Should Travis Schlenk Worry About Job Security?
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There is much going on right now in the world of the Atlanta Hawks. Trade talk, coaching change rumors, and potentially an unhappy superstar. Even with all of that, one man has been there since the beginning: team president Travis Schlenk.
He was with the Golden State Warriors for 13 years and was present for the construction of the team's dynasty. So, the question is, if the hawks don’t reach expectations this season, should he be on the hot seat? First, let's go over some of the decisions he has made.
Draft Picks
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During his run with the Hawks, Schlenk has done a pretty good job drafting. First, he drafted a franchise player Trae Young. He also selected core players John Collins, Onkeya Okwongu, De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, and Jalen Johnson.
Then even players who aren’t currently still with the team but are still in the league, Cam Reddish (free Cam) and Kevin Huerter. Some would say his biggest bust was Omari Spellman, maybe Bruno Fernando. If you look at the overall selection of draft choices he’s made isn’t bad. Usually, when you draft well, that is a sign of a good talent evaluator.
Free Agency & Trades
Dejounte Murray holds his form after a shot.
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Schlenk has made several good free-agency signings and trades. Schlenk traded for Clint Capela, a major contributor for this team who came from Houston. He signed Bogdan Bogdanovic, one of the best three-point shooters in the game. He signed or traded for key veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, and Delon Wright. Schlenk landed a second star in Dejounte Murray by flipping Gallinari and a few first-round draft picks.
Schlenk has had some misses and questionable decisions as well. He allowed Wright to walk and essentially traded Kevin Huerter for Justin Holiday, who now seems to almost be completely out of the rotation. Aaron Holiday is in the third unit.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrrot was seen as a liability. People are wondering if they paid Hunter too early or if Collins was paid too much. He traded Reddish for Kevin Knox. In saying this, new general manager Landry Fields has had some say in some of these decisions of this last off-season, but since Schlenk is the president, he makes the final call. I didn’t mention every move, but these are notable.
Coaching
Nate McMillan looks on during a game.
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Schlenk has only had two head coaches, Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillian. The Hawks were rebuilding when Pierce was first hired, so losing was expected. Then when expectations rose to make the playoffs, Pierce couldn’t make it fully to the All-Star break and had issues with star Trae Young, which led to his firing.
Then came McMillian, the interim coach who led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. McMillan got an extension and was the guy. Then last season, the Hawks did not reach expectations and were a Play-In team. People have felt McMillan was never the right guy for the job, and Schlenk barely looked at other coaches before removing the interim tag.
This year much has happened just in the past week about McMillian and Young’s relationship. The team has blown leads and played inconsistently. But even more frustrating, the team still lacks an identity. So that leaves one question: If McMillian and the team fail, should Schlenk be gone too?
Schlenk has done a good job of getting key pieces on the team over the years. Some people believe the Hawks have the talent, but McMillan is holding them back. Schlenk has only truly searched for one head coach who was Pierce, and that didn’t work.
Should he get another chance to find the right head guy if McMillan is fired? He has to figure out the John Collins situation as well. Schlenk will be watched closely by Hawks fans for the rest of the season to see how he improves this team and if they can get this ship back where they hoped it would be.
