Sources: Pelicans target Celtics' Darren Erman for Alvin Gentry's staff

ESPNBOSTON

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The New Orleans Pelicans are in advanced negotiations to hire Darren Erman away from the Boston Celtics to serve as a defensive guru under new head coach Alvin Gentry, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that Erman, who was quickly snapped up by the Celtics after his controversial ouster in Golden State late in the 2013-14 season, has been targeted by the Pelicans as an ideal addition to an all-new coaching staff because of his defensive expertise to complement Gentry's offensive creativity.

After the profound impact he had on team defenses -- both with the Celtics in his first Boston stint and with the Warriors under Mark Jackson -- Erman is regarded as one of the league's brighter young defensive minds.

He was fired by the Warriors in April 2014 for what was termed a "violation of company policy" that was later revealed to be secretly recording conversations between the team's coaches and players.

Yet Erman is held in such high esteem by Celtics officials that he was almost immediately re-hired by Boston as NBA director of scouting. In July, Erman was quickly moved onto Brad Stevens' bench to essentially serve as the Celtics' defensive coordinator to replace the highly respected Ron Adams, who had been poached from the Celtics by Golden State's Kerr.

"Darren's really a great defensive coach," Stevens told the Boston Globe last October. "But he's more than that. He is as detail-oriented as detail-oriented gets. If your hands aren't in the right place as you're guarding the pick-and-roll or if your body positioning is not at the right angle, he'll stop it and he'll correct it. He's really studied the game and I think that adds another good, young, ambitious guy that's really excited to help these guys get better."

No deal with the Pelicans has been finalized yet, sources said, but Erman was in New Orleans on Monday to discuss the job.

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This is what can happen to your team when it starts to gain success in the standings as well as in player development improvement.

It will be interesting to see whom Stevens finds to replace Erman.

LET'S GET DOWN TO SPECIFICS..........WHAT DID NEW ORLEANS OFFER HIM THAT THE CELTICS COULD NOT HAVE OFFERED HIM??????

IF HE WAS THAT GOOD AND IT SEEMS AS HE WAS.......WHAT, WE COULD NOT TWEAK THE COACHING DUTIES AND GIVE HIM ASS'T TITLE AND ANOTHER $400K???

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I seem to sneeze a lot lately.  Thibsoosky!  Aronothibs!  Foothibsco!  Ruffthibsachoo!

Sam