Spicy Lakers coaching rumor highlights massive Hornets mistake

The Los Angeles Lakers coaching search has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks, and the Charlotte Hornets have been sprinkled throughout the rumors.

JJ Redick, the Lakers’ top target for a while, was also linked to the Hornets’ head coaching job, but more notably, former Charlotte head coach James Borrego is another potential candidate.

Redick rapidly emerged as the heavy favorite to take on the Lakers head coaching job, but a spicy rumor from Marc Stein of The Stein Line revealed that some members of the team may not prefer the ex-NBA shooting guard.

Stein noted that some people around the league believe that Lakers superstar Anthony Davis prefers Borrego over Redick to be the team’s head coach.

"It has been suggested in some corners of the league that Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick."

- Marc Stein, The Stein Line

With how much smoke there was surrounding the rumor that Redick would be the next head coach of the Lakers, it was very intriguing to learn that Davis may not like the move.

That said, Davis’ preference for Borrego, and the Lakers’ interest in him in general, marks a very crucial mistake that the Hornets made - letting him go in the first place.

Charlotte fired Borrego after the 2021-22 season following two straight losses in the In-Season Tournament. That may seem disappointing, but in reality, it was a roster problem, not a Borrego problem.

Since they let Borrego walk, the Hornets haven’t even sniffed the Play-In Tournament, having won 48 games over the course of two seasons.

In his time with the team, Borrego led the Hornets to their first winning record in six years and had them on the cusp of a potential playoff birth. Firing him was a huge mistake, and the Lakers could capitalize on it just two years later.

Davis’ preference for Borrego could quickly become irrelevant, however, as it was revealed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Thursday morning that the organization may be pivoting.

He reported that the Lakers are seriously targeting UConn head coach Dan Hurley to become their next head coach. The news came out of nowhere and usurped the rumors of Redick joining the team.

Hurley just won back-to-back national championships with the Huskies in dominant fashion while helping the likes of Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, Donovan Clingan, and Stephon Castle make the NBA. (The latter two are projected to be top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.)

Seeing him jump from college to the NBA level would be a shock, as there had been zero indication of his interest in doing so prior to the Lakers’ reported attempt to bring him aboard.

With the new news, one has to question: Does Davis still prefer Borrego to be the head coach? Is Redick fully out of the conversation? Only time will tell.