North Carolina Tar Heels snag popular coaching candidate Michael Malone, a popular New Orleans Pelicans head coach pick by fans.
With James Borrego still carrying the interim tag with the New Orleans Pelicans, it's important to keep a close eye on what's happening in the coaching market. A big name that many Pelicans fans wanted to be the next full-time head coach just got hired away.
Ex-championship-winning Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was hired by the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday afternoon, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. A massive move in the basketball coaching landscape and one that takes away the biggest name.
It always felt like Malone was going to be a long shot to become the next coach in New Orleans, but it's easy to see why fans wanted him around. He was able to deliver the Nuggets their first NBA Finals win and did it with Nikola Jokic, which intrigued people who want the Pelicans to build around Derik Queen.
Malone would have probably been a great coach, but he was always going to be a very expensive option. It would have been a shock to see New Orleans reach into their bag and pull out the cash to compete with others.
Perhaps the Pelicans will go with the conservative route of keeping Borrego around. While this season didn't turn into a playoff run after firing Willie Green, the replacement did about as well as anyone could have asked.
Borrego will have the locker room's favor, and fans like him. If not going for a big name like Malone, it's hard to ask for more from a head coach of a smaller-market team. He was at least able to give this season some energy with some encouraging runs with a healthy roster.