Atlanta Hawks: Roster Report
A version of this will appear in print but I had to cut down for space. I can’t be held back here. Based on reporting, educated guesses, observation and a big analytical assist from the Synergy Sports Machine.
Joe Johnson, 6-7, G
Contract: Unrestricted free agent
Look back: Media voted Johnson to the All-NBA third team, his first such honor. He also made the All-Star game for the fourth consecutive season. Johnson’s size, knack for creating his own shot, shooting ability, ball handling skills and ability to defend guards and forwards makes him one of the more versatile players in the league. His fine season was marred by a poor performance in the playoffs and his flip response to fans who booed him.
Look ahead: Hawks GM Rick Sund said he wants to re-sign Johnson, one of the top shooting guards in the league, but there are risks to giving him a an expensive, long-term deal. Johnson will be 29 this summer and production for shooting guards tends to decline around that age. His deliberate, one-on-one style was effective when he made baskets but tended to damage team dynamics at times. Johnson said he hasn’t ruled out a return to the Hawks but will test the market. If he signs elsewhere, the Hawks won’t have the flexibility to sign another high-priced free agent.
Al Horford, 6-10, C
Contract: $5.4 million in 2010-11, eligible for restricted free agency following the season
Look back: Named to the All-Star team in just his third pro season, Horford developed a reliable mid-range jump shot to go along with a pretty good post game. He’s one of the top post defenders in the league despite being undersized for his position. Emerged as a leader late in the season, publicly calling out teammates for poor effort in the Orlando series.
Look ahead: Horford said he plans to continue to develop his jump shot and also a counter-move in the post. Horford has one more season left on his rookie-scale contract and the Hawks can secure the right to match any offer he receives as a restricted free agent. Since he’s one of the best bargains in the league, he wouldn’t seem to be a trade candidate.
Josh Smith, 6-9, F
Contract: $11.6 million in 2010-11, with two years and $25.6 million after that
Look back: In many ways it was a breakout season for Smith, who was the runner up to Dwight Howard for Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All Defense. Smith was often the energy guy, starting runs by blocking shots, getting steals, and running the floor. He became a very good passer for a power forward and was particularly effective with setting up teammates for open jump shots. But he had a high turnover rate for his position, continued to shoot long jump shots despite a very poor percentage and was lax on running out to shooters. Smith also sometimes lost focus when he got frustrated.
Look ahead: Smith made the decision to stop shooting 3-pointers after watching video of his games last summer. He said he will go to the video again this summer so perhaps he will figure out those long jump shots are not an effective option and also see how his sulking affects his effort. Still, Smith had a very good season overall. He probably would have good trade value due to his production, age, and relatively palatable contract.
Jamal Crawford, 6-5, G
Contract: $10.1 million in 2010-11
Look back: Sund’s trade for Crawford turned out to be one of the best deals in the league. Crawford was the Hawks’ second-leading scorer and provided punch off the bench while earning the Sixth Man of the Year award. He’s an excellent scorer, adept at getting his points in isolation, as a spot-up shooter, or coming off screens, and he was the best on the team at attacking on pick-and-rolls. He’s not a good defender overall, especially in isolation, but he was adequate on pick-and-rolls and closing out on shooters.
Look ahead: Crawford likely will draw a lot of trade interest due to his expiring contract and scoring prowess, but those are the same things that make him valuable to the Hawks.
Marvin Williams, 6-9, F
Contract: $6.7 million in 2010-11, with two years and $15.8 million and a $7.5 million player option in 2013-14 after that
Look back: The Hawks re-signed Williams last summer and he had a disappointing season. He was inconsistent offensively, especially in his primary role as a spot-up shooter. Defensively, opponents had success isolating Williams and bulling past him to the basket and also taking advantage of his weak closeouts. Williams had long stretches with little production.
Look ahead: Williams is an unselfish player, but he was too passive in a perimeter-oriented offense where he’s no better than the fourth scoring option. The Hawks hope getting Williams more involved in offensive sets can help him reach his considerable potential. He’ll be only 24-years old next season, so if he can make a major improvement he’ll be an asset to the Hawks either as a quality small forward or a trade chip.
Mike Bibby, 6-2, G
Contract: $5.6 million in 2010-11, $6.2 million in 2011-12
Look back: Bibby wasn’t really a traditional point guard for the Hawks, instead leaving most of the ball handing duties to Johnson. Bibby excelled both as a spot-up shooter and with catch-and-shoots off screens and is a floor leader. But he was a defensive liability, especially against pick-and-rolls, forcing the Hawks to switch on screens. Bibby’s defensive positioning and awareness remain high but his quickness has declined.
Look ahead: The Hawks appear ready to give Jeff Teague a chance to supplant Bibby as the starter. That would make Bibby an expensive backup, but his contract might make it difficult to trade him next season.
Zaza Pachulia, 6-11, C
Contract: $4.25 million in 2010-11, two years and $13 million after that
Look back: Pachulia was the primary backup center and, other than a mid-season lull, was mostly adequate in that role. His post defense was so-so but he was good at challenging opponents when they stepped out to shoot. Pachulia’s offensive production on pick-and-rolls was surprisingly high and he was good at drawing fouls.
Look ahead: Pachulia finished the season strong. Still, his relatively modest salary for an effective backup center and the Hawks’ potential desire for a starting-caliber center means he could be a trade candidate.
Mo Evans, 6-5, G/F
Contract: $2.5 million player option for 2010-11
Look back: The first wing player off the bench occasionally grumbled about playing time but eventually found a consistent role as the first wing off the bench. Touted for his defense, Evans was good in isolation but struggled to defend guards on pick-and-rolls and forwards on post-ups. He had good production when getting shots as a cutter but made just 30 percent of his spot-up jump shots.
Look ahead: Evans said he likes it with the Hawks but hasn’t decided if he will exercise his option.
Jeff Teague, 6-2, G
Contract: $1.47 million in 2010-11, with two additional team option years
Look back: The No. 19 overall draft pick never found consistent minutes in Mike Woodson’s rotation. Teague proved to be a very good defender in isolation due to his quickness but struggled at times with team defensive concepts. He was an excellent scorer in transition but the rest of his game is a work in progress.
Look ahead: Teague will play for the team’s summer league entry in Las Vegas with the hope he can be ready to be the starter in 2010-11.
Joe Smith, 6-10, F
Contract: Unrestricted free agent
Look back: Smith was brought in for his size and playoffs experience but he was an afterthought by the time the postseason arrived. He wasn’t consistent when he did get minutes.
Look ahead: Smith, who played in his 1000th game this season, said his body feels good and he’d like to play a couple more seasons. He said he would welcome a return to the Hawks.
Jason Collins, 7-0, C
Contract: Unrestricted free agent
Look back: Acquired to deal with either Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard in the playoffs, Collins drew Howard in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The results weren’t impressive.
Look ahead: He’ll be 32-years old next season and has declining mobility so it’s not certain the Hawks will want him back
Randolph Morris, 6-11, C
Contract: Unrestricted free agent
Look back: Morris, a Landmark Christian product, spent the most time on the inactive list for the Hawks.
Look ahead: Still only 24-years old but with just 74 games and 437 minutes over four seasons he’ll likely be searching for a job.
Mario West, 6-5, G
Contract: Restricted free agent
Look back: Released during training camp, then signed to consecutive 10-day contracts in January before sticking for the rest of the season. Played spot minutes as a perimeter defender.
Look ahead: The Hawks must extend a qualifying offer to retain right of first refusal.
Others:
Josh Childress, 6-8, F
Contract: Restricted free agent; he has a contract option with Greek team Olympiakos for 2010-11
Look back: Childress played four seasons for the Hawks but in 2008 decided to accept a three-year, $20 million contract with Olympiakos of the Euroleague. He was the team’s second-leading scorer this season.
Look ahead: Childress has until July 15 to decide if he will play for Olympiakos next season or return to the NBA. The Hawks plan to extend a one-year, $4.8 million qualifying offer to Childress. They would then maintain his NBA rights and also have the right to match any free-agent offer sheets he signs. The Hawks could also use Childress in a sign-and-trade transaction.
MC
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154 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
May 14th, 2010
8:52 am
“I dont like Okafor’s contract (about 4 years, $42 mil).”
Neither do I — it’s the worst contract in the NBA right now — but my reasoning is that if the Hawks are willing to take that off the Hornets’ hands, they can demand Collison (who would be the answer to the Hawks’ point guard problems for the next 10 years) as payment. More importantly, the value of Okafor’s contract is actually less than the combined value of Marvin, Zaza, and Bibby over the next two years, and unlike those three Okafor would fill a role the Hawks desperately need (defensive center off the bench who can guard Howard and let Horford slide to PF for stretches at a time).
Grandad
May 14th, 2010
8:59 am
Najeh – I like it when logic is applied.
Ken Strickland
May 14th, 2010
9:03 am
OBRIEN-place the blame where it belongs. You’re blaming the wrong person for those signings, just like a lot of fans still blame former GM Bibby Knight for not drafting CPaul or DWilliams. In both instances they were accommodating what Woodson wanted. If you can remember, it was Woodson who insisted on resigning Marvin, Bibby and Zaza. He also publicly expressed his doubts about the abilities of CPaul and DWilliams.
I think RSund will take a wait and see approach with Woodson, much like he did with Smoove and Childress. He’ll wait and see if another team makes Woodson an offer, and if he accepts, he will have successfully allowed Woodson to make the decision on his fate with the Hawks.
The 2 biggest trade commodities for the Hawks are Smoove and JChildress. Personally, I’d like to see us resign Chills with the idea of him becoming a starter and bringing Marvin off the bench. Unlike some of these trade scenarios we’ve seen, I’m in favor of looking at trade possibilities that limit costs and minimize personnel changes.
My trade suggestion involves looking into a straight up trade of Smoove for Okafor. Their salaries are almost identical and he gives you just about everything Smoove gives you, except the assists. His career stats are: PTS-13.3, REB-10.3, BLK-1.82, STL-.74, FG%-.509. He and Horford would make a very strong and productive combination.
Then we either resign JChildress, which is my preference, or trade his rights for a quality backup SG or PG. If we don’t resign Chills, we keep Marvin as our SF, but definitely include him in the OFF mix, which has to be more than giving him the ball and expecting him to go ISO.
Marvin has already proven he can be a consistent 15PPG scorer. Having Okafor @ C and Horford @ PF would certainly make us more physical and improve our one on one interior DEF, without sacrificing any shot blocking ability. To complete our starting lineup, we make Teague and Crawford our starting back court. It would be a lot easier to find a replacement for Crawford’s production than JJ’s. Then we either sign or trade for a quality backup SG and resign JoSmith and RMorris(see what he can do under a HC that gives a damn). I’d even look very seriously into signing FA center JPrzybilla.
Our team would look like this:
STARTERS-C-Okafor, PF-Horford, SF-Marvin, SG-Crawford, PG-Teague
BENCH-C-Zaza/Przybilla, PF-JoSmith/RMorris, PG-Bibby.
I’d complete the roster by acquiring a SG, SF and/or PG either through the draft or via trade or FA.
This back court would be able to take it to the basket against anyone, and our front line would be solid, especially on the OFF/DEF boards. We’d also have excellent size and versatility coming off the bench, and all of this with minimal changes to our core and no increase to the cap.
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
9:16 am
You do not trade Josh Smith without getting at least an all star back!
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
9:25 am
Its crazy that you watch the best teams over the last few years, and you notice that GMs of the best team never trade one of their three best players. The GMs actually takes time to become creative and use the guys 5-9, with trade exceptions, and draft picks to take advantage of teams who are cash starving. And they use their mid levels and free agent signing effectively. But they never trade their three best players! The Hawks three best players are Horford, Josh, and JJ. And these three have gone from 37 to 53 years in only two years with a coach who only coached half of the game (defense) and a PG who plays defense like a shadow, to go along with a bench where half of the players wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the Hawks (sorry but no other team would’ve signed West, Collins, Morris, or Hunter).
ricknole
May 14th, 2010
9:33 am
Bring back Chills!
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
9:39 am
Question, would any of you consider signing Shaq for a 1-2 year deal?
Najeh Davenpoop
May 14th, 2010
9:42 am
“My trade suggestion involves looking into a straight up trade of Smoove for Okafor.”
If you offer the DPOY runner up for an injury prone big man with no offensive skills who gets paid more than twice what he’s worth straight up, of course the Hornets would accept. That would be a terrible move for the Hawks.
Mz. Hawkdafied
May 14th, 2010
9:47 am
Why sign Shaq now, he hasn’t exactly helped the King get a ring. Look how much better the Suns are without Shaq, they’re in the West Finals. So I’d have to say Shaq’s a no go.
niremetal
May 14th, 2010
9:52 am
Hey, hey, LBJ, how many times did you choke today?
niremetal
May 14th, 2010
9:53 am
Ramon,
The Celtics traded Jefferson to get Garnett, and Jefferson certainly was one of their 3 best players.
PMC
May 14th, 2010
9:53 am
With a tight ownership group without a lot of scratch to spend that money spent on Marvin Williams is an albatross. Either he feels no pressure to get better or he doesn’t understand just how much of a faceplant his career has been because this franchise continues to waste money on him.
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
9:57 am
Niremetal, when Boston made that deal they weren’t a Playoff team, they were a lottery team remember. They weren’t winning 53 games and going to the second round of the playoffs. Their fans were watching the ESPN ticker 24/7 waiting for Doc Rivers to be fired when they made that trade. And Garnett was an all pro player, who was a perennial all defensive player.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 14th, 2010
9:59 am
“Question, would any of you consider signing Shaq for a 1-2 year deal?”
For the mid level exception or less for one year, sure. I doubt he would come here for that little money though.
Mz. Hawkdafied
May 14th, 2010
10:09 am
I would not sign Shaq NOW, but 5-10 years ago most definitely.
Mz. Hawkdafied
May 14th, 2010
10:12 am
LBJ didn’t choke he had a triple double. The best TEAM won. Or the TEAM that played as a UNIT won. Basketball is a FIVE MAN sport not a ONE MAN show.
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
10:16 am
This is crazy that every tv station is blaming Lebron. However, not one person has come out and said maybe its Mike Brown’s fault. In actuality, I think Woody has better job security than Mike Brown right now lol.
BigTimeTECHFan
May 14th, 2010
10:19 am
I would love to see:
Johnson go F/A – He’s very good but does not need to be focal point in offense, would fit real nice on team like SA or Utah the move go move the ball around to different player
Smith
Josh Smith traded for top 5 pick
Take money saved and sign Dwayne Wade
Draft D Cousins from Kentucky 1st, Then Lewal with 24th pick
Then you would have
Crawford (2)
Teague (1) – pushes the ball
Wade (3) in mode of Paul Pressley who handles point a lot
Hortford (4)
D Cousins (5)
Backup
M Williams
ZaZa
Lewal
With new coach
BigTimeTECHFan
May 14th, 2010
10:22 am
Oh and Bibby would be backup gaurd to
JoJo the Godfather
May 14th, 2010
10:27 am
1) Trade JJ to Bulls for Hinrich (get draft pick if can)
2) Trade Marvin, Bibby & Crawford to Pistons for Hamilton & Prince (get draft pick if can).
3) Sign Childress.
Anyone think this core group of 8 can defend and share the ball on offense?
Hinrich / Teague
Hamilton
Prince / Childress
Smith
Horford / Pachulia
I like combo-guard Doiminique Jones from South Florida with our draft pick. Good defense. Not afraid to go the hole. Look at the fouls this kid draws. If you can get a pick out of the two trades above, go after best available.
Fresh
May 14th, 2010
10:38 am
Just heard something from a good source.
The Hawks WILL offer Woody a contract soon. Will it be a respectable offer, I can’t confirm, but they will offer him a contract.
The general consensus is that, as currently constructed, the Hawks went as far as they could possibly go. People feel there are actually very few coaches out there that could have took the Hawks further than Woodson did.
The changes are likely to come with the players (S&T Joe, or moving Josh) than they are with the coach.
Fresh
May 14th, 2010
10:39 am
* are MORE likely*
JC
May 14th, 2010
10:45 am
JoJo, just so I’m absolutely clear, you’re suggesting a straight up trade – Joe Johnson for Kirk Hinrich?
JoJo the Godfather
May 14th, 2010
10:52 am
Sign and trade. Joe gets close to max deal. Bulls do it to clear even more space. You could probably grab their draft pick as well. We’re not going to get a ton of value back in a S&T, but at least Hinrich is 6′3″, can play some 2, defends, shoots the 3, dishes more assists than Bibby, and is only 29. If we can move Bibby in another deal, this makes sense. If you can’t move Bibby, then you have to scrap the idea.
GrymmDaReaper
May 14th, 2010
10:52 am
Just a question..I do not know about cap space, luxury tax, and such things. Would Minnesota be willing to trade Al Jefferson for Josh smith.MMaybe with other contracts or draft picks thrown in fro either side. I thinkhe would be good next to Al Horford. Let me know what you all think ?
GrymmDaReaper
May 14th, 2010
10:53 am
Sorry aboyt spelling and grammer. Texting. lol
Prison Mike
May 14th, 2010
11:02 am
Horford, Smith, and Williams graduated high school in 04 and are 24 give or take a few months. Any who Smith and Horford are one of the best front court duos in the league in spite of having no offense system, guard dominated ball and of course Woody as your coach.
Williams on the other hand is the city’s highest ever drafted player and can be replaced by a much cheaper option ala Matt Barnes type of player and contract. His trade value is valuable as Woody’s coaching career.
dap01
May 14th, 2010
11:04 am
Woody sucks!
niremetal
May 14th, 2010
11:06 am
Watch ESPN use Fresh’s post as a source…
bigdave
May 14th, 2010
11:12 am
Grandad…
trust me.. there is a difference between being “listed” at 6′10 and being 6′10… seeing them side by side, Al is not too much taller than Steve Smith..
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
11:20 am
Niremetal, you mean the way Chad Ford owes half of his career to Sekou? lol
Wabe
May 14th, 2010
11:29 am
“My trade suggestion involves looking into a straight up trade of Smoove for Okafor. Their salaries are almost identical and he gives you just about everything Smoove gives you, except the assists. His career stats are: PTS-13.3, REB-10.3, BLK-1.82, STL-.74, FG%-.509. He and Horford would make a very strong and productive combination.”
I’m with Najeh on this one.
I’m not tryin to knock on your trade proposal Ken Strickland, but we can do way better than that. We could pry away Collison from N.O. if we agreed to take on Okafor’s contract.
O'Brien
May 14th, 2010
11:31 am
I think Sund will let Woody know (by Monday of course) that he will not be retained, because Sund has to start interviewing replacement candidates before the guy he wants signs somewhere else (Philly, Chicago, Clippers, Hornets, Nets and possibly Cleveland).
Ken S,
Agreed. A big part of the blame deserves to go on Woody, because I think Sund signed those players based largely on Woody’s recommendation. So he gave Woody the players he wanted, and Woody was not able to help them perform better.
I too would like to see Chills back with the Hawks, because I think him and Marvin combined would give us more production from the SF spot than what we received this year (if Rick is not able to make a trade).
Najeh,
To be fair to Okafor, his first 3 years he was injured, but for the last 3 seasons, I think he played at least 80 games.
If I’m the Hawks, there is no way I am giving JJ a max contract (6 years, $120 mil). If I’m not mistaken, the max another team can offer him is 5 years, $93 mil. If I’m the ASG, that’s the highest I’m willing to go (and I would explore all S&T options too).
Wabe
May 14th, 2010
11:33 am
Fresh
May 14th, 2010
10:38 am
“Just heard something from a good source.
The Hawks WILL offer Woody a contract soon. Will it be a respectable offer, I can’t confirm, but they will offer him a contract.
The general consensus is that, as currently constructed, the Hawks went as far as they could possibly go. People feel there are actually very few coaches out there that could have took the Hawks further than Woodson did.
The changes are likely to come with the players (S&T Joe, or moving Josh) than they are with the coach.”
And that’s BS, right?
It better be BS.
Woody be GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tale of Woe
May 14th, 2010
12:01 pm
Woodson has been relieved of his duties…
It will be announced later today. You never want to see someone fired (technically he isn’t being fired), but he wasn’t a good fit here…I bet he goes to Philly…..
SWAT Native
May 14th, 2010
12:07 pm
Fresh,
I was wondering this morning if the Hawks may try to give Woody a low-ball offer to put him in the position of having to turn it down so that leaving would be his choice.
Tale of Woe
May 14th, 2010
12:10 pm
Woodson gone
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/05/14/hawks.woodson.out/
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
12:10 pm
Bafoonery!
For all the childish antics the Cavaliers engaged in through out this past season? I didn’t see a lot of shenanigans on the sidelines last night. Noah called them out for it and he was right! it looks bush-league and unprofessional at best.
If this were the NFL, the Commish would have fined all their azzes their eintire paychecks to make it stop! But, we have Mr. Stern (Not-So-Stern), at our helm. So, we have to suffer the bad referee calls and bafoonery on our sidelines.
LeBron, seems like a nice guy, but a little on the arrogant side to me. For him to say, “I am only 25 years old?” Well, he wasn’t too young to sign the contract and accept the two MVP Trophies.
Perhaps a couple years in college, would have helped him work out some of the sideline antics:
(oh – my bad! I have never even seen college kids pull those types of stunts on sidelines with such un-sportsmanship like behavior!)
Did, you notice his demeanor and poor attitude after game three or four? I heard there were some chemistry problems on the team? Lebron thinks he is the Coach of this team! Why not? Mike Brown allows them to clown before every game at LeBron’s behest! Word on the street, is that LeBron & Mike Brown got into a heated discussion re: player rotations and substitution patterns for the PlayOffs. Series 1 & 2. Allegedly, if true that does explain a lot!
Is Lebron coachable?
Cali OG
May 14th, 2010
12:14 pm
Go in peace Coach Woodson…
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
12:18 pm
Thanks Woody for helping making us relevant again. Good luck in wherever you go.
This song is dedicated to Woody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdmlG6HGpXo
niremetal
May 14th, 2010
12:19 pm
FRESH – WHAT THEN???
O'Brien
May 14th, 2010
12:28 pm
Woody,
Thanks for your efforts, and good luck at your next job (which needs to be with a team thats young and rebuilding).
It will be interesting to see how many jobs he interviews for…
cp
May 14th, 2010
12:36 pm
Woodson seems like a good guy but the playoffs exposed a lot of his coaching flaws. In his next job he has to be willing to be more flexible. A lot of times when he has his mind made up he stuck with his decisions regardless if what he was doing was working or not.
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
12:36 pm
haha . . . and ESPN showed the progression graphic one more time. Yeah Woody.
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
12:37 pm
I bet Woody gets interviewed for the NO position. I’m thankful of his time here though. No matter what any one says IMHO I think Woody has done a GREAT job overall. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see the Detroit coaching position become open, and Woody have a chance for there. I do want to see Woody land in a nice position. And don’t be surprised if Woody ends up working with Brown in Charlotte for one season, so he can take over the Bobcats the season afterward. In a city where we’ve had coaches just quit on the team (literally and figuratively), you can see that Woody was dedicated to the Hawks his entire time here. He made sure the Hawks did great work off the court as well, and that was the most important thing.
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
12:38 pm
The playoff losses exposed the team flaws too. We’ll see if a player shake-up isn’t next. Ownership should keep this team together at least one more year. But if they lose JJ, the future is as uncertain as it’s been since the departure of Smitty and Mookie.
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
12:40 pm
If his boy Larry Brown becomes President of the Sixers, he’ll get an interview there too. That way, he can run ISO-IGGY in Philly, who has JJ-like all-around skills ( but more of a slasher and less of a jumpshooter ). Philly would be a good fit for Woody actually.
Ramon
May 14th, 2010
12:48 pm
Hey, on ESPN’s picture of Woody, he look like the real life Cleveland Brown lol….
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
12:50 pm
Now the question is . .. when this franchise hires a cheap assistant coach to replace Woody, will people be happy? If the “big name” is to come here, they better hurry up with negotiations, especially with all of these free agents out now. All these coaches probably want the Chicago job now.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 14th, 2010
1:28 pm
Woody came across as a classy, stand-up guy who ha the right personality for a good head coach, but it is painfully clear at this point that he is not capable of making the tactical decisions to win in the playoffs. I’m glad he helped make the Hawks relevant again, but I’m not sorry to see him go. This was the right decision.
That said, firing Woody is the easy part. The hard part is hiring a replacement who is better, whether that’s a big name or an obscure assistant. This is probably going to be one of the defining decisions of Sund’s career as the Hawks GM.