The Atlanta Hawks made a big move during the NBA All-Star break as they fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday. This was a move that felt like it was inevitable, especially after it was reported that McMillan had considered handing in his resignation earlier in the season.
Losers in nine out of their last 13 games heading into the All-Star break, the Hawks needed some kind of shake-up. No big moves materialized ahead of the trade deadline, so shaking up the coaching staff was the next best plan.
Lead assistant Joe Prunty was given the interim head coaching tag as a result, but he may not hold that position very long. The franchise is wasting little time in filling the vacancy and already has a list of candidates.
Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mitch Johson and Mile Simon, the head coach of the G League’s South Bay Lakers are all in the pool of candidates.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Quin Snyder & Atlanta Hawks Updates
However, one candidate has seemingly risen above the rest. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks are already zeroing in on former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder to take over their vacancy.
“The Atlanta Hawks have started formal discussions with former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder and are attempting to hire Snyder swiftly during the season, league sources tell The Athletic.”
According to Charania, there is mutual interest between Synder and the Hawks to get a deal done. Atlanta wants to move quickly as they believe bringing Snyder on as soon as possible would help turn their season around.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Quin Snyder & Atlanta Hawks Updates
The Hawks have supreme confidence in Snyder’s ability to enhance the culture on and off the court while holding players accountable from superstar Trae Young down to the last man on the bench. The tension that built between Young and McMillan was one of the factors holding the team back.
Atlanta is currently 29-30 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They are three games ahead of the 11th-place Chicago Bulls and 3.5 behind the sixth-place New York Knicks for the last spot outside of the Play-In Tournament.
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