New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Qualities to Look for in the Next Head Coach

The New Orleans Pelicans need a coach with a plan.

A Person with a Plan

One thing that stood out in the game against the Spurs is that San Antonio looked like a team with a clear plan that they executed without making a lot of silly errors.

I immediately wondered how things would be different if Popovich were coaching the Pels instead of Gentry.

The New Orleans Pelicans never adjusted their game plan (if they ever had one) after things went south, and Gentry just kept running the same lineups out there even though they weren’t working.

The Pelicans had no answers for dribble penetration, couldn’t stop points in the paint or fast breaks and Gentry never adjusted.

The next Pelicans coach needs to be someone who has a clear understanding of his roster and how to game plan for it, but also needs to be able to adjust.

Anyone can look at the other team and say “we need to stop X to win” or “we need X to play well for us to win” but figuring out how to get it done is the hard part.

I felt like Gentry was out-coached by just about everyone he faced, as he never had a solid idea of how to deploy his roster.

The Pelicans need a head coach who lays out their plan for the team in the job interview, who understands how best to use the roster and can adjust if the plan fails.

Gentry was often slow to do these things and it probably led to his downfall.

The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t made a decision about the fate of their head coach but the writing is on the wall.

If they do decide to replace Gentry, they need to find someone who can develop young guys, teach defense and has a plan for how best to use the roster.