Hawks fire Pierce following high hopes, disappointing start
Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce talks to his players on the court in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA – Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired less than halfway into a season that began with heightened expectations but was beset by injuries. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta," Schlenk said in the statement. AdMcMillan filled in for Pierce when Pierce was recently away from the team while his wife was giving birth. Pierce, hired in 2018, was 63-120 (.344) with the Hawks, missing the playoffs in each of his two completed seasons.
Kerr, Nurse among NBA coaches wondering about Olympic plans
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Golden State coach Steve Kerr was supposed to be in Tokyo for the Olympics this summer. Then again, Kerr isn't certain if he or anyone else from the NBA will be there at all. FIBA pushed back the dates for the four remaining qualifying tournaments to June 29 through July 4, 2021, meaning they would end 19 days before the rescheduled start of the delayed Tokyo Olympics. Toronto coach Nick Nurse is scheduled to coach Canada in that qualifying tournament and, he hopes, the Olympics. Nurse, Popovich and Kerr surely arent the only coaches wondering on this point.