The New Orleans Pelicans have hired Stan Van Gundy, which means they are ready to win.
The New Orleans Pelicans took their sweet time with their coaching search but finally got their guy in Stan Van Gundy.
The rumor mill was all over the place, with the Pelicans reportedly interested in experienced guys like SVG as well as first-timers like Will Weaver or Jamahl Mosley.
But according to Adrian Wojnarowski, it is SVG who will get the gig:
ESPN reporting with @_andrew_lopez: Stan Van Gundy has agreed to a deal to become the next coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 21, 2020
Hiring someone with Van Gundy’s experience shows that the New Orleans Pelicans are ready to win now, as SVG was not hired to be a caretaker for the youth.
Van Gundy is not only popular among fans for his hot takes on Twitter, but he has endeared himself to the players by taking strong stances on issues like the election and Black Lives Matter.
Hiring Van Gundy should be a slam dunk, but it also tips the Pelicans’ hand about what they might do in the offseason.
New Orleans Pelicans: Hiring Stan Van Gundy probably means keeping the veterans.
Thankfully, Stan Van Gundy will not have control over personnel, as he did a disastrous job in Detroit when it came to talent evaluation and trades.
But we can still get an idea of where the New Orleans Pelicans are headed by their choice to hire Van Gundy.
He is a guy who is very close to J.J. Redick, who will undoubtedly be part of the plans. Same with Jrue Holiday, who has been rumored in just about every offseason trade. Would Van Gundy come to a team that was planning to trade away its two impact veterans?
If anything Van Gundy means there will be more veterans coming, as he was not likely hired to orchestrate a rebuild but to take this team to the next level.
He also has relationships with many veterans around the league who might take less money to come chase a title in New Orleans.
Hiring Stan Van Gundy means the Pelicans think they can win now and may spend the offseason trying to add impact veterans to get there.