# Hawks target Stan Van Gundy as potential coach – and lure for Dwight Howard



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

> The Atlanta Hawks are aggressively pursuing Stan Van Gundy for the franchise's head-coaching job, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
> 
> Stan Van Gundy was let go as the Magic's coach after the 2011-12 season. (AP)General manager Danny Ferry has made Van Gundy his top target to replace Larry Drew, sources said.
> 
> ...


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--h...ach-and-lure-for-dwight-howard-000351988.html


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

:gay:


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Haha like Atlanta will hire a white coach


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

I would be in favor.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

BlakeJesus said:


> I would be in favor.


Me too.

Dwight hates Stan tho. I don't think that would help, but Atlanta hasn't hired a coach with previous NBA HC experience since the early 1990's. Good step in the right direction.

Did you see Sekou Smith's column? Seems to think we don't re-sign Smoove, and go after Milsap, and Jefferson, with possible interest in Iguodala.


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## scdn (Mar 31, 2011)

:goulet:


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

ATLien said:


> Me too.
> 
> Dwight hates Stan tho. I don't think that would help, but Atlanta hasn't hired a coach with previous NBA HC experience since the early 1990's. Good step in the right direction.
> 
> Did you see Sekou Smith's column? Seems to think we don't re-sign Smoove, and go after Milsap, and Jefferson, with possible interest in Iguodala.


Why would either Milsap or Jefferson sign with the Hawks to be their 6th man? And why would they waste the money necessary _on_ a sixth man?

Also, I don't think that SvG luring Dwight is as preposterous as you think, I'm pretty sure that the year in LA has soured Dwight's fantasies. Going back to playing for the Warthog might look a lot more attractive than playing for yet a third coach in Lakerland.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Van Gundy, Budenholzer, and Nate McMillan have interviewed for the job.

http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/atlanta-hawks/2013/may/17/van-gundy-budenholzer-have-been-interviewed/


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2013/5/17/4339234/nba-rumors-coaching-atlanta-hawks



> Ettore Messina, the Italian-born coach of CSKA Moscow, is among the top candidates to replace coach Larry Drew. Ferry and Messina have had contact about the possibility, and Messina is intrigued with the chance to be a global trail blazer in the NBA, sources told Y! Sports.


I know nothing about this guy, but maybe a HC from Europe would get us away from the trashy AAU offense we've been playing the past 5+ years.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

SVG told an Orlando radio station he will not coach in 2013.

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2013/5/21/4351200/stan-van-gundy-nba-return-atlanta-hawks



> Hawks general manager Danny Ferry has not established a timeline for naming a new coach. Other names that have surfaced in the search include San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, former Seattle and Portland head coach Nate McMillan and Euroleague legend Ettore Messina.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

I think Nate would be a good get for this franchise. He would have to start his staff off with a quality offensive assistant, though.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

ATLien said:


> SVG told an Orlando radio station he will not coach in 2013.
> 
> http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2013/5/21/4351200/stan-van-gundy-nba-return-atlanta-hawks


Damn. I'd love to see Stan Van 3000 back in a coaching gig.


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## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

ATLien said:


> SVG told an Orlando radio station he will not coach in 2013.
> 
> http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2013/5/21/4351200/stan-van-gundy-nba-return-atlanta-hawks


And here I was picturing Dwight on Stans' front lawn holding a boombox playing "Baby Come Back".


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

ATLien said:


> SVG told an Orlando radio station he will not coach in 2013.
> 
> http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2013/5/21/4351200/stan-van-gundy-nba-return-atlanta-hawks


As long as it's not the Euroball guy I'm happy, a Spurs disciple or McMillian are nice prospects.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Messina runs a motion offense, pretty much the same thing that Pops is doing in San Antonio I'd guess.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

The Euroball guy might be my preferred option, just because it'd be doing something different for this franchise.

Don't really want McMillan, but he'd still be better than bringing back Drew.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

The D'Antoni hiring serves as a cautionary tale about how quickly things can derail if a coach is chosen without personnel in mind. This team should have a defensive identity (if they keep Josh) and build from there. Nate is the perfect coach for that strategy.

If they bring in one of the other candidates being discussed, they should probably S&T Josh and speed up the tempo on the offense behind Teague.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Josh will not be a Hawk next season as far as I'm aware, and I think that's the mutual feeling between the team and the player too.

We have a pretty flexible roster at this point, Teague/Lou Will/Horford can pretty much fit into any types of system. I think a coach that focus' on an actual offensive system and stout defense is what we need. We don't really have players that scream a certain style, or that would demand you play a specific way. We just need more talent on the whole, from the coaching staff to the starting lineup down to the bench.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

I'm pretty sure we've seen the last of Smoove, but we aren't even sure Teague/Williams/Horford will be on the roster next season. Tough to say. Just hire the best coach available. A good coach adapts to the personnel.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

ATLien said:


> A good coach adapts to the personnel.


I don't completely buy in to this philosophy at the NBA level. There are plenty of good coaches (Greg Popovich and Jerry Sloan among them) that will simply refuse to coach some players because they are either bad talent fits or bad personality fits for the way they like to coach. Why else would Stephen Jackson have been cut right before the playoffs? I can fully see a scenario where a coach comes in and determines that he doesn't think Jeff Teague can run an offensive system that features Al and Lou.


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