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Smoke sighted - But no "fire" - -not yet.

Gray Mule

By Gray Mule
in Homecourt

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Gray Mule Grand Master

Gray Mule

Posted
Posted

Mike Woodson has survived a lot as coach of the Hawks.

Fire Woody posts have been regularly spotted here, on

Real GM and fan's blogs to the writers of the AJC.

Now the pressure mounts as the beat writers for the AJC

join in on the chorus.

How much longer can the owners (?) of the Hawks hold out?

How much longer can they continue to say, "We're 100%

behind M.W. and believe in him AND our GM?

Hawks are a better team than they have been in a long time.

We know this when we look at the standings. We're in

position to make the playoffs. We're holding on, not

because of what Atlanta is doing, but what the other

teams in the east are not doing. We keep losing, but

so do they.

If there was any hope that Atlanta, as a team, would

improve to the point that they would be a real force

in the NBA, this kind of talk wouldn't be making the

rounds with the frequency that it has recently.

Surely you don't believe our disaster since Christmas

is all the fault of MW do you Gray Mule? Nope. It's not.

The players must take their share of the blame. Woody

doesn't miss those shots. He doesn't leave those

points at the free throw line. He's not the one who

fails to execute plays.

However, the big burden can and must fall squarely on

our head coach. He's the one who must ultimately be

held responsible for the good and the bad that this

team does on the floor.

There's a lot of smoke. Fans and the media are yelling

"FIRE!" Will MW survive? Can he hang on? Will there

be any fans who care enough to come out and watch the

Hawks if he does prevail? Or, will we see most of the

fans at the home games there to see the opponent?

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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JackB1 Newbie

JackB1

Posted
Posted

Quote:

Mike Woodson has survived a lot as coach of the Hawks.

Fire Woody posts have been regularly spotted here, on

Real GM and fan's blogs to the writers of the AJC.

Now the pressure mounts as the beat writers for the AJC

join in on the chorus.

nice post.

I really can't see the Hawks going to the next level UNTIL a new coach is at the helm. We will stay around the level we are at now unless a change is made. Question then remains.....is JUST a #7 or #8 playoff birth enough to justify keeping Woody around? To people who follow the Hawks game in, game out, (us...the writers) it's obvious Woody is more of a hindrance than an asset to this team.

Whether or not mgt. will do anything about it remains to be seen. They pulled the trigger with The Thrashers, so we know they are capable. It probably all depends on whether or not there is a viable alternative to Woody available?

I for one, would rather see ANYONE in that spot. Why doesn't Smitty consider it? He seems to know a lot more about what makes this team click than Woody.

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thesheedera Newbie

thesheedera

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I like the Steve Smith idea a lot. Especially for the state this franchise is in. At this point who could you possibly hire? No big name proven head coach is coming here, and even if a guy wanted to come and rebuild the franchise, how could the current ownership prove to him that they'll be around much longer? Are they even ALLOWED to make that kind of move?

You almost have to take an unproven guy from a group of the current staff or a an "insider" type like Steve Smith, Nique, or even Billy Knight, God forbid. These guys are intimately familiar with the team and would be cheap. They could also be "interim" types with a chance to prove their ability for a permanent gig.

My choice would be Steve Smith, next would be a guy like Larry Drew.

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TheTruth Experienced

TheTruth

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Quote:

We're in position to make the playoffs. We're holding on, not because of what Atlanta is doing, but what the other

teams in the east are not doing. We keep losing, but

so do they.

This is the REAL crux of the issue. Had the East been even halfway decent this year, the Hawks would have no hope of even sniffing the playoffs. To be playing terribly inconsistent and poor basketball for the vast majority of the year and still have a shot at the playoffs is a dubious conundrum in itself.

Woodson is not the answer for this team--the Hawks, with all the talent they have, will never make it to the next level with him at the helm. Yeah, they may LIMP into the playoffs this year, but what good is that if it means grabbing the 7th or 8th seed only to be straight owned and killed in the first round with Woodson getting an extension? We have not sniffed the playoffs in 8 years--the longest drought in the NBA. If we do barely make them (hell we would now if it started today even though we are 4 games under .500), Woodson would have done something no other previous Hawk coach has done in 8 years.

Making the playoffs is nice, but NOT if it means Woody gets an extension. He needs to be fired before the All Star break concludes...but it will probably never happen.

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DrReality Rookie

DrReality

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Can't see the Smitty deal. That would mean they'd have to extend him next year of find someone else. If it is Drew they can see how he does and then decide. I think Drew would be a fan favorite and is much more fan friendly than Woody ever thought about. And he would be cheaper.

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BHayley Newbie

BHayley

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Might as well try with Drew, although I don't know anything about this guy.

As intriguing as Steve Smith sounds, the guy is not built to be a coach. He doesn't have the demeanor to be a head coach--I'd take him as an assistant anyday though. I wish he could work with JSmoove 3 hours every day on jumpshooting--that would do wonders for this team.

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Atlantaholic Grand Master

Atlantaholic

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Hearing Smith talk about the game, it is obvious he knows his stuff... He is one of the most insightful commentators and he actually says stuff from time to time ( unlike any other commentator I've ever heard) that actually makes you think and go "hmm.. I hadn't thought about that, that's a good point"

Woody is beyond dead to me. The game where he stopped a fast break by calling a Time out did it for me... No way a four year coach does this... ever. EVER. Not to mention that he has come up with just one (ONE!?) successful play in his four years as coach (the zone alley oop to the weak side wing guy). I would love for someone to compile the statistics of our plays ran after a Time Out... I swear to god, I don't think we have scored even once... at least half of the time it's a turnover. Woody is an absolute farce, and way, way, WAY out of his league... just looking at his body language you can tell how much he feels like a fish out of water, I'm sure he is just as surprised as everyone that he is still our coach.

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Swatguy Newbie

Swatguy

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Quote:

I like the Steve Smith idea a lot. Especially for the state this franchise is in. At this point who could you possibly hire? No big name proven head coach is coming here, and even if a guy wanted to come and rebuild the franchise, how could the current ownership prove to him that they'll be around much longer? Are they even ALLOWED to make that kind of move?

You almost have to take an unproven guy from a group of the current staff or a an "insider" type like Steve Smith, Nique, or even Billy Knight, God forbid. These guys are intimately familiar with the team and would be cheap. They could also be "interim" types with a chance to prove their ability for a permanent gig.

My choice would be Steve Smith, next would be a guy like Larry Drew.

There is absolutely no way for Steve Smith to coach this Hawks team. If Smitty coaches it will be 3-4 years down the road, at least.

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Swatguy Newbie

Swatguy

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Can't see the Smitty deal. That would mean they'd have to extend him next year of find someone else. If it is Drew they can see how he does and then decide. I think Drew would be a fan favorite and is much more fan friendly than Woody ever thought about. And he would be cheaper.

Drew is basically responsible for the Guards and offense. I have not seen any developement from our guards nor any appreciative offensive scheme. I do not understand the coach-love for Drew.

Bender is closer in my mind to step in if Woody is dismissed. I know Drew handles the team in summer league and training camp but I have not seen his effective development actuals.

Smitty is a TV personality and analyst.

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Atlantaholic Grand Master

Atlantaholic

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Quote:

Smitty is a TV personality and analyst.

Ummm.. yeah. He is also a former 15 year veteran NBA player with a championship under his belt...

Not saying that it makes him the best candidate (or even A candidate)... but he is more qualified than just " a TV personality or analyst"

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JackB1 Newbie

JackB1

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Quote:

Quote:

I like the Steve Smith idea a lot.

That's why you're a professional moron. If Smith gets to be in charge T-Lue will play 30 minutes a night and he'll refer to him as the closer whenever he can. Steve Smith is only a good idea when compared with Woody

Smitty is just trying to make the broadcast more interesting. You really believe he would play Lue that much? I think Smitty much prefers Acie and I think Smitty would be much smarter about the rotation. I agree that anyone at this point sounds like a better alternative to Woody. Heck....is Harry The Hawk available smile.gif?
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Dakin Newbie

Dakin

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I've been really impressed with Smitty's improvement as a broadcaster. His biggest asset is his likability. He's still one of the least candid broadcasters I can remember. It always seems like he's holding back. Seems like too nice of a guy to be a coach, especially a head coach. Seems like you have to be kind of a jerk to be good at coaching.

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thesheedera Newbie

thesheedera

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Quote:

Quote:

I like the Steve Smith idea a lot. Especially for the state this franchise is in. At this point who could you possibly hire? No big name proven head coach is coming here, and even if a guy wanted to come and rebuild the franchise, how could the current ownership prove to him that they'll be around much longer? Are they even ALLOWED to make that kind of move?

You almost have to take an unproven guy from a group of the current staff or a an "insider" type like Steve Smith, Nique, or even Billy Knight, God forbid. These guys are intimately familiar with the team and would be cheap. They could also be "interim" types with a chance to prove their ability for a permanent gig.

My choice would be Steve Smith, next would be a guy like Larry Drew.

There is absolutely no way for Steve Smith to coach this Hawks team. If Smitty coaches it will be 3-4 years down the road, at least.

I can't disagree with you there. Smitty's the least likely to replace Woody in-season, whether he'd be a good choice or not.

MikeWilkes - eat a ****.
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