Pelicans firing Willie Green should point New Orleans to one obvious replacement

To the surprise of nobody, the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green. The Pelicans' season has been nothing short of a disaster. They are currently last in the West with a 2-10 record. On top of all this, they don't own their first-round pick this year due to a foolish offseason trade.

Green's firing seemed like a matter of time; he has been widely criticized for starting Kevon Looney over rookie Derik Queen. And with how bad the Pelicans have started the season, a change was needed. Luckily, the Pelicans already have an ideal replacement in-house: James Borrego.

While Borrego is set to take over as the interim coach, he checks a lot of boxes to eventually become the Pelicans' long-term coach as well.

James Borrego is the perfect head coach for the Pelicans

Borrego was the Charlotte Hornets head coach from 2018-22. The Hornets won 30-plus games in three out of their four season with Borrego. In the three seasons since his firing, they have yet to win 30 games. Frankly, I remember being baffled that he was fired back in 2022, as he consistently got the most out of an underwhelming Hornets squad.

There's a lot to like with Borrego, most notably, for his creative offensive schemes, something the Pelicans have desperately needed. Betting on someone from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree is usually a wise wager. Plus, as mentioned earlier, he has proven he can get the most out of bad rosters, which could help the Pelicans.

There would still be risk if New Orleans hired Borrego, but it's worth it

Now, promoting an assistant can backfire; just look at how that worked out for the Sacramento Kings with Doug Christie. To be clear, they shouldn't promote him until the season is over. Nevertheless, Borrego is one of the NBA's most well-respected assistants.

Over the past few seasons, Borrego has been a finalist for several prominent jobs, including the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024, the New York Knicks, and the Phoenix Suns jobs this summer.

Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver must be patient with Borrego as he closes out this season. Let's be honest, he won't be able to truly salvage the Pelicans' season. Their roster makes no sense, and Zion Williamson is impossible to depend on. However, if the Pels see some positive signs of progression and the players resonate with him, they should keep Borrego around. Thankfully, there's a lot of evidence to suggest that Borrego is capable of this.

The Pelicans are in a difficult situation, but they may have already found their long-term answer at head coach, which should give their fans reason for optimism.