Kings fire interim coach Gentry after missing postseason again
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings fired interim coach Alvin Gentry on Monday, a day after the franchise missed the playoffs for an NBA-record 16th straight season.
The 67-year-old Gentry was promoted from associate head coach to interim coach when the Kings fired Luke Walton in November following a 6-11 start. Sacramento finished the season at 30-52.
Gentry had most recently served as head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans (201520). He has also made head coaching stops with Miami, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix. He has a career record of 534-636.
“The entire Kings organization is grateful for the leadership of Alvin Gentry, who stepped up when he got the call mid-season,” general manager Monte McNair said in a statement. “We appreciate his leadership on and off the court.”
Gentry’s dismissal comes following another turbulent season for the Kings. Sacramento traded away budding star Tyrese Haliburton and former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III in hopes of shaking things up, yet the season ended with the same familiar results.
The Kings finished 12th in the Western Conference and extended a postseason drought that began in 2006 after the last of eight consecutive playoff appearances.
What owner Vivek Ranadive had hoped would be a turnaround campaign for his club instead turned into another frustrating year for a onceloyal fan base. The Kings were 29th out of the league’s 30 teams in attendance, playing many of their games at a halffilled Golden 1 Center.
The numbers on the court weren’t much better.
Sacramento ranked 16th in scoring this season but was 29th in defense despite getting a lift on that end of the court from rookie Davion Mitchell. The Kings were also 27th in rebounding and 24th in 3point shooting.