Two Head Coaching Candidates Emerge as Favorites in Pelicans Search

Who will be the next head coach of the franchise is the most important decision the New Orleans Pelicans will make this offseason. Since the end of the season, the Pelicans have been casting a wide net, evaluating and interviewing candidates, which include interim head coach James Borrego. The name that has emerged as a frontrunner was Rajon Rondo, but two assistant coaches have recently made "strong impressions" in the process, per Jake Fischer of the Stein Line.

According to Fischer, the Milwaukee Bucks' lead assistant, Darvin Ham, and Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel are among the leading candidates to land the job in New Orleans.

Pelicans Are Reportedly Advancing in Their Head Coach Search

Ham is the better-known coach of the two, as he was previously the head coach of the Lakers. Despite winning the NBA Cup and making the Conference Finals with Los Angeles, Ham's tenure as a head coach only lasted for two seasons. Since then, he has been working under Doc Rivers in Milwaukee. He remains one of the more respected and experienced assistant coaches around the league.

Hetzel, on the other hand, doesn't have NBA head coaching experience, but he coached the Canton Charge of the G League for a season before earning an assistant coaching job with the Charlotte Hornets in 2014. Since then, he has been with the Hornets, Magic, Blazers, and the Nets. For the last two seasons, he has been in Jordi Fernandez's coaching staff in Brooklyn.

Many were wondering whether the Pelicans would aggressively pursue Jamahl Mosley after his firing last week. Fischer noted that it's "not immediately clear" if the Pelicans will go after the former Magic head coach. The NBA insider also added that the Spurs' coveted assistant coach Sean Sweeney, who was also on the Pelicans' shortlist, is unlikely to be an option for New Orleans. Instead, he will be a leading candidate for the vacancies in Orlando and Chicago.

Borrego and Rondo are still firmly in the running, per the latest reports. This means that there is a very good chance that the Pelicans' next head coach will be one of Ham, Hetzel, Borrego, or Rondo.

Given Fischer's reporting, Ham and Hetzel may currently have the inside track, but the majority of Pelicans fans seemingly prefer Rondo over the other candidates. It's important to remember, however, that Rondo would be the riskiest hire. Whether Joe Dumars & Co. go the safe route (Borrego), the risky route (Rondo), or somewhere in between (Hetzel or Ham) remains to be seen.

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