Who Jeff Van Gundy says must ‘stay out of the way’ to fix Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are one of just three teams in a 30-franchise NBA that has never reached a conference final.
Former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, now a game analyst for ESPN, says the way to change that is to give basketball management autonomy and time that maybe hasn’t always existed here.
“Let the general manager — right now it’s Mitch Kupchak — develop a team. Pick the players, in conjunction with (coach) James Borrego,” Van Gundy said, in reply to an Observer question about the Hornets’ struggles.
“Put together a roster that make sense, and then let James and Mitch run the show and everybody else (in team management) stay out of the way.”
The Hornets have failed to reach the playoffs the past three years and approach a crucial off-season: Three-time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker becomes an unrestricted free agent in July, meaning the Hornets could lose him for no compensation.
Van Gundy coached the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets between 1996 and 2007 before joining Mark Jackson and Mike Breen to form ABCs and ESPN’s top NBA telecast team. One of Van Gundy’s proteges, Steve Clifford, coached the Hornets from 2013 through 2018, so Van Gundy is familiar with the Hornets’ challenges since the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004.
Van Gundy noted that drafting poorly, with the exception of selecting Walker ninth overall in 2011, has been a significant problem for a Hornets franchise that has never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs (or won a series since 2002).
“They absolutely nailed the Kemba Walker draft pick, but they’re gonna have to draft better,” Van Gundy said during a media conference call promoting the NBA Finals.
“And stay patient with their coach. Don’t do what everybody else in the NBA does when it’s not going exactly right — think you’re going to change a coach and change your fortunes. It doesn’t happen.”
Hall of Fame player Michael Jordan bought majority control of the Hornets in March of 2010 from Bob Johnson. Curtis Polk, Jordan’s top financial advisor and formerly a player agent, is second in command of the team, as vice chairman and a minority owner.
As Van Gundy noted, the Hornets have had some draft stumbles, including taking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall in 2012 over now-Washington Wizard Bradley Beal, and selecting Malik Monk 11th in 2017 over now-Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.
The Hornets dramatically shook up the basketball operation in the spring of 2018, replacing general manager Rich Cho with Kupchak, who replaced Clifford with Borrego. The Hornets improved slightly in record last season (39 wins, versus 36 in 2017-18), but again failed to reach the post-season.
After the season, Kupchak and Borrego both said they feel good about the structure of the basketball operation and their working relationship with Jordan.
“This is a partnership,” Borrego said of his communication with Kupchak and Jordan. “We’re transparent, and I couldn’t be happier to have them as partners.”
Kupchak added that Jordan is involved, but not in a way that interferes with the autonomy needed for him and Borrego to do their jobs.
“I don’t meddle. I don’t think Michael meddles, either,” Kupchak said in April. “We let the coach do his job, and I think he appreciates that.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Who Jeff Van Gundy says must ‘stay out of the way’ to fix Charlotte Hornets."