I think it’s safe to say that Larry Drew and Atlanta Hawks’ general manager Danny Ferry have an “open” professional relationship these days.
Drew is under contract through June, but Ferry has given him permission to talk to other teams while Ferry decides whether or not to extend Drew or bring in a coach of his own choosing (Drew was hired before Ferry took over as Hawks’ GM).
Rumors linked Stan Van Gundy to the Hawks last week, and today Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via ProBasketballTalk.com) reported that Nate McMillan interviewed for the job.
McMillan is a sexier name than Larry Drew, but he was never able to turn his Portland team into a contender during his time with the Blazers. There’s a reasonable argument that he wouldn’t represent much of an upgrade over Drew.
If I had to bet on it, I’d say that this is just Danny Ferry doing his due diligence. If Ferry decides to make a change, I think the name people aren’t talking about enough is Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer. Budenholzer and Ferry worked together during Ferry’s two stints in San Antonio’s front office.
Say what you want about the way Ferry is handling this process with Larry Drew, but Ferry is probably the most competent general manager that Atlanta has had in quite a while.
He’s the man who traded Joe Johnson and his massive contract to Brooklyn, got rid of Marvin Williams and put the Hawks in position to be power brokers in free agency this offseason.
Given that, whatever decision Ferry makes about his team’s coach will likely get the benefit of the doubt amongst Hawks’ fans.