Atlanta Hawks: Top 5 Head Coaches

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of t-shirts on seats prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Angie Walton-USA TODAY Sports

Richie was a great player-coach for the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks from mid-60’s to the early 70’s.  Guerin earned enshrinement in Springfield in 2013 as a player, which was long over due if you ask me.  Playing shooting guard for the Knicks and Hawks, Guerin scored 14,676 career points and assisted on 4,211 made baskets in his 14-year playing career.  Keep in mind that Richie played in an era with the 3-pointer or when steals, blocks, or other defensive metrics weren’t measured.

When Guerin was manning the sidelines for the Hawks, he led the Birds of Prey to the playoffs in each of his eight seasons as head coach.  Guerin had a career record of 327-291 coaching the Hawks and had strong winning percentages in both the regular season (.529) and in the playoffs (.433).  Richie won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1967-68 when his Hawks went 56-26.

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Guerin led the Hawks to the Western Division Finals three times before realignment moved Atlanta to the Eastern Conference before the start of the 1970-71 NBA Season.  Though it was a different era, Guerin had his Hawks playing in Championship rounds when he was coach.

With his résumé Hawks resume split between both Atlanta and St. Louis, Guerin actually had most of his success while the franchise played in the Arch City.  His winning percentages while in Atlanta dropped both in the regular season (.512) and in the playoffs (.387).  In the franchise’s history, Richie Guerin might actually be the Hawks’ greatest coach.  However, there are three more I feel have done more since the franchise has been in Atlanta.

Next: The Man Responsible For Our Current Success