The New Orleans Pelicans have decided to part ways with head coach Monty Williams, as announced by the organization Tuesday afternoon. Williams has been the head coach of the Pelicans (formerly the Hornets) since the 2010 season and had one more year left in his contract. In a statement from Pelicans owner Tom Benson, he said, “I have the utmost respect for Monty Williams, not only as a coach but as a person. He represented our team, our organization and our city with tremendous class and dignity. Gayle and I grew very fond of Monty and his wife Ingrid and of course their five beautiful children. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Some fans were shocked at the decision to fire Williams, as he had led the team to the playoffs this season for the first time in four years. According to Yahoo! Sports, the owner had made it clear that the team needed to make the playoffs or their jobs would be in jeopardy. Williams delivered on his end, and the Pelicans beat out the Thunder for the 8th seed in the Western conference (though they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round). On top of that, the team seemed to be improving its record year after year. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the news came as a shock to Williams as well, as he was expecting the team to pick up the 2016-2017 option on his contract when he met with them on Tuesday morning.
Prior to his head coaching position with the Pelicans, Williams was an assistant coach for the Portland Trailblazers. He also played small forward in the NBA for 10 years, playing for the Knicks, Spurs, Nuggets, Magic, and 76ers.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
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