The New Orleans Pelicans, in the midst of a disastrous 2-12 season, are currently conducting a head coach search. Interim head coach James Borrego will obviously be a candidate to win the full-time gig, but the Pelicans reportedly have other options as well, including Darvin Ham and Kevin Ollie. Joe Dumars is reportedly casting a wide net, but we haven’t heard much about any elite head coaching candidates connected to the Pelicans job.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans’ job is not the most appealing position in the NBA right now. The team is not set up to win in the present, the ownership is one of the worst in the league, and the roster needs an overhaul to have a chance to be competitive in the future. Plus, the Joe Dumars-Troy Weaver front office duo surely isn’t instilling much confidence in any competent coaches.

Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that the Pelicans will be able to hire an upgrade over Borrego. Going through the process and interviewing candidates is fine, but the Pelicans need to make sure they don’t hire a head coach over Borrego just to hire one. In fact, there are only three viable free agent head coaches whom the Pelicans should consider bringing on.

Taylor Jenkins

Jenkins was surprisingly fired by the Memphis Grizzlies last season with only nine games left in the regular season. The Grizzlies had essentially clinched a playoff spot at the time with a 44-29 record, making his firing that much more shocking. It was understandably speculated that his firing had more to do with locker room drama and his worsening relationship with Ja Morant.

However, it’s undeniable that Jenkins was a massive success in his tenure in Memphis. Despite dealing with constant drama and injury absences to key players, he was able to consistently get his team to play above expectations, making the playoffs for three straight seasons in a loaded Western Conference.

Jenkins is only 41 years old and has a ton of upside as one of the more creative and dynamic young coaches in the league.

Tom Thibodeau

Thibs has a much different style than Jenkins. As an older, more experienced coach, Thibodeau initially made a name for himself as a defensive mastermind before becoming a more offensive-minded coach during his tenure with the Knicks. His teams rarely make mistakes and always play hard. On paper, this would make him a good fit in New Orleans, but Thibodeau is not known to be a developmental head coach.

The Pelicans are a young team and will be building for the future. The 67-year-old coach’s hard-nosed style may be a better fit for a team that is trying to win now. Yet, he is such a proven and adaptable head coach that he would certainly get the most out of any group, including the Pelicans.

Mike Malone

Malone was also a very surprising firing towards the end of last season. With only three games left in the regular season, the Nuggets moved on from Malone with a 47-32 record, less than two years after they won a championship. Malone had turned Denver into a perpetual 50-win team and a title contender with Nikola Jokic in the center of it all.

In his ten-year tenure with the Nuggets, Malone found tremendous success. He is known as a players’ coach who combines an old-school approach with modern basketball schemes. His experience with the Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray duo could be a helpful footprint for what he could try to do with Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans. If he is interested in the role, it would be hard to imagine the Pelicans could find a better option than Malone.

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