00:00:00
Speaker 1: Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ back on a Tuesday. We got a corn and said Coach Charles Lee hanging out with us here on media day as we are getting close to the start of a new basketball season. Coach, what's going on, man?
00:00:12
Speaker 2: How are you? I'm doing phenomenal. So glad the season's starting. So glad that we get to have this opportunity to catch up. It's been a long offseason, so can't wait to get to work. This group's been phenomenal all offseason, and we're looking forward to the journey ahead.
00:00:25
Speaker 1: Seems like you got a lot of guys hitting the weight room. It looks like you have been, too. You know what?
00:00:29
Speaker 2: I picked up tennis this off season.
00:00:31
Speaker 1: Did you really?
00:00:31
Speaker 2: And it required me to actually have to start training a little bit different. So, like, I am feeling a little fit. Yeah, a little fit. And because I've actually been more consistent, the weight room has been packed. And there's been a lot of trash talking in the weight room. Really? Our performance staff has put up a leaderboard. It's been good. It's been healthy. Everyone's pushing each other. And you can tell that what we learned from the previous season is definitely had a bearing on us going into the offseason, and I think guys are trying to address that physicality issue. Love it.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Well, you just emphasized the word healthy, so we got to talk about health for a second. We got news. I guess this was on Friday. We're in the middle of a show. We see the breaking news come down that both Khan and Grant Williams have hamstring issues right now. I got to say the first joke everybody made was, was it a potato sack race? Was it a three-legged relay? Like how did these guys, you know, too soon, too soon. Okay.
00:01:19
Speaker 2: All right. All right.
00:01:20
Speaker 1: So anyway, like, how are they, what happened? What's your outlook for this? You know, cause again, Hornets fans said, Oh God, are you kidding me like that? Why is this happening? So what's your message to them?
00:01:29
Speaker 2: It's unfortunate. Both have had like really good summers, really consistent summers. Obviously there's not a timeline on it right now. And, uh, both are in great spirits. Both are focused on what they can do right now, uh, to not only help themselves during this like rehab process, but also focused on what they can do to help our team. Um, and, and I know that whenever they are back on the court, they're going to add to our group in a lot of different ways and they're going to have a huge impact. Um, I think with our performance, but also from a leadership standpoint.
00:02:00
Speaker 1: As well, I'm looking at a guy across the way here, Liam McNeely. Um, It seemed like he finished the season pretty strong last year. Then he had a strong summer league as well. That was one of, you know, on Friday, again, just when people heard the news, you know, and they're reacting, one of the first things that I saw people pivot to was, well, hey, at least Liam's around for now. Liam looked strong at the end of last year. Good summer league. What have you seen so far from him?
00:02:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, as you look over there right now, look at him right there trying to palm that ball. Like, there's just so much more strength. But I think that he's done a great job of just attacking every day, being ready for his opportunity. We went into summer league and try to push them in a couple of different areas. One of the defensive things that we hit them with is like, what is your defense and defensive impact going to be on the ball, off the ball? We need you more engaged. We need you a little bit more active. And I thought he, he answered the bell. He answered the challenge. And then offensively, he's got to have a shot first mentality, you know, catch it, shoot it. When you are space, that's kind of like what our offense, we, we, we do a great job of creating uncontested shots and you got to take it. And if you miss one, I need you to have a next play mentality. And if you're open again, and that's what the game calls for, shoot it again. And I thought he did that in summer league. And then he saw once he all of a sudden is shooting and making and having that mindset, it opened up the rest of the floor for him. He got to the free throw line. He was able to drive the ball. He's a really good passer. And so it's continued in September. I think his confidence continues to grow. His teammates believe in him, and it'll be a fun camp for him to try to earn an opportunity to work his way into that rotation.
00:03:28
Speaker 1: Hornets head coach Charles Lee hanging out with us here at Media Day. We got good news this morning. Brandon Miller feeling good, cleared for training camp, going to be ready to start as you guys get underway here. How limited was he last year with what he was playing through? Just having done this a long time, you're not going to make excuses in real time. He's not going to make excuses for himself in real time. So I know that. But now after the fact, we can look back and see that he played the entire season with a shoulder wrap on. Clearly there was some instability there. Like, how much did he play through and how limited was he at times last season?
00:03:59
Speaker 2: I'm proud of Brandon. I thought that, you know, once diagnosed with the injury, there was a mindset from him that he wanted to be out there, whatever it was going to take. I think that he went double time on all his prehab efforts and whatever he had to do before the weight room, before practice, and he was on top of it. And he felt like the shoulder was getting stronger. I think that he wanted to be out there competing with his teammates, like, it's another area in which I think our team grew last year where we didn't let the little nicks of the season bother us, and we wanted to play through it. And because of that, it created a mindset amongst everyone, and it's contagious that, like, no, we fight through a little bit of stuff withstanding something very serious. And so I'm really proud of how he approached that. You know, once he's had surgery, I thought that he came out of that with, like, a different– focus a different intention how he came in this building every day and it paid dividends because now as we head to training camp he's able to get back on the court.
00:04:56
Speaker 1: So you know again I've been around a while and most years that I've been here you go into a season thinking you got a pretty good feel for what a roster is going to be and I know you do but like we had Del Curry in studio on Friday Del and I were talking about the big announcement that those guys are back this year Thank goodness.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Love that. Big time news.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: Just go there then real quick. How great is it to have those guys back?
00:05:15
Speaker 2: It's amazing. Great ambassadors for the team. Yeah, ambassadors for the team. How they broadcast the show. there's a joy, there's an excitement, there's an energy to how they do it. They're knowledgeable when they're around our building, they add to it. So like you said, in so many ways, I'm just glad to see those guys signed back up.
00:05:34
Speaker 1: I agree. They're smart.
00:05:35
Speaker 2: They're fun.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: I don't think you could ask for much more as a basketball fan to get that from your broadcast, but we got to talking about the roster and, you know, last week the news breaks, Hey, the Hornets just traded for Buddy Heald and Ryan Nembhardt. And then all of a sudden, you know, the folks that cover this league are saying, yeah, I don't think they're sticking around though. And you do another deal. So my point is, I think you have 17 guys, 18 with Pat, a non-guaranteed contract for 15 roster spots. How clear in your mind is the roster situation right now, and where do you think this goes over the next couple of weeks?
00:06:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting to camp. Like you said, we have some things that are up in the air in terms of minutes to be won, positions to be won. But I think that's what makes it fun is that there are some, because of injuries, because of some of the roster turnover, And because we have so much roster depth and versatility that anyone can play on any given night. And I'm looking forward to the competition that will come about in camp. Myself and the coaching staff will have some tough decisions to make. But these guys make it hard. They make it hard because they're talented. They make it hard because they're competitive. And we got to figure out what are the right pieces to put out on the court to give us the best chance to win every night.
00:06:41
Speaker 1: I've joked a handful of times. I don't know that I'm joking, though, that it seems like this team could challenge for the most three-pointers hoisted during a regular season. You've been around a lot of good teams. Obviously, you've been in systems where shooting is emphasized. Where does this roster stack up with some of the best shooting rosters you've been around?
00:06:56
Speaker 2: It's up there towards the top. You know, I addressed the team today. It's one of the more exciting teams that I've ever been a part of because I think that there's so much room to grow for so many people. I think we can play a lot of different ways. We've got some guys that have historically been just scorers, and now we have an opportunity to make them all-around players. But I am so hyped to get started here because, like you said, we've got so many weapons, but we've got to go out and earn it every night. Nothing's going to be given to us.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: I'm going to sit down with Kobe White, I guess, here in a little bit, and really looking forward to that. But, you know, the conversation this offseason has been, LaMelo got traded, Kobe's sticking around, he's going to start a point guard for you guys, it seems like. So, I guess for some people, the expectation is, well, Kobe's got to replace that production. Kobe's got to be the guy to step up and fill that hole. What's your message to him? How are you coaching him up to take on this role in Charlotte this year?
00:07:51
Speaker 2: Kobe, Kobe White. The role will look like Kobe White wants it to look like. There's a reason why We wanted to go out and trade for him last year. We love his player profile. We love who he is as a person. The offense will look a little bit different, but it will look the way Kobe White wants it to look, or all the guys surrounding Kobe White. He doesn't need to try to replace anybody that was there before, and I think that's the cool thing about him. He's looking forward to an expanded role. He's looking forward to running it back another year and having a better feel for the system, having a better feel for the guys around him. And I think he's going to be phenomenal, and I just want to keep reminding him, be you. And I know a lot of that has been scoring in the past, and we need him to go out and score and shoot and get to the free throw line and drive the ball and do all those things. And now you've got to mix in a couple more opportunities maybe where you are passing or you're thinking about who has the hot hand and stuff like that. But there are things that we're going to talk about throughout the whole year. I know he's going to keep getting better and better at it, and so he's got to have a little patience and grace for himself just like I will as well.
00:08:57
Speaker 1: Hornets head coach Charles Lee here with us at Hornets Media Day. If you can believe it, next week the preseason begins. It's pretty wild, right?
00:09:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. But it's exciting.
00:09:05
Speaker 1: Good to see you, buddy.
00:09:05
Speaker 2: All right, good times right now. Great to see you too.
Speaker 1: Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ back on a Tuesday. We got a corn and said Coach Charles Lee hanging out with us here on media day as we are getting close to the start of a new basketball season. Coach, what's going on, man?
00:00:12
Speaker 2: How are you? I'm doing phenomenal. So glad the season's starting. So glad that we get to have this opportunity to catch up. It's been a long offseason, so can't wait to get to work. This group's been phenomenal all offseason, and we're looking forward to the journey ahead.
00:00:25
Speaker 1: Seems like you got a lot of guys hitting the weight room. It looks like you have been, too. You know what?
00:00:29
Speaker 2: I picked up tennis this off season.
00:00:31
Speaker 1: Did you really?
00:00:31
Speaker 2: And it required me to actually have to start training a little bit different. So, like, I am feeling a little fit. Yeah, a little fit. And because I've actually been more consistent, the weight room has been packed. And there's been a lot of trash talking in the weight room. Really? Our performance staff has put up a leaderboard. It's been good. It's been healthy. Everyone's pushing each other. And you can tell that what we learned from the previous season is definitely had a bearing on us going into the offseason, and I think guys are trying to address that physicality issue. Love it.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Well, you just emphasized the word healthy, so we got to talk about health for a second. We got news. I guess this was on Friday. We're in the middle of a show. We see the breaking news come down that both Khan and Grant Williams have hamstring issues right now. I got to say the first joke everybody made was, was it a potato sack race? Was it a three-legged relay? Like how did these guys, you know, too soon, too soon. Okay.
00:01:19
Speaker 2: All right. All right.
00:01:20
Speaker 1: So anyway, like, how are they, what happened? What's your outlook for this? You know, cause again, Hornets fans said, Oh God, are you kidding me like that? Why is this happening? So what's your message to them?
00:01:29
Speaker 2: It's unfortunate. Both have had like really good summers, really consistent summers. Obviously there's not a timeline on it right now. And, uh, both are in great spirits. Both are focused on what they can do right now, uh, to not only help themselves during this like rehab process, but also focused on what they can do to help our team. Um, and, and I know that whenever they are back on the court, they're going to add to our group in a lot of different ways and they're going to have a huge impact. Um, I think with our performance, but also from a leadership standpoint.
00:02:00
Speaker 1: As well, I'm looking at a guy across the way here, Liam McNeely. Um, It seemed like he finished the season pretty strong last year. Then he had a strong summer league as well. That was one of, you know, on Friday, again, just when people heard the news, you know, and they're reacting, one of the first things that I saw people pivot to was, well, hey, at least Liam's around for now. Liam looked strong at the end of last year. Good summer league. What have you seen so far from him?
00:02:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, as you look over there right now, look at him right there trying to palm that ball. Like, there's just so much more strength. But I think that he's done a great job of just attacking every day, being ready for his opportunity. We went into summer league and try to push them in a couple of different areas. One of the defensive things that we hit them with is like, what is your defense and defensive impact going to be on the ball, off the ball? We need you more engaged. We need you a little bit more active. And I thought he, he answered the bell. He answered the challenge. And then offensively, he's got to have a shot first mentality, you know, catch it, shoot it. When you are space, that's kind of like what our offense, we, we, we do a great job of creating uncontested shots and you got to take it. And if you miss one, I need you to have a next play mentality. And if you're open again, and that's what the game calls for, shoot it again. And I thought he did that in summer league. And then he saw once he all of a sudden is shooting and making and having that mindset, it opened up the rest of the floor for him. He got to the free throw line. He was able to drive the ball. He's a really good passer. And so it's continued in September. I think his confidence continues to grow. His teammates believe in him, and it'll be a fun camp for him to try to earn an opportunity to work his way into that rotation.
00:03:28
Speaker 1: Hornets head coach Charles Lee hanging out with us here at Media Day. We got good news this morning. Brandon Miller feeling good, cleared for training camp, going to be ready to start as you guys get underway here. How limited was he last year with what he was playing through? Just having done this a long time, you're not going to make excuses in real time. He's not going to make excuses for himself in real time. So I know that. But now after the fact, we can look back and see that he played the entire season with a shoulder wrap on. Clearly there was some instability there. Like, how much did he play through and how limited was he at times last season?
00:03:59
Speaker 2: I'm proud of Brandon. I thought that, you know, once diagnosed with the injury, there was a mindset from him that he wanted to be out there, whatever it was going to take. I think that he went double time on all his prehab efforts and whatever he had to do before the weight room, before practice, and he was on top of it. And he felt like the shoulder was getting stronger. I think that he wanted to be out there competing with his teammates, like, it's another area in which I think our team grew last year where we didn't let the little nicks of the season bother us, and we wanted to play through it. And because of that, it created a mindset amongst everyone, and it's contagious that, like, no, we fight through a little bit of stuff withstanding something very serious. And so I'm really proud of how he approached that. You know, once he's had surgery, I thought that he came out of that with, like, a different– focus a different intention how he came in this building every day and it paid dividends because now as we head to training camp he's able to get back on the court.
00:04:56
Speaker 1: So you know again I've been around a while and most years that I've been here you go into a season thinking you got a pretty good feel for what a roster is going to be and I know you do but like we had Del Curry in studio on Friday Del and I were talking about the big announcement that those guys are back this year Thank goodness.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Love that. Big time news.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: Just go there then real quick. How great is it to have those guys back?
00:05:15
Speaker 2: It's amazing. Great ambassadors for the team. Yeah, ambassadors for the team. How they broadcast the show. there's a joy, there's an excitement, there's an energy to how they do it. They're knowledgeable when they're around our building, they add to it. So like you said, in so many ways, I'm just glad to see those guys signed back up.
00:05:34
Speaker 1: I agree. They're smart.
00:05:35
Speaker 2: They're fun.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: I don't think you could ask for much more as a basketball fan to get that from your broadcast, but we got to talking about the roster and, you know, last week the news breaks, Hey, the Hornets just traded for Buddy Heald and Ryan Nembhardt. And then all of a sudden, you know, the folks that cover this league are saying, yeah, I don't think they're sticking around though. And you do another deal. So my point is, I think you have 17 guys, 18 with Pat, a non-guaranteed contract for 15 roster spots. How clear in your mind is the roster situation right now, and where do you think this goes over the next couple of weeks?
00:06:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting to camp. Like you said, we have some things that are up in the air in terms of minutes to be won, positions to be won. But I think that's what makes it fun is that there are some, because of injuries, because of some of the roster turnover, And because we have so much roster depth and versatility that anyone can play on any given night. And I'm looking forward to the competition that will come about in camp. Myself and the coaching staff will have some tough decisions to make. But these guys make it hard. They make it hard because they're talented. They make it hard because they're competitive. And we got to figure out what are the right pieces to put out on the court to give us the best chance to win every night.
00:06:41
Speaker 1: I've joked a handful of times. I don't know that I'm joking, though, that it seems like this team could challenge for the most three-pointers hoisted during a regular season. You've been around a lot of good teams. Obviously, you've been in systems where shooting is emphasized. Where does this roster stack up with some of the best shooting rosters you've been around?
00:06:56
Speaker 2: It's up there towards the top. You know, I addressed the team today. It's one of the more exciting teams that I've ever been a part of because I think that there's so much room to grow for so many people. I think we can play a lot of different ways. We've got some guys that have historically been just scorers, and now we have an opportunity to make them all-around players. But I am so hyped to get started here because, like you said, we've got so many weapons, but we've got to go out and earn it every night. Nothing's going to be given to us.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: I'm going to sit down with Kobe White, I guess, here in a little bit, and really looking forward to that. But, you know, the conversation this offseason has been, LaMelo got traded, Kobe's sticking around, he's going to start a point guard for you guys, it seems like. So, I guess for some people, the expectation is, well, Kobe's got to replace that production. Kobe's got to be the guy to step up and fill that hole. What's your message to him? How are you coaching him up to take on this role in Charlotte this year?
00:07:51
Speaker 2: Kobe, Kobe White. The role will look like Kobe White wants it to look like. There's a reason why We wanted to go out and trade for him last year. We love his player profile. We love who he is as a person. The offense will look a little bit different, but it will look the way Kobe White wants it to look, or all the guys surrounding Kobe White. He doesn't need to try to replace anybody that was there before, and I think that's the cool thing about him. He's looking forward to an expanded role. He's looking forward to running it back another year and having a better feel for the system, having a better feel for the guys around him. And I think he's going to be phenomenal, and I just want to keep reminding him, be you. And I know a lot of that has been scoring in the past, and we need him to go out and score and shoot and get to the free throw line and drive the ball and do all those things. And now you've got to mix in a couple more opportunities maybe where you are passing or you're thinking about who has the hot hand and stuff like that. But there are things that we're going to talk about throughout the whole year. I know he's going to keep getting better and better at it, and so he's got to have a little patience and grace for himself just like I will as well.
00:08:57
Speaker 1: Hornets head coach Charles Lee here with us at Hornets Media Day. If you can believe it, next week the preseason begins. It's pretty wild, right?
00:09:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. But it's exciting.
00:09:05
Speaker 1: Good to see you, buddy.
00:09:05
Speaker 2: All right, good times right now. Great to see you too.
