June 13th, 2008 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in ????????????????????????????????????? 
There has to be nothing worse, career-wise, than to be left hanging not knowing what your job status is – especially in the NBA and specifically the Atlanta Hawks and Mike Woodson.? Well folks, the suspense is over as according to Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Woodson has stated that he intends to sign a two-year extension with the Hawks; specifics on the financials of the extension were not available.? Woodson’s original contract expires on June 30, but Hawks general manager Rick Sund opted to retain Woodson.
The re-signing of Woodson ends a strange journey; originally, former team GM Billy Knight had wanted to fire Woodson by the trading deadline – a move Hawks management shot down.? Ironically, that set the table for the improbable run by the Hawks which got them to the playoffs – their last playoff appearance was in 1999.? Soon after the Boston Celtics eliminated the Hawks from the first round of the playoffs, Knight resigned – starting the speculation about Woodson’s future.? I would suspect that even though Woodson was granted a 2-year extension, the 2008-09 season will be the litmus test for him – kind of a “put up or shut-up” type of situation.? So I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Woodson is on a short leash during the length of the extension.
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