Hornets coach Steve Clifford recently told his team that his days in the locker room are numbered. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Clifford decided not to return next season and will instead take on a front-office role within the organization.
“Charlotte's new executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were open to bringing him back as coach next season,” wrote Woj, “but Clifford, 62, decided he wasn't prepared to commit to the year-round grind of head coaching, sources said.”
According to Woj, Clifford did not want to interfere or delay the hiring process and wanted to give the team a head start on their upcoming coaching search.
“This is the appropriate time for me to step down," Clifford said in a statement released by the team. "I believe this is best for me and the organization.”
Clifford was hired from 2013-2018 and led the team to two playoff appearances during the Kemba Walker/Al Jefferson era. After being let go, he was eventually brought back to coach LaMelo and it’s where he’s been up to now.
Sadly, despite his experience, Clifford was unable to achieve any post-season success with the Hornets and they spent most seasons fighting to claw out of the bottom of the East. This season, at 18-58, Charlotte once again failed to generate any traction and it leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions about the future.
What's Next For The Hornets?
As far as potential replacements go, the top candidates currently available include Boston's Charles Lee, Sacramento's Jordi Fernandez, and Miami's Chris Quinn among others.
Whoever they hire next will need to be more than a basketball genius. They will need to be able to speak to and reach young players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, in a way that will get them to lock-in on both ends with more effort, and attention to detail.
Since taking over, Clifford has gone out of his way at times to call out and expose the mistakes of his players. Earlier this season, he even claimed outright that the Hornets are bad because they’re so undertalented. Regardless of the reasoning, the franchise has just been horrible and Clifford’s decision to walk away now says a lot about the continued level of disconnect between all levels of the organization.
This season is already a waste for Charlotte and there is nothing else to do but prepare for the draft, hope they land a good pick, and let LaMelo Ball carry the way. He is one of the best guards in the league when healthy but he’s barely had a chance to shine amid injuries and ugly loses. If he can stay healthy, there may be hope yet of better days for Charlotte basketball. But first, they will need to find a coach who can bring out the most in these players and set a tone for winning that will set them on the path to redemption in the East.
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