Update: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey
The Atlanta Hawks have sought and received permission from the Dallas Mavericks to speak with Mavs assistant Dwane Casey regarding the Hawks’ coaching job, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Through team spokesperson Arthur Triche, Hawks general manager Rick Sund declined to comment.
The Hawks made their request Saturday, one day after announcing they would not offer Mike Woodson a contract extension. The request was granted by Dallas GM Donnie Nelson.
In Sunday’s edition of the New York Daily News, Mitch Lawrence identified Casey as the favorite to succeed Woodson. (Lawrence also reported that the Hawks are up for sale, which would be major news.)
Casey worked under Rick Sund as an assistant to Nate McMillan for five seasons when the Hawks’ general manager was GM of the Seattle SuperSonics. Casey interviewed for the Hawks’ coaching job in 2004, when then-GM Billy Knight chose Woodson instead.
Casey was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves for a season and a half but was fired by then-GM Kevin McHale in January 2007 when the T-Wolves were 20-20. (The team would finish 32-50.) Casey’s record as an NBA head coach is 53-69.
The reasons for Casey’s firing in Minnesota have never been delineated. But ESPN.com Insider John Hollinger called the move “McHale’s Folly” and wrote: “Somebody, anybody, tell me what [Casey] did wrong.”
Casey has already been interviewed by the New Orleans Hornets for their coaching vacancy and is believed to be in the mix for the Chicago Bulls’ job.
(Oh, and if you’re wondering what I think of Dwane Casey: As noted earlier, he’d be my first choice.)
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
279 comments Add your comment
Wanttobelieve
May 16th, 2010
4:19 pm
Jeff Schultz wrote and article that claimed the Hawks had raised the bar. Going to the second round of the playoffs was not acceptable anymore. I couldn’t agree with him more. So, if that be the case, would Dwane Casey really be the guy who could get the Hawks to the next round? We do not need a coach who is going to come in and take 2-3 years to get us back to the playoffs. The Hawks have had way too many rebuilding years.
Let Johnson go. Give Crawford a substantial raise and then give the rest of the money to Bosh. All we need then is a coach who has been there before. Laimbeer or Byron Scott would be my choices.
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:22 pm
Please note that the post above has been updated: The Hawks have been granted permission to speak with Dwane Casey about their coaching vacancy.
Volman
May 16th, 2010
4:22 pm
Mr. Bradley, I’m officially a Georgia Tech grad. Just thought I’d throw that in there.
Haven’t posted on the blogs as of late, but I’m sure I’ll be here with the Hawks’ search for a new head coach.
Never saw you in section 303 this year. Would have bought you a beer, man. I was up there with my season tickets cheering “OFFENSE!” as much as I was “DEFENSE!”. We sure could have used some offense in that Orlando series.
Oh, and as you would say…. “KUDOS” to your picking Casey for the HC job. He still hasn’t been signed, though.
Do you want to keep JJ?
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:23 pm
Yes, I do, Volman. I still think Johnson is among the league’s 20 best players.
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:23 pm
Oh, and I should note this: There’s no assurance Casey will be the Hawks’ coach. He has interviewed with New Orleans and could be interviewed by the Bulls.
dap01
May 16th, 2010
4:24 pm
MB: Why would say “Bibby would go for being a sub”? Who would care what Bibby wants? He was the worst starting guard in the NBA this year.
Volman
May 16th, 2010
4:29 pm
Mr. Bradley, I keep looking at this Boston/Orlando series and thinking “what could have been” if somehow the Hawks got to play Boston in this series. Orlando was the absolute worst match up for us. They’re not knocking down shots all of a sudden and Howard isn’t shooting 85%. Weird.
I think JJ should be signed, but not at the max…he’s not a max player, and it’ll cripple this team financially if he forces the Spirit to sign him for $90+ million.
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:29 pm
You’re not the only one who thinks that, Volman. I know Mike Woodson does.
Volman
May 16th, 2010
4:35 pm
Mr. Bradley, you know as well as all of us here that Woodson lost his players at the worst time (the playoffs). Some coaches (Del Negro in Chicago) lose their players in the middle of the season. It’s weird that the Hawks go 34-7 at home and have 53 wins, then decide to stop listening come playoff time.
Maybe they just weren’t prepared.
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:38 pm
I don’t know what took place, Volman. I wish I did. That way I wouldn’t have picked the Hawks to beat Orlando.
Tweets that mention Update: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
May 16th, 2010
4:40 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJC , Mark Bradley, Brenda Clayson, Reggie Mickles, Gilley and others. Gilley said: RT @MarkBradleyAJC: The Atlanta Hawks have received permission from Dallas to interview Dwane Casey about their coaching vacancy. http://bit.ly/byjGpv [...]
"Chef" Tim Dix
May 16th, 2010
4:43 pm
Chef has JJ as 23rd AT BEST, just behind player to be named later and future considerations…
doggoneit
May 16th, 2010
4:45 pm
Hey Mark is one requirement to be a coach is they have to shave there Eyebrows?
Delbert D.
May 16th, 2010
4:45 pm
Laimbeer’s socks! Laimbeer’s socks!
Mystikal
May 16th, 2010
4:46 pm
MB, saying he team may be for sale, that is referring to potential new ownership right? Not talking about moving the franchise or anything crazy like that.
northcyde
May 16th, 2010
4:49 pm
So if this team comes back in tact ( i.e. – if we’re able to retain Joe Johnson ) . . . what is the expected record for the Hawks next year under Casey?
Tweets that mention Update: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
May 16th, 2010
4:52 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dallas Pro Sports , JCD potro. JCD potro said: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) http://bit.ly/9j3RA0 [...]
Joseph Allen McWhorter
May 16th, 2010
4:53 pm
Hey, Mark, if the Hawks can still be playing in late May and possibly June for a change under his direction, more power to him. Maybe he is the right man for the job.
joeygt
May 16th, 2010
4:57 pm
letting woodson go was so stupid he was a good coach he just needed to changed his offensive strategies , its the coach that coaches and the players that play. i could be the best boss in the world but if my employess do not work hard then i look dumb and lose my job the hawks need to move horford to the 4 spot trade smith and marvin for bosh and resign joe johnson and sign will bymun to be pg
line up should be
bynum
crawford
johnson
horford
bosh
northcyde
May 16th, 2010
5:00 pm
Wanttobelieve
May 16th, 2010
4:19 pm
Jeff Schultz wrote and article that claimed the Hawks had raised the bar. Going to the second round of the playoffs was not acceptable anymore. I couldn’t agree with him more. So, if that be the case, would Dwane Casey really be the guy who could get the Hawks to the next round? We do not need a coach who is going to come in and take 2-3 years to get us back to the playoffs. The Hawks have had way too many rebuilding years.
Let Johnson go. Give Crawford a substantial raise and then give the rest of the money to Bosh. All we need then is a coach who has been there before. Laimbeer or Byron Scott would be my choices.
******************
Give Crawford a substantial raise? For shooting WORSE than Joe Johnson in the playoffs? JJ shot a dismal 39% FG in the playoffs. Crawford show an even more dismal 36% FG. But JJ is to be let go and Crawford gets a substantial raise?
Does the “tricky dribble” and quick play of Crawford dupe people into thinking that he’s a better player than JJ?
I guess it does . . . until the Hawks get on the defensive end.
joeygt
May 16th, 2010
5:00 pm
that would be a great lineup no #1 player but 2 # 2s in johnson and bosh that would definitly get the hawks farther into the playoffs
duker64
May 16th, 2010
5:05 pm
mark what about the asst.coach in boston ? is he still a possibility?
The Real Hawk
May 16th, 2010
5:05 pm
Do NOT resign JJ
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/3/10/1366059/the-non-atl-future-of-joe-johnson
blue
May 16th, 2010
5:06 pm
Shave the guys head and he looks just like woody standing on the sideline with his arms crossed
Sweet Lou and Bells
May 16th, 2010
5:07 pm
My post ID reveals my age – in a perfect world, Arthur Blank would lead an ownership group including Ted Turner, Tyler Perry, the Woodruff Foundation (Emory’s in good shape – move some of the $$$), and Jane Fonda (since she, no doubt, has plenty of Ted’s former $$$). They’d hire Phil Jackson away from the Lakers, sign Lebron, Duane and bring Chris home from the Great White North – that would be enough to drag me downtown to watch the Hawks. The last game I saw live was a playoff game in 1990 at The Omni. (Okay – I sat in nosebleed when my boys were in Cub Scouts in the mid 1990s to watch the Celtics – I think they were the Celtics – hard to tell from that distance.) It’s nice to see the Hawks make a bit of a run the past few years, but they just don’t register with me. (If the Braves aren’t careful, they’ll be the next “Who Cares” team in town. The Thrashers – never seen ‘em, don’t expect to anytime soon.)
Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
5:07 pm
Thibodeau is a hot name on everybody’s list, duker64. But he’s more a defensive guy.
joeygt
May 16th, 2010
5:15 pm
mark
letting woodson go was so stupid he was a good coach he just needed to changed his offensive strategies , its the coach that coaches and the players that play. i could be the best boss in the world but if my employess do not work hard then i look dumb and lose my job the hawks need to move horford to the 4 spot trade smith and marvin for bosh and resign joe johnson and sign will bymun to be pg
line up should be
bynum
crawford
johnson
horford
bosh
that would be a great lineup no #1 player but 2 # 2s in johnson and bosh that would definitly get the hawks farther into the playoffs
what do you think?????????????
tony316
May 16th, 2010
5:18 pm
dumb move
Marcus (aka decatur g)
May 16th, 2010
5:19 pm
Hawks73, from your post on p. 1 …. the ultimate battle on this coaching decision will be lie within the ASG itself: the financial contraints for the new coach’s salary vs. desire/willingness to construct a championship-contending team.
The financial constraints could be self-imposed (e.g. cheapness), a lack of real $$$ due to inconsistent attendance overall, or combination of both. I think I read somewhere that we were in the lower-to-mid-20s in the NBA for average attendance, which doesn’t present a lot of $$$ to match roster vs. roster or staff vs. staff against the likes of ORL, BOS, CLE.
Seems like we are hell-bent on following a competitive strategy of a small market team, like we see more often in MLB (thinking Oakland and Milwaukee) and some NFL teams (GB, JAX). If so, we as fans need to not fool ourselves into thinking that we will get the big-name coach or the high-priced FA and be content (resigned) with being competitive and having an occasional shot to be the Cinderella in the playoffs.
KBP
May 16th, 2010
5:20 pm
Mark, I don’t know much about Casey. If he’s the guy, then hope he brings offense. On another note, Portland extended Marcus Camby’s contract for two more years. They already extended Joel Pryzbylla’s deal last season. Does this mean Greg Oden can be had? If so, let’s get him. What say you?
Dr. Dave
May 16th, 2010
5:32 pm
JoeyGT, you obviously don’t get it. Saying that Woody just needs to change his offense is ridiculous. Good coaches do that during the season and make adjustments during the game. Woody did neither of those, which was evident during the playoffs. Good coaches win on the road, he didn’t. Good coaches get the attention of their players in crunch time, and he didn’t. Did you see how all of the players were crowded around the TV monitor after Horford’s disputed 3 point shot. A good coach would have had his players around him talking strategies depending upon what the replay showed. A good coach would have sat Josh after attepting a 3 point shot or not getting back on defense. A good coach never would have allowed Joe to do so many ISO’s, and leave his teammates standing around. I could go on and on. Woody should have been gone long ago. The recent playoffs just made that idea more obvious.
Dr. Dave
May 16th, 2010
5:34 pm
KBP, is it me or is Greg Oden’s home address the DL?
HawksaDoom
May 16th, 2010
5:36 pm
Oh Great. Let’s go get another Mike Woodson. Are you telling me there is nothing better out there than him?
Get Real!
May 16th, 2010
5:41 pm
Not an upgrade!
jimdawg34
May 16th, 2010
5:45 pm
I just hope he is a disciplinarian who can control Josh “drag up the court” Smith.
KBP
May 16th, 2010
5:47 pm
Dr. Dave, point well taken. I would still take a chance. He’s 21 and in the last year of his rookie deal. Send them Josh, straight up. Look at this starting five: Oden, Horford, Williams, Johnson, Teague. Woodson was Marvin’s problem. I think he’ll have a much better season next year.
tony
May 16th, 2010
5:47 pm
Only teams that can’t get to the NBA Finals are those that ignore championship logic. Look at the teams that have won championships.
1) Lakers/ They hired championship players to run there organization. Jerry West won a championship with the Lakers. As the Lakers GM he built a powerhouse.
2) Pat Riley won a championship as a player with the Lakers. He also won a championship as a coach for the Lakers and Heats
3) Phil Jackson won a championship with the Knicks in 1973 as a player. As a coach he won several championships for the Bulls and Lakers.
4) Bill Russell won 10 championships for the Celtics as a player and he won championships as a hc.
5) KC Jones won 8 championships for the Celtics as a player and he won championships as a hc.
6) Byron Scott won championships for the Lakers as a player and he took the Nets to an NBA Finals as a hc.
9) Gregg Popovich didn’t play in the NBA as a player but he was the CAPTAIN and LED Air Force Acadamy in scoring. He also was selected as the team CAPTAIN of the Armed Force Team which won the Ameteur Athletic Union(AAU)Championship.
10) Joe Dumars won 2 championships for the Pistons as a player. He won 1 championship as their GM and 2 NBA Finals appearance.
11) Danny Ainge won championships for the Celtics as a player. He won 1 championship a GM.
The Hawks need to hire championships to run their organization if their want to have a share of the NBA Titles. Avery Johnson sholuld be our guy despite losing in the NBA Final against legendary coach Pat Riley.
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
5:47 pm
Actually the best available coach for the Job is ….Mike Woodson!
Changing coaches will not and cannot make the current roster any better. They played at their peak. No team goes far in the playoffs with out a center.
Horford sucks as a defender and is only mediocre offensively. Unless Jesus Christ takes the helm any coach will only produce marginal results with Horford at center.
I join with the millions of NBA fans who say…HAWKS NEED A CENTER.
What a waste of time changing coaches. Thats like changing the label on a can of soup thinking its going to make the soup a better product. Tell me… where do they get people like Sund from?
northcyde
May 16th, 2010
5:48 pm
The Real Hawk
May 16th, 2010
5:05 pm
Do NOT resign JJ
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/3/10/1366059/the-non-atl-future-of-joe-johnson
*****************
That’s a good article . . and Michael Finley is a good comparison to JJ. But it doesn’t address the issue of building a championship caliber team.
The article makes the assumption that because the vast majority of 2nd tier guards fall off by age 30, that JJ will do the same,and they shouldn’t be re-signed for long term expensive deals. What that article doesn’t address, is that you need TALENT to win in the NBA. It doesn’t matter if that talent is overpaid or underpaid. You need TALENT, regardless of the situation. Lose JJ, and the Hawks lose a significant piece of talent to the puzzle that will not be easily replaced.
Fact is that if the Hawks lose JJ, and if Horford and Smoove don’t SIGNIFICANTLY raise their games offensively, this team is going to take a step back. . . possibly a significant one.
Peachtreehoops, like many other Hawks fans and blogs, would rather keep Horford and Smith around, thinking that they HAVE to get better as players, and may develop into legitimate star players. They bank on their “potential” as star players . . . . ( the same “P-Word” that has been used around here for 5 years now ).
When JJ leaves, all of a sudden Horford and Smith are going to see opposing teams gameplan to try to stop them offensively, and they’ll have to adjust to the extra attention that they’ll see. Orlando did just that in Game 3, after Horford got into a groove in Game 2. Horford had people running at him as soon as he caught the ball, forcing him to give it up.
Without JJ, he’ll see that often. So the question then will be . . . can Horford make the right play when being doubled . . and can he consistently score with extra defensive attention toward him? The same goes for Josh Smith, who already has a limited offensive game.
This is why we’ll see a heavy dose of ISO-CRAW to generate offense, if those two can’t elevate their offensive games. Right now, he’s the only guy on the team that can create AND MAKE his own shot.
How does all of this relate to an aging JJ? Easy . . JJ takes the offensive pressure off the complimentary guys, enabling them on most nights to work against one on one coverage. So even if JJ’s numbers do go into a slow decline as he ages, he’ll still be a good enough player to garner attention from the other team. And if the other guys develop around him, JJ will still be an integral part of what we do even at age 31 and 32.
And if this team happened to obtain a good point guard, that could add longevity to JJ’s career, much like how Ray Allen’s career has been extended. That’s what needs to happen anyway, regardless if JJ is re-signed or not. But team him up with a legit PG . . say a Chris Paul . .and you’ll see JJ be an all-star or at least a borderline all-star player for 4+ years.
Fans make the mistake of thinking a long term contract given to a player in his late 20s – early 30s, is supposed to be indicative of how that player should be playing at the end of the contract.
The money dished out in a contract isn’t supposed to represent how a player is playing in that particular year. The player is getting paid according of what his value is RIGHT NOW, not his value 5 years from now.
So when you see a big money contract that reads like this
year 1 – 16 mill
year 2 – 17 mill
year 3 – 18 mill
year 4 – 19 mill
year 5 – 20 mill
It doesn’t mean that the player in year 5 should be playing like a 20 million dollar player. The contract is simply structured to give a team cap relief in those first few years.
You don’t win in the NBA with a group of mediocre players. You at least need multiple star players to get you over the hump.
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
5:49 pm
Avery sucks and all of the above named championship teams had a legitimate center….Duh.
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
5:50 pm
Josh>Al”no defense” horford
Dejay
May 16th, 2010
5:53 pm
I think the Notorious A.S.G. has to give the paying public a reason to go to the building. The reason why folks don’t go (other than to see Wade, Kobe, or Lebron) is because they have ZERO confidence that the team will win BIG; similar to why folks gave up on the Braves years ago, despite them still making the playoffs.
As I’ve stated before, no town in America is better at discerning a phony from the real McCoy than Atlanta. Missouri may be the ’show me’ state but we are the ’show me’ city. It’s no secret that the Hawks are $17-22M behind in payroll compared to the other top three teams in the East and the second round debacle showed as much. If they want to be taken seriously in this town and around the league, they have to open up the coffers and discontinue the Minnesota Twin-esque motto of cutting salaries and hoping/dreaming/praying for the best.
As Vince McMahon once told Jesse Ventura when he was the governor, in order to make $$$, you have to be willing to spend it. Bringing back JJ, only to sell off draft picks and having to go to the thrift store to find head coaches aren’t going to bestow confidence in anyone looking to renew or buy season tickets.
Gearon and Co. keeps harping about $$$ not being an issue; this summer will show whether they are telling the truth or just preening for the papers…
Jody
May 16th, 2010
5:54 pm
Hey Mark,
If you’re watching the Boston-Orlando game, do you see how the Celtics size up front (something the Hawks severly lack) is giving them a chance to win?
northcyde
May 16th, 2010
5:54 pm
Boston putting on a DEFENSIVE CLINIC today on the Magic. They’ll win today probably holding the Magic to under 85 or 90 points.
Sund needs to get us a defensive big man ( not an over the hill one like Jason Collins ) . . and a legit PG who can run the show AND play defense.
@ Tony . . . great post.
@DanWeiner
May 16th, 2010
5:55 pm
and thank you FireSund for making the dumbest post on this blog. It takes a lot to achieve that and you have risen to meet the challenge.
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
5:58 pm
Volman
May 16th, 2010
4:29 pm
Mr. Bradley, I keep looking at this Boston/Orlando series and thinking “what could have been” if somehow the Hawks got to play Boston in this series. Orlando was the absolute worst match up for us. They’re not knocking down shots all of a sudden and Howard isn’t shooting 85%. Weird.
I think JJ should be signed, but not at the max…he’s not a max player, and it’ll cripple this team financially if he forces the Spirit to sign him for $90+ million.
Link Report this comment Mark Bradley
May 16th, 2010
4:29 pm
You’re not the only one who thinks that, Volman. I know Mike Woodson does.
ORLANDO EXPLOITS OUR WEAKNESS AT THE 5 SPOT WHICH CHANGES THE DYNAMICS OF THE GAME.
A DEFENSIVE CENTER IS BETTER THAN A DEFENSELESS CENTER LIKE HORFORD WHO IS NOT ONLY 185H AMONG NBA CENTER FOR BLOCK SHOTS PER GAME BUT HE IS AT .41 BLOCKS PER FOUL COMMITTED. TEAMS HAVE A DUNK FEST ON HIM AND HIS OFFENSE (UNLIKE AMARE STOUDIMIRE WHO WE COULD HAVE HAD)IS NOT ENOUGH TO OFF SET HIS LIABILITY DEFENSIVELY. HIS NAME WAS NOT MENTIONED AT ALL ON THE NBA DEFENSIVE TEAMS NOR WAS HE MENTIONED ON THE ALL NBA TEA.
THANK YOU JOSH FOR BEING NUMBER 2 ON THE ALL NBA DEFENSIVE TEAM.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES!
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
5:59 pm
@DanWeiner
May 16th, 2010
5:55 pm
YOU ARE WELCOME IDIOT.
Fire Sund
May 16th, 2010
6:00 pm
*A DEFENSIVE CENTER IS BETTER THAN A DEFENSELESS CENTER LIKE HORFORD WHO IS NOT ONLY 18TH AMONG NBA CENTERS FOR BLOCK SHOTS PER GAME BUT HE IS AT .41 BLOCKS PER FOUL COMMITTED. TEAMS HAVE A DUNK FEST ON HIM
Grandad
May 16th, 2010
6:01 pm
Mark:
You answered MAP with a touch of sarcasm.
“Sam Mitchell a proven winner? He had one winning season.”
Thus: Dwane Casey a proven winner?
He’s had [no] winning seasons.
Plus: Sam Mitchell does have one NBA / COY on his mantel.
Jody
May 16th, 2010
6:01 pm
northcyde,
I agree totally. Might I add that Sund should try to get two instead of one. This team needs that depth up front.