Woodson says he'll sign contract
Coach intends to accept 2-year deal to stay with team


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/08

Hawks coach Mike Woodson said that he intends to sign a contract the team offered Thursday. The deal is for two years, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Woodson would not comment on the specifics of the offer but told the Journal-Constitution that he intends to sign the contract.

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Woodson's current deal expires June 30, as do the contracts of his entire staff. But after two weeks of evaluations, new Hawks general manager Rick Sund has decided to stick with Woodson.

"What I can tell you is that I appreciate the support my players and staff have shown throughout this time," Woodson said. "They've all been great. And we're all looking forward to the future and what can be accomplished going forward."

Sund would not comment on the contract offer.

"When we have news to report regarding our coaching staff, we will [release] it," Sund told the AJC.

Woodson's agent, Joe Glass, could not be reached for comment. Calls to several Hawks players seeking comment were not returned.

New contracts for Woodson's staff have not been finalized.

The decision to keep Woodson wraps up a strange affair that began with the February revelation that Sund's predecessor, Billy Knight, tried to fire Woodson at the trade deadline, a move that was rebuffed by Hawks ownership.

Woodson's team weathered that storm and went on to capture the final Eastern Conference playoff berth, the franchise's first postseason bid since 1999. The Hawks pushed Eastern Conference champion Boston to seven games before losing the first-round series.

Knight resigned two days after the Game 7 defeat in Boston, setting off a flurry of speculation about Woodson's future that has lasted until now.

In four years at the helm, Woodson has compiled a 106-222 regular-season record, surviving seasons of 13 and 26 wins before guiding the Hawks to 30- and 37-win seasons the past two years.

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