Given the chance to change, the Hawks opt only to tweak
Rick Sund with his new head coach, who has been here since 2004. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
This feels like a Falcons move, and not the newly clever Falcons. This feels as if the Smiths were still in charge, still firing Dan Henning only to promote the overmatched Marion Campbell. (Or, to cite a more recent precedent, dumping Jerry Glanville to elevate June Jones.)
Stan Kasten, once the Hawks’ general manager, used to say: “If you’re going to make a change, make a change.” The current Hawks had the chance to do it and passed. They found their new head coach in an assistant who has worked here for six seasons, an assistant whose most persuasive argument was, in essence, “Mike Woodson never listened to me.”
Maybe Larry Drew will work out. But what does it say about the Hawks that their far-flung search only led them across the hall, that the most dramatic upshot of swapping Woodson for Drew is that the Atlanta Spirit will be paying its head coach less money? What does it say about an organization that ran out of ideas in Round 2 against Orlando turning to a six-year assistant to offer something new?
What it says: The Hawks made a mistake.
There are examples of such tweaks working out: Phil Jackson for Doug Collins in Chicago, more recently Alvin Gentry for Terry Porter (who’d succeeded Mike D’Antoni) in Phoenix. But there aren’t many, and there’s a reason. Promoting an incumbent assistant when you’ve just determined that your problem was coaching is generally an exercise in denial.
Said Michael Gearon Jr., one of the Hawks’ several owners and a man fond of the Gentry analogy: “With the players we have, we have to figure out how to get the most out of them.”
Why, then, if Drew knows the secret to unlocking this team’s potential, was he unable to impart it during his six years under Woodson?
Said Drew, speaking Monday at his inaugural media briefing: “That’s a tough question. Assistant coaches give the head coach as much information as they can. His job is to decide what to use. As a coaching staff, we did our job. Mike made a decision to use what he wanted to use.”
Larry Drew is 52. He has never been a head coach. There’s no assurance the players who regarded him as the kinder, gentler voice in the locker room will, to use Drew’s phrase, “run through a brick wall” for him. He can’t be their good buddy any longer. He has to coach. (And there’s where the Phoenix comparison fails: Gentry had been a head coach three times previously.)
Drew again: “I’m a new voice … although I have been here six years.”
Gearon again: “We hired the best guy available.”
And here again we see the problem with the Atlanta Spirit. Gearon Jr. is the principal basketball man among ownership, and he’s a fine fellow who knows the sport. But he — like his father Michael Gearon Sr., once the Hawks’ president and now a co-owner — tends to fall in love with the talent on hand. And when the Gearons hear that a few minor alterations are all that’s warranted … well, they’re the Amen Corner swooning to string music.
The Hawks have good players, but not yet enough of them. They need more size — though not necessarily a different center — and a deeper bench. They need better and more willing defenders. Perhaps the sound of Drew’s old-but-new voice will lift them to greater heights, but the odds are against it. Odds are the Hawks will do as the forlorn Falcons did after twice promoting from within: They’ll be looking for a new coach three years hence.
Given the chance to hire a new new voice, the Hawks chose instead to blame it all on Woody and to anoint the aide he wouldn’t heed. (And to save a few hundred thousand bucks in the process.) I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but I have to admit I am.
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95 comments Add your comment
LEA
June 14th, 2010
5:56 pm
You’re just mad , Dwyane Casey wasn’t hired..
gt
June 14th, 2010
6:02 pm
They ain’t that bad. Does Boston put a fear in you heart?
Ben
June 14th, 2010
6:03 pm
Our ownership is a COMPLETE JOKE! I really hope that Drew works out because I’m still going to support the Hawks either way and I want him to succeed. It’s not his fault our ownership and GM are a bunch of morons. More power to him for landing his first head coaching job but any real Hawks fan can’t be too pleased with this hire. Like Bradley said we had a chance to make a real change and bring in a real new voice. THey will tune out Drew just like they did Woody. Book it! I hope I’m wrong though.
bye bye Joe Jo
June 14th, 2010
6:03 pm
wow – I am so excited about this move I can hardly stand it. This is so good why didn’t they do it the day after they fired CMW?? Oh I forgot this is the ASG and they haven’t a clue. I can’t wait to hear the spin on how this is a “POSITIVE” move. Give me a break – we will be lucky to win 53 games and make the second round again. I sure hope I am wrong but I doubt it.
joe schad
June 14th, 2010
6:06 pm
I don’t know enough about Drew to critique him as a coach. But I dont like the hire, because if you think about it no big name free agents will want to play for a guy who has always been a bench coach, Without a big time talented player we will surely regress. THINK ABOUT IT
Bat Masterson
June 14th, 2010
6:07 pm
Could have been worse, could have been Avery. Avery Johnson’s voice grates on me like you would not believe, whew.
Doug
June 14th, 2010
6:08 pm
Not real brave of you ther Mark…they made a mistake but it “might” work out. That way if it doesn’t well it was your prediction and if it does work out , well, you are OK then too because you already allowed as much. But if it works out it wasn’t a “mistake”…what makes Dwayne Casey aoutomatically better than Drew? His great success at Minnesota? Like Kenny Smith said it is good to see new blood get a shot and stop recycling the same old names
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:09 pm
Well, MB, after Schultz’s and Cunningham’s maybe this can work out articles, you will be very popular among the numerous Hawks watchers who have serious misgivings about this hire.
If Drew had all these great ideas, and Woodson decided not to use them, doesn’t that characterize Woodson as a very stubborn man at best? Given, Woody even admitted after losing the series to Orlando that his assistants had pushed him to use the bench more than he did, so it’s entirely possible that Drew had other ideas that Woodson dismissed.
We might not know the end result of this promotion for a few years, but it’s definitely not going to get a lot of people excited about the Hawks chances for next season. After the Hawks’ disappointing dismissal from the playoffs, this city needed a reason to feel excited about the team again. This hire isn’t going to do it, so barring some major offseason roster improvements (which don’t seem likely), the Hawks’ marketing department has its work cut out for it. I honestly wouldn’t be terribly surprised if attendance drops next season.
BOBBY BOTTLESERVICE
June 14th, 2010
6:09 pm
Catch me on youtube! TYPE IN BOBBY BOTTLESERVICE! Love the ed hardy, beautiful women, tans, and my lip balm makes me super kissable!
bill
June 14th, 2010
6:10 pm
This move is typical, and cuts the cord…I’m cured!
Best of luck to LD & his Highlight Factory players…
Woody Woodpecker
June 14th, 2010
6:11 pm
What a slap in the face to all Atlanta Hawks fans! I mean, come on! Fire a 6 year coach and then put his under assistant coach in??? What a bunch of cheap bastards we have for management. The franchise has just moved right back to where we were 6 years ago. Just terrible. I’m sorry but Drew looks like a scared/lost rabbit in most of the photos I see of him. I am offficially off the Hawks fan list until further notice.
Ps – go to hell Hawks management!
Wanted: True Center
June 14th, 2010
6:13 pm
WTF this isnt a bad hire… the only possible candidate was avery and he wanted loads of money and front office control which he will get from the desperate nets and we didnt need a desperate hire. Drew knows are players and players love him. If we surround him with a great staff and the right tools drew could easily make a run…a championship run with a different owner…
joe schad
June 14th, 2010
6:13 pm
ALSO i read an article that said the players say that this guy isn’t woodson 2.. That may be true but what does this guy do that makes him any different than woodson? I guess one difference is that he probably doesn’t shave his eyebrows bald!!!!!!
J-MAN
June 14th, 2010
6:14 pm
Very Bland move all I can say
JeJe
June 14th, 2010
6:14 pm
How much money do we have to take out of our savings to pay the NBA to get rid of Gearon? What an embarrassment to htis league
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:15 pm
Doug, Mark is just acknowledging that none of us can know for sure how this will work out. No one can say for sure that LD won’t be a great head coach. MB is just saying that there’s not a lot of evidence that he will be or that this move will work. I think the overall content of the article speaks pretty well that he thinks this is a mistake. Bradley will readily admit that he’s been wrong many times before, and will be many times again, and he really has no way of knowing if this will be one of those times or not.
Atlanta Hawks to hire Larry Drew as head coach
June 14th, 2010
6:16 pm
[...] bucks in the process.) I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but I have to admit I am. Given the chance to change, the Hawks opt only to tweak | Mark Bradley Reply With Quote + Reply to Thread « Boise St. [...]
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:20 pm
Wanted, there are other candidates out there, including ones the Hawks didn’t even interview. Now you can ask why bring in an assistant from another club who has no head coaching experience (Ty Corbin) when you have a similar candidate in house or question if Casey’s record with the Wolves really makes him a better choice, or if you want to bring in a guy who’s been fired multiple times before (Byron Scott), but you can’t say there weren’t other candidates.
L.A. Mont
June 14th, 2010
6:24 pm
Good for Larry Drew. Everyone deserves a shot at a promotion in the profession they have chosen. Expectations are higher now, and no one knows that more than Drew. He’s seen the rise of the Hawks. And now the expectation to compete in the second round of the playoffs. The 2010-2011 Hawks will be expected to compete for a division title and a top 3 seed. How will Drew and the players respond…come back in November to find out.
Wanted: True Center
June 14th, 2010
6:24 pm
Woody was power hungry and a defensive minded coach and i just dont believe he gave LD the opportunity to spread his wings and take control of the offense like doc lets thibodeau do with the defense because our front office has blown JJ’s ego out of the water and they bought into iso joe
Wanted: True Center
June 14th, 2010
6:26 pm
GT, of course there were other candidates…all im saying is lets stop talking about someone we didnt hire and get behind drew and look toward the draft.
truthspitter
June 14th, 2010
6:30 pm
Thanks for writing the truth Mark, this is not a good move I feel on the brinks of just routing for someone else and not watching 70+ Hawks game a year in some form or another. This is hard to swallow
MathMan
June 14th, 2010
6:31 pm
Mark, did you ever play ball at any level? Stevie Wonder could see that Woody didn’t listen to himself, let alone anyone else. At every level, coaching makes the difference. Look how the Steelers for 35+ years have gotten so much out of their talent and the Patriots of the last 10 years. Look at how Alvin Gentry got results out of the same talent pool that Terry Porter had. Look at how Tony Dungy got results in Tampa and Indy; oh my bad he learned while he was with the Steelers!
michael
June 14th, 2010
6:31 pm
don’t know drew, never met him, don’t know of any coaching talent out there, but when you want to get in to shape you start from with-in (coaching/ownership). maybe the talent needs to sit up straight in their chairs and learn what it takes to win (get in to shape). no negativity is needed, they are not stupid, just do it according to the blueprint.
ICECOLD
June 14th, 2010
6:33 pm
why is everybody so worried, the hawks was a good team. one of the best in the league, their is no way that the hawks just going to completely fall apart, especially in a league thats about to go through so many changes, fans are acting like we just didnt have two all stars and the six man of the year and the third seed in the east… this is exactly what makes sense.. no drastic change.. but a good change.. if we got a coach that came in and tried to change everything, then who knows what would have happened, so we needed somebody thats going to know the players strenghth and weeknesses then go from their.. only one team can win a championship, everybody else has to make changes, the hawks need are ok. the hawks needed a different voice who does not have the same offenseive mind as woody, the hawks is still a athletic team, they have been getting by on skill and athleticism alone.. this is not that bad of a move. if you cant get avery johnson, this is the safest and next best thing. its going to be alright. the only thing that matters is if joe johnson is going to come back or not. that is the most important thing. not because it will determine if they will win or lose, just to show what the hawks next move has to be. because they cant move until that happens, and check on josh childress… relax atlanta.. we are making a positive step
K-Dogg
June 14th, 2010
6:33 pm
Is it me or the issue of Slam with the Hawks big 3 on the front but is joe about the same hieght as Big Al and Josh???? Ok he is 6′6 or 6′7 and they are suppose to be 6′9 and 6′10!!! In the words of Mike Gundy(Oklahoma State football coach) “Makes me want to puke”!!!!
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:33 pm
Wanted, when your gut tells you something isn’t going to work, it’s hard to dismiss that feeling and just say it’s what we’ve got so let’s support it as best as possible. As far as looking forward to the draft, that’s kind of hard to do when the person responsible for evaluating the Hawks’ potential draft choices has said that anyone we get is going to basically be D-league fodder and isn’t likely to impact the team next season. The next big news for the Hawks will be if J-Chill decides to come back to the NBA or what JJ decides to do.
Jfreak13713
June 14th, 2010
6:35 pm
Every head coach had to start somewhere and Drew really couldn’t get a better first chance because this team does have some talent. I wish him and the team well while still hoping I wake up from this dream and find out the Hawks really hired Mark Jackson or Byron Scott!
moorman
June 14th, 2010
6:35 pm
ok, WHAT is it that drew can do, that avery johnson couldnt do? EVERYBODY knows what the hawks problems are. so what that drew can draw up a offense, can me MAKE johnson and smith run the offense? can he force smith to hustle at all times or the rest of the hawks for that matter. the hawks EFFORT was more a problem than x’s and o’s. mark, you said it right, if woodson couldnt motivate them, why should we expect his chief assistant to work miracles, because, seems to me, drew was as much at fault for dividing the locker room as woodson. some players liked woodson, some liked drew, boom, it will be that way under drew. in fact, the ones who liked him, may grow to NOT like him because he HAS to change his approach to them now. bad move, happy for drew, but not the organization.
tidog
June 14th, 2010
6:36 pm
The big name coach earns the label of big name caoach. He just didn’t begin the job as “the man”. Avery Johnson was as assistant prior to being the big name. They work and toil like anyone else and earn the label good coach. The hawks went in a direction that suprised and disappointed some fans with the inside hire. The inside hire is usually how corporate america does it. Been that way for some time now.
DawgNDallas
June 14th, 2010
6:37 pm
I heard we hired him because Marion Campbell said no.
DawgNDallas
June 14th, 2010
6:39 pm
Dang. You already made that joke. That’s what I get for commenting before reading the article.
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:41 pm
ICECOLD, I don’t think people would be as worried if the Hawks had just gotten beaten in the playoffs, but they didn’t. They got b****-slapped by Orlando. They were beaten like Napoleon Dynamite in a fight with a MMA wrestler. And they just seemed to resign themselves to it.
No matter how good the regular season was, a playoff loss like that is going to leave a very bitter taste in people’s mouths.
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
6:45 pm
Actually, tidog, more and more, corporate America is hiring their top management from outside. To some extent, it seems very similar to coaching. There seem to be a handful of senior executives that bounce around from company to company every few years, often with mixed results.
MsDee
June 14th, 2010
6:48 pm
moorman,
You asked, ‘”EVERYBODY knows what the hawks problems are. so what that drew can draw up a offense, can me MAKE johnson and smith run the offense? can he force smith to hustle at all times or the rest of the hawks for that matter. the hawks EFFORT was more a problem than x’s and o’s”
I have to disagree..i believe the reason johnso
Whopper Dawg
June 14th, 2010
6:49 pm
Yeah, it doesn’t look good, does it? If Drew were the top assistance, and now he is the answer, that means that Woodson disregarded his top assistance for six years? Doesn’t sound like a working relationship that would last six years to me. If you were so good as an assistance, you knew all along what was “wrong” with the club and were just ignored for six years, would you stick around? Nope.
Something doesn’t wash here. And I am afraid it is Mr.Drew’s story.
MsDee
June 14th, 2010
6:54 pm
moorman,
You asked, ‘”EVERYBODY knows what the hawks problems are. so what that drew can draw up a offense, can me MAKE johnson and smith run the offense? can he force smith to hustle at all times or the rest of the hawks for that matter. the hawks EFFORT was more a problem than x’s and o’s”
I have to disagree..i believe the reason johnson and smith didnt run the offense was b/c Woodson had no offense for them to run..only A offense and that was for johnson not smith, which lead smith to want to take matters into his own hands by creating offense for himself and we all know how that ended up. So I say the correct x’s and o’s DOES matter to get EFFORT out of you team!!!
MsDee
June 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
Whopper Dawg,
Not sure if you knew but Drew tried to leave b4 but was denied out of his contract by Billy Knight and the ASG. So to say he wanted to stay for all 6 years is false, he had no choice in the matter.
Puma
June 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
I don’t think the comparison to the Falcons is at all reasonable. The Falcons sucked a** in the Marion Campbell days and had sucked a** for a long time, before and after that. The Hawks on the other hand had sucked for a long time, but steadily improved under Woodson. I am not sure letting him go was the best idea, but they seemed to have hit a wall, can beat the teams they should but not the better teams. (Although they handled Boston pretty well). I’ve never been a fan of the sexy coaching change just to make us all happy. Drew may or may not be good, I don’t know anything about him, but I think basketball, more than any other pro sport, depends on the players and not the coaches. I don’t really think Phil Jackson is a great coach, he has only been lucky enough to have great players. But his value is probably more related to handling those egos. Can you imagine dealing with Kobe?
MsDee
June 14th, 2010
7:02 pm
Whopper Dawg,
Not sure if you knew this but Drew tried to leave a fews years back but was denied out of his contract by Billy Knight and the ASG..so to say that he stayed an assistant for Woody for 6 years was his choice is false, he had no choice in the matter.
Mitch
June 14th, 2010
7:02 pm
Mark: this had to be a difficult blog for you to write. I’m sure you hate to bash away at the Hawks at the expence of a guy who has dutifully paid his dues as a long-time assistant coach, and who obviously was smart enough to put together a convincing plan, replete with detailing the new “team” orentied offense. But…just the same…you…like us…bought into the whole “new voice” mantra that Rick Sund tried to sell on everyone when he fired a guy who increased the win totals in every one of his years as Hawks head coach.
This move…in light of Sund’s rationale…makes him and the organization look foolish…and you were right to tap in that. It’s sad, but it’s true.
What we have to hope is that the players take the ownership of the situation and come to play better than they have before. No more half arsed efforts on back to backs…no more no shows versus the Knicks, Warriors and other cellar dwellars…
But, what irks me more than anything is that if the Hawks were going to hire a coach with no head coaching experience, there were two who made a world of sense and neither of them were on Sund’s list:
(1) I don’t know how in the world you can watch how Tom Thidodeau shut down the Magic’s vaunted offense and not sky rocket him to the top of the list. Thibodeau picked the Bulls…do they have nearly the talent the Hawks do? Sadly and pathetically, there were no reports of Sund being interested in Thibodeau. This is where I am starting to believe that Rick Sund is a sub-par GM who does not have his finger on the pulse of the NBA.
(2) If there was another assistant to go after it was Ty Corbin. Having spent a few years as a protoge of Jerry Sloane in Utah, Corbin has been groomed by one of the most elite coaches in the NBA…one who preaches great high-effort defense and motion offense.
All this said, I am going to give Larry Drew the benefit of the doubt…but to tell you the truth, if this Hawks team isn’t dramatically improved and the players are still playing like a bunch of prima donna pansies half the time, I am going to stop watching these clowns. For example, if I see Josh Smith hoist up another 3 point brick with the game on the line…Larry Drew has had ZERO effect on this team…and if I see tuxedo players like Rashad Lewis and Mo Williams hitting wide open threes like they were always able to do practically ad nauseum versus Woody coached teams, again, Drew is having ZERO effect.
I hope to be pleasantly surprised…as I believe we all do…and now the pressure is squarely on Rick Sund to give Drew the right cast…including what to do with Joe “The ISO Mope a Dope–No D—the Fans can Go F themselves” Johnson…
Swamp Fox
June 14th, 2010
7:02 pm
Who you calling overmatched?
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tidog
June 14th, 2010
7:05 pm
Whopper Dawg, I don’t feel Drew was putting Woodson under the bus. Woodson may have been the hands on micro manager type. Without Woodson having a contract may have contributed to that type of management style If i’m going down i’ll go down doing my way.
bball fan
June 14th, 2010
7:09 pm
Mr. Bradley — veering off topic for a moment, but just saw a headline indicating that Texas had declined the Pac10 invitation. In your opinion, does this help or hurt the SEC’s chances of being a big player in the expansion game?
Dawg Fan in Grayson
June 14th, 2010
7:11 pm
All I know about Drew is he was Woody’s assistant coach for 6 years and no other team came after him as a possible HC. Also, if Gearon and the ownership was so confident Drew can get the job done why did they only give him a 2-year contract. Can anyone say ‘economic hire’?
tidog
June 14th, 2010
7:13 pm
Can the SEC add Texas and Texas A&M. Is that too much to ask for.
dawg4u
June 14th, 2010
7:13 pm
Enter your comments here
ryan
June 14th, 2010
7:16 pm
This was about saving money Joe Johnson is Hollywood bound with Chris Bosh the Hawks will be a lottery team.
preston
June 14th, 2010
7:17 pm
I will reserve my comments until AFTER I see Coach Drew’s imprint on this team…….maybe after the first 20 games or so. Mark Bradley already suckered me into this premature bashing thing with Troy Glauss….and now that guy looks like the second comming of Babe Ruth…….so who knows what we have in Drew……but we will soon find out.
Go Atlanta teams not tech, GO DAWGS!!!
June 14th, 2010
7:17 pm
The hire is not awful or even bad maybe questionable but I think this reminds me of the brilliant altlanta falcons of now maybe even better look all I’m saying is give the man time that’s all he needs and re-sign joe johnson, draft good, make a trade for a legit center and the hawks could go to the eastern conference finals just on pure talent.
dawg4u
June 14th, 2010
7:17 pm
I hope Larry Drew works out for the Hawks because in listening to him in the interview on the Buck and Kincade show today on 680 he said that he was different from Mike Woodson and had some ideas regarding Josh Smith’s lapses in performance from time to time as well as all the other players. This hire could be really good for the Hawks and I wish Drew the best and I will be rooting for him to bring the Hawks to the next level.
Daddy Long Long
June 14th, 2010
7:18 pm
Not a sexy pick, but he’s an inside guy who knows the player’s strengths vs. weaknesses. Glad to see you in there Larry Drew.
Now can we go out and get a CENTER who plays the CENTER position? I hope that old experiment under Woody is put to rest. Let’s Go (Hawks) get a damn BIG MAN!! ;- )
nes
June 14th, 2010
7:18 pm
Well, Mark Bradley, someone in the AJC finally spoke the truth and hit the nail on the head! The roster needs more than a tweak here and there, and JJ needs to go via sign and trade! Casey would at least been a new voice! MB, any clue about his coaching staff? he better get his own coaches than keep same staff. best of luck L. Drew! ps: i believe J.Teague will be 2nd year most improved player in the league, what great quickness and speed he possesses! go Hawks
needabailouttoo
June 14th, 2010
7:20 pm
So I’m sure Larry Drew isn’t appreciating all this negative talk, when he’s just gotten his dream-come-true. I say let’s give the guy a chance. All super-star NBA coaches had to start somewhere, and Drew may just be our next diamond-in-the-rough. It’s not like we have back-to-back national championships at stake if this doesn’t turn out. Welcome aboard, man, and congrats on the dream realized. Here’s wishing you a good two years ahead.
KevinM
June 14th, 2010
7:21 pm
Congrats to LD for his first job. The problem is he won’t have the chance to build this team up to whatever his style of play is. He has to reprogram the guys that are here who stood behind Woody and his schemes.
Saying that, LD’s first comments were we had to get JJ back here. Sounds like a guy who doesn’t believe that JJ can’t be our leader next year. Neither LD nor Sund nor the ASG are listening to what anyone is thinking around them re: JJ. They know best that JJ is the piece we need to reach the pinnacle.
My opinion: JJ is not coming back to put on a Hawk jersey. He will take his shooting talents elsewhere. Simple reason: We won’t and can’t bring in a top talent to complement JJ. It won’t happen. The only thing that will happen for the Hawks is if JJ will accept a sign and trade and we garnish ’something’ in return for JJ. I hope its a West Coast team that signs JJ with the hope that we get some of the talent out West. It will probably be an Erik Dampier or a Andres Nocioni in Sacramento should they offer JJ.
The talent will change next year. I just hope Sund can fool someone one more time to bring a Jamal Crawford type talent once JJ heads out.
Waiting to hear about who our experienced staff will be, and will be surprised if we bring in 2 new faces to round out our staff.
Reid Adair
June 14th, 2010
7:21 pm
It does seem a bit unusual that they had multiple meetings with Avery Johnson and possibly Mark Jackson (both of whom I’m glad they didn’t hire), only to turn around and hire Drew.
We’ll see what happens. It certainly would appear that they’re saying Drew knows what needs to be done but Woodson just wouldn’t listen to him. I guess time will tell.
GT Alum
June 14th, 2010
7:28 pm
needabailouttoo, if LD’s feelings are getting hurt by people not being terribly excited about this hire, he should’ve stayed in the shadows in the assistant’s role. After watching Woody’s exit and the criticisms heaped on a man who saw his team’s record improve every year, no one should know better than LD that coaches have a big spotlight on them, and usually take a lot of the blame when the team doesn’t live up to expectations and don’t get much credit when the team does well.
And all coaches do have to start somewhere, but it’s usually in situations like Woody’s, taking on a bad team and trying to make them better, not teams that are trying to make the conference finals and get into title contention.
Judge Dawg
June 14th, 2010
7:30 pm
They could have gotten Paul Hewitt.
Chris
June 14th, 2010
7:30 pm
Right on Mark……This ownership group doesn’t care about Championships and they just proved it. You don’t tell everyone you are firing the coach that just took you to over 50 wins and 3 straight playoff appearances because you need a new direction and someone that can take you to the next level and then hire an assistant on the same staff.
Rediculous!!! In fact, they believe so much in their hire that they only gave him a 2 year contract. How is that for confidence.
freshd
June 14th, 2010
7:33 pm
Enter your comments here
GlassHalfFull
June 14th, 2010
7:34 pm
Drew is better hire then A Johnson, Caney, Jackson.
Drew is a mix between Larry Brown Chuck Daley and Phil Jackson combined, if you took all their best coaching skills together you get Larry Drew. I wanted him 3 years ago.
I know player who said in practice two year ago he wished Drew was the head coach, that he out coached Woodson in practice all the time and Woodson would get made at him and tell him to run stuff other teams would run.
Hawks will win NBA title under Drew if they keep Johnson or replace him with equal talent.
Keeping it Real
June 14th, 2010
7:38 pm
I like the hiring of Larry Drew over the others(Johnson, Jackson and Casey). I once had season ticketes (couple of years ago) behind the Hawks bench. Josh Smith ignored Woody and Woody paid a little attention to Drew from what I could see and sometimes hear. I think LD will serve us well! He will have to gain leadership control of this team. If JJ is the floor leader, he needs to go to leadership camp this summer!
Keeping it Real
June 14th, 2010
7:39 pm
Yes, I still have season tickets, just not behind the bench!
ksiujgth
June 14th, 2010
7:46 pm
did the asg say anything about him coaching the hockey team also?
Steve
June 14th, 2010
7:46 pm
Hope you people liked this past season. It will be YEARS before they even get to the second round again. Thank goodness for the Braves!
HAwks Fan 99933
June 14th, 2010
7:46 pm
Hawks should invest lots of time into Jeff Teague this summer, in hopes of making him a formidable poin guard. Bibby is too old to stick with Rondo, Rose, and apparently Jameer Nelson. Jamaal Crawford is a legitimate two guard to replace Joe Johnson. The Hawks need to do EVERYTHING they can to get Chris Bosh. He would give the Hawks what they are missing inside. Josh Smith and Al Horford would round out a nice starting five. You still have Bibby, Williams, Evans, and Pachulia on the bench. That to me is a nice looking roster. If they want to win, the Hawks must open up the wallet and spend some money.
George
June 14th, 2010
8:03 pm
Sorry Mark, but I just can’t get excited about anything having to do with the NBA. I wonder why I even read the article. Let’s just say that you know how to put words together nicely and it’s a pleasure to read someone these days who does. As a native Atlantan, I’m all for our sports teams. And if this “move” brings the Hawks closer to a championship – good. We may as well all get behind the guy and wish him well.
David
June 14th, 2010
8:09 pm
As a Hawks fan from the 80’s(the reason why I cant root for Boston) at 36 I just dont ever remember big time free agents coming to Atlanta. So how this hire or any other hire change that. I never put down the the coach of my team good luck Coach.
Avery Johnson was an assistant 5 months before becoming Head Coach of Dallas. His regular season record was great but he was the coach of a 1 seed who lost to an 8 seed.
Byron Scott was an assistant for only 2 years befroe becoming head coach. Byron Scott has a coach winning percentage is below 50% and one his playoff teams also lost by an average of 25 plus including a blowout of 58 against Denver.
dap01
June 14th, 2010
8:11 pm
Mark: Woodson’s strategies were flawed no matter if he was tuned out or not. That switching was silly, and that offense was silly. Woody had nothing. He was exposed.
Casey was not a slam dunk. Avery was not a slam dunk. Go Drew, Go Hawks
feudfinder
June 14th, 2010
8:17 pm
I get sick when I read some morons’ blogs about how cheap the ASG is, and their negativity about Larry Drew. I must really confess that I’m one of the candidates of the former. So, I can simply call myself a moron too. Honestly, the ASG is dirt cheap, period! But I dear not say that Larry Drew is not capable of leading the hawks to a higher level simply because I’m not a human creator. All I can say is, ‘only time will tell.’ Whether the ASG looked outside the organization or hired Larry Drew, an insider, was a 50/50 chance of success in coaching this team. But I can again say that the management took the cheaper route for its new coach.
tjhook
June 14th, 2010
8:27 pm
Larry Drew’s the coach, so the ‘what if?’ stories can end now. How does everyone feel about bringing Al Harrington to Atlanta? We need a low post threat to help the franchise and he offers a balanced attack to complement Jamal and Joe (if he returns). Boston is on their last legs and we will have a great balance of young legs and savvy veterans.
Atl Resident
June 14th, 2010
8:38 pm
I would have rather took a chance and hired Mark Jackson as coach and keep Larry as assistant. This transaction with Larry is so damn cheap that the Atlanta Spirit is doing, I’ve learned to stop thinking this B.S. with ownerships with Atlanta teams will get any better.
Cracker Jacket
June 14th, 2010
8:48 pm
This is the reason that the Hawks will always be losers and why no superstar would ever play in Atlanta again!
Fundamentals
June 14th, 2010
8:59 pm
Drew is the man so folks need to deal with it. His new voice is positive and yet determined. He spoke alot about how to treat people and gain respect. Woodson lost that. It’ll be easy to see if Drew has it early on in the season. I think the players respect him. I pray he holds them accountable. He could be exactly what we need. We just need players to buy into a man who is obviously deserving of a shot somewhere. Maybe he’s too close to home for some to swallow, but I enjoyed his comments today, I’ve respected his character and determination as an assitant and I’m optomistic and hopeful to what he can bring next season.
Good luck coach Drew. Now we need some fans who will run through a brick wall for the Hawks instead of always crying. Focus on what we need – help at center, resigning Joe, a strong defensive & 3pt threat that can play SF and SG. We don’t need to bash someone who hasn’t even gotten a chance.
1st step to gaining confidence with our fans – get Teague to play in the regular season like he did in last years preseason.
atlienforlife
June 14th, 2010
9:11 pm
I was hoping the hawks hired tyrone corbin, but out of casey and mark jackson, I think drew was the best choice. I don’t understand why byron scott didn’t get more attention. As long as jeff teague gets his playing time and hopefully chilldress comes back, we have a team that compete. If drew get rid of the stupid switching defense and iso-crap, I will say he is doing a fine job.
dawgma
June 14th, 2010
9:13 pm
MY GUESS – HAWKS DREW A DUD.
Next T-Shirt should be not “Now you know” but “Who b Drew?”
dawgma
June 14th, 2010
9:14 pm
JJ – run for the hills!
red holtzman
June 14th, 2010
9:16 pm
The Hawks hired Larry who?????
Fred M.
June 14th, 2010
9:45 pm
The media here is so weak they allow this to happen. The ASG needs to be run out of town by the media here….newspapers…….radio sports talk shows…………..local tv sports shows. But they are so weak that the ASG is not held accountable and don’t do anything. Us fans will speak by not showing up for this ownership group anymore. They have destroyed the Thrashers and now the Hawks. I won’t spend a penny until we have new ownership. Media in Atlanta please have some courage and stand up for us fans and run the ASG out of town.
Antonio Bolton
June 14th, 2010
9:50 pm
Wait a minute aren’t we the same team who skunk the Boston Celtics 4-0 this sseason. Our team doesn’t need an overhaul it just needs a center, extra beef in the middle and another shooter that can knock down threes like Jamal. We can win this championship. We are all watching Boston right in the middle of another championship ring and that could have been us. I think Drew will look at the mistakes Woody made and capitalize let’s give him a chance. I know he’s watching and saying to himself we have the Boston Celtics number which means we have the possibility of being in their shoes next year with the right decisions. We don’t need a splash I did want Avery Johnson I must admit but after really thinking about this I believe Drew is going to get it done. He’s had a chance to hear everyone’s view and watch Woody makes mistakes so all he hasto do is mamanged this team and push unselfishness and let them run.
tom
June 14th, 2010
10:06 pm
Remember the song by Chaka Kahn, Ain’t Nobody. It was a hit. Drew will not be a hit.
Hoops
June 14th, 2010
10:24 pm
KevinM,
REmwmber that JJ has to approve and sign and trade. He will not agree to be traded to a noncontender!
Find a better sign and trade with a contender!
Hoops
June 14th, 2010
10:26 pm
KevinM,
Remember that JJ has to approve any sign and trade that involves him. There is no way that he will approve a sign and trade with a noncontender. Find a better sign and trade with a contender!
vava74
June 14th, 2010
11:22 pm
Bradley, you had already confessed – midway the procedure and not from the start – that you know Casey personally so anything you say was biased from day 1.
And to invoke Stan Kasten only brings a new layer of stupidity to your brilliant record as a blogger.
A guy who hired Fratello, an assistant, after firing the Head Coach (Hubie Brown).
HawkKingBibby
June 14th, 2010
11:53 pm
AMEN MARK BRADLEY. The best piece you ever wrote imho. Kudos for telling it like it is and from the heart.
G-Money
June 15th, 2010
8:03 am
The bottom line is you win with mature players who have a desire to win. If you have some prima donnas who believe they are better than their records may indicate then you will have problems. Just look at the dominance in this league since its inception, in every case teams that dominated for significant periods had superstars who allowed themselves to be coached. Unless these current Hawks arrive at that conclusion it really doesn’t matter who they hire. Best wishes Coach Drew.
F-105 Thunderchief
June 15th, 2010
9:04 am
This wasn’t a “far flung search,” either. Three guys. They were fishing in a child’s beach pail.
F-105 Thunderchief
June 15th, 2010
9:11 am
That said, if he fixes what Woody did wrong, they could be better.
ASHCAN.
June 15th, 2010
11:05 am
Hey mr bradley i like your comment which means the hawks will be successful.Remember your the one who said the hawks will make the eastern conf championship and was WRONG.Sooo could you be WRONG again? hmmmm i think yes.
CWynn
June 16th, 2010
7:46 am
Be mindful if you have a problem with a person being promoted from with in an organization. It happens in the business world all the time where the Top Manager does not possess the skills to lead people and the assistant is more respected. I have been there before. My Manager was not an effective leader and would not listen to anyone’s advise or ideas including the associates (players) thus leading to the associates no longer wanting to follow or support this person. I was then promoted a could operate in a manner that was more effective. You can’t lead anyone with a mindset that you have all the best ideas and never listen to others. Drew will be just fine.
mike thims
June 16th, 2010
1:24 pm
I hope this guy works out because I’m a Hawks fan, but I have to believe even that most fans have that little voice going off inside them that this really was not the right move at the right time.
Larry Drew is someone you hire when you are about to begin rebuilding rather than upgrading. It will be interesting to see who is next to go, the GM, or does he get one more hire before the inevitable happens?
Want a winning team!
June 16th, 2010
1:32 pm
Are you guys so politically-correct in your comments that you can’t even say that Sund sold out the Atlanta Hawks fans? The Hawks teams have had a history of losing, because the playoff are where the real teams are! Does anyone think the Hawks with LD could even been on the same court as the Lakers or the Celtics? They would grind this team into sneaker soles! WAKE UP ATLANTA!!!! If you really want change, don’t attend games just to see the other teams. Maybe an empty arena will have more impact on management because it will affect their bank accounts? I want a winning team!
John
June 16th, 2010
1:34 pm
The Hawks simply just didn’t want to pay the money for a big name coach that’s all.
SI.com's Hughes calls the Hawks cheap for hiring Drew | Mark Bradley
June 21st, 2010
9:41 am
[...] that the Hawks had chosen Larry Drew as their coach for no compelling reason other than that he was the cheapest option. Now comes this, from Frank Hughes of SI.com, with the fairly damning headline: “Drew hiring [...]