Me? Charlotte? Srsly? ... How much are they offering? Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte observer says the Charlotte Bobcats should pursue new free agent Lou Williams, the 76ers great sixth man.

I couldn’t agree more.

The Bobcats have enough cap space to lure a guy like Williams to Charlotte. Plus, he would begin to fill one of Charlotte’s (seemingly infinite list of) needs; Offense. If they can land Williams and make a solid draft choice (or trade the pick for a very good player) the Bobcats could be able convince other free agents to sign with them, even after coming off the worst season in NBA history.

The Milwaukee Bucks are apparently a possible trade partner with the Charlotte Bobcats for their second overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

HoopsWorld.com reported it, but also said a trade is not imminent.

The article says Milwaukee is looking to acquire a “big guard”, so it’s hard to figure out what they’d give up to get the second pick and then what they’d do with it. Harrison Barnes is the only “big guard” with top five potential, but I think they’re looking at Andre Drummond; Their front court thinned out after trading away Andrew Bogut. I don’t think the Bucks would give up Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis, so it would probably come down to giving up Ersan Illyasova and their #12 pick. Would Milwaukee do that? Who knows, but I doubt it.

There’s nothing new on the coaching search side of things, except for the collective fear growing inside Bobcats fans that their team might actually pay Quin Snyder to be head coach.

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.

Mar. 12, 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson (left) talks with assistant Coaches Brian Shaw (center) and injured forward Luke Walton against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

ESPN’s Chris Broussard is reporting that the Charlotte Bobcats have narrowed the search for a new coach down to Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw and Quin Snyder. As a Tar Heel alum, I know that Tar Heel Nation is immediately going to disapprove a Blue Devil coaching the Bobcats. Since Gerald Henderson and Corey Maggette are on the team roster, it makes the team look like the Charlotte Blue Devils. Tar Heels do not want that. Aside from Quin’s “dukeage,” you must evaluate what he brings to the table before you disapprove. His head coaching experience begins with coaching at the University of Missouri for seven years. He was quite successful here, leading his teams to numerous appearances to the NCAA tournament. Snyder also spent three years as a head coach for Austin Toros in the NBA Development League (also known as the NBADL and the D-League). The most impressive thing about Snyder is that he holds an MBA and JD from his alma mater, Duke University. However, I have not seen anything in his resume’ that translates to being the top candidate to coach the Bobcats. For this reason alone, I would not approve of Quin Snyder coaching the Bobcats.

I wrote a column on Jerry Sloan being a viable candidate for the Bobcats head coaching here: http://robertogato.com/2012/05/26/can-jerry-sloan-and-the-flex-offense-coexist-with-mj-and-the-charlotte-bobcats/ and http://robertogato.com/2012/05/24/who-should-be-next-coach-for-the-charlotte-bobcats/. Jerry Sloan has the resume that the Charlotte Bobcats need. Sloan is not a “yes man,” and he is well-respected around the NBA. His reputation will become the mindset of the basketball team. I’m not going to beat a dead horse. Michael Jordan, sign Jerry Sloan and that’s an order.

Brian Shaw was also a role player for the Los Angeles Lakers when they won three championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Shaw was also an assistant coach for the Lakers when they won championships in 2009 and 2010. That gives Brian Shaw five championship rings (three as a player, and two as an assistant coach). Shaw knows what it takes to win championships. This is what Shaw brings to Charlotte, and this is also his leg up on Sloan. As great as a coach Sloan is, he has not won a championship, but this does not mean that it is not possible.  Brian Shaw has experience playing in the Triangle Offense, and assisting in coaching the Triangle Offense. If Shaw can duplicate the Triangle Offense in Charlotte (and he should be), then MJ needs to take a close look at him. Although I like Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw is the long-term option for head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. MJ’s decision comes down to whether he wants a short-term fix at head coach (Sloan), or a long-term fix at head coach (Shaw). The only reason why I view Jerry Sloan as a short-term option at head coach is due to his age. I respect him very highly as a head coach. I hope that MJ treats his head coaching decision like the game-winning shot that he hit against Georgetown in 1982.