#1 job opening for Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham: Charlotte Hornets
This is easily the most attractive job opening and it isn’t particularly close. That isn’t to say the Hornets are the gold standard for a well-run organization, but they aren’t the Lakers and Kings so that’s enough for me.
The Hornets let James Borrego go after four seasons and no playoff appearances, but a whole lot of fun. They’re the most recent team to be linked to Ham and I’d love this opportunity for him.
Let’s start with the obvious: LaMelo Ball is the most desirable star player to coach in this group. He’s an absolutely dynamic talent offensively and has the size to be a good defender if he can just get motivated on that end. He’s what makes them the most desirable job in this cycle by a long, long distance.
Beyond him, though, is a roster with more depth than the Lakers and more intriguing pieces than the Kings.
Miles Bridges had a breakout season and will need to get paid but he’s a great building block. I wanted P.J. Washington as a sneaky trade deadline pickup for the Bucks, but he’s a great floor-spacing big that has shown some fun defensive flashes. Terry Rozier is a fun microwave scorer that has found his footing after a tough first season in Charlotte. They’ve also been tossed around as a potential Gobert destination if he’s moved this offseason. He’d fix a lot of their defensive shortcomings and be a fantastic lob threat for Ball.
I didn’t like the Oubre signing last offseason, they can probably do without him. Hayward will probably get moved in a potential Gobert deal for salary purposes, but he’s been great since signing there. I like their young prospects in James Bouknight, J.T. Thor, and Kai Jones.
Darvin Ham, if you’re seeing this and Charlotte offers you the job, take it. They need you and it’s a nice, young roster that you can help take to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
For as much as I’d like Ham to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, I want to see him finally get his chance as a head coach. It’s long, long overdue. Good luck, Darvin!