Atlanta's Woodson Offers Some Advice to Orlando's Van Gundy

Filed under: Hawks, Magic, NBA Coaches

ORLANDO -- There are a lot of reasons why the Atlanta Hawks are on pace to surpass their previous season's victory total for the fifth consecutive year.

The biggest reason might be a philosophy that Coach Mike Woodson brought from Day 1 of the 2004-05 season when the Hawks hit bottom with only 13 victories.

"I said from the start, I'm not here to teach effort. If I have to teach you effort, I don't want you in a Hawks uniform,'' Woodson said Saturday before his team played the Magic in Orlando with the top spot in the Southeast Division at stake. "That's not my job. If you can't give me the effort I want, you shouldn't be here. You won't be here.''

The patience of management, the gradual drafting of key players, the signing of free agent Joe Johnson, and the trade this summer for Jamaal Crawford all have contributed to the gradual rise. Yet Woodson still believes that demanding nothing less than a complete effort has been key, even in this era of obscenely-high paid players often lacking motivation in an 82-game season.

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/01/09/atlantas-woodson-offers-some-advice-to-orlandos-van-gundy/