The Charlotte Hornets already had their fair share of injury issues this season, but this time an issue with health has taken their head coach away.
The team announced on Wednesday that head coach Steve Clifford will step away from the team to deal with an undisclosed health concern. In a team release, the Hornets said there is “no timetable for his return,” and that associate head coach Stephen Silas will act as head coach in Clifford’s absence.
One odd and perhaps worrying part of the release is that the team is not specific about the ailment, saying that out of respect for Clifford’s “privacy” the team will not comment on the matter more than its initial one-paragraph release.
Clifford has been the head coach in Charlotte the last four seasons after serving as an assistant with the Knicks, Rockets, Magic and Lakers. The Hornets are just 9-13 to start the season. Silas has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2000, and has been with the Hornets organization for the last eight seasons.
He has deep ties to the organization, starting his NBA coaching career with the Hornets before they relocated to New Orleans, then returning to the new Bobcats before they were renamed in 2014.
