Into the Fire: Demps and Gentry May Have Saved Their Jobs…Again

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The Pelicans’ ten game winning streak is being talked about a lot as a huge accomplishment for a franchise that has not seen many in recent years. It is also being called overblown and over-hyped by some NBA skeptics. Either way, with ten wins in a row, people are finally starting to talk about New Orleans Pelicans basketball. With ten wins in a row, the Pelicans have tied a franchise record, cemented themselves as one of the toughest teams in the extraordinarily tough Western Conference, and Anthony Davis has put himself into the conversation for MVP. Even with all of that, these accomplishments are probably not even the most important thing the Pelicans have done over the course of these last ten games.

With Anthony Davis spraining his ankle and doubtful for the historic attempt at an 11th win in a row, it is safe to say that the streak is most likely ending tonight against the Washington Wizards. With that said, the ten wins have been enough to bring attention to the Pelicans and the jobs head coach Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps are doing. Bringing DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans was supposed to be the big move that saved both of their jobs last year and for all intents and purposes, it did. Gentry and Demps were not fired after missing the playoffs, yet again, with a 34-48 record. The hope that came with the move to get Boogie into a Pelicans uniform afforded Gentry and Demps more time to make the playoffs and keep working on what they are attempting to build. Since Boogie went down, we all expected the team to sink into the abyss with the end result being Gentry and/or Demps being let go at the end of another disappointing season. Both men have shown that they are some of the most competitive people in the NBA though and now a month and a half since Cousins went down, their team looks even better and we cannot say with certainty that one of them will be canned at year’s end.

As unforeseen as the ten game winning streak has been, the most shocking thing has been how incredibly savvy Dell Demps has been with swift front office moves, and how resilient Alvin Gentry has coached a team that had to adapt an overcome an injury that was just about as devastating as any injury could be to an NBA team. After the injury to Cousins, Demps did not put the Pelicans into a process of “tanking” so that the injury would at least lead to a solid draft pick. That would have been the coward’s way out, as well as a surefire way to send Anthony Davis the message that if ever wants to win, he might want to think about leaving New Orleans. Instead, Demps formulated a plan of attack and sought a player with rare skills who he could afford. Demps then focused on Nikola Mirotic; a stretch forward who would bring a lethal dual threat on the inside and outside, while also possessing unheralded toughness. This was a completely different player from Cousins, but it was a guy who would make the Pelicans hard to play against. Landing Cousins was blockbuster, but it could really be landing Mirotic that ends up being the move that saved Dell Demps’ job.

While Demps made the move, Alvin Gentry had to make this all work. The Pelicans turned to high octane, moving the ball and shooting in bunches; much like the Golden State Warriors. Gentry has turned the Smoothie King Center into something that looks more like Talladega than an NBA arena. Smaller lineups, a deeper bench, and better team chemistry can all be attributed ot the spectacular job Alvin Gentry has done. The NBA is is a player’s league, but without Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps being two of the most aggressive gamblers in the league, the Pelicans historic run would not have been possible.

– Alan Michael