NBA Rumors: Pelicans' James Borrego Removes Himself from Pistons HC Consideration
June 28, 2024
New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego has reportedly removed himself from consideration for the Detroit Pistons vacant head coaching job, per TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.
Last week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Borrego had become "a prominent candidate" for the Pistons' opening after the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson to be their head coach.
Borrego was also seen as a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers job before they hired JJ Redick last week.
Borrego seemed like a solid candidate for Detroit given his extensive coaching background. He was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich from 2003 to 2010 and served as an assistant for New Orleans and the Orlando Magic in the years following.
He returned to San Antonio in 2015 before landing his first head coaching job for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018 to 2022.
He had marginal success with the Hornets, reaching the play-in tournament twice but failing to make the playoffs during his four-year tenure. Borrego returned to New Orleans ahead of the 2023-24 season to work under head coach Willie Green.
While this Pistons' job would have given Borrego the chance to be a head coach again, he's opted to remain with the Pelicans, who are seemingly on the brink of being perennial playoff contenders after reaching the postseason twice in the last three seasons.
With Borrego now out of the coaching search, Detroit will likely pivot to one of the other three coaches it has interviewed so far. Along with Borrego, the Pistons reportedly planned to interview Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and former Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff.
Though Bickerstaff is the only candidate with head coaching experience, Sweeney and Nori have both had success with their respective teams and have connections to the Pistons.
Sweeney, who transformed the Mavericks' defense to one of the best in the league this year, was on Detroit's staff from 2018 to 2021 under former head coach Dwane Casey. Nori, who helped lead the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals this season, was also on the Pistons' staff from 2018 to 2021.