After parting ways with Steve Clifford this summer, the Charlotte Hornets will interview Charles Lee, the assistant head coach of the Boston Celtics, for the position of head coach, according to a report published by Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. Clifford is going to take up a front desk position.
In addition, last month, Mitch Kupchak resigned as general manager of Charlotte while Michael Jordan sold Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall his majority stake in the franchise. Plotkin then hired Jeff Peterson from the Nets as one of the finalists, along with Celtics executive Austin Ainge. Peterson will evaluate Suns No. 2 Kevin Young, Heat coach Chris Quinn, and Kings assistant Julián Fernandez alongside Lee. These players are all well-liked contenders for prior openings and are eager for their first chance.
After failing to make the cut during Mike Budenholzer’s time as head coach of the Spurs, Lee, an NBA coach since 2014, got his start under the coach and traveled through Atlanta and Milwaukee. Following their joint 2021 championship victory, Brad Stevens resigned to become president, and Lee became a viable candidate for the Celtics’ unfilled coaching position.Ime Udoka beat out Lee, Chauncey Billups, and other applicants to get the job. After spending two seasons back with the Bucks, Lee just missed out on becoming the head coach of the Pistons.Late in the race, Monty Williams overcame Lee and Kevin Ollie to win.
After losing to Adrian Griffin in the first round, Milwaukee fired Budenholzer. Adrian Griffin was reportedly a favorite of Giannis Antetokounmpo, thus Milwaukee benched Lee, who Boston had coveted to replace Joe Mazzulla after almost all of Udoka’s previous staff left over two years earlier.With the entrance of John Holiday and his preexisting connection with Al Horford from Atlanta, the unit saw a return to stability under Sam Cassell and Lee. Additionally, he exuded a boisterous and affable personality that has drawn comparisons to legendary Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
Horford remarked, “His leadership has been great.” “He is just a guy who enjoys competing.” He shares that with the group, and he has contributed significantly to our work here. He expresses his opinion and has provided us with some excellent insight, so I think it is gone very smoothly. He always sees things clearly. possesses a strong sense of the game and fits in well with the group, Joe, and the coaching staff. Those people have a good network. It felt like he had been working with us for a few years, and I never feel like there is a break from the beginning since September when we all moved here. It has been that good.
The position he would take on with the Hornets is both exciting and challenging. After acquiring Brandon Miller, who is expected to finish third in the rookie of the year vote and is one of the finest players in last year’s class, Charlotte will almost certainly choose in the top five again.LaMelo Ball has two seasons left when he combined to play 58 games, but his potential is still high and gets smaller with each passing injury.This summer, Miles Bridges becomes an unrestricted free agent. Following them, it becomes difficult to identify building bricks on the roster; Mark Williams is an intriguing young center, and Grant Williams, who arrived in February, proved he might be a valuable depth player.
Over the previous two years, Clifford led them to a 45-102 record. He is back to serve as a stopgap between James Borrego and the next player in line. Under Borrego, Charlotte has advanced to the play-in twice before their current slump. A decade of draft misfortune, which culminated in the selection of James Bouknight at No. 11 overall in 2021, has harmed the franchise’s long-term viability. Bridges’ horrifying accusations of domestic abuse in 2022 destroyed his promising career.
In a small market, where he is coaching a young club and benefits from cap space utilization alongside a first-time general manager, Lee makes sense. Quinn, a former Erik Spoelstra backup, seems like the obvious pick to take over for a team that has an opening in the near future. Fernandez came close to joining the Toronto Raptors. Young was given the opportunity to replace Williams in Phoenix prior to Frank Vogel becoming available.
After losing out on Wes Unseld Jr. and Jackie Vaughn in the middle of the season, Washington and Brooklyn will probably look for new head coaches this offseason. Though they should be watched, Portland and Chicago will most likely remain unaltered by the Billups and Billy Donovan. Given Boston’s success, it will be interesting to see whether Cassell, who has previously been considered for a head coaching position elsewhere, piques the interest of any of those teams.Among the current Celtics roster, DJ MacLeay and Tony Dobbins have also achieved success over a number of years.
If Milwaukee’s erratic play persists, their situation might also become intriguing; nevertheless, with all of their outstanding debt, it seems unlikely that they will appoint a fourth head coach in three years. Lee has seen that franchise before.
“Lee is one of those guys, it is no secret,” Horford remarked. “It will only be a matter of time until he is in a position to become a head coach.” We are loving every second of the season with him, and he is been fantastic. He has just added a great deal to our group—a great deal of experience and confidence.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply