Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Monty Williams. Williams coached the Pels for five seasons, but only managed two winning seasons during that time — his first season, when Chris Paul was still on the team, and this season, in which the Pelicans squeaked into the playoffs thanks to injuries to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the emergence of Anthony Davis.
New Orleans has fired coach Monty Williams, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 12, 2015
When the playoffs began, reports surfaced that Williams’ job was secure as long as the Pels made the playoffs. They made it by the thinnest of margins: one game, after a win over the San Antonio Spurs on the final day of the regular season. The Pels were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round — a series that featured a historic collapse at home in Game 3.
Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Western Conference will be even stronger with the return of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka for OKC, so being one game better than a shell of that team isn’t going to cut it. Williams finished his Pels coaching career with a record of 173-221.
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