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
Booga
May 14th, 2010
3:53 pm
Bill Laimbeer as next Hawks coach.
Davis Loves Mettenberger
May 14th, 2010
4:01 pm
How about John Calipari? Since UGA has not had a coach since Tubby, I have bandwagoned with Cal wherever he goes. We know he can get the highest price free agents and perhaps Lebron?
Cedrick (Texas Hawk)
May 14th, 2010
4:03 pm
I might not have agreed with everything Woody did out there but he was a heck of a coach! Woody came to an organization that was so far in the dumps that they could not beg a decent coach to come here. Sorry to see some of these guys stop responding to him not that he had convinced them to be a better team and not individuals. All of you wishing Woody is gone BEWARE of what you ask for. This might have been the final straw for Joe Johnson to leave also!!
Snowman
May 14th, 2010
4:17 pm
Congratulations to the wonderful job you and your staff did coach Woodson (smile)!!! I believe you OVER ACHIEVED with this team/s over the years. I wish you the BEST in your next opportunity. Good job Jeff Schultz, you and your buddy Rick Sund got what you wanted and I hope you keep writing for AJC. I just did not want you writing against coach. You are not very good as a writer however if that is ok for AJC and the readers then it’s fine with me. I have better things to do than to worry about who is writing for the AJC.
Hey Wang, It's a parking lot!
May 14th, 2010
4:36 pm
This is sucha a great day! I hope Woodson goes bankrupt for being such a bad person and horrible coach. He should go to jail for how bad of a coach he was with the Hawks. I say bring back Jon Koncak!!!
Hey Wang, It's a parking lot!
May 14th, 2010
4:36 pm
Snowman, word of advice: Stay off the snow
Dr. Dave
May 14th, 2010
4:54 pm
Winning 53 games in the Eastern conference is not that hard with the level of talent that the Hawks have. Winning on the road and in the playoffs separates good coaches from mediocre ones. Woody rarely gave us an advantage coming out of a time out or at halftime. He was schooled by Scotty Skiles and Van Gundy. He allowed the offense to stand around and stagnate with Iso Joe, when they are clearly better (especially Joe) when they play team ball. He allowed Josh to shoot 3’s for too long until this year, and never let Marvin get involved in the offense. He has not coached up rookies, so this has been a lost year for Jeff Teague. Is given more time during the year, Teague may have been more of an asset against Jennings. I am looking forward to the next coach. Jeff Van Gundy is a tough defensive coach, but was never strong on the offensive side. We should talk to Kenny Smith, who is articulate, smart and a former point guard with leadership skills.
mike van
May 14th, 2010
4:54 pm
I agree with you Cedrick. I am a Miami Heat fan and we would appreciate a coach like Woody. I am reading these comments and he should want to leave. I see the Hawk organization going back to where they came, “IN THE BASEMENT”. Talent on the team is moderate to low. JJ will probably not come back and the Hawks are known for having the cheapest most disorganized management. Woodson was the only stable and consistent piece. Just a footnote, he had to do the iso of JJ over and over because the offensive skills of the players were poor. My recommendation, send JJ and Horford to the Heat and let the Hawks join the CBA….. but with the remaining talent, not sure you would win there either.
DHD
May 14th, 2010
4:58 pm
Teague
Crawford
Smith
Horford
Stoudemire
Get-r-done
JSS
May 14th, 2010
5:18 pm
@ Rock Preston…
“Ding dong, the witch is dead!”
What happened? Did Lon Kruger,Terry Stotts or Bob Weiss pass away?
Kapoonka
May 14th, 2010
5:46 pm
Mgibby said send Marvin and ZaZa to the Lakers for Bynum. They aren’t worth the lint in his navel!!! I have watched plenty of Josh Childress’ games with the Greece team, and he isn’t that impressive…bringing him back is not the answer. As far as a coach goes there aren’t really a lot of top shelf coaches to choose from. I agree Woody needed to go, but there are no guarantees that anyone else can do a better job. I think Byron Scott would do well…great b-ball mind and he has rings to show for his efforts. He’s great with guards (see Chris Paul) and that’s what controls the flow of a game. But hey it’s all mindless banter until we hear a name..and God forbid if we have to “settle” for a third or fourth choice if the first and second choice spurn us. Buckle up boyzzzzzzzz!!!
juvenal
May 14th, 2010
6:29 pm
Woodson drafted marvin & “tha landlord”?
dub366
May 14th, 2010
6:44 pm
if this was done when Billy Knight wanted to do it. there no telling where we would be now, 3 years to late.
S
May 14th, 2010
6:45 pm
They gained confidence when they took Boston 7 games in ‘08. They may have lost a bit of that since then.. Can’t blame it all on the coach the team has got to do it’s part. New coach, new style, new attitudes and potential new players-seems like it’s going to take a while to get to the big dance. Unfortunately, the new coach won’t have that luxury. If he’s not there in a few years, he too will be out and the cycle will begin again…
dub366
May 14th, 2010
6:49 pm
tea right you get real even tho horford is not a center you don’t want to trade him nor josh.
JSS
May 14th, 2010
6:50 pm
Here’s a link to a Vince Thomas blog (NBA.com). This is as succinct of an observation about the environment surrounding not just the Hawks; but the toxic environment that is sports fandom in this region.
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/vince_thomas/05/12/hawks/index.html
This team might have been an a enigma, like Marvin Williams and their performance when slapped in the face by Orlando and Cleveland in respective years…
Brad
May 14th, 2010
7:13 pm
Atlanta needs to be asking the question Why not us? We are in a position to bring in a top-level star and coach both interested in working with each other. It is a city that is at the center of NBA/hip hop culture. The team already has 2 other perennial All-star candidates in the starting lineup and the NBA’s best 6th man. The ownership has an opportunity to take a HUGE step forward with this organization. Go out and get us a star player and coach and the city will support you.
Thanks to Woodson for a great run. Fact is, that level of consistent improvement is rare in any industry but almost unheard of in professional sports. Woodson should be applauded, but I still agree the Hawks needed to bring in fresh leadership as we had clearly hit a ceiling (hopefully just a plateau). And Mr. Schultz is right that we should also applaud the raised standards for the Hawks.
Also, thanks to Joe. The Hawks were widely criticized for paying him a max contract and making him the centerpiece of the team. But it obviously paid off. But as with the coaching decision, the standards here have been raised. This team should be capable of going out and getting the right guy to lead them to the next level.
rallen
May 14th, 2010
7:21 pm
the hawks will continue to be the hawks………we were headed in the right direction………i doubt if we win 40 games next year…..i see a patern…..i was here whe the hawks came from St.Louis…so i know the hawks………Hubie and mike i hear you in the background…..(shut up)
rallen
May 14th, 2010
7:28 pm
we will see in a very short time if the hawks have raised the bar……..
that's a shame
May 14th, 2010
7:30 pm
hey Hawks, two words PAUL HEWITT and just think you would not have to pay a relocation fee….
S Hawk Fan
May 14th, 2010
7:42 pm
Nice …. you might be nice but you don’t know basketball or coaching! You are the bafoon!!!!
And Truth Serum….if you are no longer a fan then get off this site and go to GSU volleyball or something! Maybe what you say there will at least make sense!
Not Drinking the Kool - Aid
May 14th, 2010
7:56 pm
Thank you, thank you. Today is a great day in Atlanta Hawks history. Step 1 is complete ASG. Continue so that we may come back to Phillips Arena. Whatever numbskull that said Avery Johnson is not a good coach does not know basketball. Avery Johnson turned Dirk Nowitzki into an offensive and defensive assassin for one season and took Dallas to the NBA finals. Firing him was the biggest mistake Mark Cuban ever made. I would also consider Jeff Van Gundy and Lawrence Franks. If I were the Hawks I would tried to get rid of Bibby (and no NBA team is going to trade for Bibby and give up a quality player). I don’t know what to do about J. Johnson. I might try to unload a few contracts maybe Marvin’s deal. There are some quality free agents out there that run and defend such as Damien Wilkins and he shoots the 3. I would try to find a big in the free agent market like Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Jermaine O’Neal, Channing Frye just to name a few. Definitely draft a big man like the kid out of Tulsa, Jerome Jordan, you can’t teach 7 feet. The Hawks are built to run, the fans would love to see them flying up and down the court. So long Woody thanks for the past six years and the playoffs, if nothing else your time here was interesting.
STEELY DAN MAN
May 14th, 2010
8:02 pm
FIRE WOODY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH THEY DID !!!!!!! ….. REALLY ? ……. NEVER MIND !!!
Old School
May 14th, 2010
8:02 pm
Unfortunately nothing is going to change until they unload their biggest “cancer” Josh Smith. He has the maturity level of a 12 year old. It was very apparent in the series against Orlando that his teammates are fed up with his behavior. As long as “J Sucks” is on the team I will never attend a Hawks game.
Mike Woodson should not have had to deal with players who don’t have any fundamentals, who quit on their team and have a terrible attitude. Josh Smith is a pathetic loser!!!!!!!
TROTTINGHOME
May 14th, 2010
8:08 pm
How high do you have to raise the bar to get to the league finals?
If you know the answer to that get your azz over to Philips arena asap…oh …and quit your job before you go…you damn fool.
rallen
May 14th, 2010
8:36 pm
mr. schultz who would you suggest as the next coach???
Are You SERIOUS???
May 14th, 2010
9:13 pm
There’s still room to grow under the next coach. The Hawks had the lowest payroll of any playoff team, and were the only squad that reached the final eight without paying the luxury tax.
“Our goal is to be an elite team,” co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said. “We’ve got a great nucleus right now. And we’ve got respect, which is key.”
LOL…. I mean these guys cant belive or EXPECT people to belive half of the dew they spit out. They signed Joe Smith and Juicy Collins and got mad when they got whooped on. Pure Comedy.
Uh yeah we are an Elite team and we need to make moves to win a Championship. Like what?? Spend top Dollar on a Proven winner for a coach?? Spend top Dollar on FAs. Not hardly. Yeah Woody has his Faults but dont BLAME him TOTALY on the failures of this team. Now the Cavs have a right to be pissed. 176 mil payroll it was Championship or Bust.
Mike Woodson
May 14th, 2010
9:59 pm
This was a poor decision by the Hawks. They will regret this move. The coach can’t play the game for the lazy ass players like JJ who make excuses and argue with the fans. You play at home and get beat by 30. You deserved to be booed. Grow up – you make millions and played like crap. The fans have the right to boo until you earn their respect. You got beat 4 – 0 in the playoffs 2 years in a row. Hit the road Joe. You might go ahead and let a few others go that won’t get it done. You need a center and a leader that can average more than 15 points in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
I am out and you biatches can deal with the clean up. You won’t make the playoffs next year because Joe is a free agent and burned the bridge with fans. You don’t have enough cap room to get Lebron. You are left with the draft, no coach, and no body who wants to play in Atlanta now.
Note to Hawks Owner – this would be a good time to move the team to a different city….
fayncdawg
May 14th, 2010
10:29 pm
CALL THE DOC!!!
fayncdawg
May 14th, 2010
10:29 pm
LIKE YESTERDAY!!!
Harpie
May 14th, 2010
10:49 pm
ANY coach in the world would be better than Woodson – he stinks!
NBA
May 14th, 2010
11:00 pm
Wow…”celebrating the reason why” someone was fired. I wonder how you would like it if someone celebrated if you were to get fired. Sports coverage is one thing but being mean-spirited is another.
Dominiques mom
May 15th, 2010
12:12 am
Kareem Abdul Jabbar nuff said
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 15th, 2010
12:17 am
I don’t applaud the firing anyone but it was cleary time let another coach guide the squad. The development of our young guards over the years being a major contributing factor. The utter refusal to bench Bibby who gets torched repeatedly by opposing point guards…REDUNDANT…every gripe I hold has been repeated ad nauseum. Grateful for to Woody for taking us to the brink but another coach must lead us to the promised land. Dueces brah!
YARD-AY-P -CITY
May 15th, 2010
12:20 am
CRAP TEAM CRAP CITY CRAP FANS
Snowman
May 15th, 2010
6:32 am
Good post Mike Van (even the D-League maybe a stretch for these guys after what is about to happen to the Hawks) and Truth Serum it’s great to see your responses again!!! Truth where have you been? It was a sad day yesterday however I think we have not seen the last of Woody head coaching in the NBA. Truth, can you believe that Jeff Schultz (you can just see him smiling from ear to ear because of the firing)? What a creep!!! I have tried to “educate him” over the years however he and Rick Sund were in partnership in “spewing” negative PR about coach so to keep heat off of Rick and the HORRIBLE job he and the ownership are doing. The facts as clear as they are, or I have shared with him, he has ALWAYS ignored.
Keep giving them ‘Hell” Truth and I am officially done with the Hawks and this site. I am however, the president of “Get Jeff Schultz” fired Fan Club and looking for members (smile). I am going to go to his job and Boo him and continue to write to see if I can have him fired. The AJC needs a change. “They need to raise the bar”. The paper needs to go in a different direction. Bring in Bob Ryan or Mcmullen. See if Michael Wilbon or Tony K want to come to Atlanta. Bring in Sam Smith from Chicago, William Johnson, Bill Rhoden, Nancy Gay, Bob Hammel or Dan Lebatard. I have not scratched the surface of writers however the AJC can do allot better than Jeff Schultz (believe me). Here are some of my last exchanges with Schultz. Page 5 is the best exchange.
http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2010/05/10/were-live-from-the-hawks-final-game/
I enjoy reading your stuff “Truth” and I enjoyed the fact you “kept it real”!!! Have a great Spring and Summer my friend!!! please keep giving them hell and I will hopefully see you at “some of the fire Jeff Schultz” rallies (smile).
Retired BBall Coach
May 15th, 2010
7:44 am
We need a Larry Brown/Scott Skiles type –hardnosed & demanding coach to get
Josh’s attention and demand the ball is shared better.
Also a true center would help take the next step. Sign and trade JJ and Marvin for
a backup center wold be a coup.
Teague will be a good guard, hopefully next year.
Jamaal can fill JJ’s postion, but the bench need an upgrade.
YARD-AY-P -CITY
May 15th, 2010
8:52 am
Last
YARD-AY-P -CITY
May 15th, 2010
8:52 am
Sorry about that, I was bored and drunk……….I have no life.
Ted M
May 15th, 2010
9:12 am
Because they “have” raised the bar? That’s bullcrap…they haven’t raised anything yet.
Even tho Woodson had to go. The Hawks have a long way to go and depending on off season moves might very well stink next year.
TommyJack
May 15th, 2010
10:25 am
I’m thinking Jon Koncak.
Parker Pounder69
May 15th, 2010
10:47 am
Pat Summitt! Boom.
cdog
May 15th, 2010
12:02 pm
i bet you rick sund now goes out and get the neccessary players to win with now that he has fired woodson.there will be no good that will come out of this because sund was wrong to fire a man who improve the team over a 6 year period.as i said, the east is loaded with good big people.the hawks only have one in al hortford.coach woodson still won with what he was given to work with.you’re not going to beat the east playoff teams with the junk the hawks were given by sund.but as i said, there will be no good come out of this, just watch and see.this move was based on racism, hate and just plain being lowdown by sund and many of the racist fan base and media.you will reap what you sow.
TROTTINGHOME
May 15th, 2010
12:24 pm
Joe Mamma da one wit out a life.
ATTENTION TO THE MORON WHO SUGGESTED WE TRADE HORFORD FOR A CENTER…GET A LIFE IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN SPORTS ADVICE>
gcs
May 15th, 2010
12:42 pm
The Hawks have the best collection of players 1-12 that they have probably ever had. This includes the Dominique-Doc-Willis-Spud years. The player talent is what got them as far as they have. A better coach would’ve taken this team further. It is just too bad that the Atlanta Spirit figured this out 12 months too late.
As for the new coach, we need to think bigger. Guys like Byron Scott & Avery Johnson are nice people but they have never won diddly-squat & are no better than Woodson. The Hawks need a proven winner of the top shelf variety.
Think big, Hawks fans:
John Calipari, Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson (maybe he’s getting tired of Kobe’s antics?), Larry Brown (isn’t it about time for him to switch jobs?).
The time to win is now. This group of players will not be around forever & the Hawks aren’t going to get anyone worthwhile at pick #24.
.
Next coach needs to make Hawks greater than their sum | Jeff Schultz
May 15th, 2010
1:51 pm
[...] Mike Woodson is out because Hawks have raised the bar [...]
KDog
May 15th, 2010
6:12 pm
What make everyone thing that Avery Johnson is such a good coach. If so, he would be coaching RIGHT now is the playoffs. It’s racism, let a white coach improve yearly, and win 53 games, he could lose in the first round, and still would be considered the GREAT coach.
Jeff Schultz
May 15th, 2010
6:51 pm
Joe Mama — You (and all of your aliases) are banned for profanity.
dano from Charleston
May 16th, 2010
1:59 pm
You live in the worst sports city in America. Deal with it.
Tina
May 18th, 2010
10:50 pm
It seems you don’t bash the just fired head coach. You actuallly let off him. Is it because he’s black?