Sources: Van Gundy out after 1 season with Pels

06/16/2021

Host of The Woj Pod
Joined ESPN in 2017

Stan Van Gundy is out as the coach of the New Orleans Pelicans after just one season with the franchise, sources told ESPN on Wednesday morning.

Van Gundy and Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin have been engaged in talks for weeks, according to sources.

New Orleans finished a disappointing 31-41 this past season and fell short of making the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans are expected to circle back among some candidates from a year ago to replace Van Gundy, including assistants Jacque Vaughn and Ime Udoka (Brooklyn), Charles Lee (Milwaukee) and Jason Kidd (Lakers), sources told ESPN.

During exit interviews on May 17, Van Gundy told reporters it was a tough year because of how the season played out amid COVID-19 protocols around the league.

“It was a hard year personally, because when I took the job, we didn’t know when training camp was going to start or any of that stuff,” Van Gundy said. “I had not really given a ton of thought to condensed training camp, condensed season, COVID protocols. That stuff was really, really difficult from a personal standpoint. For me, to go into Detroit and have my kids nearby, and I can’t see them. That kind of stuff. Having to limit people being able to come and visit us and things like that. On a personal level, it was difficult.

“But on a basketball level, I thought this was a great situation basketball-wise, and it’s better than what I thought it was. I wasn’t happy with the results. I wasn’t happy with myself on some things basketball-wise. But as far as looking at the job as a whole, it’s even better than I expected, and I expected it to be good.”

Van Gundy and the Pelicans had an up-and-down season culminating in another missed playoff trip for New Orleans. New Orleans had been hopeful that Van Gundy would establish a defensive presence, but the results were far from that. The Pelicans finished 23rd in defensive rating (113.3) and 25th in opponent 3-point percentage (38.0).

The Pelicans did improve from 29th in defensive rating (116.3) before the All-Star break to seventh (110.4) after, but the team’s offensive rating went the same way. The Pelicans were sixth (115.6) before the break and 21st after (110.4).

New Orleans lacked consistency throughout the season. When things finally looked to be heading in the right direction, injuries to Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Zion Williamson derailed the team once again. The Pelicans also struggled in close games this season, going 3-10 in games decided by three points or fewer. They lost a league-high 14 games when holding a double-digit lead.

“We were a very young, developing basketball team. While we have players with incredible talent, we don’t have the winning mettle yet,” Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin told reporters on May 17, the day after the regular season ended.

“We know that to some degree. We know this is a process and it takes time. But we also have to take a look at ourselves, front office, coaching, players. Is what we are doing working? Are we doing enough for the group to create winning? That’s what our focus is going to be.”

New Orleans got off to a 4-2 start, but things quickly went south. The Pelicans lost eight of their next nine games and never climbed back to .500 for the rest of the season. Their 31-41 finish was just a one-game improvement from their 30-42 record in the shortened 2019-20 campaign, after which the team dismissed coach Alvin Gentry.

Van Gundy joins Nate Bjorkgren as coaches who’ve parted ways with their teams after being hired before the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the fifth time in the last 30 seasons that multiple teams changed coaches who were with the franchise for just one season.

New Orleans was Van Gundy’s fourth coaching stop as an NBA head coach and his first since sitting out the previous two seasons. Van Gundy had success at his first two stops in Miami (.605 winning percentage) and Orlando (.657). He even guided the Magic to an Eastern Conference finals appearance.

However, Van Gundy had just one winning season in four years with the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018. The 61-year-old Van Gundy has a career record of 554-425 (.566).

Source: Read Full Article