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James Borrego Finalizes Deal To Become Hornets’ Head Coach

May 8th, 2018 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

2:28pm: The Hornets and Borrego have finalized an agreement, reports Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Reed writes that a news conference to announce the hiring is expected to happen within the next few days.

11:54am: Spurs assistant James Borrego will become the new head coach in Charlotte, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that Borrego is in the process of finalizing a deal with the Hornets.

Borrego began his NBA coaching career with the Spurs, spending seven seasons with the team from 2003 to 2010 before joining the Pelicans (then-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.

Despite his limited experience leading a team, Borrego’s years working under Gregg Popovich made him a popular coaching candidate this offseason. Borrego interviewed with the Knicks and Suns before they decided to hire David Fizdale and Igor Kokoskov, respectively. He also received reported interest from the Hawks and Bucks.

While Borrego didn’t gain serious traction as a candidate in New York or Phoenix, he was considered one of the two frontrunners for the Hornets’ job, along with Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga. Both veteran assistants reportedly had second interviews with Charlotte within the last few days — team owner Michael Jordan was said to be involved in those meetings.

Borrego will take over for Steve Clifford in Charlotte. Clifford, who was fired shortly after the 2017/18 regular season ended, had been the NBA’s seventh-longest-tenured head coach. He led the Hornets to a 196-214 record (.478) and a pair of playoff berths during his five years on the sidelines.

In addition to making a coaching change this spring, the Hornets also have a new head of basketball operations in place. After parting ways with general manager Rich Cho earlier this year, Charlotte hired Mitch Kupchak as the club’s new GM and president of basketball ops. Kupchak led a head coaching search that also saw candidates like Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, David Vanterpool, Jim Boylen, Nick Nurse, and Jerry Stackhouse receive consideration.

According to Wojnarowski, Borrego made a strong impression during his initial meeting with Kupchak, and the GM became more intrigued by the Spurs assistant once he began canvassing executives, coaches, and players who had worked with Borrego.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hawks Narrow Coaching Search To Four Finalists

May 7th, 2018 at 10:44pm CST by Luke Adams

MAY 7, 10:44pm: Pierce’s previously-reported second interview with the Hawks will take place on Tuesday, Marc Spears of The Undefeated tweets.

MAY 6, 6:39pm: The Hawks have narrowed down their list of head coaching candidates to four finalists, reports Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to Cunningham, Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce, Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga remain in the running.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Pierce has emerged this weekend as a frontrunner for the position, with a Saturday report indicating he’d get a second interview for the job. Earlier today, we heard that Pierce would meet with Hawks ownership early this week, and could receive a job offer if that meeting goes well.

However, the Hawks are considering three other assistants from around the NBA, including Tibbetts, who has already met with team owner Tony Ressler, according to Cunningham. A source with knowledge of the Hawks’ plans tells Cunningham that Pierce’s own meeting with Ressler hasn’t yet been officially scheduled, adding that it’s premature to view him as a lock for the job over Atlanta’s other finalists.

As Cunningham details, David Fizdale interviewed with the Hawks and met with Ressler as well, but reached an agreement on Thursday to become the Knicks’ new head coach, taking him out of the mix for Atlanta.

Shortly after the Hawks parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, a report indicated that the team was looking to find an up-and-coming coach who could evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. As such, it’s perhaps no surprise that none of the team’s finalists – Pierce, Tibbetts, Silas, and Larranaga – have held a permanent head coaching job in the past.

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Checking In On NBA Head Coaching Searches

May 7th, 2018 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly four weeks since the NBA regular season ended, and while a few head coaching situations have been resolved since then, several more remain unsettled. With so many candidates being linked to so many separate jobs, it’s time to check in on this spring’s coaching searches to see where they stand.

Let’s dive in…

Completed searches:

Memphis Grizzlies

  • Named interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff the permanent head coach.
  • The Grizzlies’ search wasn’t much of a search at all. Rather than bringing in outside candidates, the team doubled down on Bickerstaff, having been impressed with his developmental work, if not his record (15-48).

New York Knicks

  • Hiring David Fizdale to replace Jeff Hornacek.
  • An extensive search resulted in the hiring of Fizdale, who was perhaps the most coveted candidate on the market this spring — the Suns reportedly made Fizdale an offer for their job, and he spoke to multiple other teams. The former Grizzlies coach will be officially introduced as Hornacek’s replacement this week.

Phoenix Suns

  • Hiring Igor Kokoskov to replace interim head coach Jay Triano.
  • While the Suns reportedly offered the job to Fizdale before deciding on Kokoskov, they sound pleased with how their search turned out. An assistant in Utah, Kokoskov is finishing up his playoff run with the Jazz. His deal with the Suns figures to be made official once Utah is eliminated.

Ongoing searches:

Atlanta Hawks

  • While Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce appeared to be emerging as the frontrunner for the Hawks’ job over the weekend, a Sunday evening report suggested three more assistants – Nate Tibbetts (Blazers), Stephen Silas (Hornets), and Jay Larranaga (Celtics) – are also in the mix. Those appear to be Atlanta’s finalists, though Jarron Collins and Darvin Ham have also interviewed.

Charlotte Hornets

  • Ettore Messina, David Vanterpool, Ime Udoka, Jim Boylen, Nick Nurse, and Jerry Stackhouse have reportedly talked to the Hornets about their head coaching job. However, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga and Spurs assistant James Borrego are viewed as the current frontrunners. Charlotte is conducting second interviews with both Larranaga and Borrego, with owner Michael Jordan present at those meetings.

Detroit Pistons

  • The Pistons’ search just got underway today, as the team parted ways with Stan Van Gundy. They’re on the lookout for a new head of basketball operations too, so they may address that position before hiring a new coach.

Milwaukee Bucks

  • A playoff team, the Bucks got a late start on their head coaching search, but they’re making up for lost time, reportedly lining up interviews with Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, James Borrego, and more. Two former NBA head coaches, Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams, are said to be among the favorites for the Milwaukee job.

Orlando Magic

  • The Magic indicated at season’s end that they’d be in no rush to hire a new head coach, and they’ve made good on that promise, with very few reports surfacing on their candidates. They reportedly received permission to interview Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, and have also been linked to Nick Nurse and Jerry Stackhouse of the Raptors. No clear frontrunner has emerged yet though.

To follow updates on the head coaching searches beyond this snapshot, be sure to check out our tracker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Atlantic Notes: Fizdale, Knicks, Stevens, Ujiri

May 6th, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by Luke Adams

In David Fizdale, the Knicks landed a coach who was coveted by multiple teams with job openings this spring, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. We’ve previously heard that Fizdale turned down an offer from the Suns and met with Hawks ownership. A source tells Berman that Fizdale was also a “frontrunner” for the Hornets and Magic positions.

So why did Fizdale opt for the Knicks’ job? Former Nets guard Elliot Perry – a current Grizzlies broadcaster and Fizdale confidant – tells Berman that he believes the former Grizzlies coach wants the challenge of being on a big stage in New York.

“That’s the one thing I mentioned to him,” Perry said. “You’re never off stage in New York as [the Knicks’] head coach. You’re not always on the stage in Memphis. He wanted the challenge. He thinks there’s talent there. He thought it was a good fit.”

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the Atlantic, including another note on Fizdale…

  • In a piece for Newsday, Al Iannazzone examines why the Knicks felt that Fizdale was the right pick for their job, with one source downplaying the head coach’s tension with Marc Gasol in Memphis. “He gets along great with players,” that source told Iannazzone. “He’s a good developmental guy and is good at working with the players. He comes from Miami, where they put an emphasis on that. He’s still unproven as far as X’s and O’s. But he’s good with players.”
  • The Celtics are missing a pair of difference-making players on the court, with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving on the shelf, but the team also has a difference maker on the sidelines in Brad Stevens, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. “He knows each player like the back of his hand, so he’s going to put you in the right position, he’s going to put you in the right spot, to be great,” Terry Rozier said of his head coach.
  • Raptors president Masai Ujiri received a $25K fine from the NBA for walking on the court during halftime of Game 3 to “verbally confront” the game’s referees, the league announced today in a press release. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey expressed his displeasure with the officiating throughout the game, and Ujiri joined the act as the second quarter ended.
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Bonnell: Why Hornets Like Larranaga

May 6th, 2018 at 7:52pm CST by Luke Adams
  • In a piece for The Charlotte Observer, Rick Bonnell explains what the Hornets like about Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, who is considered a “strong” candidate for Charlotte’s head coaching job.
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Jay Larranaga Interviews Again With Hornets

May 6th, 2018 at 4:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga was away from the team on Sunday as he was in Florida interviewing with the Hornets for the team’s head coaching vacancy, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. This is Larranaga’s second interview with Charlotte.

Hornets president Michael Jordan was part of the interview, as we relayed yesterday. In addition to Larranaga, Spurs assistant James Borrego is among those reportedly receiving strong consideration for the position.

The Hornets are seeking a replacement for Steve Clifford, who was relieved of his duties last month.

Larranaga enjoyed a lengthy international career as a player before transitioning into coaching after his retirement in 2009. Before joining the Celtics’ coaching staff in 2012, Larranaga was the head coach of the G League’s Erie BayHawks. This is not Larranaga’s first attempt at a head coaching gig as he was considered for jobs with the Celtics, Sixers, and Grizzlies in recent years. This spring, he interviewed with the Knicks and Hawks about their head coaching openings.

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

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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.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

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.

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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

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

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:

  1. Stone’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
  2. 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.

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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.”

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

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.”

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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

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