The Firing of Mike Woodson and the Definition of Success

I heard an interview on a sports talk radio station, 790theZone, with Rick Sund, General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks. He was nervously defending the firing of Mike Woodson and the future selection of a new head coach. After having fired Coach Woodson due to wanting to "hear another voice" in that role (careful what you say when a performance psychologist is listening to the radio), he said that, indeed, one year ago, he felt that Mike Woodson was the man for the job. What a difference a year makes.

Unbelievably, then, he went on to say that he was going to sit down with other people connected to the team to build a profile to use for selecting the next head coach. He was planning on putting together a long list and a short list of candidates. Why is that unbelievable to me?

Initially, my first question in the firing of the Mike Woodson was: why get rid of someone who had improved his team every season for six years, made life miserable for the future champion Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA playoffs, and gotten past the first round of the playoff the last two years running?

Secondly, why would you fire someone and try to replace him with a hypothetical someone? Why remove Woodson, who had proven himself to be capable of keeping the team at that level or above, and replace him with someone for whom you had no discernable evidence that he could keep the team at that level or beyond?

My question now is why would you not have a profile in mind when you evaluated the current head coach and now have to come up with one as you start to select the new coach? It would seem to me that it would be just as important to have a profile for evaluation purposes as it is to have one for predicting the future. In fact, why would the profile be any different for Mike Woodson than for Coach X?

Lastly, why is he just beginning to put together a list? Shouldn't he have one already? Just how many candidates are out there that he doesn't know about? Shouldn't he keep his head coach until all of these things are done? What else hasn't he done yet or thought of?

Finally, what retread or old head coach (who is now probably an assistant) will fit a profile for the future that Mike Woodson alledgedly did not fit? For that matter, what up and coming coach would fit?

Based on GM Sund's performance in the firing and hiring of his head coach, should't his head be on the line? Perhaps that is why he sounded so anxious.

My suggestions to any team or organization that is letting go of someone:

1. Develop criteria for performance and success at the beginning of the process.
2. Let the individual and the team know what success looks like.
3. Make sure that you have looked closely at that criteria before you let them go. 4. Also, make sure that there are people interested in your position and they meet your criteria before you pull the plug.

I really want to see the new coach that can assure the Atlanta Hawks that he/she can top 53 regular season wins, make it to the playoffs and get beyond the second round (in other words, the conference finals) in the 2010-2011 season.

What kind of criteria are you using for your performance and the performance of others? What is your definition of success? Is it realistic? Is it attainable? Is it measurable?

For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

The Atlanta Hawks on Top of the NBA: Patience and a Plan

"We've got the depth we need. We treat each possession as precious because we know we've got something good going here."

--Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks have improved their record to 10-2 with a win over the Miami Heat. They share the best record in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. How have they improved and why?


Ownership: Brought Together by Adversity

Legal issues between owners have perhaps galvanized the organization and brought the entire enterprise together like nothing else could. This internal power struggle could have been deadly. However, despite the distractions, the owners also had a long-range plan and stuck with it. They allowed GM Rick Sund to build a strong organizational foundation and not panic. They didn't break up the pieces and start over when faced with adversity or criticism. When fans were clamoring for the firing of head coach Mike Woodson, ownership did not buckle. Now, Woodson is the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference.

Consistent and Incremental Improvement

The Hawks have gone from 37-45 in 2007 to 47-35 in 2008 to 10-2 in 2009 without changing a starter. To do this, the Hawks had patience and allowed existing players to continue developing confidence and chemistry amongst one another. They believed that they had a good mix of players that know their roles and play within a team concept.

Building Blocks

Of course, the Hawks started by successfully selecting talent and valuing athleticism. For several years, the Hawks were consistantly described as an athletic team. Opposing teams saw the potential, understood the challenge, but did not fear the Hawks

Continuity, Stability, Patience and Persistence

Using the draft, free agency to pick up the right role players and maintaining the team's core. They stuck with their nucleus and built a resilient foundation.

Putting the Pieces Together

Strong Rebounding

Inside players Al Horford, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia are playing hard and going for every rebound.

All-around, Versatile Players with a Focus on Defense

The Hawks are forcing turnovers and taking advantage of opponents' mistakes. They are perfecting their transition game. In the win against the Heat, Josh Smith was all over the Philips Arena floor with 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

"We're a tough team to beat when he's playing like that," Joe Johnson said of his teammate. "When he's rebounding, playing defense and diving down in the paint for dunks and layups, it makes the defense collapse. That's leaving guys like me and Mike [Bibby] open for shots."

Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson continue to provide an all-around game for the Hawks. Johnson continues to be a NBA force as a one-on-one scorer. Johnson can score from anywhere. His total of 30 points against the Heat included 5-for-11 from 3-point range, a dunk of a follow-up, put-back and a couple of layups on the run — plus many forays through the paint against multiple defenders.

Johnson also has become a defensive stopper — holding the usually dynamic and reliable Dwayne Wade to 2-for-9 in the first half, a total of only 15 points on 6-for-18 shooting, and a mere two free throws. Johnson is a position defender, who relies on strength, anticipation and a thorough understanding of his opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Role Players

Jamal Crawford provides energy and scoring off the bench. A sixth-man of the year candidate, he brings electricity to the court. He can shoot from anywhere, moves well without the ball and can get off quick shots from a variety of unexpected release-points. Crawford also demonstrates his confidence when in a recent game, as soon as a 3-point shot left his hand, he turned and headed downcourt. And, of course, the shot hit nothing but net.

He has developed maturity by being more interested in moving the ball than he is in shooting it. His defense has improved significantly since coming to the Hawks. He can light up a scoreboard. As the season progresses and he gets more comfortable with his role — backup point and shooting guard — Crawford will undoubtedly become more consistent. For the moment, however, he provides explosive point-making off the bench.

Effort

The Hawks have built a deep bench, immunizing them against injuries and fatigue over a tough game or a long season. The Hawks starters don't have to play excessive minutes to win a game.

Balanced Scoring

Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford, Marvin Harrison, Mike Bibby, and Al Horford can all score and, on any given day, can lead the team in scoring.

Mike's Woodson Coaching: Fostering Chemistry and Teamwork

Woodson has been able to reach Josh Smith and get him to focus on his strengths and minimize the effects of his weaknesses. He helped to turned Pachulia into a super-sub who rebounds, passes and comes off the bench to raise the energy level of his teammates. He’s refusing this year to overuse Joe Johnson and understands the importance of keeping him fresh. He trusts Mike Bibby to run the team on the court and be the coach on the floor. Woodson has confidence in Bibby's leadership and clutch shooting. He is realiable and steady; great characteristics in a point guard.

Future Questions for the Hawks

This is the NBA. There are many great players. It is a long season and many things can happen. Other teams can get hot. Coaches can figure out how to adjust and effectively stop another team from doing what they do best.

Can the Hawks play consistently well when fans', players', and opponents' expectations rise?

Will the Hawks respond when they become favorites, when other teams shoot for them or when they get behind against an elite team like the Lakers?

Only time will tell, but the Hawks have built something strong and there is much to be learned from this metamorphasis.

“It’s just a lot of growth, man. Two, three, four years ago, we would have lost a game like this [against the Portland Trailblazers].” With the growth and maturity of guys like Marvin Williams and Josh Smith, I think we can be as good as we want to be.”

--Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks' scoring leader.

Smith, who surprisingly has not attempted a three-point field goal this season after averaging 1.3 per game a year ago, echoed that same attitude.

“We don’t have any give-ups in us,” Smith said after his 20-point, 16-rebound effort against the Blazers. “We stay fighting and persevere. I feel confident. The team is confident. We feel like we can beat any team in the league.”

Excerpts from AJC.com, ESPN.com, www.hawks.realgm.com and FoxSports.com (November 19, 2009).

For more on mental conditioning and performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.