Fizdale to Miami

[evildallas]

Assistand Coach David Fizdale has left to join the staff in Miami. All add a story link later (read it while the board was being overhauled and have to find it again).

Well, I wasn't a big fan of the assistants, but I would be lying if I said I knew Fizdale's responsibilities or the impact on the team. Anyone got some insight on the matter?

[HoopsGuru25]

I believe Fizdale was in charge of player development. He is also the guy playing horse with Josh/Marvin/Joe on the youtube video. It's not surprising that he left since he(and Drew)tried to leave last year and were denied by BK.

I think we should get rid of all the assistant coaches. The Hawks lack of adjustments(the 2 foul rule and getting owned at the start of nearly every 3rd quarter)are the entire coaching staffs fault. Also..how pathetic is our big man coach? We specifically hired one to help with all the bigs and Shelden and Solo didn't improve at all and Zaza regressed more than any big man in the entire NBA. WTF was he teaching them?

[HMFFL]

I certainly don't like the fact that he's joining Miami and will most likely provide them with information.

[Rip2137]

How can you blame the assistants when they were trying to leave. If anything, I think tha with Woody's obvious stubborn nature, we might not have the slightest clue of what the assistants could provide.

All i am saying is that assistants that have good input aren't trying to leave at the first chance possible.

[JoshB914]

Who knows why he left. But I perosnally wouldn't want to risk my job over an ownership battle. If Belkin wins he will clean house.

[HoopsGuru25]

I think there is very little chance that Belkin can still win. It seems like the ASG will clearly win the court battle...it's just how long will it go on and how much will they have to pay to get rid of Belkin.

[conleyorbust]

I believe Fizdale was in charge of player development. He is also the guy playing horse with Josh/Marvin/Joe on the youtube video. It's not surprising that he left since he(and Drew)tried to leave last year and were denied by BK.

I think we should get rid of all the assistant coaches. The Hawks lack of adjustments(the 2 foul rule and getting owned at the start of nearly every 3rd quarter)are the entire coaching staffs fault. Also..how pathetic is our big man coach? We specifically hired one to help with all the bigs and Shelden and Solo didn't improve at all and Zaza regressed more than any big man in the entire NBA. WTF was he teaching them?

Good riddance.

Shelden and Solo actually regressed too, Jones PER actually halved. Unfortunately he only played about 6 minutes this season so its hard to tell whether that was a sampling issue or what. As far as Shelden, well he was moderately productive in Sacto as opposed to a complete disaster here.

[Rip2137]

I think with a entire offseason to guage his worth, Sheldon will show exactly what he would have/should have been here in atlanta. A role player that can come in and give you some points and rebounds. Along the lines of Corliss Williamson. I think he will be a good role player in this league...not what you want to hear about the 5th pick in the draft, but hey....he didn't draft himslef.

[JoshB914]

Shelden Williams will never contribute in the NBA.

[conleyorbust]

Shelden Williams will never contribute in the NBA.

We could have used him here after the Bibby trade.

Look, I'm not saying he'll ever be a starter. I'm not saying he'll ever be good. I'm just saying that, and this is an inarguable fact, the worst stretch of his career was the part of this season he was with the Hawks. He was better last season and he was better with the Kings. It wouldn't be so significant if it weren't a bit of a pattern with our young guys.

[evildallas]

Maybe Shelden's play would have been ok as a 2nd rounder, but we'd still probably lament that Paul Millsapp and Craig Smith outplay him. The failure of the big men coach (Alton Lister) and player development coach (Fizdale) was seen with a larger group of players than just Shelden. As it was pointed out Zaza went backwards and Solomon never got to the point of getting on the floor. Al Horford played well, but since we have no before and after to compare, it may have been in spite of our coaches.

I'm interested to see what kind of coaching staff Woodson can assemble this time. I expect the answer to be poor considering the 2 year extension is a short window and implies a short leash. The lack of security would probably scare off most proven quality assistants. I think he's going to have to get lucky with some first timers in order to field a good staff.

[HoopsGuru25]

I question how Sekou could say this guy did a good job. Marvin has improved but his improvement from 19 to 21 is very insignificant considering he was the 2nd pick in the draft. Shelden didn't improve at all from year 1 to year 2 with the Hawks. Zaza is a worse player today than he was in 2006..Solo and Salim are basically the same exact players when we drafted them. Childress body,ball handling, and shot are still as weak as they were when he came into the league(although he is a better player). Diaw(like Shelden) didn't improve at all in his 2nd year. Josh Smith is the only young player who has really improved his game in the last 4 years. How could one guarantee that a person in charge of player development with a weak track record thus far would be a lock to get a head coaching job some day?

[CWell]

Maybe Shelden's play would have been ok as a 2nd rounder, but we'd still probably lament that Paul Millsapp and Craig Smith outplay him. The failure of the big men coach (Alton Lister) and player development coach (Fizdale) was seen with a larger group of players than just Shelden. As it was pointed out Zaza went backwards and Solomon never got to the point of getting on the floor. Al Horford played well, but since we have no before and after to compare, it may have been in spite of our coaches.

I'm interested to see what kind of coaching staff Woodson can assemble this time. I expect the answer to be poor considering the 2 year extension is a short window and implies a short leash. The lack of security would probably scare off most proven quality assistants. I think he's going to have to get lucky with some first timers in order to field a good staff.

Steve Smith?

[ATLfan]

Kenny Anderson wouldn't be a bad replacement for Fizdale.

[lethalweapon3]

Any chance Rick Mahorn is out there toiling around, and that he'd care to return as a (no W)NBA assistant? I thought he did an admirable job when he was around on Lon Kruger's doomed staff in '02 (probably got a raw deal, but nobody's still here from back then), and could do wonders for the big men on this roster.

~lw3

[JoshB914]

Mahorn is currently coaching under Bill Laimbeer for the Detroit Shock. They come to Atlanta on Sunday, maybe Sund can get a hold of him, I think he could help a lot too.