For Better or Worse, This Offseason Will Dramatically Change the Hornets' Future
To say the end of the Charlotte Hornets' season was a bit of a disappointment is an understatement. For the second year in a row, the Hornets were blown off the court in a play-in game, this time at the hands of the divisional rival Atlanta Hawks.
Subsequently, Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak made the decision to fire head coach James Borrego not even a full year after he extended his contract. Borrego had received some heat from the fan base throughout the course of the season for his rotations, managing LaMelo Ball's usage, and keeping first round picks James Bouknight and Kai Jones down in the G-League for the majority of the season.
All that said, it never really felt like his job was ever in danger. With the Hornets improving its win total by 10 in each of the past two seasons, it seemed like things were heading in the right direction with Borrego at the helm. It's my belief that having a lackluster performance in the postseason in back-to-back years is what cost Borrego his job. Making progress in the regular season is good and all, but when the team doesn't even seem focused in the biggest game of the season in consecutive years, that signals a red flag.
Now, the Hornets are working diligently on finding its next head coach. Candidates that are in the running include Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee assistant Darvin Ham, Dallas assistant Sean Sweeney, longtime NBA head coach Mike D'Antoni, Milwaukee assistant Charles Lee, and Brooklyn assistant David Vanterpool.
Not only is the coaching search pivotal because you became the first team in NBA history to ever fire a coach after bettering a win total by 10+ two years running, but it's also huge for the future of the franchise - LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.
Once Ball becomes a free agent in 2024, big market teams such as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and perhaps the Philadelphia 76ers could push hard to land one of the association's best young guards. If the Hornets don't get this hire right and the team is stuck in neutral, it could prompt Ball to look elsewhere when he hits the open market.
"I don't even feel like we should be in that position. I don't feel like we should be in play-in games, that's work that needs to be done during the season. Some of those games I feel like we should have just won and not even be in that predicament. [We need to be better at] closing games and just knowing what to do at the end."
Since arriving in Charlotte, Ball has never once indicated that he would want to leave the organization. In fact, he has grown to love the Queen City and even told Dell Curry that it reminds him a lot of his home back in California in some ways. That "home feeling" and the chemistry he has with Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier could be enough to keep him in Charlotte for the long haul.
"I feel like this team was real tight," said Ball. "I feel like we was a brotherhood. We would chill off the court, on the court, so yeah, we were real tight and brothers. It's big to stay together especially in games and definitely if you're going to make a playoff run."
Right now, the attention isn't on Ball, but instead on Bridges who is a restricted free agent this offseason. Prior to the 2021-22 season, Bridges and his agent, Rich Paul, turned down a four-year, $60 million contract extension and it ended up making him even more money after putting together a stellar season. The sense is that Bridges wants to return to Charlotte and he even openly told the media how comfortable he is being here.
"My mom, she loves it here. My kids love it here," Bridges said. "You know, Charlotte has really taken me in. I got drafted here as a 20-year-old kid and for me to grow up here and everybody to embrace me like they have, that's something that I'll never forget. Charlotte has took me in as a 20-year-old kid and now, I'm a 24-year-old man and I love it here."
When asked if he felt Bridges would return to the organization, Ball said he was unsure but did note how important it is to bring him back. "It's life. I can't answer that for a grown man. I don't know what he's going to do, for real," he stated. "It's extremely important [to bring Miles back] if you want to build something."
Ball is 1000% right. This team has to find a way to bring back Bridges, but if possible, avoid giving him a max deal. He's a solid player and deserves to be paid, just not to that extent. Extending Bridges is just one part of the puzzle, though. Bringing in an elite level scorer and a rim protector would significantly ramp up the expectations for this young squad in a hurry. It's hard to really get into potential names to watch for without a head coach being named at this time.
Getting the right coach could not only bring in quality free agents, but it could lead to LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges remaining with the organization for a very long time. To see how much they have done in the early stages of their career is impressive. Should they continue to grow and mature into a legit two-headed snake, the Hornets will have an opportunity to make a run at an NBA Championship in the future.
That's what this is all about - the future.
If Michael Jordan and Mitch Kupchak don't get this head coaching hire right, it could absolutely ruin their ability to ascend in the Eastern Conference and result in a domino effect of key departures. The Hornets finally have an exciting product built around two young players that could take this organization to levels it has yet to reach. Buzz City is actually living up to its name and is not just some silly moniker that is used for branding purposes. Spectrum Center is a cool place to be when the Hornets are good. This is their chance to put a stake in the ground and change the narrative of Charlotte Hornets basketball. Will they do it? Or will they always be that small market team that could have been something special?
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