New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams has been fired, the team announced Tuesday. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the move.
Pelicans fire head coach Monty Williams
In a surprise move, Williams has gotten the ax despite taking the Pelicans to the playoffs.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Williams gets the ax despite leading the Pelicans to 45 wins and a spot in the postseason, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. Wojnarowski reported after the regular season that Pelicans ownership had given Williams and general manager Dell Demps a mandate to make the playoffs, and since New Orleans got in on the last day of the regular season with a win over the San Antonio Spurs, it was believed that Williams would be safe.
Pelicans owner Tom Benson even sent out a congratulatory letter to Williams and the rest of the team and front office for their season. This came after New Orleans was swept by Golden State.
But it turns out Williams wasn’t safe, and the decision was made to let him go with one year left on his contract and a team option for another season. Demps will not be fired, and Wojnarowski reports that Williams’s firing is a result of Demps trying to get more power within the organization by pushing the head coach out the door.
In the team’s press release, Demps thanked Williams for his “dedication and leadership” both on and off the court. Demps called Williams a “great role model” for his young team and said he was a “steady influence” in a locker room that endured a lot of change over the past year. Demps will speak to the media at 4 p.m. ET.
Both Benson and executive vice president Mickey Loomis gave similarly glowing statements, but Loomis said the team felt that now was the time to make a change as the front office continues to try and improve the roster around Anthony Davis.
Williams took over as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2010 and went 46-36 in his first season, earning a trip to the playoffs before bowing out in the first round. Chris Paul was traded that offseason, and the next three seasons featured underwhelming campaigns that featured no trips to the postseason.
Williams finished 173-221 in five seasons with New Orleans.
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