Larry Drew Might Be Unemployed Soon

[NineOhTheRino]

Atlanta Hawks: Why Head Coach Larry Drew Might Be Unemployed Soon

By

Bo Churney

(BR.com Contributor) on March 17, 2011 - Atlanta

It might be difficult, and even completely irrational, to fire a coach based on a single game.

However, yesterday's Hawks and Nuggets game might become that game.

For those of you who were likely watching the highlight-filled Thunder/Heat game, let me give you a quick summary:

The entire game was the epitome of what is wrong with this year's Hawks team.

In all honesty, the first quarter was great. The Hawks had the lead, they were trying to get the ball inside and Hawks coach Larry Drew even pulled Josh Smith

out of the game when he couldn't get a shot to fall. Click to continue reading

Edited March 19, 2011 by NineOhTheRino

[Endy9]

It might be difficult, and even completely irrational, to fire a coach based on a single game.

However, yesterday's Hawks and Nuggets game might become that game.

For those of you who were likely watching the highlight-filled Thunder/Heat game, let me give you a quick summary:

The entire game was the epitome of what is wrong with this year's Hawks team.

In all honesty, the first quarter was great. The Hawks had the lead, they were trying to get the ball inside and Hawks coach Larry Drew even pulled Josh Smith out of the game when he couldn't get a shot to fall. Click to continue reading

I was willing to give him a chance. I've seen enough. Go get a real coach this time Spirit!

[APE]

If he's not fired I hope he takes the Larry Drew II way out.

[NineOhTheRino]

This guy is clearly a fan of Horford. So as expected anyone that's a fan of Horford has to trash Josh. We Hawks fans are a weird bunch.

[APE]

This guy is clearly a fan of Horford. So as expected anyone that's a fan of Horford has to trash Josh. We Hawks fans are a weird bunch.

There's something mentally wrong with us. I don't know why we still bother with these bums.

[NineOhTheRino]

There's something mentally wrong with us. I don't know why we still bother with these bums.

damn sure is not easy supporting this band of merry misfits.

[tonegully]

Fire Larry Drew.

[Bawse]

Just go ahead and fire Larry Drew now and let Lester Conner run this team until the off season. Screw LD, i'm sick of this guy.

[Joker]

LD is not the problem. It's his personnel. Woody is a much better coach than you guys gave him credit for. He made us a great regular season team with his defensive system and his freelance offense. It failed in the playoffs but that's on the personnel. I knew we would be exposed no matter who we hired. Our pieces don't fit. We have an elite Robin who has to play Batman. We have a PnR PF who can't create his own shot. We have Shawn Marion with more talent but has bad BBIQ and his wants to play like Lamar Odom. We have a PG who hasn't played PG in 3 seasons. We have another PG will the world of potential but is really raw right now. We have an elite 6th man who is slumping because he's getting more attention from defenses than even when he played as a #1 option. This team has a lot of talent and great trade pieces but with great players highly likely to be on the market, maybe it's time to strike a blockbuster.

[Gray Mule]

Obviously, from what is being said, the fault is in the players and not the coach.

Why? Because they will not listen. Larry Drew keeps making the same statement,

game after game. Too many jump shots.

This group will not recieve sound coaching. That was one thing Woody lost his job

over. They will not listen.

You may say, but he's the coach and he has the power to demand that things change

or they ride their butt on the bench. Oh, really? You think so?

Larry Drew has no power except the power given him by the owners. Same as the GM,

the ownership dictates everything.

This may not be true but, until someone proves it wrong, then I'm going to believe it.

:stirthepot:

[Bawse]

Obviously, from what is being said, the fault is in the players and not the coach.

Why? Because they will not listen. Larry Drew keeps making the same statement,

game after game. Too many jump shots.

This group will not recieve sound coaching. That was one thing Woody lost his job

over. They will not listen.

You may say, but he's the coach and he has the power to demand that things change

or they ride their butt on the bench. Oh, really? You think so?

Larry Drew has no power except the power given him by the owners. Same as the GM,

the ownership dictates everything.

This may not be true but, until someone proves it wrong, then I'm going to believe it.

:stirthepot:

Exactly.

How can the fault NOT be on a LD? We have the exact same players, even slightly upgraded, and still haven't reached 40 wins. Last season we had over 50 wins. This all absolutely falls on the coaching, and if you really watch the games you would know that, just by seeing what kind of lineups LD throws out there, what kind of "offense" we run... etc etc. Jamal struggles at times because he plays the point for no apparent reason. Jamal isn't a point guard. Smoove struggles because he takes ill-advised long-ranged jumpers. Smoove isn't a pure shooter. There's a reason why he took less long range shots last season, he was told not to. As much as I hate it, and as much as I wanted Woody gone, Woody is a better coach than LD. At least he had emotion. At least he had the mind to f***ing bench Smoove if he was playing like an idiot. That's why they both clashed, they both had attitudes. LD doesn't have an attitude.

You get what you pay for. 1 mill for 2 seasons.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Boss

[Watchman]

Atlanta Hawks: Why Head Coach Larry Drew Might Be Unemployed Soon

By

Bo Churney

(BR.com Contributor) on March 17, 2011 - Atlanta

We can only hope.

Woodson was clueless, but Drew is completely useless. It took the team several seasons to tune Woodson out, but less than a full season for Drew.

We obviously need changes in both personnel and coaching.

It would have been fitting if we had made BK coach the team he had constructed and let him see that you can't win with a team full of 6-8 tweeners.

[spotatl]

I can't see the ASG paying 2 coaches during the lockout when they cheaped out on Hiring Larry Drew to begin with. Though I'll also say that they have surprised me in the past on what they were willing to spend money on and what they weren't.

[Watchman]

I can't see the ASG paying 2 coaches during the lockout when they cheaped out on Hiring Larry Drew to begin with. Though I'll also say that they have surprised me in the past on what they were willing to spend money on and what they weren't.

Unfortunately I think you're correct. I can't see the ASG paying for two coaches in the same year, so it looks like we're stuck with LD next year. :sorry:

[frankthetank966]

To be completely honest Larry Drew must go. For the past 5-6 years I would make certain to watch Hawks games and make an extra effort to go to Hawks games at Philips. I attended a few games early on this season and had seen enough. Larry Drew is not the right coach for this team. Letting Woodson go to replace him with LD was a major step down. Woodson knew how to coach a game, he just didn't know how to manage his players. Drew cannot do either with this current team. And to be honest, this roster is one of the best rosters we've had in years. We have a true PG and a strong enough bench to get by. We are consistently out-coached and win games just because the talent. Until the owners replace LD I will not make the effort to watch the Hawks on TV or go to games.

[Joker]

To be completely honest Larry Drew must go. For the past 5-6 years I would make certain to watch Hawks games and make an extra effort to go to Hawks games at Philips. I attended a few games early on this season and had seen enough. Larry Drew is not the right coach for this team. Letting Woodson go to replace him with LD was a major step down. Woodson knew how to coach a game, he just didn't know how to manage his players. Drew cannot do either with this current team. And to be honest, this roster is one of the best rosters we've had in years. We have a true PG and a strong enough bench to get by. We are consistently out-coached and win games just because the talent. Until the owners replace LD I will not make the effort to watch the Hawks on TV or go to games.

We always won games because of talent or we just have more will that night. But now we are getting out coached. That's the biggest difference.

[RedDawg#8]

I don't think Drew is any worse than Woodson,u guys are forgeting how frustrating things were when Woody was in charge, he didn't make adjustments at all during games and we struggled with inferior oppenents just like we do now. The problem is the common denominator and what do you know, that would be the players. But I will say this: leadership is influence, and despite any correct statement he makes about what needs to happen, Drew has no influence on the players what so ever, erego he makes for a poor leader/coach.

[Joker]

I don't think Drew is any worse than Woodson,u guys are forgeting how frustrating things were when Woody was in charge, he didn't make adjustments at all during games and we struggled with inferior oppenents just like we do now. The problem is the common denominator and what do you know, that would be the players. But I will say this: leadership is influence, and despite any correct statement he makes about what needs to happen, Drew has no influence on the players what so ever, erego he makes for a poor leader/coach.

The whole Woody in game adjustments was a moot argument. I watched the team, they were limited on the bench and with the personnel. What adjustments were there to make. He runs a switching defense and if Marvin was doing a good job he told Marvin to stick Lebron. Teams exposed switching as Atlanta usually switched everything unless Bibby was in a bad match-up and if it was Josh being switched, Bibby was the bad match-up. That team was much better than this team. This team is actually better v. the scrubs then Woody's team, we just get killed by equal or better teams now and never got killed by anyone last year outside of Orlando. Woodson was a very good coach, Drew is just average at best. He's not as bad as Kruger and he's not below average like Terry S. but he isn't a decent coach.

[gtfan92]

This guy is clearly a fan of Horford. So as expected anyone that's a fan of Horford has to trash Josh. We Hawks fans are a weird bunch.

Well, as the author of the article, I can tell you that I am a huge fan of Josh. I have been one of Smoove's most persistant defenders. However, at the beginning of the game I was discussing, Smoove was 1/7 in the first few minutes. He needed to take a seat because he was obviously hurting the team.

[DJlaysitup]

I don't think Drew is any worse than Woodson,u guys are forgeting how frustrating things were when Woody was in charge, he didn't make adjustments at all during games and we struggled with inferior oppenents just like we do now. The problem is the common denominator and what do you know, that would be the players. But I will say this: leadership is influence, and despite any correct statement he makes about what needs to happen, Drew has no influence on the players what so ever, erego he makes for a poor leader/coach.

Yeah Red....in the NBA (with guarrenteed contracts) much of leadership has to be influence.

One thing that I remember from navy leadership school also applies here IMO. The boss has to be a little bit of a mystery and never get too close to his subordinates. This is the main reason they never promote the Executive Officer to Captain on the same ship (unless it's a short-term emergency thing).... You want the Captain to come aboard and nobody has ever seen him as anything BUT the Captain.

Edited March 23, 2011 by DJlaysitup