J-Speaks: The New Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks

Only the San Antonio Spurs have a longer streak of making the playoffs the past two-plus decades than the 10 in succession of the Atlanta Hawks coming into this past regular season. The Spurs during this stretch though have five Larry O’Brien trophies to show for that while the Hawks have just one Southeast Division title and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals three years ago to show for their stretch. After a disappointing six-game setback in the First-Round of the 2017 postseason to the Washington Wizards, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk and principal owner Tony Reesler felt it was time to rebuild the team from scratch into one that can be a playoff perennial and eventually an NBA champion. The first leg of that journey resulted in their worst season in 13 years at 24-58 and felt that it was time for the team to hear the voice of someone with experience of building a team from the ground up. 

Last Friday, the Hawks announced that they reached an agreement with longtime assistant coach Lloyd Pierce to become their new head coach. He was officially introduced at a news conference on Monday afternoon, following a third interview with Ressler in Atlanta on Friday. 

For the past five seasons, Pierce had been an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers fresh off a season where they finished No. 3 in the Eastern Conference at 52-30, making the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and earned their most wins in the regular season since 2001, where league MVP of that season and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson led them to The Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. 

Pierce’s five-year run with the Sixers came after stints as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2007-2010), Golden State Warriors (2010-2011), and Memphis Grizzlies (2011-2013). Prior to that he was an assistant for the University of Santa Clara Broncos men’s basketball team from 2003-07. 

“I think his experience having been in player development. Obviously the last five years in Philadelphia,” Hall of Famer to be and NBATV analyst Grant Hill, who is part of the Hawks ownership group said on Sunday’s edition of “Gametime.” 

“The Hawks obviously going young right now, going through a rebuild. Trying to prepare for the future. Six No. 1 picks over the course of the next two years. So, the emphasis on player development. Obviously building a culture and being able to connect and resonate with young players.”

Over the course of his career, Pierce has worked with LeBron James, who is now considered not just one of the best in the game but will go down as one of the greatest of all-time. He was also instrumental in the development of the “Splash Brothers” in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Warriors to where one became a two-time MVP and the other one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Then the work he did in the city of “Brotherly Love” where Joel Embiid developed into an All-Star and Ben Simmons into the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year.

The most recent experience Pierce’s brings to the Hawks align with their plans to rebuild their team as mentioned from the bottom-up. A reclamation project that will begin for the team with three first-round draft picks in this June’s draft. 

Pierce played a major role in the Sixers draft driven turnaround which saw the Sixers went from the cellar of the Eastern Conference where they won 34, 19, 18, 10 and 28 games the past five seasons to a five-game First-Round victory over the Miami Heat, but lost in the Semifinals against the Boston Celtics in five-games. 

Schlenk said that Pierce’s “experiences in Philadelphia, keeping that positive vibe, that winning environment with what they went through” is why the Hawks hired him to be their new head coach. 

Besides his intelligence when it comes to the X’s and O’s, Pierce brings to the table according to Hill has a dynamic personality, a tremendous presence, and the ability to connect with young men in terms of being a leader.

Pierce said at the presser on Monday that his first priority was to assemble a coaching staff who shares his passion for playing defense and his proven ability to connect with young players. 

“If I weren’t doing this press conference right now, I’d probably have these guys doing some defensive drills,” he said. “That’s who I am.”

The hiring of Pierce comes only weeks after the Hawks and former head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was the head man on their sidelines the past five seasons and led them to a franchise 60 wins and the No. 1 Seed in the East for the first time since the 1993-94 season back in the 2014-15 season mutually parted ways. 

The Southeast Division champs that season lost to the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the Conference Finals, their first appearance since they moved from St. Louis, MO in 1968.

Schenk reiterated on Monday during the press conference that he and Budenholzer, who most recently interviewed for the coaching vacancies with the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks remain on good terms. 

“I talked to him a couple of days ago,” he said. “No hard feelings at all.” 

In the years that have followed that Conference Finals appearance, the core of the Hawks team that consisted of All-Stars Al Horford, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, and Paul Millsap was slowly dismantled via trade and free agency. 

Pierce will have a few players to build with in lead guard Dennis Schroder; forward Taurean Prince, guard Kent Bazemore; rookie forward John Collins; and guard Malcolm Delaney. The question is can any of those players can become what Embiid and Simmons have become this past season? 

One sign that the players were excited about the hiring of Pierce, DeAndre’ Bembry, Mike Muscala, Bazemore and Isaiah Taylor sat together during the news conference to introduce their new head coach. 

To bring the kind of respect Pierce has from other players around “The Association,” Bazemore received text messages “saying we got a good one.” 

“I’m excited,” Bazemore said. “…Bringing in a defensive-minded guy is important because that’s where championships are won. If we start there, I believe everything else will fall into place.”

Bembry echoed those same thoughts saying, “You instantly have to respect what he’s done. He’s damn sure earned his first head-coaching job.”

One of Pierce’s former players was also in attendance in Sixers sharp shooter Robert Covington who was in town visiting a family member and wanted to show his support for someone who was instrumental in him getting a four-year, $62 million contract extension earlier this year. 

“He helped me so much in my career. It’s only right that I be there as well,” Covington, who averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 36.9 percent from three-point range during the regular season said. 

Last season was a tough one for the Atlanta Hawks winning just 24 games a season ago and seeing their streak of 10 straight postseason appearances end. Saying goodbye to head coach Mike Budenholzer was also a tough call to make as well. The Hawks organization now, led by Schlenk and Reesler are hopeful the combination of Pierce and an injection of talent via the draft and hopefully in free agency, along with the aforementioned player that will make the foundation going forward can jump start a new era of sustainable playoff appearances and hopefully multiple chances to compete for championships.  

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 5/11/18 www.nba.com article, “Atlanta Hawks Announce Lloyd Pierce as New Head Coach;” 5/13/18 2 a.m. edition of NBATV's "Gametime," presented by State Farm with Matt Winer, Grant Hill and Greg Anthony; 5/14/18 www.espn.com article via “The Associated Press” “New Hawks Coach Lloyd Pierce: Defense is ‘Who I am;’” www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/atl/atlanta-hawks; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Philadelphia_76ers_seasons; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Pierce; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Hawks#Season-by-season_records.