CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Charlotte Bobcats have received permission from the Boston Celtics to interview general manager Chris Wallace for the same job with the expansion team.

Wallace is on a short list of about four candidates Charlotte wants to interview for the GM position. One name missing from that group is Isiah Thomas, fired last month as coach of the Indiana Pacers.

The other candidates believed to be on the list of potential general managers are Gary Brokaw, former director of player personnel in Orlando, John Hammond, vice president of basketball operations in Detroit, and Bernie Bickerstaff, an in-house candidate who is already general manager of the WNBA’s Sting.

The team did not start looking for a general manager until two weeks ago after Michael Jordan decided he did not want to join the Bobcats.

Up until then, owner Bob Johnson had been holding out hope that Jordan would come aboard as either a partial owner or team president.

Once he officially declined, Tapscott hit the ground running.

He has already spoken at least once to Brokaw, but has not had a formal interview with him.

Bickerstaff, a former NBA coach who was also general manager in Denver, should have a solid shot at the job but has not formally interviewed.

Tapscott, who said he sent Bickerstaff on a much-needed vacation after the Sting wrapped up their season, already has a solid working relationship with him as they scrambled to begin the WNBA season.

AP-ES-09-15-03 1956EDT