Apparently, owner Michael Jordan is rebuilding the Charlotte Bobcats – again.
Mike Dunlap has been fired as coach of the Bobcats, according to a tweet from beat writer Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
When Dunlap was hired last summer, the move raised some eyebrows given his lack of head coaching experience.
The frighteningly young Bobcats surprised the entire NBA, getting off to a 7-5 start that equaled their win total from the 2011-12 season, when they set the record for the worst winning percentage in league history (7-59, .106).
Charlotte also won its last three games of the season, equaling its longest winning streak of the season. In between, however, the Bobcats were a woeful 11-56, with losing streaks of 17, seven and 10 games.
The season-ending winning streak vaulted the Bobcats above the Orlando Magic in the race to avoid the worst record. However, that cost the Bobcats 51 extra chances to win the top pick in the NBA draft in the upcoming lottery.
Dunlap joins Cleveland’s Byron Scott and Detroit’s Lawrence Frank on the unemployment line. Philadelphia’s Doug Collins quit as coach but will remain with the team as a consultant.
Since claiming their first playoff berth in 2010 with a 44-38 mark under Larry Brown, the Bobcats are 62-168. Gerald Henderson and Tyrus Thomas are the only players remaining from the playoff squad.
Charlotte currently has nine players 26 or younger.
