Charlotte Hornets: 5 Things This Season Taught Us

4 of 6

Apr 2, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Bobcats defeated the Sixers 123-93. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

3) Steve Clifford Was The Right Hire

After clearly committing to an immediate playoff push by signing Al Jefferson, it would be expected that Charlotte’s front office would look for a established and experience coach to take the reigns.

They chose to go in a different direction, and hired Steve Clifford, a well-regarded, long-time assistant coach who’s speciality was defense. People were pleased with the decision at the time, but now, a year later, Clifford has made GM Rich Cho look like a genius.

Clifford came in an instilled a tough defensive system that was grounded on no easy looks for the opponent. The Bobcats played smart and conservative defense, not gambling, but just rotating correctly and providing proper help in isolation situations. By always having protection at the rim, Clifford was able to mask the poor defense of

Al Jefferson

some of his players and really helped the Bobcats establish an identity as a tough, grind-it-out defensive club moving forward.

Home/Charlotte Hornets