Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew has a team option in his contract for the 2012-13 season but he still hasn't heard whether or not management intends to have him return. Drew's fate likely won't be decided until the Hawks make a decision regarding the general manager position.
Drew has been a mixed bag since taking over for Mike Woodson after the 2010 season. In 2011 the Hawks regressed in the regular season to 44 wins but upset the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. In 2012's lockout shortened season, Atlanta won 40 games while overcoming the loss of Al Horford for all but 11 of those contests. However, the Hawks string of second-round playoff appearances came to an end with a first-round exit to the Celtics despite entering the series with home court advantage.
Drew cites his relationship with his players as one of his biggest strengths and those relationships no doubt helped him secure the job in 2010.
"That's something I take a lot of pride in and spent a lot of time talking about and trying to work on," he said. "Player relationships are so important on this level, how you deal with your best player all the way down to the guy who might not even dress out during games. I thought I did a good job with that. I thought my staff did a good job with that."
The question is are those relationships strong enough to keep him as the coach through next season?
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