The Charlotte Hornets not-so-secretly have one of the league's best coaches right now. Steve Clifford might not be uber-popular, but he's a sound mind who understands the relationship between offense and defense, and how success on one end is impossible without deliberate play on the other.
It's why the Hornets recently gave him a contract extension despite last season's collapse. Here's CBS Sports' Ken Berger with more on how Clifford has turned the Hornets around:
Every significant offseason acquisition went against Clifford's instincts as a defensive-minded disciple of Jeff and Stan Van Gundy. All of them were offensive-minded players not known (in a good way, anyway) for their defense. And all have contributed to making the Hornets less like a classic, grind-it-out Eastern Conference team and more like the versatile, floor-spacing teams that in years past have made the Western Conference look like a completely different league.
Charlotte is currently ninth in offensive rating and 11th in defensive rating. They're in the thick of a competitive Eastern Conference, with as good a chance as any to land the number two seed as they are to fall out altogether.
But, beyond this season, having Clifford at the helm is a master stroke. He's the solid centerpiece they've needed for a very long time, and it was a thump of genius to lock him up when they did.
