In The End- Mike Woodson Not Given A Fair Deal

[Dejay]

Piling on again. I should only get one crack at this:

Just being playoff-centric, the last three seasons produced:

* Uneven home-road performances against the eventual champs, with losing margins in Beantown (23, 19, 25, and 34) that only got closer thanks to garbage time.

* The most unwatchable 7-game basketball series anyone can remember, with losing margins of 15, 29, and 26, against a team guided by a rookie 37-year old coach.

* A greatly unneccessary Game 7, after a team with four All/Almost-Stars is pushed to the brink by a team forced to dole out heavy minutes to Luc Mbah A Moute, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, and Ersan Ilyasova.

Never mind the white-flag performances against the Cavs and Magic.

I still doubt that this was all about the playoffs, but if forced to look at the playoff performances and results alone, it's difficult to argue that the team was just going through growing pains and learning experiences. The team apparently was not doing enough growing or learning. The repercussions for that fall with the coaching staff first, and the players later.

~lw3

This....

If you needed any further evidence as to why they had to make this move, this was the Zapruder film. It's rare when a playoff performance (or lack thereof) complete washes out what was done during the regular season but this was the exception to the rule. What do you think folks in this town are more likely to remember, the Hawks winning 53 games or them getting run out their own gym by 30 in front of an ESPN audience when it matters most? Folks on this board are so quick to talk about the fans not showing up unless Kobe or Lebron is in town during the regular season but after a team gets its ish pushed in like they have the last two postseasons, its mighty hard to sell tickets by standing pat; just ask the Braves how well that approach worked out for them by keeping Cox and the gang around as long as they have. What would've been the sales pitch if they brought Woody back for another season? 'The gang is all back and this time we're serious'? Really?

After getting thoroughly embarrassed like that, no one in their right minds could just sit there and accept it standing still. It's one thing to get swept like the Spurs and Jazz did while still being competitive but after getting records hung on you, heads had to roll. Fifteen straight losses in the second round with the last ten by double digits; really, do we have to have this conversation? I know the players are just as much at fault but since we all know that they can't fire all of the players, that pretty much narrows it down.

Edited May 16, 2010 by Dejay

[AHF]

Very few NBA coaches get as long a period to develop a team from the ground up as Woody did with the Hawks. He got young players, installed his offense, and installed his defense and trained these guys over 4 years until they were ready to play his brand of playoff basketball. To say that he wasn't given a fair shake when he got a much longer leash than the typical NBA coach strikes me as a little odd. But that doesn't address the decision to not renew him in specific.

With regard to the specific decision to go a different direction this offseason, it is a total no-brainer. Put the kindest way, it is clear that this team needs a new voice at this point because this year's near playoff loss to the totally undermanned Bucks and the worst playoff performance by any team against any team in NBA history (i.e., worse than the #8 seeds against the LA Showtime Lakers; worse than the #8 seeds against the Celtics of Bird, Parish and McHale; worse than #8 seeds against the Jordan-era Bulls, etc.) was marked by the near total lack of passion, preparation, and adjustments.

Most NBA coaches cannot sustain the attention and enthusiasm of their players for a 6 year period. The ones who can are pretty rare exceptions.

Woody is not that rare exception. He has tapped out his contribution to this team.

If he learns to prepare his team for the playoffs and to scheme for the kind of flexibility necessary for playoff success in his next job, he may enjoy even more success than with the Hawks. Until he changes his approach and adopts a playoff-oriented program, I wish him the best but look forward to seeing the Hawks face off against a Woodson-coached team that comes in with everyone knowing exactly what they are going to do and then deciding that continuing the same thing and expecting different results is the way to overcome adjustments by the opponent.

[AUhawksfan]

Piling on again. I should only get one crack at this:

Just being playoff-centric, the last three seasons produced:

* Uneven home-road performances against the eventual champs, with losing margins in Beantown (23, 19, 25, and 34) that only got closer thanks to garbage time.

* The most unwatchable 7-game basketball series anyone can remember, with losing margins of 15, 29, and 26, against a team guided by a rookie 37-year old coach.

* A greatly unneccessary Game 7, after a team with four All/Almost-Stars is pushed to the brink by a team forced to dole out heavy minutes to Luc Mbah A Moute, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, and Ersan Ilyasova.

Never mind the white-flag performances against the Cavs and Magic.

I still doubt that this was all about the playoffs, but if forced to look at the playoff performances and results alone, it's difficult to argue that the team was just going through growing pains and learning experiences. The team apparently was not doing enough growing or learning. The repercussions for that fall with the coaching staff first, and the players later.

~lw3

What was glaringly obvious from all this is Woody's inability to adapt and make changes in the playoffs. The 2 changes he finally made this postseason worked, he's just too stubborn to do it on a consistent basis. He went away from switching defense to get the Milwaukee win and he played Collins early in the Magic series....and it worked, though he never went back to it. All this shows me is that Woody doesn't know how to adjust as a coach. You HAVE to do that in the playoffs.

Either way, you have no excuse as a coach for getting blown out like they did with Orlando. If players aren't hustling, you get in there face about it or you take them out of the game and sub them in for somebody who will bust their butt for you. Do you seriously think Jerry Sloan or Phil Jackson would have given Josh or Joe as many minutes against Orlando the way they played? Or would they have shrugged off Josh's laziness against the Magic? No freaking way! Work ethic falls on a player, but a coach is the one who can control their playing time. If you're not getting minutes, that's a huge motivator to give it your all when you hit the court.

[prolific25]

Not many coaches get 6 full years in one city. The fact that the Hawks gave him a new contract after having the worst record in the league during his 1st contract(05-08)is amazing.

Edited May 16, 2010 by prolific25

[tremor]

Not many coaches get 6 full years in one city. The fact that the Hawks gave him a new contract after having the worst record in the league during his 1st contract(05-08)is amazing.

It comes down to quality of the roster. It's OK to tank season to get high draft pick, it's not OK to set record of humiliation in the PO with the talent Hawks have right now.

[DJlaysitup]

BusBoy, you're still a hack.

It's Billy Knight that wasn't given a fair deal. Woody is a bum. Pure and simple.

BK was the worst GM of any sport dating back to the Mayans. There is a very good reason BK hasn't been recycled as most NBA folks are.

[Dejay]

BK was the worst GM of any sport dating back to the Mayans. There is a very good reason BK hasn't been recycled as most NBA folks are.

I would've said the Ming dynasty or the Aztecs myself. Even if Woody wouldn't have played them, it's still no excuse for wasting a #6, a #2, and a #5 pick the way BK managed to....

[DJlaysitup]

...Put the kindest way, it is clear that this team needs a new voice at this point because this year's near playoff loss to the totally undermanned Bucks and the worst playoff performance by any team against any team in NBA history (i.e., worse than the #8 seeds against the LA Showtime Lakers; worse than the #8 seeds against the Celtics of Bird, Parish and McHale; worse than #8 seeds against the Jordan-era Bulls, etc.) was marked by the near total lack of passion, preparation, and adjustments....

Well stated AHF. It's important to remember that the worst arse-spanking of all time in the NBA playoffs was not a "limping in" #8 against a powerhouse #1. It was a #3 versus a #2.

[KB21]

Very few NBA coaches get as long a period to develop a team from the ground up as Woody did with the Hawks. He got young players, installed his offense, and installed his defense and trained these guys over 4 years until they were ready to play his brand of playoff basketball. To say that he wasn't given a fair shake when he got a much longer leash than the typical NBA coach strikes me as a little odd. But that doesn't address the decision to not renew him in specific.

With regard to the specific decision to go a different direction this offseason, it is a total no-brainer. Put the kindest way, it is clear that this team needs a new voice at this point because this year's near playoff loss to the totally undermanned Bucks and the worst playoff performance by any team against any team in NBA history (i.e., worse than the #8 seeds against the LA Showtime Lakers; worse than the #8 seeds against the Celtics of Bird, Parish and McHale; worse than #8 seeds against the Jordan-era Bulls, etc.) was marked by the near total lack of passion, preparation, and adjustments.

Most NBA coaches cannot sustain the attention and enthusiasm of their players for a 6 year period. The ones who can are pretty rare exceptions.

Woody is not that rare exception. He has tapped out his contribution to this team.

If he learns to prepare his team for the playoffs and to scheme for the kind of flexibility necessary for playoff success in his next job, he may enjoy even more success than with the Hawks. Until he changes his approach and adopts a playoff-oriented program, I wish him the best but look forward to seeing the Hawks face off against a Woodson-coached team that comes in with everyone knowing exactly what they are going to do and then deciding that continuing the same thing and expecting different results is the way to overcome adjustments by the opponent.

I agree with this. I appreciate the fact that the Hawks gave Mike a chance and didn't fire him on a whim early on. When Mike took this job, he was going into a no win situation. It wasn't going to be a quick turn around. The chances of any coach taking over that team of having initial success was so close to 0% that you could essentially say there was no chance of success. I feel Mike got a fair shot. He got six years. His teams showed improvement overall. I think this will be a good learning experience for him. Maybe he coach with Larry Brown for a couple of years before getting his next opportunity, and I do feel that what he has done in Atlanta will eventually get him another head coaching job, if he doesn't get one this offseason. As you stated, Mike needs to learn to prepare a team for the playoffs and not max the team out in the regular season.

I think only one coach in the NBA this season has been the head coach of his team longer than Mike was with Atlanta, and that is Jerry Sloan, a true rarity in the sports world. It would be two if you consider Phil Jackson's two separate stints with the Lakers as one longer stint with a break in between.

[bird_dirt]

Not many coaches get 6 full years in one city. The fact that the Hawks gave him a new contract after having the worst record in the league during his 1st contract(05-08)is amazing.

FWIT i just saw this on ESPN's site:

"@RicBucher Maybe I missed it, but while I've heard several coaches, past/present, defend Mike Brown, I have yet to hear one say Woodson got a raw deal."

[AHF]

Well stated AHF. It's important to remember that the worst arse-spanking of all time in the NBA playoffs was not a "limping in" #8 against a powerhouse #1. It was a #3 versus a #2.

That is a source of frustration for me. How does a #2 versus a #3 end up being the most lopsided series in NBA history when the #3 seed has zero health problems?

[macdaddy]

Beside what everyone else said, hiring or keeping a coach has nothing to do with fairness or what they've earned with past performance. The only question to answer is is this guy going to take this team where we want it to go in the future. Does anyone think that Woody would have taken us beyond what we've seen or is it more likely that there are coaches out there who have a better chance to lead these guys? The answer seemed pretty clear.

Doug Collins' last year with the Bulls: 47 wins and a loss in the eastern conference finals. Sure they had Jordan and the high expectations but that's still a pretty good season. So was it fair to Doug Collins? Who cares? Phil Jackson came in and did a much, much better job. Last I checked the Hawks had 3 All star calibre players so its not like Woody molded something out of nothing.