Any news on Woody's assistants?

lethalweapon3 · Post #1 » by **lethalweapon3** » Sun Jul 6, 2008 3:11 pm

New ones, that is? I wouldn't want this search to infringe upon their free agent (in)activity, but they oughta be able to handle both simultaneously...

I see Bender and Drew are retained as of June 24th. Are they talking to anyone to replace Fizdale or Ellis? Was Blister not asked back, or was he reassigned?

I'm hoping they chatted with Mahorn while he was in town a couple weeks ago. Any other good prospects out there? Smitty, perhaps?

Lastly, does Woodson make the final call on any new hires or does Sund have a say?

~lw3

lethalweapon3 · Post #2 » by **lethalweapon3** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:49 pm

One other "Blast from the Past" name to throw into the pile of potential assistants.

I can't tell if Eric Musselman has a job or what, but he's been blogging like crazy lately.

http://emuss.blogspot.com/

Like Mahorn, another Kruger-era assistant who probably got a raw deal while he was in ATL. Dunno what the benefits would be for Muss to return, other than the chance to rebound from the DUI-tainted season coaching the Kings. Can only assume he's gotten past whatever personal troubles he dealt with while in Sac-town. I understand he's looking to go the college route, but nobody's biting so far as best I can tell.

~lw3

td00 · Post #3 » by **td00** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:28 pm

Mussleman would be good for an up and coming team. Apparently, his image was tainted by the DUI. Can he recover? The only thing I have read is that he is 'balls to the wall' about basketball and is just so intense. He reminds me of Skiles, and it takes a certain team to accept that kind of coach.
I wouldn't be totally surprised to see him come here after Herb left. How well did Lister worked with the 2 big men we had?

We sure could use more bodies there!

fo_o_fo_404 · Post #4 » by **fo_o_fo_404** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:16 pm

lethalweapon3 wrote:New ones, that is? I wouldn't want this search to infringe upon their free agent (in)activity, but they oughta be able to handle both simultaneously...

I see Bender and Drew are retained as of June 24th. Are they talking to anyone to replace Fizdale or Ellis? Was Blister not asked back, or was he reassigned?

I'm hoping they chatted with Mahorn while he was in town a couple weeks ago. Any other good prospects out there? Smitty, perhaps?

Lastly, does Woodson make the final call on any new hires or does Sund have a say?

~lw3

Assistant coaching hires are totally Woody's call...and not Sund's.

And no way Mahorn comes back to ATL. I saw him a two weeks ago when the Shock were in town...and he pointed to the huge Hawks logo painted on the wall at the front entrance of the team facility and said "Sorry a--, losing franchise in there!"

LOL...classic Mahorn.

td00 · Post #5 » by **td00** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:53 pm

404, did you used to have ties to the Hawks? Sounds like you know Mahorn. And I agree with his assessment thus far. He to me is one who was working his way up when he came here.
I would have liked for him to have been around longer; he definitely knows the league.

lethalweapon3 · Post #6 » by **lethalweapon3** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:54 pm

fo_o_fo_404 wrote:Assistant coaching hires are totally Woody's call...and not Sund's.

And no way Mahorn comes back to ATL. I saw him a two weeks ago when the Shock were in town...and he pointed to the huge Hawks logo painted on the wall at the front entrance of the team facility and said "Sorry a--, losing franchise in there!"

LOL...classic Mahorn.

Thanx fo_o_fo, I'm glad I didn't hear about that before the Dream game, I would have been upset! Well, momentarily, until I recognized he's totally right! :lol:

Were I Woody trying to snare him onto my bench, I'd remind him that "Pistons" and "Sorry a--, losing franchise" were becoming fairly synonymous terms back in da day, until guys like him and his current boss got to Motown. Probably could say the same about the WNBA Shock. And he could have a similar role in changing the perception of the Hawks, by toughening up our frontcourt players (I'd pay good $$$ to see him infuriate Zaza in practice just once).

From Mahorn's viewpoint though, I doubt he'd want to (again) go through the experience of assisting a coach who is himself on thin ice, as he did with Kruger, and get his paycheck from a shaky ownership group. If you have lofty NBA head coaching aspirations at all, the S.S. Woodson ain't exactly the ship you'd want to risk going down on.

~lw3