Woodson Extended

Coaching continuity in Atlanta hasn't been the norm.  But for at least the next two years, it looks as though that will be the case.

As reported by ESPN:

ATLANTA -- Rick Sund's first two weeks as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks convinced him the team is moving in the right direction and should keep Mike Woodson as coach.

Woodson, who in his fourth season led the team to its first playoff berth in nine years, has signed a two-year extension, Sund announced on Friday.

"What I really felt was that each year the club had improved and got better," said Sund, who was hired as general manager on May 28.

"One of the goals was by year four to sneak into the playoffs, and they were the youngest of the 16 playoff teams, and they represented themselves pretty well in the playoffs."

Just one thought: Good for him.

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Whether Woodson has what it takes to be a big-time tactician in this league remains to be seen -- and it isn't like he hasn't had his share of detractors.  That said, he did push the Hawks to their best finish in nearly a decade, and perhaps even more importantly, he got a group of enigmatic young talents to unite and play cohesive basketball under his watch.

With guys like Woodson, it's especially worth remembering that what we see on a regular basis -- his in-game management -- is only a fraction of his job.  By all accounts, his players like playing for him and playing hard for him at that, and that's often a huge part of the battle in this league.

We'll see how much this helps -- or perhaps ultimately hinders -- the Hawks in the long run, but I feel good for Woodson.  There were plenty of doubts about him even heading into the playoffs, and he coached his team to a heck of a series against the Celts in the first round.  Well played, sir.