Lloyd Pierce has been Dismissed

[Atlantaholic]

5 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I frown all the time.

I laugh frowning. 

[terrell]

Replying to

@ChrisKirschner

"10 minutes after the twitter notification from woj i noticed trae wasn’t following lloyd pierce on instagram anymore"

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, benhillboy said:

Some of my favorite moments from the Bud days were Teague being benched for Dennis or Mack in wins.  It happened like 2 or 3 times.

McMillan values defense for sure and has played against Mugsy and Mookie enough to make Trae look at non-stop video of them defending their position despite (and sometimes because of) their size.  His effort out front as a 35 minute player will get any coach killed.  Trae surely doesn’t have their toughness makeup but Nate has to motivate him so that he understands how contagious and far-reaching a much better effort on that end is for the team.  I just worry that all he cares about is putting up 28 and 10, which automatically equals super max even if your team is a$$.

 

Gallo's defense at PF/C   >   Collins defense at C   >   Trae's defense at PG

 

Gallo is the worst Hawks defender of all time.  Even worse than Antoine Walker.

[bleachkit]

35 minutes ago, terrell said:

Replying to

@ChrisKirschner

"10 minutes after the twitter notification from woj i noticed trae wasn’t following lloyd pierce on instagram anymore"

Nate was a tough, bulldog defensive point guard. He's not going to tolerate Trae's diva BS for one minute.

[Spud2nique]

3 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Gallo is the worst Hawks defender of all time.  Even worse than Antoine Walker.

Blair Rasmussen had slow feet. Koncak was on everyone’s dunk poster. 
 

Gallo is a lot like baseball’s version of Sid Bream though.

[terrell]

8 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Gallo's defense at PF/C   >   Collins defense at C   >   Trae's defense at PG

 

Gallo is the worst Hawks defender of all time.  Even worse than Antoine Walker.

Jabari honorable mention? lol

Edited March 2, 2021 by terrell

[sturt]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

52 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

 

Seems I'm not alone (ref: hem and haw).

None of us can pretend to have cams and mics in the inner sanctum of Hawks mission control, of course. But it seems irrefutable that, where before there seemed some stability and some semblance of a strategic plan, we now have an interim coach and things are being run from the proverbial seat of our collective pants for who knows how long. There is no stability. And quote me on this... hope is not a strategy.

That doesn't usually work very well.

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

17 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Blair Rasmussen had slow feet. Koncak was on everyone’s dunk poster. 
 

Gallo is a lot like baseball’s version of Sid Bream though.

LOL Blair Rasmussen.

Kac was actually touted for his defense, despite getting dunked on every now and then.

Gallo has them both beat.  He's the laziest defender I've ever seen.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Kac was actually touted for his defense

Ya but crazy Karl Malone was drafted after him. We made a huge boo boo that year despite getting Willis. Can you imagine a Nique/Karl forward tandem in the 80’s? @NBASupes your boy Malone and our guy Nique. We may have won a title.

[macdaddy]

If we didn't have the injuries then no way LP gets fired but he probably gets fired in the offseason.   

 

[NBASupes]

16 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

If we didn't have the injuries then no way LP gets fired but he probably gets fired in the offseason.   

 

He was getting fired no matter what but I agree, the injuries pushed up the timeline. 

[mcleitsy]

https://theathletic.com/2421465/2021/03/02/behind-the-scenes-failed-lloyd-pierce-era-why-atlanta-hawks-eager-for-new-voice/

Great article; basically points at Pierce's inability to communicate with the young players, frustrations from the whole team about not being listened to, and that the firing likely would've happened last off-season if not for the pandemic, Pierce's initiatives in social justice/the election, etc.

Also highlights that Trae is a fan of Macmillan's style. Hopefully we rally for the 2nd half of the season.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

This is what I have ben waiting for the Juicy stuff!! Here goes:

Quote

Coach Lloyd Pierce and all the Hawks returnees would meet for team-bonding time, with all sorts of activities planned that he hoped would aid their chemistry heading into a season they all knew would be pressure-packed. There was pick-up basketball against other NBA players, a boxing class where they squared off against one another and group dinners where topics included, among other things, the upcoming election.

But the real headliner event took place when Pierce and Trae Young met privately to discuss their upcoming third year together. At that point, anyone and everyone around the Hawks organization was well aware the relationship between these two key figures was strained.

If the Hawks were going to make the playoffs this season and contend, if they were going to avoid delays to accomplishing their shared goals, they would have to make this pairing work. Sources say they ended the trip on good terms and had a better understanding of how they each could make this work for the long term.

But in the end — after old tensions between Pierce and Young resurfaced, other players grew frustrated with Pierce’s style and owner Tony Ressler’s desperate desire to make the playoffs added so much pressure to the situation — it was not to be. Those plans Pierce and Young had hatched in Southern California officially fell short Monday when the underperforming Hawks (14-20) announced that Pierce had been relieved of his duties.

 

Quote

As this season progressed, the goodwill that Pierce and Young had re-established would dissipate, and the friction between them would return. It became apparent that Young and Pierce were not going to be a match that was sustainable for long-term success.

But Young was hardly alone here. Sources say player support beyond Young was dwindling at the end, with several sharing their desire for a change with management recently. Still, the difficult dynamic between Young and Pierce was an undeniable factor in Pierce’s downfall and a tone-setter of sorts for the group at large.

Quote

Pierce took the tough love approach with Young from Day 1, opting to push him hard as a way of maximizing his celebrated talent. But Young, who had inspired so much hype during his time coming up in (and at) Oklahoma, often pushed back against Pierce’s style. John Collins could relate.

Pierce made a public comment two seasons ago about not running plays for Collins, and it rubbed the Hawks big man the wrong way. Collins went to Pierce about his issue with the statement, but Pierce, sources say, turned around and called Collins’ approach selfish in wanting to have a more defined role on the team. Over time, the residue from these types of situations remained.

Cam Reddish was among those, sources said, who also had an issue with Pierce’s coaching. Sources said Reddish felt like he was being “picked on” behind the scenes when it came to mistakes the second-year player made. There are a few players on the Hawks’ roster who feel like Reddish’s potential is higher than anyone on the roster but that Pierce’s input was stunting his development.

 

Quote

The lack of faith in Pierce from the players quickly eroded last year, with several on the team feeling like they could not approach him without leaving the conversation feeling like they weren’t being heard. Because of that, players would turn to assistant coach Chris Jent in the hopes that he could be the one to relay any comments or concerns to Pierce on their behalf.

During a league office Competition Committee call on Dec. 30, Pierce was among a couple of members who spoke out about the way certain players are able to draw fouls and, at times, bait officials into making foul calls. Multiple sources said he spoke about how he “hates” the shots Young takes at times and the fouls he’s able to draw on them. It was perceived as an interesting comment for several people on the call because Pierce’s star player has seemingly taken advantage of drawing fouls and getting to the foul line. But it was made in the broader picture of how players are drawing fouls by manipulating their bodies

one other:

.........sources say Hawks owner Ressler grew incensed with his team losing winnable games in the same manner.

[Dynamo]

Lots of drama.

[aali34]

Quote

Cam Reddish was among those, sources said, who also had an issue with Pierce’s coaching. Sources said Reddish felt like he was being “picked on” behind the scenes when it came to mistakes the second-year player made.

Cam having issues with LP surprised me.

John being upset makes sense considering that he wasn't featured in the offense last season as the obvious second best option behind Trae, especially during a tanking year in which you'd expect to be given the opportunity to show what you can do.

I'd bet Bruno might be one of the unnamed players.

 

[Bonkers]

8 minutes ago, aali34 said:

Cam having issues with LP surprised me.

John being upset makes sense considering that he wasn't featured in the offense last season as the obvious second best option behind Trae, especially during a tanking year in which you'd expect to be given the opportunity to show what you can do.

I'd bet Bruno might be one of the unnamed players.

 

I don't know about this season but last season there were MULTIPLE times where Cam was heating up and LP's dumb self benched him. I was really angry about that so I know Cam was too

[Dynamo]

Schlenk should be on the hot seat.Is there a reason that this was allowed to take place ? It seems like a toxic work environment.

 

[macdaddy]

the 'tough love' approach is difficult and lots of people in all walks of life can't really pull it off as a leadership tactic.  

[lethalweapon3]

1 minute ago, macdaddy said:

the 'tough love' approach is difficult and lots of people in all walks of life can't really pull it off as a leadership tactic.  

Word to Jim Boylen.

~lw3

[Bonkers]

5 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

the 'tough love' approach is difficult and lots of people in all walks of life can't really pull it off as a leadership tactic.  

Honestly the players were probably looking at LP like "Man this guy hasn't proven anything as a coach why am I even listening to him!". LP hasn't accomplished a damn thing as a head coach. He doesn't have the clout to be doing certain things

 

LP honestly sounds like an asshole who thinks his shit doesn't stink. Especially with the way he would throw people under the bus after games

Edited March 2, 2021 by Bonkers