Dave Litman
He was out of work for just two weeks. Former Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was named on Monday as the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Mosely spent five years at the helm of the Magic, but after the team bowed out in the first round earlier this month for the third straight season, Orlando decided to move on from the 47-year-old. The final straw was blowing a commanding 3-1 series lead on the heavily-favored Detroit Pistons.
He gets a lengthy five-year deal to take the reins of the Pelicans, who won just 26 games and finished out of the playoffs for the second straight season.
Pelicans’ exhaustive search lands with Mosely as new head coach
Insider Shams Charania reports that top Pelicans officials began conversations with Mosely soon after his firing on May 4th. At the same time, he reports that Pels’ executive vice president Joe Dumars went through an exhaustive search with other candidates as well. He is said to have had “conversations” with two Milwaukee Bucks assistants, Darvin Ham and Rajon Rondo, along with Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel. Interim New Orleans coach James Borrego was also under consideration.
That’s one big decision out of the way for the Pelicans. Next up, they must decide how they move forward with the likes of veterans Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and Trey Murphy III. The latter was a frequent name on the rumor mill approaching the trade deadline. The other two have a hard time staying on the court.
Mosely takes over the team in a similar situation to what he faced when landing the job with the 21-win Magic. The franchise felt the team was ready to make a move, and Mosely built them, over three seasons, to a 47-win playoff team. But injuries, to be sure, played a big role in preventing the team from taking the next step.
Of course, with Williamson and Murray as two of the stars in New Orleans, Mosely could face a similar challenge. Murray has played only 14 and 31 games the past two seasons in The Big Easy. Zion, as everyone knows full well, has spent as much time injured as he has on the court in his seven years with the team.
