No Smitch?

[lethalweapon3]

Which is more likely? Either:

Sund reviewed Smitch's resume and wants no part of him, or:

Smitch has been watching the Hawks up close for the last couple years and wants no part of this.

~lw3

[Atlantaholic]

I feel dumb asking this, since I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable fan, but who is Smitch???

[TheTruth]

Sam Mitchell

I hear that god awful nickname way too much...

[lethalweapon3]

A Toronto concoction I believe. I'd have gone with "Sammich" myself.

I'm going with the latter scenario. "Samuel E. Mitchell, Jr." has witnessed enough Hawk basketball over the past couple years to know it's not a project he is willing to work with. Although what's scary, by comparison, is he professed enthusiasm in recent interviews over taking the Sixers' current roster and building around them.

~lw3

[Diesel]

A Toronto concoction I believe. I'd have gone with "Sammich" myself.

I'm going with the latter scenario. "Samuel E. Mitchell, Jr." has witnessed enough Hawk basketball over the past couple years to know it's not a project he is willing to work with. Although what's scary, by comparison, is he professed enthusiasm in recent interviews over taking the Sixers' current roster and building around them.

~lw3

I don't think so.

I think if it's up to Sund, he's hiring Casey. I think he has limited the choices for the ASG. I really believe that Gearon is pushing AJ. It just feels like Sund is trying to go with a coach he has trust in... who is not a threat to minimalize his job.

Mitchell is a good choice and I think he would not be afraid of the task. What Coach can't turn around a 53 win team? 53 wins suggests that talent is there.

[Vol4ever]

A Toronto concoction I believe. I'd have gone with "Sammich" myself.

I'm going with the latter scenario. "Samuel E. Mitchell, Jr." has witnessed enough Hawk basketball over the past couple years to know it's not a project he is willing to work with. Although what's scary, by comparison, is he professed enthusiasm in recent interviews over taking the Sixers' current roster and building around them.

~lw3

Haha thats a joke right? The Hawks won 53 games and have been to the second round of the playoffs twice. In addition they finished 3rd in the Eastern Conferencethis year.. The Hawks job is the 2nd best behind Clevleland out there right now, unless Labron skips town.

I would think any coach out there currently unemployed would love to be the Hawks next coach. If Sam Mitchell said that then he is a bigger idiot than I thought.

[NJHAWK]

I don't think so.

I think if it's up to Sund, he's hiring Casey. I think he has limited the choices for the ASG. I really believe that Gearon is pushing AJ. It just feels like Sund is trying to go with a coach he has trust in... who is not a threat to minimalize his job.

Mitchell is a good choice and I think he would not be afraid of the task. What Coach can't turn around a 53 win team? 53 wins suggests that talent is there.

If your right could we have another infamous photo of a man refusing to shake another mans hand?

[DjGrizz]

A Toronto concoction I believe. I'd have gone with "Sammich" myself.

I'm going with the latter scenario. "Samuel E. Mitchell, Jr." has witnessed enough Hawk basketball over the past couple years to know it's not a project he is willing to work with. Although what's scary, by comparison, is he professed enthusiasm in recent interviews over taking the Sixers' current roster and building around them.

~lw3

Sammich is an awesome nickname. And you my sir are the man!!!

[Wretch]

This team won a lot of games with a truly limited strategy. Coaches have to be looking at that and seeing how they could take this squad to the next level. I don't think Mitchell is in the running at all and if this isn't about money, and our interest in AJ isn't for show, then I think Casey is exactly what Diesel says - the safest choice that Sund can make for the sake of his career here.

[lethalweapon3]

Mitchell is a good choice and I think he would not be afraid of the task. What Coach can't turn around a 53 win team? 53 wins suggests that talent is there.

Haha thats a joke right? The Hawks won 53 games and have been to the second round of the playoffs twice. In addition they finished 3rd in the Eastern Conferencethis year.. The Hawks job is the 2nd best behind Clevleland out there right now, unless (LeBron) skips town.

I would think any coach out there currently unemployed would love to be the Hawks next coach. If Sam Mitchell said that then he is a bigger idiot than I thought.

Some coaches want to be in a Woodsonesque position of bringing teams up from the dregs, because it promises more time to develop the team even if they regress a bit at first. Win 45 games with next year's 76ers team, and their fans and media might consider replacing the Billy Penn statue and bronze you. Win 45 games with next year's Hawks, and General Sherman couldn't run you out of town any faster.

A squad with 53 victories and clear momentum towards bigger and better things would indeed be among the more attractive options for a head coach.

A team with 53 victories coming off the playoff hiney-whoopin for the ages, with penurious ownership and no impact lotto picks coming, whose leading scorer and assist-maker could "skip town" just like LeBron, whose next leading assist maker is their top shot blocker, whose remaining backcourt struggles to keep fire hydrants in front of them, whose leading bench player next year might be Zaza Pachulia, whose best foreseeable opportunity to improve during free agency is a reserve swingman with a clunky jumpshot who MIGHT take a paycut to return from Greece? Well, it is better than the Clippers' want ad, I guess...

The potential for regression is very real. And the Columbus, GA native and Philips Arena and NBA-TV regular knows this more than any other coaching prospect out there other than Larry Drew.

I'm going with the latter scenario. "Samuel E. Mitchell, Jr." has witnessed enough Hawk basketball over the past couple years to know it's not a project he is willing to work with. Although what's scary, by comparison, is he professed enthusiasm in recent interviews over taking the Sixers' current roster and building around them.

Here's the statements Sam made following the 76ers interview, which preceded the manna-from-heaven results of the NBA draft lottery:

[Mitchell] made some observations of the Sixers’ current roster; one that he is very much interested in coaching.

One of those players is Samuel Dalembert, who many are quick to criticize.

“Just give Sam his defined role,” he explained. “Play him 35-38 minutes a night. Tell him to go get every rebound and block shot out there and if he fouls out in the process so be it; just show him love,”

He likes Louis Williams and Elton Brand; so long as Brand is playing the free throw line in. He would see to it that Andre Iguodala’s three point attempts went down and his free throw attempts went up and not by just a little bit.

“If I saw Iguodala attempt more then two threes in a game, I would cry,” he said. He went on to add that Iguodala should be attempting double-figure free throw attempts as opposed to long jumpers.

Iguodala attempted double figure free throws only five times this season, four of which took place in the final three weeks when Iguodala, then playing two-guard, admitted he was more aggressive.

On the season, Iguodala shot 31 percent from three, averaging almost four attempts per game while averaging just five free throws attempts.

~lw3

[Diesel]

Some coaches want to be in a Woodsonesque position of bringing teams up from the dregs, because it promises more time to develop the team even if they regress a bit at first. Win 45 games with next year's 76ers team, and their fans and media might consider replacing the Billy Penn statue and bronze you. Win 45 games with next year's Hawks, and General Sherman couldn't run you out of town any faster.

A squad with 53 victories and clear momentum towards bigger and better things would indeed be among the more attractive options for a head coach.

A team with 53 victories coming off the playoff hiney-whoopin for the ages, with penurious ownership and no impact lotto picks coming, whose leading scorer and assist-maker could "skip town" just like LeBron, whose next leading assist maker is their top shot blocker, whose remaining backcourt struggles to keep fire hydrants in front of them, whose leading bench player next year might be Zaza Pachulia, whose best foreseeable opportunity to improve during free agency is a reserve swingman with a clunky jumpshot who MIGHT take a paycut to return from Greece? Well, it is better than the Clippers' want ad, I guess...

The potential for regression is very real. And the Columbus, GA native and Philips Arena and NBA-TV regular knows this more than any other coaching prospect out there other than Larry Drew.

Here's the statements Sam made following the 76ers interview, which preceded the manna-from-heaven results of the NBA draft lottery:

~lw3

Time is not a factor. Our owners don't have the money to go siphoning through coaches. We are more akin to the old LAC where we would rather change the players than the coaching. I suspect if we bring in a coach, he is guaranteed 5 years... regardless.

[DrReality]

I feel dumb asking this, since I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable fan, but who is Smitch???

I didn't know either.

[Jody23]

I don't think so.

I think if it's up to Sund, he's hiring Casey. I think he has limited the choices for the ASG. I really believe that Gearon is pushing AJ. It just feels like Sund is trying to go with a coach he has trust in... who is not a threat to minimalize his job.

Mitchell is a good choice and I think he would not be afraid of the task. What Coach can't turn around a 53 win team? 53 wins suggests that talent is there.

I was thinking the same thing and if this is the case, I would be worried. The ASG should be VERY leery of allowing the GM to create a situation where his coach is essentially a yes man. We saw how that turned out earlier on in the Billy Knight era. Effective checks and balances are needed for successful personnel decisions in my opinion (unless your Poppovich or West).

[coachx]

Sund reviewed Smitch's resume and wants no part of him, or:

This one !

Sam Mitchell has the same maturity level as Josh Smith. He is not head coach material in my book. He is a loose cannon.