HoopsHype.com Rumors

One year after interviewing to be the Charlotte Bobcats’ head coach, Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing has been hired as Steve Clifford's top assistant, an informed source confirmed. An agreement in principle had been reached by the team and Ewing as of Tuesday. A formal announcement should come later this week. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Patrick Ewing, Steve Clifford 

Ewing will join the coaching staff of new Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford. Ewing and Clifford have a strong professional and personal history together. Sacramento Kings coach Mike Malone also tried to hire Ewing for his coaching staff. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings, Coaching, Patrick Ewing, Mike Malone, Steve Clifford 

Dave McMenamin: Source tells me Darvin Ham is likely to join Steve Clifford in Charlotte, leaving LAL with just one full-time assistant in Dan D'Antoni Twitter @mcten

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Darvin Ham, Dan D'Antoni, Steve Clifford 

Source: The Warriors are more than likely going to have to replace two assistant coaches, not just one. Mike Malone taking the Kings' head-coaching job creates one vacancy and Bob Beyer is a candidate either to go with Malone to Sacramento or join Steve Clifford, the Bobcats' new head coach. Beyer and Clifford know each other well from their days in Orlando as Magic assistant coaches. Don't look for the Warriors to be in a rush to fill the vacancies; assistant coach Darren Erman is in charge of the summer-league team, so the team is adequately covered as far as offseason responsibilities. Sulia

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone, Darren Erman, Steve Clifford 

Stan Van Gundy on Steve Clifford getting a head coaching job: "I was really excited. One of the things that I always bragged about is that I was very confident I had the most qualified and best staff in the NBA. Steve was ready to be a head coach from the day he got to the Magic. I hired a guy that was ready to be a head coach, it was just a matter of somebody giving him his opportunity." 740 The Game

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Clifford 

Stan Van Gundy: "And one of the things that I noticed that I thought was terrific was that, you know reading HoopsHype and stuff, the number of players who tweeted comments and things about how happy they were for him and what a great coach and a great person he was. I saw comments from Hedo [Turkoglu] and Marcin [Gortat] and some others. (...) He'll have success in Charlotte." 740 The Game

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Clifford 

Frank Isola: Three of Jeff Van Gundy's former assistants, Tom Thibodeau, Steve Clifford and Michael Malone, are now NBA head coaches. Twitter @FisolaNYDN

Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, Michael Malone, Steve Clifford 

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has named Steve Clifford Head Coach. Clifford, who has spent the last 13 seasons as an NBA assistant coach, becomes the sixth head coach in franchise history. “We are excited to have Steve Clifford as our new head coach,” said Higgins. “He brings a strong pedigree and a track record of success to our franchise. He has built a reputation as an innovator, especially defensively, and has experience in multiple systems. We look forward to utilizing his knowledge as we continue to build this team.” NBA.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Rod Higgins, Steve Clifford 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Excited about are new coach, heard some great things about him. Can't wait to get started already Twitter @MikeGillie14

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Steve Clifford 

Patrick Ewing has emerged as a candidate to join former Knicks assistant coach Steve Clifford with Charlotte. Clifford agreed to become Bobcats head coach on Monday, and his relationship with Ewing dates back to the late ’90s when Clifford joined Jeff Van Gundy’s staff. Clifford and Ewing eventually worked together as assistants in both Houston and Orlando before Clifford was hired by the Lakers last summer. New York Daily News

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Patrick Ewing, Steve Clifford 

Rick Bonnell: Tom Thibodeau texted Stan Van Gundy "This is a great day for all of us" regarding Bobcats hiring Steve Clifford. Twitter @rick_bonnell

Charlotte Bobcats, Tom Thibodeau, Coaching, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Clifford 

Rick Bonnell: Stan Van Gundy told me Clifford was ready to be NBA coach before Stan hired him. Much more in tomorrow's Observer. Twitter @rick_bonnell

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Clifford 

Marcin Gortat: Congrats to steve clifford !!!! great guy and even a better coach. ! Bobcats gonna look strong this year! Twitter @MGortat

Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Marcin Gortat, Coaching, Steve Clifford 

David Baumann: SVG just gave me a quote on new #Bobcats HC Steve Clifford: "Steve is a great coach. No one more deserving. No weaknesses... (Continued)" Twitter @DavidBaumann33

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Clifford 

Hidayet Turkoglu: Congrats to Steve Clifford on becoming head coach for Charlotte! Hard working guy, well deserved. Twitter @hidoturkoglu15

Charlotte Bobcats, Hidayet Turkoglu, Steve Clifford 

The Charlotte Bobcats have reached an agreement in principle with Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford as their new head coach, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports. It is a two-year deal with a team option for a third year. It is worth $6 million if he is there for all three years. USA Today Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Steve Clifford 

He is expected to try to hire Patrick Ewing as one of his top assistant coaches, reuniting Ewing with his close friend, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Patrick Ewing, Steve Clifford 

Chris Mannix: Spoke to Stan Van Gundy about Steve Clifford. Says Clifford "has got it all" as a coach. Says a strength is player development. Twitter @ChrisMannixSI

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Steve Clifford 

JJ Redick: Huge congrats to Steve Clifford on getting the Charlotte head coaching job! Enjoyed working with him for 5 yrs in Orlando. Great hire. Twitter @JJRedick

Charlotte Bobcats, JJ Redick, Steve Clifford 

Quentin Richardson: Congrats to Coach Steve Clifford on getting hired as Head Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats! Twitter @QRich

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Quentin Richardson, Steve Clifford