New Orleans Pelicans fire head coach Monty Williams despite making the playoffs

The New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Monty Williams.

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported it. The Pelicans have since announced the firing and released a statement.

The move comes as a shock to the NBA world, as Williams helped the Pelicans to a 45-37 record and they made the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Though many people felt the Pelicans only made the playoffs because of injuries to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pelicans also suffered through several regular season injures and gave the Warriors a surprisingly competitive first-round series.

That Williams was fired after making the playoffs is also significant. Wojnarowski reported in April that the Pelicans front office gave Williams a mandate to make the playoffs to ensure his job security.

ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne also echoed the sentiment:

John Reid of The Times Picayune wrote about the Pelicans' offseason in late April and made the relationship between Williams and the front office sound solid:

The franchise has not announced yet whether Williams or Demps will be receiving contract extensions. But owner Tom Benson set a letter of congratulations to Williams and his staff and players, along with Demps and his basketball operations staff, for the team's winning season and playoff appearance.

Though Williams wouldn't comment on a contract extension, he told Reid that he and GM Dell Demps would be working in the offseason to decide how to shape the roster.

The Pelicans are one of several teams believed to be interested in monitoring whether Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau becomes available this summer.

Here's the team's statement on firing Williams:

The full statement reads:

"I have the utmost respect fro Monty Williams, not only as a coach but as a person," said Pelicans owner Tom Benson. "He represented our team, our organization and our city with tremendous class and dignity. Gayle and I grew very fond of Monty and his wife Ingrid and of course their five beautiful children. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward."

The Pelicans finished the 2014-15 season with a record of 45-37 and the eighth position in the Western Conference, earning New Orleans its first postseason berth in four seasons.

"Making a decision like this is never easy and never done hastily, especially when you are dealing with a person of Monty Williams' character. We thanked Monty for the tremendous work and commitment he made to our organization and the development of our young players, specifically Anthony Davis," said Loomis. "While we continue to work towards improving our roster, we decided that now was the time to make this decision. We wish nothing but the best for Monty in the future." 

Pelicans Senior vice President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Dell Demps added, "We thank Monty for his dedication and leadership to our team both on and off the court. He served as a great role model for our young team and worked tirelelessly towards the development of all of our players. We endured a lot of change this past season and Monty was a steady influence in our locker room. We wish him and his family nothing but the best."