Hawks To Move On Without Woodson

By Justin Worsley

The Atlanta Hawks have improved significantly under head coach Mike Woodson, making the playoffs the last three seasons. General manager Rick Sund, however, has decided not to renew Woodson's contract, letting the coach leave after six seasons which started with a miserable 13-69 season in 2004 but improved record-wise each season, going 53-29 last season, their best record since the 1996-97 season.

Despite the team's consistent improvement, the team ran into a buzzsaw this season in the playoffs, where they were swept by the Orlando Magic in four lopsided victories. The Magic won each game by an average margin of 25.3 points, including a 43-point victory in Game 1 of the series.

"In this case, Woody has been here six years and had basically been the only voice that many of these players had heard," Sund told the Associated Press. "The shelf life for coaches and management in the NBA is short, particularly for coaches, maybe two or three years. In Woody's case, he has gone six. The compelling thought for me was maybe it's right for a change."

The need for a change could come off as a big risk for a team on the cusp of competing with the NBA's elite teams, however Sund is confident that this is the right move for the organization.

Woodson, who led the Hawks to their first playoff series victory since the 1998-99 season, should not be expected to stay on the market for long. Several teams could be interested in Woodson who has developed a reputation for improving teams, including the Chicago Bulls, who recently fired coach Vinny Del Negro and are looking to try and sign free agent LeBron James this off-season. The Bulls have made the playoffs in the past two seasons and could be a potential threat in the Western conference.

Woodson also has to potential to brign in one this season's big-name free agents in Joe Johnson. Johnson, 28, has played for Woodson since signing with Atlanta in 2005, all four of his All-Star selections have come while being coached by Woodson.

Atlanta, however, still has plenty of room to improve. Not only did Atlanta enter this year's playoffs with the lowest payroll amongst the 16 teams, but they were also the only team to make the playoffs while avoiding having to pay the luxury tax for big-name players. The Hawks became only the seventh team in the NBA to improve their record every year over a span of five seasons.