Hornets' Players-Only Meeting Drama | Why Are things THIS Bad? | Can Charlotte Beat the Wizards?

[@Chief2112]

The loss of Grant Williams is way bigger than people realize. That and their inability to hit shots at a good clip is a huge part of their problem.

[@octoberbanks]

If ur missing grant willams ur organization is failing he’s not at top 50 role player

[@TheTlewis3074]

Players only meeting? good to hear. If they care enough to hold a special meeting hopefully they'll care enough to suit up and play. The culture of losing through tanking has taken hold of the team. Is there a switch they can flip once they get enough high draft picks to reverse that?

[@rhoward1978]

Happy holidays Doug and Walker - thanks for the content through the holidays, it’s appreciated. 🙏 here’s to a happy and healthy 2025 for all of us and hopefully the hornets too 🎉

[@WENOTMEPRODUCTIONS]

Shouldve hired a veteran coach

[@wandah8253]

Bingo! Also, should have assembled a better team and not passed on very promising draft prospects that were ready to play now versus drafting a project. It appears that the loser mindset hasn't been eliminated from this organization yet.

[@AMIGA79]

Cliff was very good and experienced. And he got to the heart of the matter: these players need to be motivated again and again, for whatever reason. Normally you have to kick out anyone who doesn't work their ass off one hundred percent. Of course, this is not possible for various reasons, bought or paid for playing minutes, countless injuries, failures like Kay Jones and NSJ... When you watch the games, you think they just want to be there instead of fighting. They have no compelling reason to want to win, it doesn't seem to make any difference. They lack the unconditional will. And if I'm wrong, and they are currently playing with full commitment and unconditional will, then they are simply too bad for this league, throw them all out. You can't make eagles out of budgies.

[@Romanian_Knight1]

Charles is much better than Clifford but we shall see man, I really want them to do some good moves this trade deadline.

[@straydogg1776]

Silver lining some teams have to tank a season we do it naturally 😢

[@chirocket4791]

Losing to the Wiz would confirm how bad this team is.

[@EDubbz17]

They already have

[@BigTree301]

*confirmed

[@sonicanimemarvel3734]

We already have

[@raphaellaruy0324]

@@EDubbz17 talking about the game that Charles Lee only let LaMelo play 24 minutes 😂

[@raphaellaruy0324]

Charles Lee is gone he needs to go his rookie mistakes happen to frequently

[@josuerubio6748]

Maybe they do need lonzo for the leader and someone who keeps order on the court then lamelo would be able to really ball. But like doug said it doesn’t seem leadership cares about winning right now.

[@Teddzworth]

Lonzo would probably have more pull with keeping lamelo in line too

[@EDubbz17]

Dang doug, we need some more energy! GAME TIME!!

[@LeevMyNameOut]

He has a baby

[@sneddsnedd]

ROCKET MONEY!

[@EDubbz17]

@LeevMyNameOut i know... babies don't wake up to every sound lol.

[@melomanace3415]

Their collective iq with lamelo at the helm is a net negative.

[@westrueblood8178]

Exactly. He often plays such unserious basketball, which is contagious, unfortunately.

[@vincentseidle954]

Lamelo isn't serious enough to head up this team. This team has no idenentity and i don't think Melo gives a shit about winning or losing. Dude is getting paid regardless

[@andrewnufc9688]

Great podcast Doug, I’m from England and planning to watch the game tonight against the Wizards. Hopefully we can show some positive signs 🏀

[@wandah8253]

I don't understand why, in your analysis, you don't mention that there's tape now of the Hornets for the Rockets to view and study. I wouldn't be surprised if Ime Udoka figured out Charles Lee's very basic offensive sets and absolutely knew what to plan for and as long as the Rockets double team LaMelo, they don't care who else on the team shoots because they've figured that 9 or 8 out of 10 times the ball isn't going in the net. Ime said in his pregame presser that LaMelo is the 'head of the snake' and they were going to stop the 'head of the snake'.

[@derricklofton9946]

Not to mention we’ve already beaten the Rockets this season

[@millyrockmike3201]

This the organization fault ! Terrible pick for a coach ! The org never got a big after seeing mark’s injury obviously is serious ! Now the players have to rein each other in order to make it thru the season !

[@masonfine6879]

Is it possible that we get trades going early in trade season, or would we wait until the trade deadline to make moves?

[@vincentseidle954]

What trades? Only thing we can do is trade Melo or bridges or mark for draft capital. Or we'll just end up getting back bad players, old players or a bad contract

[@CarolinaBoyTV]

I’d be happy if we get the 1 pick

[@raphaellaruy0324]

I just had an epiphany. Why hasn’t Walker asked Charles Lee why he hasn’t played LaMelo Ball through the first quarter in all honesty walker is closer to Lee as we are closer to you guys on this podcast as you’re listener and a person who’s a Charlotte Hornets fan because of his grandparentsso I’m a third generation Charlotte Hornets fan and a two generation New York Knick fan one of this although that doesn’t have any relevance my point being I want Charlotte to win as much as I want the Knicks to win Charles Lee is not doing that by sitting his star player down in the first quarter when he’s trying to get a respectable lead, he keeps counting on role players to do a job that they were not meant to do He thinks he’s the super coach when he’s really not even average.

[@1king_kat908]

Preach!

[@unology1]

We do a players-only meeting every year. Glad that they're continuing it after Terry left.

[@neu7773]

How'd it work out? 😅

[@AMIGA79]

These players have no goal. It's a bunch of over-saturated contract players who seem to need constant motivation. Cliff has run out of steam, and he was just right about everything. To be competitive, you'd have to clone Moussa, KJ, DaQuan and similar characters. Nick Richards will stay 50-50 forever, commit stupid fouls forever, park pointlessly at the three-point line. Mark is obviously never going to throw, I mean he's had a whole year to practice now, right? Last but not least, the constant rotation due to new injuries, especially Lamelos, prevents you from team building. Not forgetting Grant, who is simply missing a lot. Everyone else plays as if they've been around for 1-2 years in the league, their technical and mental development has stagnated. They are big boys with too much money who occasionally feel like playing basketball. We would need full grown men instead, with real balls. And as much as I like Cody, he like Richards will always be a gamble, you might as well flip a coin if these guys screw up the open layup right under the basket again, or don't catch the ball, or commit stupid fouls (except Codys great defense). It doesn't get any better. That's simply not professional. Either the new coaches are just as weak as the previous ones, or the team should simply be chased down the chimney. Throw them all out, they have no place in the league.

[@worldofchristv1182]

We are the laughing stock of the NBA. How can they be proud of that? I know if I was the laughing stock in my profession I’d do whatever I could to change that or switch careers

[@spartacus9008]

Charlotte Hornets are a joke of an organisation. No reason this many players should be getting injured... Questions regarding training staff and medical. Coaching and player development sucks. Charles Lee is a joke. Ridiculous rotations and doesn't maximize any of his players. Amazing how whenever Hornets players leave they thrive and do much better elsewhere. Charlotte Hornets is not an attractive destinations for free agents or stars... Seen as a graveyard. Lamelo's talents are wasted there and unfortunately seems Brandon Miller will waste away there.... PJ Washington is a new man getting out of Dodge and going to the promised land with Mavericks. Lamelo might have to take a similar path if he wants a chance of sniffing playoffs.

[@VaporFox25]

Why don't you just stick to the LaMelo podcasts? Those probably would suit you better. This is an entirely newly run organization that is shedding a lot of bad habits and practices to transform into something much better. I have been very happy with the changes the ownership and new management has made. To think of where we would be if we had Michael Jordan still at the helm... We have come a long way, but it is still a work in progress. Once motivation is back and the team is able to capitalize on the talent, we will be winning much more often. I personally would like Melo to be apart of that.

[@Pabz09]

⁠@@VaporFox25dude, the team is literally were they were during jordan’s stewardship, languishing in or around rock bottom - the new leadership should have hired a hard-nosed veteran coach - you cant have this many young players with a culture of losing and place them under a coach who has never coached at this level - there is a massive gulf between being an assistant coach and a HEAD coach

[@sfran00793]

Players getting injured is a criticism?…

[@VaporFox25]

@@Pabz09 there is no coach in the NBA that could work with what Charles Lee has gotten and do better. We have had too many injuries to be remotely competitive. Now that we are getting a healthy team back together I believe we will be better, but to blame this on the coach is too far fetched my friend. New coaches have to learn things too, and I have seen that from Charles. Thinking that you can always be positive is rookie coaching mistake number one lol. He still has the knowledge and leadership we need for this team, but he has had his work cut out for him!

[@GoldenChills]

The fact that they're already having "player only meetings" means you have to blow this up already, which is insane this new front office is completely terrible, they have the same feel as the Jordan era.

[@calvinlewis6049]

We need some trades? LaMelo, B Mill, Grant Williams off the table?

[@octoberbanks]

Grant can go why are hornet fans so stuck on him

[@idonttext9783]

get a pay cut if your hurt would get buns on the court

[@christopherzeller2098]

The coach is the problem... we have good young players that can compete for top 6. The moment Lee took melo out in the last minutes closing game, thats when the hornets lost their confidence. Ever since that game, the games are not the same anymore. Its all a shit show, another coach who doesnt let the main player ball

[@tonydavis2936]

Where you get off calling the Houston Coach Crazy? Who The Hell Are You Albert Einstein??

[@chirocket4791]

Another dismal season. Fans trying hard to find bright spots here and there to keep hope alive.

[@GoldenChills]

Why are you trying to find " Bright spots" instead of demanding for better or you stop supporting this dumpster fire of an org?

[@mrblue3525]

I hate solo episodes

[@therealdg4458]

Shouldnt have let goof steve clifford he wasnt the best but he def better than lee… this mf goes 12 deep into his roster by the 5 min mark in the 1st qrt… his rotations r terrible we were better lass year with less

[@MarcoNoire]

They want a chance at cooper miller Melo Move bridges

[@petekreamer4492]

get josh green the eff outta here!!!! omg he plays 30 min a night and does nothing. his stats stand out like a turd in a punchbowl man you gotta get that dude outta here. he did zero the other night.....if he doesn't understand 3 reb in 30 min doesn't work when you don't score?? gotta go man

[@lozzzzy]

G-Dub get well soon ❤️‍🩹