What about it? The Hawks need to rebuild and Doc Rivers could help bring some respectability back to the franchise. He's really a very good coach, it's too bad Orlando ousted him so unceremoniously. The fans in Atlanta seemed to really embrace him when he was running the point back in the 80's. I think he would be great for Shareef and he could also help groom Boris Diaw who I believe will be a terrific pro someday. If the Hawks could make a few deals to trim some of the fat off of that roster, namely Jason Terry who doesn't want to be there anyway, they could really turn it around fairly quickly. The new ownership seems dedicated to building a winner, I think Doc would work much better with them than he did with Pat Williams in Orlando. Not having close ties or contacts to the area, I'm not privy to the relationship (if any) between Rivers and the Hawks. But, if there's no bad blood, they might want to make a serious run at him soon, before another coach gets the axe and he goes elsewhere. Of course this is only assuming Terry Staats will not survive much longer, which from the looks of things is almost a given.
I think the Hawks will be quite willing to try Doc out next year, assuming another team doesn't get him first. Especially now that Nique is in a bigger role with the team, I think that's a very real scenario. The bigger deal is how Stotts ends the year, because even if they miss the playoffs, if he ends on a positive note with some momentum in the win column, it's quite likely that the new Hawks ownership will want him to stick around for at least one more, until they get some pieces in place. I'm pretty sure that there's no bad blood in the relationship. Doc's tenure there came to a close in the late 80's when he got injured. Spud Webb tried to hold it down, but they brought Kenny Anderson in as a more permanent fix. I think when he got better they saw him as more expendable as the older player, and he eventually ended up with the Clippers and then the Knicks(in exchange for Mark Jackson). That last one might be why he may not end up in Atlanta. If the Knicks make a run at him if they fire Chaney, the Hawks management will have to show what they're made of by matching the offer. I think it will be between those two teams.
Agreed Starman, he has always stated how much he enjoyed his time in New York. I feel badly for Don Chaney though, he is an excellent coach. It's unfortunate he hasn't had healthy players or a gm with any front office savvy. Layden might be the only stumbling block in Doc returning to the Apple. Otherwise, it would be interesting to see two former prominent Hawks try to save that sinking ship.
