The Charlotte Hornets Head Coaching search is finally over. It looked like Kenny Atkinson was going to be their coach but spurned them to stay with Golden State. Steve Clifford will be the Head Coach moving forward.
The Hornets thought their coaching search was over on June 10 when Atkinson agreed to a 4-year deal. On June 18th, he had a change of heart. Atkinson decided to stay put as an assistant coach on Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State. This is not a surprise considering they just won the NBA Cchampionship and have a chance to repeat. Charlotte had to start over yet again to find their coach.
Mike D’Antoni was the favorite to land the job. He even met with owner Michael Jordan on June 21st. It looked like it was his job to lose. In the end, the Hornets didn’t go with D’Antoni but a name familiar with the organization, Steve Clifford.
Clifford brings in 8 years of NBA Head Coaching experience to the Hornets. He was with the Hornets from 2013 to 2018. Clifford was let go following a 36-46 finish in 2018. Clifford moved on to the Orlando Magic from 2018 to 72 games into this season. He was let go after a 21-51 record. His overall record as an NBA Head Coach is 292-345. His teams earned a playoff spot 4 times, 2014 and 2016 with Charlotte and 2018 and 2019 with Orlando. They never made it past the first round.
According to wunc.org, Clifford said, “I’m happy to be returning to Charlotte, and I want to thank Michael Jordan, Mitch Kupchak and Buzz Peterson for this opportunity. This is an exciting young team with a lot of talented pieces. Charlotte is a great city and I know first-hand the passion that Hornets fans have for this franchise. I can’t wait to get back to town and start working with our players.”
Clifford has his chance to turn this franchise back into a winner. They have players who can help them win in Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, and LaMelo Ball. The goal for Charlotte has to be the NBA playoffs next year even if it is a first-round exit. Anything less could be viewed as a failure. The Hornets, though, will be patient with Clifford. It is possible after a few losing seasons with Clifford, he could be fired and Charlotte will be back to the drawing board. For now, this seems to be a move that will help the Hornets moving forward.
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