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This was not the first indication Gordon is frustrated with his role. When Dunlap pulled him from a game in late January, Gordon took inordinately long to leave the court and his expression showed considerable frustration. The two have met at least twice concerning Gordon’s role. Gordon came to the Bobcats in a June trade. Charlotte got Gordon and a future first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons, who took back small forward Corey Maggette. Gordon is now the Bobcats’ highest-paid player, making $12.4 million this season and $13.2 million next season. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Ben Gordon, Mike Dunlap 

Peter Vecsey: Asked a GM what he thinks of reported Ben Gordon-Mike Dunlap incident. "Sounds like a guy trying to get traded or bought out." Twitter @PeterVecsey1

Charlotte Bobcats, Trade, Ben Gordon, Mike Dunlap 

After a bout of disruptive behavior from Ben Gordon targeted at Charlotte Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap, the franchise's desire to trade the guard has deepened, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Trade, Ben Gordon, Mike Dunlap 

As Dunlap led the Bobcats in a morning shootaround on Monday before a victory over the Celtics, Gordon refused Dunlap's request to stop bouncing a ball as the coach spoke, sources said. Before long, Gordon began baiting Dunlap, telling him that he needed to "humble himself," sources said. Gordan refused to give the ball to Dunlap, and eventually tossed it toward a ball rack, sources said. Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins was in the practice session and ultimately intervened, sources said. "Beyond disrespectful," was how one league source described the scene. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Trade, Ben Gordon, Mike Dunlap 

Before his team got taken apart by the Spurs on Wednesday, Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap revealed that he uses tape of two players to help mold budding Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker. One of them is the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, a perennial candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player who is widely regarded as the top lead guard on the planet. The other is Tony Parker. “We really feel, mentally and physically, the way those two lead their teams is very special,” Dunlap said. “Different, but they get the same results.” Dunlap isn’t the only NBA coach to use the Spurs’ five-time All-Star as a blueprint for what it means to be a professional point guard. San Antonio Express-News

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Los Angeles, Kemba Walker, Mike Dunlap 

Bulls fans weren't the only ones surprised when executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and Gar Forman flew to Denver to interview Mike Dunlap on May 3, 2008, during the lengthy head coaching search that ultimately netted Vinny Del Negro. "I'm surprised to hear from my wife, let alone the Bulls," Dunlap deadpanned. "They were really kind to me. They asked me my name. They asked me my age. And then they said, 'You're outta here.'" Chicago Tribune

Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

"It was a great experience," Dunlap said of the 2008 interview. "Pax and crew put me through the paces on the whiteboard for three hours, and it was a precursor for the interview in Charlotte. I knew what to expect by then. "The difference between a pro and college interview is pro is all basketball. It's technical and about management of players. In college, you're into things like recruiting, counseling and academics." Chicago Tribune

Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

One of the things Walker likes about playing for Dunlap is either one can be frank. After they talk something out, neither walks away from the conversation with hard feelings. “We want to win and we’re both intense,’’ Walker said Wednesday, following a 98-97 victory over the Toronto Raptors. “We don’t ever get mad’’ if one of them speaks his mind directly. “If there’s any problem – and this is with everybody – he wants to us to be on the same page.’’ Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Kemba Walker, Mike Dunlap 

They were 1-3 in the first four and 3-1 in the next four. Clearly not a coincidence. What changed? Some of it was scheme. Some of it was attitude. The coach, an experimenter by nature, pulled back on his pressure defense and matchup zone. Those are weapons and he’ll keep using them. Just not over-using them. And the players realized that in a defense-first agenda, they were under-performing big time. “It’s about our energy,” said forward Byron Mullens, who was never seen as a defender before this season. “And it was coach really getting on us. “We can be really good on defense. It’s all the emphasis in practice.” Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap delivered high praise for Marc Gasol as the league’s best passing big man. Dunlap compared Gasol to former Portland Trail Blazers great Arvydas Sabonis. “He holds that ball like it’s an olive and he can send that ball anywhere he wants,” Dunlap said. Gasol had seven assists and is averaging 4.6 per game. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Marc Gasol, Arvydas Sabonis, Mike Dunlap 

Jordan addressed the Bobcat players Monday to make sure they knew he endorsed new coach Mike Dunlap’s methods, including the three-hour-plus practices that Dunlap has been prone to holding (one even stretched to four hours). Jordan said he knew some players had been grumbling about the extra work – he didn’t name names – and wanted to set them straight. “This is what championship teams do,” Jordan said he told the squad, adding that those practices reminded him of his own time in the league. “If we did it in Chicago and we became a championship team, why wouldn’t we want to do that here? If you turn your nose up to it, then maybe you need to look in the mirror and see that you’re a part of the problem.” Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

Jordan said he was particularly happy with Dunlap’s emphasis on fundamentals, such as: “Boxing out. Making good passes. Utilizing each other’s talents. Understanding basic basketball….. One of the reasons I felt compelled to speak to the team was, ‘Look, I endorse what Coach is talking about.’ “Unfortunately we had some guys who were not receiving it that way…. They didn’t want to do it. And I felt the need to step in and say, ‘Look, this is how we’re going to do this. The culture of what’s happening in Charlotte is going to be this. Either you buy in or you’re not going to be here.’ Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

“Kill spot’’ is a Dunlap-ism that now pervades the vocabulary of the Charlotte Bobcats. By new coach Mike Dunlap’s description, a “kill spot’’ is a place – hopefully places – where each of his players is almost certain to make a shot. Obviously that varies from player-to-player: Bismack Biyombo’s “kill spot” is within reach of the rim, while Byron Mullens’ extends to all along the 3-point line. But there are team-wide guidelines for shot selection that Dunlap has reinforced from the day he arrived in June: Any drive to the rim is of high value because it both creates a high-percentage shot and comes with the bonus of potential free throws. A 3-pointer, particularly a corner 3, is a good idea because if you make it, you get a one-point bonus, and if you don’t there’s a decent chance for an offensive rebound. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Mike Dunlap 

Obviously the Charlotte Bobcats were high on rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as a basketball player. They drafted him second overall. The thing that got less attention was Kidd-Gilchrist’s likability as a person. Coach Mike Dunlap has seen teammates, like Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson, go out of their way to help the rookie’s transition to the NBA. Dunlap thinks he knows why. “He’s smart with people. That’s where his intelligence is the highest,’’ Dunlap described Friday morning. “He’s very humble and that’s attractive to our players. When they talk about him, they say they want to take care of him. “I found that was the case at Kentucky -- he had an average game to a poor game against St. John’s (where Dunlap coached last season), but his teammates always rallied around him. He has whatever it is. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Gerald Henderson, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Mike Dunlap 

Gerald Henderson and Matt Carroll have been named captains of the Charlotte Bobcats this season. They’re among the longest-tenured players on the roster (technically, reserve center Gana Diop has the longest tenure). Also Henderson and Carroll were among the most committed players to the off-season workout program new coach Mike Dunlap has emphasized. Henderson appreciated that Dunlap consulted with him about this, rather than just announce captains. “He asked me if I wanted to be captain. He wanted me to take it on,’’ said Henderson, last season’s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. “I don’t like just being called a captain. I wanted to earn it.’’ Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Gerald Henderson, Matt Carroll, Mike Dunlap 

Though believing that former Kentucky standout Michael Kidd-Gilchrist needed to improve his perimeter shooting, first-year Charlotte Bobcats Coach Mike Dunlap waited for the right moment to broach the subject. That moment came as Dunlap watched Kidd-Gilchrist's frustration rise as he missed shots more often than the other players in an informal shootaround. "I went to him when no one was around and I said, 'Can we get this thing to where you want it?'" Kidd-Gilchrist eagerly accepted the offer. "God, coach, let's do it," he said. Lexington Herald-Leader

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Mike Dunlap 

In a telephone interview last week, Dunlap noted Kidd-Gilchrist's willingness to change the shot. "If you don't get a willing participant in this thing, it feels jammed down his throat," the Bobcats' coach said. An overriding question might be this: Can a player of Kidd-Gilchrist's age (He turned 19 on Wednesday) still make a significant change in his shooting motion? Or do habits become ingrained and thus impossible to change by then? Dunlap said the amount of time NBA players can devote to shooting can translate into big improvement. Using power forwards and centers as an example, Dunlap said, "Some couldn't make a two with a pencil. You look at them four years later, and you go, 'Geez, he's got a good 18-footer.'" Lexington Herald-Leader

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Mike Dunlap 

With less than two weeks until the Charlotte Bobcats open training camp at UNC Asheville, the team is firming up commitments for some extra players for camp. Look for Jeff Adrien (Connecticut), Paris Horne (St. John’s), Josh Owens (Stanford) and DaJuan Summers (Georgetown) to be added to the roster. The Bobcats plan to bring 17 or more players to new coach Mike Dunlap’s first training camp. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Jeff Adrien, DaJuan Summers, Mike Dunlap, Josh Owens, Training Camp 

Gone within a year were Brown and his successor, Paul Silas, a pair of aging league stalwarts replaced by roll-of-the-dice hire Mike Dunlap, a 55-year-old rookie NBA coach. Higgins was promoted to Jordan's old position, president of basketball operations, working alongside his replacement, Rich Cho. "Every single one of those moves is evidence that Michael is serious about getting out of the way," a rival Eastern Conference GM says. "They are now going to succeed or fail with Rich. And I can guarantee you that Michael has made sure that Rich knows that." ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Rich Cho, Mike Dunlap 

That same executive describes the 47-year-old Cho as a "Moneyball kind of guy," respected around the league for his involvement in the construction of the rosters of both Portland and Oklahoma City. According to Cho, when he left his job as the Trail Blazers GM to come to Charlotte 15 months ago, his marching orders from Jordan were simple and specific -- build through the draft and get free agents to complement the youngsters and put them over the top. The old Jordan, by his own admission, believed that if he cleared enough cap space, he could personally lure the likes of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. But as he learned last year, even "MJ" appearing on their caller IDs wasn't enough to offset the lure of LA. ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Rich Cho, Mike Dunlap