A familiar name entered the rumor mill on Thursday, as former Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has reportedly emerged as a candidate according to NBA Insider Mark Stein.
It is worth noting that Stein’s report does not specify that Clifford is a candidate for the head coaching role, but rather that he “has emerged as a candidate to make a return to the Queen City”, leaving open the possibility that Clifford could return in an assistant position. With Mike D’Antoni reportedly meeting with Michael Jordan earlier this week, Clifford could be a logical addition to the staff for defensive purposes. In his five years at the helm in Charlotte, the Hornets finished 6th, 10th, 9th, 17th, and 17th in defensive rating.
On the other hand, D’Antoni’s age (71 years old) has been a noted concern for some. Clifford is 11 years younger and could provide a more permanent solution at head coach while D’Antoni could theoretically assume a coaching advisory role like the one he held with the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
While the bar is admittedly a low one, Clifford has been the most successful coach in the current iteration of the Hornets franchise. He is responsible for two of the three playoff appearances in the 18 years since the NBA returned to Charlotte, while also being the only coach to win a playoff game in that time. Clifford also holds the best winning percentage of any coach over that span, winning 47.8% of all games while he was in the role. After leaving Charlotte following the 2017-18 season, Clifford guided the Orlando Magic to consecutive playoff appearances in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, marking the franchise’s first playoff appearances since the 2011-12 season.
Coming off a season that saw the Hornets post their best record since the 2015-16 season, it could make sense to reunite with the coach that led that 2015-16 team to a 48-win campaign.