Woodson accepts offer from Hawks

ATLANTA -- Mike Woodson has agreed to coach the Atlanta Hawks, and he says he knows major challenges await him in his first job as a head coach.

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The Hawks went 28-54 last season and have missed the playoffs for five straight years. They had only five players on their roster before last month's NBA draft and had the league's worst attendance last season.

"We've got a lot of work to do, we're kind of starting from the bottom up," Woodson told The Associated Press Tuesday. "What better way to put your name on something and try to build than from the bottom up?"

Woodson, 46, was Larry Brown's top assistant last season for the NBA champion Detroit Pistons. He will take over an Atlanta team that dismantled its roster last season to begin rebuilding under general manager Billy Knight.

Knight, who was Woodson's teammate on the Kansas City Kings from 1983-85, reached an agreement with Woodson on a four-year deal. Woodson said he was still completing contract negotiations with the Hawks Tuesday.

"They have offered the job and hopefully everything will be wrapped up sometime today and I'll be on a plane Wednesday night or Thursday morning for Atlanta," Woodson said in a telephone interview from his Houston home.

Woodson will replace Terry Stotts, who was fired May 6.

Woodson was a finalist for jobs in Toronto and Philadelphia the last two years. When pursuing the Atlanta job, Woodson said he was impressed by Knight and the team's new nine-man ownership group.

"I think you've got fresh ownership at the top now that's made a commitment to try to do this thing the right way, and you've got a great guy in Billy Knight," Woodson said. "... He hasn't wavered one bit in terms of our friendship and I think he looked at me in that regard as well."

Knight had no comment Tuesday.

Boston businessman Steve Belkin, a member of the ownership group, said Woodson's experience on the NBA champion Pistons is important to the Hawks.

"We're very excited about Mike because we feel he's going to bring a winning championship attitude to Atlanta and be part of the building process," Belkin said. "Billy highly recommended Mike Woodson as his first choice."

Another member of the ownership group, former longtime Hawks executive Michael Gearon, talked with Woodson during the interview process, but said Knight had full responsibility for the hire.

"I've known Larry Brown for over 20 years," Gearon said. "Mike just wanted to talk to somebody who could give him a sense of the Atlanta situation."

Gearon called Woodson "the next young version" of a coach like Brown.

"We're very excited," Gearon said. "We have a talented young coach and a talented young GM and we're building a young team."

Woodson has been an assistant for four teams. He came with Brown from Philadelphia to Detroit for the 2003-04 season. He also played in the NBA for 11 seasons.

Woodson will become the 10th coach of the Hawks since the franchise moved to Atlanta from St. Louis in 1968.

Indiana assistant Mike Brown, Dallas assistant Del Harris, former Phoenix coach John MacLeod, Seattle associate head coach Dwayne Case, former Cleveland and Atlanta coach Mike Fratello also interviewed with Knight. Knight also spoke to TV analyst Kenny Smith about the job.