Woody is a loser. Plain and simple.

[Atlantaholic]

Anyone who thinks Woodson is leading a team of NBA players to a world championship in this lifetime, seriously needs to lay off the glue.

The dude couldn't lead a pack of fat kids to an ice cream truck. People say we don't have leadership on our team, and it's definitely true. Thing is, leadership STARTS at the top. It always has, and always will. Every great team had a leader for a coach. Whether it be Larry Brown, or Phil Jackson, or Popovich. Not all those guys were "loved" by their stars, but they sure as all hell were respected... The Detroit championship team was comprised of a bunch of castoffs with attitude problems before Larry Brown showed up, then all of a sudden Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups are leaders... Two players who were the poster children for immature, selfish teamates, all of a sudden put everything aside and lead.

No one respects Woodson on this team. Not one player. The players that like playing under him are those who feel they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Smoove snaps at Woodson because he is on a team where every player has the freedom to do what they please, but the few who are in the doghouse are not allowed a single mistake before they are berated or pulled. In Smooves case, Woody will let Smoove jack up shots all day and all night, but the moment it costs us an important possession, or even a game, then Woodson is on him. The dude has no idea how to lead young or grown men.

[frosgrim]

Woodson is all about Woodson. He's setting it up so that he can fail, but still retain his job.

The Hawks must aim for winning the EC. Can this club do it? I don't know, but that should be the goal. Setting sights any less right now is foolish and will back-fire.

That statement by Woodson shows why he needs to be let go ASAP.

Just when I start to get excited about the Hawks that bufoon has to open his mouth again.

By the by, good list Diesel.

If anyone wants to read how a real head coach deals with early success, read this article about the Atlanta Falcons:

Link

Edited July 14, 2009 by frosgrim

[AUhawksfan]

Woodson is all about Woodson. He's setting it up so that he can fail, but still retain his job.

The Hawks must aim for winning the EC. Can this club do it? I don't know, but that should be the goal. Setting sights any less right now is foolish and will back-fire.

That statement by Woodson shows why he needs to be let go ASAP.

Just when I start to get excited about the Hawks that bufoon has to open his mouth again.

By the by, good list Diesel.

Agreed, I almost always feel that Woodson sets his expectations just low enough so that he knows he can achieve them. If he doesn't aim high, he doesn't risk his team underachieving. Then at the same time, if we do better it makes Woodson look like that much better of a coach (even though he isn't).

The season is a long ways away, there are still some signings to be made. The NBA season is also a long one, there are many chemistry and injury issues that come into play too. What if KG goes down again? What if Shaq is a horrible fit in Cleveland? etc. This clown Woodson wants to already nail us a 4 seed? What a joke! He's just positioning himself to keep his job, that's the only thing he seems to be good at.

Great quotes Diesel, if the coach doesn't believe then how is that going to motivate the players to believe? I'm not saying the Hawks will win it all, but there is still a slim chance. That is what keeps these guys motivated to play every night. If you set the goals low and don't even mention a championship, that can evaporate the slim chance into nothing.

[Cwell]

this is exactly what happened this past season. Their only goal was just to make it out of the first round,then when they did they didn't know what the hell to do then because all they wanted to do was just make it to the 2nd round. Never once in their mind did they think about actually winning in the 2nd round. This is all on that idiot woodson.

[NineOhTheRino]

this man has no clue of what it means to be a leader of men. The fact that he's back has to bring Sund's decision making ability into question. Disgraceful

[AHF]

Objectively, what Woodson said is right. As others have said, though, you don't want the coach to be an objective realist. You want him to inspire his players towards greatness.

I can only imagine what Mike Woodson would have said if he was coaching Kentucky when they faced off against LSU in February of 1990:

With All-American Chris Jackson and legendary big men Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts, we are just happy to be on the same court as LSU. They are championship caliber and we are starting John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Reggie Hanson, Derrick Miller, and Sean Woods. We are hoping to keep this one competitive for as long as possible and finish within 20 points.

Coach Pitino: "The key to coaching is not what you do, but the way you do it. The intangibles, the motivational parts of the game are the most important facets of it."

"Deserve Victory."

LSU 95 UK 100

[coachx]

Objectively, what Woodson said is right. As others have said, though, you don't want the coach to be an objective realist. You want him to inspire his players towards greatness.

I can only imagine what Mike Woodson would have said if he was coaching Kentucky when they faced off against LSU in February of 1990:

Coach Pitino: "The key to coaching is not what you do, but the way you do it. The intangibles, the motivational parts of the game are the most important facets of it."

"Deserve Victory."

LSU 95 UK 100

Excellent points !

[HawkItus]

eehhh. What is he supposed to say? And really everybody is smart enough to tell that wasn't a direct word for word quote. I'm sure if you asked him if he thought they had a chance to win a championship he wouldn't say no. I swear people on here muse over words too much. The guy set the bar higher than even the GM set it last year. If you ask Mike Smith or Bobby Cox where their teams stand they would give pretty much the same response. You respect the teams that beat you out last year and prove your better on the floor. What position Mike Woodson verbally puts us in, on the 14th of July, has as much effect on next season as somebody having a quadruple double in the Summer League.

[NineOhTheRino]

eehhh. What is he supposed to say? And really everybody is smart enough to tell that wasn't a direct word for word quote. I'm sure if you asked him if he thought they had a chance to win a championship he wouldn't say no. I swear people on here muse over words too much. The guy set the bar higher than even the GM set it last year. If you ask Mike Smith or Bobby Cox where their teams stand they would give pretty much the same response. You respect the teams that beat you out last year and prove your better on the floor. What position Mike Woodson verbally puts us in, on the 14th of July, has as much effect on next season as somebody having a quadruple double in the Summer League.

Is this not a direct quote?

"I sure hope right there at that fourth spot," Woodson said Monday.

My understanding is that everything inside those funny looking lines came out of the person's mouth. In the past I've heard many players and coaches indicate that a reporter took their words out of context so maybe this is the case here.

Edited July 14, 2009 by NineOhTheRino

[HawkItus]

Is this not a direct quote?

"I sure hope right there at that fourth spot," Woodson said Monday.

My understanding is that everything inside those funny looking lines came out of the person's mouth. I have heard many players and coaches indicate that a reporter took their words out of context. Maybe this is the case here.

t

Direct word for word quote is what I said. It's obvious there was a conversation and he didn't answer the question as it was posted. You can tell by the comments of Bibby and Zaza. Or later when Woodson is quoted as saying they came back to finish the job. Did he say what was quoted I'm sure he did. But, he was probably working off of the reporters assumption that those are the top 3 teams in the east, And answered in the question with that assumption as a confine for his answer.

[lunar]

The lack of big men is the problem. A lot of it's coaching also. These were weaknesses last year and likely neither will be fixed. This team often wins playing a poor brand of basketball. Due to the way this team plays, they often find themselves on the brink of losing to even some of the most mediocre teams. Take Washington... 3 out of the 4 wins against them were decided by 4 points or less. And that's the worst team in the east a year ago. With some trades and Gilbert A being back, sweeping them isn't anywhere near as likely. The changes the east has made will take away a few wins here and there. But it adds up at the end.

This team doesn't have good chemistry. They only pass the ball out of necessity. Josh and Woody can't stand each other. This team has won because of it's athletic ability and decent talent to go along with the weak east. We shall not forget that Orlando and Cleveland had like 14 wins more last year. They can actually afford to slip some. I don't think they will. Lebron is actually a pass first guy... More so than Kobe or Wade. So I don't see how they would really be effected on the negative side. Orlando kept their big man that Dallas was trying to get. They lost Turk, but he didn't actually have that great of a year last year. At worst, they suffer just a little bit I think.

even with the changes in the east we are still in the top 4. its the other teams that have to prove that they are better just as we have to prove that we belong with the big boys. last year everyone was talking about a big two. boston and cleveland, orlando forced their way in and it became a big three. we just got to do the same thing. even if we get the third seed that doesn't mean that one of the other teams is gonna be out of the spotlight.

[NineOhTheRino]

Direct word for word quote is what I said. It's obvious there was a conversation and he didn't answer the question as it was posted. You can tell by the comments of Bibby and Zaza. Or later when Woodson is quoted as saying they came back to finish the job. Did he say what was quoted I'm sure he did. But, he was probably working off of the reporters assumption that those are the top 3 teams in the east, And answered in the question with that assumption as a confine for his answer.

I must say you did a good job of explaining that. So much so that the quote doesn't bother me as much now.

[ccarver]

How many of you really believe he says that in the locker room? He said what he had to say to some reporter, but in the locker room he is telling his team that they are better than whoever they are playing, doesn't matter if it is Cleveland, LA, Boston, or Orlando. He is telling them they deserve to win and to go take victory. Do players on this team respect Woodson? Absolutly. Joe Johnson does. Mike Bibby does. Zaza does. I would even bet Josh Smith does. Josh was a kid when he got here and naturally rebels against the coach because he is like a father. The players said many times last year, even after losing a game, that the game plan was right, and they were unable to execute. Woody has obviously done his share of losing, but he has done what he can with the teams he has been given every year. He is still growing as a coach. The players are still growing as players. I can't wait to see how far we can go this year, the next year, and so on.

[chico1]

I don't really think he is a looser for saying that, i actually admire how realistic he is. He is totally right on what he said about cleveland, orlando, and boston. They made some big moves this offseason and the hawks didn't. it would be a miracle if the hawks move up to the third, or second spot... that's just a fact.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Haha that's funny, for once the guy doesn't sound like a square. He's just speaking the truth about the top three. Be happy you're pretty much in a lock for the playoffs Hawks fan. Geez, you're pretty much right behind the big 3, what's wrong with that? Start winning road games. Plain and simple.

It's like I've said time and time again about Woody and his "love affair" with most of this fan base. He's just not going to get any credit for what he does. And expectations of him are going to be higher for him, than it would be for anybody else. I would say something real controversial on here, but I don't want to cause a firestorm.

LOL @ he's a loser because he hopes we're at #4.

All-Star caliber players on Orlando: Howard, Nelson, Carter

All-Star caliber players on Cleveland: James, Shaq, Mo Williams

All-Star caliber players on Boston: Garnett, Pierce

All-Star caliber players on Atlanta: Johnson

The ONLY WAY this team overtakes the "Big 3" in the East, is if guys like Smith, Horford, and Marvin ( if brought back ) play their roles at a high level every night. And JJ has to play like a SUPERSTAR, forget an all-star, in order to overtake those 3 in the East.

Our weakness is the fact that our frontline is smaller than anything those other 3 teams can put up. Yet, Woody is supposed to overcome all of that. If he doesn't, he's a bad coach?

I guess Crawford is going to save the day for us. I'll say this again. If Woody can get Crawford to play efficient basketball, when guys like Nelson, Isaiah, Brown, and Skiles couldn't. . . Woody deserves props from this fan base, and immeadiate 3 year extension.

Edited July 14, 2009 by northcyde

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No one respects Woodson on this team. Not one player.

( from that article )

Woody is one of the best coaches I've played for.

- Mike Bibby

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Woody tells the truth and youse want him to lie.

LOL . . that's exactly what they want him to do.

Fan base:

"Woody . . tell us that we're going to the NBA Finals. Tell us that you'll play 9 - 10 people. Tell us that Smoove will make the All-Star team. Tell us that the moves that Cleveland and Orlando made, won't make them any better. Tell us that Jamal Crawford will shoot a career high 48% FG and 43% 3FG, and that he'll win the 6th man of the year award. Tell us that we're going to beat the Lakers and bring a championship to Atlanta. Tell us Woody. Tell us. Make us feel good."

[High5]

( from that article )

Woody is one of the best coaches I've played for.

- Mike Bibby

Besides the fact that this statement is meaningless, it's not hard to believe when you see the coaches Bibby has played for. Other than Adelman they have all been as bad if not worse than Woodson.

[High5]

Nobody is asking Woodson to lie and say we're championship contenders or anything. It's just common knowledge (at least I thought it was) that a coach shouldn't put a such a limit on the team's goals in July. If Woodson didn't routinely say stupid stuff I probably wouldn't think as much about it, but unfortunately we have arguably the biggest clown in the NBA leading our team.

[Traceman]

Anyone who thinks Woodson is leading a team of NBA players to a world championship in this lifetime, seriously needs to lay off the glue.

The dude couldn't lead a pack of fat kids to an ice cream truck. People say we don't have leadership on our team, and it's definitely true. Thing is, leadership STARTS at the top. It always has, and always will. Every great team had a leader for a coach. Whether it be Larry Brown, or Phil Jackson, or Popovich. Not all those guys were "loved" by their stars, but they sure as all hell were respected... The Detroit championship team was comprised of a bunch of castoffs with attitude problems before Larry Brown showed up, then all of a sudden Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups are leaders... Two players who were the poster children for immature, selfish teamates, all of a sudden put everything aside and lead.

No one respects Woodson on this team. Not one player. The players that like playing under him are those who feel they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Smoove snaps at Woodson because he is on a team where every player has the freedom to do what they please, but the few who are in the doghouse are not allowed a single mistake before they are berated or pulled. In Smooves case, Woody will let Smoove jack up shots all day and all night, but the moment it costs us an important possession, or even a game, then Woodson is on him. The dude has no idea how to lead young or grown men.

Sure sounds like Bibby respects Woody to me.

I think it's a good situation for me here with this coaching staff," said Bibby, 31. "Woody is one of the best coaches I've played for. You look at what we have and what we have coming back, and we believe in ourselves. We think we can get it done."

As for the other players, I think all of them respect Woody. They might disagree with him from time to time (as most players do disagree with their coaches from time to time) but they obviously respect him.

Larry Brown looked like a great leader in DET when he had talented, veteran players but what happened to that great leadership in NY when he had a bunch of young talent? Woody inherited young talents like Smoove, Marv, Al, Chillz & Zaza and helps them evovle into the 4th seed in the playoffs last year. Brown never got anything out of the young talent he had in NY (Crawford, Lee, Curry, Robinson & Frye). In fact, Isiah did a better job coaching that group than Brown did. Brown is a very smart coach who has had success with veteran teams but how much leadership ability does it take to motivate veteran players who want to win? Let's see what he does in CHA.