Woodson: "I am finally
starting to understand this coaching
thing"
By Trey
Daniels
tdaniels@impeachedmagazine.com
After 3 years and a 69-177 record, Atlanta Hawks coach Mike
Woodson said he is getting a grasp on coaching basketball.
"I am starting to get it. I am still working on some
things, but I think I finally have the basics down, " said
Woodson. "Whoever has the most points at the end of the
game wins. Once I figured that one out, the rest of it just
started falling in place."
Woodson said he once thought basketball was like golf,
where the lower score wins.
"That totally changed the way I approached the game," said
Woodson.
He said he also recently figured out the 3-point line, back
court violations and rebounding. Woodson, who has faced
rumors of being fired, said he should keep his job.
"I figure it can only get better. Now I can tell our
players, 'Hey, we need 3 points, shoot from over here.' And
it's actually OK if you miss the shot, you can run to the
ball and get it back," said Woodson. "These are things I
can pass on to our players and it should lead to a few
wins."
When asked what he knew about defense, Woodson seemed
puzzled.
"You mean it is OK to try to stop the other team? Wow!"
Woodson, who was an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons
before coming to Atlanta, admitted he mostly rode the bench
while Larry Brown did most of the work.
"Larry was great," said Woodson. "He could tell players
what a travel is. He could even explain a bounce pass to
them. That is part of the reason Detroit was so good."
Woodson said Brown allowed him to do vital things for him,
like hold his clip board and hand Gatorade to players on
the bench. The Atlanta coach said he rarely paid attention
to the game saying he always found it "a little boring."
General Manager Billy Knight, a self-proclaimed 'basketball
expert,' said he didn't realize Woodson knew so little
about the game before hiring him.
"I really do very little in terms of preparation for these
things," said Knight. "For me, picking a coach is a lot
like drafting a player. You just close your eyes and pick a
name."
The AJC recently reported that Knight recently tried to
fire coach Woodson, but was not allowed to by ownership.
When asked why he would fire the coach, Knight said, "There
comes a point when someone has to take the blame for what
has been going wrong around here. If we fire Woodson, it is
easier to point to him than actually accept some of that
blame."
The Hawks are currently xx-xx, but Woodson said he feels
good about the future.
"We have been working on these things called free throws,"
said Woodson. "I think they could have a big effect on the
game."