CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Charlotte Hornets have fired coach Steve Clifford after five seasons on the job.
Clifford was let go following a meeting with new general manager Mitch Kupchak, who took over Monday night. The 36-46 Hornets missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, despite a veteran roster and a player payroll in the top half of the NBA in terms of cost this season.
Clifford finished below .500 as Hornets coach, with a record of 196-214. His teams made two playoff appearances, but did not advance either time beyond the first round. This was Clifford's first job as an NBA head coach following a long career as an NBA assistant with the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Clifford said in a season wrap-up news conference Wednesday that he understood the team's disappointing season put his job in jeopardy, with one season left on his contract.
"I don't have my head in the sand (as far as) what this head coaching is all about," Clifford said of expectations to win. "I don't care how many years you have left on your contract. You can get fired in one week in this league."
In the preseason, Clifford had said this was the most talented roster in his tenure in Charlotte. The Hornets added a future Hall of Fame center in Dwight Howard in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks last June.
Clifford acknowledged Wednesday that this season's Hornets failed to improve over the course of the season, as his previous teams did, and that the group lacked the "spirit" of previous teams on his watch. Clifford said he had a say in every player acquisition that assembled this roster, so he took responsibility for its failure.
Clifford's job performance was complicated this season by a health crisis: He missed 5{ weeks of the season treating severe headaches related to sleep deprivation. Working with a neurologist, Clifford has retrained himself to sleep at least 6{ hours a night; previously he wasn't getting more than five hours of sleep.
"I just didn't think I needed to sleep much. I didn't realize what a toll it took on me as I had gotten a little older," Clifford said Wednesday.
