The Charlotte Hornets fired Head Coach James Borrego in April after 4 seasons with the team. The Hornets have made it to the play-in tournament two seasons in a row but have failed to make it to the actual playoffs, which could be why Michael Jordan has decided to make a coaching change this offseason.
Since the vacancy in Charlotte opened up, Mike D’Antoni has been named a frontrunner for the job. The former Suns, Lakers, and Rockets coach is someone that is highly respected in the league even though he has been unable to win a championship yet.
However, with the Hornets building around young guard LaMelo Ball, D’Antoni could be a solid choice and the latest report by Adrian Wojnarowski suggests that he will meet Michael Jordan this week, who will also meet with Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, with the two said to be finalists for the job:
“Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to meet with two finalists for the franchise’s coaching job this week, including Mike D’Antoni, sources told ESPN.
“Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson is set to meet with Jordan on Tuesday, and D’Antoni’s visit is expected later in the week, sources said.
“Atkinson and D’Antoni have already had two meetings with management, including with general manager Mitch Kupchak, in the Hornets’ process, sources said.”
Atkinson has never been a Head Coach in the NBA before, but he is highly rated across the NBA, having been named one of the finalists for the Lakers job that eventually went to Darvin Ham.
D’Antoni, on the other hand, has proven that he can build fast and exciting teams, something that the Hornets have all the tools to be. MJ has not been able to bring consistent success to the Hornets since he became the owner of the franchise, but bringing in the right coach to galvanize their young squad could do wonders for the organization’s future.
