Category: Atlanta Hawks Blog

The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed unrestricted free agent guard Joe Johnson to a contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. An All-Star the last four years, the sharpshooting guard enters his sixth campaign as a Hawk in 2010-11. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. We’ll post details of the deal later tonight.

“Although I explored several different opportunities this offseason, Atlanta was the place I wanted to be,” Johnson said. “I truly appreciate the commitment shown by the Hawks and the team’s ownership, and their continued efforts to improve the team. Staying in Atlanta provides the best opportunity to win today and in the future. My five years with the Hawks have been the best of my career, and I look forward to my teammates and I trying to reach our ultimate goal together – competing for a championship for the city of Atlanta.”

“Our primary goal entering free agency was to retain Joe, so we’re pleased to have reached an agreement quickly, and are thrilled to welcome him back,” Sund said.  “He made it very clear that he shares our excitement about the future of our club. We were among the final four teams in the Conference each of the last two years, and we think we’re on the verge of making that next step.”

“Joe has been a central part of our team’s improvement over the last five years, and has worked incredibly hard to become a perennial All-Star, and an All-Pro last season,” Sund added. “Joe’s signing illustrates our philosophy of making the commitment to keeping our core together.”

“We’re very excited to have Joe back in Atlanta,” said Hawks head coach Larry Drew. “There were a number of teams interested in signing Joe, and we put our best foot forward to bring him back and continue what we’ve started.”

Last year, Johnson earned an All-Star berth for the fourth consecutive season, and became the first Hawk since Dikembe Mutombo to earn a starting nod (injury replacement) in 1997-98. He led the team in scoring and assists for the fifth straight season, as he averaged 21.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.6 rpg and 1.1 spg in 38.0 mpg (.458 FG%, .369 3FG%, .818 FT%), starting 76 games.

Johnson ranked 11th in the league in ppg, 12th in FGM (635), t26th in apg and t10th in mpg. He led the team in scoring 34 times, in assists 28 times and in rebounds on six occasions.

Johnson has appeared in 699 career games through nine seasons with the Hawks, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, averaging 17.6 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.2 rpg and 1.0 spg in 36.9 mpg (.443 FG%, .373 3FG%, .792 FT%). In his five seasons in Atlanta, those numbers have climbed to 21.7 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.4 rpg and 1.1 spg (.449 FG%, .369 3FG%, .805 FT%).

He has moved into 2nd place on the Hawks all-time 3FGM list (694), also ranking 1st in Hawks annals in mpg (40.0), 2nd in 3FGA (1,880), 5th in ppg (21.7), 10th in FGM (3,070) and 11th in total points (8,165) and assists (2,083).

Johnson was originally acquired by the Hawks in a sign-and-trade transaction from the Phoenix Suns, in exchange for Boris Diaw and two conditional draft picks, on August 19, 2005. He was selected by Boston in the first round (10th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft.

The Atlanta Hawks have announced today that Head Coach Larry Drew has named several members to his coaching staff for the 2010-11 season.  Lester Conner will be the newest name amongst the bunch, as Bob Bender, Tyrone Hill and Greg Ballard return for the Hawks.

Conner, Bender and Hill will coach the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League which begins this weekend, with Atlanta taking on Memphis in their first game Monday, July 12 at 9:30 p.m. (ET).

Conner comes to Atlanta from Indiana where he spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Pacers.  It was Conner’s third different stint with Pacer coach Jim O’Brien, whom he previously worked for with the Boston Celtics (assistant coach, 2001-04) and Philadelphia 76ers (associate head coach, 2004-05).

This upcoming season will be his 13th on the sidelines, as Conner began his NBA coaching career in 1998 as an assistant to Rick Pitino in 1998 with the Celtics, and has included two seasons as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.  He has also served as a scout for the Miami Heat and an assistant coach for the Magic Johnson All-Stars.

A 13-year pro, Conner was a first round pick of the Golden State Warriors in 1982.  The 14th selection overall, the well-traveled guard spent four seasons with the Warriors before seeing action with Houston, two different stints with both New Jersey and Milwaukee, the LA Clippers and Indiana before concluding his career with the LA Lakers.  He also earned a championship as a member of the CBA’s (Continental Basketball Association) Rapid City Thrillers in 1986-87.

Bender just completed his sixth season with Atlanta and his ninth overall with an NBA team.  He joined the Hawks following two years as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, and prior to that position; Bender was the head coach at the University of Washington where he spent nine seasons.  He coached the Huskies to four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (1996-1999), and in 1996, he was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

This season will mark Hill’s fourth with the club and second as an assistant coach.  He spent his first two years as a volunteer coach working with the team’s big men.  The 6-9 Hill played for five NBA teams during his 14-year career and was originally selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 1990 Draft by the Golden State Warriors.

Returning as an advance scout, Ballard owns 15 years of NBA scouting and coaching experience and this will be his seventh in Atlanta.  The former NBA forward played 10 seasons for Washington and Golden State, and in 1978, helped the Bullets (now Wizards) to the NBA Championship.

Atlanta Hawks Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund announced today that Larry Drew has been hired as the team’s new head coach.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

“We are very pleased to welcome Larry as the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks,” said Sund.  “After aggressively going through the interview process with all of the candidates it became clear, with his knowledge of the game as well as his experience as player and assistant coach, he had the qualities we were looking for to lead our club.  Over the last few years, a number of teams have had success hiring from within and we feel he is more than ready for the challenge.”

Drew, a native of Kansas City, MO, becomes the 11th head coach in Atlanta Hawks history after spending the last six seasons as the lead Hawks assistant under Mike Woodson.  Over the last three years, Drew has helped Atlanta reach postseason play, with second round appearances in each of the last two seasons.

“It has been a long journey to reach this level in my career and I’m very appreciative of the support I’ve been given by the ownership group and Rick,” said Drew.  “I’m excited about the opportunity to become a head coach in this league, and I will do my very best to continue to build on what we’ve accomplished here in Atlanta.”

A student of the game with extensive NBA experience as a player or coach, Drew has been associated with the NBA over the last 27 years, ten of them as a player.

Before arriving in Atlanta, Drew was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets and Byron Scott after spending the previous three seasons with the Washington Wizards in a similar capacity (2000-03) under Doug Collins.  Prior to that, he re-joined one of the teams he previously played for, the Detroit Pistons, as an assistant coach in 1999-2000.  Drew returned to Detroit as an assistant under Alvin Gentry, for the first time since playing as an NBA rookie with the Pistons in 1980-81.  His coaching career began in 1992-93 when he broke into the ranks with another of his former teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he played for from 1989-91.

An 11-year professional, Drew averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists in 714 career games for four NBA teams.  After one season in Detroit, he played the next five years with the Kings, in Kansas City and Sacramento (1981-86), and his final four in Los Angeles (1986-91), for the Clippers and the Lakers.  Drew also played one season internationally, 1988-89, with Scavolini of the Italian League.

He was a first round selection in the 1980 NBA Draft – 17th overall by the Pistons – and he reached postseason play four times in his professional career (31 games).  Drew recorded his best season during the 1982-83 campaign, when he averaged 20.1 points, 8.1 assists and 1.7 steals for Kansas City.

Born April 2, 1958 in Kansas City, Drew played four seasons at the University of Missouri, where he averaged 12.0 points and 2.8 rebounds after a stellar high school career locally at Wyandotte High.  He and his wife Sharon have three children, Larry, Landon and Lindsey.  Drew’s son, Larry II, just finished his second basketball season under Roy Williams at the University of North Carolina, and each of his children have participated in the Larry Drew Advanced Guard Academy, a set of summer basketball camps the elder Drew has conducted in the Los Angeles area and across the country.

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) reports:

The Hawks have decided to hire Larry Drew as their next head coach, people with knowledge of the decision said today.

Drew was Atlanta’s lead assistant for six years under Mike Woodson, who was let go following the season. Drew and the team are working out the details of a contract this evening.

Drew, 52, emerged from a group of finalists that also included Avery Johnson, Dwane Casey and Mark Jackson. Once Johnson agreed to coach the Nets early in the week, that left Atlanta’s ownership group and GM Rick Sund to choose from among the other three candidates.

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:

Mo Evans studied this summer’s NBA free-agent market, considered the $2.5 million he would get for returning to the Hawks, and chose the money in hand.

Evans said he exercised his 2010-11 contract option with the Hawks on Tuesday. Evans, who also made $2.5 million in 2009-10, said he didn’t like his chances of securing a long-term contract as a free agent.

“There are not a lot of teams out there giving away contracts,” Evans said. “I’m satisfied with my deal even though it’s undervalued. I’m still going to go out and do my job.”

Atlanta Hawks owner Michael Gearon has been fined $25,000 for public comments made in violation of the NBA’s anti-tampering rules, it was announced today by Joel Litvin, NBA President of League and Basketball Operations.

Gearon’s comments appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on May 19.

More details tonight.