Schuerholz's move marked the beginning of a wave of upper management turnover that has reached each of Atlanta's other three major professional teams.
In only three months after the Schuerholz move, two Atlanta coaches have been fired, the president of two teams, Bernie Mullin, has resigned and the Falcons have hired a general manager to replace Rich McKay, who remains as team president.
If the Hawks and Thrashers fall short of the playoffs, more changes could be coming.
Hawks general manager Billy Knight and coach Mike Woodson and Thrashers general manager and interim coach Don Waddell are under pressure to take their teams to the playoffs. The Hawks are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
Coach Bob Hartley took the Thrashers to their first playoff appearance last season, but they were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers and Hartley was fired on Oct. 17 after an 0-6 start this season.
The firing of Hartley was a clear sign the owners expect progress. Knight, Woodson and Waddell are on watch.
The two winter sports teams under one Atlanta Spirit ownership group, the NBA's Hawks and NHL's Thrashers, went through the most recent management move on Jan. 22 when Mullin agreed to step down as president of the two teams.
If Mullin was any buffer between the owners and Knight and Woodson for the Hawks and Waddell for the Thrashers, that now is gone. Knight and Waddell must answer to the owners.
Waddell said Mullin's exit won't change the way he operates.
``The way our ownership has worked here for a long time, the GMs have been reporting to the board of managers or the owners,'' Waddell said.
``From my end, it doesn't make anything more difficult for me. My approval process is the same. If I need to get something approved, I send an e-mail to the owners and they're real good about getting back to me.''
Falcons owner Arthur Blank hired Thomas Dimitroff as the new general manager with control of player personnel decisions. Dimitroff helped Blank hire the team's new coach, Mike Smith.
Unlike Schuerholz, who celebrated his move in a news conference, McKay's new role as team president was thrust upon him as confirmation that his personnel moves with the Falcons have not gone well.
Schuerholz was named president as an alternative to retirement; the Braves want to keep him around. McKay was allowed to remain as president as an apparent alternative to resigning or being fired.
Michael Gearon Jr., the Atlanta-based member of the Atlanta Spirit ownership group, says Mullin will not be replaced. The owners' hands-on approach with the teams' general managers now is confirmed as standard operating procedure.
Said Gearon: ``We don't need somebody between them and us. ... There' s no impact at all to the operations.''
Gearon said he's not concerned that Waddell's time as interim coach already has lasted longer than some expected.
``That's up to Don to determine if he stays the coach,'' Gearon said.
Mullin held his head high as he made one final bold prediction on the day his resignation became public.
``Both teams are in a position to be perennial playoff contenders,'' Mullin said.
Bold prediction? That's putting it mildly. The Thrashers have never won a playoff game. The Hawks have gone longer without a playoff appearance than any other team in the NBA.
Mullin's exit came as the Thrashers were in a five-game losing streak which ended Wednesday night, and the Hawks were about to start a 1-4 road trip.
The Hawks, who were 14-12 on Dec. 26, had lost 11 of 15 before Saturday night's home game against New Jersey.
The Hawks are in danger of missing the playoffs again. The Thrashers probably must win their division to return to the playoffs.
Point guard is still a position of concern for the Hawks, but at least there are signs of progress with young players maturing at other positions around shooting guard Joe Johnson.
The Hawks are still paying the price for Knight's biggest free-agent blunder, signing point guard Speedy Claxton to a four-year deal worth about $25.5 million in 2006. Claxton landed the big money even though he had started only three games for the New Orleans Hornets the previous season.
Claxton lost his starting job in New Orleans to point guard Chris Paul the rising star Knight neglected in the 2005 draft.
Knight instead chose forward Marvin Williams, who is averaging 16.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. Williams has been the team's most consistent scorer, landing in double figures in all but one game. Willliams may be a future All-Star but Paul, who was Rookie of the Year, is an All-Star this season.
Meanwhile, Claxton played in only 42 games with 31 starts last year and won't play a minute this season due to more knee problems. The Hawks are left with rookie Acie Law and veterans Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue to run the team.
Center Al Horford is the most polished and productive Hawks rookie in recent years. He leads the team with 9.8 rebounds per game.
Johnson will make his second straight All-Star appearance and Horford will play in the rookie challenge at the All-Star weekend.
The team's biggest draw for ticket buyers may be forward Josh Smith, the Atlanta native who is only 22 but has the potential to post staggering stats lines of points, rebounds, blocked shots, steals and assists. Smith also is the star of the highlight shows with his dunks and blocks.
The Thrashers boast high-scoring Ilya Kovalchuk, goalie Kari Lehtonen and rookie Tobias Enstrom as their top young stars, but they haven't been as disciplined as the Hawks in committing to building with their own prospects.
Waddell made trades last year for veterans who helped the team win the Southeast Division last season, and he says the Thrashers will be trying to help themselves, not other teams, as the Feb. 26 trade deadline nears.
``Sure. We look at it as we approach the trade deadline, we're buyers,'' Waddell said. ``We want to strengthen our team if we can. That's our goal. The more wins we can put together right now helps us in a lot of causes. Our goal is to repeat as division champions.''
There is much speculation the team may be forced to deal Marian Hossa, who can be an unrestricted free agent if he doesn't agree to a new deal. Two other veterans, captain Bobby Holik and Mark Recchi, who has revived his career in Atlanta, also could attract trade interest.
The Thrashers' biggest star is Kovalchuk, but Hossa also was an All-Star last week in Atlanta. Hossa acknowledged that he must be convinced the Thrashers can be a winning team before he agrees to a new deal.
Hossa already has turned down the Thrashers' offer for a four-year deal worth $28 million.
``It's not about money,'' Hossa said last weekend. ``I just want to make sure I do the right decision. When I sign for long term, I don't want to sign and then we're not winning.''
The Thrashers, left, and Hawks have been plagued by inconsistency -- both on the playing field and in the front office -- this season.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/2/206438