2 Hornets head coach candidates off the market, Nuggets assistant remains in mix
By Ben Handler
The Hornets announced toward the end of the regular season that their head coach, Steve Clifford would be transitioning to a front office role at the end of the season, creating a head coach opening. The team announced they would be interviewing several candidates including one of Michael Malone’s lead assistants in Denver, David Adelman.
Adelman, the son of late, longtime NBA head coach Rick Adelman has been a reliable voice alongside Malone for years. It would be a tough loss for the Nuggets, but a well-deserved opportunity for Adelman; he’d be a great voice to lead a young rebuilding Hornets team into the future.
Well, now two of the Hornets’ candidates are officially off the market as the Brooklyn Nets hired Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez to be their new head coach, and Brigham Young University hired Phoenix Suns associate head coach, Kevin Young to be the new men’s basketball head coach at the school.
ESPN Sources: Jordi Fernandez has emerged as the Brooklyn Nets’ choice to become the franchise’s next coach, separating himself in a wide, month-long search that now has the Nets prepared to hire the Sacramento Kings’ top assistant. pic.twitter.com/VHqXY9AYsb
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 16, 2024
ESPN Sources: Phoenix Suns associate HC Kevin Young is finalizing a long-term deal to become the next coach at Brigham Young University. An aggressive push to hire NBA’s highest paid assistant lands BYU its top target. pic.twitter.com/yRGJb7yHPd
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 16, 2024
Those were two names the Hornets were rumored to be interested in, and now both have taken other jobs. While there has been no update on the Hornets' coaching search, it would stand to reason that some of the assistant coaches from the early list of candidates are likely still being strongly considered.
Nuggets assistant coach still in consideration
That list includes Adelman, as well as Boston Celtics assistant, Charles Lee. Both of those coaches are expected to help their current teams go on deep playoff runs this season. So it’s possible that the Hornets have honed in on one, or both of those coaches and will now wait for their playoff runs to pan out before making anything official.
Either way, it is definitely something to monitor over the next few weeks. It’s also a reminder that with winning and success, comes attention and desire. The Nuggets have been a dominant team that is very well-coached for several seasons now. It was likely inevitable that other organizations would swoop in and try to poach talent.
Even if Adelman doesn’t end up as the next coach of the Charlotte Hornets, I think it’s reasonable to expect that there will be more interviews for Nuggets assistants. Eventually, some of those guys are going to get jobs and Malone and the front office are going to have to retool the bench. It’s a shame for Nuggets fans, but it’s a good problem to have.