National Basketball Association

Charlotte Hornets: Bleacher Report Ranks Steve Clifford as the Sixth Best Head Coach

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Steve Clifford has been with the Charlotte Hornets since 2013 and since then, he has become one of the best head coaches in the NBA.

Bleacher Report recently released their power rankings for all 30 NBA head coaches heading into the 2016-17 season. Charlotte Hornets‘ head coach, Steve Clifford, came in at number six on the list. B/R named him ahead of some notable coaches but Clifford has become one of the best minds in the game today.

Since arriving in Charlotte in 2013, Steve has manned the head coaching gig with some success in the Queen City. His performance led the team to give him an extension last year that runs through the 2018-19 season. After the successful season that the Hornets had in 2016, it is clear to see why the organization wanted to lock him up long-term and why B/R ranks him so high on their list.

The only NBA head coaches ahead of Clifford on the power rankings are Steve Kerr at #5, Mike Budenholzer at #4, Brad Stevens at #3, Rick Carlisle as the runner-up, and Gregg Popovich coming in at the top spot. Putting Steve Clifford alongside those great names is surprising to many but he has proven that he is one of the best in the league.

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Bleacher Report ranked Steve Clifford ahead of some big names coaches like Doc Rivers (13), Stan Van Gundy (7), Erik Spoelstra (8), Tyronn Lue (17), and Tom Thibodeau (11). The Island Falls, Maine native may not have the head coaching experience as many of the other names on the list but his talent at the position is clear. He spent 13 years in the NBA as an assistant coach for multiple teams before finally getting his breakthrough.

Charlotte gave Clifford his first chance at a head coaching gig and he has not disappointed. In three seasons the Hornets have a 124-122 record under Steve Clifford. They have made the playoffs in two of those three seasons. They were also tied for the third best record in the Eastern Conference last year with 48 wins.

In three short years, the 55-year old head coach has the third most games coached (246), third most wins (124) , and third best win percentage (.504) in team history. (Wikipedia.org) Clifford is on the fast track to potentially become the best coach in Charlotte’s basketball history.

Steve Clifford was an assistant coach for the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets, the Orlando Magic, and the Los Angeles Lakers before becoming the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach. He will likely be with the team for years to come. The media and people around the league have taken notice of Clifford’s success. It will be interesting to see if it can continue going forward.

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