New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly considering Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori as their next head coach.
The next big decision to come for the New Orleans Pelicans is who their next head coach will be. James Borrego was the only person to be announced by the franchise as a candidate, but they will also be looking around at other options.
NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson recently reported that Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori is "gaining serious traction" as a potential option for the Pelicans.
Nori has been an assistant in the league since 2009 with the Toronto Raptors. He's had a couple of stops, but maybe the most important was his time with the Denver Nuggets from 2015-2018. Those were the formative years of Nikola Jokic's career, as Nori helped lay the groundwork for the player he is today.
Everyone knows how highly this franchise views Derik Queen and Jokic is a player with a similar skillset, so perhaps Joe Dumars will end up going with someone like Nori who has some experience in getting a player like that to work.
After his time with the Nuggets, he spent a few years with the Detroit Pistons and Troy Weaver. That type of familiarity comes in handy, as there is a pre-exisiting relationship.
Nori is an eccentric personality and a fan-favorite with the Timberwolves. He is known for his entertaining broadcast appearances and sense of humor, but he's also a great basketball mind and built to be a coach. Even if New Orleans doesn't end up hiring him, it won't be much longer until he is a head coach in the NBA.