Stan Van Gundy’s run as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t last long. On what went wrong, here’s the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Scott Kushner: The circumstances were bad. The fit was bad. The personnel was bad. All in all, it was a situation that demanded a refresh. The Pelicans underwent a makeover in the 2020 offseason to become a more defensive-minded unit and emerged as one that was actually worse on defense.
Van Gundy was only part of that downfall, but it was evident his message never connected, and there was no sign it would get any better entering a critical 2021-22 season. Brandon Ingram never committed to the defensive end. Eric Bledsoe never came out of the lineup despite sleepwalking through large parts of the season. And the trio of first-rounders not named Zion were alienated early on when Van Gundy had them rotting on the bench rather than taking their lumps on the court. Combine those things with limited practices and meeting time due to COVID protocols, and it was simply a combination that required terminating.
