Fred Williams out as Dream head coach/GM

Atlanta's post-season has already begun, and with a huge change - Fred Williams, who had been with the Atlanta Dream since its founding in 2008, will not be returning to the team next season either as coach or as general manager.

From the press release:

"Coach Williams has been an instrumental part of our success since the team's inception, and although we have decided to move in a different direction, we appreciate Fred's dedicated service and ensuring that the Dream remained among the top teams in the WNBA," said Atlanta Dream co-owners Mary Brock and Kelly Loeffler. "He is a great teacher of the game, and is well respected by his peers."

Fred Williams took over midway through the 2012 season after Marynell Meadors was fired.  During his time as head coach of Atlanta, he was 24-20 with a 5-6 playoff record.

Williams said:  "I've enjoyed helping build this franchise from day one, and I expect the Dream to continue to be one of the elite organizations in the WNBA,"  He will be serving in a consulting role with the Dream until his contract ends on November 30th.

He had been with the Atlanta Dream since the hiring of Marynell Meadors.  Joe Ciampi and Julie Plank are the Atlanta Dream assistant coaches.  The Atlanta Dream organization might have a long time to decide who should replace Williams, as without a collective bargaining agreement in effect, players can't be signed to contracts.