Road trip to Charlotte for WWAY; Buzz Peterson explains his new job with NBA Charlotte Hornets

CHARLOTTE, NC (WWAY) — For a variety of reasons Buzz Peterson appears to be more relaxed in Charlotte working with the NBA Charlotte Hornets than he did as the head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington. We recently made a road trip to Time Warner Arena in Charlotte in order to get an inside look at what Buzz Peterson does for the Hornets.

“I enjoy it my job, I am thankful for the opportunity that Michael has given me and Rich Cho our GM, it’s been a lot of fun really,” Buzz Peterson told WWAY’s John Rendleman in Charlotte. “I’ve got my balance in the office sitting in on basketball meetings and talking with the basketball staff, Steve Clifford has been very flexible letting me come in there and listen to him. I knew Patrick Ewing and Mark Price before, so we keep that relationship going. Also I go up to the front office and I talk with Rich Cho and Patrick Buchanan our assistant GM about potential trades and just what’s going on everyday, it’s just a lot of fun.”

“Now your actual title is?”

“I just try to stay out of the way really, my actual title is a scout, but what I actually do is I look at a lot of 2015 free agents and I watch our team and I give input to Michael and to let him know what’s going on there and kinda a link from the coaching staff to the front office. I try to help out the coaching staff for whatever they need. If something needs to be relayed to the front office, then I’ll relay it.”

“This team is more than double digits below 500 right now. Are you guys more long range with your job or short term?”

“We felt like this year was going to be a good year for us, but you never know about injuries. We’ve had our case of injuries, that’s hurt us a little bit there. We still have time to go. We need to start turning this thing around as soon as we can.”

“How much do you see MJ on a daily/weekly basis?”

“Oh, he’s in and out a lot. Most owners are not around a whole lot. They come in for games here and there. It’s not like we talk everyday, but we do interact.” One of the players Buzz Peterson and Hornets owner Michael Jordan like to talk about is former UNC Tar Heel P.J. Hairston, a Hornets rookie whose glad to have Buzz Peterson in his corner. “He’s a big influence on me because,” Hairston told WWAY. “He obviously has a lot of confidence in me. He tells me to keep shooting and my shot will fall and when I wasn’t actually playing at the beginning of the year he told me that my time was coming and to just be ready.”

For a variety of reasons Buzz Peterson appears to be more relaxed in Charlotte, than he did as the head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington, and Buzz will even admit the reason why. “There’s a lot less pressure, I can tell you that, I’m not dependent on an 18 year old making a decision. I’m enjoying myself a bit more and trying to take care of myself and I get a chance to see my son Rob play at Charlotte Christian and spend more time with the family because the travel is not that bad.”

After a victory on Wednesday night Charlotte now has a three game winning streak.