In a recent appearance on “Grind City Media,” former Grizzlies star Tony Allen savagely exposed the Pelicans franchise and their former head coach head coach Alvin Gentry. Allen accused Gentry of being one of the “worst coaches in the world” for his careless demeanor and labeled the Pelicans as the worst organization in the league.
“Yeah, he was one of the worst coaches in the world. He was old, man. [He used to] forget speeches like, ‘Fellas, now when we … What they doing wrong?’ He be like, ‘Fellas, we all got a rebound and uh … What else they did? Oh yeah, get back in transition,” Allen said. “Sometimes we had practice on the football field. We shooting baskets in the goal [post]… Whatever the Saints didn’t eat, we got the leftovers. Shoutout to the Pelicans. That’s the worst organization.”
Grizzlies legend only Allen enjoyed a successful 14-year career in the NBA as a star defender for various teams. While he’s most known for his run with the Grit and Grind Grizzlies, Allen spent his first six years with the Celtics and even helped them win a championship in 2008.
For the final act of his career, Allen joined the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017 to a rotation with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jrue Holiday. What was supposed to be a glorious ending for Allen turned sour when he was phased out of the rotation by the Pelicans’ then-head coach Alvin Gentry.
According to Allen, Gentry (who is now 69) was too unfit for the job and he could barely keep track of what was happening on the court. And while the Pelicans did win 48 games that season, they only made it to the second round before being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors. Allen didn’t get any playing time and he retired that summer without looking back.
Sadly, for the Pelicans, that stretch is actually one of their most impressive seasons in franchise history. With such a limited track record of success, Davis was the one beacon of hope they had for a better future.
But just like most stars who have joined the team, it wasn’t meant to last. In just a few years, Davis forced his way out and it led the Pelicans to rebuild yet again for another franchise star.
Today, it’s Zion Williamson who wears the cape for the Pels and it seems they are no better off with him than they were with Davis. For whatever reason, the team is still struggling to set themselves apart in the West and they will start the season as underdogs to advance past the first round.
The Pelicans are doing everything they can to break the spell and finally go on a run that brings glory to the franchise but it seems the team just cannot stop getting in their own way. The situation could turn downright ugly if the results don’t start to show but the Pelicans are hoping that they finally have the right people in place to break new ground in the NBA playoffs.
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