Pelicans players reportedly ‘are not vibing’ with coach Stan Van Gundy
The Stan Van Gundy period with the Pelicans is off to an inauspicious start off.
According to a couple of experiences, just after just one 12 months with Van Gundy in cost, there is some “stress” concerning the veteran mentor and his gamers.
“In New Orleans, the gamers are not vibing with the mentor,” stated Sam Amick of The Athletic on KHTK Sporting activities Sacramento. “There’s troubles there.”
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This was a sentiment echoed by Scott Kushner of The Periods-Picayune. Whilst he wrote that the troubles are “regular of a new mentor on a disappointing staff,” some of them stem from differences concerning Van Gundy and the Pelicans’ earlier mentor, Alvin Gentry.
Van Gundy isn’t Alvin Gentry.
The former Pelicans mentor who prioritized participant liberty, offense and rest was a 180-degree big difference from the fashion Van Gundy arrived with. And all those differences are largely why Van Gundy was a logical choice to switch Gentry previous offseason.
But it was not a choose built with out obvious pitfalls. And this was evidently just one of them. If issues went sideways, how would these youthful Pelicans respond to a gruff, company-like mentor who publicly requires accountability?
Seemingly, the remedy to that is not way too perfectly. But it really is also well worth noting that all those troubles could’ve just been growing pains.
The Pelicans posted a 31-41 record throughout the 2020-21 marketing campaign, a just one-earn improvement in excess of their earlier 12 months. Nonetheless, it really is also well worth noting that the implementation of Van Gundy and his procedure transpired throughout the pandemic and was a problem for all.
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That was even acknowledged by Brandon Ingram, who referred to his initially 12 months with the veteran mentor as “Ok” and seemed to be hopeful about issues improving as time goes on.
“This is our initially 12 months together. He has a various coaching fashion [than] I’m applied to viewing from most,” Ingram stated, per Kushner. “But I was equipped to learn a large amount of issues from him this 12 months and learn what he’s all about. And I believe he’s all about successful. He has a various concept than everybody else. He breaks down really a great deal each individual depth of it. It is all about successful.
“Our romantic relationship will be even much better due to the fact of this 12 months, due to the fact of what we went by way of with COVID. I do not know if we’ll have one more 12 months like this with what we went by way of with COVID. Him trying to get all his facts in to make us a much better staff. Our interaction will be seriously, seriously excellent for the excellent of our staff upcoming 12 months.”
A further important ingredient: Van Gundy hadn’t been on the sidelines in two NBA seasons prior to coming to the Pelicans. So, it may perhaps have taken him some time to modify to lifetime back on the court docket together with the pandemic and his new staff.
Van Gundy’s job doesn’t surface to be in jeopardy appropriate now barring a surprise. So, even though these tensions exist, it really is possible that they will relieve if New Orleans can make the leap upcoming time.
With Zion Williamson and Ingram on their roster, they need to have a opportunity to do that.
But if not, then maybe the Pelicans will have to reassess Van Gundy’s job with their firm.
