While Alvin Gentry’s future with the Kings is uncertain, the interim head coach is hoping he will have a chance next season to finish what he started in Sacramento.
Gentry spoke to reporters from Footprint Center following Sunday’s season finale between the Kings and the Phoenix Suns, which Sacramento won 116-109. When a reporter asked if he had a desire to return to his coaching role next season, Gentry’s answer was simple.
“Obviously, I have a desire,” Gentry said. “I love it here and I think we’re on the right path … We’ve got some good pieces. We’ve got good people, from our medical staff all the way to the top, so it has been done here before. [Winning] is not impossible to do.”
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Gentry was named interim head coach of the Kings in late November after Luke Walton was fired, following a 6-11 start to the season. He had previously joined Walton's coaching staff as the associate head coach prior to the 2020-21 season.
It was the organization’s hope that the coaching change could help end the team’s playoff drought, but the streak was extended to an NBA-record 16th-straight season after the Kings were eliminated from playoff contention, with Gentry unable to stop the bleeding despite some blockbuster trades and rising young stars.
The Kings ultimately finished with a 30-52 record following Sunday’s win and have the seventh-best odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
As he spoke with reporters about “sustainable winning” following the season finale, Gentry made it clear he has a vision for Sacramento should he remain at the helm of the coaching staff.
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“You don't want to be good for a year and then revert back … you want to establish something so that it's going to be sustainable over a period of time,” Gentry said. “So that you know coming in that we're going to play hard, we're going to make the playoffs and then the next step is to try to go deeper into the playoffs and ultimately try to win a championship.”
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Gentry kept it positive at the podium on Sunday even though his future as the Kings’ coach is unclear, and made sure to let Sacramento know how much he enjoyed this season -- even though it didn’t turn out the way fans had hoped.
“You just have to wait and see … I don't make those decisions,” Gentry said. “So whatever happens, if it doesn't work out then I've had a great two years here. I love the people here.”