James Borrego, Charlotte Hornets. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The Charlotte Hornets have shockingly fired head coach James Borrego after four seasons.
James Borrego will not get a fifth year at the helm in the Queen City, as the Charlotte Hornets fired their former head coach on Friday morning.
Borrego went 138-163 in four seasons leading the Hornets. While Charlotte improved 10 games in the win/loss column from a year ago, the Hornets getting eliminated in the play-in tournament in the first game as a No. 10 seed was indeed enough for owner Michael Jordan to pull the trigger. What makes this move so shocking is the Hornets were really trending up under Borrego’s watch.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on late Friday morning about Borrego’s dismissal.
Clearly, this move is all about Borrego’s inability to get it done in a win-or-go-home scenario in back-to-back play-in tournaments.
Charlotte Hornets fire former head coach James Borrego after four seasons
The only way this move makes sense is if Jordan believes he can bring in someone better than one of Gregg Popovich’s most notable coaching disciples. Was there a ceiling with Borrego leading this team? Yes, but they were still a year or two away from getting there. They may have been blown out in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game, but that contest was at the division rival Atlanta Hawks’ place.
What had the Hornets trending up is they have a budding star in LaMelo Ball. He has the chance to have better long-term success in Charlotte than Kemba Walker. Ball could be the most talented player to star for the Hornets since either Larry Johnson or Alonzo Mourning in the early 1990s. Though still a young player, Ball is the shining beacon of hope on the hardwood for the Hornets.
Ultimately, Borrego will not be out of work for very long. He is a proven head coach and may resurface as a retread somewhere else. If he needs to serve as a top-flight assistant for a year or two, he will have those opportunities readily available to him. As for the Hornets, they have to nail their next head-coaching hire. Otherwise, it may end up costing them their marketable star player.
Just when everyone though the Hornets were done being dysfunctional, they fire their head coach.