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Larry Drew Rounds Out Coaching Staff

Sorry to bombard everyone with posts but these things are coming out at a rapid fire pace.

Larry Drew's staff will look a lot like Mike Woodson's. Bob Bender and Tyrone Hill will both return to the bench and Greg Ballard will return as advance scout. The new member will be Lester Conner who spent last season in Indiana serving as an assistant coach for Jim O'Brien. He is a 12 year veteran of the NBA sidelines. The Hawks also announced that Bender, Hill and Conner will coach the Hawks Summer League team. 

Not a lot of surprises there really as it was expected for most of the staff to return once Larry Drew was named as coach. Conner has been with Jim O'Brien in Indiana, Boston, and Philadelphia. 

Read the entire Press Release after the Jump

Star-divide

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 14thselection 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.

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no sunrise there

Is this a good or bad thing Kris? should he have broadened his horizons?

IF YOU CANT ACCEPT LOSING, YOU CANT WIN.

by Hawksgirl on Jul 8, 2010 9:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions  

Who knows

Assistant coaches are hard to guage

by axhfan on Jul 8, 2010 9:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

Jury is out

A coaching staff operates so much behind the scenes it is hard to say. It is important for the head coach to feel comfortable with his staff and Drew obviously does. Does anyone know out there what happened to Jim Todd? It appears we might be operating with one less assistant than we did last season.

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/

by Kris Willis on Jul 8, 2010 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions  

Todd has been replaced by Ballard, essentially.

I think what has probably happened is that Jim Todd has moved on, Tyrone Hill took his spot, and Greg Ballard came in and took Ty Hill’s spot as the assistant coach/advanced scout.

http://soaringdownsouth.com/

by KB21 on Jul 11, 2010 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions  

after this lebron move....

the hawks really need 2 do something….i wish my atl sports franchises all the best…

by Jhovan on Jul 8, 2010 11:36 PM EDT reply actions  

miami

No shooters, no bigs and no bench. And they traded Beasley who was a hell of a player.
I’m not terribly worried about Miami

by frootbooty on Jul 9, 2010 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions  

JJ makes more than bron and wade….wow…i expect 27 ppg for the next 4 years Joe… i mean it

by Jhovan on Jul 8, 2010 11:38 PM EDT reply actions  

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