Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson is out after the team decli

[Skyhawk1]

Have we waited for this day to come?!?!? GET OUTTA HERE WOODSON.

[magee]

Good decision. Team needs a change somewhere.

[dejaman]

1. Byron Scott
2. Avery Johnson
3. Jeff Van Gundy

[HoopsGuru25]

Knowing Gearon....I wouldn't hold my breath on Avery and JVG.

[JBR152]

I mean, adding a new coach is clearly a step in the right direction, but if Johnson bolts, you just lost one of your top scorers. Unless you guys make a move in free agency I can see you guys barely making the 8th spot.

[BAMABIRD]

Hold ya head up Woody, it wasn't all your fault. Some of the personnel decisions made by BK really handicapped you, its hard to make a steak dinner with bologna. With that said, it's time for a change. Woody cannot take this team any further with what he's got to work with. Six years into the Woody regime and the Hawks still need a pg. Are you serious? Are good pg's that hard to find? Every remaining playoff team has a dominate pg minus the Lakers, go figure. It doesn't matter who the next coach is, if this team doesn't have a pg and a center to deal with D. Howard it will be the same story all over again. Go Hawks!

[ATL DirtyBird]

JVG or Byron Scott, anyone? Bye bye Woody.

[jagstang76]

I'm glad the roller coaster ride with Woody is over. It was the right decision at this time.

Now about a new coach. I don't want a coach who's all about developing talent. I want a guy who can get the talent he has playing together and playing with attitude and purpose. This person needs a solid offensive scheme, but also needs to place great emphasis on defense. I'd like someone who is going to hold his guys accountable for their level of play and off the court image. I also think it would be nice if they'd just be willing to give new guys a chance. Look at the talent we have with openness and put everyone on the same level. I think Avery and Byron would be excellent choices and are both former PGs who would hopefully raise the level of play from that position.

Maybe this is all just a pipe dream, but we need someone strong and not just another project of a coach.

[parson]

In philosophy, I'd love to find a young Lenny Wilkens. When he was here, he said he believed in growing the athletes into basketball players and then letting them go play the game. That approach is somewhat old-school but I still believe in it.

The Mike Fratelloes and Lawrence Frankses love to diagram plays and move the players around like chess pieces but give me the coach (I think a REAL coach) who turns out professional basketball players and then treats them like men.

A coach like Jerry Sloan, for another example.

[HoopsGuru25]

Frank has a pretty good track record of developing young players though...and that's while he was coaching under Rod Thorn(awful drafter who lucked into Jordan).

[td00]

A guy I really think is an excellent coach is Rick Adelman. He flies under the radar because he is in the West. If he was in the East, he would be vying for the ECF IMO.
He took that team w/o McGrady, w/o Yao, and made them formidable. They stretched the Lakers to 7 games last year! They gave them the toughest run in '08.

Would he consider coming to the East?

[parson]

Seems to me that enticing an established coach to leave his present team would be kinda expensive.

[HMFFL]

A guy I really think is an excellent coach is Rick Adelman. He flies under the radar because he is in the West. If he was in the East, he would be vying for the ECF IMO.
He took that team w/o McGrady, w/o Yao, and made them formidable. They stretched the Lakers to 7 games last year! They gave them the toughest run in '08.

Would he consider coming to the East?

Rick Adelman is one of the most respected Coaches and has the fifth best career win percentage among current Coaches. He makes around $7 million per season, so I doubt the ASG would be willing to pay a Coach that type of money, and Coach Adelman will probably Coach in the Western Conference until he retires..

[Skar]

I don't think the hawks are going to spend $$$ on a big name coach so don't be to shamed if we get somebody from the college ranks.