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Atlanta Dream president Theresa Wenzel explains Michael Cooper decision

By Howard Megdal

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 31: Michael Cooper of the Atlanta Dream huddles with his team before the game against the San Antonio Stars on May 31, 2017 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 31: Michael Cooper of the Atlanta Dream huddles with his team before the game against the San Antonio Stars on May 31, 2017 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In the end, simply missing the playoffs wasn’t the reason the Atlanta Dream decided to fire head coach Michael Cooper.

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“That’s not the only dividing line as we evaluated,” Dream president Theresa Wenzel told The Summitt in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “We looked at overall record. And eight teams make the playoffs every year. So it was more that there was not the consistency and success we were looking for.”

Cooper finished his tenure with the Dream at 63-73, including playoff appearances in 2014 and 2016. But the Dream finished just 12-22 this season, faltering down the stretch after a win-now trade brought Tamera Young and Imani Boyette to Atlanta for Jordan Hooper and what is now a lottery pick in the loaded 2018 draft.

Wenzel detailed a process the Dream have already started, having reached out to several candidates on a list she said includes between seven and ten names, with both assistants on current WNBA teams and college coaches in their sights.

The goal, though Wenzel explained she didn’t want to oversell how quickly it can happen, is to consistently contend for a WNBA title.

“We have a strong young core,” Wenzel said. “Brittney Sykes is a contender for Rookie of the Year. Layshia Clarendon is playing point guard as well as anybody in the league. Elizabeth Williams continues to provide strong defense and offense down low, and Tiffany Hayes had an excellent year scoring. So there’s a lot to work with here.”

Though Tamera Young will be a free agent, as will franchise icon Angel McCoughtry, the latter should be well-rested after taking the 2017 WNBA season to recuperate from a career of 12-month campaigns, and Atlanta will have the right to core her to keep her in Atlanta, where her ice cream business is located as well.

Notably, any retooling will not take place with the aforementioned draft pick. Asked whether Boyette is part of the team’s future, Wenzel said “I believe so, but it’ll also come down to what the owners see, what the new coach sees. Certainly, Elizabeth can’t do everything by herself.” Damiras Dantas is also a free agent, while Boyette remains under her rookie contract signed when the Sky drafted and signed her in 2016.

As for the rational behind the trade, Wenzel explained the trade took place based on where the team believed it was at the time of the deal.

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 11: Imani Boyette
ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 11: Imani Boyette /

“For everybody, hindsight is 20-20,” Wenzel said when asked if she’d have preferred not to make the trade, given how high the pick has turned out to be. “But we as an organization did what we thought was appropriate at the time. Now, many of our fans might think otherwise, but we’re comfortable with our decision-making process.”

That process will now shift into high gear to choose the team’s next leader. Wenzel said the Dream are hoping to complete the process over the “next month, month-and-a-half”, though the potential complication of attempting to speak to assistants of still-active WNBA teams could delay things.

After that comes the process of augmenting that group, and Wenzel sees a top-half finish in the league as equal to championship contention, noting that New York, Connecticut and Phoenix all appear to be worthy challengers to the top two in Minnesota and Los Angeles.

“We know we have what it takes for this organization to be successful,” Wenzel said. “This is a great sports city. We just need a few pieces to fall into place, but we have a strong core.”

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