Alvin Gentry of the New Orleans Pelicans is one of three coaches who fall into the high risk category for COVID-19, which may keep him out of the NBA’s restart.
There is a small portion of New Orleans Pelicans‘ fans who don’t want to see Alvin Gentry on the Pel’s bench. Well, they might get their wish.
The NBA recently revealed their safety plans for the Orlando restart and some are wondering whether older coaches should be a part of it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, individuals who are 65 or older are at higher risk for serious health complications from the novel coronavirus. Gentry is one of three NBA coaches who fall into this category, the others being Gregg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni, who are 71 and 69, respectively.
According to ESPN, Adam Silver is considering the health risks the resumption of play will present to older coaches and wondering if they should be included.
If Alvin Gentry is left out, the New Orleans Pelicans should join him.
The 65-year-old Gentry didn’t waste any time responding and had plenty to say to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:
"“I think it’s unfair if that’s what they’re doing. To base something strictly on age when there’s nothing out there that says I’m more susceptible to catching it than anybody else. I understand the risk that I’m taking if I do get it. But hell, I want to be with my team and do my job. That’s what they hired me for.”"
Though Gentry does fall into a higher risk category, he has a point. The NBA is clearly willing to risk the health of its players or they wouldn’t be doing this in the first place, especially in Florida, which has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
To keep certain coaches away from their teams in an effort to appear concerned is at best laughable and at worst, an extremely cynical PR move.
If the risk is this high, then the NBA shouldn’t be opening at all, and if some coaches are left out, their teams should join them.
This just adds another wrinkle to what has been a problematic plan from the get go. The NBA still has a lot of questions to answer about player and coach safety.