Darvin Ham, Steve Hetzel, and Rajon Rondo emerge as finalists to lead the New Orleans Pelicans, while newly available Jamahl Mosley looms as a late addition to the hunt.
The New Orleans Pelicans still need to hire their next head coach and have been on the search for a few weeks, which means they should have a good idea of the real candidates for the job.
Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required) reported on Tuesday that the Pelicans are down to just three names, with a potential of a fourth being added to that group.
It's the names that New Orleans fans have already familiarized themselves with. Milwaukee Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham, Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and longtime NBA veteran Rajon Rondo are the more certain finalists. They have already interviewed, so it makes sense for this to be the list.
The other name is Jamahl Mosley, who was just fired by the Orlando Magic on Monday. He has been rumored to be a candidate since before he was officially let go. Now that he is free, the team is expected to consider him as well.
This would also suggest that interim coach James Borrego is now out of the running. The writing has been on the wall for a while on that, though. Borrego did a respectable job when handed a tough task. He likely won't be without a job for long.
The public favorite for the job is certainly Rondo, which makes sense. Hetzel is the least known by the public, but is being taken under serious consideration. Mosley was just fired, but is a respected coach and did a good job of turning the Magic around. Ham is the least popular choice, but was thrown into the fire with his first coaching job.