Are Hawks Considering Sixers Assistants to Replace Nate McMillan?
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with their head coach, Nate McMillan. Just a couple of seasons ago, McMillan replaced former Atlanta head coach Lloyd Pierce midway through the season. McMillan helped lead the Hawks on an impressive playoff run, which included series wins over the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Although the Hawks burned out in the Eastern Conference Finals and came up short to the Milwaukee Bucks, it seemed the future was bright for McMillan’s Hawks. Fast forward two seasons later, and that doesn’t seem to be the case.
One season after cracking the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and losing in five games, the Hawks are 29-30, sitting in eighth place. Once again, they are on pace to be a part of the Eastern Conference’s Play-In Tournament.
Although McMillan’s departure seemed inevitable at the end of the year, Atlanta didn’t want to waste time and continue delaying the inevitable. Therefore, they are on the hunt for his replacement as they look to continue making a push for the playoffs.
Who is a Target?
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is at the top of the list for the Hawks. Right behind him is Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.
Shams Charania of The Athletic added a couple more names to the mix by mentioning Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, and South Bay Lakers coach Miles Simon of the G League.
So far, it doesn’t seem like Doc Rivers’ staff is in danger of a shakeup as a result. Over the last couple of years, some of Rivers’ top assistants, such as Sam Cassell and Dave Joerger, have garnered attention from organizations with head coaching vacancies.
So far, Atlanta seems fixated on hiring Snyder, who is currently available after spending the last eight seasons coaching in Utah.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
