Charlotte Hornets: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

1. Steve Clifford’s future

When a new front office is put in place, there is a chance that a complete overhaul is done throughout the organization. The coaching staff and roster could be changed to fit the vision of the new front office personnel. For the Hornets, that means the future of head coach Steve Clifford is blurry, at best.

Clifford has coached the Hornets for the past five seasons. Charlotte is his first head coaching job in the NBA, and he has a record of 196-214 during that span of time. The Hornets have finished above .500 twice, making the postseason in both of those seasons. In 2013-14, as the Charlotte Bobcats, the Miami Heat swept them. In 2015-16, the Hornets were defeated in seven games by the Heat again.

Clifford has only one year remaining on his contract. With a new regime in place, it would not be surprising to see them eat that final year so they can bring in their own guy. One thing that Clifford has working in his favor, however, is his relationship with the new general manager and president in Mitch Kupchak.

Kupchak and Clifford have a relationship back to their time with the Lakers when Clifford was an assistant on Mike D’Antoni’s staff in 2012-13. That was the final season Clifford sat in the assistant seat before Charlotte gave him its head coaching spot.

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This five-season stretch under Clifford is the best stretch since the late 1990s, early 2000s for the Hornets organization. Given his relationship with Kupchak, he could be given one more season to show what he can do. Clifford cannot be overly comfortable with his current standing though, as no head coach wants to be a lame duck in the final year of their deal.