Chapter 738 The New First Assistant Coach (Third Update!)

At this time, Tang Tian motioned to the team members to sit down and wait.

Williams' wife is Ingrid, and she has also been to the New Orleans Arena. Tang Tian's impression of her is that she is a very gentle woman.

The lights in the rescue room were always red, and late at night, the team members went back one after another.

Stevens also went back to rest under Tang Tian's persuasion. Tang Tian, ​​Davis and Holiday finally stayed with Williams.

Regardless of whether the end result will be the same as in history, Williams needs someone to accompany him now.

The rescue continued until the next morning, and the last doctor came out of the operating room with a solemn expression.

They stood up and walked over, and the doctor shook his head helplessly at them.

Rescue efforts failed, and Ingrid had no vital signs.

Williams was in a daze, and Tang Tian and Davis supported him from left to right.

The four children also started crying one after another.

When a person encounters an accident in middle age, it is bad news for the Williams family.

Williams went to the operating room, and when he acted again, his expression had become firm. After comforting his children, he began to deal with the funeral arrangements.

Tang Tian and Davis also left after comforting them.

On this day, the news also spread around the league.

Many NBA stars and coaches have expressed their condolences.

Williams entered the NBA as an assistant coach in 2005 and has been there for 10 years now. His popularity is well-known in the NBA.

In the following week, the Pelicans' players were in poor condition, losing 2 of 4 games, and the Warriors narrowed the victory to 1.5 games.

A week later, Ingrid's memorial service was held at a New Orleans church.

On this day, in addition to the entire Pelicans team, coaching staff, and management, many well-known figures from the league also came.

Spurs coach Popovich was Williams' former coach. He had a game that night, but he also came to New Orleans.

Clippers head coach Rivers, former NBA head coach PJ Carlesimo, Jeff Van Gundy, Avery Johnson and Tom Thibodeau all came to the memorial service.

Former Pelicans assistant coach Borrego, Norris Cole, Gordon, Reggie Evans and others who played for the Pelicans in the past were also present.

There were nearly a thousand people in attendance at the church.

After the memorial service, Williams and Benson talked for a long time.

After that, he chatted with Stevens, Tang Tian and Davis for a long time.

He will resign as the Pelicans' first assistant coach to spend time taking care of his four children.

This result is different from that in history, but it can be seen that this is the result of Williams' careful consideration.

"Coach, we are always behind you."

Tang Tian knew that Williams had made a decision and spoke to him.

"Keep going for the championship, you can do it."

Williams is most worried about his family now, but he still sends his blessings to Tang Tian and the others.

The next day, the Pelicans officially announced Williams' resignation as the Pelicans' first assistant coach.

However, the news also mentioned that although Williams resigned, the Pelicans will still pay his entire salary of 5 million in the remaining four years.

This approach is supported by the league, which has stated that it will share half of the salary.

The Pelicans' performance in the past two years has been getting better and better, and their market value has continued to increase. Although they are a small city, their influence on fans and the league is also growing.

Benson is a good owner and is willing to invest in the team. It is not difficult to make such a decision.

As for the league, Xiao Hua is very sensitive to business. This is a good opportunity to promote the league and promote its image. There are pros and cons for him to do so.

But whatever the reason, this outcome is best for Williams.

He can get an income and take care of his family.

With Williams' matter over, the Pelicans are back to focusing on the game.

The team has lost three consecutive games in the recent period and is only 1.5 games ahead of the Warriors.

With the Warriors also having an outstanding record, if they want to remain No. 1 in the league, they must play well in the following games.

The players need to adjust their emotions, and for the management, they also need to recruit a new first assistant coach.

Demps has communicated with Nash, but the latter's thoughts are still the same as before, hoping to focus on his family and continue to serve as a team consultant.

Under such circumstances, the Pelicans' best option is to go to the free market or dig another one from other teams.

Although Williams resigned, his contribution in creating the team atmosphere is outstanding.

This aspect may not seem big, but without this kind of person, it will be like the Cavaliers. The locker room will never be stable and it will not be able to display 100% of its strength.

Therefore, when recruiting first assistant coaches, interpersonal skills are still a key consideration.

In addition, the team also needs a defensive coach, which can help Stevens share some of the work pressure.

After all, Williams only focused on socializing before, while Stevens still had a heavy workload on the team.

The target candidates of the Pelicans management are also very clear, Ron Adams of the Warriors and Bzdelik of the Rockets.

Both assistant coaches perfectly aligned with what the Pelicans were looking for.

However, after communicating with Demps, both of them declined the invitation.

The Warriors' current record is not much worse than the Pelicans, and it is not appropriate for them to jump to their opponents halfway as their main competitor.

If this were done, it would be the coaching version of turning an enemy into a friend.

It's a similar story with Bzdelik.

Although the Rockets' current performance is behind the Pelicans and Warriors, he gets along well with the Rockets players and has a promising future.

Both targets were declined, and the Pelicans had no choice but to settle for a defensive coach.

After all, with the foundation laid by Williams before, the Pelicans' current team atmosphere has been established very well.

Lionel Hollins, Mike Brown, and J.B. Bickerstaff have become potential candidates.

Hollins is the former Grizzlies head coach, who single-handedly created the Grizzlies' iron-blooded defense.

He was just fired by the Nets this summer and is currently unemployed.

Brown's situation is similar to Hollins', the only difference is that he has been unemployed longer.

As James' head coach during the 1.0 period, he was nicknamed bread by fans and was criticized wildly.

But his defensive ability ranks among the best among head coaches.

Bickerstaff's situation is different from the previous two. He has been an assistant coach since entering the league in 2004.

He previously assisted McHale with the Rockets, followed McHale to Boston, and is now an assistant coach with the Celtics.

The Celtics' defensive improvement this season is inseparable from him.

The situations of the three are different, but they are all very interested in joining the Pelicans.

It depends on what the Pelicans choose in the end.