Pelicans interim coach James Borrego is a candidate for the permanent job, Joe Dumars says
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The Pelicans have not yet completed a short list of coaching candidates and might keep interim coach James Borrego on a permanent basis heading into next season, New Orleans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars said Tuesday. “Yes, James Borrego is a candidate.
No we don't have a list yet; we're not going to put it out publicly,” Dumars said. “But definitely, James is a candidate for this job permanently going forward. “I will go outside the building and talk to some other people as well," Dumars noted, but without projecting a date for when a decision on the next coach might be made.
"In terms of a timeline, my timeline is to get it right. ” Dumars met with reporters on Tuesday to review a 2025-26 season that ended on Sunday night at 26-56. Borrego, who took over when Willie Green was fired following a 2-10 start, went 24-46.
What makes Borrego a viable candidate, Dumars said, is "his ability to communicate with his team every day and to do it in a positive way. “What James did, I thought really well this year, was he never let the building get completely collapsed,” Dumars said. “He always tried to keep the team up and positive.
And that’s exactly what you want to see, especially in a situation where he took over and it could have slid. ” Dumars also rejected the notion that keeping Borrego would send a signal of complacency to fans who are starving for a winner. Since the NBA returned to New Orleans in 2002, the Pelicans have won a grand total of two first-round playoff series in 2008 and 2018.
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