Spurs assistant coach James Borrego will sign a four-year agreement to become the new coach of the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Borrego has been an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for 10 years in two different stints, and has served as interim head coach for the Orlando Magic.
Borrego started coaching in 2001, spending two years with as an assistant at the University of San Diego. He then spent seven seasons under Popovich as an assistant (during two of which the team won championships), two years with the New Orleans Hornets, and three more as an assistant and then interim head coach with the Magic.
In February 2015, Borrego became the temporary head coach for Orlando after Jacque Vaughnwas fired. He coached the Magic, which was captained by a young pair in Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris, to a 10-30 record. That team missed the playoffs.
The following season, Borrego returned to San Antonio as an assistant coach until he was hired by the Hornets.
As SB Nation’s Tom Ziller wrote, it’s tough to judge new head coaches, even though we all want to give immediate grades. This will be Borrego’s first real run with a team of his own.