The Atlanta Hawks have moved on from general manager Wes Wilcox after a disappointing end to the 2016-17 campaign.
Jeff Goodman and Marc Spears of ESPN reported Wilcox had been fired, but that report proved premature. Two days later, Wilcox resigned from the position, the team announced.
Atlanta, which finished the regular season barely above .500 with a record of 43-39, was dispatched by the Washington Wizards, 4-2, in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Wilcox, who recently was embroiled in a controversy over a comment he made that was racially insensitive, was hired to the GM position in 2015. The Hawks went 48-34 in his first season at the helm and made it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
He was responsible for bringing in Dwight Howard, a move that ultimately weakened the team, rather than strengthened it. Howard was effectively benched during late-game situations this past series against Washington, which didn’t sit well with the aging star center.
In truth, Atlanta was going nowhere fast, with or without Howard. Without a legitimate superstar, the Hawks will continue to be doomed to mediocrity.