Ed Tapscott, the first member of Bobcats personnel hired when the expansion team was announced, has stepped down from his role as CEO and team president.

No reason was announced for Tapscott's departure.

The move comes shortly after Coach Bernie Bickerstaff announced that he would return to the bench for another season.

Bernie Bickerstaff will return to the sidelines as head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats for the 2006-07 season to continue his plan of building a winning foundation from within and developing a system that focuses on teamwork, sacrifice and trust.

?I am excited to announce that I will be returning as head coach of the Bobcats for the upcoming season,? said Bickerstaff, who also serves as the team?s general manager. ?In taking the time to think about my decision, I reflected on how proud I am of the progress we have made over the past two seasons and where we are headed in the future.?

The Bobcats won six of their final eight games in 2005-06, including a franchise-best four game winning streak to end the season. The team also posted a 6-3 record in April for the first winning month in franchise history.

Bernie Bickerstaff still hasn't made a final decision on whether or not he will be the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats next season, but Rick Bonnell is reporting that it sounds as if he's leaning in the direction of one more season on the bench before becoming GM exclusively.

Gerald Wallace will be representing the franchise in New Jersey at the Lottery on Tuesday.