I figured it was about time to make a post about Coach Lee. Yeah, the injuries aren’t his fault, which makes it impossible to properly assess. Despite this fact, I’ve seen enough from Lee this year to raise my eyebrows. Really odd end of game rotations and some poor decision making. I still don’t understand his offensive philosophy.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned. Obviously this season isn’t his fault and I did not have high hopes after the Melo and Miller injuries. And part of this is a personal bias-this new generational trend of ultra positive coaching rubs me the wrong way. I think that’s insincere leadership.
Having said, I’d give Coach Lee a 4/10 on my concern meter. Whereas, I’ve seen enough to raise an eyebrow but I’m going to hold off on making too much meaning out of it-yet. But it’s on my radar.
I just don’t think I can make a valid argument for or against him at this point because I think we are still tanking this year. If we are not tanking and leaning on evaluating our young talent then I do have some concerns for sure
He’s super positive in public, but he could be fiery during practice. I’ve known plenty of people who can seem like the most charismatic, great humans that can change tone behind closed doors (not necessarily bad - like Luke Kuechly is the nicest human outside the lines, but put pads on him and he becomes a maniac who’s sole mission is to destroy any moving object).
I also can’t really evaluate his coaching, because you might have a certain package for particular players that you can’t run because they’re constantly out of the lineup. To that, he’s not as adjustable to dynamic changes as you’d hope, but he’s also only in his second year, so maybe hasn’t learned or developed when to pull the on the reins.
Also, since I’ve seen it mentioned a few times in the chats, Coach Lee is not the one yelling out the countdown every possession, that would be absurd. It’s the guy with the mask on, he pulls it down then starts bellowing out the clock. It’s so amateurish, I’d be insulted if i was on the Hornets. I get it for summer league or even preseason, but they are professionals, they should know how the gd shot clock works. No other team does this, even in college.
Its a 7/10 for me. Far too many times i feel like we have lost game due to coaching. Obviously its his second year as head coach and not every coach looks like a homerun to start. I just havent seen anything that really impresses me so far
Im hesitant to weigh in one way or another big picture = because again injuries. Go Bugs!
But ive been getting more frustrated w/ coaching & rotations lately. Last night being the biggest mark. A 12-13 point late in the 3rd & nothing was really done to stop the bleeding as it was getting chiseled down. Topping it off with the no emotion call reversal situ.
I do wonder what this team would look like with a tougher coach like Thibs. We’re a young team - so probably wouldn’t be as impactful as the Knicks scenario - but I wonder if the tone of complacency would disappear.
To me the whole “Hornet DNA” thing currently seems to lack toughness.
Plus defense was way better last year. That was a big part of what impressed me last year. Cobbled lineups - but still decent defensive production considering the constant churning of the roster.
I also get the feelings that Charlotte is a schedule date on other teams where they can play at about 70% hang and steal a win. It just seems like every game looks like a summer open gym run.
Yes, that’s probably me complaining about it ad nauseam in the game chats. I cannot stand it. I noticed it over the summer league and thought “well, it’s young guys in the summer league and that’s probably a helpful verbal cue for guys.” Or, “well maybe there’s an issue with the clocks in summer league”….or something.
And then it continued into real regular season basketball games…I cannot fathom a coach doing this for professionals. So insulting.
If he just yelled, “FIVE” to get everyone’s attention that the shot clock is down to 5 seconds-sure I can deal with that. But the whole countdown every single time…and then wearing a mask and taking it down to yell? Oh dude cmon. Major eye roll.
Charles Lee was my favorite coaching hire the Hornets ever made, I still have confidence in him and would be completely against firing him before at least giving him a third season. It’s clear something on this team has to be shaken up though, we’ve had some players make great individual strides but as a collective we’ve been stagnant for years and it feels like there is no immediate answer to our woes.
If only the team had the same Hornets DNA that Drew Peterson has. When I see Drew Pete play…. He just oozes out that DNA . That’s what it seems like Coach Lee needs.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for firing Lee or any sort of “hot seat” sentiment. I just think that we are starting to have enough body of work to notice some trends and concerns. He’s a young coach, and I think a good coach with a lot of potential, and he’ll continue to improve. I just felt like it was the time to open the conversation about coach lee, because I can’t be the only one who has questions.
But with all the continuous injuries, it’s impossible to make some sort of judgement anyways. I don’t think Phil Jackson, Spo, Kerr, Dean Smith, or coach K could make this shit storm of bullshit work.
Anyways, I thought it was time for a thread to keep tabs on this as the season progresses.