Charlotte Hornets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Larranaga, Borrego Emerge As Strong Candidates For Hornets’ HC Job

May 5th, 2018 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

MAY 5, 3:27pm: Borrego and Larranaga will each meet with the Hornets for a second interview this weekend, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Hornets owner Michael Jordan will be a part of both meetings.

MAY 4, 2:08pm: Count Spurs assistant James Borrego among those on the short list for the position. Earlier this afternoon, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted that both Borrego and Larranaga are “gathering momentum” in the team’s search for a new head coach.

Borrego had previously been linked to the Suns and Knicks, who have since committed to other candidates, as well as to the Hawks.

Meanwhile, Bonnell adds (via Twitter) that Raptors assistant Nick Nurse is also on the Hornets’ list of candidates, though it’s not clear whether Nurse is receiving serious consideration like Larranaga and Borrego.

MAY 4, 10:08am: Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga has emerged as a strong candidate for the Hornets’ head coaching job, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Larranaga’s interview with Charlotte was first reported by Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.

Bonnell stresses that the team has yet to make a final choice on Steve Clifford‘s replacement. However, Larranaga is receiving “strong consideration,” a source tells Bonnell.

As Bonnell details, the Hornets’ search process is moving along now that David Fizdale has accepted a job with the Knicks. Fizdale was one of several candidates Charlotte interviewed and was considering. Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, David Vanterpool, James Borrego, Jim Boylen, and Jerry Stackhouse are all reportedly among the contenders for the Hornets’ job too, though Larranaga may be the frontrunner at this point.

Larranaga, who had an extensive international career as a player, transitioned into coaching after he retired in 2009. He served as the head coach for the Erie BayHawks before joining the C’s as an assistant in 2012. Larranaga – who has been considered for head coaching jobs in past years by the Celtics, Sixers, and Grizzlies – also spoke to the Knicks and Hawks about their coaching vacancies this spring.

It’s not clear how Larranaga’s ongoing work with the Celtics will impact Charlotte’s search process. However, if the Hornets decide Larranaga is their man, the two sides could reach an agreement before Boston’s postseason run ends, as the Suns did with Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov.

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Charlotte Hornets

May 4th, 2018 at 6:44pm CST by Luke Adams

After yo-yoing back and forth between the postseason and the lottery during Steve Clifford‘s first four years with the club, the Hornets failed to bounce back in Clifford’s fifth year, enduring a second straight 36-46 season. That disappointing outcome resulted in the ouster of both Clifford and GM Rich Cho, so Charlotte will head into the 2018/19 league year with a new management team and head coach in place as the club mulls its next moves.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Hornets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Nicolas Batum ($24,000,000)
Dwight Howard ($23,819,725)
Marvin Williams ($14,087,500)
Cody Zeller ($13,528,090)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($13,000,000)
Kemba Walker ($12,000,000)
Jeremy Lamb ($7,488,372)
Frank Kaminsky ($3,627,842)
Malik Monk ($3,447,480)
Willy Hernangomez ($1,544,951)
Dwayne Bacon ($1,378,242)
Total: $117,922,202

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Julyan Stone ($1,656,092)¹
Total: $1,656,092

Restricted Free Agents

Treveon Graham ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Total: $1,699,698

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

No. 11 overall pick ($3,346,518)²
Michael Carter-Williams ($3,240,000): Non-Bird rights
Total: $6,586,518

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

With 11 of their 14 current players still on guaranteed contracts next year, the Hornets don’t have a whole lot of flexibility. Adding those 11 salaries to the team’s cap hold for its lottery pick works out to a total team salary of $121,268,720, which is well above the cap and may be right around the tax line. While new GM Mitch Kupchak will almost certainly look to reduce that figure this summer, creating any short-term cap room is unlikely.

Footnotes:

Stone’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
The Hornets are 11th in the draft lottery standings. They’ll likely have the No. 11 selection, but could end up picking as high as No. 1 ($8,095,595) and as low as No. 14 ($2,869,353).

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hornets’ Polk Talks HC Search, Kupchak, Outlook

May 4th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

Hornets vice chairman and managing partner Curtis Polk is described by Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer as Michael Jordan‘s “eyes in Charlotte” for both the basketball and business side of the franchise. That makes him an important figure in the Hornets’ management hierarchy.

So, with new head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak not saying much publicly about the club’s ongoing head coaching search, Bonnell went to Polk to get a sense of what the Hornets are looking for in their next coach. Polk also weighed in on a few other topics, so let’s round up a few highlights…

On the most important trait for the Hornets’ coaching hire:

“In today’s NBA, one of the important things, particularly in a market like Charlotte (which can’t live off free agency), is player development: getting those draft picks and developing them.

“It’s an 11-month business. Maybe at some point if you’re out of the playoffs, or after free agency, you have sort of a slow month, but this is 11 months of high-intensity work where you have to pay attention to what your players are doing in the offseason. Make sure they are following a training program so that they don’t come into training camp out of shape or picked up any bad habits. It’s really something that has become a premium: What are the players doing in the offseason?

“That is going to become a very important quality to our coaching hires – that they came from an environment where there was a big premium on player development, and where they’re able to articulate to Mitch what sort of program they plan to put in place with us.”

On whether Kupchak has full autonomy to make personnel decisions:

“Mitch is our guy. Mitch has the authority to make all the decisions relative to basketball. When I say decisions, he’ll go through a process, just like he is right now with the coach. He will bring to ownership the decision he wants to make. But for the most part, I can’t imagine we’ll disagree with the things he recommends, based on the fact that he’s doing quite a bit of homework and we keep abreast of the process.

“I think Michael and I fully want to support his decisions. We might ask him some questions, but for the most part, it’s for him to put together a plan to get us back on track.”

On how close the Hornets are to where they need to be:

“I think a change here or there, maybe looking at how we get balanced offensively and defensively again with our new coaching staff. We won 36 games. There were a lot of close games that we lost. I feel like (by) putting a priority on developing young talent – that’s really key for us in developing a pipeline of players who after a few years can be significant contributors – I think we’ll be fine.”

On whether the Hornets would ever go through a rebuild similar to the Sixers’ “Process”:

“I think there are times when everybody goes through some version of that. That seems to be an extreme example. I can’t think of another one that extreme. In 2011, we went through our own little version of that for two seasons. It’s more of a (matter of) degrees. Right now, Mitch is still getting his arms around everything and we still don’t have a coach in place. I’m hopeful we won’t have to make dramatic changes to get this thing back on track.”

Bucks Talk To Jim Cleamons

May 3rd, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

In addition to the names we passed along earlier today, the Bucks have spoken to former Mavericks head coach Jim Cleamons, posts Marc J. Spears on ESPN Now. Cleamons, who served as an assistant in Milwaukee in 2013/14, had an “informal phone conversation” this morning with GM Jon Horst.

Cleamons, 68, is a long-time assistant who briefly served as a head coach in Dallas in the late 1990s, compiling a 28-70 record. He was an assistant with the Bulls during Michael Jordan’s time there, and Jordan is considering him for the head coaching spot with the Hornets, according to Spears. Cleamons is also a candidate for a college coaching job with Chicago State.

Cleamons, who played nine NBA seasons, won an NBA title with the Lakers and nine as an assistant in L.A. and Chicago. He also served as an assistant with the Hornets and Knicks

Hawks Interview Jay Larranaga

May 3rd, 2018 at 11:42am CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga recently interviewed for the head coaching position with the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. We passed along Atlanta’s interest in Larranaga earlier this week, and it appears the organization was able to quickly work out the details of an interview.

The field of candidates has become crowded after the Hawks parted ways with Mike Budenholzer last week. Nate Tibbetts, David Fizdale, Jarron Collins, Darvin Ham and Stephen Silas have all either interviewed or have interviews scheduled. Atlanta is also rumored to have interest in Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego.

In addition to his playoff duties with the Celtics, Larranaga has been busy on the interview circuit, Forsberg adds. He met with the Knicks and reportedly made a strong impression during his interview with the Hornets.

Keep up with all the latest coaching developments with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Hornets Get Permission To Interview Jim Boylen

May 3rd, 2018 at 9:33am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have granted permission to the Hornets to interview associate head coach Jim Boylen, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.

Boylen joins a growing list of candidates in Charlotte that includes Jerry Stackhouse, Ettore Messina, David Fizdale, Ime Udoka, David Vanterpool and James Borrego.

A long-time assistant, the 53-year-old Boylen has served as Fred Hoiberg’s top assistant in Chicago since 2015. His coaching career began on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff in Houston in 1992. Boylen left for the college ranks in 2005 and spent four years as head coach at the University of Utah before returning to the NBA in 2011.

Keep all with all the latest news on the coaching front with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Hornets Interviewing James Borrego For HC Job

May 2nd, 2018 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets continue to conduct interviews for their head coaching position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Spurs assistant James Borrego is meeting with Charlotte about the job today.

Borrego began his NBA coaching career with the Spurs, spending seven seasons with the team from 2003 to 2010 before joining the Hornets for two years and the Magic for three. He returned to San Antonio in 2015. Primarily an assistant over the course of his career, Borrego earned his lone head coaching experience in 2015 in Orlando, leading the Magic to a 10-20 record as Jacque Vaughn‘s interim replacement.

Borrego, like a couple other Spurs assistants, has been a popular head coaching candidate this offseason, having already interviewed with the Knicks and the Suns for their open positions. Borrego’s fellow assistants Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina have also received consideration for head coaching jobs, including the Hornets’ role.

Besides the three Spurs assistants, the Hornets have also interviewed – or will interview – David Fizdale, David Vanterpool, and Jerry Stackhouse. New head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak appears to be conducting a thorough search, so it’s entirely possible that Charlotte will meet with more candidates following today’s Borrego interview.

Hornets Interviewing Blazers’ David Vanterpool

May 1st, 2018 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool has received permission to interview for another head coaching job, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Vanterpool is a candidate for the Hornets’ job. Charlotte is meeting with the Blazers assistant today, Wojnarowski adds.

It’s the second known interview for Vanterpool, as Portland also granted the Magic permission to speak to him about their open head coaching position.

Vanterpool, who has served as a Trail Blazers assistant for the last six seasons, was recently identified by executives around the NBA as one of the top candidates to receive consideration for a head coaching job this spring. Among NBA assistants, only Nick Nurse of the Raptors received more votes than Vanterpool in the survey, which was conducted by Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.

For the Hornets, Vanterpool represents the latest in a growing list of candidates to replace Steve Clifford. Ettore Messina, David Fizdale, Ime Ukoda, and Jerry Stackhouse are also among the coaches who have interviewed – or plan to interview – with Charlotte.

The Hornets’ coaching search is being led by new general manager and president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak.

Hawks Interviewing Stephen Silas For HC Job

May 1st, 2018 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Another interviewee has emerged for the head coaching job in Atlanta, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks are meeting with Hornets assistant Stephen Silas on Tuesday. Silas previously worked with current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk when both men were with the Warriors, Wojnarowski notes.

A longtime assistant for New Orleans, Cleveland, Golden State, and Charlotte, Silas has never held a permanent head coaching job in the NBA. However, he did step in for Steve Clifford for over a month during the 2017/18 season when Clifford took time away from the Hornets for health reasons.

After Clifford was dismissed by Charlotte at season’s end, there was a sense that both Clifford and Silas would be considered for some of the head coaching vacancies around the NBA. Silas has yet to meet with any other teams, but was immediately identified as a potential candidate for the Hawks after Mike Budenholzer‘s departure from the franchise.

Silas joins David Fizdale, Nate Tibbetts, Jarron Collins, and Darvin Ham among head coaching candidates who have interviewed – or will interview – for Atlanta’s job. Ime Udoka, Jay Larranaga, and James Borrego are also said to be on the Hawks’ radar, though interviews for those three have to be reported.

Budenholzer-Howard Reunion Doesn't Make Sense

April 30th, 2018 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets’ coaching search could get complicated if they chose to pursue former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes. Reuniting Budenholzer with center Dwight Howard wouldn’t be a good idea, given how their relationship deteriorated in Atlanta, Bonnell adds.