Coaching Changes Expected to Be Made.

[KB21]

Obviously, this thread is going to lead into the Hawks, because I think it is inevitable that they are going to make a change at the head coaching spot after the season. Despite the injuries, Mike just didn't make enough progress with the team this year. I think he will be fired.

The changes that are expected to be made are:

Seattle - Bob Hill will be fired.

Sacramento - Eric Musselman will be fired.

Boston - I think Doc and Danny will come to a mutual agreement, and Doc will be fired.

Toronto - Sam Mitchell's contract is up, and he's likely heading to Charlotte to be the head coach.

Charlotte - Bernie Bickerstaff has already determined that he will no longer be the head coach.

Atlanta - As I said earlier, Mike Woodson will be fired after the season.

Memphis - Tony Barone will probably take Jerry West's spot as the GM, and he's not getting the interim title removed from his name.

Miami - The speculation is that Pat Riley will step down.

Some names that are being thrown around for some of the possible openings.

1. Toronto is obviously going after Marc Iavaroni. When Phoenix allowed Toronto to sign Bryan Colangelo, they made sure that Colangelo couldn't hire Iavaroni for at least a year. Iavaroni will run the style that Colangelo wants to run. This is pretty much a lock.

2. It looks like Sam Mitchell to Charlotte is a match. Mitchell was an assistant with the Bobcats before he got the opportunity to be the Raptors head coach.

3. Miami will probably hire assistant coach Eric Spoelstra to replace Pat Riley, but Billy Donovan's name is being bandied about. Pat Riley has had a lot of great things to say about Billy as well. Considering that Pat is a Kentucky alumnus, I wonder if he is pushing for Billy to take over the Heat or pushing Billy to Kentucky?

I haven't really heard any names for the other jobs. As for the Hawks, considering the ownership squabble, it may be difficult for the Hawks to convince an established coach to take the job. There is a great chance that whoever is hired could be fired if Steve Belkin takes control anytime soon. Just another reason to hate that SOB.

I think a Mike Fratello, Paul Silas, or Del Harris would be ideal for the Hawks, but I doubt they jump at an offer due to the ownership squabble. This probably means that Atlanta will be going with a first time head coach that is just eager for the opportunity to get his name out there.

A name that I've read at two different places as a potential head coaching candidate is Larry Drew. He's eager to get a head coaching job, and it may just be that he is willing to take the Hawks job without knowing what his long term future will be.

My personal favorite is Eric Musselman though. No, he isn't a first time head coach, but I really liked him when he was an assistant on Lon's staff. Musselman was the motivator and strategist of the staff.

[AtLaS]

KB will be on Woodson's jock again as soon as BK stands behind his "friend."

[macdaddy]

Its crazy to think that BK will hang onto Woody because of some perceived personal relationship. BK picked every player for this team including the guys who warm the bench every night. BK knows that his job hangs in the balance and if he feels the coach is preventing his team from suceeding he'd fire his own father if he had to.

I've never been a Musselman fan and his success as a head coach has been moderate at best. I like the idea of Drew or Terry Porter. Its definitely time for some fresh ideas for this team.

[Johnnybravo4]

STAN VAN GUNDY!

[TexasPete]

BK will be headed out of Dodge before Woodson. If the ASG is going to fire Woodson, and they clearly should, how can they let a GM stay who has blown so many picks and signings? You can easily make the case that even Woody would be a better coach if he had Roy, Deng, Deron or Paul, etc.

Nope, if Woody gets it...BK should get it first.

[AHF]

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BK will be headed out of Dodge before Woodson. If the ASG is going to fire Woodson, and they clearly should, how can they let a GM stay who has blown so many picks and signings? You can easily make the case that even Woody would be a better coach if he had Roy, Deng, Deron or Paul, etc.

Nope, if Woody gets it...BK should get it first.

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I think either Woodson will go first or they will go together, personally.

[TexasPete]

AHF, I agree with you. I think they will be shown the door together if there is a change. I could see BK getting canned and Woody staying, but not Woody getting fired and BK staying.

I just think Woody had to work with some really bad moves by BK.

I hope they both go but with the ASG I really doubt it.

[BusBoyIsBack]

It would be so much easier for me to stand in Woody's corner if he would just frigging play our young guys.

Why in the world would you not give them minutes at this point???

Every other team in the league that's out of the playoffs is giving their young guys minutes right now.

Not just for tanking reasons, but so they can develop.

But the only thing Woody is worried about is burning out our star player just so he can win a few games just because it might save his job.

Well I guess I would probably do the same thing.

[KB21]

Billy Knight shouldn't be fired under any circumstance. He has put together a talented roster in Atlanta, and just like in Memphis, if he is fired, whoever replaces him will win with the talent he has put into place. All guys like Josh Smith and Marvin Williams needs is maturation. Smith is almost there. Williams will get there within the next year.

If ASG decides to fire Billy Knight, it will be the first big mistake they have made. You aren't going to find a better talent evaluator in the game, and chances are, you are going to get a GM that will blow a wad of the salary cap on a player in an attempt to get the quick fix.

Look at the Memphis Grizzlies. They haven't had a good draft since Billy Knight was their GM. They went to the playoffs with Billy's players. Now, after Billy's players are gone with the exception of Pau, the Grizzlies are the worst team in the league. Jerry West shouldn't be retiring from the Grizzlies. He should get fired, because he has done jack squat with that roster and has been an atrocious drafter.

[AtLaS]

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Billy Knight shouldn't be fired under any circumstance.

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[Plainview1981]

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Look at the Memphis Grizzlies. They haven't had a good draft since Billy Knight was their GM. They went to the playoffs with Billy's players. Now, after Billy's players are gone with the exception of Pau, the Grizzlies are the worst team in the league. Jerry West shouldn't be retiring from the Grizzlies. He should get fired, because he has done jack squat with that roster and has been an atrocious drafter.

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This is the part you fail to see the most. It doesn't make a shyt what talent you have (and the Hawks don't have much talent anyway)if you can't put a WINNING team together.

Billy Knight doesn't have what it takes to put a winning team together.

[TexasPete]

Did you like that Shelden pick? That was a real winner wasn't it? Next time you talk to BK ask him why he needed to promise the stiff when nobody else was in the running.

BK's has MINIMIZED EVERY DRAFT PICK except Smith. He has had GOLDEN picks every year and has NEVER gotten the right guy. Let's say it together...NEVER GOTTEN THE RIGHT GUY.

Bk is a disaster who will never work as a GM again and for good reason. There are some grateful teams that had BK picking right in front of them cause the gold ended up in THEIR BAG. Pull your head out just for a second KB21.

[AtLaS]

KB can't see it because BK's testicles are lodged too far down his throat.

[TexasPete]

I don't like the sound of that one bit.

[Packfill]

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Billy Knight shouldn't be fired under any circumstance. He has put together a talented roster in Atlanta, and just like in Memphis, if he is fired, whoever replaces him will win with the talent he has put into place. All guys like Josh Smith and Marvin Williams needs is maturation. Smith is almost there. Williams will get there within the next year.

If ASG decides to fire Billy Knight, it will be the first big mistake they have made. You aren't going to find a better talent evaluator in the game, and chances are, you are going to get a GM that will blow a wad of the salary cap on a player in an attempt to get the quick fix.

Look at the Memphis Grizzlies. They haven't had a good draft since Billy Knight was their GM. They went to the playoffs with Billy's players. Now, after Billy's players are gone with the exception of Pau, the Grizzlies are the worst team in the league. Jerry West shouldn't be retiring from the Grizzlies. He should get fired, because he has done jack squat with that roster and has been an atrocious drafter.

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Your bias is becoming way off base. Memphis hasn't had a good draft since Billy? What are Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay? Gay is every bit the equal of Marvin and was acquired with a much lower pick in a weak draft. Explain that.

And again, what did Billy build in Memphis? All he did was acquire Gasol and Battier. I guess you can credit him with trading Bibby for J-Will but that is a downgrade in 99.9% of peoples minds. That team never gets to the playoffs without the coaching changes and personnel moves West makes (i.e., trading for Miller, signing Posey, etc.). What did he build?

[Guest Walter]

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Billy Knight shouldn't be fired under any circumstance.

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You are a fool! An absolute FOOL! But let's examine your post anyhow.

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He has put together a talented roster in Atlanta, and just like in Memphis, if he is fired, whoever replaces him will win with the talent he has put into place.

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Win...WHAT!?! The Memphis roster, while it had some talent, more talent than we have, was a one good move, similarly flawed roster that wasn't athletic enough and wasn't going to win anything of importance. The Memphis roster was a far better achievement but nothing worth mentioning, especially given the same pet puppy dog coach BK hired in Sidney Lowe.

In short, whatever minimal success BK had in Memphis as a result of the Gasol deal, he undermined with other moves particularly the signing of Sidney Lowe and he has yet to match as Hawk GM despite SIGNIFICANTLY more draft and other capital, always choosing the 3rd worst of 3 players in the lottery.

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All guys like Josh Smith and Marvin Williams needs is maturation. Smith is almost there. Williams will get there within the next year.

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MW will not get anywhere great. Per minute he is worse this year than last year and he simply isn't but a shooter scorer that isn't very good at either. JS is the only coup for BK amongst 3 lottery failures.

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Look at the Memphis Grizzlies. They haven't had a good draft since Billy Knight was their GM.

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Uh, Rudy Gay is F-A-R better than SW. They haven't had a high draft pick!?!? They went out at got them a good draft in Rudy Gay.

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Jerry West shouldn't be retiring from the Grizzlies. He should get fired, because he has done jack squat with that roster and has been an atrocious drafter.

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West hasn't done well. He needed to take chances because there wasn't enough talent there to win anything of importance and none of those (but maybe Warrick and Gay) have panned out at all. Mind you West hasn't had any draft capital or other capital to work with. Swift, Battier, just weren't players with any value.

W

[Dejay]

BK has as good a chance of getting another gig as an NBA GM as Georgia State has of joining the SEC. Are you kidding, KB? As much as I've complained about Woodson, it isn't fair to expect him to do much when he's totally handicapped by the complete incompetence of the front office. This guy has two legit starters (JJ and Smith), role players (Zaza, Childress, MW), career backups (Wright, Shelden, insert any point guard on the roster here), and others who should be logging minutes in the CBA or NBDL. Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Red Auerbach in their primes couldn't win 40 games with this bunch. Swim this thought in your head for a second, KB; the Hawks have $13 million committed to four backup point guards. THIRTEEN MILLION DOLLARS FOR FOUR BACKUP POINT GUARDS. You can't tell me with a straight face how many guys in the know laugh their asses off at the notion of that.

BK is the only guy I've ever seen who has made folks on this forum reminisence of the 'good ole days' with Babcock running the show and getting the team bounced in the second round of the playoffs. That speaks more volumes than War and Peace, folks. We used to revile the thought of Babs screwing up in the draft; he now looks like Jerry West in his Laker days compared to BK.

The best position in the draft used to be the first pick; nowadays, its the first pick AFTER BK IS DONE. If I was an NBA GM, I'd be sure to trade up or down to the very pick after the Hawks because you know that move would payoff in spades. The Bulls, Sixers, Hornets, Jazz, and Blazers probably all send Christmas baskets to BK for his jacked up picks and leaving much better talent on the boards for them to get.