Friday, the team announced that it has agreed to a deal with Stan Van Gundy, making him the seventh head coach in franchise history.
🚨 NEWS 🚨
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 22, 2020
The New Orleans Pelicans have named Stan Van Gundy as the team’s head coach!
Story: https://t.co/jTkf7PrLC5 pic.twitter.com/4ksmqcWjRL
In an initial report, Shams Charania of The Athletic added that Van Gundy's deal is for four years, per sources.
Sources: Stan Van Gundy agreed to a four-year deal to be the new Pelicans head coach.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2020
Van Gundy takes over in New Orleans after spending the past two seasons in the broadcasting booth. He last coached for the Detroit Pistons from 2014-18, where he amassed an overall record of 152-176 (.463), losing in four games to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the 2016 Playoffs, the lone postseason appearance of his tenure in Detroit.
The 61-year-old Van Gundy brings 11 seasons of head coaching experience to New Orleans. His overall record as the lead man is 523-384 (.577) and his most successful year was the 2008-09 season, as he led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games.
Now, Van Gundy will be tasked with tapping into the potential of a young Pelicans team centred around 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, 2020 Most Improved Player Brandon Ingram and 2017 No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball. The team also features key veterans in Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick, who Van Gundy coached for five seasons with the Magic.
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