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Gentry's contract was set to expire at the end of this season and it looks like Robert Sarver and Lon Babby didn't want to wait that long. Of course, Babby's contract is up at the end of this season as well so we'll see what happens there. As for Alvin, perhaps he'd simply had enough losing and didn't see the need to stick around for the rest of the season. We'll see what they all have to say soon enough.
No word yet on who will slide over and finish of this mess of a campaign. It could be Elston Turner, who was hired under the Babby regime, or perhaps Thunder Dan Majerle will get his chance. I'm sure that will be answered soon enough and honestly, does it really matter?
Alvin will be fine. He's got plenty of friends in the media and won't take much blame for the Suns situation. He's been very effective over the years and maintaining the proper distance from personnel decisions. If he wants to coach again, I'm sure he can.
Meanwhile, the Suns under-performed their meager talent level this season and are a complete mess and when that happens, heads typically roll.
Jude LaCava was first with the news:
Alvin Gentry is out as head coach of the Suns
— Jude LaCava (@judefox10) January 18, 2013
John Gambadoro quickly followed on Twitter with more details.
Here's more on Gentry's career:
Alvin Gentry, Suns to part ways, according to report - SBNation.com
Gentry assumed head coaching duties in 2008-09 on an interim basis and led the team to an 18-13 mark over 31 games, and he eventually assumed full-time duties with the team. In his career, Gentry owns a 335-370 record as a head coach (.475 winning percentage). His best season with the Suns came during 2009-10, when the team went 54-28 and advanced to Western Conference Finals, where they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers.