CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — New Hornets coach James Borrego plans make Charlotte relevant again in the NBA's Eastern Conference by developing the existing players on the roster.He may not have any other choice.Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said Friday "there is no master plan to blow up this team right now" when asked about the chances of dramatically overhauling the roster after back-to-back 36-win seasons. He said Borrego was hired with the understanding that "he was going to coach the guys that are on this team right now."Borrego, who was hired Thursday night as the first Hispanic-American head coach in the NBA history, appeared to be up to the challenge when he was introduced at a news conference on Friday."My mentality is this is our group and we are moving forward with it," said Borrego, who becomes the 11th head coach in franchise history . "I'm excited about that current group as it stands right now. I think our biggest room for growth is the internal development piece."That's... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan has his guy.The Hornets owner has finalized a deal to hire San Antonio Spurs assistant coach James Borrego as Charlotte's next head coach, according to people familiar with the situation.The people spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the Hornets haven't officially announced the hiring.A news conference is expected in the next few days.The 40-year Borrego has spent 15 years an NBA assistant coach, 10 of those with San Antonio under Gregg Popovich. He has been a part of two NBA championship teams — in 2005 and 2007. He also was an assistant with the New Orleans Hornets, well before the team moved back to Charlotte.This will be his first head coaching job.However, he did serve as an interim coach with the Orlando Magic late in 2015-16 season after Jacque Vaughn was fired.The Hornets are in the midst of a major change in the organization.Jordan fired general manager Rich Cho midway through last season and hired Mitch... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan is getting closer to hiring his next NBA coach.The Jordan-owned Hornets are narrowing their search after interviewing several candidates, people familiar with the situation said Friday.The people said the list of coaches who have interviewed include Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Raptors assistant Nick Nurse, Spurs assistants James Borrego, Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka and Blazers assistant David Vanterpol. Former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale also interviewed but has since been hired by the Knicks.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Hornets haven't discussed the coaching search.Larranaga, Nurse and Borrego may be the most experienced candidates, but with Fizdale out, the search remains fluid.The 43-year-old Larranaga would be a popular hire with so many Celtics fans in the area and that he is a Charlotte native. The son of Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga, he was born here while his father was working at... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker knows his future with the Charlotte Hornets is up in the air.But the two-time All-Star said he's not going to spend the offseason dwelling on where he'll be playing next season.Walker has one year remaining on a four-year, $48 million contract and while he'd like to remain with the Hornets — where he's the franchise's all-time leading scorer — he knows nothing is for certain after a second straight non-playoff season prompted team owner Michael Jordan to hire Mitch Kupchak as the new general manager.That means that if Kupchak decides a massive rebuilding project is in order, Walker could be the first one out the door given he's the team's biggest bargaining chip and has a favorable contract."I have no idea," Walker said Wednesday regarding his future after Charlotte's regular season finale. "That is out of my control. I am just going to focus on getting better as a player. That is really all you can do. I don't know what they are going to do."The 6-foot-1... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mitch Kupchak is confident Michael Jordan's Hornets will become an NBA playoff team again soon, possibly even next season.But just how he intends to help Charlotte get there remains unclear — for now.The Hornets new general manager and president of basketball operations said during his introductory news conference Tuesday this is a job he coveted. But the 63-year-old Kupchak was vague when it came to pressing questions surrounding the futures of the franchise's top player Kemba Walker, eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard and coach Steve Clifford — as well as whether the team needs to undergo a complete rebuilding process."I'm limited in my knowledge other than what I have seen on TV and learned in the last 48 hours," said Kupchak, who accepted the job on Sunday. No details have been released about the terms of his contract.He helped the Los Angeles Lakers win seven NBA titles and has spent 30 years as a front office executive, including 17 as the Lakers' general... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hornets owner Michael Jordan has turned to a fellow former North Carolina Tar Heel with a strong NBA track record to help turn around his struggling franchise.Charlotte hired Mitch Kupchak as president of basketball operations and general manager Sunday, giving him full control of day-to-day operations. Jordan called Kupchak a "proven winner" in a statement.As a player and executive, Kupchak has been a part of 10 NBA championship teams. He won three as a player — one with the Washington Wizards and two with in Los Angeles Lakers — and seven as a Lakers executive."In every role and in every stop during his tenure in the NBA, Mitch Kupchak has brought the highest levels of success to his teams," Jordan said. "... Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte."The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard has been suspended for Thursday's game against Memphis after picking up his 16th technical foul this season.The NBA announced the penalty Thursday, noting that league rules require an automatic one-game suspension without pay for a player or coach who receives 16 technical fouls during a regular season. After hitting that threshold, a player or coach will be suspended without pay automatically for another game for every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season.Howard picked up his most recent technical with 10:48 left in Wednesday's 111-105 win against the Brooklyn Nets. That came as he finished with 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds, becoming just the eighth player in league history with a 30-30 game.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

The struggling Hornets have shaken up their front office, firing general manager Rich Cho on Tuesday."Rich worked tirelessly on behalf of our team and instituted a number of management tools that have benefited our organization," Hornets owner Michael Jordan said in a release. "We are deeply committed to our fans and to the city of Charlotte to provide a consistent winner on the court. The search will now begin for our next head of basketball operations who will help us achieve that goal."Charlotte is 24-33 and on the verge of failing to reach the playoffs for the second straight season.Jordan's college teammate Buzz Peterson was hired last year as the team's assistant general manager is a potential replacement. Former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak could be another candidate to join Peterson in the front office in some capacity.Cho was hired as GM in 2011 and assumed day-to-day responsibilities of the basketball operations department in 2014."I will always be grateful for my experience with the... [More]

WASHINGTON -- Otto Porter scored 26 points and Bradley Beal had 21 as the Washington Wizards handed the Houston Rockets their fifth consecutive loss with a 121-103 win on Friday night.Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Wizards (20-16), who turned a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter into a rout. John Wall finished with 17 points.James Harden led the Rockets (25-9) with 20 points. Chris Paul started and scored eight points in 25 minutes after sitting out the previous three games with a left adductor strain.The Rockets, who average more 3-point attempts than any team, shot 5-for-25 from beyond the arc in the first half and finished 14 of 48.Porter sank 7 of 11 shots from long distance and the Wizards shot 18 of 36 on 3-pointers. Washington finished at 53.4 percent from the field compared to Houston's 42.7 percent.Hornets 111, Warriors 100OAKLAND, Calif. -- Dwight Howard totaled a season-high 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to propel... [More]

C Dwight Howard didn't decide until shortly before game time Saturday that he would be able to play Saturday night. Howard scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead Charlotte to a win over Milwaukee. Howard had played only four minutes in the Hornets' loss at Milwaukee on Friday night because he suffered a dislocated finger on his left hand. He was listed as questionable going into Saturday's game before he decided to try to play. Howard finished 7 of 11 from the field and 7 of 12 from the line. He also had two blocked shots.

C Dwight Howard dislocated his left ring finger early in the first quarter. He had it taped during a timeout and returned to action but left later in the quarter and didn't return.

C Dwight Howard totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's win over New York. It was his seventh double-double of the season and the 20th time hHoward collected at least 10 boards.

C Dwight Howard had nine points and 15 rebounds.

C Dwight Howard recorded a season-high-tying 26 points plus 18 rebounds and three blocks against one of his former teams, Houston, on Wednesday.

C Dwight Howard finished with 23 points to lead the Hornets.

C Dwight Howard had a monster game for Charlotte on Friday night in a loss to Chicago with 25 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots. Walker finished with 20 points but was just 5 of 16 from the field on a night when the Hornets shot just 40 percent.

C Dwight Howard finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's loss to Golden State.

C Dwight Howard moved past Paul Silas into No. 19 on the NBA's career rebound list after grabbing nine boards on the night.

C Dwight Howard totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's loss at Toronto. It was his sixth straight double-double and 13th overall.

Charlotte Hornets C Dwight Howard was fined $35,000 Saturday for making an obscene gesture to a fan in Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The incident occurred with 4:25 remaining in the second quarter of Charlotte's 100-99 loss in Cleveland. Howard responded to a fan by sticking his tongue out and placing two fingers between the sides of his lip.