Mar 3, 2012; Piscatawy, NJ, USA; St. John

St. John’s released a statement Tuesday morning which says assistant coach Mike Dunlap has accepted a job to become the Charlotte Bobcats coach.

Dunlap was not one of the three finalists for the position, but Jerry Sloan took himself out of the running, Brian Shaw apparently wants to coach in Portland or Orlando, and no one likes Quin Snyder except for Kobe Bryant.

So now the obvious question is: Who the hell is Mike Dunlap?

ESPN says Dunlap “favor(s) an up-tempo style of play” and “is known as a teacher of the game amid his peers in college and in the NBA.”

Dunlap’s bio on St. Johns’ website says he ”has built a reputation as one of professional and college basketball’s leading strategists and on-court instructors.”

He’s 53, he has spent time at almost every level of competitive basketball and apparently Michael Jordan liked him enough after a second interview Monday to give offer him the job.

Having a guy like Dunlap lead this current Bobcats roster might be exactly what the team needs; He’s spent most of his career around college players and the style of play he favors will appeal to guys like Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, and whichever young gun the Bobcats draft at #2.

Then again, having a guy like Dunlap coach this team might be a problem; I never heard of him before the Bobcats fired Paul Silas, and I almost forgot he was a candidate for the job before this morning.

January 18, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw watches from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Power Balance Pavilion. The Kings defeated the Pacers 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

I wrote a few things yesterday explaining that recent rumblings that the Charlotte Bobcats looking at a trade for James Harden and Jerry Sloan taking himself out of the ‘Cats coaching search were good signs for Brian Shaw if he wanted the job.

Well, it’s debatable as to whether or not he does want the job. Portland and Orlando both have coaching vacancies, and neither went 7-59 last year.

Sports Illustrated says Quin Snyder is the favorite to become the next coach in Charlotte, because Shaw prefers the Orlando job.

But, Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, tweeted: “I’m told that Brian Shaw has not pulled himself out of the running for the Charlotte job, FWIW. Stay tuned.”

Who knows what Charlotte is going to do, but if it comes down to Shaw pulling out and Snyder being the guy by default, I’d open up the search for another week.

Snyder hasn’t done ANYTHING as a head coach at Missouri/the D League or an assistant (short of becoming friends with Kobe Bryant) that convinces anyone he’d even be a mediocre head coach in the NBA. It’d be Sam Vincent 2.0. It’d be the coaching equivalent of drafting Adam Morrison. It’d be a disaster.

If Shaw doesn’t want the job, the ‘Cats should open this thing back up, and give it to the guy I wanted them to hire from day one: Nate McMillan.

Jan 19, 2011; Newark, NJ, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan during the first half against the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Jerry Sloan has pulled himself out of the Charlotte Bobcats coaching search.

He told his story on SI.com, and here’s a great gem I pulled out of it.

Dec 29, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

ESPN and the Charlotte Observer reported earlier that the Charlotte Bobcats have slimmed their coaching search down to three candidates: Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw and Quin Snyder.

Shaw, currently an assistant with Indiana (formerly with the Lakers) and Snyder, currently an assistant with the Lakers (formerly head coach of Missouri and in the D-League) will be interviewed for a second time, so they have a chance to interract with Michael Jordan. Sloan already had that opportunity, because Jordan was part of a Bobcats team that interviewed him in Salt Lake City, Utah when he was first interviewed.

Bobcats beat writer Rick Bonnell did a solid job explaining what Shaw and Snyder would bring to the table:

“If Shaw gets the job, he’d likely install the Triangle offense he learned while playing and coaching for Phil Jackson… Snyder… is a bit of a wild card in this process, as he’s not currently lead assistant with the Lakers. However, he’s a high-intellect guy who’s known to be an innovator offensively.”

If Sloan is willing to commit for more than a few years, he’s got to be the guy Charlotte goes with here. He’ll bring instant credibility to a franchise which basically has none right now. He worked with one of the greatest point guards ever and one of the best big men ever in John Stockton and Karl Malone, and before he left the Jazz, he was the longest tenured coach in the NBA.

With Shaw and Snyder getting a second round of interviews, I think it’s their job to win Sloan’s to lose.

Nate McMillan went to North Carolina State University during the 80’s. McMillan has proven to be a solid coach in the past. He did a great job with the Portland Trail Blazers. In the midst of losing Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, Portland managed to be competitive. Savvy trades along with a blue collar work ethic elevated Portland’s presence in the NBA. Credit should go to McMillan for this. He has a knack for bringing out the best in his players. McMillan’s ties to the state of North Carolina would be a smart choice because he is native North Carolinian. His birthplace is Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, Nate is only 47 years old. He McMillan coming back to North Carolina to save the Bobcats has a nice ring to it. He would bring more N.C. State fans to Bobcats’ games, truly making Charlotte an ACC mecca.

Jul 25, 2008; Las Vegas, NV, USA: USA Mens Basketball team introductions before their game against Canada at the Thomas and Mack Center. Coaches l-r Mike Krzyzewski (left) Nate McMillan (second from left) Mike D

Mike D’Antoni is one of my favorite coaches. I really like his up-tempo style of player. D’Antoni’s offense requires players who are agile, versatile, and intelligent. When Amare Stoudemire was out during the 2005 season, Boris Diaw manned the center position in Phoenix under D’Antoni. D’Antoni was a few games short of playing for an NBA championship. The Phoenix Suns had 62 wins and 20 losses during the regular season in 2005. D’Antoni won over 60 games with a small lineup that consisted of Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson, Shawn Marion, and Boris Diaw. Charlotte resembles this Phoenix team based on the fact that the team is small, with the exception of Byron Mullens and DeSagana Diop. A smart lottery draft pick, in addition to a couple of veterans and D’Antoni’s coaching sounds like a winning recipe to me. Check out my other column on Roberto Gato titled, “Mike D’Antoni, Michael Jordan, Jeremy Lin, and Harrison Barnes….A PERFECT MATCH!” I breakdown why D’Antoni would be a smart choice on MJ’s behalf. D’Antoni averaged 50.6 wins in Phoenix. D’Antoni’s records while coaching the Phoenix Suns go as follows:

2004 – 21 wins, 40 losses

2005 – 62 wins, 20 losses

2006 – 54 wins, 28 losses

2007 – 61 wins, 21 losses

2008 – 55 wins, 27 losses.

Stan Van Gundy represents another possibility for the Bobcats. Stan Van Gundy has had a nice run with the Orlando Magic. He led the Magic to the NBA Finals loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010. In that season as well as the previous one, the Orlando Magic had 59 wins and 23 losses. I am not a fan of his offense because he runs half-court sets. This is my opinion, however because I prefer up-tempo basketball. Van Gundy’s style of play requires dominant low post players. If the Bobcats select Stan Van Gundy, then they need to invest in players who fit his system. Van Gundy could and would be a smart and safe choice as head coach for the Bobcats.

Several factors that will impact the hiring of the next Charlotte Bobcats’ head coach are coaching style, age of the coaching candidate, prior coaching accolades and accomplishments, level of respect from NBA players, and the level of commitment to the Bobcats’ organization.

April 6, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Paul Silas during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

Paul Silas’s contract will not be retained by the Charlotte Bobcats.

“We have been fortunate to have someone of his character associated with this franchise and we hope he will continue to be a valuable resource to us in the future,” Bobcats’ president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said in a statement.

Just what type of resource he’ll become is hard to say, but what’s obvious is that Charlotte is looking to distance itself from their 7-59 “worst season ever” 2012 NBA campaign.

The apparent early wish list for a future coach includes Nate McMillan, Portland’s former coach, Mike D’Antoni, New York’s former coach, and Patrick Ewing, a current assistant with Orlando and former Knicks great.

Personally I’d love it if Charlotte hired McMillan. He’s knows the Bobcats’ current GM, Rick Cho, and he was put in an impossible position with the Trail Blazers this year, as they went into full-on tank mode, early in the year

I doubt the younger Silas will get Charlotte’s head coaching position next year, but the organization did let him Coach a bunch of games down the stretch in 2012.