Sund: Players Need ‘Another Voice’ After Six Years of Woodson’s
The Hawks decided not to offer coach Mike Woodson a new contract.
Woodson coached the Hawks for six seasons. The team improved its record in each of the last five years, including a 53-29 record this season that was fifth-best in franchise history, but GM Rick Sund decided the team needs a new leader.
“It was a hard decision,” Sund said. “When I analyzed and looked at it, I went round and round. Finally I think it got to the situation where the compelling thought is, ‘Maybe change is good for everybody.’ That happens quite a bit in the NBA. Maybe the players need to hear another voice, and maybe Mike needs to talk to another group.”
Sund declined to comment on the details of his evaluation of Woodson. Sund also didn’t want to discuss any potential candidates to replace Woodson or offer a broad outline of what qualities he wants in a successor.
Early media speculation has centered on Dallas assistant Dwane Casey, whom the Hawks interviewed before hiring Woodson. Sund was the Seattle GM when Casey was an assistant coach there for five seasons.
Woodson, who is free to seek other jobs, did not return a message. He has defended his tenure with the Hawks while highlighting accomplishments that include three consecutive playoffs appearances, and said he received unfairly harsh criticism for the team’s loss to Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But Hawks management had doubts that Woodson’s approach would lead to further improvement, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Among their concerns was that Woodson would have an increasingly difficult time getting through to his players if he returned.
Some players felt Woodson didn’t rebuke certain players as strongly as he did others for their mistakes, according to four people familiar with the locker-room dynamics. The differing levels of accountability led to resentment for some players , the people said.
Players credited Woodson with helping to maintain a loose atmosphere and reducing the length, frequency, and intensity of practices in an effort to keep them fresh for the playoffs. But one player said he hopes a new coach who doesn’t “play favorites” can improve the team’s chemistry.
Beyond those issues, the Hawks weren’t satisfied with Woodson’s 8-14 postseason record over the past two seasons. Last season the Hawks beat Miami in the first round before losing 4-0 to Cleveland in the semifinals. This season the Hawks beat Milwaukee in the opening round before losing in four games to the Magic by an NBA-record total margin of 101 points.
Hawks forward Josh Smith said the team’s decision to part ways with Woodson despite his success is a sign of the higher expectations for the franchise.
“It feels good to know we are not just satisfied with just being the eighth seed or improving every season,” he said. “We’ve got expectations of going to the playoffs every year and being a difference-maker in the playoffs. The organization has everything going in the right direction.”
Woodson, 52, had a 206-286 record with the Hawks. He took over for Terry Stotts in 2004-05 after previously serving as an assistant coach in Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Milwaukee.
Former Hawks GM Billy Knight tried to fire Woodson more than once during his third season but ownership rebuffed him. Knight resigned after the 2008 season and was replaced by Sund, who signed Woodson to a two-year contract after he guided the Hawks to their first postseason appearance in eight years.
Smith is the only player on the roster to play all six seasons under Woodson. The two had a contentious relationship at times but Smith said they had come to an understanding.
“It was rough starting out, but everything was smooth sailing a couple of years ago once we finally figured out what we wanted out of each other,” Smith said. “You just hate to see somebody you came in the game with leave like this.”
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590 comments Add your comment
Mitch
May 14th, 2010
6:38 pm
Well, now that we know the Hawks are going to have a new coach next year, I’m curious about everyone’s thoughts on the status of Joe Johnson.
Would you like to see Joe stay or go now, considering the offense will likely not revolve around JJ isolation with a new coach?
Let me know what you guys think.
AG
May 14th, 2010
6:43 pm
Wow, I hear Sam Cassell. I think that would be a good choice. That guy NEVER quit and every where he went he won! – except FSU
AG
May 14th, 2010
6:44 pm
Keep the nucleus. All the trade Josh, etc, bring in a center is non sense. We must resign Joe and looking at the free agents out there, there are a lot of good guys who are not going to get max money.
DP
May 14th, 2010
6:52 pm
If Joe does leave we should trade Marvin ,2010 first round pick, 2011 second round pick, and Bibby for MONTA ELLIS. Monta Ellis would fit in because he shoot a good percentage from the field, he is always one of the top players in steals, and he is lightning quick with a lot of skills to play aside Teague and Crawford
DP
May 14th, 2010
6:54 pm
If Joe does leave we should trade Marvin ,2010 first round pick, 2011 second round pick, and Bibby for MONTA ELLIS. Monta Ellis would fit in because he shoot a good percentage from the field, he is always one of the top players in steals, and he is lightning quick with a lot of skills to play aside Teague and Crawford.
COMMENTS???
John
May 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
Next Atlanta Hawks coach will be ……..Byron Scott…Mark my words
JeJe
May 14th, 2010
6:58 pm
FIRE WOODY
ryan
May 14th, 2010
7:10 pm
AG your right on what the Hawks lack is a post player and point guard what Hawks should do is try to trade Josh Smith for Bosh or Stodemire . And if they hire Byron Scott try to bring CP3.
bct
May 14th, 2010
7:16 pm
It’s amazing how so many people blame woodson and not the players who played with little to no effort. When a team gives up and tunes out it’s coach, it says a lot about the character of the guys on the team. the hawks players should be ashamed of themselves. The loss to orlando wasn’t about x’s and o’s, it was about heart, which is something that team had none of. Bad coaching can cause you to lose close games, but getting blown out is on the players.
JK
May 14th, 2010
7:39 pm
JsN I agree with ur last point Bosh is not a Super Star! & you dont need a super star to win…look @ the Celtics. the big 3 have BIG names but what did they ever win on there own? Look @ thwe Magic..Howard has the BIG name but they win games with or without him (1st round vs. Bobcats). TEAM…TEAM..TEAM! Remember the Lakers w/ Gary Payton, Kobe, Karl Malone & Shaq? Big names..no ring! Team…Team…Team!
JK
May 14th, 2010
7:47 pm
Mitch if Joe wants to stay he will sign for less than a MAX deal cuz he didnt have a MAX Playoffs. Joe has led us in PPG APG & in top 3 in RPG every yr we have been good. So you cant knock th effort or skill level.
Blast
May 14th, 2010
7:51 pm
Wow!
Never seen the blog fill up so quickly and so fast in such a short time! I guess bad/good news will do that to you!
And where were all these folks all season, huh?
Woody HAD to be fired, or let go. We all saw it coming. I like the dude, but he wore out his stay.
Hawks are at a strange crossroad, and I like it. The next question is what they do with Joe.
Does not stop with firing Woody, though. Hawks are not a complete team. Gonna be interesting to see what happens in the off season.
Sund said he is extending a qualifying offer to Childress.
S Hawk Fan
May 14th, 2010
7:57 pm
X….. you refered to me as “Sometimes” a Hawk fan. Would having season tickets for seven years and going to about 90% of the games over that time make a “sometimes” fan? I think I am qualified to speak just a little! I have seen Woody attempt to coach night in and night out…. he really looks clueless and it shows in the play! Just glad he is gone because I was done otherwise!
Rod from College Park
May 14th, 2010
8:01 pm
“I wonder how much Marvin Might improve and play more to what his ceiling and potential are with the right coach. How much of Marvin’s lack of productivity can be partly to blame by Woodson? Not to put all the blame on Woodson b/c Marvin is responsible for himself, but it makes you wonder if a great coach comes in, can he motivate Marvin to play like he is capable of playing.”
A new coach won’t help you make an uncontested jumpshot. He also can’t help you from getting you shot blocked by guys 5 inches shorter than you. He also can’t help you stay on you feet and finish strong instead of ending up on the ground the majority of the time. Woodson’s fate can be laid at the feet of two players that he continued to support for no apparent reason, Bibby and Marvin. Get better production from those two positions and he still might have a job. Make you bed, you have to sleep in it.
tim
May 14th, 2010
8:03 pm
To Montrell & cdog…….the old complaining line about someone being fired because they’re black. Did you happen to notice that they’re black when they’re HIRED?
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
8:11 pm
LOL @ Harold . . you damn right. As much as I love the Hawks, THEY BET NOT EVEN THING ABOUT TALKING TO BRUCE PEARL.
The UT Athletic Dept would never allow the ASG to outbid them anyway. The ASG would talk to Pearl, and offer him a weak 3 yr – 11 mill deal. UT would laugh, and offer Pearl a 10 yr extension worth 50 million.
*********
I just hope people are prepared to be underwhelmed by the coacing hire. If they hired a competent “name coach”, I’ll be shocked.
Just pray to God that we’re not walking into a situation like in Detroit, when Joe Dumars fired “Lil” Flip Saunders, because the Pistons kept losing in the EC Finals. Dumars simply promoted assistant coach Michae Curry to run the show.
That franchise hasn’t been the same since.
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
8:12 pm
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
1:05 pm
******13******
*************26*************
***************30***************
******************37*******************
**********************45********************
**************************53**************************
The legacy of Woody . . like it or not.
_________________________________________________________________________________
i like it….i like it…(mr. brown – Tyler Perry) LOL!
Northcyde! that post was off the chain – Bro!!!
OMG – you had to pull out “The Etch – a – Scetch” ? To show these fools what progress LOOKS like? (in stitches from laughing so hard) I love your sense of humor and style… i will be up all night laughing!
Nuff – Said!
Clyde
May 14th, 2010
8:16 pm
How bout Steve Smith or Scott Drew from Baylor
Clyde
May 14th, 2010
8:19 pm
drmaryb northclyde……..I meant northcyde forgot Woody’s playoff record in his post
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
8:20 pm
Rutherford Sydell (ASG Owner)
is on 790 The Zone with 3D after Dark……right know talking about the Coaching situation and moving on. im on the internet.
Great Stuff!!!!
wgraves
May 14th, 2010
8:24 pm
Hugh mistake. Orlando just had Hawks number and is the better team. You don’t fire a coach who improves every season he coached. To start over may just get you in last place next year with Joe and Alford free agents.
Simpdawg
May 14th, 2010
8:27 pm
I would like Rick Sund to consider Bill Laimbeer as the Hawks next coach, because he knows what it takes to win. The Hawks needs a coach who inspires physical and mental toughness.
Simpdawg
May 14th, 2010
8:37 pm
wgraves
Mike Woodson wasn’t resign, because he failed to make adjustments in the playoffs. When you win 53 games in a season, and you are the 3rd seed in your conference, you don’t expect your team to lose by an average margin of 25 points a game, especially in the season round of the playoffs. Mike Woodson had to go.
hawkfan
May 14th, 2010
8:40 pm
since Mike Woodson is finally gone, would Josh Childress now consider coming back to the Hawks for next season?
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
8:42 pm
CLYDE
Christmas came early for you! You got your man! I’m gonna have to call you – Mannix or Cannon or Berretta or Hawaii 5-O, those dudes always – “Get their Man!”
LOL! you must be celebrating right about now! Heck, you probably pulled out the Sunday – China and crystal champagne glasses to wine and dine tonight! At, least someone is happy!
I for one am sad to see Coach Woodson go. He was one of the nicest people you will ever meet! i wish him the very best and my heart is very heavy! But, 6 months from now, Mr. Woodson will be in a good situation and will do very well moving forward!
The Hawks and The Coach both needed a new change in scenery! I must admit, it was necessary to replace the Coach.
Based on the Rutherford interview, he was extremely regretful and tearful to let Mr. Woodson go. They loved his class and demeanor to a man and was like family!
But, the organization has raised the bar and the Championship Chant is the new culture of the Atlanta Hawks.
Mr. Sydell said that Joe Johnson is their priority to resign! He said, we wanted Joe to come here so bad, it caused a huge RIFT in the front offices and the Owners ended up in court over his deal! He said, the owners spent tens of millions of dollars to have him here and it was a gamble that he would turn out to be the “Super-Star” that he has been for us! Now, we can get a new voice and surround Joe Johnson with whatever talent he needs to Win a Championship here in Atlanta.
He also said, he is a 7 generation Atlanta Boy & Josh Smith is also born and bred here. He said Josh is the most exciting player we have had here since Nique played at the Omni! Josh AINT going NoWhere – period! Dennis Scott asked him if he were willing to trade a player like Josh or Marvin for the right pieces? That was his answer, but I just noticed he never mentioned Marvin’s name at all. So, Josh is untouchable and I can deduce that Marvin is Not!
Great Interview, he was just driving around the city listening to “3D after Dark” & he listens to the Fans all the time and a caller pumped him up to make that call in to 3D’s Show. Totally – unplanned call. Seems like Hawks are going to be fine!
rusty
May 14th, 2010
8:45 pm
good,first woody,then hopefully joe & then northcyde
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
8:50 pm
3D after Dark!
Someone put Joe Johnson up for sale on Craig’s List today: it read something like this….
“Used NBA Player for Sale. Needs to move ASAP! Looking for a new home.
Hard Worker from December through April. Will NOT work overtime.
Salary Required: $20,000,000.00 per/year or $500,000 per/hour”
Breaking News! from 3D’s entertainment reporter:
Word is a player on the Cavalier’s team was sleeping with LeBron’s Mother and LeBron found out right before Game 4 in the playoffs! His Mother is barely what 40 years old & had LebBron when she was 17 years old.. So, I guess his Mom looks pretty young!!!!
Damn. 3D – you hot man! you hot!
drmaryb
May 14th, 2010
8:55 pm
Rumor Mill now spinning that LeBron’s teammate slept with someone close to him, but not his Mom?
So, it must be his Baby-Mamma? Word is LeBron will return to Cleveland? All rumors ..but very juicy!
DP
May 14th, 2010
9:02 pm
If Joe does leave we should trade Marvin ,2010 first round pick, 2011 second round pick, and Bibby for MONTA ELLIS. Monta Ellis would fit in because he shoots a good percentage from the field, he is always one of the top players in steals, and he is lightning quick with a lot of skills to play aside Teague and Crawford.
COMMENTS???
Publix
May 14th, 2010
9:07 pm
Ok, now that Woody is gone, we need to go out and hire AVERY.
Take Marvin trade him to Nornets for back up PG Collins.
Take Zaza and Bibby, trade to Indiana for Hibbert and second round pick.
Sign Joe Johnson and trade him to Chicago for Hinrich and Dang.
PG- Teague/Collins
SG- Crawford/Hinrich
SF- Gay/ Dang
PF-Horford/Smith
C- Hibbert/Morris
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, That’s a GREAT TEAM.
Publix
May 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
SIGN RUDY GAY
bigdave
May 14th, 2010
9:15 pm
lol!!!
Publix
May 14th, 2010
9:21 pm
I tend to dream big, but there needs to be a dreastic change.
doc
May 14th, 2010
9:31 pm
drama queen DMB filling it up tonight. keep the juicy stuff coming. tears from the owners and someone banging a face in laqueen’s entourage. good night’s work sweetheart. dont know what it was but someone flipped laqueen’s switch.
Samuel
May 14th, 2010
9:39 pm
Well, Well, Well,
It’s finally over for Woody and the Hawks. In all honesty, I am somewhat relieved for him. I believe he did good work with what he had to work with. Many of you here will get your wish and get a new coach. Clyde, Ken, Nire and many more can get a life now.
It’s interesting in that Josh of all people made the comment he did. I wonder if he is willing to do what it takes to “go to the next level?”. Judging by his stubborn and boneheaded past, I’ll believe it when I see it.
I hear all these names that are being tossed out here and am yet to see or hear one who can make a difference in us matching up with Dwight Howard or Lebron James or The Big Four in Boston. The only candidate that i’ve seen so far to get past the second round is Avery, am I right and he definitely had a hell of a lot more to work with. I could be wrong but I don’t see any great coaches clamoring for this job with this roster.
Remember, anything less than 53 wins and at least a second round appearance will be a step back and I will definitely be hear to remind yall of it.
One more for the road.
Woody=COY
We’ll certainly see wont we. I can’t wait.
Bob Cousy
May 14th, 2010
9:52 pm
Woodson could not make effective midgame or endgame adjustments. With the personnel he had, he did fine as long as they were self-motivating. Thank God this long ordeal is over. Billy Knight had it right.
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
9:55 pm
LOL @ Rusty talks about me on TWO websites.
He either has a serious “man-crush” on me . . or he wanna fight me.
If it’s a crush, I’m sorry man. I LOVE women only. Some of you dudes drinkin too much kool-aid and sweet tea . . making ya’ll a little on the “sugary” side. Got ya’ll Not a good look homie.
But if he wanna fight . . . build an octagon in Piedmont Park . . . I’ll fight ya . . . we can do this UFC style. (( throwint left jabs ))
People gonna be like . . “why you fighting that boy? Leave that boy alone.”
I’ll be like . . “We’re not fighting. I’m just teaching him how to be a man. So what if I got him in the Chris Benoit “Crippler Crossface”? This will make him tough!!”
Rusty . . . you just make sure you make A’s on your upcoming tests. Give us a reason for us to throw an ice cream and cake party for your hatin azz . . lol.
Rod
May 14th, 2010
10:00 pm
Thanks Coach Woodson for a great job building the Hawks back to a playoff team. The players Joe Johnson and Bibby are uncoachable and do no respect the coach as the leader while Josh Smith is quitter. This is not your fault Woody. You did the best you could do. Hopefully a new coach will come in and sit the quitter on the bench when he stops competing.
doc
May 14th, 2010
10:02 pm
yeah samuel, relief is what it is. i hope the guy does well at his next stop. however, there is NOTHING that says he could match what he did this year, next year and this year was a perfect year with no injuries and no adversity along the way. good year for his record book and good for us as fans.
what you say we wait awhile and see if he ever gets to the level of 53 wins again with another club before you get too giddy denouncing the next guy in or making any more acclimations of how great a coach he is. he might be the next coming of jordan who did similar things with the wiz and didnt last a season at his next stop.
i also hope you arent here to defend woody’s performance against skiles and the bucks are you? that probably sealed his fate mores o than the 43 point loss in orlando. you have been pretty quiet lately.
i do wish the man well. he was a class act and a very good man from all i can tell. i give him his props for keeping those guys playing hard for almost 6 full seasons. for some reason they stopped listening to him is all i can say. that is death to a coach at any level.
northcyde
May 14th, 2010
10:07 pm
@ drmaryb . . . LOL . . . That was ESPN’s favorite graphic about the Hawks. We won’t ever see that graphic again. So i had to bring it back one last time.
@ Clyde . . . so have you picked out the next coach/player you want fired? 2nd question: How many of these replacement coaches for Woody, possess a playoff record .500 or better?
(( playing Final Jeapordy music ))
Grandad
May 14th, 2010
10:11 pm
If the owners are serious about keeeping Joe
which they should…had not thought about
the fact that Joe is what caused the rift.
*Then the owners need to get serious about a
HC that can re-recruit Joe.
Answer = Doc.
For all those wanting Rudy…Mem. owner said today:
“he would match [Rudy - restricted] anyone’s offer”
when asked, what if someone were to offer max? : [not likely]
owner said:
“they were commited to keeping Rudy”
“they had invested $ and years so it would be counterproductive”
[not to match] *(paraphrase)
Anyway....
May 14th, 2010
10:13 pm
So, I agree we should trade Mo Evans to Indy for A.J Price
We should also try to get a 2nd 1st rd draft pick if possible. With JJ potentially leaving, Mo Evans being shipped out, and Marvin being “hot garbage” we could usee some wings.
Devin Ebanks (6′9 Beast WVU) and Paul George (6′7 Beast SanFrancisco) should both be there late in the 1st and potentially early in the second round.
Solomon Alabi looks promising, but Miami will more than likely pick him up. Regardless, he won’t be there when we pick.
Here is a list with over 60 mock drafts from different hoops websites
http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/02/mock-draft/
We also should trade Zaza and Bibby for a legit Big.
Resign JJ
Anyway....
May 14th, 2010
10:14 pm
Grandad, Devin Ebanks and Paul George are Rudy clones so Rudy is not needed.
rusty
May 14th, 2010
10:15 pm
anyone who kisses woodson & jj’s butt like you do has to be gay
LouFan
May 14th, 2010
10:24 pm
I was no fan of Woodson. Yet, I wish him the best. As far as getting a bad coach in his place… I really hope that the organization will do the right thing. Why try to keep JJ with a huge deal, but then be cheap on the head coach? I feel that the owners see the talent and potential. They will come out of pocket for a good coach.
cp
May 14th, 2010
10:28 pm
Reading those quotes from the players and the people close to the organization said a lot. Woodrow played favorites like many have said for years now. He also didn’t hold certain vets to the same accountability as others which is also something a lot of bloggers have brought up. I’m guessing it was probably a split in the locker room because everyone wasn’t treated equally. It looks like more and more that a lot of bloggers were right on what they thought was going on behind the scenes. I clearly remember when big ray and myself were talking about the situation with Law. It had to be frustrating to get yanked after making one mistake yet Flip could come down and turn the ball over on 3 consecutive possessions and Woodrow would say absolutely nothing but he would chew Law out for just one mistake. Woodrow seems like a nice guy but I can clearly see why guys tuned him out.
Samuel you are a funny guy. When the Hawks were getting absolutely embarrassed you were no where to be found. As soon as the Hawks win you would come on here and gloat. I can at least say a guy like northcyde is here regardless of what happens. You on the other hand only seem to pop up for wins. If the Hawks make changes to the roster and they still make the playoffs how can this be seen as a step back? How is it the new guy only gets one year but ya boy Woodrow gets 6? Seems silly to me. And yea winning 53 games did what for us this year? Once again winning all those games mean shid if you don’t show up for the playoffs but some of you guys seem to be happy with regular season accomplishments.
The Truth
May 14th, 2010
10:29 pm
The 411 prospective on available coaches; hopefully this will shed light and stop these wild ideas Since the Hawks aren’t willing to spend any serious dollars on the next coach, this takes Avery Johnson off the table.
Clyde
May 14th, 2010
10:32 pm
I wonder is Woody is gonna get consideration for any head coaching jobs in the NBA this year. smh
Clyde
May 14th, 2010
10:32 pm
if^^^^^^
NUNNA!!
May 14th, 2010
10:40 pm
woody will be an assistant coach in the nba again,or a head coach in college basketball,probably womens basketball..im not joking!!!
the playoffs this year and last exposed woody..it showed that he does not know how to adjust,prepare,nor does he know how to develope his players..
i give the players credit for growing into their parts as players..
we all know that josh smith worked out with akeem the dream for a couple of summers and gotten his low post game and his defensive skills togehter under him by going to houston and working out with him..
besides that,our increased wins came on the back of vets we traded for,not from player we got and woody coached up!!
horford is another player who because of “burn time”just like josh,he got better..
who else did we draft that we can say,”wow,woody sure did wonders with this guy”??
question marks were already there on woodson,even before the bucks series!!
and the way he got outcoached against skiles,really made him look even worse and turned every GM off on him..Now don’t get me wrong..i hate to see someone lose a job,but,this guy is rich!! and he can sit on his cash for a few years!!
he will have another job,but for now i think he will be on comcast channel 046 or 293(espn,nbatv,respectively)..watch and see
!!
if mike brown is fired from cleveland,don’t look for woody on their sidelines either..
p.s.,ROY WILLIAMS head coach of UNC was at the hawks-magic game for a reason yall!!
someone from the hawks front office invited this guy in to look at the areana,team,and meet up with someone in the top brass..and im not talking about marvin williams either!!
WOODY WAS HERE A YEAR TOO LONG..
TRUST ME,WE WON’T MISS HIM..
THANKS FOR THE GOOD TIMES WOODY!! AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU IN THE FUTURE!!
IM READY TO MOVE ON!!