New Orleans assistant coach James Borrego is scheduled for in-person conferences Wednesday on the Lakers’ apply facility associated to the crew’s head teaching emptiness, in accordance with a number of folks accustomed to the plans however unauthorized to talk publicly.
He labored with the Pelicans final season following a four-year stint with the Hornets, the place he went 138-163. In his last season with the Hornets, Borrego led Charlotte to a 43-39 document.
Borrego was an assistant in San Antonio and Orlando and spent two seasons initially of his profession in New Orleans, simply previous to Anthony Davis’ arrival.
Davis, in accordance with these briefed, thinks extremely of Borrego.
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The Lakers have been very tight-lipped in regards to the search course of to this point, with outdoors “noise” — a phrase used contained in the crew’s constructing — linking them to former NBA participant and present broadcaster JJ Redick.
Whereas normal supervisor Rob Pelinka has met extra privately with candidates, Wednesday talks expanded inside the group — a major step within the crew’s search.
Rumors of the Lakers’ staffing plans have run all through the league in the course of the previous two weeks, with some names mostly talked about together with former head coach Scott Brooks and assistants Sam Cassell and Jared Dudley. Cassell spoke to Pelinka in regards to the Lakers’ head teaching place throughout a video name previous to this week, in accordance with an individual with data of the dialog. Ex-Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has additionally been into account.
Each Cassell and Dudley, although, are employed by groups nonetheless within the playoffs — Boston and Dallas, respectively — and might be in line for promotions inside their present organizations.
Former Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who labored in Dallas for Jason Kidd two seasons in the past and with Frank Vogel in Phoenix final season, is one other title generally talked about in staffing discussions.
Staffing, in fact, might be largely contingent on who the crew in the end decides to rent.
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Ought to the Lakers land on Redick, an final result some have anticipated since shortly after the Lakers fired Darvin Ham, Borrego would even be coveted as an assistant.
Borrego’s recognized for his work on the offensive aspect of the ball, the place he performed a big function final season in New Orleans. He has a robust status for being good and arranged whereas not being closed off to opinions from the gamers he works with.
The search has been led by Pelinka for a lot of the previous month, with the Lakers’ normal supervisor conducting non-public interviews within the construct to this week’s in-person stage, which, in accordance with folks with data of the state of affairs, included executives from a wide range of departments.
For Pelinka, it’s a vital rent — his third since Magic Johnson’s resignation late within the 2018-19 season. And whereas the crew has received a championship below Vogel and performed in a convention finals below Ham, the Lakers are once more spending the early days of their offseason in a training search.
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.
