The Hawks move to keep Larry Drew, and more hope fades
"Run the play where we shoot a jump shot. That'll work." (AJC photo by Hyosub Shin)
The Atlanta Hawks could have changed a lot this offseason without doing very much. They could have said goodbye to both general manager Rick Sund and coach Larry Drew without having to buy either out. By announcing Friday that they’ve chosen to keep Drew another season, the Hawks have again sent the message that they regard being pretty good as good enough.
Sund’s fate — his contract expires June 30 — is still unknown, but it seemed rather significant that he was the only one quoted in the we’re-keeping-Drew release. (Would a GM who’s actually leaving be allowed to vote yea or nay on a coach? These being the Hawks, maybe.) And if you wondered how long Sund would wait to invoke injuries as an excuse for remaining status quo, the answer was 25 words.
Then this: “The Hawks have reached the postseason in each of his years on the bench, and we feel Larry’s experience, expertise and dedication to the game were a key ingredient to our success.”
As we know, the Hawks reached the playoffs in each of Mike Woodson’s final three seasons, but that didn’t keep this crew, Sund included, from dumping him and promoting his longtime assistant. On the record, the Hawks have been worse in their first two seasons under Drew than in their final two seasons under Woodson, but apparently this, to Sund and presumably to ownership, constitutes “success.”
Which only goes to show: No matter how often this organization boasts of its commitment to excellence, all it’s really trying to do is not to look too bad. Would the Celtics or the Lakers — franchises that co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. suggested his team belongs alongside because all three happened to reach Round 2 of the postseason three years running — define “reach[ing] the postseason” as “success”? Could anyone look at the opportunity just wasted against Boston as anything but a reversal?
This offseason could have been — and still might, theoretically — a time for recalibration. The Hawks could have found a better coach (Nate McMillan would have been my first call) and a new general manager (Dennis Lindsey and Troy Weaver, assistant GM’s with San Antonio and Oklahoma City, would have been my starting points) and tried to reshape the prized Core Four to reflect the growing reality that Josh Smith, not Joe Johnson, is the key to brighter tomorrows.
Instead: Eight days after elimination, the Hawks moved to keep Drew. Why? Well, he works cheap. Beyond that, I really don’t know. To say he hasn’t been a disaster as head coach ignores the reason he was given the job: Drew convinced management he could improve on what Woodson had done. Two years later, he hasn’t.
Drew has de-emphasized Joe Johnson without finding a workable replacement for the Iso-Joes. (And the Hawks still do the Iso-Joes — just not quite as often.) One of the league’s better collections of youngish talent has become a crew dependent on the jump shot, which is utterly counterintuitive: You’d want a team so quick and agile to shoot driving to the hoop, not standing 20 feet away.
The most damning number on Drew involves, as do many damning Hawks numbers, Josh Smith: In his final season under Woodson, Smith took 263 shots of 16 feet or longer (this according to Basketball-Reference.com); in his first season under Drew, he took 526. The belief here is that Drew’s way of handling his most gifted player has been to let Smith do as he pleases, which benefits neither team nor player. The belief here is that Smith is less apt to listen to Drew in 2013 than he was in 2004 or 2011. The belief here is that, if the Hawks are ever to maximize Smith, they won’t do it with this coach.
Another sobering truth: The shortened schedule wasn’t exactly balanced. The Hawks played 25 games against the seven Eastern clubs who failed to make the playoffs, all of whom finished under .500. Boston and Chicago and Indiana each played 23 games against those seven; Miami played 21. Among Eastern playoff qualifiers, only the Knicks had so many games against the conference’s bottom tier. The Hawks played the minimum four games against the top four finishers in the West; every other Eastern playoff qualifier except Indiana played more.
The Hawks could have taken their first Round 1 elimination since 2008 as a signal that change is warranted. Alas, it comes as no great surprise that they pointed to injuries as the reason to stay a course that hasn’t really gotten them very far. Maybe they’ll fool us now by letting Sund leave and hiring someone to come in and bust up the Core Four, but in light of this offseason’s first big move there’s no reason to hold out hope. We’ve again been reminded that these are the Atlanta Hawks.
By Mark Bradley
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258 comments Add your comment
elroy
May 20th, 2012
12:43 am
& for the keeping bradley, the ajc will be mediocre at best!
DawgNole
May 20th, 2012
1:40 am
donte080
May 19th, 2012
6:10 pm
“What is YOUR point?” (DawgNole)
Pretty obvious what my point was….that you (nor Mr Bradley) know what the heck you are talking about.
_______________________
Wow, that’s pretty specific, you dumbaszz. And you know it all, right? Yeah, thought so. Give us a break with your delusional input. Can you do that? No, didn’t think so.
Edo River
May 20th, 2012
3:14 am
It is easy to criticize but Mark, YOU have no specific person who would take the job and do better,
do you? No I didn’t think so. that would require more effort, right? And you would say it isn’t your responsibility to find someone better whom would agree to the job, AND the players would accept and do better than they did under Drew. Ohhh you have never mentioned the players opinions on who they would prefer, have you? No, again………
that would be too difficult, take you too much time, wouldn’t it? Take away from the barbecue time wouldn’t it
YOU go and get someone and then ask the people who ultimately win and lose the games what they think, and you might get rejected. It’s possible. In your philosophical world, it seems, the players just do what they are told, Win, after you go out and find any ol’ coach whom you guess might do bettter than Drew.
ryan
May 20th, 2012
4:40 am
I am so tired of hearing the excuse of if we had only had Al Horford for the whole season- what would have been different
ATL still would not have had better than a 3 or 4 seed because their record would not have been better than say Chicago or Miami. So the Hawks get the same seed for the playoffs, well maybe with Horford they would have managed home court….wait a minute they did have home court. And Boston played the entire season without Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O Neal but they are not running around saying if only
Hawks fans that believe if only Al had been healthy are deserving of the Gearon-Seydel clownish ownership
Coach
May 20th, 2012
6:06 am
Never did understand the hire in the first place….N$B$A$
melhawk
May 20th, 2012
7:29 am
more of the same from the incompetent, cheap owners—just put average stuff on the court and expect fans to show up. I’ll go to 4-5 games as usual and buy tickets on the street for chump change like last season. rise up!
tony
May 20th, 2012
8:05 am
Complaining about the way ASG runs their business should of ended back in 2010 when they didn’t hire a quality coach. You can’t blame ASG if the fans are willing to pay to watch mediocrity. Getting mad with the owners is like putting the cart before the horse.
I probably watch ten games all season long(including the playoffs) and the reason why I watch more games last season was because of Jamal Crawford. Jamal brought excitement to the game. I can’t recall of missing too many games back in the 70s and 80s because there was no drama going on in basketball plus the players went about their business in a professional manner – unlike todays players.
I think LD would be a better coach if he spent the majority of their practices on fundamentals especially on their passing technics. With this team, passing remains one of the most under-taught, under-emphasized, and under drilled skill by a professional basketball team.
In the upcoming draft, there is one guy who I will pay my money to see. His name is Andrew Nicholson. If the hawks can draft this young man, he will go down as the best player to be drafted by an Atlanta Hawk’s team. Andrew Nicholson reminds me of Len Bias who can hurt you in the paint and from the pereimeter . He has a very high basketball I Q and he is a good free throw shooter. He already have skills that JS is trying to incorporate into his game. Nicholson is just too valuble to pass over if he fall to us. http://youtu.be/L66QmiB0xj4
Jackie Chiles
May 20th, 2012
8:19 am
Mark, why don’t we do somthing out of the box……..such as make the highly paid adult professional ball players responsible for not getting over the hump.
BubbaDaBaller
May 20th, 2012
8:43 am
Hawks Marketing pitch for 2012-2013 “Come watch us get knocked out in the second round (again)”…
gtfanfrom1951
May 20th, 2012
9:03 am
The NBA is bad for basketball. They walk all the time and its just like WWA( or what ever its called now) It will always be a west coast (L.A.) and some one from New England in the finals. So why call it a sport?
Sid
May 20th, 2012
9:16 am
B team players, B team coaches, B team owners……………….whadda you expect?
Maybe I didn’t read the article close enough, who did you say would come in to coach and send the Hawks to the NBA elite?
The Hawks don't have the talent
May 20th, 2012
9:16 am
It doesn’t matter who coaches this team. The Hawks don’t have one superstar that can take over a game. This team could be coached by the second coming of Phil Jackson and they still wouldn’t make it past the second round. Unless we can land a major free agent ( a real one, not of the Joe Johnson variety) or somehow get lucky and draft a superstar, it will be more of the same going forward.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 20th, 2012
9:31 am
ClemsonBrad
” But doesn’t this look like the Hawks are going to give it ONE more year with “everyone healthy” before blowing big pieces of this team up?”
____________
Before this year, wasn’t the core healthy already? Where did all that health get them?
Answer: A 4-2 exit the previous post season.
This post season was paved very well for The Hawks to make the ECF for the first time in their 45 now 46 year history. But this year’s locker room mantra of “NO EXCUSES” became just an oxymoron of that: “MORE EXCUSES”.
Don’t blame the fans for finding better forms of entertainment in the City of Atlanta where, there are so many others ways to spend hard earned money. Most fans simply went out and purchased 70″ flat screens to sit at home and channel surf the Lakers and Heat.
How entertaining! And, what a better use of Hawks Season Ticket money.
About Right
May 20th, 2012
9:49 am
would rather spend my money on kids sports as they put forth more effort than go to a Hawks game where their overpaid players look like death warmed over.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 20th, 2012
9:58 am
Andrew Nicholson
He is rated as the #30 pick in the draft on some boards, NBA DRAFT.NET show the Hawks take him @ #23. I wouldn’t be mad if this happened one bit! But, will Mr. Drew play him or bury him on the bench?
I would be surprised is Andrew Nicholson is not gone by pick #15 though. He got game! He nice! He good. He looks like Joe Johnson but, balls like Kobe. Top 10 pick, maybe. I would move a core piece, move up and go get this kid @ #15, 14 or, 13. But we Hawks, will probably sell that #23 pick to save money or stand pat and pick Tony Wroten, Jr if Sund is still here – so so sad!
Beaan Counter
May 20th, 2012
11:07 am
In the East Division the Hawks have been passed by the Pacers and the 76′ers. In order for us to grow we need to either trade Josh Smith or find a coach that can control him. Josh needs to be under the boards and not bringing the ball down the court and shooting 25 to 30 foot jumpers. Drew has proved that he is not the one to control Josh.
DawgNole
May 20th, 2012
11:31 am
Ken Strickland
May 19th, 2012
9:57 pm
Ownership and the underfunding of the team is the biggest reason for the Hawks not being able to take the next leap.
_______________________
For 44 years?
Please. Spare us the endless excuses. We’ve heard them all–too many times.
Old Hawk
May 20th, 2012
11:43 am
dap01
May 20th, 2012
12:38 am
Good Post. It about covers everything Hawks.
BravesFan79
May 20th, 2012
12:15 pm
I saw the Andrew video posted above, good looking kid. Hes got a great hook shot, and great footwork. I wouldnt mind the Hawks taking him at all. Maybe as a replacement for Smith, and trade Smith halfway into next season.
Tommy
May 20th, 2012
1:06 pm
Just think–all of this mediocrity only cost us our status as a 4-sport town.
Atlanta Spirit = criminals
will
May 20th, 2012
1:22 pm
THE HAWKS HAVE BEEN IN THE ATL FOR 43 YRS
and the 43 yrs they have been here, they have never made it pass the 2nd rd of the playoffs or ECF. There is a lot of transplants that live here now that may or may not know all of this
For many yrs the ATL Hawks was the only nba basketball team in the entire southeast, except for a short lived or stay of the New Orleans Jazz. No Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, or New Orleans Hornets.
Miami, since becoming a franchise much later has played in several ECF and won NBA CHAMPS, Orlando has won several ECF and played in two NBA FINALS.
The point that I am trying to make is, that it is the consistent history of this franchise that have turned off 5.5 million people in the ATL, and the commentors from ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, they have nothing good at all to say about this team or franchise.
The only thing this team or franchise could do, to win people and the media over, is to win the ECF and win NBA FINALS.
So when Josh Smith, starts talking about we still have empty seats in the arena, he needs to know the history!!!
When part owner M. Gearon, starts talking about he knows that it is a problem w/fans and hawks, he needs to understand the history. We know that the spirit group has not owned the hawks 43 yrs, But we the people and media see the same old hawks.
You want fans, respect, increase team finances WIN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!
CeeJay
May 20th, 2012
1:23 pm
IF Miami fails to advance, and IF Pat Riley decides to move one of the big 3, and IF that person is Dewayne Wade, then IS it conceivable the Heat would be interested in a role player like Joe Johnson and the Hawks take Wade??? Salaries are similarly ridiculous, close to same age, but Wade would come to ATL with a chip on his shoulder and likely play with the attitude and leadership that won the Heat and NBA Championship. I’m just asking IF…..
Fan of the Game
May 20th, 2012
1:48 pm
What is Bradley’s record in the NBA. That is what I thought. He is noting but a coach basher.
Fan of the Game
May 20th, 2012
1:49 pm
Nothing but a coach basher!
DawgNole
May 20th, 2012
2:42 pm
will
May 20th, 2012
1:22 pm
THE HAWKS HAVE BEEN IN THE ATL FOR 43 YRS
and the 43 yrs they have been here, they have never made it pass the 2nd rd of the playoffs or ECF . . . .
The point that I am trying to make is, that it is the consistent history of this franchise that have turned off 5.5 million people in the ATL, and the commentors from ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, they have nothing good at all to say about this team or franchise . . . .
You want fans, respect, increase team finances WIN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!
_________________________
Agreed. Win, and they (fans and respect) will come. I don’t believe that’s an unfair request after waiting this long (44 yrs).
DawgNole
May 20th, 2012
2:47 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
May 20th, 2012
2:15 pm
I am DONE with these losers.
___________________________
Which ones?
Otter
May 20th, 2012
2:49 pm
Thanks Mark for the feel good story of the Summer. Lots of fun.
Dave
May 20th, 2012
10:35 pm
So… if Atlanta can find a superstar or two through the free agency or the draft, and the current players will just listen to their genius coach, well then, we’ll know Drew’s not the problem! Brilliant!
The Hawks have talent. What that talent does not do well is play together or within a concept that allows their talents to complement each other. Most people call that coaching, or a lack of it. But apparently the Hawks have a genius coach and middling talent.
You want to know why that’s complete nonsense? No one else in the basketball universe has come to save Genius Drew from his underachieving front office or roster. I guess only Genius Drew and Spouse Sharon truly appreciate what the man accomplishes in spite of the incompetence surrounding him.
Whiner family. Loser coach.
Yikes
May 20th, 2012
10:41 pm
Until incompetent owners sell team, the results will not change. Only thing different from year to year are the excuses the ASG uses to justify the sub par outcomes.
Great Effort!
May 21st, 2012
12:09 am
Under the circumstances, the Hawks had a great season! Sure, I would have loved to see them win it all, but so many things have to work in your favor for that to happen. As for the Hawks, it just did not happen. Maybe next year! I believe they are so close to making it happen. Perhaps, a little more patience and support and we will have the ultimate prize!
Hawker1
May 21st, 2012
12:18 am
rise up! making the playoffs is a huge season for the hawks and their fans, even if they lose every year in round 1! rise up!
toepro
May 21st, 2012
3:48 am
The Falcons are very consistent at being eliminated in the 1st round but I hear no one calling for their coach to be fired????????
OK
May 21st, 2012
7:35 am
@disgusted. especially with his comments during the playoffs.
OK
May 21st, 2012
7:35 am
@disgusted. especially with his comments during the playoffs.
PureEvil
May 21st, 2012
8:07 am
Not really sure what’s worse the ASG for keeping Larry Drew around or the AJC for keeping Mark Bradley around?
Najeh Davenpoop
May 21st, 2012
8:09 am
The Hawks, ASG, and all the morons still buying tickets and keeping them rich.
Double Zero Eight
May 21st, 2012
8:24 am
Larry Drew is a nice guy, but as a coach I would
give him a grade of C-. I know this may appear to
be “grade infaltion” to many of you.
Larry Brown left the Bobcats as he demanded more
of the players than they were willing to give. He would
have been an excellent coach to instill the discipline and
basketball IQ needed for the 2012 roster of Hawks players.
Yikes
May 21st, 2012
8:31 am
KBP=Sautee. Why use multiple aliases on an anonymous board?
DogTheMan
May 21st, 2012
8:56 am
maybe we could bring back John Drew, Dan Roundtree, Tree Rollins, Steve Hawes, Armond Hill, Eddie Jhnson, Tom McMillian, Kenny Charles, Charlie Chris and all those guys.. This team we currently have will never win a championship and never really compete for one. We are our signature moments. This team is a .500 club.. Nothing more nothing less..
PMC
May 21st, 2012
9:16 am
Here’s hoping Phillips is completely empty of paying ticket holders for at least the opener next season.
Double Zero Eight
May 21st, 2012
9:31 am
Analoogy
The CEO of an Insurance company is not ususally
a good choice for the CEO of an air carrier.
Reasoning
The leader needs to know how to utuilize the employees
of the respective industries in order to maximize their
skills and potential. A specific skill set is needed based
on the performance of the insurance company or air carrier.
Translation
The Hawks needed a proven coach and disciplinarian to
mold this core and roster into a winner. ASG’s approach
was “one size fits all”.
DawgNole
May 21st, 2012
9:44 am
Great Effort!
May 21st, 2012
12:09 am
Under the circumstances, the Hawks had a great season . . . .
Perhaps, a little more patience and support and we will have the ultimate prize!
___________________
Another Round 1 exit is a “great” season?!
A “little more patience and support” after 44 years of failure to win a championship?!
This is why we have a problem, ATL. The culture and mentality of losing.
J.R.
May 21st, 2012
10:04 am
Mark you nailed it!
J.R.
May 21st, 2012
10:06 am
Mark you nailed it! Hawks owners still don’t want a “Championship”!
jj
May 21st, 2012
10:13 am
The only reason he is back is he comes Cheap!
Why don’t other players wish to play in Atlanta..because they know Hawks are not going to do what it takes to win.
jj
May 21st, 2012
10:18 am
The poll 60% go and 40% stay.
Whiskey Breath
May 21st, 2012
10:55 am
Nice job Mark. I will be the first to welcome the Old Mark Bradley back in town.
Seems like old times. Keep up the good work.
GwinnettDad
May 21st, 2012
3:40 pm
Mark Bradley has provided us, inadvertently, I imagine, a prime example of classic egocentric liberalism that plagues the Main Street Media. and even a news source as trivial as the AJC. Pompous blowhards such as Mark actually believe the selfish, myopic and often cruel judgments that they write. He sits on his fanny judging others sipping from his favorite alcoholic beverage, and thinking himself smarter with every sip (wonder if he’d take a drug test?). A plague on the AJC who employ so-called journalists that disgrace the written world and embarrass Atlanta. Larry Drew at least has a real job. If Mark Bradley lived in Roman times, he’d be the wild pain-the-rear drunk in the first row cheering the burning of the next Christian while being so fat he’d probably have to be carried in there by slaves that he also despised.
Jay Dubu
May 21st, 2012
4:10 pm
The commentary on the Hawks expands beyond this blog. The so-called experts/analyst have come to the same conclusions as many on the blog.
I realize that you never truly know the entire situation unless you’re involved in it, but where there’s this much smoke, there has to be some fire.
THe Hawks have to make some changes. Just Al Horford coming back is not going to make them be a team ready to challenge for the title.
More needs to be done, and with owership not willing to pay lux tax, we’ll be right back here next year this time.
Jay Dubu
May 21st, 2012
4:22 pm
How can Atlanta be the City where a lot of players choose to live, but none of the big time free agents want to play here. That tells you that there is something wrong in the organization.