Alvin Gentry announced as the Sacramento Kings’ interim coach
The Sacramento Kings just let go of Luke Walton, which created a void in the head coach position. A dismal 6-11 run so far in the 2021-22 NBA season has not been good enough for the management, especially with the exciting talent they have on their roster.
Alvin Gentry has been promoted by the Sacramento Kings and will take over as interim head coach. Gentry is already under contract, but a few adjustments will be made to suit his new role.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski took to Twitter to break the news. Via a tweet, he said:
"Sources: Alvin Gentry will become the Kings’ interim coach. Gentry is already under contract through 2022-2023, gets a raise to take interim job and agreement on some benchmarks of success rest of this season with team to try and keep job longer."
Sources: Alvin Gentry will become the Kings’ interim coach. Gentry is already under contract through 2022-2023, gets a raise to take interim job and agreement on some benchmarks of success rest of this season with team to try and keep job longer.
The Sacramento Kings' official page has also put out a tweet, confirming reports of Gentry's appointment.
Alvin Gentry Has Been Named Interim Head Coach https://t.co/a01BAW4o5W
Can Gentry lead the Sacramento Kings to a successful season?
What might be considered a successful season for the Sacramento Kings management might be different from what the average fan thinks. However, he might likely be required to lead them to at least the play-in tournament.
Although they have had a poor start, they are only two games behind the LA Lakers in the Western Conference standings. If the Sacramento Kings can pick up the slack, a playoff feature should not be out of reach as there is still a lot of basketball to be played this season.
Gentry has been a coach since 1980 and has held several head coach positions for top franchises, including the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers. He joined the Sacramento Kings in 2020 after spending five years with the New Orleans Pelicans.
It is worth noting that Gentry was an associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors, who won the championship in 2015. His championship experience will do a wealth of good for the Sacramento Kings, but first, they will have to qualify for the playoffs.
The Sacramento Kings could benefit from Gentry's coaching style. He is known as an effective offensive coach who favors playing fast and taking early shots before the opposition defense gets in shape.
With Buddy Hield's form from deep this season, the Sacramento Kings can develop into a premier offensive threat from beyond the arc. They also have arguably the fastest player in the league, De'Aaron Fox, on their roster, which will play well into his up-tempo offensive style.
While success is relative at this point, Gentry stands a good chance of winning games with the personnel on the Sacramento Kings roster. He will play his first game as head coach on November 22 against the Philadelphia 76ers.