Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry calls it the “go-to move” for any NBA coach who wants to explain to a player why moving from starter to substitute isn’t always a demotion or a bad thing. Last season, career-long NBA starter and former All-Star Andre Iguodala willingly accepted being shifted from the first unit to a reserve role with Golden State, but ended up being named the 2015 Finals MVP for the champion Golden State Warriors, where Gentry was lead assistant.
When Gentry decided in early December to make Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday a second-unit player instead of a starter, the coach cited that example in explaining the decision.