The hiring of Phoenix Suns new Head Coach Igor Kokoskov’s staff has begun. The first two moves are reportedly potentially bringing in Mike Woodson and Corliss Williamson.
Per Arizona Sports, Phoenix have brought in Mike Woodson to potentially join the staff of new Head Coach Igor Kokoskov. Another assistant who has been hired, per Scott Bordow, is Corliss Williamson.
Mike Woodson has a lot of experience and will be a great add. He was an assistant coach for over 12 seasons with five different teams in the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and L.A. Clippers.
Woodson also has eight seasons as a head coach under his belt with the two different teams in the Atlanta Hawks (6) and New York Knicks (2).
As the sideline leader of the Hawks, he increased the team’s win total in each one of his seasons with the team. Atlanta went from a lowly 13 win team to a impressive 53 win team under his leadership and coaching prowess. They also made the playoffs for the first time in eight years in 2008. Three consecutive appearances at that.
However, after being swept by the Magic in his 6th season with the franchise, GM Rick Sund decided it best not to re-sign him.
With the Knicks, he worked his magic again improving their win total in each season. But in a big market like New York, when they missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons he got canned.
His overall head coaching record stands at 315-365. That’s a .463 winning percentage, which doesn’t jump out at you but when you keep in mind a lot of that time was spent on a rebuilding team that’s quite the accomplishment.
He took two separate teams from losing ways to the playoffs and he knows what the Suns need to do to improve and morph themselves into winners. He is well-liked and respected around the league and is credited as having a strong defensive mind and for getting the most out of his team’s defensive players. He was a big factor on that side of the ball for the shut-it-down 2003-04 Pistons championship team.
Speaking of that Pistons team, he sat on the sidelines with Kokoskov as both were assistant coaches for that squad which featured Corliss Williamson at forward.
Williamson has five seasons of experience as an assistant coach with two teams, the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic.
He is one of the few professional basketball players that has won championships on three different levels – AAU, NCAA and NBA.
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The Suns are two more steps in to forming a solid coaching staff for the upcoming season and it appears their lackluster defensive ways will NOT continue. The team finished this season in the bottom five in points allowed, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. With the new coaching staff, that simply won’t fly.
Igor Kokoskov is putting himself together a legit coaching staff and bringing in Woodson and Williamson brings them that much closer to legitimacy. Also, it appears being a unit is very important in the eyes of these new guys. They sat together on the bench for a championship team 14 years ago. Together they will make a push to make these Suns into a championship team themselves.