The support of Hawks players helped Larry Drew get the job as head coach in 2010.
As Drew awaits word from the team if it will pick up his contract option for next season, he cites his relationship with players as his strong suit.
“That’s something I take a lot of pride in and spent a lot of time talking about and trying to work on,” he said. “Player relationships are so important on this level, how you deal with your best player all the way down to the guy who might not even dress out during games. I thought I did a good job with that. I thought my staff did a good job with that.”
There’s evidence that Drew’s substitution patterns contributed to the Hawks’ loss to Boston in the first round of the playoffs. Also, his season-long inability to fashion an efficient offense that holds up under defensive pressure stymied the Hawks against the Celtics.
But the Hawks continued to win after Al Horford went down after 11 games with an injury that kept him sidelined until Game 4 of the playoffs. They were a consistent defense team even as players churned in and out of the rotation, and they posted a 40-26 record, fourth-best in the Eastern Conference.
Drew and some players cite those developments to make the case that the team responded to Drew’s management style.
“[Coaches] can only control so much, but the one thing we try to control is that when those guys come to the gym they play hard for you every single night,” Drew said. “I thought we got that.”
If competing hard consistently seems a low bar to clear, consider that the Hawks hadn’t been able to do it in their recent past.
During Drew’s first season, the Hawks suffered more blowout home losses than any winning team in NBA history. They had three defeats by at least 30 points and three others by 20 or more — and that was after they lost to Orlando by an NBA-record margin of 101 points in the 2010 playoffs.
The Hawks defied expectations by beating Orlando in the first round of the 2011 playoffs. In 33 home games during this lockout-shortened season, the Hawks had only two home defeats of 20 points of more (though they did have a lopsided defeat at Boston in Game 4).
Drew prodded consistent effort from the Hawks even as he maintained a calm demeanor. When Drew got the job he said he believed his players respond better to positive reinforcement and measured criticism.
At times, some Hawks players said they wished Drew would be more forceful with game officials when they felt like the whistles weren’t going their way. Drew, who had just one technical foul this season, preferred to make his point during calm conversations with referees.
But in the final analysis veteran Hawks players said they viewed Drew’s steady deportment as an asset and didn’t think it hurt his ability to command the team.
“We won 40 games, so he has some kind of authority and some command,” Hawks guard Willie Green said. “We had a great regular season. We wanted to do better in the playoffs, but unfortunately we came up a little short. We are in this thing together. It’s not just one player or just him.”
Drew had the tough task of holding together a locker room full of several veteran players who were accustomed to larger roles. Inevitably, some of them grumbled at times.
Swingman Tracy McGrady complained the loudest. In February he said he deserved more playing time and that Drew hadn’t adequately explained why his minutes had been erratic.
“I was more disappointed than anything,” McGrady said at season’s end. “It was frustrating. I felt like I could have gave more.”
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