With Steve Clifford out, who could be Charlotte Hornets’ next coach? A look at candidates
Reflecting on suiting up for the Charlotte Hornets under Steve Clifford seemed a little bittersweet for Miles Bridges.
“I’m just happy to be able to play for him,” Bridges said Wednesday. “He’s taught me so much in the one year I’ve been here with him. He’s a down to earth guy, So, it‘s tough to see him go, but I’m happy I got a chance to experience that time with him.”
Clifford announced on Wednesday that he’s stepping down effectively after the season, officially ending his second stint as the Hornets’ head coach. The 62-year-old, who’s compiled a 45-112 record during two injury-ravaged seasons leading into Wednesday night’s game against Portland at Spectrum Center. will transition into an advisory role.
The move paves the way for the Hornets to hire their third coach in just over two years. More change is on the horizon in Charlotte.
“It’s just the NBA,” Bridges said. “That’s what happens. You’ve got to learn to adjust and that’s the business part that people don’t talk about. But hey, you’ve just got to adjust.”
Even when that premise is easier said than done.
“People just think, sports, sports, sports,” Bridges said. “But they don’t understand the relationship that you have with a coach or with an owner or something, So it’s tough. At the same time, it’s part of the business.”
A search for Clifford’s successor is already under way and there’s little doubt the team will cast a large net. Per a league source, here are five potential candidates the Hornets could look at:
David Adelman, Denver Nuggets
If the Hornets are seeking someone on a staff of a recent NBA champion, then Adelman fits into that criteria. He’s been a key figure under coach Mike Malone since 2017, serving as the lead assistant, and has worked his way up the ladder after his starting in Minnesota in 2011. A year ago, when Adelman interviewed for the Toronto Raptors’ head coaching position, he received a ringing endorsement from two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
“I really think he’s the guy who’s going to be the next head coach because he has that head for a head coach,” Jokic told reporters last May. “He is thinking in front, he knows answers, and he reads and reacts.”
If Adelman’s last name sounds familiar, it’s because he comes from a coaching pedigree. He’s the son of Hall of Famer Rick Adelman, a well-respected voice who coached in Portland, Golden State, Sacramento, Houston and Minnesota. That latter city is where he got his start learning the ropes, courtesy of his dad.
Charles Lee, Boston Celtics
Don’t discount the assistant coach on Joe Mazzulla’s staff in Boston as a possible early front-runner for the position for a variety of reasons. Beginning with the ties to two key people — head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and owner Rich Schnall — since they used to be a part of the same organization. Lee began his career as an assistant coach in Atlanta under Mike Budenholzer from 2014-18 and followed Budenholzer to Milwaukee, staying with him from 2018 until the Bucks fired Budenholzer in May after a first-round playoff exit.
Another reason to keep an eye on Lee: the Hornets interviewed him when they settled on Kenny Atkinson prior to hiring Clifford. So they already have an idea of how he may fit this time around if they decided to go in that direction.
Lee also is no stranger to the hardwood. After playing for Bucknell University, he had stints overseas in Belgium, Germany and Israel spread out over four years, which adds a unique perspective to his views of the game.
Chris Quinn, Miami Heat
Besides Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, perhaps no one with the Heat has had a bigger hand in developing the team’s players than Quinn. He’s the longest-tenured assistant on Spoelstra’s staff, playing a significant role in harnessing the talent of many of the Heat’s younger players on a variety of levels. He was the director of player development for four seasons from 2016-20 after spending his first two years with the team as a player development coach.
Bringing him in to implement some of the things Terry Rozier noticed immediately upon his trade from Charlotte to Miami would go a long way in changing the losing culture. Quinn was a six-year NBA veteran, suiting up for the Heat, Nets, Spurs and Cavaliers, and finished his career overseas, playing in Spain and Russia.
Sean Sweeney, Dallas Mavericks
He’s been the right-hand man of Dallas coach Jason Kidd dating back to Kidd’s days on the bench for the Brooklyn Nets, and followed Kidd to Milwaukee when he made the move in 2014 to become the Bucks head coach.
Sweeney spent four seasons with Milwaukee, receiving credit behind the scenes for assisting in developing Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, before moving on to Detroit and serving on then-coach Dwane Casey’s staff for three years. Sweeney is known to have a good defensive mind and devises some of the team’s schemes on that side of the ball.
Will Weaver, Brooklyn Nets
He’s definitely someone Peterson is familiar with, given their days together in New York. He has extensive experience in the league, including time under Stephen Silas in Houston (2020-22). Weaver even has some G League time under his belt, having been head coach for the Long Island Nets in 2018-19. He guided Long Island to the G League Finals that season and he was named G League coach of the year.
He began his days with the Nets as a special assistant to Atkinson from 2016-18, which was his second stop in the league after being a on staff with then-Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown.
