The Charlotte Hornets are starting their Head, Coaching search. They have a few candidates in mind, Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, and Sean Sweeney. One other is Mike D’Antoni who may be the favorite to land the job.
Charlotte has been looking for a Head Coach since they fired James Borrego following a 43-39 record this season. Borrego had been the Head Coach of the Hornets for the past 4 years. His record was a disappointing 148-183, a winning percentage of .447.
This past year was Borrego’s best season as the Head Coach of the Hornets. They went to the play-in tournament, but lost to the Atlanta Hawks 132-103. Following that game, the Hornets decided to let go of Borrego on April 22. They are now looking to fill their vacancy.
Kenny Atkinson could make some sense. He has been a Head Coach in the NBA before, lasting from 2016 to 2020 with the Brooklyn Nets. His overall record was awful there at 118-190, a disappointing winning percentage of .383. Brooklyn earned a playoff spot in 2019, but were beaten in the 1st round by Philadelphia. Since the beginning of the 2020 season, he has been an assistant coach. In the 2020-2021 season he was with the Lakers. This year he is part of Golden State’s coaching staff.
Darvin Ham and Sean Sweeney don’t have head coaching experience. Both of them have been assistant coaches. Ham spent time with the L.A. Lakers and Atlanta Hawks. He is currently with the Milwaukee Bucks. Sweeney has been with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons. Right now, he is on Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas. Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, and Sean Sweeney are still coaching in the postseason.
Mike D’Antoni could be the favorite to land the job. The reason is his relationship with General Manager Mitch Kupchak. D’Antoni was the Head Coach of the L.A. Lakers when Kupchak was the General Manager of the L.A. Lakers. D’Antoni lasted as the Head Coach of L.A. for two years, 2012 to 2014.
Besides D’Antoni’s familiarity with Kupchak, D’Antoni would bring in 16 years of NBA Head Coaching knowledge. D’Antoni coached the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, L.A. Lakers, and Houston Rockets. He owns a record of 672-527, a winning percentage of .560. His teams went to the NBA playoffs 10 times. D’Antoni makes the most sense.
Charlotte is going to do what is best for this franchise moving forward. Whoever the next coach is should be given time to turn them into a consistent winner. The goal is be to win an NBA Championship. Hopefully, their next coach will be able to do that.
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