Charles Lee won't have a short leash with the Charlotte Hornets

It was an awful first year for Charles Lee.

Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee gestures to his team during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

It was a pretty disastrous first year for Charles Lee as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. Some of it wasn't his fault, as the roster proved to be somewhat threadbare and there were injuries that kept arguably the three best players out for more than 30 games each.

Still, hiring a new coach, new GM, and getting new ownership only to get worse and only win 19 games is pretty disappointing, no matter what. None of it seemed to suggest that the Hornets had a great coach, or that he should be excluded from discussing what should go.

Regardless, Lee's leash in Charlotte won't be a short one. The franchise has been a disaster for several years, and impatient teams and organizations might want to restart when things don't go well. The fact that coaches like Mike Malone are available might only add to that.

But Lee isn't going to be fired now, and he's probably not going to be fired in the near future, either. There's a cautionary tale about being impatient with hiring and firing coaches right nearby: the Carolina Panthers.

Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee applauds his team during first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In 2023, Frank Reich was fired after going 1-11 with a rookie quarterback. In 2024, Dave Canales took over and was just the latest in a long line of coaches. Canales started 1-7, and the QB had been benched. But they learned this time, giving him some time, and he got better, as did the team. They determined eventually that he was the coach of the future.

The Hornets could try again without Lee. While the Panthers were ultimately right in firing Reich because he was an awful coach, they should look at what happened when they finally did give a coach a longer leash. The Hornets should emulate that, because bad and toxic franchises turn coaches over like that. Yes, the Hornets have been a bad franchise, but veering into that toxic territory would not help them get better.

Maybe Lee isn't the answer, and he's just going to be fired in a few years anyway. That might be the case, but Charlotte has to give him time to find out. Plus, in the NBA, coaches matter a little less in the NFL, so they should give Lee a competent roster and a little bit of time before rendering the verdict on his coaching abilities.

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