One of Alvin Gentry’s new players considers the head coach to be reminiscent of a cool uncle from his old neighborhood. Another wonders whether, even at age 60, Gentry is somehow more versed in the work of contemporary hip-hop artists such as Drake than the 20-somethings Gentry coaches. Other Pelicans describe Gentry as the friendly boss who creates an atmosphere that makes his employees enjoying coming to work each day.
Since being hired in June by New Orleans, the longtime NBA coach has often demonstrated a unique demeanor that stands out from some of the men who roam the league’s sidelines. Despite having been in the NBA since the 1980s, Gentry has managed to maintain a fresh perspective, coming across to his players as much younger than his birth certificate might indicate.
“His personality is different,” Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans said of Gentry. “He’s laidback and cool. He reminds me of somebody from my neighborhood (in Chester, Pa.), maybe one of the funny uncles hanging around who always makes you laugh.”
“He’s a great guy to be around,” forward Quincy Pondexter said. “His entire staff is great to be around. He’s a lot more relaxed and relatable than most coaches, because he’s so hip to a lot of things that are new.”
Pondexter pauses, then smiles as he alludes to Gentry’s method of playing music during Pelicans practices, keeping the mood upbeat and energetic.
“He probably listens to Drake more than us,” said Pondexter, who’s heard songs in recent practices from the rapper/Toronto Raptors global ambassador such as “Energy” and ��Headlines,” among others.
“He’s loose and cracks jokes,” forward Dante Cunningham said of Gentry. “He’ll hear what the players are talking about and jump right in. He’s very personable.”
A long-awaited ring
It’s fitting that Gentry’s New Orleans players have taken particular note of the coach’s embrace of new ideas, because when he’s presented with his first NBA championship ring Tuesday in Oakland, it will be a reward for his work with a Warriors team that has helped change the game. For decades, conventional wisdom dictated that teams relying heavily on perimeter shooting and a fast-paced style couldn’t win it all. But the 2014-15 Warriors were a deserving champion from start to finish, even though their two best players are prolific three-point gunners (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson). In the NBA Finals, they raced past bigger but less mobile Cleveland by putting a small lineup on the floor that significantly increased the pace in Golden State’s favor.
On Tuesday, Gentry will be in the unusual position of briefly celebrating and appreciating what he and the Warriors accomplished this spring – winning the franchise’s title in 40 years – then immediately focusing on trying to defeat the Warriors.
“I think it will be strange,” Gentry said of the circumstances. “It’s going to be a little bit different, in that these are people we did something really special with and together, so you have a closeness there. But after that whole (ring ceremony) is over, we (the Pelicans) have to find a way to compete and beat those guys, which is not going to be easy. But I think it’s great. You spend your whole life trying to get to where we got last year, and that’s to win a championship in this league. It took me 27 years to do that. It’s something really, really special and something you’ll never forget.”
Gentry’s first NBA coaching job was as an assistant for San Antonio in 1989-90, a team that won 56 games, partly behind the exploits of rookie David Robinson. But for much of the next 15 years, he coached teams that were overmatched talent-wise. That changed in the mid-2000s, when he became a Phoenix assistant under Mike D’Antoni, whose pace-and-space system helped begin the change from the sometimes-unsightly, overly-physical NBA of the late 1990s, to its current freer style, which places a greater premium on skill. Golden State rode the league’s fastest-paced offense to the 2015 championship, with an underpublicized element of its success being a No. 1-ranked defense. One of Gentry and his New Orleans staff’s biggest challenges will be to transform the Pelicans into a stingy defensive unit, after they ranked in the bottom third of the league each of the past three seasons.
Although New Orleans is far from being at full strength health-wise entering Tuesday’s matchup vs. Golden State, Gentry has told his players that the game is a good early measuring stick. The Pelicans also play the Warriors on Saturday in their home opener.
“As I said to the guys, ‘They’re the champs,’ ” Gentry said of the Warriors on his weekly radio coach’s show. “It will give us a gauge as to where we are and where we need to be.
“I told the guys that everyone has a chance right now (as 2015-16 begins). It’s just a matter of us getting healthy. But no one picked the Golden State Warriors to win a championship last year; I’m not sure we were on anyone’s radar. It’s a situation where when it becomes a close-knit team, the chemistry is good, you trust each other, you play unselfishly and you compete every night, you always give yourself a chance. I think that’s what happened with Golden State. Potentially, with a healthy team and all of our players lined up, who’s to say that we can’t be that team?”
A friendly environment
Immediately after taking over as head coach of the Pelicans four months ago, Gentry began initiating frequent conversations with New Orleans’ large group of returning players. During the team’s two-week stay in Las Vegas for summer league in mid-July, numerous veterans made multi-day visits to meet with Gentry in person and learn more about his plans for 2015-16. The meetings and steady feedback made an instant impression.
“He’s great,” guard Eric Gordon said after communicating constantly with Gentry this offseason. “Just easygoing. A lot of coaches like to have things their way (and say), ‘Let’s do it this way.’ He’s all about how can we make this fun, and make this good for everybody? So that it’s a win-win for players and everyone.”
“The biggest thing is he wants to build a culture where when you walk in the door, people are happy and excited, a friendly environment,” forward Luke Babbitt said. “That’s where you’re going to be your most productive, in an environment where people are friendly and getting along. We’re all working hard, having fun and getting after it. It’s not like (an atmosphere) where you have a boss and you have to be on your game because the boss just walked in. It’s a good work environment where it’s all about the team and having that positive attitude.”
“He’s laidback and he understands the game,” center Alexis Ajinca said. “He also wants to succeed. You have to be serious, but you also have to be yourself, work hard and have fun. That is one aspect we were missing: We were always working hard, but it was hard, hard, hard. We never had time to smile. That’s something different. I think we need this.”