Pelicans fire head coach Monty Williams
New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams has been fired, the team announced Tuesday. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the move.
Williams gets the ax despite leading the Pelicans to 45 wins and a spot in the postseason, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. Wojnarowski reported after the regular season that Pelicans ownership had given Williams and general manager Dell Demps a mandate to make the playoffs, and since New Orleans got in on the last day of the regular season with a win over the San Antonio Spurs, it was believed that Williams would be safe.
Pelicans owner Tom Benson even sent out a congratulatory letter to Williams and the rest of the team and front office for their season. This came after New Orleans was swept by Golden State.
But it turns out Williams wasn't safe, and the decision was made to let him go with one year left on his contract and a team option for another season. Demps will not be fired, and Wojnarowski reports that Williams's firing is a result of Demps trying to get more power within the organization by pushing the head coach out the door.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/5/12/8593735/monty-williams-fired-head-coach-pelicans-nba