The 2006 Woody Poll

[Lascar78]

I did this 5 weeks ago when major displeasure with Woody first arose. Since then, BK stepped in, and we all know what's happenned.

So, in order to see how opinions have changed over the past 5 weeks, let's see where this board stands as a whole on Woody and BK.

I'll ask the same questions, so VOTE

[Traceman]

If he can't get the team to play .500 ball (or close) from now until the All Star break, I would send him packing. We have a favorable schedule with a ton of home games - no reason we shouldn't win half of them. If we don't, either he is not getting through to the players, he is making poor decisions, the players have quit on him, or all of the above.

[Packfill]

No to all until the off-season. Then fire both BK and Woodson if things don't improve.

Really, the Hawks are not that different then teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Sixers with two good players and then a whole lot of inexperience and crap.

[Diesel]

Coaches always proceed GMs.

I think BK has one more coach before his job can be taken... You can't link a bad GM to just one coach.

[KB21]

The Hawks are 7-8 in their last 15 games. That's right at .500 ball. The ups and downs you see from time to time is simply the result of a young, inexperienced team that has played together for only 32 games or so. This is all part of the growing process for a young team. There is no doubt that there are things that have to get better for the Hawks to finally push through and become a consistent team, and those things will come as the team gains more chemistry and continues to learn from their mistakes.

I believe that stability breeds success. When you have a young head coach like Mike Woodson that inherits the type of situation he came into, you have to give him more than a year and a half to prove himself.

Mike Woodson should not be fired, and he will become a better coach as he grows as a head coach along with his team. There's absolutely no justification for firing Billy Knight. He's the best thing to happen to the Atlanta Hawks in a very long time. It is a ridiculous idea to even consider firing Billy Knight. The Hawks won't be able to get anyone that is better at evaluating talent, better at guaging trade value, or has a better long term plan for the team. Any GM they would bring in to replace Billy would likely mortage the future of this team in an attempt to construct a quick turn around. That may make some like tmac happy, considering that they don't believe that rebuilding is a process that takes time and only want instant gratification.

[exodus]

Quote:

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The Hawks are 7-8 in their last 15 games.

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They are also the healthiest team in the league going through the weakest part of their schedule.

They are two games behind the Bobcats, who are playing without Okafor. They are also 2 games behind Portland who is missing Miles and has also had injuries to both of their centers and their starting pg.

The Hawks are all alone in last place and their schedule is about to get tougher.

[chillzatl]

Since our 2-16 start, we are playing .500 ball. That doesn't mean that we're going to be consistant in any aspect of our game or that we won't have highs and lows. Which is what people have to come to understand. We're going to win games by 10, win games by 2, lose games by 2 and lose games by 20. That's part of the maturation process of every team. Unless the players start showing that they have completely tuned him out, Woodson deserves to has judgement postponed until the season ends.

I also agree about BK. He's done an excellent job so far. I don't agree with all of his moves and I don't care for his style personally. But I think he's done a good job. He's drafted talented players, he may have gotten the best bang for your buck in free agency in the last decade in zaza and he convinced a high quality free agent that Atlanta was the place to be. He also stripped this team of its financial burden and we still have cap space to work with.

[Packfill]

Zaza is a decent signing, but he is not that good.

[Traceman]

losses. Glaring mistakes like Woodson made by not putting Smoove back in the game against Boston have certainly contributed to us not being able to win more of those games.

All the things you say about our team being young and inexperienced are true. That said, the coach is supposed to HELP that youth and inexperience, not HINDER it by making bonehead mistakes that the average fan wouldn't make.

I agree that stability breeds success. However, the RIGHT people have to be in place for the stability to have an effect. We had tons of stability with Babcock and Lenny.

I agree with you that BK should not be fired. He should get at least another full season to fill out the needs on our roster. He clearly recognizes what the needs are (big man and PG), he just needs to prove that he can go out and get the right ones without giving up the wrong pieces in the process.

[DJlaysitup]

"There is no doubt that there are things that have to get better for the Hawks to finally push through and become a consistent team"

Ahhh...the old "consistency" arguement. It used to drive me crazy when I followed the Nuggets when they were bad. Everybody would complain that they were inconsistent.

WRONG! Anytime you can reverse your record and be one of the top teams - that shows consistency, negtive consistency - nobody wins them all or loses them all, but losing at better than a 2 to 1 clip is pretty darn consistent.

Actually the the Hawks need to push through and become an inconsistent team first...where they play good one night and bad the next and have a 50-50 record or so. Then the big step is "positive consistency", which is another big step (maybe even bigger). But it'll come, I hope.

[Packfill]

I don't see the point in getting rid of the coach mid-season as there are not likely to be any legitimate long term replacements available. Better off just waiting till the end of the season then bringing in another stopgap.

[Traceman]

I don't know who we could get midseason that I would be thrilled about.

[KB21]

Well, I don't think that Mike Woodson makes those types of coaching mistakes very often. Obviously, Josh Smith should have been in the game. Mike also has a tendency to lean on his veterans a little too much, but what coach in Atlanta's situation wouldn't lean on Joe Johnson and Al Harrington at the end of games?

[bigbobbham]

Trace - I will say this about CMW coaching. The way he handled the last two minutes of the DEC 27th Charlotte game was the worst 4th quarter coaching that I have seen since I have been going to see the Hawks.(and you know that is saying something)

I don't know if the players aren't buying in or he is wasting timeouts.

That said, I still think that he gets until the end of the year. Also, if he goes, BK is close behind particularly if MW shows no more improvement.

[Traceman]

head YET. But I DO think we need to show significant improvement in how we execute in 4th quarters. I think Woodson is doing a good job of helping our young players improve but I have very little confidence in his game management skills right now.

[Traceman]

during the season either. As for BK, I think he will get at least one more year than Woodson but I could be wrong. I really think that BK will fill our needs this offseason by getting a big man and a PG. I just hope he is able to do it without giving up the wrong pieces.

As for Marvin, I'm not worried about him at all. I think he is going to be a stud. It may not happen next year but in a couple of years, that dude is going to be a very good player. He just has too many skills not to be good. The million dollar question though is will he be better than Chris Paul?

[KB21]

I think the execution part is on the players. That's why we have some games where we do put the game away, and some games where we blow the lead. As I said though, this is all part of the growth process of a young team. I just don't think Mike has cost the Hawks many games at all with his coaching. IMO, we've lost more games due to poor officiating....at least five games that were lost due to poor officiating. Steve Javie in particular.

[Guest Walter]

If we are going to fire Mike, we need to do so prior to season's end. Traceman says All-star break if not .500 or there-abouts from here on out. The facts are:

1) most did not and now almost no one (KB excluded) think Mike Woodson was the long-term head coaching solution here AND

2) to justify Mike staying he has to not only win but do so in a fashion suggesting he is a long-term coaching solution.

Otherwise we risk losing out on early coach firings that we desire or if Mike stays past the offseason, begin next year with a target on Mike's head. Not good for anyone save BK (who would otherwise have the target on his).

Bk doesn't entirely deserve it Making bonehead moves with the last two picks, but he should get another year to find that (twist knife) elusive TEAM leading Pg or otherwise make a team out of this bunch of forwards. We should be in the playoffs next year or BK should be gone. I consider his job tied to our pick we sent Pheonix. If it's a lottery pick, they can have BK also.

W

[Weez]

and your ideals for a replacement coach willing to take on in mid-season (or even after the season) a squad of this nature?

[Seano]

I say give Woodson till the end of the season only because midseason firings can be so especially disruptive- and the last thing this young and inexperienced team needs is any more disruption IMO.

I don't really see much point in a midseason firing right now- what, so we can win 25 games rather than 20? It's not gonna help much of anything this season. It'll be for the future, so why not just wait to the end of the season anyways. Besides, I don't know of all that many qualified coaches who are desirable, available and willing to work in Atlanta at the moment. I'd rather wait and get the right guy and the best guy possible for the job.