Pelicans GM Dell Demps discussed the team’s head coaching vacancy with Vinny Del Negro, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Del Negro has emerged as a candidate based upon his successful five-year run as head coach of the Bulls and the Clippers, Wojnarowski adds.
Del Negro is the latest name to surface in connection with the open position in New Orleans that was freed up when the team parted ways with former coach Monty Williams. Jeff Van Gundy, who is reportedly seeking an arrangement similar to the one that brother Stan Van Gundy has with the Pistons in which he coaches and runs the front office, also interviewed with the team. As did Scott Skiles, who is reportedly the front-runner to fill the Magic’s head coaching position, and Clippers assistant coach Alvin Gentry spoke with Demps as well.
Wojnarowski also notes that the current front-runners to land the Pelicans job are Van Gundy and Gentry. But former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has also been mentioned as a candidate, and with Chicago no longer being in the position to request compensation for Thibs, he will likely be under stronger consideration now as well.
The former Bulls and Clippers coach has a career regular season record of 210-184, and a playoff record of 10-19. Del Negro last coached during the 2012/13 season with the Clippers, leading the team to a record of 56-26 before being fired and subsequently replaced by Doc Rivers.