Gearon Jr. ON 790...

[Admin]

Ahh yep I sure was looking at the playoff numbers.

Phoenix was +6.3 for the regular season and the Hawks were -1.9 so there was still an 8.2 difference between us. Phoenix was also 1 point better in defensive efficiency than us so it wasn't all on their offense that the difference comes from.

[AHF]

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Things I can take from this:

1. Mike Woodson will be retained as head coach.

2. The GM will likely be an in house promotion, because they are more likely to work with Mike Woodson.

3. Josh and Josh will be resigned.

4. They are relying on Mike Bibby.

That is really depressing to hear. At least they are keeping Nique in the picture long-term and not making him the GM for a few years.

I hope that Gearon let his personal affetion for Woody color his remarks and that he was truthful that Woodson's job isn't safe. In any case, I hope we hire the best possible GM and let him pick his own coach - and it is is Woody, so be it.

[Admin]

I would rather have a team perform better when it counts than worse, wouldn't you?

Also, I don't think that Fratello's teams overachieved, but even if they did why did they stop overachieving in the playoffs? Even dumb luck should make you better than 2-20 in the playoffs don't you think?

I'm not giving Woodson a pass either, I just think he has been criticized far more than he deserves and again, I would happily replace him if we had a clear upgrade available but outside of D'Antoni and maybe Avery I just don't see one being available and it doesn't seem like the ASG is even considering a change so why continue to debate it?

[KB21]

My thoughts on what Michael Gearon is thinking is based on his comments about Joe stating that he wants Mike Woodson back. Gearon made the comment that it probably isn't wise to go against someone like Joe Johnson when they have made a statement like this. He compared it to Kobe Bryant saying that he wants Phil Jackson or whoever to stay.

When he said that, I felt it was a sign that Mike would be kept.

[exodus]

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I would rather have a team perform better when it counts

I bet that is the same type of logic Isiah used when he signed Jerome James.

[AHF]

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I would rather have a team perform better when it counts

I bet that is the same type of logic Isiah used when he signed Jerome James.

Regular season games count for me. So do road games in the playoffs.

[KB21]

To even think that Mike Woodson is even in the same league as Mike Fratello as a head coach is so off the wall, I can't even come up with a comment about it.

Mike Fratello would be one of the 5 best coaches in the NBA today if he had a job.

Larry Brown is the best with Greg Popovich probably 2nd best on the list. I'd put Mike Fratello right behind them along with Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson.

[exodus]

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To even think that Mike Woodson is even in the same league as Mike Fratello as a head coach is so off the wall, I can't even come up with a comment about it.

Mike Fratello would be one of the 5 best coaches in the NBA today if he had a job.

Larry Brown is the best with Greg Popovich probably 2nd best on the list. I'd put Mike Fratello right behind them along with Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson.

I would take Fratello or almost anyone else over Woodson.

[Vol4ever]

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And 'Nique won't likely be the GM... he never wants to be in a position to fire him.

You don't hire someone you can't fire!

[Admin]

You mean if he hadn't been fired for being absolutely awful his last partial season in Memphis after taking everything that Hubie had done for them and going downhill from there?

He's not far above a .500 coach for his career, that's hardly what I would call a top 5 coach.

I also haven't heard anyone say that Woodson is on par with Fratello either. If I had the choice I would probably take Fratello over Woodson but not before I tried hard to get D'Antoni or Avery.

The only comparitive statement I have made regarding Woody and Fratello is that Woody has more playoff wins in the series against Boston than Fratello has in the past 20 years. Spin that however you would like but it won't change the fact that he can't win big games.

[Admin]

So you would be happy with a coach that can make you a .500 team (or a few games better) in the regular season and then get swept out of the playoffs? Wow!

[bronnt]

You know, Fratello wouldn't even bother me as much as keeping Woody. He's not my first or second choice, but Woodson falls pretty low on my list of possible coaches for thsi team moving forward.

Unfortunately, I'm not a member of the ASG so what I want doesn't really matter. It looks like JJ is dictating the direction of the team-called out BK for not bringing in better talent, and supported Mike Woodson after the series ended. BK is gone, Woodson stays.

[Admin]

That's convenient, to hold the negatives against a coach but not credit him for the positive. Seems highly hypocritical to me.

Woody should be judged based on the regular season and the playoffs and if you judge him fairly you will see that we got better this year, we got better once we finally got a PG, and our captain wants him back. I'm certainly not saying that he had a good year but he has gotten better and I don't see any reason not to think that he will get better next year as well. Apparently the ASG feels the same way.

[exodus]

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So you would be happy with a coach that can make you a .500 team (or a few games better) in the regular season and then get swept out of the playoffs? Wow!

Nice strawman

I think it would be better to evaluate a coach based on all the games he has coached and not just 3 games.

Remember when Woodson gave that halftime interview about Acie being a better matchup with Rondo? So what happened to Acie the rest of the series?

Remember in game 5 when Woody took JJ out in the first with 2 fouls? If i remember right the hawks were down 3. When he came back the hawks were down 12.

JJ finished the game with only 2 fouls. JJ is one of the least foul prone players in the NBA.

Those are just two of the hundreds of examples of Woody's WTF moments.

[joannes3000]

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Did he say ANYTHING about bringing in a big name or big money player??

He didn't need to mention Marvin because Marvin isn't a RFA this year so we don't have to do anything with him. He doesn't have a massive salary either so it's not like he is some huge trading chip.

Bibby, on the other hand, has a huge contract and if anyone is traded he is by far the most likely since he was only a temporary solution anyway but what I find hilarious (and tiresome) is that your first thought is that Marvin will be traded, not Bibby.

I'm still not sure what Marvin has done to you but from the amount of time and energy you have spent hating on him I'm beginning to wonder what that might be.

Not that it involves any big name players coming our way, but I remember reading in The Oregonian a few weeks ago that the Blazers would be looking hard to upgrade their team. With as many pieces they have to offer - both expiring contracts and young players - they're definitely in a good position to do something this offseason if they decide to do so.

Kevin Pritchard (GM) was noted as saying that it would be a tough decision to do too much, however, given that the Blazers are progressing extremely well and realistically don't need to do anything other than bide their time until they mature into playoff contenders. That said, they did mention the desire to secure two positions - PG and SF.

One name that was directly mentioned was Mike Bibby. It was mentioned, although I don't think it was Pritchard on the record, that Bibby would be the type of PG solution they could reasonably bring in. He'd be off the books soon enough if he doesn't work out and the Blazers don't feel they'd have to give up anyone from their core of Aldridge, Oden, or Roy to get him.

Obviously, I think it would be worthwhile for us to explore options with the Blazers in regards to a Bibby trade if that's the avenue we go down. Like I mentioned, the Blazers have plenty of young talent and/or expiring contracts that I think we could use. They're clearly unhappy with their PG situation, so a trade for Bibby would realistically free up any of the following players: Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake, and Sergio Rodriguez. They also have Raef Lafrentz and his albatross contract to deal.

As wonderful as this season has been, there's no way that we see Bibby as anything other than a stopgap for this season. Given the choice, I'd readily trade him to the Blazers and look to reload now. There's no way Bibby holds his value through next season and there's no way we resign him next season either.

And as far as their SF needs, maybe we talk to them about Marvin also. He'd be a "hometown" guy for them and they could try him at SF. Personally, I'm not ready to give up on Marvin, but on the other hand, it'd be easier for me to cheer him on if he were a Blazer rather than a Hawk. I'd just have to get a Blazers jersey that says "Marvelous" rather than a Hawks one.

[Admin]

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Woody should be judged based on the regular season and the playoffs

and for the umteenmillionth time I would be thrilled to replace Woody if there was a clear upgrade available. D'Antoni is a clear upgrade. Avery is a clear upgrade. Fratello is NOT a clear upgrade. He hasn't had a team out of the 1st round of the playoffs in 20 years.

[AHF]

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So you would be happy with a coach that can make you a .500 team (or a few games better) in the regular season and then get swept out of the playoffs? Wow!

He would probably be as happy as you would be with a coach who can't make you a .500 team.

Personally, I view what "counts" for the Hawks as everything right now.

(1) The regular season is critical because the Hawks are not an established playoff team and were fortunate to make the playoffs this season. It is the top priority that the coach next year be able to make the playoffs comfortably.

(2) Once the playoffs are a given, the postseason takes precedence over the regular season performance. Do what you need to do regarding regular season seeding, but the most important thing you can do is survive and advance. If you aren't good enough to get home court in the playoffs, it is key that you get the team ready to win one on the road.

(3) Once you are going deep in the playoffs, the ability to finish things off is huge. Someone like Phil Jackson gets big respect in this category for taking a Lakers team that regularly made significant playoffs runs only to come up short and turning them into a 3peat champion.

Fratello ranks high in category (1) and low in (2). He hasn't had a team for whom a deep run was a given (or should have been a given) so he doesn't get evaluated in (3). Fratello went through a stretch with teams that regularly made the playoffs and flopped so he gets credit for (1) and gets slammed for (2).

Woodson ranks low in category (1) and solid in (2) [great for winning at home; terrible for not ready play on the road]. (3) doesn't apply. For his teams, the priority has always been making the playoffs so I give him low overall marks even though he did fine once they were fortunate to make the playoffs this year. He would get higher marks if the Hawks hadn't needed a historically bad East to make the playoffs and a poor stretch run from the Nets to make the playoffs.

[KB21]

Mike Fratello is a clear upgrade and is flat out a better basketball coach than Mike D'Antoni, Avery Johnson, and everyone else that is available this offseason.

[Admin]

The sky is green and the grass is blue. See how easy it is to make up stuff? You can not in ANY WAY show that Fratello is a better coach than D'Antoni or Avery. Both have had A LOT more success than Fratello and if he was such a great coach he would have a job.

[KB21]

Yeah.

Mike "No D" D'Antoni is a better coach than Mike Fratello. LOL