Will the Hawks Ink Woodson Long-Term?

Atlanta has surpassed all expectations thus far this season, to say the least, but head coach Mike Woodson has yet to get the contractual vote of confidence from management. He’s less than pleased: “Hawks coach Mike Woodson says he is comfortable with his contract status. Said Woodson, ‘I have no choice.’ Woodson is in the second year of a two-year deal granted him in June 2008 by general manager Rick Sund shortly after Sund’s hire. While the Hawks reached the second round of the playoffs last spring for the first time since the 1996-97 season, Woodson went into this season with no talk of an extension. The Hawks, who play Memphis Wednesday night at Philips Arena, have since gotten off to one of the best starts in team history. However, indications are that any new contract talks will still wait until season’s end. ‘Am I happy about it? No,’ Woodson said Tuesday. ‘But it is what it is. But I’m not going to sit here and complain about it by any means. I have this year on my contract and then I’m a free agent. They have not approached me, so obviously we’re going to play it out.”‘