Just two years and three months ago, Nate McMillan took over as interim coach from the sacked Lloyd Pierce and made it clear to his players that they were part of the problem.
“Everyone has to point the finger at what they can do better,” McMillan later said of his conversation with the team. “Lloyd took the hit for all of us. I know that’s part of the territory. But you have to look at yourself and see what you’re going to do about it.”
What is not so old is new again. McMillan was fired Tuesday night. The coach took the hit for player and organization wide failure. But welcome to the life of professional sports, where it’s easier to break free from the contract of one than from the contract of many.
McMillan’s departure came as no shock. Owner Tony Ressler had been thinking about it for a while. Talks between Ressler and general manager Landry Fields escalated after the Hawks went into the All-Star break with back-to-back losses to the Hornets and Knicks, who left the team 29-30 and hopes of another play-in Round to avoid significantly wrecked. McMillan probably would have been fired days ago, but pro sports leagues generally frown on distinctive celebrations like All-Star Games being eclipsed by ugly things like layoffs, and Monday was a public holiday. So the ax fell on Tuesday night, on the eve of the players returning to training.
“That was something where I felt like I had to start a fire among them,” Fields told The Athletic. “Our goals haven’t changed this season.”
Sure – what better way to ensure players’ personal responsibility than to sack a coach. But let’s get back to that.
To be clear, there are valid reasons to support McMillan’s exit. After going 27-11 and leading the Hawks to the 2020-21 Eastern Conference Finals and earning the “steady” job, his record over the next two seasons was a 72-69 walker. Atlanta has underachieved relative to its talent, although the talent is probably overrated and certainly mismatched.
McMillan’s message is solid and consistent. He’s not the terrible head coach the social media Einsteins make him out to be. A man doesn’t practice 1,428 games in the NBA and win 760 if he doesn’t know how to make baskets. He’s smart, he’s classy, and most importantly, he’s a professional. The work he did two years ago to soothe an exhausted and somewhat whiny group of players and lead them to playoff upsets against the Knicks and Sixers was remarkable. But McMillan is old school and he’s failing in important areas, particularly offensive creativity and young player development. The Hawks are 16th in offensive rating at 113.7, pick up far too many midrange jumpers, are terrible at shooting 3s and remain terrible defensively.
Barring significant advances and a miracle playoff run, McMillan would likely be fired after the season anyway, with one year remaining and an option on his contract. Ressler had already stripped former team president Travis Schlenk of his authority, effectively excommunicating him from the organization. Three other members of the basketball department were fired. He saw no reason to delay McMillan’s exit. The upheaval and organizational turmoil orchestrated by the combustible Ressler was sure to continue.
Fields is the top name in basketball, but Ressler runs the show. When asked how long McMillan’s sacking had been discussed, Fields told The Athletic: “It’s something I’ve been overseeing. To have the show that we’ve put on (this season)… I don’t want to put too much stock in the last couple of games with Charlotte and New York, but those were definitely significant and we’re just not seeing enough progress.
Fields said of the upcoming coaching search, “We’re looking the rest of the way for a new voice, and we’re beginning our search immediately and aggressively. So we’re giving ourselves an edge with 23 games left to get ahead of the (quest) and see if we can land someone that makes sense to us. Development is high on our priority list, as is our character as a coach and our responsibility to the players, and we need to get our offense and defense in the top 10. It’s the only way I can see us ahead on the basketball court.”
The issues are far broader and may or may not be addressed at a press conference on Wednesday. Ressler started out as an owner who said he would leave basketball decisions to basketball operations, but he morphed into something else after the unexpected — and misleading — promotion to the conference finals.
This led to front-office dysfunction that included Ressler’s son being blessed with a louder voice in the room, a John Collins trade being rejected by the owner, three first-round picks for Dejounte Murray being dealt over Schlenk’s objection and one self-inflicted Salary-cap issues that effectively forced the team to treat Kevin Huerter.
Equally significant was the often fractured relationship between McMillan and guard Trae Young. The player’s apparent lack of leadership skills – and, it’s fair to say, situational awareness – was a problem. McMillan even traveled to Oklahoma City during the offseason to speak with Young about how the two have improved their communication this season. But if that helped, it was minimal.
Possible candidates for McMillan could include three former Hawks assistants — Bucks’ Charles Lee, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Jazz head coach Quin Snyder — as well as Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson and G League South Bay’s Miles Simon . Ressler will likely shoot high. But with cap issues and few future draft picks, it’s not an attractive inbox for candidates.
It’s fair to assume McMillan wouldn’t fix that. It’s also fair to assume that the problems extend far beyond the coaching.
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)