The New Orleans Pelicans have their next head coach, and it's a name who wasn't on the job market for very long.
The Pelicans have hired Jamahl Mosley to be the new HC in New Orleans, a move they announced officially Monday afternoon. Mosley was the head coach for the Orlando Magic for the past five seasons, but was fired following their Game 7 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. The Magic held a 3-1 lead over the top-seeded Detroit, but failed to close out the upset.
“Jamahl has earned tremendous respect across the NBA for his leadership, professionalism, and the strong relationships he develops with players and staff,” executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a release. “He has consistently demonstrated an ability to develop young talent while establishing teams that compete with toughness, discipline, and togetherness. His teams reflect his coaching style through their defensive intensity, effort, preparation, and commitment to playing the right way. Those qualities reinforce the long-term stability of a winning culture.”
The Pelicans were in on Mosley quickly following his dismissal from Orlando on May 4, according to ESPN, and the two sides met at this year's NBA draft combine. Some other names that surfaced in the Pelicans search included former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and longtime NBA point guard and former Pelicans player Rajon Rondo.
Mosley, 47 and a native of Wisconsin, has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2005 and had stops as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. Mosley played at the University of Colorado and went undrafted in 2001, playing multiple seasons overseas before getting into coaching. He has a career record of 189-221 (.461) as a head coach, but did lead Orlando to a combined record of 133-113 (.547) over the past three seasons, including three consecutive playoff appearances.
He'll take over a Pelicans team that has struggled mightily with a record of 47-117 (.286) over the past two seasons, the most recent seeing head coach Willie Green fired after a 2-10 games. He was replaced by interim James Borrego, who righted the ship to some extent but saw his team lose 10 of its final 11 games to close out the year.
The Pelicans do not have a first round pick in the upcoming NBA draft and have some questions regarding a roster that's currently led by Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, while also featuring up-and-coming players in center Derik Queen and PG Jeremiah Fears.
