2016 Unconditional. Just when the Bulls want it as D Rose will be done by then,

Silas, Thomas have altercation in locker room

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The frustration of losing has started to boil over for the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats.

A Bobcats executive confirmed there was an altercation Sunday night in the team locker room between coach Paul Silas and forward Tyrus Thomas.

The incident, first reported by Yahoo!, took place after Charlotte's 94-82 loss to the Boston Celtics. It was confirmed by President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins.

According to the report, Silas took exception to Thomas for fraternizing with some Celtics players and yelled at him after the game. Shouting ensued and the 68-year-old Silas shoved Thomas toward his locker stall and the two were separated.

Higgins says the incident has been handled internally. Silas declined to comment.

When asked prior to Wednesday night's game against Chicago if he and Thomas are on the same page, Silas responded, ''we always were.''

Thomas has three years remaining on his contract and is owed $26 million by the Bobcats. The team also owes the Bulls a protected first-round pick for Thomas as part of the trade that brought him to Charlotte.

Thomas is averaging just 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is shooting just 36 percent from the field.

Before the game, Thomas was asked about the incident and said, ''Rod made a statement initially and we're going to leave it at that.''

Thomas said he and Silas have put the incident behind them.

''We're great,'' Thomas said. ''We've had a game since and Rod made a statement on it and that's all that is necessary.''

The frustration is certainly understandable.

The Bobcats are mired in a franchise-record 17-game losing streak and they've already clinched the worst record in the league.

''It's tough on all us having lost as many games as we have,'' Silas said. ''That's just the way it is with injuries and so forth. But we're not going to get down. We're going to stay up.''

Believe it or not, there are 2 games on the Bobcats' remaining schedule that are winnable for them. They host Sacramento Sunday night and visit Washington Monday night.

This last game tonight against the Knicks should be interesting. IMO, it's in New York's best interest to lose this game, and hope Philly wins theirs. I don't think either of them want to face the Heat in the first round. They want to face the Bulls and hope with the injuries to Rose, Deng, and Hamilton, they can pull off a miracle upset.

This last game tonight against the Knicks should be interesting. IMO, it's in New York's best interest to lose this game, and hope Philly wins theirs. I don't think either of them want to face the Heat in the first round. They want to face the Bulls and hope with the injuries to Rose, Deng, and Hamilton, they can pull off a miracle upset.

My guess is that Melo and/or Stoudemire sit out tonight.

History beckons the Charlotte Bobcats.

They did it!

They interviewed Paul Silas at halftime of the Knicks game. They asked what his team needed to do to win, here were his answers (paraphrased):

1) "We hope they don't play Amare Stoudemire in the 4th quarter, because he's killing us."

2) "We want to run the ball, but it's hard to run when the other team is making shots. And they're making shots."

Paul Silas doing his imitation of Al Bundy from "Married...with Children".

I don't think so SHARK. His hand isn't down his pants.

Paul Silas gone.

Isiah Thomas next coach?

Please yes!

Thanks for confirming Douchebag's post SHARK.

Jerry Sloan wants to coach again

Jerry Sloan is ready to return to the NBA and has expressed interest in the open Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic coaching positions.

The former Utah Jazz coach, who resigned during the 2011 season after 23 seasons with the team, told the Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that he has talked to Bobcats owner Michael Jordan about his team's vacancy and could meet with him as soon as this week.

Earlier Tuesday, Sloan expressed interest in the Magic opening in an interview with Fox Sports Florida, calling the job "intriguing," saying he'd listen if the team was interested in discussing the position with him. Sloan is interested in the job despite the uncertainty surrounding star center Dwight Howard and the Magic's vacant general manager position after the outster of Otis Smith.

Sloan said he wasn't deterred by Charlotte's lowly status after team won an NBA-worst seven games last season.

"Obviously, you probably wouldn't win (a title) right off the bat," Sloan told the Tribune of the Bobcats' opening. "But sometimes it's not all about starting on top."

If he were to be hired in Charlotte, Sloan would be working for the man who helped to deny him his two best shots at an NBA title. Sloan led the Jazz to the NBA Finals twice (1997 and 1998) only to lose to Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

The 70-year-old Sloan told the newspaper that he feels "terrific" and said he'll "stay out of the way" while NBA teams determine if he's a fit with them.

"If there's some interest in me, fine. If there's not, I understand that, too," Sloan told the Tribune.

Sloan ranks third all-time in regular-season NBA coaching victories with 1,221. Former coaches Lenny Wilkins (1,332) and Don Nelson (1.335) are the only two men to have more regular-season victories than Sloan.

He is the only coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one team. Sloan's other wins came with the Bulls from 1979 to 1982.

Sloan told Fox Sports Florida that he needed a break from basketball when he left the game in 2011, resigning after a loss to the Bulls.

"I worked (26) years (as a coach). It was time for me to move on and see what was going in the world. That's been kind of interesting. But I still have that void of basketball," Sloan told the regional sports network.