Dunlap out, now maybe we can progress.

Hey guys, I'm sure most of you have either gotten here through twitter/BR/facebook, so I'm assuming you've seen the article I posted on Bleacher Report about Dunlap's dismissal. If not, click here.

You don't have to get much farther than the title to see my feelings on the matter: I'm glad he's gone.

I don't feel like going over why he wasn't the man for the job in a blog post when I just wrote and linked a fairly in-depth analysis of all of his shortcomings, so this is going to be a short post.

He needed to go. He coached this NBA team like a college team, he failed in player development, he failed MKG completely, his rotations were miserable, and the players hated him.

A lot of outsiders looking in are crying foul, saying Dunlap wasn't given a fair shot. The  fact is, Dunlap had a full season to adjust his coaching scheme, but he remained cemented in his ways, and that is not good enough.

You have to be wiling to adjust. You have to be approachable for your developing players. You can't hold constant 4 hour practices the day before a game. You can't play  2-3 zone constantly and be exploited from three-point land worse than any other team in the NBA.

That last bit is especially frustrating, considering the fact that many of our players are extremely strong perimeter defenders limited to their zones.

I don't know where they're going to go, but ESPN's Chris Broussard tweeted that sources are saying the Bobcats' coaching opening is much more attractive than it was last year, and that they will generate much more interest than last year.

They're going to be around $20 million under salary cap, they're going to have at least a top-five, most likely a top-three pick in the NBA draft, and they have a very talented young core that tripled its win total without much help from their head coach.

Give that article I linked you to a quick read if you want to see all of Dunlap's shortcomings. This is the first significant move of the most pivotal offseason in franchise history, and it was a big one. I'm excited to see where they go.

I'm going to do my part by flooding Phil Jackson's twitter account begging him to come to Charlotte.

Please Phil, please... REUNITE WITH MICHAEL JORDAN!

Charlotte Hornets update quickie

Hey gang, small bit of news to report so far today. Keep in mind, there's a lot going on tonight between meetings and the final game of the season for the Cats (and the NOLA Hornets), the entire Grape line was released today, and there still very well may be some more news coming our way.

But this little nugget as reported by local news station WBTV is probably the most exciting bit of news we've gotten in quite a while... and it comes from the head honcho himself. Michael Jordan on the name change:

Watch the quick exchange via this link.

In case you're too lazy to watch the 50 second video (douche bags), Michael was surrounded by security, press, and fans walking in a parking lot when a reporter managed to get right in his face and asked how the Charlotte Hornets name sounded to him.

Jordan's response is almost comical. He clearly can't divulge any official information yet, but it was like he made a small slip-up and tried to cover it up after what sounded like a nervous chuckle.

"Ha... Ha uh... Still workin' on it... sounds good. Still workin' on it."

You really should watch the video. Without a prepared statement on the issue, Jordan's feelings and the organization's direction are much more clear. After months of having their asses firmly on the fence, it looks like Charlotte is finally starting to climb down.

Still working on it. Meaning they were already working on it before. Sounds good. Meaning he's at least perpetuating the thought that he's behind  the name change.

A cool little nugget of an update before tonight's 8 o'clock (EST) bout against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Should be a fun game to watch, as both teams are high lottery teams, but both seem to be on the rise in the very near future.

Give us one of those rings, MJ. And a name change. Now. At the same time.

Charlotte Hornets update

In line with what most believed, last night was a formality in terms of what was said by the organization and David Silver. A name change is possible, the NBA is fully backing it, they're just waiting on the Bobcats to file the proverbial (or literal, not really sure) paperwork.

One of the bigger comments of the night came from Silver, when he said rebranding would take a total of about 18 months.

But our friends at Bring Back the Buzz and We Beelieve (see previous post) pointed out the interesting fact that there is a good chance that, while it may take 18 months, we could already be well within that window of time.

Michael Jordan and the Charlotte organization can not come out and say plainly that they're taking back the Hornets name legally until the end of the season for the New Orleans Hornets, and they wouldn't do it before the end of the season of the Bobcats, if for no other reason than to keep selling as much Bobcats gear as they can before it becomes useless.

You can bet in 10 years, people won't be wearing "retro" Bobcats hats and shoes. It will die and turn to dust, so it's a fire sale. If Jordan came out and said publicly, "in 2013-14 we are going to be the Charlotte Hornets," there goes probably six figures worth of merchandise.

So, what this is right now is a chess match between management and the public. It's clear as day which way this game is going, but still, right now it's a matter of getting your pieces set into place to maximize strategical effectiveness.

Silver seemed very upbeat about the organization as a whole, mentioned nothing about an NBA takeover (see: New Orleans Hornets), and was completely on board and open about the name change.

It's not really news, but it's something.

It's also worth noting that Silver certainly met with CLT management prior to the "town hall" meeting, and they could easily have told him to clam up about the name because it's not going to happen. The fact that management seemed content to let Silver be open and honest, and even hopeful about a name change is a good sign.

There are a few more events lined up within the next couple of days to cap the Bobcats' season. A fan meeting before the game tomorrow (4/17), the final game of the season (also tomorrow), the release of Jordan's Grape line tomorrow, and a huge open house on thursday, April 18th.

We're likely going to have to buckle up and wait until the 18th to hear any news on the front, but it's only 2 days away. I can live.

Charlotte Hornets: Blogging as it happens.

Hey guys, I'm going to (try) to stay faithful to this post and to the great amount of news that is going to be happening within the next few days regarding the possible (at this point, likely) change of name from Bobcats back to the Hornets.

Just in case you've been living under a rock, this is a very, very real thing. I don't have the time to catch you up on all of the news, but I can link you to two major facebook sites (with twitters attached) where a lot of the news is being broadcast, and here they are.

We Beelieve

Bring Back the Buzz

I will also go ahead and link you to an article I wrote a couple of days ago, summarizing all the news at that time. Here you go. There's a lot of information stuffed in the three links I gave you, but check them all out.

For those of you lazy bums, I will very briefly summarize. The Charlotte Bobcats are hosting a "town hall" meeting tonight before their game before the New York Knicks. Present at the meeting will be NBA deputy (and soon to be outright) commissioner Adam Silver, and many bigwigs in Charlotte management.

This is coming days before the end to both the New Orleans Hornets (soon to be Pelicans) and Charlotte Bobcats season, both of which play their final games on April 17th.

Also on April 17th is an entire release of teal and purple Jordan Grape apparel. This includes shirts, shoes, socks, hats, shorts... really, everything. Also coming out will be a re-release of the teal and purple retro Jordan V Grape, one of the most iconic pairs of basketball shoes of all time.

Local news channels are reporting on the significance of all of this news, interviewing the founders of grassroots campaign. You can't open your eyes without seeing something about the Hornets coming back to Charlotte.

Do yourselves a favor and click on the links I provided to get even more news, and keep checking back here, as I will be giving as many live updates as I can regarding new turn of events. John Morgan, founder of We Beelieve, will be at the town hall meeting tonight, live tweeting and letting us know what's happening, so I'll try to keep up with him. You should too.

Here are some important twitter accounts to follow in the coming days.

@BringBackTheBuz
@We_Beelieve
@BoydCDerp

Follow, watch, come back and check all of the sources I've given you, and be excited. Things are going to busy in the next couple of days. I haven't been this excited in a long time.

Time to bring back the BUZZ!