Pelicans: 2 internal coaching replacements for Stan Van Gundy

This seems like deja vu, but the New Orleans Pelicans will once again be looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Stan Van Gundy.

There were rumblings of discontent and rumors that Van Gundy had butted heads with some of his young players, so I don’t think this is shocking, though it was still unexpected, as I thought Van Gundy would at least get another half season to turn things around.

There were some positives to his tenure, as he was the one to unleash Point Zion, but ultimately his style of coaching might not have been a fit.

I give David Griffin some credit here. If something isn’t working it is better to move on from Van Gundy now than to waste another season.

But Griffin also has to take a huge portion of the blame, as this is his roster, not Van Gundy’s and he has done a poor job building it around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Pelicans: David Griffin is officially on the hot seat

Now that Stan Van Gundy is gone, no seat is hotter than David Griffin’s, who has to have a HUGE offseason to make up for some of the glaring mistakes he’s made with this roster.

He’s made some questionable draft picks, overpaid for J.J. Redick and then waited too long to trade him, gave Steven Adams (who I like) a fat extension for no reason and has basically done nothing but the Anthony Davis trade and Zion Williamson pick that really helped the Pelicans.

It’s unclear what his vision for this team is and he appears to be making it up as he goes along. This was his most important offseason even before he decided to fire his coach, so now Griffin is under pressure to get it right.

One option is promote from within so that there is some continuity and the players aren’t having to get to know their 3rd coach in three years.

There are two very good options sitting on the Pelicans’ bench.

New Orleans Pelicans: Teresa Weatherspoon is going to get a head coaching job, but is it this one?

The first and most obvious choice is Teresa Weatherspoon, current assistant coach.

She’s one of the greatest WNBA players of all time and by all accounts a sharp basketball mind who not only knows the game but knows how to teach it, which is important for a team full of young guys who are all still developing.

Possibly more importantly, she has good relationships with several of the Pelicans’ key players, including Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. who she has known for over a decade.

If one of Stan Van Gundy’s problems was communication and relationships with his young players, then hiring someone who they already know, like and respect seems like a smart move.

Weatherspoon was hired as a player development development coach in 2019, so she has been working with these guys already. She has since been promoted to assistant coach and could bring the knowledge, relationships, toughness and accountability that the Pelicans are lacking.

She does have six years of previous head coaching experience at Louisiana Tech, but this would be her first shot at the big job in the NBA.

T Spoon is going to get a head coaching job at some point, but after David Griffin’s press conference yesterday, I don’t know if it’s going to be the Pelicans, at least not yet, as he indicated that she would be coaching the Summer League team and that it might be a bit “premature.”

Personally, I think she’s one of the best choices and am sick of teams giving every retread head coach (old white guys usually) endless opportunities instead of taking a chance with a younger, more dynamic option.

Weatherspoon is going to be a big part of the Pelicans’ bench no matter what, but it could be a different Pels’ coach who gets the top job.

New Orleans Pelicans: Is it time for Fred Vinson to be a head coach?

Another internal option whose name has been popping up is Fred Vinson, who has been with the Pelicans since 2010.

Vinson has mostly been a shooting coach in that time and has a reputation for helping several players in that area, most notably Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, who have both improved their shooting immensely and given Vinson credit.

Vinson, like Weatherspoon, already has a familiar and good working relationship with the key players, and also like T Spoon, he’s a younger, black candidate looking to get his first shot in the NBA, something that will resonate with players who are looking for a more relatable coach.

Vinson would also represent some amount of continuity, as he has been with the Pelicans through the last three head coaches and has somehow managed to keep his job, which means he must be doing something right.

The New Orleans Pelicans and David Griffin are starting to look like they don’t know what they are doing, which is a bad look for small-market team trying to retain a generational superstar for the long term.

Promoting one of Weatherspoon or Vinson to the head coaching job is one way to start fresh without completely starting over, as they are already well-liked and respected by the players.

David Griffin has to get this one right because he’s not going to be able to blame another coach if his team does not get back to the playoffs next season and it will be him looking for a new job.