Gerald Wallace was trying to do some Christmas shopping when he was informed that Larry Brown had stepped down as the coach of the Bobcats.

"It was a surprise to me. It's something you totally didn't see coming," Wallace said.

Charlotte has struggled to begin the season, opening with a 9-19 record despite playoff aspirations.

"I'm surprised it wasn't a call for me going someplace else," guard Stephen Jackson said. "We were playing so bad I knew something was going to happen."

Both Jackson and Wallace praised Brown for the work he did individually with both players.

"We're definitely going to miss coach Brown, but we have to take just as much blame as anybody for not playing well and causing coach Brown to leave," Jackson said.