What if any record would "force" a mid-season...

[Guest Walter]

...coaching change?

I feel like we've given BK and Woodson so much rope they might hang the whole franchise and not just themselves. Between the two, given the history of GMs lasting into at least their 2nd coach, Woodson will be the first to go if anyone goes. What record or winning % will it take for current ownership to fire Woodson and by what date (i.e. the new year, all-star break, trade deadline).

I say a winning percentage of <39% at the All-star break or 33% or less at the end of the year will be unacceptable to even this ownership. I also believe ANY 8 game losing streak will also necessitate a change per this ownership. Some of the Belkin cloud is lifted. Maybe ownership can grow some. Here's hoping should Woodson not seriously step up his game that they have.

W

[Guest Walter]

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I say a winning percentage of <39% at the All-star break or 33% or less at the end of the year

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By "end of the year" I mean calendar year not season.

W

[Catapult]

I'd say, at any point when it looks like we are dropping out of the playoff race.

[AnakinJoe]

I'd love to see Woody get gone if we win less then 35% of our first 35 games (12-23 record or worse). My concern is the governance process to remove/replace a Head Coach and can this ownership group reach a decision given their in-fighting. But I wouldn't mind seeing Drew take over as the head guy, Herb Brown become his lead assistant and see what develops over the final 45-47 games.

[OGRat]

I'd take the results after 30 games as my decision point- long enough for the team to gel and for the coach to set playing patterns. The team needs to be in all of the games, not loosing by double figures. This would be an evaluation of his camp preparation.

Based on last years start (I know this years schedule is more difficult), I'd be looking for 40% or better win percentage.

I'd give BK the full season. Fire him if we don't make the playoffs with his completed blueprint.

[AHF]

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I'd take the results after 30 games as my decision point- long enough for the team to gel and for the coach to set playing patterns. The team needs to be in all of the games, not loosing by double figures. This would be an evaluation of his camp preparation.

Based on last years start (I know this years schedule is more difficult), I'd be looking for 40% or better win percentage.

I'd give BK the full season. Fire him if we don't make the playoffs with his completed blueprint.

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I think that is pretty fair. 40% or better win %. I expect more out of the team, I just am hesitant to do a mid-season coaching change unless there is some clear upgrade out there and I don't think we will be able to sign a Larry Brown, etc. with the ownership situation still in flux (not saying that Brown would necessarily be a great fit, just an example of a credible coach who is available).

[coachx]

We have 28 games before the new year.

Coaching changes are often made right around Christmas and before the New Year. (I remember Kruger getting the boot right around Christmas).

If we are worse then 11 W/ 17 L (.40 % WP), at the New Year, Woody should be gone.

I could live with 11 W and 17 L if Horford and Law seem to be progressing and the team seems to be improving. (No lossess from bone headed coaching decisions)

Anything less then a 38 W / 43 L season would be a major dissapointment in my eyes. Five games under .500 should at least keeps us in the play off race.

41 W / 41 L should be a realistic goal.

[Johann]

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I just am hesitant to do a mid-season coaching change unless there is some clear upgrade out there

I agree with this. I don't want to see another long shot coach at this point, or an upgrade to one with a mediocre record.

Larry Brown is hard to get along with and plays grinding defense with a plodding, half-court oriented offense, which as you say hardly seems ideal for our lineup, particularly when you consider his disdain for kids.

As long as we're dreaming, though, an intriguing thought is the idea that Phil may be available. Again, would cost the big bucks, and would require ownership resolution probably combined with big-pocket new partner. But given a pipe dream scenario, you wonder if he might be tempted by the collection of young talent on the Hawks. And you would have to hope the night life in ATL would satisfy him.

Best case, though, is that Woody (and Marvin and Shelden and Speedy) has a breakout year this year and transforms into what we were hoping for when he was hired. No question, when Woody was hired, he was the hottest commodity in the league among assistant coaches, having just won a ring as the top assistant with the Pistons. Would be great if this were the year the light comes on.

If it did, we could thank the ownership fiasco. Most owners would have given up on Woodson by now. These owners have been handcuffed and forced to be "patient" to the extreme.

[Guest Walter]

...for two reasons.

1) it allows us to examine and evaluate our players under different leadership

2) it allows us to enter the coaching market early.

We have many contracts coming up and with our ownership situation need all the time possible to lure a coach to us. Remember when BK waited to fire Stotts until all the top coaching prospects had been hired elsewhere? We need to be the first in the fire I-F we're going to make a coaching change at all.

W

[Diesel]

I'd easily change to one of our assistants (Larry Drew) if he had a difference in coaching philosophy.

For instance is Woody comes out and halfcourts this team to death and we lose more than we win, I would let Drew audition of a chance to be head coach with the playoffs or strong finish being his carrot.

Other than that, I agree. I would like to see a guy like Terry Porter or Paul Westhead come in next.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I think Woody should be judged by what he does in November, then go from there.

We have 15 games in November. The MINIMUM I want this team at, is 5 - 10. And even with that 5 - 10 record, the losses better be pretty close in most cases. A few blowout losses can be expected on the road, but I want this team to be very competitive at home.

Where I want to see this team improve, is how they play at home. To make a run for the playoffs, we need to at least be a 25 win team at home. And out of the 8 home games we have in November, 6 of them are definitely winnable games.

Personally, I want to be right were we were last year as a team, going into December. 7 - 8 . . 8 - 7 . . in that range. At least if we're around .500, we can say that the team may have a chance to make a big time run in December, when we have 8 home games to 5 road games. And the 5 road games are @ Philly, Washington, Detroit, Orlando, and Dallas.

* No more than 5 games under .500 at the end of November.

* No more than 6 games under .500 at the end of December. The schedule is much more favorable in December, so he should at least get 6 - 7 wins out of 13 games in that month.

* If we drop more than 8 games under .500 at ANY TIME after December, he should be immeadiately fired, and replaced either with one of the assistants, or with a new coach.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Interesting to see what was said back in October, about a possible coaching change.

[coachx]

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Anything less then a 38 W / 43 L season would be a major dissapointment in my eyes. Five games under .500 should at least keeps us in the play off race.

41 W / 41 L should be a realistic goal.

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I stand by my comments. Still sounds rational and reasonable months later.