I was just about to post this, the original report is from the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter):

St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap has agreed to become Bobcats' next coach, @Rick_Bonnell reports. Story soon at http://charlotteobserver.com

@WojYahooNBA

Dunlap's considered an excellent X's and O's coach on college level, well-respected in profession. Still, a huge gamble for Michael Jordan.

@WojYahooNBA

Dunlap won Division II national titles at Metro State before Nuggets. Tough, no-nonsense guy. Clearly, MJ wants a teacher with young team.

@WojYahooNBA

Also, Michael Jordan doesn't want to pay for a basketball coach. And clearly that's part of hiring Mike Dunlap, a Big East assistant coach.

@WojYahooNBA

People I respect in NBA always believed Dunlap had chops to be a head coach. Just didn't think it would be a leap from Steve Lavin's bench.

Is he an aussie?

No but coached the sixers for a couple of years, his youth policy pushed out players like Smyth, Rose, Mackay and Pearce (if I remeber correctly). While pushing up Maher and Blakemore

Just reported by Chris Broussard on ESPN

No, he's not an Aussie, but he was head coach of the Adelaide 36er's for a couple of seasons in the mid-1990's.

And Michael Jordan's teeeeeerrible personnel decisions continue.

Or is this Rich Cho conceding the lottery loss and tanking another season by hiring the worst possible candidate?

(Tweaked Bo's topic title to try and get the most informative wording in there for 36ers fans who might be wondering what's going on.)

I just got word that, Gorjian may take up an assistant role with Dunlap. They are good friends and often talk basketball with regards to recruitment. That would be interesting to see two ex-NBL coaches in the NBA!

I laugh how people who have no clue what goes into these decisions put there "analysis" on coaching decisions. Alot comments on the ESPN boards are saying things like "never heard of him so he must be crap" or because he is not a big name like Phil Jackson it's a bad decision.

Good luck to Dunlap but the odds are against him. There is an excellent article from John Calipari who is frank when he suggests the mindset of coaching in the NBA is "getting fired is not a matter of if but when". He also suggests that coaching players in the NBA is a lot harder then in college with ego's and endorsements complicating the relationship between the coach and the player.

If Dunlap can coach through till the end of his contract he will be doing well.

After watching them go through the worst season in the history of the NBA, and now this.

I'll give Dunlap the benefit of the doubt for now, but I see a locker room freeze out just after the All Star game.

If Boy Goorj becomes an assistant, hell....

TR, never know - could work. Both are good coaches. In following the Bobcats, don't you do it for the agony and misery anyway?

Good luck to him. Regardless of his falling out with veteran players during his time in Adelaide, he was a successful coach and I enjoyed the product on the floor (being a 10/11 year old without any access to the inner sanctum at the time).

He dragged the 36ers out of early 1990s mediocrity; he was the hero the city deserved, but not the one it needed at the time. A dark knight.

Ha ha..we made all those comments Wojnarowski did about a month ago!

http://www.hoops.com.au/forum/28277-dunlap-interviewing-for-nba-head-coaching-gig/

Seriously what does Brian Shaw have to do to get a head coaching gig....

Maybe back to Orlando for him.

Sweet photo from The Advertiser article on the signing:



I miss Athol Park. :-(

Leon Trimmingham!!!!! Those were the days!!!

Dunlap has been announced officially as the new coach. They said they hired him because they were impressed with his work ethic. Dunlap didn't give too much away just basically saying it was going to be a long developing process and it wouldn't happen over night. ESPN also mention in the article that he had coached the Adelaide 36ers, nice to see the NBL get a little acknowledgment.

Nathan Hawkes

I wonder if he'll recruit his old PG from the Sixers days Rick Brunson from the Bulls bench to be an Asst Coach?

36ers get a mention in the Chicago Tribune as well here

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-report-mj-tabs-st-johns-assistant-as-next-bobcats-coach-20120618,0,6765887.story

Bulls interviewed him before they hired Del Negro, might have been interesting if they switched that hiring around...Ah Vinny, glad you are gone.

Rick Brunson assistant,.Who's next green, smyth, maher, davis

http://www.csnchicago.com/basketball-chicago-bulls/bulls-talk/Bulls-assistant-accepts-position-with-Bo?blockID=734464&feedID=10332