Three thoughts on the Hawks' firing of head coach Lloyd Pierce on Monday:
• This isn’t especially surprising. There was league-wide buzz that Pierce could be in trouble last year, with the Hawks stumbling to a 20–47 finish in the pandemic-shortened season. Pierce survived, but with Atlanta off to a disappointing 14–20 start—reasons for which go well beyond Pierce—it’s hardly a shock to see the Hawks let him go. Atlanta spent heavily on free agents last offseason, and while several key players have missed significant time with injuries (Bogdan Bogdanoviu0107, De’Andre Hunter, Rajon Rondo) there have been some warning signs.