negativity. It should be noted, though, that the fan voice would likely have fallen on deaf ears in the ownership and management ranks if the decision makers didn’t hear some truth in these consistent complaints."

The idea that the Pelicans listened a bit to the fans on Williams is interesting and brings up an important question. What if when the Pelicans interview all the candidates for the job two finalists emerge as head and shoulders above the rest and one would be viewed positively by the public while the other would garner a neutral or negative response. In that case do the Pelicans lean towards the candidate that would see a better response from the public or the one that they feel is best for the job?

The other interesting thing that Amick mentions is the idea that Scott Brooks is a real candidate for the job.

"Whether that’s Brooks (early rumblings of significant interest here), Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau (who is expected to part ways with the Bulls), or someone else, the new coach will be on board mostly because the Pelicans — like the Thunder before them — had concerns about sticking with the status quo."

There will be a profile of Brooks up later on today here at Pelican Debrief but he could be a good fit for New Orleans, though one that may not be very well received with many people. The most interesting part of things though is that this is the first time that Brooks has really been mentioned as a serious candidate, leading to the belief that the report may be coming from people tied into Brook’s camp. Considering how early things are in the Pelicans search it is hard to see Brooks already having emerged but the Pelicans could definitely been interested in having him as a candidate.

The only thing that is certain right now is that this search is going to take many interesting twists and turns before it is all over.

Next: How important should pace be with the new coach

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