Charlotte Bobcats hire Mike Dunlap as their new head coach – NBA Report
According to the Charlotte Observer, Mike Dunlap has been appointed as the new head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Two people familiar with the matter have put an end to the speculation involving Bobcats' extensive search for a suitable coach and have revealed that Michael Jordan’s team reached an agreement with St. John's assistant coach to
replace Paul Silas on Monday night.
The confirmation of this news is yet to come from the team and could happen in the next two days.
The decision to opt for Dunlap may have come as much of a surprise to anybody who has been following the saga.
Earlier in the week the official news from the team was that the Bobcats have shortlisted the list of suitable candidates from 10 down to three and Dunlap was nowhere near being in contention.
The final three candidates who were shortlisted by the franchise were Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder, the former assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and the current Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw.
Sloan later pulled out of the scenario without giving any explanation and with Shaw reportedly interested in the Orlando Magic job, it was expected that Snyder will take over the reins of the Bobcats. However as it turns out, that
is not the case.
Charlotte will now be hoping for a fresh start under their new head coach.
The Bobcats crossed all the depths of frailty last season and finished it with the worst winning percentage in NBA history. The losses were majorly the result of some poor managerial decisions taken in the last few years.
Jordan and his front office had put every valuable player in the team on the trade block since taking over in 2006 and all those who remained on the floor last season were a bunch of inexperienced and undersized players trying
to punch above their weight.
The Bobcats ended the season with a 7-59 record and head coach Paul Silas was the one who eventually took the fall.
Dunlap who has mainly been holding college positions for most part of his career does have his fare share of experience of coaching in the NBA. Before taking on his current position with St. John’s, he was an assistant coach with
the Denver Nuggets for two years and had a very successful tenure working under their head coach George Karl.
During his time with the Nuggets, the team put together a win loss record of 95-69 and also had two successful years of making it to the playoffs. In one of those years, the Denver team had a 50 win season for the first time in
23 years in franchise history.
Other than working with Denver, Dunlap has experience of being an associate head coach with Arizona and Oregon. In the early stages of his career, he was also an assistant head coach at Southern California and Iowa.
The Bobcats have the second draft pick this season and a few talented players in Kemba Walker and D.J. Augustin. Dunlap will now be required to inculcate the fabric of teamwork in his players and hope that Jordan brings in some
star players into the franchise during the free agency.
Tags: