FanPost

B.K. or Woody?

I'm sure we have all had this discussion before, but recently it crossed my mind again and I thought it might be something to look at again now that we have had time to look at the results.

Billy Knight resigned last year and many, if not all, fans were ready for him to go.  I was one of those fans. I recognize and fully agree that the guy made some major mistakes when it came to drafting players (skipping on Paul and Harris might be everyone's pick for the worst decision by Knight).

Lately, however, I am wondering if maybe it was a little soon.  The team we watched take Boston to seven in the first round last year and the team that's winning this season, was put together by Billy Knight.  To me, what's even more important is how the current team came together.  Trading away those same bad picks to get Bibby last year showed that he recognized his mistakes and acted to correct them in the best way he could.  He also drafted Horford and Acie Law, which I think most would agree were solid picks.

If I had to chose Knight's biggest mistake of all, it would have to be the hiring of Woodson to begin with.  And even then, there were rumors that he was trying to correct that mistake, attempting to fire Woodson three separate times during last season, only to be snubbed by a greedy ownership group that didn't want to spend money on a better coach.  So instead, Knight resigned fully aware that if the ownership wasn't going to get rid of Woody, then it was probably he who would be the one getting fired at the end of the season.

I am of the opinion that Knight deserves the blame for his mistakes, but should also get the credit for attempting, and in some cases succeeding, to correct those same mistakes.  I also believe that Woodson shoulder most of the blame in regards to the Hawks lack of success over the years and that the recent success is not a by-product of anything Woodson related, but instead a direct reflection of the talent and drive of the players drafted and assembled by Knight.

So, if given the option toward the end of the last year to decide between Billy Knight and Mike Woodson, who ya got?

A FanPost expresses the opinion of the community member who wrote it and not that of the blog management.