Larry Drew to Return as Hawks Head Coach

Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew will return for his third season with the team, Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund announced today. Atlanta is 84-64 with Drew at the helm, and is coming off a loss to Boston in the first round of the playoffs last week, ending a streak of three consecutive years in the second round. The AP has the details: “‘Larry did an outstanding job this season in guiding our team to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite a condensed schedule and unfortunate injuries,’ said General Manager Rick Sund. ‘The Hawks have reached the postseason in each of his years on the bench, and we feel Larry’s experience, expertise and dedication to the game were a key ingredient to our success.’ Atlanta had the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference despite losing All-Star center Al Horford for all but 11 games of the regular season. Horford returned in Game 4 of the Celtics series. The Hawks also lost Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Kirk Hinrich and other players for stretches of six or more games. ‘This group, we never really got to show what we’re capable of,’ Horford said last week. Drew is 84-64 in two regular seasons and 8-10 in the playoffs. The Hawks were 17-16 on the road this season, the team’s first winning record away from Atlanta in 13 years. The team’s five starters and Pachulia are under contract for next season. Nine players are free agents, and Sund’s contract expires on June 30.”