The Hornets are getting closer to finding a new coach. Here’s where things stand
Thirty-four and 25.
That could probably be mistaken for some kind of combination for Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery. In actuality, it provides perspective on where the Charlotte Hornets stand at this point of their offseason.
The first figure represents the number of days that have elapsed since the Hornets’ season-ending defeat to Atlanta in the play-in tournament. The second depicts the number of days following the franchise relieving James Borrego of his head coaching duties with two years remaining on his contract.
Methodically, they are pressing on with their search for a successor prior to offering any true insight into the organization’s new path. Save for a statement on the team’s release announcing Borrego’s firing last month, general manager Mitch Kupchak hasn’t commented on the move or given any insight on why the Hornets decided to go in a different direction.
In the immediate aftermath of the team severing ties with Borrego, The Charlotte Observer reported there were several factors that led to the sudden move, including three main reasons. The brutal play-in tournament loss to the Hawks went a long way in sealing Borrego’s fate, and ultimately it was the upper levels of ownership that made the call to pull the plug on his tenure, multiple league sources have told The Observer over the past few weeks.
Here is a break down of what we know so far about where things stand:
THE INTERVIEWEES
At least seven candidates are in their initial interview pool.
Among them are Mike D’Antoni, Milwaukee assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson, Dallas assistant Sean Sweeney and Brooklyn assistant David Vanterpool.
Terry Stotts is the latest to be added to the list. The former Portland coach will be interviewed later this week, league sources confirmed on Tuesday. Stotts, 64, compiled a 720-402 record in nine seasons with the Trail Blazers but that doesn’t include a 22-40 mark in the playoffs, which equates to a winning percentage of 35.5.
Ham and Atkinson are also getting second interviews, according to league sources. Ham has more time to go through the process with the Bucks’ elimination from the playoffs. Atkinson isn’t quite in the same situation since the Warriors tip off their Western Conference Finals series with Dallas on Wednesday.
Of all of the candidates, D’Antoni is the biggest name and has coached the likes of Steve Nash and James Harden. The 71-year-old, who just celebrated his birthday on May 8 was the architect of some of the league’s highest-scoring offenses and undoubtedly would devise something similar with LaMelo Ball running the show.
But defensive struggles were also on the list of reasons Borrego was let go, and presumably, the Hornets may want to bring on someone who can help correct that issue. Even if that leads to featuring someone on staff who specializes in defensive schemes.
Although there is no specific timetable for a decision, things can’t drag out too much longer. With the June 23 draft rapidly approaching, the Hornets need to get their hierarchy in place so they can get aligned in evaluating personnel and tweaking their roster after falling short of a berth in the 16-team playoff field for the sixth consecutive season.
MITCH KUPCHAK’S STATUS WITH HORNETS
There shouldn’t be much doubt about Kupchak’s immediate future.
Because his contract expires at the conclusion of the league’s year next month, per league sources, some believed the soon-to-be 68-year-old executive could be ready to call it a career and retire, handing off the reins. But with him conducting the search to hire his second coach in four years and directly meeting with prospective candidates, it’s obvious Kupchak is still in control of the basketball operations department.
He’s scheduled to spend the early portion of the week at the NBA’s Scouting Combine, which tipped off in Chicago on Monday and runs through Saturday. The annual event is a showcase where much of the NBA’s top personnel descends typically in May to evaluate talent and begin gauging the offseason market.
If Kupchak wasn’t all in and on track to return, there is no way he would be running the show in the same fashion he has since coming on board in April of 2018. Barring a snag in negotiations or something unforeseen, he’s not going anywhere and the Hornets’ front office structure that includes senior vice president of basketball operations/assistant general manager Buzz Peterson, vice president of player personnel Larry Jordan and assistant GM David Duquette.
IN THE MEANTIME
While the search for a successor to Borrego continues, things are about as close to routine as one can expect under such circumstances.
Despite not having a true lead voice, the players are still trickling in for their workouts to hone their skills with the staff. According to league sources, although Borrego was cut loose, the fate of the rest of his staff falls on the shoulders of the next head coach. It will be up to that person to decipher if he wants to keep any of them or bring in his own crop of assistants.
Staying in shape should be at the forefront of the to-do tasks for many of the players, given they will be learning a new offense and defense under the tutelage of the next coach. Getting all the terminology and concepts down is going to take a while and it’s a safe bet a substantial portion of their focus should center around their bodies and sharpening their moves.
As the Hornets prepare for a potential philosophical change in their base packages, they have to keep maintaining some semblance of normality.
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
