Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
The best available coach to fill the Charlotte Bobcats’ vacancy might be Kelvin Sampson. That doesn’t mean Sampson will immediately ink his name to a contract if he gets the offer, but Sampson should give the job some very serious thought. He just might be perfect for the Bobcats’ job.
Sampson is ready for an NBA position. He’s had a taste of the pro scene and had a chance to lead the Houston Rockets on an interim basis briefly in the absence of Kevin McHale.
The consensus is that Sampson will be able to handle and motivate NBA players very effectively
But he especially would probably feel more comfortable with younger players and the Bobcats have a slew of them. They’ll get a high draft pick and will have another good young talent coming in.
Sampson motivates the younger players, which was evident in his college coaching days. Granted, his recruiting antics got him into trouble on the collegiate level.
That won’t happen at the NBA for obvious reasons, and Sampson will have a mature college team of sorts, at Charlotte. After a year or two, he could turn it into a mature pro team.
He’s more likely to command plenty of respect from his players than his predecessor, Mike Dunlap, was able to muster.
The Bobcats are banking on getting their young talent to blend together into a successful team. Kelvin Sampson, more than anyone, should be able to get the job done. The Bobcats have a foundation and emphasis on youth that should be very appealing to a win-at-all-costs skipper like Sampson.
