The Charlotte Bobcats have been an NBA doormat since they existed and after firing their coach and looking for a new one, owner Michael Jordan has appeared to make a decision with Los Angeles Lakers assistant Steve Clifford as head coach.
According to Yahoo Sports, the team has decided to hire Clifford on a two year deal with an option for one more in a contract that could be worth $6 million, league sources said. The team previously had Mike Dunlap as the coach but he was fired after the team went just 21-61 last season. Clifford had the chance as one of the finalists for the Bucks job and so the team offered him the bobcats job before he could get a second interview with the Bucks.
The report also says that Patrick Ewing is expected to be hired as one of the assistant coaches after working with the Orlando Magic. Clifford would reunite Ewing with Jordan and he has connections to both after spending time in New York, Houston, Orlando and Los Angeles as an NBA assistant coach and he previously worked for both Van Gundy's. Clifford also spent time in Division II and had four 20-win seasons as at Adelphi in New York.
The Bobcats were awful last season and won just 21 games and the team ranked 26th in scoring per game, 27th in rebounds, 29th in assists and 29th in points allowed. The team is also in the process of going back to the old Hornets name.