Hollinger's Notes Re Atlanta

[AHF]

From his chat:

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CC (Atlanta): Will Sund keep Woodson?

John Hollinger: Be very interesting to see; my suspicion is that he won't because the two don't have much of a history, and Sund has a ready-made successor in Dwane Casey -- whom he's familiar with from Seattle, and who did an outstanding job in Minnesota before a firing so unfair it makes Flip's seem like a minor trifle.

Chris (GA): Any news on the contract status of Josh Smith in ATL? Or predictions maybe?

John Hollinger: Josh Smith isn't going anywhere. He's a restricted free agent and the Hawks can match any offer, which they certainly would. Even with their current ownership mess, they can't possibly screw this one up.

On non-championship coaches:

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JT (Belmont, MA): Yeah, just what Phoenix needs - Flip Saunders. He is great at leading teams to the playoffs and making an exit before the Finals. Is this the NBA chat or am I in the dunce room?

John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him. Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

[exodus]

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Be very interesting to see; my suspicion is that he won't because the two don't have much of a history, and Sund has a ready-made successor in Dwane Casey -- whom he's familiar with from Seattle, and who did an outstanding job in Minnesota before a firing so unfair it makes Flip's seem like a minor trifle.

I dont know a thing about Casey but i like him already.

[GameTime]

Looking at Casey's coaching career he looks like a slow paced coach who strives on defense (ring a bell?)

[coachx]

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Be very interesting to see; my suspicion is that he won't because the two don't have much of a history, and Sund has a ready-made successor in Dwane Casey -- whom he's familiar with from Seattle, and who did an outstanding job in Minnesota before a firing so unfair it makes Flip's seem like a minor trifle.

I dont know a thing about Casey but i like him already.

I think he coachd the T-wolves with Garnett for 1 season and 20 games of another before getting canned. What is crazy is how he went 30 - 52 with KG his first year and kept his job. Then in his second year they performed better. They were an even .500 at 10-10 when McHale fired him. Makes little sense to me.

The only difference between Woodson and Casey is that Casey lost with KG going 30 -52 and Woodson lost without KG.....Woodon went 30-52 with JJ and Chillz missing significant time in 06-07 and ZaZa (not KG) as the anchor in the middle.

I think he may actually be a down grade from Woodson.

[coachx]

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John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him. Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

Best quote I have read in days.

[Lascar78]

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Looking at Casey's coaching career he looks like a slow paced coach who strives on defense (ring a bell?)

There is only one defensive coach in the league that COMPLETELY ignores offense. There is nothing wrong with being defense oriented. There is something wrong with having no clue how to use your talent on offense.

I can't wait to get a real coach in here so you guys can see the difference. I think it's been so long that most people have forgotten what non-isolation offense should look like.

[Atlantaholic]

Does Casey sit players who are almost in foul trouble??

If not. Then he's our guy over Woody. I mean, hands down in a millisecond.

[DrReality]

Who did he learn from? Who was his mentor and he plays after? I'm like the others, don't know much about him but I'm interested to learn.

[sturt]

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Who did he learn from? Who was his mentor and he plays after? I'm like the others, don't know much about him but I'm interested to learn.

Kentucky fans remember Casey as the former Wildcat and Eddie Sutton's assistant coach primarily responsible for a bonehead scandal that sent the program into its probation and a long (by UK standards) funk.

Here's the skinny: http://www.nba.com/coachfile/dwane_casey/index.html

I've never really understood what people see in the guy, but then, maybe I'm missing something.

[AHF]

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Who did he learn from? Who was his mentor and he plays after? I'm like the others, don't know much about him but I'm interested to learn.

Kentucky fans remember Casey as the former Wildcat and Eddie Sutton's assistant coach primarily responsible for a bonehead scandal that sent the program into its probation and a long (by UK standards) funk.

Actually:

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Although Casey's name appeared on the Emery Worldwide Air Freight package, which came open in transit,

he was cleared by NCAA investigators

and filed a $6.9-million US anti-defamation lawsuit against the courier company.

Casey reached what he called a "healthy" settlement on Oct. 28, 1990.

[sturt]

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Who did he learn from? Who was his mentor and he plays after? I'm like the others, don't know much about him but I'm interested to learn.

Kentucky fans remember Casey as the former Wildcat and Eddie Sutton's assistant coach primarily responsible for a bonehead scandal that sent the program into its probation and a long (by UK standards) funk.

Actually:

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Although Casey's name appeared on the Emery Worldwide Air Freight package, which came open in transit,

he was cleared by NCAA investigators

and filed a $6.9-million US anti-defamation lawsuit against the courier company.

Casey reached what he called a "healthy" settlement on Oct. 28, 1990.

AHF, as a mere Lexington-area resident, I have to bow to your sense of this since I'm not at all a UK fan... but for what it's worth, regardless of the outcomes you mention, the Wildcat fans with whom I've rubbed elbows generally still remember Casey in that light.

[Dsinner]

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John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him.

Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

Thanks John I've been trying to argue just that.

[Dsinner]

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I've never really understood what people see in the guy, but then, maybe I'm missing something.

Dude, if you can find a diamond in Woody's butt then I'm sure you can find something you like about him.

[thefloydian]

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John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him.

Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

Thanks John I've been trying to argue just that.

I don't care how many active coaches have rings, that still doesn't mean Woodson is an NBA-caliber coach.

[TheTrueSiete]

He is an NBA-caliber coach... just assistant coach, definitely not head coach...

7

[Dsinner]

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John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him.

Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

Thanks John I've been trying to argue just that.

I don't care how many active coaches have rings, that still doesn't mean Woodson is an NBA-caliber coach.

Wait Floyd. I'm on your side. I was referring to everyone not wanting D'Antoni, Flip or Avery etc. etc. over Woody simply because they hadn't won it all.

[thefloydian]

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John Hollinger: This is the part where I remind people that there are three active coaches with rings; two of them aren't going anywhere and the other would be gone two weeks after you hired him.

Every other team is coached by a "loser" if we use this definition as our standard of coaching success.

Thanks John I've been trying to argue just that.

I don't care how many active coaches have rings, that still doesn't mean Woodson is an NBA-caliber coach.

Wait Floyd. I'm on your side. I was referring to everyone not wanting D'Antoni, Flip or Avery etc. etc. over Woody simply because they hadn't won it all.

Oh, gotcha.

Yeah, I can't say how good I think all of those guys are, but when I watch their teams play I don't think to myself, "Man, this guy knows less about basketball than I do."

Woody makes me think that sometimes, and I don't think of myself as any kind of expert on the game of basketball.

[AHF]

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Who did he learn from? Who was his mentor and he plays after? I'm like the others, don't know much about him but I'm interested to learn.

Kentucky fans remember Casey as the former Wildcat and Eddie Sutton's assistant coach primarily responsible for a bonehead scandal that sent the program into its probation and a long (by UK standards) funk.

Actually:

Quote:

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Although Casey's name appeared on the Emery Worldwide Air Freight package, which came open in transit,

he was cleared by NCAA investigators

and filed a $6.9-million US anti-defamation lawsuit against the courier company.

Casey reached what he called a "healthy" settlement on Oct. 28, 1990.

AHF, as a mere Lexington-area resident, I have to bow to your sense of this since I'm not at all a UK fan... but for what it's worth, regardless of the outcomes you mention, the Wildcat fans with whom I've rubbed elbows generally still remember Casey in that light.

UK fans are definitely a mixed bunch on Casey. Some bunch Sutton and Casey together in being responsible for that embarassing debacle. Some differentiate between one or the other. Many others, though, think Casey was a fall-guy for the situation. I thought it was worth pointing out that the NCAA eventually cleared Casey. Here is the wikipedia mention of it:

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Casey played college basketball at the University of Kentucky between 1975 and 1979, and would later serve as an assistant coach there. He was forced to resign his position when his name came up in a recruiting scandal at the university. Many people still feel to this day that Casey was set up.

[sturt]

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I've never really understood what people see in the guy, but then, maybe I'm missing something.

Dude, if you can find a diamond in Woody's butt then I'm sure you can find something you like about him.

I'm too old to call you dude, Sinner, but you must be confusing me with someone else. I'm pretty neutral on the Woody debate and have been... unless of course you (or anyone else) are someone who disparages the current coach because it seems to be the authority-lust, bandwagoneer thing to do. I did feel it was in the team's best interest not to switch-up coaches over the last four years, but I'm not certain if I've ever let that be publicly known (not trying to be covert, but just b/c it's not a position I hold passionately). We are at a stage right now, though, where I see good arguments both ways.

But... to the point... no, I've never seen anything I particularly like about Casey, and no, I don't think it's generally that smart to presume that just because someone isn't the current coach, that that makes them someone worth having... that's a classic "grass is always greener" illusion.

[thefloydian]

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I've never really understood what people see in the guy, but then, maybe I'm missing something.

Dude, if you can find a diamond in Woody's butt then I'm sure you can find something you like about him.

I'm too old to call you dude, Sinner, but you must be confusing me with someone else. I'm pretty neutral on the Woody debate and have been... unless of course you (or anyone else) are someone who disparages the current coach because it seems to be the authority-lust, bandwagoneer thing to do. I did feel it was in the team's best interest not to switch-up coaches over the last four years, but I'm not certain if I've ever let that be publicly known (not trying to be covert, but just b/c it's not a position I hold passionately). We are at a stage right now, though, where I see good arguments both ways.

But... to the point... no, I've never seen anything I particularly like about Casey, and no, I don't think it's generally that smart to presume that just because someone isn't the current coach, that that makes them someone worth having... that's a classic "grass is always greener" illusion.

I would usually agree with the "grass is greener" coaching analogy, but with Woody, the grass actually is always greener.