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With Darvin Ham being announced as the new LA Lakers head coach, recent NBA rumors have surfaced regarding his interview with the Charlotte Hornets prior to his assignment.
Given the Lakers' struggles in the 2021-22 season along with several other teams, the franchise opted to make a change with regards to their coaching personnel. Some names that popped up on the Lakers radar included Kenny Atkinson, Terry Stotts and Quin Snyder, among other names. But much like LA, other teams were also looking to make a change.
The Charlotte Hornets were also a team that was interested in the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach at this point in time. Having interviewed him as well as Kenny Atkinson, the Hornets seemed keen to interview Ham for a second time.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Darvin Ham received a head coaching position with the LA Lakers. Hence, their remaining options happen to be Kenny Atkinson and former Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni as reported by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
Considering the sheer talent available at their disposal, the Hornets will need a coach who can harness that potential the right way. With two former head coaches on hand, Charlotte will have a big decision to make as they make their first move of the offseason.
However, the process has taken a little longer to complete as Hornets owner Michael Jordan has been on vacation. With things on hold until then, Charlotte will just have to sit tight and wait for the announcement of their next coach.
How will the Charlotte Hornets' coaching choice affect them?
It's a general belief that a change in coaching staff and personnel affects a team's performance and their style of play. Each coach has their own unique approach to the game which allows players to express themselves differently on the floor.
Considering the young talent available at Charlotte's disposal, developing and nurturing this talent would have seemed like the ideal approach. In this regard, Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson could have been the man for the job.
Former Hornets head coach James Borrego shared the same view on coaching. This, in the long-run, may work against Atkinson's chances of getting the job considering that Charlotte wants to take a drastically different approach.
However, it sets the stage quite well for Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni has enjoyed a lot of success as an offensive-minded coach. Given his success with point guards such as Steve Nash with the Phoenix Suns and James Harden with the Houston Rockets, D'Antoni places a lot of emphasis on dynamic and fast offense.
This coincides with the style of basketball LaMelo Ball is familiar with and even increases their emphasis on a faster game with fresher legs on the roster.
While hiring D'Antoni does little for them defensively, his connections with former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen could see him come in as an addition to the assistant coaching staff as defensive coordinator.
Guess the Lakers players!
