Hoopinion: FanHouse: Shoals: When Josh Childress Comes Marching Home

[Hawksquawk]

The original Washington Post article contains what seems to me a highly innocuous quote from Josh Childress at the Euroleague Final Four (watch live on ESPN3 at 2:55 EDT):

"I'll decide by July 15. But right now, I have a lot to accomplish still -- this tournament, and then the rest of the season in the Greek league."

He acknowledged that he has been following the Hawks in the NBA playoffs, though he quickly added, "because of the time difference, not all that much." And when a persistent questioner pressed Childress on the chances he might remain in Greece, he showed no trace of irritation.

"Listen -- it's been an excellent two years," he said. "It's been a growing experience, yes, but I never saw this as a temporary fix. I thought of it as a three-year deal, and it could very well end that way."

There will be lots of things that impact Childress's decision--things in Greece, things in Atlanta, things in the NBA. The first and third are financial concerns. The second is fully under control of the Atlanta Hawks organization.

Shoals:

No disrespect to

Marvin Williams

, who does some things well and is a very good supporting player, but plug Childress into that starting three spot and Atlanta becomes a far more cohesive, or at least less precarious, squad.

Had Mike Woodson been willing to do that, I don't think Josh Childress would be playing for Olympiacos today. But Woodson loves defined roles. He decided Marvin Williams was starter and Josh Childress would come off the bench. The hierarchy was defined and nothing that happened on or off the court could change that. In his last season in Atlanta, Josh Childress was far more productive than Marvin Williams yet Williams played 500 more minutes than Childress. Williams had a disastrous playoff series against the Celtics. It was painful to watch him try valiantly and fail repeatedly. But, had Williams not gotten ejected from Game 7 he would have played more minutes in that series than Childress despite the Hawks being outscored by 27.6 points per 100 possessions Williams was on the floor during the series.

If Mike Woodson's gone*, there's a better chance that Josh Childress returns to the Atlanta Hawks. That's a piece of the argument for hiring a new coach because the sentences that follow the above excerpt from Shoals are absolutely true:

At the same time, that holds true for pretty much any team. Josh Childress will only make you stronger.

*Somewhat perversely, if Mike Woodson's gone, I think there's a better chance that Marvin Williams becomes a more productive basketball player as well.

View the full article