Hornets, coach Steve Clifford agree to contract extension
The Charlotte Hornets and head coach Steve Clifford have agreed in principle on a contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday. Clifford was on the final year of the original contract he signed in 2013.
The deal will run through the 2018-19 season with a team option for a fourth year, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
A longtime NBA assistant coach before accepting the Charlotte job, Clifford molded his system to the franchise's available talent. He led the Hornets to the playoffs in Year 1 and after a forgettable 2014-15 season and losing star wing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist during Summer League action, the Hornets are off to a decent start behind a renovated offensive approach.
Clifford was speculated as a potential head coaching candidate for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, two organizations he had previously spent time as an assistant.
More @hornets Clifford on contract extension: "I'm really happy. I love our players and I like the team that we can become."
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) November 25, 2015
"I have a vision of important playoff games & what this arena can become." @hornets Clifford remembers the old Hive & its atmosphere.
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) November 25, 2015
