Hawks to talk to Casey
The AJC’s Mark Bradley reports that the Hawks have been granted permission to speak with Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey.
Casey, the former head coach for Minnesota Timberwolves, is one of several candidates for the New Orleans Hornets’ head coaching position. Minnesota hired Casey before the 2005-06 season but fired him in Jan. 2007 despite Minnesota’s 20-20 record, which had the Timberwolves in contention for the No. 8 playoff seed in the Western Conference.
The Hawks say they won’t comment on their coaching search but so so far the team appears to be focused on assistant coaches as candidates. GM Rick Sund said Mike Woodson’s former assistants are under contract until June 30 but that he wouldn’t prevent them from seeking other jobs in the interim. That statement and Sund’s desire for a different voice to lead the Hawks both suggest Larry Drew, Woodson’s lead assistant, isn’t high on the initial candidate list.
MC
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167 comments Add your comment
RC in ATL
May 17th, 2010
12:19 am
Way to go Melvin!
Grandad
May 17th, 2010
12:24 am
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm all of a sudden everyone values Marv?
U say Thabeet is a bust...
May 17th, 2010
12:33 am
But Coach Lionel Hollins Doesn’t see it that way:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/13/geoff-calkins-lionel-hollins-talks-mike-conley-oj-/
fayncdawg
May 17th, 2010
1:00 am
The only person that can coach the Hawks to greater success is clearly Doc Rivers. If the Hawks had no plans to try to get Doc, then they should have kept Woody!
U say Thabeet is a bust...
May 17th, 2010
1:03 am
fancydawg,
#youcrazy
Clyde
May 17th, 2010
1:14 am
We need this guy on our summer league roster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd2LsTWf6oY
i_am_soulstar
May 17th, 2010
1:15 am
no coach is gonna call their own player a bust
fayncdawg
May 17th, 2010
1:30 am
If someone off Doc’s staff can coach defense and develop PGs, I would beg the Hawks to hire that person over anybody whose name isn’t Glenn Rivers!
fayncdawg
May 17th, 2010
1:51 am
I want to believe that the Magic will still win the series! I believe the Celts making the Magic look bad a couple of games speaks volumes of Doc’s coaching ability! I mean Orlando was fairly well rested (at compared to the Celts).
U say Thabeet is a bust...
May 17th, 2010
2:02 am
I meant about keeping woody. That part was crrazy.
fayncdawg
May 17th, 2010
2:12 am
OK U say Thabeet! Maybe keeping Woody was a bit crazy!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 17th, 2010
2:14 am
“I’d be a bit leary of looking on the websites surrounding a team that an available coach last worked with. There is never enough defense for a coach from the fan base, really. Not from the media, either. ”
Eh, I don’t know. I mean any blog is going to have their fair share of Clydes who think the coach never does anything right and Samuels who think the coach is never wrong, but just like you can read between the lines on this blog and decide who is worth listening to, I think you can do that on other blogs as well. Unfortunately, it’s not like we fans have any better way of forming an opinion.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 17th, 2010
2:21 am
I wasn’t a big fan of Thabeet coming out of college; after seeing him getting bullied on both ends of the floor by DeJuan Blair in the Big East tournament, I figured it would take a monumental effort to turn him into even an above average defender, let alone the next Mutombo. Taking a flier on him may sound OK, but he’s barely better than Randolph Morris at this point and he gets paid the #2 pick’s salary.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 17th, 2010
2:41 am
The link posted by U say Thabeet is a bust @ 12:32 AM had this juicy little tidbit from Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins…
“All of those guys that can score, LeBron, Kobe, Joe Johnson, they all have their position but ultimately they have the ball in the hands at the end of the game. Most of the time, they’re trying to make plays to score. There’s a time when you can do that, we’ve done that with O.J. But through the whole course of the game, if you gave the ball to Joe Johnson through the whole course of the game, those other guys will never get off. And it happens even with Cleveland. When you give the ball to LeBron James the whole game, those other guys don’t get opportunities.”
fayncdawg
May 17th, 2010
2:42 am
A little off-topic. When is the lottery? Two non-lottery teams will be paying close attention to who wins the lottery. These two non-lottery teams DESPERATELY need an athletic PG. The two teams I refer to (and I’m sure there are others) are the Lakers and the Hawks. Hawks should hope (and pray the lottery winner has a veteran wing player who plays D (the Pistons and Tayshaun Prince come to mind). I would gladly do the sign and trade deal with JJ, Josh, and Marvin going to the lottery winner for John Wall and a vet wing defender. Of course the Hawks would have to be in line to sign a big name UFA (Chris Bosh?) BTW, Guess who the Lakers would trade for the #1 (esp if the lottery winner is the Clips, the Knicks, or the Nets). Not to mention if the Lakers try to get LeBron (who at this stage of his career VERY BADLY needs Phil Jackson).
Big Ray
May 17th, 2010
3:30 am
“Eh, I don’t know. I mean any blog is going to have their fair share of Clydes who think the coach never does anything right and Samuels who think the coach is never wrong, but just like you can read between the lines on this blog and decide who is worth listening to, I think you can do that on other blogs as well. Unfortunately, it’s not like we fans have any better way of forming an opinion.”
Yeah. True. As far as Randolph Morris goes, I’d like to see if a new coach thinks he has anything to contribute or not. Is he a FA now, or what? The assumption that some will make is that if Woody didn’t want to play him, then clearly he has nothing to offer the team. I only have two things to say about that. One, I’ve seen coaches make mistakes. Two, Woody ain’t here anymore.
Having said that, I just about expect RandMo to be looking for work this fall. And if Mario West shows up in a Hawks uniform in November, I’m going to scream. Why? Because Mario is still Mario, and those “feel good” stories only go so far. Sign both of those guys back and we can really only assume a few things-
1) They got more game than we thought.
2) Sund is an idiot.
2A) Sund could not do better on the FA market. I’ll have a rough time with that idea unless the following is true:
3) This organization is not financially committed to getting better roster-wise.
Big Ray
May 17th, 2010
3:38 am
Najeh
But through the whole course of the game, if you gave the ball to Joe Johnson through the whole course of the game, those other guys will never get off.
Juicy indeed. In fact, that has a lot more substance to it than most things I’ve read. The whole interview was pretty damn good, and I saw some things in there on point guard talk that Jeff Teague should be taking notes on. In fact, I hope to hear things like this from whomever ends up being our new coach:
In the NBA, you have to be more of an aggressor, you have to be more of an attacker at the point guard. I asked him (Conley) today when I saw him, “Did you see the game yesterday?” He said, “Yeah.” I said, “Did you see what Rajon Rondo did?” He said, “Yeah, that was a super game.” I said, “He was attacking. He’s not waiting on those other guys.”
It takes two elements for this to work.
1) A coach who will preach it and encourage it, push it.
2) A player who will buy into it, has the skills to do it, and goes out and does it.
Mike Conley came into the league with no jumper. He had nothing but ball-handling ability, quicks, and the ability to stay in front of his man. Teague came in as a big of a combo guard with similar traits (though he used to shoot jumpers enough in college). If Conley can be taught and can improve…Teague has the same chance. I said “chance”, not guarantee, for those who will jump all over me for it.
Bob Weiss
May 17th, 2010
6:09 am
Hey, I’ve got plenty of free time. Just sayin’…
Ken Strickland
May 17th, 2010
7:08 am
Woodson is no longer the Hawks HC WOODY LOVERS, so get over it and either move on our move out and find somewhere else to whine and cry about it. I wonder what Bibby’s attitude will be now that his savior is gone and JJ might not be around to cover for him, and how will he handle coming off the bench?
One thing’s for certain, after hearing comments about a rift existing between some of the younger players, Bibby and JJ, it’s obvious they weren’t doing much mentoring.
Ramon
May 17th, 2010
7:18 am
Everyone who’s saying we should trade Josh (who nearly made the all star, and was an all defensive player) for a project center (Gasol, Jordan, and Jefferson). We’re not in need of a STARTING Center. We are in need of an active 7 foot center who can come off of the bench and give 20-25 good minutes when called upon. Horford may be a natural PF, but he is still in the top 4-5 centers in the league! Cleveland went out and got Shaq to adjust to D. Howard. Well how did that work out for them? So why would we do the same thing? Josh Smith and Al Horford together is in the top 5 of front court tandems. They often out rebound opposing front courts. They definitely get more offensive rebounds than opposing front courts. And they manage to score more points in the paint than any other team in the league, while playing on a team that shots were dominated by jump shooters.
Josh Smith and Al Horford could really become something special with some shooters (Mike Miller) added around them. As much as I want JJ to stay. I will admit if he leaves, and we’re able to acquire, Miller, Outlaw, and Haywood as well as a back up PG like Felton, we’ll be in for a good season in my mind. If you have a PG in Teague who can penetrate the defense, and you have a dead eye shooter like MIller (or even Korver for less money) and a slasher in Outlaw (or Marvin) with two good post players in Al and Josh, than you can really have a lot of options on your team.
Also you have to know just by previous offseasons, that Josh and Al will come back even better next year as they were this season. Josh works on his game every season for the most part. So I have no reason to believe that he won’t do the same this season. I would love if Josh would take Al with him, when he goes to work out with Hakeem and Calvin Murphy.
O'Brien
May 17th, 2010
7:27 am
Najeh,
I dont know if Tom Thibodeau will be a good head coach. But I will say this. His teams are known for defense. When he was with JVG and the Knicks, and for the last 3 seasons with Boston, his teams defend. However, defense is only part of the issue when it comes to being a head coach.
I wonder how much he has learned from Doc in 3 seasons, because I would give Tom an interview. The only issue is with the Celtics still playing, I dont know when he will be available.
Ray,
“They don’t want to admit it in front of their peers and I’m a firm believer that you can’t always say something in private. At some point, the other guys have to know that you’re going to hold people accountable.”…”My job as a coach is to make them go further than they think they can go and give more than they think they can give.”
Good stuff.
Big Ray
May 17th, 2010
7:38 am
O’brien ,
That was Lionel Hollins saying that. I would love that mindset from whomever Sund brings here as HC. Would absolutely love it.
Big Ray
May 17th, 2010
7:39 am
I’m positive that this would be something new to this team, and something that would have a very positive effect in the long run.
Atticus
May 17th, 2010
7:51 am
I am not qualified to comment on who is the best coach. Just answer me this, why would players listen to this guy, what credibility does he have that would make them buy in and then trust him when the difficluties arise?
nunnna yo biznezz!!
May 17th, 2010
8:12 am
Im telling yall,it was no coincedence that UNC Head Coach Roy Williams was here!!
He was here for a reason and not just because he is an NBA fan either..
Someone high up the in the hawks organization brought him here.Whether it was GM Rick Sund or someone in the ASG,he was brought in to look at the team,and give his opinion on what he see’s wrong or right with the players and the coaching and what he’d do differently..
So,when and if his name is brought up out the of blue within the next few weeks as someone whom we are talking to,don’t be at all suprised…ok??
Because i won’t!!
Nunns Ya!!
ILL-logical
May 17th, 2010
8:23 am
If the Hawks organization’s stated goal is to win a championship, why is Rick Sund involved in any of the decision making?
In his 30 years of professional basketball has he had ANY championship experience? What qualifies him or any member of the ASG to make a quality decision concerning building a championship caliber team?
Following that line of reasoning, it would in the organization’s best interest to get a coach and a GM who had the type of experience and exposure to championship organizations that would lend itself to building a championship caliber organization here. The former head coach proved that just having a coach with a ring-albeit earned as an assistant- is not enough. Excellence must be spread throughout the organization. And having your third choice for GM, who has no championship credentials,making key decisions is not an encouraging step toward the stated goal.
nunnna yo biznezz!!
May 17th, 2010
8:27 am
RAMON SAID:”Also you have to know just by previous offseasons, that Josh and Al will come back even better next year as they were this season. Josh works on his game every season for the most part. So I have no reason to believe that he won’t do the same this season. I would love if Josh would take Al with him, when he goes to work out with Hakeem and Calvin Murphy.”
———————————————————————————————————————————–
ON POINT MY BROTHER!!!!
I have pointed that out over the past month when people try to talk about how josh progressed while playing under woodson..He only progressed and gotten better under the tutelage of hakeem..
Now,i did not know that he worked out with Calvin Murphy but since he is traveling to work out with former greats,i don’t think it would be a bad idea if randmo would go and work out with MOSES MALONE or even ANTOINE CARR(JOHN STERLING FAVORITE WHEN HE WAS THE VOICE OF THE HAWKS)..
It seems like none of the players actually work out with the hawks coaches during the off season at all..Only if they play in summer league games..
Speaking of summer league games,BRING BACK OTHELLO!!!!
RICK SUND DO U HEAR ME!!!!!
doc
May 17th, 2010
8:42 am
ramon, last year the word is josh worked with steve smith in atlanta and did not do his houston summer vacation. anyone doubting josh’s commitment to getting better only has to look at him spending any part of a summer in houston texas. just the same ramon he does pick out a part of his game to work on and goes after it very publicly. in doing so he holds himself accountable for getting better and letting others know it so they can see for themselves. marvin does not have that same approach and it tells as each year he slides more in comparison to his peers of that class. marvin, if you arent gaining on them, what are you doing?
marvin is the one who has to do the most soul searching in the off season in my opinion as to what he wants to become. he has been given the most and done the least of any hawk on the roster and never held accountable except by fans like rod who finally were right. marvin made it easy for him. say what you want about josh, at least he is front and center, marvin slides sideways.
back to josh, smith was the one who talked game with josh last summer. he is the one who got him to give up the three. hakeem, did him well but that was it.
Ramon
May 17th, 2010
8:42 am
Nunna, here you go http://hawks.portspaces.com/post/hawksbasketblog/hawks_team_in_review_josh_smith.html . Now tell me he doesn’t have the dedication of trying to get better annually.
Ramon
May 17th, 2010
8:45 am
Or if you want to see your boy Sekou’s take on it… http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/hawks/entries/2007/06/25/dreaming.html?cxntfid=blogs_hawks
banks
May 17th, 2010
9:15 am
you guys realize thatwhen Byron Scott took NJ to the finals that Eddi Jordan was actually calling the plays When Eddie left Net record drop and Byron was out of Job, so be careful with Byron Scott stuff
honest_abe
May 17th, 2010
9:53 am
samuel: woody = coy right? heh every insight you make about the hawks or basketball in general is always so spot on! heh heh
not to toot my own horn… but when the celts got rasheed i came on here and said boston was the team to beat if kg made a healthy return.
if woody really gone? someone pinch me i feel like i’m dreaming.
doc
May 17th, 2010
9:57 am
again ramon that is old stuff, he worked in atlanta most of 09 summer with steve smith not hakeem at all is what i remember.
Not So Mighty Casey
May 17th, 2010
10:10 am
CASEY IS A CHEATER! CASEY IS A CHEATER!
Why doesn’t AJC mention this? This guy overnighted an ENVELOPE OF CASH to a high school kid (Chris Mills) when he was an assistant coach at Kentucky, trying to bribe the kid to come to Ky. He got caught, the program was humiliated, and he was run off. HOW IS THIS NOT RELEVANT? The guy is a cheater. Woody wasn’t perfect but there was no reason to question his character. DWANE CASEY IS A CHEATER.
Ramon
May 17th, 2010
10:13 am
Doc, maybe so, but the point is he, alone, took the initiative to work with someone who’s done good in the league. He’s reaching out to people to get better and to understand the game more. That’s the kind of player that I want on my team.
terrell
May 17th, 2010
10:16 am
He’s not who I’d hire, but if he can call anything other than Iso’s and switches, he’s an upgrade. Btw, The Ryan Stewart just brought up the fact that Larry Brown laid out the blueprint on how to play the Magic. Woody must’ve missed that series. lol! Cant believe he didn’t learn a thing from his mentor. Oh well, IT IS WHAT IT IS. THAT’S WHAT WE DO. lol!
bigdave
May 17th, 2010
10:29 am
Sund was on this morning:
http://www.790thezone.com/instantreplay/Episodes.aspx?PID=1345
Mike is Back
May 17th, 2010
10:33 am
MC, I like Casey…I think he would be a great selection for the Hawks.
Big Ray, I agree on your May 17th, 2010 3:38 am post on Teague. Teague should be given consideration to fill that role…even Gearson felt as if Teague could contribute more.
Hopefully Teague will give considerable time to improving his jump shot over the summer…that would make his game more complete.
I was in Orlando over the weekend for my niece graduation. Man one of uncle couldn’t wait to talk about how they eliminated their first two opponent with ease… THEY AIN’T GOT IT EASY NOW. lol
The Atlanta Spirit
May 17th, 2010
10:39 am
We can promised you that will get the best coach money can buy as long as he will work for the cheaper than anyone else who we would possibly consider.
Mike is Back
May 17th, 2010
10:54 am
bigdave , nice link…very informative…I guess I will have to check out HoopsHype more hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
bigdave
May 17th, 2010
10:55 am
“The Atlanta Hawks will interview Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey for their coaching vacancy in the next few days, according to NBA coaching sources. The Hawks, sources said, requested and received permission from the Mavericks over the weekend to meet with Casey. ESPN.com”
“Sources said Atlanta also has serious interest in former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson after announcing Friday that Mike Woodson would not be offered a new contract. Utah Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin and Phoenix Suns assistant Dan Majerle are also on the Hawks’ list, sources said. ESPN.com”
Read more: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#ixzz0oCO7UBE1
Rod from College Park
May 17th, 2010
10:57 am
Preciate that doc. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for most people to see. Marvin is the one who needs to be working on his game constantly. All the other young players improve from year to year except him. I personally feel like he could work out with Michael Jordan and it would not matter. The kid just does not have IT.
Dwayne
May 17th, 2010
11:15 am
John Wooden is available.
Sautee
May 17th, 2010
11:18 am
Mystikal,
Man you are a walking contradiction.
First you say this: “Why is everyone so attached to Josh Smith? He is a very talented player, but he is immature and does not have a winner’s mentality. Besides that, he can’t shoot, can’t handle, no go to post moves, is very inconsistent, and undersized to play power forward position. Why not trade him now while value is good rather than 2 or 3 yrs from now when we’re all fed up?”
Then you turn around and say this:
“GET A CENTER!! WHAT CENTER??”
“Trade Josh Smith to Clippers for their 1st rounder, DeAndre Jordan, a future
1st rounder, and cash/trade exception”
“Trade Josh Smith to Memphis for Mark Gasol, Mike Conley (not panning out),
and 2 of their 1st round picks”
“Trade Josh Smith and our 1st round pick to Minnesota for Al Jefferson and
Wayne Ellington”
Tell me Mystikal, if Josh is, as you put it: “immature and does not have a winner’s mentality”. AND…”Besides that, he can’t shoot, can’t handle, no go to post moves, is very inconsistent, and undersized to play power forward position”
And yet SOMEHOW you think, for example that Memphis would trade two starters AND two first round picks for the person you just described?
Do you think that NBA GM’s are that stupid?
If your description of Josh is accurate, why would he have ANY trade value?
You can’t have it both ways, man, Either Josh is VERY valuable and worth two starters and two 1st rounders, or he’s worth less than that. But don’t tell us that he’s essentially worthless and then say he has that kind of trade value.
Makes NO sense.
riggo
May 17th, 2010
12:16 pm
TOSS SOME MONEY AT—— DOC RIVERS
O'Brien
May 17th, 2010
12:36 pm
from ajc.com, talking about Rick Sund.
“Biggest Hits: In Detroit, acquired Ben Wallace for oft-injured Grant Hill in 2000; in Seattle, acquired Ray Allen for an aging Gary Payton in 2003; in Atlanta, acquired Jamal Crawford for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law.
Biggest Misses: In Seattle, squandered three consecutive first round draft choices (2004, ‘05, ‘06) on unsuccessful project centers Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Saer Sene. In Seattle, promoted Bob Weiss to head coach in 2006, only to fire him 30 games into the season.”
3 big misses, 3 years in a row. Ouch. I just hope that his moves this offseason will be hits (especially his coach hire).
cp
May 17th, 2010
12:50 pm
big ray if Mario is here again next year I will be asking Clyde for a fire Sund shirt. Mario was a nice story the first year but its beyond that now. Its clear he really has no skill so why even waste a roster spot with him. I still don’t know why they released Othello. He outplayed Mario the whole summer so I really didn’t understand that move……..and doc and Rod are right, its crazy just how much criticism Josh gets over Marvin. One would think more folks would be upset with the performance of a guy we chose #2 over a guy we got at #17. Josh seems to get better every year while Marvin seems to be the same average player he has always been. This is going to be a big summer for Marvin. I think if he doesn’t come back vastly improved next season he might be put on the trading block.
hawkville
May 17th, 2010
1:25 pm
Good thing nobody on this blog run the Hawks, Thabeet as the center. Mercy
honest_abe
May 17th, 2010
1:28 pm
the biggest problem with josh is effort. i was at game 3 and saw him just wait on jj to get a defensive rebound that bounced right between them. its the freaking playoffs where was his sense of urgency? not to mention his closeouts on defensive rotations were pathetic. josh has undeniable talent, but he’s a monster head case. he still thinks in his head he can shoot the 3. his defense is intense when he wants it to be… if he can’t get up for a playoff game then i don’t know if there’s a solution. you don’t win championships with guys who take breaks and loaf around.
i was one of josh’s biggest fans. but after watching his idiotic, immature act in the playoffs… i’m done … please trade this moron while he still has value.
btw… i was at game two of the milwaukee series. and a few guys in my section and i were chanting mvp at josh smith at the free throw line toward the end of the game when the outcome had already been decided. let me tell you i have never seen that boy run so fast from one end to the other. that showed me he plays when he wants. loser.
Mystikal
May 17th, 2010
1:45 pm
Sautee,
i’m saying you can’t win with him. He is nice to watch and we all hope for the best, but in the end you will be dissapointed. The teams I picked to trade with all have lots of young players and need to mix some of that talent with guys who’ve been around. And Josh is a highlight reel guy, he could put butts in the seats. That is why our fan base love him, but he is fools gold. If you don’t feel me that is cool, but I just want to see the team get better. What do you suggest?