Charlotte Bobcats Reportedly Name St. John's Assistant Mike Dunlap Head Coach

The Charlotte Bobcats reportedly have a new head coach, and it's probably not who you were expecting.

While Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw and Quin Snyder were all likely candidates for the job, Michael Jordan and the Bobcats decided to hire St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap instead. 

The news comes from The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell:

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CHARLOTTE OBSERVER EXCLUSIVE: St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap has been has accepted the head coach of the Charlotte #Bobcats. (cont.)

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) June 19, 2012"

Let's take a closer look at this very interesting development. 

What It Means

First and foremost, it's a bit of a shocking hire. All of the candidates the Bobcats were expected to choose from were either assistants in the NBA or, in Sloan's case, a former NBA head coach. 

Dunlap, 52, is a college assistant.

Still, that doesn't mean he doesn't have experience. 

Before spending one year at Arizona, one year at Oregon and then two years with St. John's, Dunlap worked as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets under George Karl (via St. John's official website):

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"Mike Dunlap absolutely elevates every player and team he comes into contact with," said Karl. "He is our guy. He will take you from good to great. Name any top-level, elite coach in the game - the only difference between Mike and them is their address. There is no higher level of coaching ability than his. There is absolutely no one better."

"

While Dunlap has dabbled as a head coach for California Lutheran and the Adelaide 36ers (professional Australian team)—along with being an associate head coach for Arizona and Oregon and filling in for Steve Lavin at St. John's—it seems that most of his experience is as an assistant, serving as a tactician or teacher. 

What's Next

Dunlap now will have the unfortunate task of trying to turn around arguably the worst team in NBA history, the 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats. 

While this hiring was a bit of a shock because of Dunlap's background, he does have plenty of college coaching experience, and the Bobcats are basically full of a bunch of college players. Kemba Walker is 22, Bismack Biyombo is 19, and they'll be bringing in some more young talent after the draft. 

Judging by the quotes from Karl and Lavin, Dunlap is extraordinary when it comes to basketball knowledge and the ability to get the most out of young players. Considering what the Bobcats players most need right now is some sound coaching from a veteran of the game, this could be a sneaky good hire.

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