The players want extension for Woody

[jerrywest]

http://www.celticsblog.com/2009/12/7/1189120/should-woodson-get-extension-hawk

The Atlanta Hawks continue to be one the league's more interesting stories.

Consider it this way.

On your watch, your team has increased its success 361% over 5 years. That means you’ve navigated your team to an average annual gain of 38% per year.

If you were a corporate executive, they would be tripling your bonus, increasing your stock options, increasing your expense account, and naming a sandwich in the the executive cafeteria in your honor. You’d have a lifetime free reserved parking space right up front in the company parking lot.

Atlanta head coach Mike Woodson has done just that and he doesn’t even know if he will have a job next season.

Add to that….the high flying Hawks are still trying to make believers out of skeptics.

But the Predatory Birds don’t give a hoot what everyone else thinks.

Joe Johnson on whether people think they are an elite team….

….we could care less what the media or anybody says about us. We believe in ourselves and that’s all we got right now is us. So everybody kind of looks out for the past previous years. And we made the playoffs. We did the unthinkable.

Now? We’re still flying under the radar. Which I really don’t think anybody cares on this team, ‘cause it only matters when you get out on the floor and playing between those lines. You know, on paper, it doesn’t matter so….

We’re just going to stay focused, stay as a unit, stay as a team, and we’ll come through.

And Mike Woodson won’t let his own unresolved situation distract his club from focusing on basketball. Woodson…

Hey I…I don’t really discuss my contract. You know I mean, I don’t really want to get into it because it’s what it is…and you know…as a coach you just try to do the best you can do each and every day. You come to work and that is what I’m going to continue to do as long as I’m the head coach of this team.

But have they given you any goals you need to meet for this team?

No

Has there been any talks at all during the season?

No. Not at all. And like I said, it’s what it is. And I’m going to continue to do my job as long as I’m the head coach here. And hopefully some positive things will come behind that.

And you know, at the end of the day, if everything takes care of itself, I’ll be rewarded with a contract. That is kind of how I look at it.

But ask the Hawk players and they, at least the five players I spoke to, agree that Woodson should get another extension. They are in unified agreement that Woodson is a big part of why they where they are. Some say it should have happened already.

<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21566/Marvin_Williams" class="sbn-auto-link">Marvin Williams…

Absolutely. He’s been a great coach for us young guys. I mean …if he’s not here….who knows what position we’d be in.

Will everyone say that?

Absolutely. I think you’re gonna get that answer from anybody around the room. We have a lot of faith in coach Woodson. You know, he really brought us along the way. We were 19 year old kids. We’re 24-25 now. We’re definitely playing some pretty good basketball. So, he’s a big credit to that.

Mike Bibby…

Yes. He should have got one a while ago.

Even Josh Smith, who has had his differences with Woodson over the years…

Yeah….I mean, he’s proven himself. And…he’s a good coach. He’s a good coach. He’s a players’ coach. You know, he works hard just like we work hard. And anybody who’s bettered their record every year that he’s been a coach deserves a contract.

Joe Johnson, who is opting for free agency, and is unsure about where he will want to play next season, was asked if signing Woodson might affect his decision...

Uhhhhhm….maybe. You know, I don’t really know….honestly, at this point, what’s in store.

He discusses whether all the uncertainty for each of them is a distraction in this year, even as they raise their goals…

Not at all, man. I’ve been in this situation before. You know, I’ve played through contract situations, so it’s nothing new to me. I just have to stay focused and play my game. But I know that there’s no added pressure on Mike Woodson.

Me and him talk a lot. So…we’re just two guys, man, we’re playing this thing out. And we’re just looking forward to getting wins and making this team a better team as much as possible.

Even newly acquired veteran Joe Smith had some surprisingly good things to say about Mike Woodson and endorsed a new contract…

I’ve enjoyed playing under Coach Woodson since I’ve been here and he puts us in good situations to go out there and be successful as individuals and as a group. So, if they can get something done, I’m all for it.

Joe went on to reveal a hitherto unrevealed dimension of the Hawks head coach and agreed that that the feeling for re-upping Woodson was pretty much universal in the locker room…

Oh yeah. Yeah. I think so. Everybody likes and enjoys playing for him….He makes the game a lot of fun, even in practice. Pre game, before we take the floor, he kind of relaxes us a little bit.

Can you give an example of that?

Umm. He just jokes around with us a lot. I mean, you know, he kind of notices when we’re tense…and when things are tight in the locker room. So he kind of jokes or says a few jokes or will do something to certain individuals, or say something to certain individuals, where… it could lighten the mood a little bit.

But you can’t share any of those?

Naw….(laughing)

Go figure. Exuding an innate dignity, always respectful, Woody is going all Chris Rock on you, when he wants to. Who knew?

But Joe Smith’s been around long enough to see the harsh business side of this league to know nothing is certain and business decisions are different that basketball decisions sometimes….

When I look at it, this thing is….more of a business than anything. And it kind of takes the sport out of it a little bit….because you’re thinking so much with a business mind. Hopefully they’ll get something done. Because, like you said, there’s not too many coaches that have taken a team from when they first got here, 13-14 wins, to now, last year 47 wins. Now try to take it up another level.

And that is Woodson's challenge....taking it up yet another level. It just gets harder the closer you get to the top of the mountain. Can this Hawk team become an elite team and a true title contender?

Mike Bibby returned to this team with a big pay cut. A favorite player to boo in Boston, it is clear Bibby is a key player on the Hawks roster, bringing mental toughness, and is a team leader. It is also clear Mike Woodson is a big reason Bibby returned and explains why…

I love him and I’ve had a lot of coaches in my time. For some coaches I say I like, and got along with, and some coaches I didn’t. You know, I mean I love Coach Woodson. He’s relaxed. He has fun. I think that’s what you got to do.

I love coming to work here and…I can talk to him. I can give him my input on the team and stuff like that and not a lot of coaches let you do that.

I don’t think, right now, I could be in a better situation and actually that’s another reason why I came here, came back here.

Just how… being comfortable with the coaching staff and my teammates.

How do you rate him with all the other coaches you played for?

Definitely one of the top. I’ve had a couple…I’ve had

Lionel Hollins

, umm….

Rick Adelman

and Coach Woodson’s right up there with those two, too.

Adelman? That’s rich company.

I mean… you get a lot of different type of attitudes and personalities with coaches. You know, some coaches are "this is my way" and ‘this is how we’re going to do it’ and you have coaches like Woodson, I mean just…I tell the guys….we got it good (here).

A lot of coaches that you (the Hawks players) probably wouldn’t like playing for. I mean, we have got a good situation with coach Woodson. He definitely deserves an extension.

Perhaps such a statement was wafted in Josh Smith’s direction, the player with the unlimited potential but previously ongoing differences with Woodson.

Regarding those differences, I asked Josh point blank – Are they as bad as some have written or over blown?

Josh…

Overblown.

J-Smoove’s recommendation for a Woodson extension would back that up that statement.

(Back To Mike Bibby)… So then you’re kind of good for Woodson in the locker room. Kind of an extension….

Yeah, like I mean…when I’m out there and I see something on the court, I’ll give my input, and he lets me go with it. He lets me go out in there in the game…for him to have that much confidence in me…for him to let me do that, that gives people confidence to play.

High praise, indeed. In truth, after friction with Ron Artest with a going-nowhere Sacramento team, Bibby's career has been resurrected in Atlanta.

Welcome to the ultra competitive NBA, an Atlanta team known for it’s frugality, an ownership group that has its own issues, a weak residual economy, an yet-to-determined new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the early stages of negotiations and it helps explain the situation. Are those the reasons why Woodson is coaching this crucial season without a net?

Or is it really as simple as something like… the team’s brain trust is unsure that Mike Woodson is the guy that can take this team to the next level?

They have only had five years of work to make that determination.

Six year Hornets’ coach, Byron Scott, was fired for a 3-6 record following a poor playoff showing the year before.

Seven year Nets’ coach, Lawrence Frank, was fired for working the Nets plan and far harder than his players did.

Mike Woodson’s done everything that has been asked of him for 5 straight years, yet had to survive one reported attempted firing from a GM (Billy Knight) who quit afterwards, and is being scrutinized by that GM’s replacement, Mr. Rick Sund.

To be fair, Sund believed enough to give Woodson a ‘show me more’ two year extension that ends at the end of this season.

It sounds like Woodson is a survivor. But he’s really been far more that. He’s been downright successful - anyway you want you to measure it. So the delay and non-negotiations until this year is finished are, on the surface, simply puzzling.

The thought occurred to me that if the Hawks didn’t continue to move forward this season, Mike Woodson could be on thin ice himself. They are, and he isn’t….or he could be…still.

I can’t remember when I have ever seen a situation like this.

Ex or Ex?

Is Mike Woodson headed for an ex-tension or the title – ex-coach? It will either be one of the league’s most astonishing ‘lack of management support’ moves and the title ex-coach…or vindication with a capital V and a big X as in contract extension?

No one knows until the season ends.

At least Mike Woodson doesn’t know. All negotiations are stopped until the season ends.

For anyone who follows the Celtics, this sounds somewhat familiar. Doc Rivers was forced to work the same way in his first year. All he had to do to guarantee a return was win the NBA title in 2008.

What will be the defining parameters for rewarding Mike Woodson’s hard work over 6 years developing a young core of lottery picks, one established star, and flotsam and jetsam along the way?

As with Doc Rivers, there are murmurings by some in the Hawk fan base that Woodson just isn’t that good of a coach. The offense is not very complicated, nor team oriented. Lots of player ‘isos’ followed by Joe Johnson Time.

Yet, through ownership turmoil and a change of general managers, the Atlanta Hawks have improved 5 straight years. Navigating that rise is head coach Mike Woodson.

Is there any truth to Woodson not being a good tactician?

Joe Smith…

So far this year, (it’s) been so good. Every night different teams are going to present us something different. I think he does a good job of watching enough film, him and his staff do a good job of watching that film and trying to put us in the best situation to be successful out there.

Might there even be a bit of similarity between Woodson and Rivers in the people skills department?

Joe Smith…

I haven’t played for Doc, but outside looking in, I can see the resemblance. And if I never played for Coach Woodson, I’d have never known that. So I really can’t speak on both sides but I know he brings a lot of light to our locker room.

Like the stock market, Mike’s team’s annual jumps have climbed a ‘wall of worry’. Or maybe it is a ‘wall of expectations’. From the youngest team in the league to a second round playoff team last season, they have moved forward every…single….year. But, just like the Cavaliers, and just like the Magic before them, they are not without their doubters.

Keeping score? It goes like this.... 13, 26, 30, 37, and 47 wins. This season, the beat goes on as the Hawks are currently 14-6 and two games off the EC lead to the Orlando Magic.

Yet, unbelievably, the man is coaching without knowing if he will even be back next season. Instead of a cushy long term extension, there is not even an unspoken agreement about coming back next season. He hasn’t been given a bench mark the team must meet to see the return of the man who coached the team back to respectability and a bona fide playoff contender.

But GM Rick Sund gives an indication of what would be expected in an interview with Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Courier….

Now we’ve got to go from good to great, and that’s the really hard part in the NBA – going from good to great.

And that appears to be the outstanding and unanswered question: Can Mike Woodson takes this team to the rarified air of title contender?

For the first time in recent memory, the frugal Hawks have spent a few extra dollars for a real bench. They re-signed their capable back up center Zaza Pachulia when many thought he would go elsewhere. They added Joe Smith. They added Jamal Crawford. That makes for a solid player rotation and that is all you can expect from any team.

They are in no one’s conversations for title contender. That was the way it was with last season’s Orlando Magic. Are this year’s Hawks, last season’s Magic?

It is really up to those players who gave Woodson such a ringing endorsement to play up to their potential. They alone can save Woodson’s job. They have a solid eight man rotation. They are still $4 million below the penalty ($66 mil.). Their three top competitors in the east have all spent at least $14 million (plus penalty taxes) more. I’m not saying that money alone should determine the success of a team.

If the Hawks fail to advance to the Eastern Conference Title game, will Woodson be dumped for failing to meet expectations? What should be the determining factor for re-signing Mike Woodson?

By most reasonable expectations, it seems he should have gotten a new contract by now. Woodson's coaching with an EX upon his back. Ex-tension or....ex-coach? We won't know until this summer.

[AHF]

The Atlanta Hawks continue to be one the league's more interesting stories.

Consider it this way.

On your watch, your team has increased its success 361% over 5 years. That means you’ve navigated your team to an average annual gain of 38% per year.

Aren't they missing a year?

In year 1, the team decreased its success 54%. If we are going to play number games without context, it is a little unfair to exclude the one negative data point.

It amazes me how often this stat is cited as if Woodson would have been even better had the Hawks only won 6.5 games his first season. Then they'd have increased their success 722% over five years and averaged a gain of 38% per year!

Woodson advocates should not emphasize how low the bar was set in Woodson's first season to promote his case for a new contract, IMO. If you can't radically improve a team from 13 wins with 5 years, an All-Star FA and numerous lottery picks then god help you.

[niremetal]

WARNING - that blog is NOT a journalistic or even major blog source. It is from a Boston Celtics fan blog. We have NO way of knowing its reliability and frankly I would be shocked if 5 Hawks rotation players took the time to sit down and talk to a Boston Celtics fan blogger during the season for a story about the contract situation of their head coach.

And otherwise, the article appears to be completely unsourced. Red flags, folks. I wouldn't trust it unless the purported quotes from "the five players I spoke to" appear in a legit media source.

Edited December 7, 2009 by niremetal

[macdaddy]

If they had extended him and the Hawks had a bad season then they look like idiots and everyone is writing articles saying they knew he wasn't a good coach. The vets like him because they get to do what they want and that's fine. No current player is going to say he isn't a good coach.

He's done a good job and consistently improved this team over 5 years. The glass half full says our next level is elite status. The glass half empty says we have to win a playoff series against a good team first. Woody hasn't done that yet.

[GameTime]

He is a players' coach, I don't doubt the players do love him. Doesn't validate him as a good coach.

Edited December 7, 2009 by GameTime

[DjGrizz]

WARNING - that blog is NOT a journalistic or even major blog source. It is from a Boston Celtics fan blog. We have NO way of knowing its reliability and frankly I would be shocked if 5 Hawks rotation players took the time to sit down and talk to a Boston Celtics fan blogger during the season for a story about the contract situation of their head coach.

And otherwise, the article appears to be completely unsourced. Red flags, folks. I wouldn't trust it unless the purported quotes from "the five players I spoke to" appear in a legit media source.

Very sketchy.

However, those quotation by Bibby do sound legit. Mainly because I've heard him say similar things in regard to Woody letting him run what he wants for the offense.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LMAO @ how the people are already coming out of the woodwork to nit-pick about the article, instead of addressing the facts stated in the article. You gotta love it.

@ AHF: Man, you know good and well that they gutted this team, much in the same way that New Jersey gutted their team. We weren't in rebuilding mode back then. We were in full demolition mode. Woody had to start from scratch.

@ niremental: You may be correct. But ask yourself this. Why would someone who runs a respected blog in BOSTON, make up quotes and stories about the players liking the coach? The people who do these blogs do have access to some of these teams. If this same article came from peachtreehoops.com, you wouldn't be disputing it. And don't get it twisted man. Some of these people on these fan blogs are actually sports writers. They may be using made-up usernames like you and I, but they're writers nonetheless.

LMAO . . . I love this. Because to anybody who isn't completely biased against Woody, it's OBVIOUS that the players like playing for the dude. It's obvious that he has their respect. I know one thing. A blog/article like this would NEVER have been written by an Atlanta writer or someone running an Atlanta Hawks blog.

It's so funny how the rest of the league view us, compared to how we view ourselves.

You guys can believe all of the negative stuff you want about Woody if you want. Let's see if some of the players will come out and dispute the quotes. Or better yet, how about contacting Ken ( who obviously follows this blog ), to see if he can get the same types of answers from the players, concerning Woody.

[AHF]

@ AHF: Man, you know good and well that they gutted this team, much in the same way that New Jersey gutted their team. We weren't in rebuilding mode back then. We were in full demolition mode. Woody had to start from scratch.

We agree. That was my point. Using the baseline of a no-talent, gutted team to judge whether Woodson has added value is asinine. Would the article be be trumpeting Woody as a success if he improved the team's winning by 100% over the last 5 years (i.e., brought us to 26 wins)? Of course not. But 100% improvement sure sounds good when you use that "full demolition mode" as your baseline. It is just a worthless metric. Woody-advocates can do better.

[Guest]

@ niremental: You may be correct. But ask yourself this. Why would someone who runs a respected blog in BOSTON, make up quotes and stories about the players liking the coach? The people who do these blogs do have access to some of these teams. If this same article came from peachtreehoops.com, you wouldn't be disputing it. And don't get it twisted man. Some of these people on these fan blogs are actually sports writers. They may be using made-up usernames like you and I, but they're writers nonetheless.

You are implying that this is a legitimate article. Also you are implying that you read/have read this blog because you claim it to be respectable. Its never been mentioned here. Have you ever read any articles by Tenacious T?

I'm on Nire's side, its something to be skeptical of. Why would this writer in Boston all of the sudden have access to the Hawks? Have an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out.

Also note that I (and I'm assuming Nire as well) do not claim this article to be false, I am just not validating it like most on here have done already.

[niremetal]

LMAO @ how the people are already coming out of the woodwork to nit-pick about the article, instead of addressing the facts stated in the article. You gotta love it.

I don't buy that the quotes are facts, and that's all I'm nitpicking.

@ niremental: You may be correct. But ask yourself this. Why would someone who runs a respected blog in BOSTON, make up quotes and stories about the players liking the coach?

Who knows. Maybe he didn't get the quotes personally, but instead got them from someone who he trusted and said he did talk to the players. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he thought no one would pick up on it. Maybe he's just an idiot like the people on ESPN who post quotes from "Hawks sources" that turn out to be complete BS. Happens all the time. I've worked for a judge before and have seen lawyers lie to the judge's face about something they thought they could get away with (but that any reasonable person seemingly would have known would have led to trouble), so stranger things happen. And this guy isn't even a journalist - he's a blogger. No press pass, no ethics code.

The people who do these blogs do have access to some of these teams.

It would be more accurate to say that SOME of them have SOME access to ONE team (maybe 2-3). But SBNation is fan bloggers, not beat writers or journalists. Having two good friends who contribute to other SBNation blogs, I can tell you - most of them are just fans with zero access.

If this same article came from peachtreehoops.com, you wouldn't be disputing it.

Yes, I would.

And don't get it twisted man. Some of these people on these fan blogs are actually sports writers. They may be using made-up usernames like you and I, but they're writers nonetheless.

There are a lot of "writers" out there on SBNation and on other fan (rather than news organization) blogs. They all are writers. But the vast majority of them are not journalists. They don't have a press pass. They don't get access to the locker room (even of their "home" team, much less a team from another city). They have to go through agents to get in touch with the players, and most agents wouldn't let them close. Getting a quote from one player would be a feat. Getting quotes from 5 players on an opposing team that hasn't visited town for 2 weeks? That would be pretty extraordinary for a fan blogger. Even beyond that, they aren't subject to training sessions relating to sourcing, paraphrasing, and quoting, nor are they bound by the standards of professional ethics of accredited journalists.

Looking backward at his previous posts, I see nothing that tells me that the guy who wrote this "article" is different than most other fan bloggers.

Let's see if some of the players will come out and dispute the quotes. Or better yet, how about contacting Ken ( who obviously follows this blog ), to see if he can get the same types of answers from the players, concerning Woody.

The players won't respond unless a bigger fish than a few contributers to fan blogs pick up on this. But I would far from shocked if this turned out to be the way that each of the players actually felt. I never said it wasn't true. I said there were a hell of a lot of red flags. And there are.

Edited December 7, 2009 by niremetal

[mrhonline]

Sekou wrote a similar article in the offseason.

But I have to agree that Woodson being a "player's coach" is both a positive and a negative.

[niremetal]

You are implying that this is a legitimate article. Also you are implying that you read/have read this blog because you claim it to be respectable. Its never been mentioned here. Have you ever read any articles by Tenacious T?

I'm on Nire's side, its something to be skeptical of. Why would this writer in Boston all of the sudden have access to the Hawks? Have an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out.

Also note that I (and I'm assuming Nire as well) do not claim this article to be false, I am just not validating it like most on here have done already.

Co-sign.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And let me put a conspiracy theory type angle on all of this. Isn't it curious that something like this comes out of Boston? Could they be writing something like this, to get people ( i.e. - the Hawks organization ) to talk about something other than what we're doing on the basketball court? Something that could serve as a distraction to us, and possibly start some trouble?

I don't think Boston fears us, but we're definitely on their minds. They do NOT want to play us in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

But don'mt be surprised if this is some national sportswriter moonlighting as a blogger on a fan site. Heck, for all we know, Sekou could've written this and sold it to their blog site, or some ESPN writer under an obscure blog name, could've written this.

But to make up an in-depth story like that, with supposedly quoted statements from our players, the coach, and the GM, would severly damage the credibility of that blog and render it as a complete joke.

But we obviously have some VIPs on this board who lurk, even if they don't post. If the story is untrue, they'll quickly debunk it.

[GameTime]

Or maybe they are using this to get Woody an extension, since they know with him as a coach we can't win a 7 game series against them?

[spotatl]

Honestly I think Boston would be pretty thrilled to play the Hawks in the second round of the playoffs since that would mean missing the cavs and Magic.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Sekou wrote a similar article in the offseason.

But I have to agree that Woodson being a "player's coach" is both a positive and a negative.

Come to think of it, you're right. Sekou did write a similar article about the Hawks this summer. It wasn't solely about Woody's contract situation, but that was discussed, along with the overall state of the team ( from an expectation and perception standpoint )

If the guy in Boston didn't do all of the work himself, maybe he's "Frankensteined" this article, taking quotes that our players have said in the past, and pieced this article together.

Still, if the quotes aren't true, someone who covers the Hawks or someone from the organization, will probably debunk this. Ken is the guy that needs to shoot this down, if it isn't true. He's the one writer that's closest to the Hawks.

LOL @ Sund's non-committal answer in that article. Typical.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Or maybe they are using this to get Woody an extension, since they know with him as a coach we can't win a 7 game series against them?

LOL . . maybe that's true too, if you want to look at it the other way. Woody knows how to beat the Celtics though. It's just getting our frontline to play big enough against them on a game by game basis, that's the major challenge for Woody.

[Plainview1981]

LMAO @ how the people are already coming out of the woodwork to nit-pick about the article, instead of addressing the facts stated in the article. You gotta love it.

@ AHF: Man, you know good and well that they gutted this team, much in the same way that New Jersey gutted their team. We weren't in rebuilding mode back then. We were in full demolition mode. Woody had to start from scratch.

@ niremental: You may be correct. But ask yourself this. Why would someone who runs a respected blog in BOSTON, make up quotes and stories about the players liking the coach? The people who do these blogs do have access to some of these teams. If this same article came from peachtreehoops.com, you wouldn't be disputing it. And don't get it twisted man. Some of these people on these fan blogs are actually sports writers. They may be using made-up usernames like you and I, but they're writers nonetheless.

LMAO . . . I love this. Because to anybody who isn't completely biased against Woody, it's OBVIOUS that the players like playing for the dude. It's obvious that he has their respect. I know one thing. A blog/article like this would NEVER have been written by an Atlanta writer or someone running an Atlanta Hawks blog.

It's so funny how the rest of the league view us, compared to how we view ourselves.

You guys can believe all of the negative stuff you want about Woody if you want. Let's see if some of the players will come out and dispute the quotes. Or better yet, how about contacting Ken ( who obviously follows this blog ), to see if he can get the same types of answers from the players, concerning Woody.

Million dollar players want to play for a coach who likely isn't very hard on them? Nah, it couldn't be.... Remember, he already said that he doesn't get on them about offense. And I'm going to take a wild guess that he isn't all that hard on them for the poor defense they often display. Like someone else said, there is little doubt that they like playing for him, but the lack of discipline the team often plays with shows that he is not a good coach. I know the team is fairly young overall, but these guys have been together 5 or 6 seasons now. It's time for that to stop being a big excuse.

[Buzzard]

This is such a asinine article. It does not matter if its legit or not. What employee when asked in public and in front of his boss is going to say no to this question...I really think my boss needs to get fired. Dumbest damn question I have ever heard; now what they say in private is sometimes a different story....

[jerrywest]

Interesting to read all of your comments. I’m the guy who wrote the piece.

Just a few thoughts….

1) the idea that – of course they would all say great things about the coach they currently play for……

I thought about that. In truth, they didn’t have to be so emphatic about it. Players can and will give more tepid answers when they aren’t enamored of their coach. You sometimes have to read between the lines on their answers. The only really somewhat reluctant response was J-Smooves and even the way he answered was interesting.

Here is a part of his quote that I didn’t use in the article….

I’ve read that there are two stories with your own problems with your coach.. 1) that there are problems and or 2) that its’ been overblown.

So coming right from you… which is it?

It’s been over blown. It’s been over blown. We have a good relationship and he wishes the best for me just like I wish the best for him.

So if he got another contract for next year, you would be happy with that?

I don’t believe in having people get money taken away from them and their families so I mean I’ll be just as happy as he would if he could get another contract.

No player and coach’s relationship are ever perfect. Would you say that over the years, he has helped you become a better player?

I mean all the coaches have helped me become a better player. You know, I was young. I came into the game at 18, very inexperienced and I’m in my 6th year and I’m 23 years old. And I have a different, a better outlook than what I did when I was 18.

2) Why I did the piece…

I’ll do any article that is interesting. As the piece explains (and everyone here knows) this is an interesting situation – not unlike Doc Rivers’ when he coached his previous contract’s final year without an agreement.

The players opened up with some good stuff, so I went with a longer piece. They said a few things I’d never seen in print before. It deserved the space and effort, IMO.

3) Atlanta has an interesting and up coming team. I like a number of aspects about the Hawks. I hope you all go to games and support them – except when the Celtics come to town!

An aside…many poo-pooed the signing of Crawford around the boards. I felt was a solid pick up for the bench for you. Seems to be true so far.

If the players on this team wanted Woodson gone, the meltdown would be occurring as we speak. It would be that easy. We have all seen it before – some would even say this season with Byron Scott.

Be well all.

T

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2009/12/7/1189655/hawks-players-think-mike-woodson#comments

by tenaciousT on Dec 7, 2009 5:42 PM EST