New Orleans Pelicans: Updated Head Coach Candidate Rankings

New Orleans Pelicans Coaching Candidate #4- Darvin Ham, Milwaukee Bucks (Assistant)

What a drop, I know! The candidate we previously had ranked as the number one option for the New Orleans Pelicans has fallen. It’s not that I don’t believe in Darvin Ham anymore, it’s again just how things have shaken out with new information.

The Chicago Bulls are currently high on Ham and there might be mutual interest. On top of that, there hasn’t been any connection between Ham and the New Orleans Pelicans signaling that the team is going in a different direction.

The reason to still be high on Ham though is that Ham is from the Mike Budenholzer coaching tree and has spent time waiting for his opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA.

Every Mike Budenholzer assistant so far has gone on to build impressive programs when given the opportunity to be an NBA head coach, and that is something that would be interesting to see play out in the Pelicans organization.

New Orleans Pelicans Coaching Candidate #3- Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn Nets (Recently Fired)

Kenny Atkinson only falls one spot in our rankings and still holds a top-three spot. The only reason for Atkinson’s drop is simply because recent developments in the New Orleans Pelicans organization gives them an edge.

Atkinson has an advantage of his own though after working closely with Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon in Brooklyn. I said before and I’ll say it again Kenny Atkinson is a great coach and if the New Orleans Pelicans hire him then Kyrie Irving is owed an edible arrangement for his service.

A diverse offensive scheme and a history of player development combined with his organizational ties, Kenny Atkinson is a prime candidate for this job.