According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Memphis Grizzlies met with San Antonio Spurs assistant coach James Borrego on Sunday to discuss the team's head coach opening.
Borrego does have head coaching experience, having served in an interim capacity for the Orlando Magic in the 2015 after Jacque Vaughn had been fired. The Magic went 10-20 under his tutelage, and opted to hire Scott Skiles after the season rather than promoting Borrego to head coach.
Before the last two years, he served as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets from 2010 to 2012 and with the Spurs from 2003 to 2010. Having coached under Gregg Popovich – one of the greatest coaches in NBA history – for so many years, it's clear why teams are interested in him.
In addition to the Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings also showed interest in Borrego before hiring former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger, per ESPN's Marc Stein.
The Grizzlies fired Joerger after getting swept by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Aside from Borrego, the team has expressed interest in another Spurs assistant, Ettore Messina, along with ex-Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing, Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale and Portland Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/why-dave-joerger-was-fired-by-the-memphis-grizzlies/”]NEXT: Why coach Dave Joerger was fired by the Grizzlies[/button]