Mailbag: Is James Borrego the best coach to develop the Charlotte Hornets long-term?
Should James Borrego be the Charlotte Hornets’ coach long-term?
I get that question a lot lately, and it surprises me. I thought Borrego made the best of last season’s roster and has managed this rebuild well. It seems most of the recent criticism of Borrego revolves around how he’s managed rookie LaMelo Ball.
Is that random grousing on Twitter or something more?
Borrego leads this Hornets mailbag:
Cashington asks: Is James Borrego the guy?
I’ve covered 11 head coaches in Charlotte. I’ve seen my share of bad (Sam Vincent and Mike Dunlap), and Borrego isn’t that.
Borrego reportedly signed a four-year contract in the spring of 2018. We only have about two seasons worth of games to evaluate so far, and I’d put him in the middle tier of Hornets/Bobcats coaches. He has strong people skills and has won a bunch of close games in a situation where most nights he’s coaching the less-talented roster.
Do I question some of his decisions? Definitely. I thought he waited too long to get Malik Monk back into the rotation when this team was hurting for offense.
How Borrego uses Ball is micro-analyzed by a faction of the fan base. When Borrego played Ball 17 minutes as a result of Ball committing five turnovers, that was justified and a teaching moment. Yet, some treated it like the worst coaching decision in franchise history.
Borrego has overseen a rebuild with a good development plan. Now, he’s blending two major acquisitions (Ball and Gordon Hayward) into the group without the benefit of a real offseason. It’s too early to judge whether Borrego is the guy to coach this team the next few seasons.
Tom Wise asks: Would an exploration of trades for a defensive center by offering P.J. Washington be unwise right now?
I’m wary of giving up Washington — who was good enough to start his first NBA season — for a short-term fix at center. Most likely, that’s what such a trade would be.
The Hornets threw a former lottery pick, Noah Vonleh, into the trade for Nic Batum back in 2015, but that was different. Vonleh wasn’t progressing or contributing, and his history since then (five teams in the last four seasons) confirm that.
To justify trading Washington, Miles Bridges or Devonte Graham, the Hornets would have to get a really good return, not just now but in the future.
Dominic Ettson asks: Why have Hayward’s number of shots dipped since Graham has been out?
You’re right that Hayward’s shots have dipped lately: From 19 vs. Philadelphia and 20 against Utah to 16 against Washington and 11 each against Houston and Memphis.
I don’t know whether that’s related to Graham being out with a groin strain and Ball having the ball more. My guess is it’s more how Hayward sizes up how teams guard him.
Ron Nored, a Hornets assistant who played with Hayward at Butler, describes this well. Hayward’s best attribute isn’t his shooting or his passing, it’s his decision-making: Whether he’s shooting more or passing more in an individual game is him assessing what the defense is doing, and responding.
Colby Dobbs asks: What’s the team’s approach to handling Cody Zeller/Bismack Biyombo this offseason? They just drafted two young centers.
I’d re-sign Zeller, so long as his contract expectations are reasonable. He’s fine with being either a starter or a reserve and he has played quite well since returning from a broken finger. At this stage of his career, Bismack Biyombo is more of a season-by-season decision for him and the Hornets.
I don’t think rookies Vernon Carey and Nick Richards are big factors in whether the Hornets re-sign Zeller. It’s probably a bigger factor whether the Hornets use their first-round pick in the next draft on a big man.
Phil Cooper asks: Will the Hornets’ record around the trade deadline impact the decision on adding a player now or in the off-season?
I don’t think the Hornets are in a “win-now” mode that would compel them to make a trade. General manager Mitch Kupchak seems more protective of draft picks than his predecessor Rich Cho was.
I’m not saying Kupchak wouldn’t trade a pick to acquire a veteran, but the bar to justify doing that appears higher now.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 2:57 PM.
