Yes! Another writer makes a case for the Hawks to hire Casey
I’ve felt like the Lone Ranger on this one. I’m convinced Dwane Casey would be a fine hire for the Hawks, but few seem to agree. You say, “What has he ever done?” You say, “Why get a guy who lasted only a season and a half as head coach in Minnesota?”
And I understand, to a degree. Casey isn’t on TV talking, the way Avery Johnson and Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are. (No, Casey actually has a job coaching.) He’s not a big name. He’s just a really smart basketball man who has a great way with people, and if that’s not the essence of head-coaching material I don’t know what is.
But you folks don’t know him, and you haven’t heard him talk about the game and seen him relate to people. I have. (I’ve known him for 25 years.) And I fault myself for not crafting my message better. So maybe I should let someone else deliver it.
On cue, here’s Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports and the blog Ball Don’t Lie. And here’s what Dwyer has to say about Casey:
Dwane Casey is not just another retread. [He] can actually coach. [If] he Atlanta Hawks make him their next sideline stalker, general manager Rick Sund may have found an answer for the blasé attitude that permeated the Hawk locker room more times than not during Mike Woodson’s tenure.
But wait. Dwyer is only warming up. That half-season when Casey was dumped by the Timberwolves? When president Kevin McHale and GM Kevin Taylor dumped him with a 20-20 record? That was actually coaching at its best. Writes Dwyer:
He put the Wolves in the playoff hunt midway through the season with a lineup built around Kevin Garnett that should have been in the Greg Oden [meaning the NBA lottery] hunt. The Kentucky product and one-time-understudy-to-many had the Wolves overachieving, and working hard on both ends. And for Taylor, it wasn’t enough. It should have been.
For Hawks fans, and especially Hawks players? This guy is enough.
This guy is more than enough. He’s game matched with smarts and doubled up with focus. Plays, and the inspiration to want to run those plays. You will want to execute. And in a locker room that was poisoned by a coaching staff that gave up once spring hit (why wouldn’t it? Woodson heard the rumors, and the Hawks lamed his duck months ago), Casey is exactly what the Hawks need.
There’s much more, and I encourage you to read Dwyer’s article in its terrific totality. Because I’ve been trying to make the same arguments for a while now, and I’m not seeing much fruit from these labors. But I’m encouraged to know I’m not a lone voice crying in the wilderness. At the very least, there are two of us.
And if the Hawks do hire Dwane Casey, there’ll be more. Anyone who hears him speak at the introductory press conference will say, “Know what? This guy’s got it.” Trust me on this.
And if you don’t trust me, trust Kelly Dwyer.
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93 comments Add your comment
JC
May 26th, 2010
10:25 am
Let’s be honest, any of these guys would be a good head coach. Casey would do a fine job. So would Johnson, Corbin or Thibodeau.
These guys are all being considered because they are not Woody. They would command the attention and respect of their players, actually run plays during the playoffs and hold players accountable for their performance. It’s not about Casey’s X’s versus Corbin’s Y’s, it’s because they fit a certain coaching mold that this team needs in order to get to the next level. Whoever coaches next year will inherit a talented, still young 50+ win team that succeeded in spite of their coach during the regular season instead of because of him.
It’s nice to see the Hawks moving in the right direction. And as long as they don’t hire John Anderson, I’ll be happy with the decision.
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
10:38 am
I hear folks posting that we should get Doc Rivers…why in all the world would Doc leave Boston???? I think Doc is giving himself a safe way out by taking time off next season if Boston dont go all the way this year. But if they do go all the way, trust me, Doc will NOT leave Boston, esp when they were projected to be ‘too old and out of gas to even make it this far this year’. Heck, Atlanta even topped them in the regular season getting 3rd overall in the East. And another question concerning this same situation, why would Tom T leave Boston IF Doc decides to leave when he would be the next best thang to Boston coaching vacancy??? I just dont understand yall logics on here sometimes…
Frontman
May 26th, 2010
10:40 am
Consider this: since 1980, only 8 teams have won an NBA championship. That fact illustrates why this league stinks: not enough teams have a chance. Although 5 different teams have won in the last 6 years, the usual suspects are always the favorites at the start of the year. Even in MLB, 8 different teams won the World Series in the decade 2000-2009 (though all you hear about are the Yankees and Red Sox). Until the NBA achieves a better balance, the playoffs are almost as big a joke as the season itself.
Andy
May 26th, 2010
10:56 am
I am already tired of this coaching search. Just let me know when it’s over.
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
10:56 am
Hire AJ. Even if he’s no better a coach than Casey, he’s short, compact, and cute as a button. Even as a heterosexual male I would love to see such a stud on the sidelines 82 games a year.
In Avery We Trust.
Bangkapi Ajarn
May 26th, 2010
11:01 am
As The Hawks seem to this uninformed ignorant soul to have hit a ceiling, be it because of players or coaching (I don’t know which, does anyone???), I have one litmus test for Csey, Avery, or anyone –
In crunch time, will Van Gundy out coach the new hire? Scheme, matchup, motivation, etc. Woodson was a resounding, nausiating YES, sadly.
The playoff exits the last two years were frightening in the contrast between the TEAM Atlanta put out there (including coaching synergies, or the lack thereof), and the other guys. That litmus test MUST be applied in this poor opinion.
Not Sold
May 26th, 2010
11:02 am
MsDee, I agree, you’re probably right. It’s probably a long, long, longshot that Rivers would leave Boston for any team. But wouldn’t it make sense that if he’d leave Boston for any team, it might be Atlanta with his roots here and this roster of talented, young players? Wouldn’t Doc be the kind of coach Josh Smith might respect enough to listen to when told “Let the guards take the ball up the court” or “Don’t take that 3 at that point of the game”? Coaches don’t sell tickets, but might Rivers at least energize the fan base? Shouldn’t the Hawks at least reach for the stars in this search?
Khao$
May 26th, 2010
11:11 am
Sorry, but I’m still not convinced. I think at this stage (after becoming the 3rd seed) we should aim higher. The last legitimate head coach we’ve had (in my view) was Lenny Wilkens. We need someone who can come into that locker room and their pedigree will command respect. We need that to happen before you get to the X’s and O’s part. I respect what Mr. Casey has done, but I don’t think he’s what we need right now. He’s what we needed in the 04-05 season.
Westurd
May 26th, 2010
11:11 am
call me when its over…….I’ll make a decision on how I feel at that time.
Not Drinking the Kool-Aid
May 26th, 2010
11:16 am
Mark, it is interesting in watching NBA Gametime last night the question was posed to Kevin McHale and Chris Webber which NBA coaching vacancies were the most appealing? Both McHale and Webber had these jobs in this order as the best: 1)Chicago (Based on talent, town, and cap space)2)New Jersey (Based on owner, draft status, cap space, and minor talent) 3)LA Clippers (Based on talent, and cap space). Interestingly enough Hawks were not even mentioned. I have never heard Kevin McHale endorse Dwane Casey as a coach. I have never heard Nate McMillan endorse Dwane Casey as a coach. I read the article you mentioned and really gave no clearly identifiable evidence of Dwane Casey’s ability. I have nothing against Dwane Casey and he may be a fine coach. The problem we have in Atlanta is the Hawks are at a crossroads: The impression throughout the league about the Hawks is that ownership is not cohesive and runs the team unorganized and own the cheap. Most consider the team talented but very disorganized and not a serious championship contender. So the coaching hire will have to prove that ownership is serious about competing for a championship not only to the league, but to the Atlanta Hawks fans, to Joe Johnson, and to the Hawks team. Frankly, I don’t know if hiring Dwane Casey makes that statement.
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
11:35 am
If we hire Casey, I’d prefer the team name be changed to the Sonics. The man is not a Hawk. Never has been, never will be.
Mark Bradley
May 26th, 2010
11:36 am
And Avery J. is a Hawk?
Not Drinking the Kool-Aid
May 26th, 2010
11:41 am
Mark, it is interesting in watching NBA Gametime last night they posed the question to Kevin McHale and Chris Webber which coaching job seemed to be the most attractive for a coach? These are the jobs they stated were the best: 1)Chicago (Based on talent, cap space, and the city and fans) 2)New Jersey (Based on the owner, cap space,limited talent, and draft position) 3)LA Clippers (Based on talent and cap space). Atlanta was never mentioned. I have never heard Kevin McHale say anything about Dwane Casey’s coaching ability. I have never heard Nate McMillan mention anything about Dwane Casey’s coaching ability or Rick Carlisle. The article you mentioned showed no tangible evidence of Casey’s abilities as a coach. I don’t really know if Dwane Casey is a good or great coach. But there in lies the problem. There seems to be a feeling throughout the league that the Hawks ownership is run disorganized, on the cheap, and divided. This flows down into management, the team, and to fans. Why would fans be loyal to a franchise who gives the impression they are not serious about competing for a championship? Notice I said “impression”. See how all the great work the team did in the regular season was dulled by the playoff collapse of the Hawks. So the Hawks ownership have to prove they are committed to competing for a championship through the hiring of a coach. The hiring has to prove it to management, to Joe Johnson, to the rest of the team, to the fans, and to the league. I don’t know if Dwane Casey is that hire?
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
11:50 am
No, Avery is a Spur. If he is hired, I’d prefer the team name be changed to the Spurs. The man is not a Hawk. Never has been, never will be.
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
11:51 am
Consistency is the key.
Dante Fitzgerald
May 26th, 2010
12:10 pm
HIRE AVERY!!!
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
12:15 pm
I’m with ya, Dante. I’d rather win 50 games with that sweet-smiling AJ on the sideline than 55 with that scowling Casey.
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
12:23 pm
NOT SOLD,
No, I dont think Doc would want to come here simply b/c lately, Atlanta is considered being Boston new rilary team of the East. why would Doc, who has gained much respect from the Boston organization, come to their rilary team?? Its kinda disrespectful of Doc to do that, and I kinda would lose cool points for Doc if he’d do that. So No, I wouldnt think Doc would do Boston like that. and think about it, we play Boston 3 or 4 times in a regular season..do u really think Doc wants to see his ex-ball players 4 times, esp with ATLANTA??? NO!!
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
12:36 pm
MsDee,
Define rilary. I’m interested.
HawkKingBibby
May 26th, 2010
12:40 pm
Im glad that Casey is a nice guy and you know where they finish right MB !!!!!
HawkKingBibby
May 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Give me some examples MB. What you have seen or heard from Casey in all this time you say you have known him that makes you think he will not tolerate the nonsense. Whats he going to do when #5 goes into his own world on the court? What will be done about all this partying they do the night before road playoff games that they lose by 20-40 points? If you know of examples with Casey please do tell?
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
12:59 pm
Avery is the man,
Not interested in defining..SORRY!!
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
1:07 pm
It’s okay, MsDee. It’s just when I hear a new word, I become interested in unraveling its meaning. I tried a google search for this word but it returned nothing so I assume it must be a word too sophisticated for google.
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
1:14 pm
Avery is the man,
Naw, it just too sophisticated for a person like u..u know, someone who is sarcastic and who may really know what one means but rather waste time blogging about it..right??
tyger
May 26th, 2010
1:15 pm
Why would it be different for Casey or anybody else?
Woodson went to the playoffs 3 years straight, twice to the second round. Took a team of freshman from 13 wins to 53 wins, yet wasn’t given an extension or vote of confidence from the lackluster GM or ownership group.
What makes anyone think a new coach will be treated any differently? This organization evidently doesn’t know which way is up or where they’ll be 6 months from now no less a year from now.
It’s a temp job! A stepping stone to something more stable – notice the candidates – only Avery Johnson has a head coaching pedigree – big names aren’t lining up at Phillips for interviews.
I fear we will realize that Woody too had the Hawks playing over their collective heads despite our insistence that he should’ve done more. Looking at the rosters of the remaining contenders, we have no competitive BIGS to play with the big boys, so what were our real chances to move forward?
You’ve got to be able to get a rebound and two years in a row, Cleveland and Orlando, we weren’t big enough. And what did we do? We got two guards: Crawford and Teague.
I thought we could’ve made better use of Collins, Joe Smith and RandMo but nobody else was beating down the door to sign those guys either so maybe they’re only useful on NBA2K10.
Point is, this isn’t a strong organization accustomed to winning – they’re trying to win on the cheap and we all know that won’t get you outta the second round. So, good luck and wishful thinking.
Now, one thing Casey could provide, where Woody was obviously negligent, is player development. He should have and would not give the players he had a chance and for that amongst other things he was rightly fired. But again, that’s wishful thinking too – there was a reason those guys were at the end of the bench.
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
1:18 pm
Correct, MsDee. You are far too sophisticated for me.
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
1:28 pm
Yeah..I already ‘new’ that…
Avery is the man
May 26th, 2010
1:31 pm
Clever. I don’t know how to respond to such biting humor.
Asheezy
May 26th, 2010
1:43 pm
PSA: Mark, please don’t write anything else that endorses Casey as the Hawks next head coach. You’re seriously discrediting yourself as a journalist
MsDee
May 26th, 2010
1:50 pm
Yeah..Im speechless…wow, never thought that could happen…lol
cdog
May 26th, 2010
1:50 pm
does it really matter what color a person is?probably so when you are an idiot.if there is a blue person out there and they can help the hawks win a championship, bring them in and hire them.right now the obviuos best coach available is by far avery johnson.it doesn’t have anything to do with his color, he is by far the best coach for the hawks right now if they want to win a championship.but we are dealing with rick sund so look for mediocrity from him, then he will blame the coach instead of himself. sund is a loser.who hired him for our GM job?whoever it was, no one should ever listen to their recommendations again
Bring back Lenny
May 26th, 2010
1:57 pm
Lenny Wilkins should be the next Hawks coach. Also dump Marvin the duck and bring back Tyrone Corbin at SF.
ryan
May 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
This is going to be a big mistake because you look at Casey’s record is not that good we are taking a step back so long Joe Minn under Casey was a lottery team and Seattle.
MaxxHawk
May 26th, 2010
3:10 pm
Casey could be the guy, but I also like Ty Corbin
Bring back Lenny
May 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
Lenny as coach, Avery as PG and Corbin as SF. Bring back Smitty, Deke, and Laettner and we’ve got ourselves top 5 picks for the next few years. We get a great player and we’re set.
Ken Strickland
May 26th, 2010
4:22 pm
All of the HC prospects on the Hawks list would be upgrades over MWoodson. So, all of you wounded WOODY LOVERS, who seem to be looking for any excuse to diss every prospect, need to realize Woody ain’t coming back. I wouldn’t be upset if any one of the prospects being seriously considered was hired. I’m an Atlanta Hawks fan, not someone that’s developed some crush on a particular player or coach.
I’m more concerned with getting the job done, rather than who gets it done. I would’ve been satisfied with Woodson, if he’d had the sense and ability to get the job done. What I know, and have read about Thibodeau, Johnson and Casey, just let’s me know we are considering some very outstanding prospects.
For any fan to say one of these 3 is a much better prospect or fit for the Hawks than the other is talking out of his or her ANUS. None of us has enough detailed info on either prospect to intelligently make that assessment. I feel good about the Hawks chances of coming up with an outstanding HC. And, if we resign JJ, I feel even better about the prospects for the Hawks having an outstanding season and playoff run.
Making a couple of adjustments, a PG change, and putting our core talent in an OFF/DEF system that features ball and player movement, picks, penetration and total player involvement, is all this team needs to take off next season.
Ezekiel
May 26th, 2010
5:23 pm
The key phrase that Kelly Dwyer said was when he referred to Case as “the one time Kentucky product”. Thus, the reason why Mark Bradley likes Casey.. they are both Kentucky grads.. Gotcha, Mark!
atlienforlife
May 26th, 2010
5:34 pm
Casey may be a good hire, but I don’t think this franchise has the luxury to roll the dice on an unproven. This fan base and organization is at a cross roads right now and cannot afford to go down. A proven winning coach is needed to provide some ray of hope to the “casual” fans here. The only expection I see is Tom Thibodeau, with that boston pedigree. On another note what is all the love for bosh coming here, I don’t get it. What did bosh do against the hawks in the games they played this year? He was non existent! Besides that one last second shot he hit (that wouldn’t have been there if we grabbed a rebound on there foul shot) to win the game. He averaged around 10 points in that series. He is a second tier star at best, he has proven that in toronto, and will not put the hawks over the top. I would take Horford over him anyday. Not to mention Josh smiths all around game is better than bosh, beside a slightly better jump shot. People forget, Josh is the only player in league history at he’s height, to have over 100 steals and 100 blocks in a season!
J
May 26th, 2010
5:42 pm
Jason Heyward to play the 2!!!
vava74
May 26th, 2010
6:01 pm
I have ZERO regard for your opinion Bradley since you have been consistently giving bad opinions on the Hawks and making idiotic remarks and posts.
Every once in a while I come here to check other people’s commentaries and see with what type of drivel you are rewarding your audience this time and confirm how many people can clap to such a lousy tune.
Your case for Casey is my case against him. If he has your support, he is certainly the wrong man for the job.
Willy
May 26th, 2010
7:05 pm
If Dwane Casey gets the job I’ll dress up as a hamburger every time I go to a game. Why? I used to work at a hamburger joint called Mighty Casey’s. So when thousands of people imitate me you can say it all started right here.
glenn
May 26th, 2010
10:02 pm
Phil Jackson would be a better hire .
geewiz
May 26th, 2010
10:42 pm
another experiment…thanks