Mike Woodson appreciation thread

[AHF]

I'll say that Woody was dealt a losing hand his first two seasons and no amount of good coaching was going to get over that to arrive at a playoff appearance. That shouldn't be held against him.

Best of luck in landing another job. May we see you again in the playoffs.

[gsuteke]

Great thread! I appreciate the hell out of Woodson and all that he put up with to grow this team and he certainly grew as a coach during this time. I don't believe that he's among the upper tier of NBA head coaches but I do believe he's a better coach than what we've seen because I honestly believe we've got some bad apples on the team that need to be straightened out and he's also never had a true NBA starting lineup to work with. I believe there are coaches that could have and would have done better than Woody did with what he had to work with but he will definitely get another shot at coaching and I hope he gets a team with a solid fundamental beliefs type of GM and owner as well as some intelligent players, a starting caliber PG, and players who don't embarrass their franchise when the season is on the line.

Thanks for all that you did Mike and I wish you the best! ... and now I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing who we bring in as our next coach and I'll have my fingers crossed that we get someone who is a clear upgrade.

you can appreciate woody's shortcomings yet understand his faults. woody's time in atlanta is not a black and white issue. he doesn't deserve all the heat he's gettnig but in the end his team didn't perfrom and his offensive and defensive schemes did not work. i wouldn't even call him a scapegoat at this point Kudos to Woody for sticking it out and we wish you the best of luck at your next destination.

[Guest]

Its not you Woody, its the team.

[High5]

Woodson isn't head coach material, but by all accounts he's a solid assistant and a good dude. I wish him the best, I just hope it's far way from Atlanta.

[Admin]

Woodson isn't head coach material, but by all accounts he's a solid assistant and a good dude. I wish him the best, I just hope it's far way from Atlanta.

I might agree with you except for the fact that both Stan Van Gundy and Hubie Brown said that Mike Woodson is a terrific head coach. He ain't the greatest but just like I've dealt with the dud draftee's we've had I'm going to look at Woody the same way in that I'll reserve final judgment on his coaching ability until I see him coaching a different team and seeing a different coach with our team.

[AHF]

I would love to face off against a Woodson-run team in the playoffs in the future. If everyone loves him this much, he'll get the chance and we'll see the proof in the pudding.

What will tick me off is if he moves away from his iso system after forcing it down our throats for 5 years without Plan B or adjustment and learns to run some variations on his switching defense.. It would be like watching your ex-girlfriend who did nothing but nag you suddenly drop 15 pounds, add a cup size, and decide she should focus on enjoying life rather than sweating the small stuff.

Either way, good luck to Woody in his next role.

[Plainview1981]

Woodrow went into a total rebuild with a jackass GM on hand.

Burger King traded anything that resembled a talented player and they won 13 games Woody's first year. they won 50 something games this year with lottery pick after lottery pick and only half of them were hits. Woody took all the heat and didn't complain about it one bit when they failed and I respect that.

Woody said all the right things in the pre/post/during game interviews but in the end the team didn't perform up to expectation. The offensive "system" was exposed and the defense didn't work. However Woodrow deserves some credit for sticking it out at the very least.

Woody I hope you are fired tomorrow but I appreciate the bullsh*t you've dealt with over the past 5 years. I wish you the best of luck somewhere else.

What I would like to give Woody is a kick in the privates and a titty twister.

[High5]

I might agree with you except for the fact that both Stan Van Gundy and Hubie Brown said that Mike Woodson is a terrific head coach. He ain't the greatest but just like I've dealt with the dud draftee's we've had I'm going to look at Woody the same way in that I'll reserve final judgment on his coaching ability until I see him coaching a different team and seeing a different coach with our team.

Don't be so naive. I have never heard a coach call another coach awful. They will always have each others backs.

Edited May 11, 2010 by High5

[Joker]

I would love to face off against a Woodson-run team in the playoffs in the future. If everyone loves him this much, he'll get the chance and we'll see the proof in the pudding.

What will tick me off is if he moves away from his iso system after forcing it down our throats for 5 years without Plan B or adjustment and learns to run some variations on his switching defense.. It would be like watching your ex-girlfriend who did nothing but nag you suddenly drop 15 pounds, add a cup size, and decide she should focus on enjoying life rather than sweating the small stuff.

Either way, good luck to Woody in his next role.

In my off-season thread, this could be a reality.

[WraithSentinel]

ummmmmmmmmm No.

[Atlantaholic]

If Woodson gets a head coaching job next year, it won't be for a playoff team. I can pretty much guarantee you that. There is literally no team who has logged more than 10 playoff games in the last three years that has played worse than we have. How can there be any GM out there who would feel comfortable with Woodson coaching their team in the playoffs??? The last FOUR playoff series have been each one of them either absolutely embarrassing or borderline embarrassing. I haven't been a fan of Mike Woodson pretty much since his third season, when it became abundantly clear that he had absolutely no offensive game plan. People who argue that the ISO offense is Woodson tailoring the offense around our talent are flat out wrong. We had Iso Tyronne Lue, Iso Anthony Johnson, Iso Bibby, Iso Jamal, Iso Joe Johnson, and good god if I don't get chills down my spine when I think back on Iso Matt Frieje. I didn't even consider that dribbling the ball at the top of the three point line for 16 seconds before going one on one or jacking up a three was a viable offense play for an NBA team until I saw the Woodson offense on display. I remember thinking, damn this Tyronne Lue guy sure loves to dribble.... Little did I suspect that three years later I would be seeing a four time all star run the same damn play over, and over again, for four straight games, against a championship caliber team in the second round of the playoffs.

As a human being, I wish Woodson the best. As a fan, all I can say is I hope Woodson stays as far away from our team as possible.

Edited May 11, 2010 by Atlantaholic

[Endy9]

Woodrow went into a total rebuild with a jackass GM on hand.

Burger King traded anything that resembled a talented player and they won 13 games Woody's first year. they won 50 something games this year with lottery pick after lottery pick and only half of them were hits. Woody took all the heat and didn't complain about it one bit when they failed and I respect that.

Woody said all the right things in the pre/post/during game interviews but in the end the team didn't perform up to expectation. The offensive "system" was exposed and the defense didn't work. However Woodrow deserves some credit for sticking it out at the very least.

Woody I hope you are fired tomorrow but I appreciate the bullsh*t you've dealt with over the past 5 years. I wish you the best of luck somewhere else.

+1

[Admin]

Don't be so naive. I have never heard a coach call another coach awful. They will always have each others backs.

It's not being naive as they didn't have to make that remark at all. It's not like either of them were sitting at a Q&A session and were asked what they thought of Woody as a coach.

We'll see how good or bad Woody is though based on what this team looks like with a new coach next season and I've got a feeling that some here are in for a rude awakening when we still show a general lack of basketball IQ and a propensity to play hard in spurts. I hope I'm wrong though and we'll be much better with a new coach.

[High5]

It's not being naive as they didn't have to make that remark at all. It's not like either of them were sitting at a Q&A session and were asked what they thought of Woody as a coach.

We'll see how good or bad Woody is though based on what this team looks like with a new coach next season and I've got a feeling that some here are in for a rude awakening when we still show a general lack of basketball IQ and a propensity to play hard in spurts. I hope I'm wrong though and we'll be much better with a new coach.

Coaches don't have to make the remark, but whenever a coach's job is in question, other coaches (or former coaches in Hubie's case) always speak up. There was a RealGM headline yesterday where Stan Van Gundy was singing Del Negro's praises too. Stan knows how Woodson and Del Negro feel so he's going to offer his support. Plus he just humiliated Woodson so it was the least he could do.

[Diesel]

If you don't appreciate anything that Woody has done as Hawks head coach, then why are you posting in this thread?? Damn are you going to piss on his casket at the Wake too? Woodson is something that Hawks fans shouldn't have to worry about anymore so why the slander? Just say your positive piece (peace) and move on.

Woody, I appreciate the way you continued to teach defense even if I disagree with how you did it.

[HawkRock1123]

I think he is not a good head coach. He is more suited as a practice and asst. coach.

+1

Think of it like football: Woody is a phenomenal defensive coordinator. Coming from the Pistons, Woody of all people would probably appreciate the formula of leaders and role players. Woody is more of a role player than a leader. There's nothing wrong with that! You have to have both for a championship team. The fact that he's improved this team every year since he's been here speaks volumes about how effective he is as a defensive coach. However, as a head coach, I feel like Woody is playing out of position.

If we keep him, it won't be the worst thing, though I'm not sure if it's the best decision. If he goes, I wish him all the best.

[MaceCase]

Too Woodrow "Woody" Woodson. When your scheme clicked it was a sight to behold.....we'll leave it at that :cheers:

[tremor]

Another good appreciation thread. Coach is likeable guy, just not good NBA coach.

It'll be better for him and organization if he leaves. Best wishes for the future.

[AHF]

+1

Think of it like football: Woody is a phenomenal defensive coordinator.

What part of our switching defense looked phenomenal this season? I appreciate Woody keeping his cool during his feud with Billy Knight. His professionalism during that time served him well.

[Dsinner]

I appreciate Woody for coaching like his job depended on it.