Feb. 4, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap during a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I find it hard to believe that Mike Dunlap will be back for a second season as head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.

The most prominent factor behind this thought is his penchant for benching the guys who are playing the best during critical moments of the game, and then forgetting they’re on his roster.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is often the guy to whom Dunlap’s extended lapses in basic mental function latch on. In Charlotte’s last close loss, a one point-er to the Detroit Pistons, Kidd-Gilchrist was playing more-than-solid defense, rebounding well and scoring efficiently through three quarters. He ended up with 11 points on four-of-seven shooting, three rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 20 minutes.

Kemba Walker often falls victim to Dunlap’s brain farts, too. His lost minutes aren’t as egregious as the entire quarters that Dunlap forgets Kidd-Gilchrist exists, but a few minutes here and there at critical moments of close games have, in my opinion, cost the Bobcats a few wins.

Another reason Dunlap should (and probably will) be on his way out the door? It still appears to me like he’s trying to figure out which players work best together on the court. Take away the new additions of Jannero Pargo and Josh McRoberts, and just look at the guys who’ve been with the ‘Cats almost all season. The starting five has changed more than a handful of times, guys have fallen in-and-out of favor with their head coach, and minutes off the bench for guys like Jeff Adrien Jeff Taylor can be varied… To say the least.

The biggest reason Dunlap will probably be walking at seasons end, though, is this: Charlotte knew it was going to have another rough year. It also knew there would be plenty of respected and talented coaches available at the end of that rough year. I think after things fell apart with Jerry Sloan and Brian Shaw, the Bobcats went after someone they knew would be easy to fire. A guy like Dunlap, with as much NBA coaching experience as me, and just a little bit more NCAA Division One experience than me, is the perfect candidate for a one year gig with a symbolic multi-year deal.

I don’t hate Dunlap or even dislike him. I was excited by the prospect watching him develop the Bobcats’ young players, and that 7-5 start got me thinking he could be in Charlotte for a while.

But the results aren’t there. The evidence is.

And it’s inexcusable to keep Dunlap around if there are more qualified candidates out there who are willing to take over the job.

Jan 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker (15) during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

After averaging 18 points and six assists through the end of December, Kemba Walker is now doing slightly worse in those categories with 17.6 points and 5.9 assists per game.

That isn’t all that surprising when you learn he’s averaging just 30 minutes per game in January, though.

Yes, the best player on Charlotte’s roster is averaging five minutes per game below his season average this month.

Why?

Well, first, there could be a statistical reason.

After shooting 46 percent in December, Walker is shooting 43 percent in January. He’s also shooting very poorly from behind the arc, and relatively poorly from the free-throw line at just 60 percent this month.

He’s not turning the ball over at an abnormal rate though (2.5 per game in Jan.), and he’s actually rebounding better this month than he has all season (3.5 boards per game).

So why is Walker not getting the playing time he should?

I have absolutely no sources to back this up, and I have nothing to base this on other than the fact that I can’t think of another reason not to play Walker well over 30 minutes a game, but maybe he got into it with coach, Mike Dunlap, and Dunlap decided to send him a message in a loss to Cleveland, when Walker played just 24 minutes (none in the fourth quarter) despite shooting 50 percent and dishing out five assists in that game (In that same game Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon did play well enough to keep the Bobcats in it ’till the end).

Remember this Charlotte Observer story from early in the season discussing the tendency for Walker and Dunlap to be “frank” with one another?

Maybe something finally blew up the wrong way between the two.

Then again, maybe not. Dunlap apparently thinks Walker is headed to Chris-Paul-like levels:

“I’ve asked Kemba, `What do you think of Chris Paul’s game?’ And obviously Kemba tells me he has a lot of respect for him,” Dunlap said. “I’ve said to Kemba, `Well, that’s where you’re headed. That’s who you are in this league.”’

Hopefully I’m just reaching here. Maybe this drop in playing time is just a blip on the radar and nothing more than an oversight on the part of Dunlap.

Then again, if it is an oversight on his part, that’s not a good sign, either.

October 9, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) against the New Orleans Hornets during the second half of a preseason game at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Bobcats 97-82. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Mike Dunlap announced the Charlotte Bobcats starting lineup for their opening game against the Indiana Pacers Friday.

Kemba Walker will start at point guard, Gerald Henderson at shooting guard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Byron Mullens at power forward and Brendan Haywood at center.

All the rumors about pushing Henderson to the three and starting Ben Gordon at two were shot down with this announcement. Also, it’s clear that while Tyrus Thomas has bulked up and refocused for this season, Dunlap thinks Byron Mullens gives the team the best shot to win.

Expect Ramon Sessions and Bismack Biyombo to see solid time at the one and five spots against the pacers and throughout the season.

The most intriguing question for the team at this point, is how much will Ben Gordon play?

The ‘Cats will need him on the floor to create offense at times, but Dunlap probably doesn’t want to wear him out with too many minutes.

It will also be interesting to see how Dunlap handles the backup small forward position. Does he go primarily with Charlotte’s other rookie, Jeffrey Taylor? Or, will he use a platoon of Taylor, Reggie Williams and at times Gerald Henderson?

He’ll probably switch between those two options, but hopefully he’ll give Taylor a shot to prove he was the steal of the draft, like I said every day for a week after the Bobcats picked him.

As for Mike Dunlap, he has a reputation for being a “crazy worker,” and developing players. Dunlap was formerly the head coach at Metropolitan State in Denver, winning two NCAA Division II championships. In a recent interview, Dunlap had this to say, “Basically the three things I tried to nail down as a theme was one, my knowledge base, two my relationships with players over a long period of time, 32 years, and finally the ability to take a branding that obviously the organization wants. We’ll open this up a little bit with the youth, develop the youth, and bring it along so that people can actually see that we play a style of basketball that’s very aggressive. It’s attacking basketball both offensively and defensively. And that’s a message that obviously resonated with them.” Barnes needs an NBA head coach with Dunlap’s mindset and expertise. He may not be a household name like Phil Jackson, but that doesn’t mean that Dunlap cannot succeed with the Charlotte Bobcats. Dunlap could possibly change the atmosphere in Charlotte when we discuss professional basketball. I do not predict that the Bobcats will win 60 games next season. However, the right situation which includes the right head coach, a few new veterans on the roster, and a couple of smart draft picks, could bring an NBA playoff team back to the QC, as in Queen City.