NBA Rumors: The Cleveland Cavaliers could be on the verge of hiring their new head coach. A favorite has emerged for the position.
On the precipice of an NBA offseason that could make or break this team's immediate future, the Cleveland Cavaliers have one big decision to make before deciding what the roster is going to look like at the start of the 2024-25 season. And that is finding a new head coach.
Shortly after losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers decided to part ways with J.B. Bickerstaff after five years. For the past few weeks, the Cavs have been narrowing their coaching search and there appears to be one candidate that has separated himself from the rest of the pack. According to a recent report, James Borrego appears to be the "leader in the clubhouse" for the Cavs in their head-coaching search.
Borrego is currently an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans and spent four years previously as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-22. During his four years as the head coach of the Hornets, Borrego led the team to just one winning season but failed to make the NBA Playoffs each year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could pivot this offseason
The hope is that he can be a breath of fresh air for the Cavs team that could endure some big changes this offseason. Even if Donovan Mitchell ends up signing a long-term contract extension with the team, Cleveland could still undergo some personnel changes. If the Cavs wanted, they could try to continue to build around Mitchell in a more efficient way.
Right now, the Cavs are considered a talented team. But there could be some doubt about their fit with each other. If the front office doesn't believe that the core three of Darius Garland, Mitchell, and Evan Mobley doesn't fit well enough where they could deliver the team a championship down the line, perhaps they could be open to change.
We should get more answers to that speculation over the next few weeks but at the very least, the Cavs will be under new leadership from a head-coaching perspective. The big question is whether a new voice leading the locker room will be enough to help the Cavs take another step forward in the Eastern Conference next season. At least for now, that's difficult to predict.