Mike Woodson is out because Hawks have raised the bar
It had become clear that Hawks players were tuning out Mike Woodson in the playoffs. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Firings shouldn’t be celebrated. But the message that a firing sends can be.
Mike Woodson is out as Hawks head coach. Don’t celebrate a man’s unemployment. But celebrate why.
“This wasn’t an easy decision,” general manager Rick Sund said Friday night, his eyes a bit red at the end of a long day of meetings and interviews. “But at the end of the day, I thought it was time for the players to hear another voice. Change in sports is sometimes good, and I felt we needed change.”
Sund didn’t feel a need to get into the specific of the whys and hows. But this was the message: The bar has been raised.
The Hawks are not calling Woodson’s exit a firing. They don’t have to. His contract was about to expire. But this is semantics. They no longer wanted him to coach their team. Regardless of what’s legally correct, it’s a termination.
Why? Because tere’s a mandate to win now and win big. Imagine that –a pro sports team in Atlanta shooting for something higher.
Would Sund have kept Woodson if he had a year left on his contract?
“I don’t answer hypotheticals,” he said.
I think we know the answer.
The Hawks’ regular season win totals increased every season under Woodson. He took the team to the postseason three straight years. He won first-round series in the last two, and in neither year were the Hawks expected to get past their second-round opponent (Cleveland and Orlando).
But winning 53 games and a playoff series isn’t good enough anymore.
Few expected the Hawks would defeat Orlando. But getting stretched to seven games by Milwaukee in the first round and losing four games to the Magic by an NBA record composite of 101 points — including an embarrassing 30 points in the desperation Game 3 at Philips Arena — was unacceptable.
Sund thought so. Atlanta Spirit owners thought so. Certainly, the thousands of fans who booed the Hawks early and often during Game 3 — and the thousands who didn’t show up for Game 4 — thought so. The Hawks had gone as far as they could go under Woodson.
All of the Hawks’ ills are not Woodson’s fault. This roster has flaws. There is no true center (Al Horford is playing out of position). The starting point guard (Mike Bibby) declined significantly this year — after getting a new three-year contract, oddly enough. The team’s most dynamic player (Josh Smith) is a Hall of Famer one minute and the epitome of a petulant professional athlete the next.
But it had become clear in the playoffs that players had stopped listening to Woodson. A new voice was needed before the direction of the organization started to turn south again.
The Hawks played two playoff series this year and Woodson was outcoached in both. Scott Skiles, whose Milwaukee team lost one starter (guard Michael Redd) early in the season and his best player (center Andrew Bogut) three weeks before the playoffs, nonetheless got his players to believe in themselves and their head coach. The Bucks pushed the Hawks to the brink of elimination before Atlanta players woke up in a cold sweat and won the last two games impressively.
Question: Why did it take being pushed to the edge of a cliff before responding?
A focused team plays with equal parts confidence and desperation in the playoffs. That goes back to preparation. That goes to coaching. Yes, players share in the problems. Even Horford questioned the effort level of teammates after the third game of the Orlando series. But it also goes to players listening to, working for and following their coach.
The first game against the Magic was an embarrassment. The Hawks lost by 43. Sund said he didn’t put much stock in that result because the Magic were rested and the Hawks were coming off a grueling, seven-game series. Left unsaid was the cause of the series going seven games. Regardless, there was no reason for Game 3 faceplant at home.
The half-court offense was too predictable (we’ve all seen enough of “Iso” Joe Johnson). The defensive effort was inconsistent. Rookie point guard Jeff Teague sat on the bench for most of the season, a not uncommon fate for a young player under Woodson.
In all matters concerning Woodson, stubbornness reigned. Flexibility, creativity, objectivity — not so much.
Woodson’s six year record (206-286) will not rank as one of the best in franchise history. His impact will be debated. Defenders will say he can’t be blamed for going 13-69 because he didn’t have players. Critics will claim he received too much credit for going 53-29 because he had players.
We’ll find out soon enough who was right. But there’s no question the right message is being sent.
♦
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200 comments Add your comment
Mr. Phil
May 14th, 2010
1:02 pm
@TW
Fair enough.
I am just saying the next coach candidate has to be an inspired choice that comes with some cache in order to get anything out of these players. The players Doc Rivers has had can remember when he was a quality sort-of-star in this league. That is why they listen. The fact that he knows what he is talking about is why they win. But his cache is why they listen.
Mike Woodson
May 14th, 2010
1:03 pm
NBA,
if a teacher can’t get his/her students to listen, they have failed.
If a journalist can’t get people to read his/her work, they have failed.
If a coach can’t get his players to listen and play hard, he has failed.
It really doesn’t matter if they did everything they could do or not…it was his job to make sure everyone was on the same page and were willing to give it their all. It didn’t work out so now it’s time to give someone else a chance. You don’t get rid of an entire team and keep the coach because you THINK there’s a chance that with a new team he could be good.
Tweets that mention Mike Woodson is out because Hawks have raised the bar | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
May 14th, 2010
1:05 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Richard Lowe, Steven Jones, George Hassell, Gilley, Jeff Schultz and others. Jeff Schultz said: BREAKING NEWS: Mike Woodson is out because Hawks have raised the bar. http://bit.ly/dkPMwT [...]
Veteran Fan
May 14th, 2010
1:07 pm
Can we get Mr. Sund to hire Paul Hewitt and then the world would be moving in the right direction! Just kidding, good luck to Coach Woodson! I hope he gets the Chicago job. We need a young, dynamic, and honest coach who will create a fast-flowing offense with the courage to use his bench! Step 2 sign and trade Joe and Bibby and our draft pick to the Nets for Devon Harris. Trade Marvin and Josh to the Raptors for Chris Bosh and their draft pick. Use the draft pick to get the Heyward kid from Butler. Go after Chris Kaman as the number one target in free-agency. Bring back Childress! Line up is Kaman at center, Horford at power forward, Bosh at small forward, Crawford at shooting guard, and Harris at point. Reserves are Heyward, Zaza, Childress, and Teague. Except for Crawford exceptional on defense with size and quickness and offense all over the place with speed at every position and good depth. Bosh and Kaman are sizeable contracts, but the rest are very reasonable! Team is still young and will be a contender for at least 3-5 years depending upon contracts. Nets get JJ and experienced point to try to attract LeBron and two first round draft picks to do a sign and trade with Cleveland. Raptors get two first round players for someone leaving and a first round pick. We believe in the HAWKS!
Timmy
May 14th, 2010
1:07 pm
If we hire Nique as coach, I hope we let him continue broadcasting so he’s not involved with the game. That, and the ASG should send buckets to all other ownership groups to place donations in, since hiring Dominique Wilkens is essentially stating “We are completely devoid of any mental resources. Please help us.”
Rojer
May 14th, 2010
1:07 pm
How about firing the fans. Atlanta fans didnt even come close to selling out the building for playoff games. Selling tix for $5 and still couldnt get rid of them. The reason they were so successful against the Celtics a couple years back was the crowd and now you all want to blame the players and coaches… probably so but look in the mirror too. If the crowd would have shown up they might have got a win or two.
Mr. Phil
May 14th, 2010
1:08 pm
@Mike Woodson
Actually, we kinda did “get rid of an entire team and keep the coach”. That is why you were still here, remember. Or were here.
heelsfan
May 14th, 2010
1:09 pm
Good season Hawks. Hey dont feel bad. Look at the egg the chosen one layed last night. Only one team will be on top at the end anyway. So all you hating Hawks fan go away.
tyger
May 14th, 2010
1:09 pm
Bring back BK and Lenny Wilkens!!!
DBH
May 14th, 2010
1:09 pm
I’ll never forget Woodson’s comments during the post-game press conference after the Hawks beat the Bucks in game 7: “A lot of y’all wrote us off.” LOL! – as if he had just led the Hawks to some monumental upset of the top-seeded team in the playoffs. Dude, it was the 6th-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and they took you to 7 games!!!! I’m glad he’s gone. He’ll make a good assistant somewhere.
Mr. Phil
May 14th, 2010
1:10 pm
@Rojer
Can’t fire the fans. That is the source of the money. Just like any other business can’t fire their customers. They can sure tick them off though.
Stuart
May 14th, 2010
1:11 pm
Thanks Woodson for helping get the team back on track. But, having said that, it’s about time! Now we can get a coach who can make adjustments, who can run a play other than giving the ball to JJ, or anyone really, in the iso, and who can utilize younger talent such as Teague instead of just letting them ride the bench.
PlusSizeModel
May 14th, 2010
1:11 pm
Can any of you morons explain why Avery Johnson should be considered a front-runner for anything? Because he has experience making a talent-laden team nose dive with stupid coaching? Because he presents half-baked analysis on TV?
Jon
May 14th, 2010
1:12 pm
@TW – I hope you’re not serious. There isn’t a starting five in the league that Josh Smith and Al Horford couldn’t walk into. The rest I’ll give you.
PlusSizeModel
May 14th, 2010
1:13 pm
You might as well give a highly regarded assistant a chance. This team is going nowhere for many years any way you slice it.
Gwinnett Fred
May 14th, 2010
1:14 pm
I’m on board with most of what folks are saying.
Fisrt, if there is any chance to land Doc Rivers – do it (but I don’t think the money is in the bank to lure him here, you have to remember, we weren’t paying Woody much at all).
Second, thanks to Woody for developing a young team into a very good squad.
Third, thanks to Sund for realizing that we aren’t desiring a very good squad – we desire a championship calibur squad.
Fourth, please hire somebody whose first offensive option isn’t an ISO play where half the time someone has to chunk one up from the cheap seats because the shot clock is at 2!!!
Fifth, ASG – please pay at least a little attention to the Thrashers – I’d REALLY love a reason to go support them (is Woody as good at developing young hockey players as he was basketball????)
ATLSun
May 14th, 2010
1:16 pm
BAD MOVE! It wasn’t the coach, but the players on the team. The Woodson/players combo managed to get the Hawks to the playoffs multiple times, which many teams can only dream of. It was clear during the playoffs that the Hawks players “ran out of steam.” It wasn’t Woodson. Remember, a coach can only coach with the players he have available to him. The hawks lineup simply was/is not built to take on the talent nor team size of the likes of an Orlando Magic. They really look like high school students playing next to the Magic. Also, they lack the enthusiam and desire to play with one another…collectively. That simply is not present amongst the team members and that’s not a Woodson problem. I sure hope the hawks focus on the real issues at hand and build a better team spirit amongst it’s members and find some better leadership on the court (NOT JOE SMITH).
Teague and Law
May 14th, 2010
1:17 pm
Wooooo Hooooo!!! Maybe we can play now. What does CMW have against young guys anyway? We can both run circles around old Mike “I need a Bib”by. Hey we should copyright that before Chris Berman gets a hold of it!
Who's next?
May 14th, 2010
1:17 pm
Any chance that Mark Price would end up as head coach?
Rojer
May 14th, 2010
1:18 pm
Smith doesnt start over Pierce and Horford doesnt start over KG… and both of those guys are old. Hawks definitely have some pieces but dont go overboard… they need the pieces they have to get better and the parts they need are the toughest to acquire.
Gwinnett Fred
May 14th, 2010
1:18 pm
ATLSun:
Were you actually watching any of the games in the Bucks series when, on a consistent basis, Skiles strategy reduced the Hawks to garbage? And Woody had NO answer defensively?
TONE
May 14th, 2010
1:20 pm
I told you kevin willis! straight from my source at the huddle house !!! still working on that second source for you Jeff
MenVsBoys
May 14th, 2010
1:21 pm
I think these players tuned Woodson out a long time ago. I remember watching a locker room speech Woodson gave the team before Game 7 with the Celtics a few years back. It was supposed to be one of those “Biggest games of your lives” type speeches, but came off sounding awkward and stilted. Not one player seemed in tune with what he was trying to say. Most were ignoring him completely, and those that were listening (or perhaps just pretending to) sat there looking dumbfounded as if Woodson were speaking in Chinese. I knew right then the Hawks had no chance in the game. If Woodson had stayed, the Hawks would have had no chance to reach the next level.
Reid Adair
May 14th, 2010
1:21 pm
Mike Woodson did the best he could for the Atlanta Hawks. It wasn’t going to be likely to see more than 50 or so regular-season wins and a playoff bid with him. It’s time for Rick Sund to get his own coach, and for the franchise to take a step forward.
That being said, there are some roster issues. Joe Johnson needs to go. Mike Bibby needs to be on the bench, and Jeff Teague needs to run the team on the floor. They need a true center.
Sund has made the first step. Now we’ll see how much he follows with the rest.
DanWoods
May 14th, 2010
1:22 pm
Play-offs?????? You must not be from around here. WE HATE PLAY-OFFS!!!!
Our teams usually do there best to accommodate us fans. How would you like being a Braves fan in the nineties? We are sick of hoping the Falcons can ever just get there. The Thrashers, lol. We all remember that great Hawks v Celtics playoff series, how many years ago? Oh we got another last year, whoopee!
We are as sick of being out of the play-offs as we are being in them.
Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Championship and Stanley Cup Finals. We’re sick of the play-offs.
Carlos
May 14th, 2010
1:23 pm
1.- Byron Scott
2.- Avery Jonson
3.- Tyrone Corbin ( No HC experience – Assintant at Utah Jazz)
Carlos
May 14th, 2010
1:23 pm
assistant
Manny
May 14th, 2010
1:24 pm
Mike Woodson is a good coach and his resume should yield him another head coaching job this year in the NBA. He shouldn’t feel bad nor should he feel like he failed at anything. The Hawks went from a 13-win season to a 53-win season and 3 playoff appearances under his employ. He can go to the 76ers with that resume and get the job.
The Hawks just think that they can do better, that’s all. But if they do better, it’s because Mike Woodson laid a good foundation.
Thanks.
FSJR
May 14th, 2010
1:24 pm
Scott Skiles exposed, confirmed, and certified the extent of Woodson’s coaching abilities for this team.
ZEKE
May 14th, 2010
1:26 pm
HELLO!!!!! Hall of famer here just an interstate drive away I can be in town by monday , come on Rick make that call Hook a hall of famer up !!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ubie" Brown
May 14th, 2010
1:29 pm
How ’bout me? I still got it.
MitchC
May 14th, 2010
1:30 pm
I’m mixed on this firing. While I understand the Hawks decision, it seems not right to fire a guy when the team’s record improved every year. I do understand Jeff’s point about “raising the bar”.
The thing is: None of the big name coaches who won recent championships are walking through that door. (I’m talking about Jackson, Rivers, Poppovich, and Riley, of course) All those guys I just mentioned won every title in the decade of the 2000s, except for 2004, when Detroit won.
The name that dominates my thinking as to who the Hawks next coach should be is Jeff Van Gundy. One of the writers of the AJC mentioned earlier in the week about not “recycling TV coaches”. IE Van Gundy. I just think he might make sense. He’s been to the Finals twice, as an assistant to Riley in 1994, and as head coach in 1999. He’s intense, and his teams know how to play defense, something the Hawks could definitely learn to do better.
Woodson will land on his feet. He will either take a year off, or end up as an assistant on someone’s staff in the NBA. He could probably get a head coaching job somewhere in the future. While he was much maligned, the bottom line is he took this team from the laughing stock of the NBA, to a playoff contender. That will be recognized by someone.
Parker Pounder69
May 14th, 2010
1:30 pm
Bring us Pat Summitt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Native ATLien
May 14th, 2010
1:31 pm
I am native Atlantan, who has suffered with all of the Atlanta franchises. It’s not like I did not expect this firing to take place, based on the performances of the Hawks over their last two playoff appearances. It is as if the team laid down and stop listening to Woody and did not compete.(This was UNACCEPTABLE!)
However, with all of that said, there appears to be a double standard here in the “Dirty South” especially when it comes to the Atlanta sports teams. Case and point, Bobby Cox has been allowed to hang around for twenty years or more in mediocracy. Granted he has won (1!!!!) World Series title (1995) and 14 consecutive division titles over the course of his tenure. With the level of talent he has over the years there should have been more championships! Not to mention the 1996 World Series debacle, where the Braves were up (3-0) in the series and lost the series (4-3). Was there the same outcry for his job? (Comparatively speaking of past performances, let’s not mention Paul Hewitt and Mark Richtt, this is a story for another day, although here again in different sports, but on the college level)
Although, I think Woody had reached an apex in his ability to manage the talent that he currently had to create mismatches (in particular on offense) that favored his team. I repect the job that he has done over the course of his tenure as the Hawks head coach. Taking the team from a laughing stock to a semblance of respectability deserves to applauded if only for the hope that his efforts leaves the Hawks to aspire to in the future.
With all this said, All Atlanta sports fans, whether native or transient must expect more of there sports organizations from management, coahches, and players alike. And there must be an unbiased barometer of criticisms tendered across the board if we are to improve the sports environment in Atlanta area in particular and strenghthen our fan base in other markets as well.
fanfan
May 14th, 2010
1:31 pm
Well, ASG is already talking “other interested investors” – in plain language:” We are broke”.That will result in an acquisition of a mediocre coach, and mediocre players as well, for what will be on a table. You’ll get what you paid for. We all know this ASG theme song. And we all know the results. The Thrashers have already built their reputation after “moving the right direction”(Teflon Don, 2000 – present) for more than 10 years now, and the Hawks have already reached the top (under current circumstances), and will begin sliding down. Welcome to the South!! Welcome to the 2nd most miserable sport city in US!!! Need to say more?
D.W.
May 14th, 2010
1:32 pm
Josh Smith next, please!!!!!
workoutnutt
May 14th, 2010
1:33 pm
i don’t think woodson’s the problem…we have a bunch of role players with a #2 scorer…if we could’ve kept woody and signed a #1 scorer, kept JJ, start jamal…draft another outside threat at scoring to come off the bench…start teague…i think we could’ve gone further…release bibby, trade mwilliams
workoutnutt
May 14th, 2010
1:35 pm
word!! atlien..so true
fanfan
May 14th, 2010
1:35 pm
Also, like some of you already said: “These clubs need a new ownership”. I agree, you have to start at the top. And the top has been dissapointing many, many devoted (now frustrated) fans for many, many years now. How sad…
tyger
May 14th, 2010
1:38 pm
BK called for Woody’s head two years ago and nobody would listen so he quit. Had they listened we would probably still be in the hunt for a championship. He knew hoops, these columnists nor the owners do.
Now, the challenge is not to make the same mistake we made with Lenny Wilkens. Without re-hashing the horrid Babcock-Kasten years, Lenny was fired after 6 straight playoff appearances. Moreover, his team was dismantled, rather than tweaked and he was burdened with Isiah Rider. Foolish beyond belief, Babcock-Kasten had blown every draft pick for 15 years straight and there was no young talent in the pipeline to offset Mookie, Smitty, or Mutombo. So, with their combined genuius they decided Rider, Jim Jackson, Cal Bowdler, Adam Keefe and Priest Lauderdale would be better under Lon Kruger’s leadership. We all know how that turned out…
The mistake not to make is to blow up your core, but who is the core?
Bring back BK – move forward not backward. Beware Sund – he did in the Sonics before they moved to OK and started over. Look at his draft history.
DawgDad
May 14th, 2010
1:43 pm
Hawks won 53 games and a first-round playoff series. Woodson shepherded them out of the depths of franchise despair and posted improvement every year. They just got beat by a team that might win the NBA Championship (remember how everyone cried when – gasp – the Falcons lost to Arizona in the playoffs?). That said, this is a flawed roster with flawed players and a flawed strategy. This move only makes sense if it is the first in a serious of realignment steps.
It is never under any circumstances acceptable for a professional athlete to put out anything less than their best effort. Those players violating this standard need to be shown the door. If you have the wrong players in this light the GM is accountable.
Timmy
May 14th, 2010
1:44 pm
Mr. Phil, we didn’t get rid of the team for Woodson. We had garbage players who were easily expendable and could hardly be classified as a team. That rebuilding process wasn’t done because of confidence in a coach.
Ryder
May 14th, 2010
1:44 pm
Here is what Atlanta needs in their next coach:
1) Someone who can communicate with Josh Smith. Smith is the emotional center of this team. As he goes, so does the Hawks.
2) Someone who will play rookies to give them time to grow.
3) Someone who will allow Al Horford to have a greater role in the offense. Atlanta will be very fearsome if they have a balanced inside-outside attack with Joe Johnson and Horford.
4) Someone who will realize that Marvin Williams is too passive to be an NBA starter. He will best be used coming off the bench.
Remember, for all of Mike Woodson’s faults, he still led this team to 53 wins. Outside of a healthy Milwaukee team, which team other than Atlanta is in position to win now in the East?
Mgibby
May 14th, 2010
1:44 pm
The Hawks are on the verge of being a legit contender and breaking up the team is NOT the answer. I agree that getting Avery Johnson is the best alternative for coach(because DOC says he wants to take some time off), but there are a moves that need to be made for the Hawks to compete.
1. Package Marvin and Zaza( and a draft pick if necessary) and send them to the lakers for Andrew Bynum.
2. Re-sign JJ(i hate to say it). I do believe the Hawks will make a legit play for D-wade, but who knows what he will do.
3. Bring Childress back.
2010-2011 Hawks Starting lineup
PG Mike Bibby
SG Joe Johnson
SF Josh Childress
PF Al Horford
C Andrew Bynum
2nd Team
PG Jeff Teague
SG Jamal Crawford
SF Mo Evans
PF Josh Smith
C Free Agent
Down The stretch
PG Jamal Crawford
SG JJ
SF Josh Smith
PF Al Horford
C Andrew Bynum
You have to have a real center to anchor the squad to be legit. A front court of Bynum and Horford is beastly.
fanfan
May 14th, 2010
1:48 pm
Now, we hear from ASG that ” there are other interested investors” Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, what does that mean? Well $$$ is the reason we won’t get a top coach, and we won’t get top players either. So as of now, the Hawks have reached the top, and will start sliding down. And the Thrashers? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!!Welcome to the 2nd most miserable sport city in US..
simplejimmy
May 14th, 2010
1:50 pm
Tubby should be your coach ….
jackets77
May 14th, 2010
1:52 pm
Mgibby…are you serious? You proposed:
1. Package Marvin and Zaza( and a draft pick if necessary) and send them to the lakers for Andrew Bynum
LOL!!! The Lakers would have to be the dumbest team in the history of sports to do that….HAHAHAHA…still can’t get over how stupid that trade sounds…trading Marvin, Zaza and a pick for possibly a top 3 center in this league…ahahahahaha…pls say you were just kidding b/c that makes u sound like a real idiot
ZEKE
May 14th, 2010
1:53 pm
bibby is no longer a starter in the NBA its teague time , see I have already solved one of the major problems ! Call me!!!!!!
travelqueen
May 14th, 2010
1:58 pm
should have let me stay another years. Hawks try their best but don’t expect to have a good coach. He did all he can do try hard. I hate to hear about dollar and sign and win and lost. get lose
True
May 14th, 2010
1:59 pm
With all the talent that Cleveland has and they are out also. The words from Bradley, be careful what you ask for. It ashame a town like Atlanta with the population of so many black people, that they are the one that dog each other the most. Back stabbing, that’s why they can’t get ahead because they don’t support each other when it’s right. Mr. Woodson you did a great job, only in America where you improve and it’s still not good enough. Whoever replaces Mr. Woodson you better win.