Lloyd Pierce named new Hawks Head Coach

[Spud2nique]

I know we are rebuilding but Pierce needs to step up his coaching..his plays suck.

What plays?

gooooooooooottttt heeeeeeeeeemmmm

[Jamaaliver]

For all of Lloyd's warts and growing pains as a rookie head coach, it is incredibly cool that he's able and willing to work with young guys like this:

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[macd-gm]

It seems like the goal is spacing the floor but it never looks like the offense does that very well. Our 3s always seem contested. I guess you can make the case that Collins has benefited inside but that seems more from hard work on the boards than much else.

[Jamaaliver]

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[DarthTater]

I am pleased that he is allowing Collins to play iinside and not pushing the 3 point shooting on him. I also like that we are improving our offensive rebounding. Hopefully he can get them to reduce the turnovers soon.

[macd-gm]

I am pleased that he is allowing Collins to play iinside and not pushing the 3 point shooting on him. I also like that we are improving our offensive rebounding. Hopefully he can get them to reduce the turnovers soon.

Not that he's ok with turnovers but at this point i think he's picked pace over minimizing turnovers. Which i think is the right thing to do.

[Jamaaliver]

This is incredibly cool...

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[Buzzard]

It seems like the goal is spacing the floor but it never looks like the offense does that very well. Our 3s always seem contested. I guess you can make the case that Collins has benefited inside but that seems more from hard work on the boards than much else.

I think Pierce's offensive style is a lot more old school. Pound the ball inside and shoot the three when teams sag in. Warriors style is shoot the three and then go inside. Here is a stat that backs this up. We are 6th in points in the paint; the Warriors are 29th.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/points-in-paint-per-game

[kg01]

CLP on NBARadio today. Little recap:

About Philly win: Team was excited after Philly game, excited to put together a full 48-minute win against a "top team".

Asked about Heurter: We expected it (his play) but the real change is he sees it now (how good he can be/is). Is a really good young player, opportunity to be special.

On vets bringing along the rookies, what have you seen: Encouraged by Baze willing to give up starting spot for Kevin. Lin playing backup to a rookie, playing less minutes, being productive/not complaining. All guys have been positive, vet lockerroom guys. Helping in lockerroom, on/off court.

Do GM, staff have discussion on which vets to acquire?: Not really. Only guy acquired was Vince. "Knowing the Dennis trade was going to happen ..." (o rly?) Needed a backup so traded for Lin. Needed a vet with credibility to that's where Vince came in. Character/fit are important in any situation. Especially important due to our youth.

How often do players ask Vince to tell stories: Don't know. When he's with the guys, he's with the guys. When he's with us, we talk about our own things (90's hip-hop that the young guys know nothing about, etc.) Cool to see the tributes when he plays former teams.

Is Collins an all-star: Spoke to John, he knows it's a process. You don't have a good 20 games then become an all-star. Have to put together a body of work. Same with Ben Simmons, you played a good half a season but there's guys who've had 4 good seasons battling for it. We won't put out packages saying, "Hey vote for our guy." Wants him to keep working, want him to want it, wants him to be pissed off if he doesn't get it and want it even more.

On coaching philosophy coaching young guys, do they need minutes or more structure: There's a balance. We're about as balanced vet/young guy as anyone in terms of how much they play. Gives him the opportunity to play/start Young but gives flexibility to play Lin more as needed (when Trey doesn't "have it"). Tough to just "give" a guy minutes/shots/plays. They've gotta earn it all or they become entitled.

Worst coaching advice you got after being hired: Not necessarily advice but hears the conversation about tanking. Rejects that idea. Says the roster is what it is. Just because we're starting 3 rookies doesn't mean we're tanking. That's basically the roster that won in Philly. We want to win, compete and grow. We're greedy. We want to do all of it.

[Jamaaliver]

CLP on NBARadio today. Little recap:

Is Collins an all-star: Spoke to John, he knows it's a process. You don't have a good 20 games then become an all-star. Have to put together a body of work. Same with Ben Simmons, you played a good half a season but there's guys who've had 4 good seasons battling for it. We won't put out packages saying, "Hey vote for our guy." Wants him to keep working, want him to want it, wants him to be pissed off if he doesn't get it and want it even more.

I just swooned a bit.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How often do players ask Vince to tell stories: Don't know. When he's with the guys, he's with the guys. When he's with us, we talk about our own things (90's hip-hop that the young guys know nothing about, etc.) Cool to see the tributes when he plays former teams.

Damn, our coach is cool. I don't know if he's here for the long haul, but this hiring -- at this stage of the rebuild -- was perfection.

[benhillboy]

I was skeptical as hell early but he won me over pretty quickly. Can’t get enough of the team rebounding, making guys earn their minutes, defensive teaching timeouts, chewing the refs’ asses, and the debonair suit game.

Skeets schooling Liam saying the Hawks should keep winning. The “tank or not to tank” question is really stale with me right now with the revised lottery odds. Nothing better for your young players already in the fold than to see their practice translate into wins, shiny Zionist objects off in the distance be damned.

[peoriabird]

Lloyd Pierce has even exceeded my expectations and I was very positive about the signing!

[graymule]

I know nothing.
But, when many different people said many very nice things about the hire, I jumped on board. What they
were saying proved to be true. He is good. Some believed he was just a placeholder coach for the rebuild.
Bet they change their mind! He's good....

[Jamaaliver]

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance for a Monday matinee matchup between the Hawks and the Orlando Magic.

“I think Coach Pierce is doing a wonderful job with this team,” Silver said. “He’s got a very young team. Players are increasingly coming into this league at younger ages, and it requires a special coach to be able to manage those young players. I think he’s the perfect person for that. He and I also had a chance to talk before (the game on Monday). I’ve been immensely impressed with him, and I think he also understands that the role of a coach these days goes well beyond the X’s and O’s on the floor. He has to build character and help young men mature. As I said, it’s in its early days, but all indications are that he’s doing a wonderful job.”

The Athletic

[Jamaaliver]

Finally!

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, a long-time NBA assistant, has done a fine job during his first season in the Big Chair. It shows in his team’s overachieving record, but wins aren’t the main point of this season. Pierce is meeting the organizational prime directive of developing the young Hawks, and his team has embraced the play-fast-and-let-it-fly offense that is part of its ethos.

You can see Pierce’s influence when you watch the Hawks play. You also see it with all the touches. I don’t mean passes and deflections, though the Hawks get plenty of those. I’m talking about high-fives.

Pierce is trying to establish togetherness as a program value, one hand slap at a time.

The idea is that, in heated moments, a teammate or coach offering a high-five “disarms” an irritated player. From there “you can speak freely and confidently,” Pierce said.

Cause and effect are difficult to determine when it comes to the mysterious alchemy of team chemistry. But the Hawks have avoided the drama that’s surrounded other teams near the bottom of this season’s standings. (You’ll recall that last season’s Hawks were a bad team that couldn’t do that.)

Spoiler:

The coach has booked a series of VIPs to speak to the team. Visitors have included Nash, ex-Hawks All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

Pierce also had each Hawks player give a presentation to the team on a topic of their choosing. The Hawks have heard teammates talk about personal tragedies and challenges, artistic pursuits and even a debate on whether the influence of social media is a net good.

^I love this!

[jayu70]

I don't like the signing. What about Pierce's demeanor or resume indicates that he will turn the Hawks into the GSW of the east?????

.

Do you still not like the signing bbq99?

[peoriabird]

I don't like the signing. What about Pierce's demeanor or resume indicates that he will turn the Hawks into the GSW of the east?????

Are you KB21?

[lethalweapon3]

What current NBA coach knows a trick to make Steph go Bagel-for-10? Find out who gets name-dropped about 90 seconds in!

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~lw3