AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > April > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWoodson can’t be blamed for Hawks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
This ongoing disaster called the Hawks is the fault of everybody involved with the ownership and management of Atlanta Spirit, LLC.
Well, everybody not named Mike Woodson.
In other words, Bob Knight was correct three years ago when he wrote me that letter on Texas Tech stationery to say of his favorite player during the Indiana portion of his career: “I think you will really enjoy Mike Woodson being there.”
Knight’s reference to “you” was meant for the enlightened — those back then, and those right now when it comes to understanding the mess that Woodson inherited. Imagine the reincarnation of the two Reds (Holtzman and Auerbach). Now clone them with Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. That combination still wouldn’t have spent this season keeping another disjointed group of Hawks from ending with 50-something losses and more questions than answers.
The Hawks mercifully finished their season Tuesday night at virtually empty Philips Arena against the Indiana Pacers. As usual, the Hawks played hard, because Woodson won’t settle for less. It often hasn’t mattered. This time, the Hawks’ diligence turned into a 118-102 victory after spending Monday night in Milwaukee as 102-96 losers to the ghastly Bucks.
Woodson got sick before the Bucks game, presumably from food poisoning and not from coaching one of the NBA’s worst teams. Take it from Michael Gearon Sr., nearly 30 years into serving the Hawks as everything from general manager to chairman of the board. “The question you have to ask yourself is, are the players improving under his coaching?” said Gearon, now among the Hawks’ nine owners. “The answer is that there isn’t a guy on this team who has played better anyplace else, and that includes a veteran like Tyronn Lue. You look and you see that Mike has all of these projects, and every one of them has consistently gotten better.”
The two Joshes (Smith and Childress), along with the two Williamses (Marvin and Shelden). Zaza Pachulia, considered as worthless in Milwaukee as stale beer. Even Joe Johnson, now an All-Star, who was just another good player in Phoenix.
This is the same Woodson who would have succeeded his NBA mentor, Larry Brown, as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. The timing just wasn’t right. With an opening in Atlanta during the summer of 2004, and with Brown spending another year coaching a championship-caliber team, Woodson left as Brown’s assistant to take his first head coaching job. He has grown with that job, and he’ll continue to do so, either here or elsewhere.
So this is encouraging news for those around the dwindling Hawks Nation who want their team to have its best chance to join the living again: Despite serving as coach during the last three of the Hawks’ eight-consecutive seasons as a lottery bunch, Woodson will return for at least a fourth season as head coach.
Won’t he?
“I appreciate what he’s done, and I really think we do as an organization,” Gearon said. “It’s a very difficult challenge. I mean, he had a kid out of high school in Josh Smith, and a couple of rookies. You can’t expect him to knock people dead, because you don’t have a team that is as mature as an expansion team. You’re starting as close to ground zero as you can.”
Makes sense to me. So do the other eight owners (minus Steve Belkin, who is suing his colleagues for control of the team) agree with Gearon and myself? “I haven’t seen anything to the contrary so far,” said Gearon, who nevertheless admitted next season is the key for Woodson.
There were a slew of injuries this season that kept damaging the Hawks’ projected rotation. Still, here was their biggest problem: a ridiculously flawed roster, which was the fault of Billy Knight, their general manager. Among other horrors, Knight acquired three backup point guards after failing to draft either Chris Paul or Deron Williams, both available at the time, both prospering elsewhere.
Knight picks them.
Woodson just coaches them.
Permalink | Comments (40) | Categories: Hawks / NBA, Terence Moore
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By kaiser
April 17, 2007 11:59 PM | Link to this
This is actually a good article about the hawks with some very good points. I am shocked because it was written by Terence Moore.
props on the article!
By vdunkndunk
April 18, 2007 12:10 AM | Link to this
I basically think it’s impossible to tell if Woody is a good coach or not. He hasn’t really exceeded my expectations given the roster he’s had to work with, but he hasn’t really disappointed, either.
I think he’s been adequate at the very least, although he hasn’t been great. To me the biggest thing is that the team plays hard most nights, even though they also lose most nights. Basically, they never really seemed to quit on him, which is impressive.
But as far as evaulating his performance, I don’t know if I’d put as much stock into this idea that he’s doing a good job because the young guys are improving.
Aren’t young guys supposed to improve? Isn’t that what generally happens? And what about Boris Diaw? He looked like garbage under Mike Woodson, and last season he looked like a borderline all-star.
By chuck
April 18, 2007 12:19 AM | Link to this
I agree. This team is a mess because of Billy Knight. He’s made a series of terrible player decisions. Just when does Billy plan if ever to get a point guard and a real center or at least a legimate power forward to play center?
By smartguy
April 18, 2007 12:44 AM | Link to this
No, No, No. While I agree that there is plenty of fault to go around (plenty to Spirit and Billy), the single person most responsible is Mike Woodson. The roster is far from perfect, and injuries were an issue, but nonetheless, the Hawks had plenty of chances to win more games and failed to do so, primarily do to coaching.
If the question is “has Woody developed players?” Then the answer is probably yes, and maybe he should stay. But, isn’t the NBA about wins? Three years into this, and little to show on the score board. Developing players is great if you’re the V.P. of Player Development, or an assistant coach, etc., but your number one job as a head coach is to win games, and Mike Woodson has come up way short on that time after time.
Poor lineups, subpar play design (especially on offense), lack of cohesiveness, and particularly bad decisions at crucial times have cost the Hawks many games.
For starters, Woody has failed to give the right guys the right minutes. Further, half of the team seems to be in his doghouse. He has had problems with Salim, Solomon, Smooth, Sheldon, Marvin and maybe more. To make it worse, he has let his personal feelings about players affect their playing time, especailly with Salim and Solomon.
Regardless of who seems to be on the court, we seem to struggle to score points on a consistent basis. The Hawks have played a predominantly half court set offense under Woody, while their personnel would probably favor a more up tempo, free flowing attack.
Beyond poor sets and plays, the Hawks often look more like individuals than a team. A lot of times the players are on different pages of the playbook, and some of them are out of it altogether. This is the responsibility of the head coach.
Despite all of this, the Hawks were actually in a position to win quite a few games that they lost. Again, this is the responsibility of the field general. Remember the game winner missed by Jeremy Richardson?
I’m sure that Woody is a nice guy, and I know he’ll be fine, but his time as the Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks has come to an end. If he wants to play victim from the cards he’s been dealt, then I certainly hope no one buys into it that much.
Best Wishes and Happy Trails. (and take your .277 winning percentage with you)
By smartguy
April 18, 2007 12:55 AM | Link to this
There were some questions about Iavaroni on the other blog, so here is a great article from SI.com:
(http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/ian_thomsen/03/28/iavaroni.coaches/index.html).
I think the best thing about him is balance, on many levels. He’ll have many suitors and a high price tag, but he would be awesome for us.
By Wedgie Evans
April 18, 2007 1:29 AM | Link to this
Eh… I wouldn’t say Woodson is completely undeserving of any blame. He is a poor offensive coach who runs predictable sets and doesn’t use his players to the best of their abilities.
I will agree that for the most part, his players have performed well individually after coming to Atlanta, with Tyronn Lue and Zaza Pachulia being the best examples. I think he’s a good motivator and knows how to relate to his players, which earns him respect in the locker room (Josh Smith’s occasional outbursts notwithstanding).
But as a team the Hawks don’t get to showcase their athleticism nearly enough. This should be a team that runs up and down the floor to compensate for their lack of a post presence. Instead, they settle for a half-court offense way too often.
It is unfair to put too much blame on Woodson, since Billy Knight has assembled such a dysfunctional roster. Knight can be excused for his first couple of years, when he was correctly clearing out salary, accumulating draft picks, and starting over. But with the exception of the Joe Johnson acquisition, his moves since the 2005 draft have all set this team back… particularly passing up Deron Williams and Chris Paul in the ‘05 draft. I’d still like to see what Woodson can do with a competitive roster featuring a solid presence at point guard and in the post.
By Hock
April 18, 2007 1:43 AM | Link to this
What crap from a second rate homer journalist. Of course Woodson can be blamed. If the Hawks can Woodson, do you seriously think any other franchise will ever hire him as a head coach? He’s a loser.
By vdunkndunk
April 18, 2007 2:00 AM | Link to this
The thing I often wonder is this: Does our offense look so bad because of Woody, or is it because we have the youngest team in the league, with no playmaking PG’s, and no real offensive low-post threat other than maybe some of our guards?
It’s probably some of both. Part of me thinks it would be hard for any coach to get a lot out of the Hawks offensively, and part of me thinks that if we had Nellie running the show we’d score over 100 points a game easily. We’d probably still lose way more often than we one, but at least it would be fun to watch that way.
And here’s one other side point: many Bucks fans were not surprised by the way Zaza has played in Atlanta. It was clear before we signed him that he was far from a stiff, that he crashed the offensive boards and was more fluid than you’d think.
It was also clear, however, that he didn’t crash the defensive boards, that he couldn’t block shots, and that he shot a low percentage from the field for a center. Basically, that’s what we expected from him, and that’s what we’ve gotten out of him. So I’m not all that convinced that Woody helped him immprove all that much, since he still has all the same strengths and all the same weaknesses.
Basically, I think mostly he just gets more minutes and is forced to carry more of the offensive load for this team, since he’s basically been our only center for the last two years.
By Andrew
April 18, 2007 2:10 AM | Link to this
Mike Woodsen was a shrewd hire three years ago and should maintain his position for the foreseeable future. Coach Woodie has many of the intangible skills necessary to succeed as an NBA coach: His resume as a player and assistant coach gives him credibilty with his players - very important for a young team. His professionalism and polish give him additional stature and respect. Also, his work ethic seperates from most young NBA coaches. Candidates possessing each of these attributes are hard to find. Most important is the manner in which he “fits” with this situation; he is growing as a coach as the team is developing. Because he is still developing as a head coach, he has tolerated a hideous ownership situation that a more established coach would not have; the pain and suffering would be wasted when that coach walked out the door. Woodie, though, hasn’t been perfect. Woodie will improve his offensive schemes - the right assistant could make a huge impact in this area. His large doghouse has justifiably been a concern: The Bobby Knight/Larry Brown approach will subside with more experience. We should appreciate what we have in Coach Woodsen. Like his team, he is on the cusp of realizing his enormous potential.
By mavid
April 18, 2007 2:33 AM | Link to this
basically, vdunkndunk said it all.
The biggest issue is our offensive structure. We either need an anchor at 5 and a pg that can effectively run a half-court set, or we need a system that takes advantage of the fact that guys like JJ, MW, JC, and JS can push the ball down the floor themselves.
Really, we need BK and Woody to be on the same page. Get players that Woody can utilize in his system, or change the system to utilize the players we do have.
By Casey Hudson
April 18, 2007 3:20 AM | Link to this
What a shock that Terence Moore, the biggest racist on the planet, doesn’t think that a black head coach should be fired. WHAT A JOKE!!!
This same Terence Moore for years blamed Mike Fratello, who ,with the exception of Dominique most years, didn’t have the talent this team has. He called for Fratello to be fired every year because he didn’t win a CHAMPIONSHIP! Meanwhile, the Hawks were winning 50+ games every year and selling out every game. I Fratello had these players, the Hawks would have been in the playoffs the last 5 years.
But, there is plenty more blame to go around. Why is it that Billy Knight continues to get a free pass in this newspaper while the Hawks continue to be the laughing stock of the NBA every year. Could it be that it’s because he’s black? A white general manager would have been run out of town long ago.
I can’t buy this nonsense about the Hawks not having the talent to win. That’s ridiculous. The Hawks have some excellent players. Joe Johnson is one of the 5 players in the basketball. And he has room to get much better. That’s almost scary. But what’s really scary is why the Hawks actually played better after he got hurt. Josh Smith is one of the most talented athletic young players in the league. Childress could be an excellent player if he is used to his full potential. Stoudamire is the best ball handler and defender off the dribble and the only pure shooter on the team. What does it say about our brilliant coach that he has been sitting on the bench since he’s been here? He only played late this season because of injuries. What does it say about our GM that his big moves during the last to seasons has been to go out and get one backup PG after another. HE ACTUALLY TRADED A 2ND ROUND DRAFT PICK FOR ANTHONY JOHNSON!!! We have signed and cut him for nothing at least a dozen times. No other GM in sports would have given ANY draft pick for him much less a 2nd round pick.
Take a look at the teams in the playoffs this year. Can you honestly say that more than about have of them have more talent than the Hawks? But I don’t blame Billy Knight for the Hawks having a lack of talent. I blame him for his decisions about who coaches this team. There are a lot of good coaches out there who could have done a lot better with the players the Hawks have had over the last decade.
By Derrick
April 18, 2007 5:26 AM | Link to this
Should Woody be fired? Probably not. Should we be more up tempo offensively? Probably so. However, there is one problem with running an up-tempo style, you must have a point who can handle this or any type of system! If you don’t, you will average 22+ turnovers a game! The bigger issue is never having a NBA starting caliber 1 or 5 under GM Knight when we could have drafted two starting point guards in the last several years, one of whom is leading his team to the playoffs (Deron Williams), the other who will be the best point guard in the Eastern Conference for the next 10 years (Chris Paul). Our biggest move for a point? Signing the aforementioned Paul’s backup to an overpriced, injury-riddled guard (Speedy). We cannot as Hawks fans endure another off-season allowing Knight to make decisions for this franchise. Yes, Knight did clear salary cap room (beautiful) several years ago and made us a young (albeit flawed) team now. However, it is time to find someone who can put the puzzle back together in a manner that allows any coach the opportunity to win.
By Robert
April 18, 2007 5:47 AM | Link to this
If he were a white coach you’d be calling for his head. Apparently in this culture it’s cool for a black guy to be a racist, but an abomination if a white guys is. I’m tired of seeing you (Terence) on ESPN. I change the channel as soon as I see your face. I don’t read your articles anymore. Only people that are racist themselves make such a huge deal about it. You’re the Al Sharpton-Jesse Jackson of sports. I’ll never read another article or watch another of your interviews again. AJC, please think of replacing Mr. Moore.
By RA
April 18, 2007 6:27 AM | Link to this
Wow, just wow. Balanced journalism from Terance Moore. Ho’d have thought he had it in him???
By Georgiaboy
April 18, 2007 7:27 AM | Link to this
The “Slum lord” Shelden Williams
By tp
April 18, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this
I am just sick beyond sick about Knight and whoever else is responsible in making decision for this team. That trade for Joe Johnson was the worse trade I have ever seen made by a franchise. To give up two 1st round picks for a player that wasn’t an NBA starter is just insane. Knight even draft Marvin William in the 1st round when he has never started for a college team. This team is ruin for many years. :(
By sam
April 18, 2007 8:45 AM | Link to this
I think the Hawks have a terrific young basketball team. Yes, there have been some mistakes and I see room for improvement in the center and point guard position. Woodson let the team run and stop this half court fiasco.
By destin
April 18, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this
Sometimes we all need a little ‘luck’ to get us over the hump. If BK and Woodson were lucky enough to get one of the top 3 draft picks, things could be looking up real soon. We need a PG and C that have star potential to grow with this young team. It would be incredible luck to land Oden, but getting one of the top 3 is even money. Hibbert would be a good 2nd choice. He has good character, has been improving rapidly, shoots 80% from the free throw line, 7’3”,280 and growing, huge upside. It would be ‘bad luck’ if don’t get Indy’s pick at 11 or 12. So, we should be able to get Conley or Law.
By jack
April 18, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this
as usual , if wody was a white coach tm would have condemed him mos. ago
By truthteller
April 18, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this
So Terence Moore considers himself among the “enlightened”? Anyone who could watch Woodson sit on the sidelines watching his pathetic Hawks with his vacant stare and judge him to be a competent coach is certainly not “enlightened”; I would say “fool” would be a more apt description. The tandem of Knight and Woodson will go down in NBA history as a pair who totally wrecked a franchise.
By Swatguy
April 18, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this
Nice article Terence. Integrity goes very far leading young men.Woodson has that.Insisting these players toe the line is seed, success is the harvest. With 2-3 personnel changes(players that is) the Hawks will win. Terence is not racist as the truth does sometimes hurt. This summer is crucial physically and personnel wise.
By Techie
April 18, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this
Too bad we canīt fire the owners as well. Has anyone else realized that Belkin was RIGHT? Giving up Diaw, 2 1sts for JJ, who was essentially a free agent, was just another of Billy Knights boneheaded moves.
By bbgenie
April 18, 2007 9:58 AM | Link to this
Let’s talk about the Hawks! Let the truth be told. Yes, B. Knight made a mistake by signing speedy, but if you remember the hawks had missed or were out bidded by the clippers for Sam Cassell and their was no other free agent pure point guard out there to sign so we were left with Claxton. He should have drafted Chris Paul period! They could have packaged him up with another player and traded him for alot in return. He should have signed A. johnson in the summer instead of the mild way point of the season, if A.J were with us at the start of the season we would have won aleast 5-10 more games. Salim should have been on the floor more, bottom line! I fault Woody on this one. This kid will take the shot at the end of games. When teams were doubling and tripling J.Johnson we had no true shooter on the floor. And we should Run more, Youngest team, freshest legs. WE MUST GET A (5) SPOT/CENTER THIS SUMMER!!!
By Boomer
April 18, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this
Teri, you’re right. It’s not Woodson’s fault he’s a bad coach. Billy Knight hasn’t given him a point guard or a center and as long as there are 6’8” forwards on earth, never will. It’s long past time for them both, along with the spiriting sapping ownership to go.
By Matt
April 18, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this
BIIIG suprise that Billy Knight messed up another team in the NBA. He got his chance with the Grizzlies and messed them up so bad that they had to move to another whole city before they were even ten years old! I think that the Hawks need to keep Woodson at least through next year and get another GM. How about ‘Nique? Why not ‘Nique? Honestly, if it didn’t work out, how much worse could we get?
By jhan
April 18, 2007 10:27 AM | Link to this
Casey, you take exaggerating to another level. You can’t be serious about any of these items:
Fratello would have this roster the last 5 years in the playoffs? Nobody would have these teams in the playoffs.
Joe Johnson top five in the league? I love JJ. He is maybe top 20.
Stoudamire our best ball handler & defender? This guys turns the ball over constantly & gets burned on D even more.
I need some of what you are smoking!
By William
April 18, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this
Anyone that says Woodson is not to blame hasn’t watched Hawks games this year.
Of course, you can’t put 100% blame on him, but with a better coach, there were at least 10-12 games the Hawks definately have won.
He is running the wrong offense despite his players (you have a bunch of athletes that can get out and run yet you run a half court slow it down “offense”), his horrible substitution pattern (really…subbing out a hot player because its his TIME to come out…come on) not playing guys for no reason what so ever (Solomon gets 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in one game, doesn’t play the next 8, Lo Wright doesn’t get those totals in 10 games but plays the minutes. Plus, look at game logs and at Sheldon Williams production. When he played more than 20 minutes, he played well, with less minutes, worthless. Don’t even get me started on Salim)
He really is a BAD coach. Is this team properly put together. No. Could they make the playoffs right now with proper coaching? Yes. I think he would be a wonderful coach of a team that plays his style of ball. Guys that are good at grind it out low scoring games. But that isn’t his personel and he is too stubborn to see that. If nothing else, hire a offensive guru that he respects and talk some sense in him. He needs a Tex Winter at his side.
By bbgenie
April 18, 2007 11:07 AM | Link to this
Let the truth be told. Part 2. How or who do we get to play the (5) spot?? P.Gasol, K.G., M. Blount,Petro or will we win the lottery and get Odgen??? If the hawks played Zaza at the (4) spot this team would be so much stronger, slide everyone over a position. And we could control match-up. I also think we already have a good (1) in R.Ivey all he needs is some more confindence and the green light to shoot more. Hawks coaching staff has done a good job with what thay have to work with. I do believe B.knight and M. Woodson are the right people for this situation with 9 owners, the youngest team in the NBA. But they must become more aggressive in all areas of building a playoff team.
By GA Buckeye
April 18, 2007 11:15 AM | Link to this
Wow! What a bunch of different opinions. I’m glad to see some of us share a passion for the Hawks getting better. I agree with those that say Woody is not the problem. Is he a great coach? Not yet, but this is his 1st job and he gets much better as he goes. The only veteran you will be able to replace him with is a “re-tread”. Otherwise, you will replace him with another rookie, that will have to go through the growing pains of learning to be a head coach.
This is not a talented team. Anyway that believes differently, does not understand the NBA game. Joe Johnson is bonafide top 20 in the NBA. Josh Smith is emerging, but would still be either a token starter or 6 or 7 coming off the bench for upper echelon teams. Zaza is a 2nd or 3rd team center on the better teams, and Childress is a role player at best. Salim is sporadic, and while an Instant Offense, a la Vinny “the Microwave” Johnson, Salim has not proven we can count on him, yet for that impact consistently. The point guards, while decent, are all career backups, and can’t reliable push an effective uptempo offense that willlead us to more wins. The soft is middle. Our top 10 draft picks have been mediocre, i.e. Childress, the Williamses, and the free agent pickups reflect a desire for mediocrity, i.e. Claxton, AJ, Lorenzen, etc.
Lastly, our brass don’t believe we deserve to be upper echelon. When big names come available, we don’t even compete. Although some are controversial, we don’t even attempt to get in the game, i.e. Kobe, Ray Allen, trade for Iverson, any other big names that have changed teams. Upper echelon free agents won’t come to Atlanta because they don’t believe we are committed to be ing an elite franchise. I’m done.
By CDS
April 18, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this
It’s 50-50 who’s to blame for the Hawks. First there’s Billy Knight who had this “amazing plan” to rebuild this team. During that plan, we have now lost over 170 games in three seasons. We got JJ, but we now might not have any draft picks in this deep draft. We drafted way too many forwards with “potential”, so that we have a log-jam at the position and guys being asked not to play their natural positions. We got a bunch of inconsistent backup point guards that cannot be counted on to run an offense like Chris Paul or Deron Williams have done. Our low post game still stinks except for Josh Smith. BK has done a poor job of building this team.
As for Woodson, he has to take blame as well. He does not have any kind of offensive system in place for the guys that we do have. This is why we’ve been near last in the league in points scored. Need I remind you of the 13-69 debacle? Why are we giving passes to Woodson for poor coaching, when other NBA teams would’ve gotten rid of him at the end of the season? Now this season, he had to come out and admit that he should probably start playing more guys off his bench instead of his “give JJ the ball” playcalling.
There is talent on this team, but not in the right places. Forwards like we have are a dime a dozen these days. Woodson’s play calling is poor, and his decisions have been as well. Rick Adelman would be the perfect guy to run this system if we could draft a good PG or pick up one via free agency.
No matter how you spin it, 69-177 is a record no coach should have after 3 seasons and still have a job.
By GA Buckeye
April 18, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this
bbgenie, you really damaged your credibility if you believe Royal Ivey can be a good 1 in this league and Zaza makes this team at the 4. Wow!
By Seagle
April 18, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Terrance, I’ll bet if Woodson was white, you’d blame him.
By Hawk Fan
April 18, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Wow…. this many people actually pay attention to the HAWKS?
Now T.M should write an article about how we could end up with no draft picks in the deepest draft in years, or if we luck out (which will not happen) we could get a top 3 and 11-13 pick.
By bob
April 18, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
Are you kidding me??? get rid of Woodson and knight. #0 game winseason is awfull. They have the talent but not the coaches. The League should have a rule, 60 % wins and then to the play-offs. Woodson could not even coach Norcross high. Knight is awfukk.
By GE
April 18, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this
TM, you must be the best shock journalist in the US. Every time you write an article, the yahoos take off their robes and accuse you of being a racist even when you critcize another black person(Knight). Maybe you should write about the Thrashers. I would love to see what the spin would be from your dedicated and bigoted readers. I noticed that the article you did recently on blacks in baseball got yanked due to the stream of comments that rained down from the bigots. If your intent is to get under their skin, then you are doing a better job than either Imus and Boortz. Keep writing so that we all can get a feel for how many educated nuts there are out here.
By Dom
April 18, 2007 12:54 PM | Link to this
Ive been a Hawks fan since “Nique” was drafted and I can say with certaintly Mike Woodson can be a good or great coach if equipped with the right combination of talent. The team is front loaded at PF and SF and we have backup PGs at best. Aside from JJ and Josh Smith, there is a deep decline in consistent scoring from the supporting cast. I watched alteast 15-20 games where we had the lead in final 2-3 mins only to lose the game. And these were against some playoff teams. Billy Knight has proven to be as poor a GM as there is in the league since he took over for Stan Kasten. Im almost tempted to beg him bag b/c atleast we were a consistent playoff team for part of his tenure here. With that said the Hawks have become a rest stop for players looking to goto a contender, remember Sheed in 04 ? Mike Woodson needs to get the support of upper mgmt to get the player he needs for his system in order to have success. We have the cap room to make some summer moves. If the lottery gods allow the Hawks to get the #1 pick ODEN must be selected..wishful thinking I know ! If anyone needs to be canned its Knight, hes proven to be inept at player acquisitions plain and simple, JJ notwithstanding.
By Yurtle_the_Turtle
April 18, 2007 1:26 PM | Link to this
It’s the Hawks. I don’t care. They have been terrible for years. I haven’t attended a Hawks game in 12 years. They are irrelevant. I couldn’t name you 5 players on their team.
By unreal
April 18, 2007 2:02 PM | Link to this
The headline says it all - 1st 30 win team under Woodsen - and it is provided a positve point of emphasis. I can only hope that this draft is loaded with 6’8” swingmen so the successful plan can continue. Fast forward Headline April 2008 - Hawks avoid 50 losses with outstanding final game performance.
By Tony
April 18, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this
I dislike Woodson’s coaching style, but he is NOT to blame. I would much rather see Billy Knight gone before Woodson. Speedy Claxton, Sheldon Williams HORRIBLE pick-ups HORRIBLE!!!
By Patrick
April 18, 2007 2:26 PM | Link to this
Nice article Terrance. I agree, but about the Hawks?…..yawn.