Under Wilkens, Hawks serious about winning

Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 1993 by Tim Povtak

Lenny Wilkens likely will pass Red Auerbach next season to become the NBA's leader in coaching victories. And with the job he has done in Atlanta the past few weeks, it's easy to see why.

Wilkens, who came into the season with 869 victories in 20 seasons (Auerbach had 938 in 20), has transformed the Hawks. They are the NBA's biggest early-season surprise.

The Rockets and SuperSonics - the best teams in the league now - were expected to be good and challenge for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Hawks were not.

Wilkens has transformed the Hawks from a team with a well-deserved reputation for selfishness, underachievement and lackadaisical defense, into a ball-hawking, well-disciplined team.

They began the week on an eight-game winning streak and atop the Central Division, not a place anyone expected to find them when the season began.

It was a surprise that Wilkens, who resigned as coach of the Cavaliers after last season, took the job in Atlanta, a team expected to be on the decline. Cleveland was a team known for its coachability and attention to fundamentals. The Hawks were not.

"This was a team that had a cloud over its head," says shooting guard Craig Ehlo, who left the Cavs to join the Hawks as a free agent this season. "It was about egos and individuals. Lenny got everyone's attention here. For them to be so receptive shows what kind of respect they have for him."

Wilkens, 56, has never won the NBA's Coach of the Year Award, but he has won more games than everyone but Auerbach. Wilkens coached the SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979. He is in the Hall of Fame as a player.

In Atlanta, Wilkens already has improved the games of point guard Mookie Blaylock and Stacey Augmon. He has tailored the games of veterans Dominique Wilkins and Kevin Willis, who many thought were virtually uncoachable.

Blaylock last weekend had his first triple double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Wilkins was benched for a short period last week, something that rarely was done in the past, and he returned to the court with some unusual attention to detail.

"In the past we had situations where we'd talk during a timeout, then go out on the floor and do something entirely different," center Jon Koncak says. "That's not going to happen with Lenny Wilkens. His Cleveland teams did everything we didn't do. They shared the ball. They almost overpassed. They had a lot of unity. We have guys pulling for each other now, and we didn't have a lot of that in the past."

The success has come despite some poor shooting (44 percent) and a rough start (1-4).

Last season, the Hawks allowed opponents to shoot 49.6 percent from the field. Only the Mavericks were worse defensively. This season, opponents are shooting 44 percent. Last season, opponents averaged 108.4 points. This season they are averaging 96 points. It's no accident that opponents are struggling against the Hawks now.

"Lenny is very specific in what he wants," Hawks General Manager Pete Babcock says. "There's no gray area with him. Guys on the team know that if they're not going to do what's expected, they are going to sit."

Hitting triples

Now that Michael Jordan is gone and Dominique Wilkins is 33, the focus in the league this season has shifted away from players on the perimeter from players on the perimeter and to the guys on the front line.

Centers are dominating again.

Triple doubles (double figures in three different statistical categories in a single game) are a good way to illustrate that point.

By the start of this week, there had been five triple doubles, and three had come from centers - David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal and Dikembe Mutombo - who reached their triple with points, rebounds and blocked shots.

Last season there were 43 triple doubles and only two came with points, rebounds and blocked shots. This season, only Mookie Blaylock and Kenny Anderson have taken the more conventional route of points, rebounds and assists.

The gain?

It's 0

The 76ers probably didn't realize this when they signed Orlando Woolridge - unless, of course, they wanted to assure a great seat for the draft lottery - but he hasn't exactly been Mr. Fix It through his career.

Wollridge has been with seven teams in a 13-year career,and one thing has remained constant at every stop:: his first year is not a good year for his team.

Maybe it's just coincidence, but the facts are a little startling because scorer throughout his career.

Here are the facts:; The Bulls won 45 games in the 1980-81 season. They drafted Woolridge and dropped to 34 victories the next season. The Nets won 39 games in 1984-86, then signed him as a free agent and won 24 games the following season.The Lakers won 62 games in 1987-88, signed him and won 57 games the following year. The Nuggets won 43 games in 1989-90, obtained Woolridge in a trade and won 20 games in 1990-91. The Pistons won 50 games without him in 1990-91 but 48 with him his first season. The Bucks won 31 without him in 1991-92 but 28 the next season.

And finally, the Sixers won 26 games last season. Is it possible they can win fewer with Woolridge? Yes, and if history is correct, they probably will.