If this was based merely on Larry Drew's job performance this season, there wouldn't be an issue. Because if you put aside any preconceived notions you may have had about Drew being being overmatched as a head coach and the Hawks promoting on the cheap and just consider what the man accomplished this season with a roster of expiring contracts, injuries and a polarizing star looking for an escape, it was more than impressive.
But all that said, Drew almost certainly is gone.
General manager Danny Ferry wouldn’t say it Saturday. He said he wanted to let emotions settle for a while before making any declarations. But it would be an upset if the Hawks retained Drew as head coach. That has less to do with the team being bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Indiana on Friday night — given the Hawks weren’t expected to make the playoffs to begin with — than it does the big picture.
Ferry was brought in to change the culture of the organization, alter perceptions, make people look at the Hawks the way they look at San Antonio and Miami, Boston and the Lakers (well, used to). Ferry wants players, fans and media to view the Hawks as perennial contenders and a franchise always trying to do the right thing.
He wants Atlanta to be seen as a destination for something other than a player’s offseason home. He doesn’t just have to make the right decisions in trades, drafts and free agency — he has to sell players on why being a Hawk is in their best interests.
That's a challenge. There's so much baggage.
The Hawks seem to be everybody's punching bag, from local and national media to TNT's panel of hoops Henny Youngmans. There have been too many blown draft picks and free-agent busts, too many first-round playoff exits, too many clown acts in the executive suite.
So Ferry has to put a new face on the franchise, and it starts on the sideline.
Ferry and Drew will meet again in a few days. But the day after the Hawks’ exit, it felt like the GM was handing Drew a pen set and a road map and asking him for his key card.
“Larry and his staff did a good job this year,” Ferry said. “Today is (about) saying thank you to them.”
Doesn’t “thank you” sound like “goodbye”?
Drew sounds like a man who knows what’s coming. Reading between the lines of his comments all year, he has expected to be looking for a job after this season.
Too bad. He deserves better. In Year 1, he exorcised the Orlando demons in the playoffs. In Year 2, he was hamstrung by an inordinate number of injuries. In Year 3, he got an undersized and undermanned team to the postseason. That’s pretty good.
“Sometimes decisions aren’t made (based) just on a performance,” Drew said. “At the very beginning of the season and looking at the road ahead, that was on my mind. But the only thing I could do was go out and coach this team as best as I could. I think I did that. I gave it my all to bring this group together and get it to a point a lot of people didn’t think we could get to. Sometimes it’s not just about the coach. Sometimes changes are needed. But it’s up to the organization to make that decision. If they don’t feel like I’ve done a good enough job, then it’s time to move on.”
There are other decisions.
What to offer impending free agent Josh Smith? (Suggestion: A reasonable non-max contract for a sometimes-great but flawed player. Best guess: He wants out. He has played his last game as a Hawk.)
What to do in free agency? (Suggestion: Forget Dwight Howard, who will fill seats but isn't worth a max deal, given his lack of leadership and immaturity. Fans aren't in love with Howard, they're in love with the "potential" of Howard. Better to pursue Chris Paul in free agency or a sign-and-trade. Best guess: Hawks get neither.)
Ferry has no shortage of flexibility. The Hawks have only three players (Al Horford, Lou Williams, John Jenkins) with guaranteed contracts for next season. But the coaching decision will come first and set the tone for the offseason.
Asked about Drew’s future after the game, Smith said, “He’s got a pretty good resume. You have to ask them. I don’t ever believe in taking food off another man’s plate, so I think everybody should be re-signed and hired.”
That’s why he is not a general manager.
Drew wants an answer soon. If he’s fired, there’s a reasonable chance he won’t be out of work long.
“I thought we had a good season, given what our situation was,” he said. “You bring in that many guys on one-year deals, they’re thinking about their futures. And given my situation, certainly players are going to be looking at that. It was a test to pull this together.”
Drew did that. But logic says it won’t be enough to save his job.
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