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'These decisions are always difficult' | Charlotte Hornets fire head coach

Borrego was in the hot seat after the Hornets lost in the play-in tournament.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets have fired its head coach James Borrego, Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced Friday. 

“I want to thank JB for his hard work and commitment during these past four seasons,” Kupchak said. “Beyond his work as a coach, he is a tremendous person. I wish him and his family the best in the future. These decisions are always difficult. Having said that, we have a talented, young core of players which has me very excited about the future of the Hornets. We will begin the search for our new head coach immediately.”

Borrego was in the hot seat after the Hornets lost in the play-in tournament. For the second straight year, the Hornets finished in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and were demolished in their first postseason game, losing 132-103 to the Atlanta Hawks. 

The Hornets posted their highest offensive rating in franchise history and finished eighth overall in the NBA, but the defense continued to lag behind. Charlotte was 22nd in defensive rating among the league’s 30 teams.

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Back in August of last year, the Hornets signed Borrego to a multi-year contract extension hoping he could turn things around for the team. 

RELATED: Charlotte Hornets fall to Atlanta Hawks in NBA Play-In game

RELATED: Hornets extend contract of head coach James Borrego

“We’re extremely pleased with the job that Coach Borrego and his staff have done in their three years in Charlotte," GM Mitch Kupchak said during that initial contract extension.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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