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The New Orleans Pelicans surprised many when they fired head coach Monty Williams after a playoff berth, but the vacancy is suddenly the NBA's most desirable coaching job.

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Several Candidates Potentially on Pelicans' Radar

Thursday, May 14

With a young, talented roster headlined by All-Star Anthony Davis, the Pelicans have the pieces needed to be a perennial playoff team moving forward. Because of that, there should be no shortage of candidates vying to be the next head coach.

According to John Reid of NOLA.com, the organization is weighing its options before officially beginning its search. Reid reports that New Orleans could make a play for current Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau if he is fired.

Also, Reid lists eight additional possible targets for the intriguing job:

Although sources have not confirmed, potential candidates for the Pelicans' vacancy could include former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks, former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson, Warriors current lead assistant Alvin Gentry, Pacers assistant and former Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, former Sacramento Kings and Pelicans assistant Mike Malone, Chicago Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets Jeff Van Gundy.

Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Omer Asik and Ryan Anderson form a strong nucleus for the Pelicans, but Davis is undoubtedly the biggest draw.

As Zach Lowe of Grantland pointed out, Davis' dominance will often make it easy for New Orleans' next head coach:



Following the Oklahoma City Thunder's hiring of Billy Donovan, the Pelicans are now in an advantageous position since they should have the pick of the litter.

New Orleans could be a great coach away from vying for one of the top spots in the Western Conference, so this coaching search figures to be a defining period in the history of Pelicans basketball.



Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



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