Report: Hawks to interview Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson
ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports the Hawks will interview Avery Johnson for their vacant head coach position.
Johnson, an ESPN analyst, last coached the Dallas Mavericks. He took over during the 2004-05 season and Dallas won 60 games in 2005-06, earning Johnson Coach of the Year honors. But the Mavericks lost a six-game series to Miami in the Finals after leading 2-0. The Mavericks fired Johnson after they lost in the first round of the playoffs in both 2007 and 2008.
If the Hawks want to hire Johnson it would probably take a significant financial commitment. Johnson reportedly earned more than $4 million per year in his final contract with the Mavericks. That’s more than twice the final salary the Hawks paid Mike Woodson, who was told on Friday that he wouldn’t be retained.
Johnson isn’t assured of earning his previous coaching salary when he returns to the sidelines, but he has leverage as probably the most high-profile candidate available. He’s already interviewed with Philadelphia and New Orleans and Johnson also reportedly has interest in coaching the Nets, who were recently sold to Russian billionaire Mikhali Prokhorov.
The Hawks also are set to interview Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey.
MC
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428 comments Add your comment
terrell
May 19th, 2010
7:22 am
Boston is up 2-0 vs the Magic, but we beat Boston 4 times in a row this year, but we got swept by Orlando in the playoffs, losing by an avg of a zillion points. Talk about inconsistent. But some of you fools still think Woody’s the answer. lol!
terrell
May 19th, 2010
7:24 am
Stern is at it again. How in the hell did the Wiz win the lottery? He must’ve felt like he had to give the fans in DC something to cheer about after the Arenas debacle. What a joke!
Geemack
May 19th, 2010
9:12 am
terrell
The Hawks made the world think Orlando was invincible. They did the same thing with the Cavs last year.
That’s what happen when you play with no determination, heart, or desire. The Hawks woes had nothing to do with coaching.
How much of a difference were Stan Van Gundy’s adjustment last night. Boston make everthing tough for the D12 in the post and play him straight up while the Hawks treated him like Shaq, and the shooter killed them.
It’s funny how hard it is for Jameer, Petrius, Lewis, and Anderson can’t hit shots with a hard hand in their face. We made these same guys look like all stars.
honest_abe
May 19th, 2010
9:21 am
corbin all day
Mike is Back
May 19th, 2010
9:22 am
MC, with that list of Assistants…I don’t see how Sund leaves Baron Scott off the list…Baron has extensive coaching experience in the playoff. However, I still say if we can get AJohnson…MAKE THE DEAL AND GET IT DONE…he has the HIGH PROFILE EXPOSURE…that this organization so desperately needs. He has to be tops on that list.
Melvin
May 19th, 2010
9:26 am
Ray/Najeh,
I say we pass on Bledsoe (undersize SG) and James (undersize PF) but Pittman in the 2nd round would be a steal. If we can get/keep his weight under control then we will have a quality big man. This guy has great low post moves and shooting touch. His condition is his problem. He came into college over 300+lbs and work his was down to under 300. His skills are great but his condition is what scaring folks off. He’s definitely worth a pick in the 2nd round but I would be shock if he’s available when the Hawks pick.
YueleBrenner
May 19th, 2010
9:44 am
The Hawks blew it. Had they gotten past Cleveland and Orlando, they would have been facing the Celtics in the conference finals, a team the Hawks have owned and beaten FOUR times this season. What an opportunity it would have been for the Hawks to finally make it to the finals and face the lakers represeting the city of Atlanta. Oh, well. Opportunity blown!
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
9:45 am
I say offer Avery Johnson 3.5 mil with bonuses available. Like goto the ECF for a $150,000 bonus, reach the Finals for a $200,000 bonus, win an NBA championship (priceless lol) $250,000 bonus.
Hoops
May 19th, 2010
9:56 am
Guys,
There is a reason that the Magic can’t score. Tom Thibodeau has set the Celtics defense and the players are executing the plan. He has a mind set that the Hawks need. Some say that he is too intense. The Hawks need some intensity!!!
ken
May 19th, 2010
9:59 am
I hope you guys are paying attention what Boston is doing to Orlando. Its quite simple. Have a game plan . Boston’s game plan to foul DH and stay on the Orlando shooters is working to perfection. Doc Rivers is a masterful coach in game situations while Van Gundy is left scratching his head to come up with any adjustments. Just look at all the shooting percentages of everone except DH and you can plainly see that this series will will only go 4 maybe 5 games if Boston slacks up. Also, look at how Rondo is dominating Nelson because of his creativity and quickness. This is the difference a great point guard can make especially in the playoffs when you play the same team for a series. The Hawks will never seriously compete until they address the point and get a legitimate center. I think Boston will win it all this year .
Sautee
May 19th, 2010
10:00 am
Grandad,
About that Parker trade…..
I love Tony’s game BUT, if JJ re-signs here, I don’t think he and Parker are a good fit as a backcourt. Parker’s game is based on a lot of penetration, which would call for Joe to rotate outside to balance the floor (for defensive purposes). But Joe’s best game is driving and shooting a floater. Not saying they couldn’t adjust, but on the surface, unless Joe can change, it doesn’t seem to fit well.
Just my .02
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
10:21 am
Sautee, Joe is a great spot up shooter also. I actually think Tony Parker would be the best addition (realistically) that the Hawks can make this off season. And you think about he’s only in his twenties, with that many rings, that’s only icing on the cake. I also think he’d be a great mentor for Teague over the next season or two.
Old Hawks Fan
May 19th, 2010
10:28 am
Woody would have Rondo riding the pines here. He would never have had the opportunity to play under Woody’s Coaching Or his lack of Such.
lewis
May 19th, 2010
10:55 am
“Ray/Najeh,
I say we pass on Bledsoe (undersize SG) and James (undersize PF) but Pittman in the 2nd round would be a steal. If we can get/keep his weight under control then we will have a quality big man. This guy has great low post moves and shooting touch. His condition is his problem. He came into college over 300+lbs and work his was down to under 300. His skills are great but his condition is what scaring folks off. He’s definitely worth a pick in the 2nd round but I would be shock if he’s available when the Hawks pick.”
they said the same thing about kendrick perkins
Najeh Davenpoop
May 19th, 2010
11:19 am
“Stern is at it again. How in the hell did the Wiz win the lottery? He must’ve felt like he had to give the fans in DC something to cheer about after the Arenas debacle. What a joke!”
As opposed to “letting” the Nets, who play in the league’s biggest market, win the pick they were favored to get? Come on man. Some of y’all go too far with the conspiracy theories.
MarkWebster
May 19th, 2010
11:23 am
No one will take the Hawks job because it is the opinion of most Hawk followers and NBA watchers as well that the Hawk job is the worst job in the nba because of the Hawks rotten tradition. There are probably 10 coaches out there who could make the Hawks a champion; #1)Hubie Brown, #2) Mike Fratello, #3) Doug Collins, #4) Byron Scott, #5) Avery Johnson, #6) Mike Brown, #7) Paul Silas, #8) Patrick Ewing, #9)Don Nelson; and #10) Jerry Sloan, but those guys wont take the Hawks job because THEY DONT WANT TO BE EMBARRASED IN THE POSITION. The media wont respect you. The Lakers blow out the Lakers at Phillips arena late in the year, yet THERE ARE NO HIGHLIGHTS ON ESPN becuase espn doesnt want to be smear their network by putting footage of the Hawks on their broadcasts. The Hawks have a credibility problem as well as an identity problem. The Hawks were lucky to get Joe Johnson to come here but now Joe has worn out his welcome and is just dying to leave Atlanta. Once joe leaves, thats it; the Hawks will return to mediocrity, losing 60 games a year.
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
11:57 am
Suutee:
That’s what I’m lookn’ for:
Logical analysis.
I mean how many times can we hear:
Lets get D.Wade?
Lets go get LeBron?
or
Myself – Tom Thibodeau / this or that.
so
I’ll have another one…next blog.
I hope you enjoy.
jeff
May 19th, 2010
12:00 pm
Just askin- Does the NBA have a rule in effect that at least two white candidates be interviewed for the job? The NFL has that rule in effect for blacks. If not I think it needs to be implemented.
The Hawks weren’t lucky to get JJ. He was a back-up in Phoenix. JJ was lucky the hawks made him a rich man. Now that he is rich, he didn’t care about the wins and losses of the play-offs, nor did he care about the fans being at the games. He already made his money and ironed out his resume. The hawks suffered the future due to JJ. When he leaves now you are correct, no one will be comfortable running the offense because he was the offense with all of his ISO’s.
Dan's Dickau
May 19th, 2010
1:08 pm
Pronouns are a real issue on this board huh.
Hoops
May 19th, 2010
1:12 pm
Hoopsworld is reporting that the Grizzlies are looking to trade draft picks for an impact player. They have picks #12, #25, & #28 in this years draft. What do you think about this trade?
Hawks send Josh Smith to the Grizzlies for Rudy Gay (S&T) & their #12 pick. Then with the #12 pick we take the best big man available. Probably Alabi @ 7′1″ or Whiteside @ 7′0″. That gets the Hawks a scoring forward and a young big man.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 19th, 2010
1:18 pm
“Does the NBA have a rule in effect that at least two white candidates be interviewed for the job? The NFL has that rule in effect for blacks. If not I think it needs to be implemented.”
You’re not the first one to ask this, but your point would hold a lot more weight if the NBA had a long history of discriminating against white coaches. Seeing as how arguably the three best and most highly respected coaches in the NBA today are white, I can’t see your point having any validity.
For the record, I’m neither black nor white.
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
1:18 pm
Hoops, wouldn’t Marvin for the #25 pick be a better trade?
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
1:26 pm
jeff:
NO; but I think every other year you have to interview an Asian.
Unless:
you have a mid-level exception which can be used to hire:
a ‘black guy’.
If you win the lottery then you can draft John Calipari:
and he may or may not bring LbJ with him.
BUT
be careful with Calipri / he’s white and all:
But
He’s accustomed to operating above the salary cap at KY.
so
He may not fit with the fiscal restraints of the ASG
Nevertheless:
Your question:
“Just askin- Does the NBA have a rule in effect that at least two white candidates be interviewed for the job? The NFL has that rule in effect for blacks. If not I think it needs to be implemented.”
again your query;
just compelled me to compose a 150 or so word burlesque – esque
answer to a shades of gray question, in black & white.*[or brown]
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
1:29 pm
Ramon:
Sometimes your completely ill-logical.
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
1:37 pm
Hoops:
Okay – Rudy, unrestricted:
Memphis on record – Not gonna’ let him go!
(for Josh -get serious)
Alabi / Whiteside… = TALL = thats it!
Projects.
Not ready to help.
Alabi can barely stand up.
You think Thabeet had trouble & you want these two ?
c’mon !
You trade up to 12…you start thinking – Xavier Henry.
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
1:44 pm
Grandad, the other day I typed a response to your comment about working hard in the golden age, and how not being a 100% is a generation thing, but somehow the blog monster ate it, and it was too tired to type it over.
Now you’re saying I’m illogical to say its a better deal to trade Marvin for a draft pick, than it is to trade Josh for Rudy Gay, and a big man that would be a project. Rudy Gay is not an all star. Rudy Gay does not play defense. Rudy Gay prefers jump shots over driving to the lane (I’ve seen many of his games because I watched alot of Memphis games. Rudy Gay is a good young player, but not close to being as valuable as Josh is. I’d trade Marvin and our draft pick (along with Zaza) for Rudy Gay. But I wouldn’t trade our best defensive player for a player who doesn’t show much effort on that end of the court.
KING KONG
May 19th, 2010
1:48 pm
OK NOW ITS KNOWN:
MIKE WOODSON ASKED FOR CHRIS PAUL AND R.BRANDON
SUND ASKED FOR SHELDON AND M. WILLIAMS
GUESS WHO WON?
HINT THE SAME GUY WHO DID NOT TAKE DALLAS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:00 pm
GeeMack, but we kept switching and leaving their shooters WIDE OPEN. That had EVERYTHING to do with coaching. Gotta play them straight up to have a chance.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:02 pm
And GeeMack, I’m not talking about SVG adjusting to Boston. I’m talking about Woody adjusting to Orlando. WE DIDN’T PLAY BOSTON, WE PLAYED ORLANDO.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:07 pm
YuellBrenner, we didn’t play Cleveland. All we had to do is get past Orlando to face Boston in the ECF. Shoulda just stayed in the 4th spot. Woody just had to get his 50 wins. lol!
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
2:08 pm
Ramon:
Then we agree – maybe I phrased it badly.
I would ‘NOT’ trade Josh for Rudy either.
However, Marv for #25 / you would
seriouly undervalue him. [Marv]
Hence
My ill-logical statement.
I have had trouble with the “Blog-Monster” myself of late.
We can disagree but not be angry.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:11 pm
Najeh, The Nets with John Wall, are still just THE NETS. PERIOD!
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:15 pm
King Kong, get your facts straight.
cp
May 19th, 2010
2:32 pm
Ramon is correct about Rudy Gay. A lot of people really overrate his game. He plays no defense and a lot of times he settles for jumpers. I would take him over Marvin but that’s another story.. I remember watching a Grizzlies game this year and Gay and Mayo got into an argument because Mayo felt like Gay wasn’t getting back on defense or playing defense period. I think the Grizz are going to end up moving one of those guys because they don’t get along.
And yea terrell its funny how people still act like Woodrow wanted CP3 when he said out his own mouth that he wanted a veteran pg and thought Chris Paul was too small to defend and couldn’t shoot. Hell the Hawks didn’t even work out Roy. When D Scott said on tv last week that Woodrow wanted Roy I just laughed. He wanted a big because he felt like the Hawks were giving up way too many points inside. They had no plans on drafting Roy that’s why they didn’t even have him come in for a workout. Woodrow is a terrible talent evaluator. As a natter if fact we worked out Rondo that year and Josh Smith tried to convince them to take Rondo but we ended up with Sheldon. The worst pick in Hawks history in my mind.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
2:50 pm
I think NJ might possibly be better off at # 3. Save some $ in the process. They’ve got Harris at pg, Courtney Lee at sg, Terrence Williams at sf and Lopez at c. Grab Favors at # 3, and they’re set for a while. Especially with Boston getting old and all.
Hoops
May 19th, 2010
2:59 pm
Grandad & Ramon,
One thing that I think we can agree on is this-
The Hawks are not going to trade these two players:
Josh Smith-local player that fills the seats.
Al Horford-a player you can build your future around.
The problem with that is that they both should play the PF position. Until we trade one of these two players to get a great player that plays another position, we are not going to get past the second round in the playoffs! We have so much money tied up in the PF position, we can’t afford to use cap space on really good players that play positions of need.
cp
May 19th, 2010
3:00 pm
terrell I thought the same thing last night about the Nets. They have the pieces it just looks like guys gave up last year. Favors would be the perfect fit for them…….I just read up on Damion Jones and looked at some clips, I like his game. I don’t think he will be available at 24 unless some guys have impressive workouts and move up and some guys have bad ones and move down. I think after the workouts it will be a lot clearer who will be available. I do like Jones though because he is a great rebounder and has crazy athleticism.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
3:10 pm
Rashard Lewis signed a 120 mill$ contract and has 11 points total in the 1st 2 games vs. Boston. Wow! We’d be all over his ass. lol!
terrell
May 19th, 2010
3:13 pm
Hoops, Josh and Zach Randolph on the same team? lol!
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
3:16 pm
Grandad, the move I suggested of trading Marvin for the #25 pick would be strictly to create more salary cap space to go and sign someone to replace him. Is Marvin worth more than a #25 pick, of course. But he’s not worth more than the cap relief that the trade will bring. I’m a big fan of the idea of signing someone like Brewer to pair with Joe on the wing. You could possibly add Brewer and Haywood (or Outlaw) for the price of Marvin’s salary (or little more than his salary). So I look at it as creating space and the sum of those two being greater than the value of Marvin. Consider that Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza both made less than Marvin.
My personal belief is the Hawks should sign Haywood, Brewer, Mike Miller, and if possible Haslem.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
Marvin making more than Artest and Ariza = GRAND THEFT.
terrell
May 19th, 2010
3:21 pm
Hell, I’d move Marv for the 25th pick my damn self. Might actually find a player at 25. Cant be any worse than Duck,
MarkWebster
May 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
Has anyone contacted Isiah about the Hawks coaching vacancy?
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
Hoops, once again, I fail to see why the Hawks NEED to trade Smoove or Horford. Against majority of the league, the frontcourt of Horford and Smoove is successful and usually comes out out playing the opponents. All during the season, which game of playing the Celtics did we come away saying, ‘wow Al and Josh got beat up by Perkins and Garnett’? The Hawks losing to the Magic had more to do with strategy and lack of bench than it had to do with the frontcourt. Remember majority of the fouls that Smoove and Horford committed were not on Howard but on Carter, Nelson, and all the other opposing players that our back court let penetrate the lane. In two games of the series, the front court outrebounded the Magic! That one statistic is lost in the sight of being swept. This is why I say the Hawks would do good with just adding Haywood and Haslem to the bench, and trading Zaza. Horford is STILL the 3rd or 4th best center in the league! So I truly believe they can play together and be successful for a long time. Don’t forget Ben Wallace is shorter than Smoove and Horford. And people speak about Rasheed, but Rasheed played on the perimeter majority of the times. The Hawks will be just fine with Smoove and Horford. They just need adequate DEFENSIVE minded bigs backing them up.
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
3:44 pm
Hoops:
It’s okay for J & A to play together,
people too quickly associate
“power forward” with offense anyway.
The ‘trianle’ offense would fix that
immediately. Defensively, Josh can
defend the [3] the switching this yr.
had him guarding [1's-5's]. A versatle
Big could come in and give us 25 min.
per much like Jamal & would not even
have to start. A stretch [4/5]
would be perfect. Perhaps B.Haywood
might be perfecter.
CraigEhlo
May 19th, 2010
3:47 pm
I guess I was right about the Orlando Magic afterall. I said when the season started after the Magic acquired Vince Carter during the off-season that they made a mistake on Carter. The Magic had a better team last year when they had Rafer Alsten and Heidu Turkelu because the Magic offense was run primarily through those two players. I’ll give you that Jamier Nelson is better than Rafer, BUT Heidu Turkelu, in my opinion, is an incredibly gifted all-around player and i think he is one of the TOP 5 NBA TALENTS in the game today. Im sure Carter isnt. THAT IS WHY THE ORLANDO MAGIC WON THE CONFERENCE FINALS LAST YEAR AND MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE NBA FINALS. I dont think theyre going to make it this year, because their team is worse with Carter instead of Turkelu. Carter runs around acting as though he is an elite player and he knows he is an NBA-bust. Did you see Vince Carter late in the game last night against the Celtics at the free throw line, throwing up bricks. Shades of Nick Anderson missing free throws in the finals years ago during the Shaq era, decades ago when the Magic were in the NBA finals. Nick Anderson missed four straight free throws to lose a pivotal game that probably would have helped the Magic to win a title, but instead cost them the series. I KNEW WHEN I SAW VINCE CARTER ON THE FREE THROW LINE LAST NIGHT THAT HE WOULD MISS THOSE TWO FREE THROWS AND THROW UP 2 BRICKS. THAT IS WHO VINCE CARTER IS. A WANNABE BASKETBALL PLAYER WHO HAS NOTHING TO SHOW FOR HIS PATHETIC CAREER. Vince is a great dunker and should go down in nba history as probably the best dunker the game as ever seen. THAT IS WHAT VINCES LEGACY WILL BE. VINCE WONT MAKE THE HOF.
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
3:53 pm
CraigEhlo, the Magic are a better team this season than they were last season. The problem is Garnett is HEALTHY, and Rondo is a great player this season. Boston is WAY better this year in the playoffs than they were last season, and even in their championship season. Hedo couldn’t create any type of shot last season for his own self. Orlando is better, its just they’re not as much better as Boston is. And remember Philly almost put Orlando out in the first round! And Boston without Garnett, and Rondo playing half as good as he is now, almost beat Orlando last season also.
Grandad
May 19th, 2010
4:02 pm
Ramon:
Now you’re being plausible, justifiable, & tenable.
See.
We’re together on J & A / + Haywood.
[not so much Haslem]
Wallace = same as horford + longer wingspan.
Wallace taller than Josh + longer wingspan.
Wallace also goes about 265 so once again:
apples v oranges.
True [5] v true [4] / not stature. (intangibles)
Just like pt. guard:
Size does not = pt. guard.
Intangibles = pt. guard.
Michael
May 19th, 2010
4:05 pm
Of course the Hawks will hire the coach with 2 first round playoff losses with the Dallas Mavericks. Or Jeff van Gundy and all his championships — not. Maybe Mike Brown and his failure to win Lebron’s will be available? Wait, Stan van Gundy may get fired by the Magic for not getting it done for two years with Dwight Howard? Hold on, there will be officially 28 other coaches (beside Woodson) who didn’t get it done this year, and consequently do not have the respect of their players and can’t get it done, so maybe one of those playoff losing coaches will be available to lose for the Hawks!
Ramon
May 19th, 2010
4:15 pm
Here’s a question, would any of you guys trade for Mayo to be the starting PG?