Honesty Corner's Truths: Season Ending & Game 1 Thoughts

Hawks Fans,

Let's start with the obvious. It's been 4 LONG months and for reasons that don't matter at all to you guys - I had to take a hiatus, but it doesn't mean that I haven't watched every game and been cheering for progress from our beloved Atlanta Hawks and it didn't mean I didn't miss you all.  So, let me pick up where I last left off by sharing some truths (Spoiler Alert - your boy was wrong about a few things! Haters, listen up!)  And with that delicious piece of information, let's start with some season ending items and then, my playoff thoughts...

2012-2013 told us that:

• Al Horford is the Hawks Best Player (and that sucks) – For those who have read my blogs over the years, I've said that Al Horford was anything from a rich man's Chuck Hayes to an All Star Center by default.  While I stand by much of that, the post All Star break Al Horford has finally landed at Studsville.  All the calls for increased usage for Horford have yielded a truth I didn't think was possible and that's that - Al Horford can produce consistent 20-10s.  20-10s in this NBA means you're a stud.  The lack of consistency from Jeff Teague and the inconsistent use of Josh Smith's best basketball skills have finally catapulted me to the new belief that Al Horford is the best player for the Atlanta Hawks. And why does this suck?  Well, because a big man who can't rely on his low post moves and who struggles to get the usage necessary to make 20-10s into 30-15s vs. elite talent means if he's your best player - you will never make an Eastern Conference Finals. I'll stop there because any comment after this will lead to a dilution of the gravity of this truth and the acknowledgement that Al Horford has completely elevated his game this season.

• My Desired Starting Rotation was wrong (and yet, so right) – In my season preview, I noted that I wanted to see a starting 5 of Horford, Smith, Stevenson, Jenkins, and Teague and I was wrong to ask for that.  I'm sure you all are saying - Hawks Str8Talk - you finally admit that John Jenkins should have been coming off the bench and I say - ABSOLUTELY NOT!  No, Mr. Stevenson, he of the 'can't play back to back game' Stevensons should have never sniffed the starting lineup for this team.  You cater your team to the whims of star players whose health is critical to your playoff chances.  Deshawn Stevenson does NOT fall into that category.  I'm still at a loss as to why he's not the last of a rotation that includes Korver, Jenkins, Harris, and Tolliver for wing minutes.  Listen, he's ok and has moments, but on a rebuilding team - Deshawn Stevenson doesn't deserve ANY minutes.  Every minute this season that Deshawn Stevenson has played should have been given to John Jenkins.  Period. Plus, it deprived us of the full bliss of Kyle Korver and John Jenkins on the court at the same time further shaming Josh Smith into taking NO outside shots.  Which leads me to the next truth...

• Larry Drew calls as a midseason Coach of Year candidate were laughable - Starting with the rotating starting lineup (and yes, I acknowledge that injuries had a role here) and ending with a season where Ivan Johnson and John Jenkins at several points took back seats to Johan Petro and Anthony Tolliver (take a moment to think about that for a second), this team has not been setup for success come the postseason and into future seasons.  The season's record was respectable.  The team beat who it was supposed to.  For that, I give a certain amount of credit to Larry Drew, but if the goal is to prepare the team for the playoffs - the Hawks are walking into this postseason ill prepared.  The issues referenced in the preseason - lack of rebounding, elite defense, questions regarding in-game adjustments, the 2 foul rule (see Playoff Thoughts), and a lack of development in our youngest players - never changed.  All you can say about the Hawks is that they run more this season.  Otherwise, there is nothing that I can say has been demonstrated to show that he needs to continue to be the coach of this team.  Much like Mike Woodson, Larry Drew has served his purpose as a bridge to a new era and better preparation for playoff success.  

• Zaza & Lou wouldn't change anything this postseason – Now, that doesn't mean there might not be some changes in seeding, but the problems that the Hawks face against elite talent aren't solved by either party.  Yes, Zaza would provide some toughness and offensive rebounding, but he doesn't change the makeup of the entire team.  So, for those who are sitting around saying - what if. Don't!  The best thing we could have done was fall to the 6th seed (outside of falling out of the playoffs altogether), so we could avoid an outside chance at the 2nd round sweep by the Miami Heat.  We can beat the Pacers without these guys if Josh, Jeff, and Al play at an elite level at the same time.  So, if it's going to happen, it will.  The only thing that changed was the margin for error and my thought is - well, head down the bullets to find out how possible it is for us to move to round 2, but before that...

• Danny shouldn't care about these playoffs anyway. – I won't pontificate long on this one, but here's all that our GM should be focused on right now. 1) Is Phil Jackson interested in working for us?  2) If Phil is in, we can use him on an all out offensive for CP3 and DH12? 3) if I can't get any of these 3 guys - how can I move my draft picks from outside the lottery in 2013 and into the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes of 2014? and 4) no matter what happens - Josh Smith isn't worth than about $10M-$12M a year. Much more can be said about this, but honestly, if those pieces fall in place - then all of your other 1 year free agent gems are easy to make happen (hello, Matt Barnes at the wing on the cheap. Hello, servicable 7ft rim protector, at the league minimum, and hello - sold out Highlight Factory!). Danny, your work is before you.  

Playoff Thoughts:

• Prediction – I said Pacers in 6. As I said on Twitter, all of our playoff season weaknesses were on display on Sunday.  Poor shot selection, poor rebounding, lack of chemistry, lack of in-game adjustments, lack of leadership, no stud to take over the game when other factors fail you, and ...

• Larry Drew is an average head coach. – I'll keep saying this over and over and over and over (repeat 10x) again to every person who thinks otherwise - Larry is not a coach you can build a title contender with. Average head coaches don't win titles.  He's a great tactician of offensive plays off timeouts and after that, I fail to come up with something he does with excellence.  His talents are best used as an assistant coach where you focus on the offensive plays and situations and as the sounding board for players when they are frustrated with the head coach. I know everyone is up in arms over his benching of Al Horford for about 15 minutes less than he should have, but I'm not. Why? Because he hasn't spent any part of this season preparing this team for the playoffs.  Where was the outcry when he was jerking around Ivan's minutes (and yes, I'm aware that Ivan isn't the easiest guy to coach, but that's what we're paying Larry Drew for - to handle difficult situations)? Where was the outcry when your BEST shooting guard, John Jenkins, takes half the season to get up to 10-15 minutes a game?  Where's the outcry when Josh Smith 2 years into your regime still doesn't know what shot selection is his strong suit?  These things may not matter vs. the Sacramento Kings, but they will matter when you are playing the Pacers or the Heat or the Bulls. So, you mask the problem all season long with consistent messages that inconsistent effort is the Hawks' problem, but I see more tactical problems than I do effort problems.  Yes, the effort is inconsistent, but so is the coaching and when that's the case - there's only one way for that to end. I'll let you smart readers figure that one out. 

And with that, another Honesty Corner is in the books. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths - Season 2, Vol. 4

Hawks Fans,

Back again with more Truths as we move toward the 2nd half of the season, the All Star Break, and yes…the anticipated trade deadline.  In two weeks time, a lot of things have changed (or have they?), which means it’s time to drop the hammer of knowledge.  The Anti-FIF! (Chappelle Show watchers, stand up) starts now…

• Lou Williams’ Injury Means… – Nothing for the Atlanta Hawks outlook on this season.  We knew that these Hawks were going to make the playoffs.  We knew these Hawks were not going to make a sustained run in the playoffs.  We knew that Lou was as locked into a role (6^th man) now and in the future for this team as anyone, SOOOO – yes, it sucks that he’s injured and you never know what an injury can do to a career, but as I said when Al went down last year – this really changes our trajectory very little.  In fact, I’m almost at a point of saying – blessing in disguise might be a more apt response for this organization if it results in more minutes for John Jenkins.  Any investment in his development this season that results in a starting position for Jenkins OR some revelation that a better long term solution at the shooting guard position should be found, then Lou’s time with the rehab team will not be in vain.   So, for those people looking for a scapegoat for why the Hawks aren’t (fill in the blank), look elsewhere.  The Hawks are a better team with Lou Williams, but the ceiling for this season (and the floor for that matter) didn’t change as a result. 

• The Hawks Didn’t Deserve An All Star – This probably isn’t a popular opinion, but the Hawks have always been fortunate to even be able to call Al Horford an All-Star.  He was never one of the best 12 players in our conference (certainly not more so than Josh Smith) and I’ve been on record that only in 2009 was it really that close that Josh Smith was one of the 12 best players in the conference.  Those points lead me to this - the Hawks have gotten proper All Star consideration over the past 6 years.  I know we want more respect, but when those players aren’t SNIFFING All-NBA consideration (a much truer expression of quality of the year a player has since it's more apt to be devoid of coaching and fan biases) – do we really need to debate whether Hawks are getting robbed of trips to the All Star exhibition?  I don’t think so and this year, the timing of our worst stretch coupled with the fact that our two best players are having OK years on an OK team means you get OK consideration.  So, we didn’t deserve an All Star and we all should be OK with that.  What we shouldn’t be OK with is NOT seeing Kyle Korver in the 3pt contest.  Now, that’s worthy of some rabble rousing. 

• The Hometown Discount Don’t Lie - Obviously, Josh Smith has and will be a topic of trade discussion for the next 3 weeks.  I will weigh in on this in more detail in a future column, but it’s probably important to say what I said in the last Truths – everyone is tradeable.  I love Kyle Korver, but if he’s worth a future #1 – adios! I love Ivan Johnson, but if he must be packaged for a building block for future Hawks titles, then c’est la vie!  I know we all like to pontificate about who is and isn’t untradeable, but for all of the love I have for this team – there’s still not one player that has established themselves for this team as indispensable to the goal of winning a title.  Which brings me to Josh Smith.  It took me 4 years, but I’m now firmly in the Josh can be traded camp.  Hate to say it, but I’m not one for mincing words. Josh Smith, for all of his talents, is just a Joe Johnson clone if you fete him with a max contract.  Which means you can’t give him a max contract. Which means if we want to keep him in Atlanta and still harbor championship dreams - he’s gotta give a hometown discount. Spare me the ‘someone will give him a max contract’ spiel.  I know some desperate team will be willing to give him more than hie’s worth.  We’ve been down this road before and failed the test.  Until I learn that the Atlanta Spirit is willing to pay into the luxury tax to acquire players, it’s impossible for the Hawks to pay the max to Josh Smith and field a contender, so let Josh prove that he wants to win here and that means – give up the hometown discount.  Period.  Not only that – Josh Smith, robbery or not, is barely an All Star, not a good captain, and makes questionable decisions on and off the court. If anyone else in the NBA had those credentials, you’d laugh at the notion that we never need to consider anything over $15M a hometown discount.  In fact, we’ve already BEEN that organization (see Johnson, Joe).  Al Horford is a wondrous player for any contender….if you consider him your third best player. Jeff Teague is a wonderfully talented young guard IF he gets a coach to motivate him AND allow him to actually run the team (and even then, he still needs to be your 4^th best player or worst).  The point I’m making here is we have a bunch of almosts, potentials, and solids – we need a player a step above that and should be willing to pay top freight for it.  Josh Smith isn’t that.  When we’re talking about family (and I consider Josh family) – sometimes, you have to speak truth to it.   The hard truth is that if you are paying Josh Smith max money – you aren't and won’t be a contender.   With this CBA and our collection of talent and coaching, some truths are self-evident and painful, but it’s time…if we want to win a title.  We either get Josh for the hometown discount ($13-$15M) or we should usher him out the door. 

• Larry Drew’s Everchanging Starting 5 & Rotation Must Stop – I presume that Larry Drew wants to win as many games in the regular season and postseason as possible to bolster his bid to be the coach of the Hawks in 2013-2014.  If so, the lineups and rotations have to begin to firm up, so that players can begin to completely buy into their roles.  Is John Jenkins capable of logging starter minutes?  Is Ivan in or out of the doghouse?  Is Kyle going to remain our small forward?  Will Anthony Morrow enter the rotation?  All Star Weekend seems like the appropriate time to start locking this stuff down.  (And yes, I realize we've had injuries that have impacted this, but the herky jerk nature of the rotation far precedes any of those issues.

• We Need To Re-Hire Mark Price – And it’s not for 3pt shooting help.  I’m not sure why this isn’t discussed more, but the Hawks as a team are shooting 70% from the charity stripe, which is 28^th in the league.  Do I need to express how horrendous this is?  Here's how bad it is - I can make 6 out of 10 FT every day of the week and I don't play basketball regularly any longer.  I’ve yet to hear this as a point of emphasis during the Larry ‘We need more energy’ Drew post game comments and yet, it’s easy to point to the lost points we have EVERY game.  It’s great that we are 3^rd in 3pt %, but one of these things is sustainable during the playoffs (free throw shooting) and one of these things isn't (3pt shooting).  So, I’m not sure what is in the water, but our inability to get to the line and then CONVERT at an NBA quality level (the best teams are shooting 10 points better) can be the difference between first and second round of the playoffs.

With that, that’s my time and there goes the truth, Ruth.

Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths - Season 2, Vol. 3

It’s been a long time – 2 months to be exact, but life happens, but we press forward in a time where the Hawks have had a wing clipped or two.  And when that happens, you need answers and so, I provide you the TRUTHS!!! 5 of 'em and a suggestion for our lineup change...

• Everyone should be on the block – Let’s just get to it. No one on this team is untouchable.  No vet, impending free agent, or rookie should be feeling safe right now.  Not Josh, not Al, not Teague… of course, there’s a practical matter of having Lou or Ivan or Jeff or our rookies on very cap friendly contracts, so the deal needs to be right, but at this juncture there are flaws in all of our players that say – for the right price, we should do what we can to make this team closer to the whole that can compete for championships.  I’m not sure there’s anyone on the roster at this point that I see as a foundational piece.  NOT ONE PERSON.  Since I’ll address Josh next – I’ll go to Al. I’ve said it before and I say this with respect and love for him as what he represents for our organization, but I’ll repeat – he’s a rich man’s Chuck Hayes. Meaning he does all the little things and (for the rich man part) does some big things too, but it’s nothing that elevates this team when elevation is completely necessary. For that, he’s a great #3 on a championship team.  Not sure we can afford to wait to get a #1 or #2 to utilize him in that role though.

• Josh Smith cannot be your captain – Remember, my blog and stance is always about winning titles.  If you want to win a title, I don’t care how much you love Josh (and I’ve been one of his biggest supporters from day one), then you can’t support Josh Smith as a title winning captain.  Your captain should be an extension of the coach on the court and in the locker room.  Well, on the court, his shot selection and inability to control himself with the officials sends a message that you don’t want a team to emulate.  In the locker room, we’ve seen on numerous occasions where the coach’s view of what should be happening is contrary to Josh’s view. This is as it was with Woodson and is the same with Drew.  No doubt about Josh’s many talents, but they aren’t any closer to converging than they have been over the past 3 years.  You can’t have a captain whose talents diverge as starkly in terms of when to take shots, effort, free throw shooting, and outright leadership.  I love Josh and I certainly would love to continue to have him represent the Hawks, but he can’t be your captain.  Period.

• The Real Larry Drew has arrived – Like many of you, I must admit that I was beginning to slowly get to the point where I believed that maybe Larry Drew was learning on the job enough to do things like not sit people with 2 fouls unnecessarily, like riding the hot hand, like calling TOs and making personnel changes as it was dictated.  I saw the integration of John Jenkins, an understanding that Ivan Johnson must play nightly, and so on and so forth.  Then, the last month happened.  And everything I’ve always believed reared its head.  Sporadic rotation decisions, random DNPs (Ivan with DNPs next to his name still defy understanding), player indifference, tardy TO decisions, an inability to work the officials (which leads the players to try to do it for him) and the most important one – a lack of response by the team when the Coach calls you out.  To be clear, there is no need to panic about this losing streak.  These things happen to all teams (see Heat, Miami right now), but when your coach calls you SOFT and you proceed to lose 2 of 3 MORE games by double digit amounts and where you continually find yourself down by almost 10-20 nightly during that stretch – there is something wrong.  You can’t let your boss tell you that you are soft and you then go and prove him RIGHT.  That’s just a sign of – hey, we have tuned you out or are ready to force the firing of said coach.  And that’s where this is – you can’t fire the players, so we are 1-2 more weeks away from the Danny Ferry decision point.  He’s already shown that the trigger has no heart.  I love that Coach Drew has decided to make changes – it’s warranted, but it might be too little too late. That’s why the Coach of the Month and early COY praise was as much fool’s gold as a Josh Smith 1^st Quarter 3pt jumper.  It may sound good at the time, but it’ll end up biting you in the ass in the end.

• Déjà Vu Anyone or Not – For the past 4 years – the Hawks have done this thing called having a fast start.  By midseason, they level off as other teams begin to find their footing and improve and then, it’s a race to the playoffs.  Well, we’re in the midst of the same pattern.  My guess at it is that we pretty much play the season as a year-long quest to collect as many Ws as possible without regard to building a team that is peaking by season’s end.  The latter method means you will win games, but that losing games early at the expense of growing a team, finding the best roles, and gaining trust in your best team come May and June is ok.  It’s why San Antonio will sit starters.  It’s why you see rookies playing in roles that teams need them to fill by season’s end for contenders and mid-range teams alike.  The Hawks have always settled on a team and then just played out the string.  This season is different rotation wise, but the veterans have kept the Hawks afloat and the result has been the same.  The difference is that it’s possible that the very sporadic nature of our lineups could be the very thing that’s shaking the chemistry and confidence of this team.  Don’t have a hard answer on this, but it’s one that bears watching.  Teams should peak by playoff time.  For the most part, the Hawks never do.  

• HawkStr8Talk Don’t Lie – Almost all of the points made in the last two Truths (that’s a hint that says – read this and this) still hold up to scrutiny fairly well, but I think it’s important two months later to point out 2 points that I made about this team that had the most derision.  First up – Off Court Chemistry is not the same as On Court Chemistry.  The first month or so almost had me fooled, but as Robby and I debated – I don’t need to be at practice to determine whether the product on the court will be affected by trade talk, future free agency, and lack of trust.  People discount human nature too often in determining why things go south. The recipe for disaster is up in bright lights for this team.  Too many people need contracts to expect awesome chemistry. Why you ask?  People gotta sacrifice. It’s easy not to have that show up early, but when your future gets closer to being at at stake - at the whims and wishes of a lame duck coach, mind you – it’s not hard to see it fracture rather easily and quickly.  That’s our last 2-3 weeks and it’s led to the roller coaster the Hawks are on right now.  It’ll pick up as the schedule dictates because as we should all know – the Hawks beat bad teams. Which leads us to this question – if we don’t get back to our 3^rd seed like ways – do you want to be the 6^th seed as I predicted or a lottery team?  (Hint: I like Mega Millions!) 

Final Note: Larry Drew, you want to shake up the lineup. I’ll just remind people of what one sage young writer said at the start of the season – START JOHN JENKINS.  If you’re not starting Lou, then your next best shooting guard is John Jenkins.  If you’re going to lose, lose with the future. The benefit to the team (growth with the starters) and Coach Drew (ability to blame this fallout on playing youth) is obvious.

And that's the quintuple truth, Ruth.

Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths - Season 2, Vol. 2

So, we are three weeks in and it's time for another dose of Truth - Str8Talk style, so let's go...

1. Josh's Poor Start Is A Blessing in Disguise – If you are in the camp that Josh Smith is either key to future Hawks prospects or is an inconsistent performer that must be moved, J-Smoove's start to the season couldn't have been scripted any better.  Shooting 41.3% from the field, 20% from 3pt range, and shooting Chris Dudleyish (36.8%) from the FT line would normally be cause for concern, but we all know that Josh Smith when motivated and focused only on the things he can do well is a producer of All Star numbers. So, if you want to re-sign him at a reasonable cost - seeing him struggle is not all bad.  Particularly if you want to bring him back to join other superstar talents.   On the other hand, if the answer is to move him - it's certainly palatable that you could trade him without a hometown revolt when he's putting up numbers like this. Pick your medicine or poison.  Your move, Sir Ferry?

2. Teague's Minutes Are A Problem – This has been a Hawk Str8Talk recurring theme since he was drafted. Teague needs more minutes - the most minutes a player on this team can reasonably expect, which is around at least 37MPG. To be considered the head of this team, to get us in the right sets, set the right tempo, and to close games - you have to play.  There aren't any point guards on this team besides Jeff Teague (ignoring Devin Harris' contributions), so the fact that he's playing fewer minutes than DeShawn Stevenson and Kyle Korver is the height of resource mismanagement.  If you want to point to why I don't trust Larry Drew as the coach of this team and the development of this team into a contender - call this Exhibit A.

3. Chemistry Is Under- and Over-Rated – Much has been said about the chemistry that the Hawks have and I'd like to say that I agree that the team has chemistry, but there are two forms of chemistry.  The first is off the court chemistry and it matters. That's what these Hawks have.  Do I like these people? Will I pull a gun on any of them for not paying their gambling debts?  Yes, these are important things, but way overrated as it relates to winning a title.  Kobe and Shaq didn't like each other, but won titles.  Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman didn't hang out, but had one of the best championship runs ever.  It's on-court chemistry that wins titles and that cannot be generated with shuffling lineups and a lack of stability or identity.  So, yes - I'm thrilled that the Hawks like each other. It looks like a team happy to be out from under the weight of a Joe Johnson-led attack, but it is not even close to a team that has jelled on the court.  Can they get there? History doesn't suggest that it's likely. Rarely does such a vastly remodeled team come together in less than a season's time and there's nothing that suggests that that changes with this year's team.

4. The Season Will Be A Roller Coaster Ride – Now that said, I like roller coasters. The highs are high and the lows are just lulls that you use to prepare yourself for the next high, so you'll see some wins over NBA contenders and you'll see some losses to the Golden State Warriors.  You'll see a 5 game win streak and then you'll see a 4 game losing streak.  I haven't seen any sense that there is a plan outside of do what I can to win a basketball game, so the kind of progression you'd like to see in a team throughout a season with playoff aspirations is not likely, so Great American Scream Machine meet Atlanta Hawks Basketball.

5. The Hawks Are A Playoff Team – Here's the most important item to remember when we assess this team - there's talent on this team.  Talent trumps chemistry and coaching as it relates to playoff hunts that include 8 teams.  So, while it is not in the best long term interest of this team to be in the playoffs, this is a playoff team.  The Hawks would have to lose at least 3 starters by injury or trade to make me entertain any possibility of this team not being able to make the playoffs, so print those playoff tickets of your 6th seed Atlanta Hawks.  (Insert grimace here)

And that's the quintuple truth, Ruth.  

Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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T.I. Is A Hawks Broadcaster? Yes, Indeed!

This is hot off the presses...tonight's telecast just got put on my DVR list.  Rubberband Man & Bob Rathbun - gotta hear this...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 9, 2012

CONTACT:

Garin Narain or Alison Sawyer, Hawks Media Relations, 404.878.3800

Meagan Swingle, Fox Sports South, 404.230.7318

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SUPERSTAR AND ATLANTA NATIVE, T.i., to join Atlanta Hawks broadcast on sportsouth

T.I. to make debut as color commentator during Hawks vs. Heat Broadcast tonight on SportSouth

ATLANTA, GA --- With music, acting, producing, two novels and fashion under his belt, Atlanta Native, T.I. will soon add NBA color commentator to his resume. When the Atlanta Hawks take on the Miami Heat tonight at Philips Arena, T.I. will join longtime SportSouth commentator Bob Rathbun and former Atlanta Hawk Duane Ferrell as contributing sports analyst.

During his debut, T.I. will participate in live game day coverage on SportSouth during the first two quarters of the Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat game airing at 7:30 p.m.

T.I. will be available for media prior to the broadcast from 6:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Atlanta Hawks, a member of the National Basketball Association since 1949, play in the Southeast Division, along with the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. Tickets for all Hawks home games are on sale at www.hawks.com/tickets, the Philips Arena box office and all Ticketmaster locations, with absolutely no ticketing fees. Purchase lower level season tickets for the 2012-13 season for less than $24 a game! For more information, log onto www.hawks.com or follow the team’s official Twitter feed at @ATLHawks and on Facebook at facebook.com/Hawks.

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths - Season 2, Vol. 1

It's a new year and that means more truths, so let's fire it up and get ready to go. It's this week's 5 truths.  Read up and see you in the comments...

1. Danny Ferry Agrees With Me – Most weeks, I’m going to be more interested in what the organization is doing to remake itself into a first class organization than I am interested in the short term implications of this season.  Wins and losses are desired on game day, but ultimately the success of this season isn’t defined by records, seeding, and playoff results.  The success is based on pointing this organization’s trajectory on a path in the upper tier of organizations on the order of Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Dallas, and the New York – Knicks & Nets (yes, I said Nets).  Therefore, it was good news to hear that planning for upgraded locker rooms, new practice facilities, and even spending money on training for coaching, trainers, and staff to help them do their jobs better strikes the right chord with this fan.  All indications that I’ve received is that there is no mandate for this year, no expectations for our team.  And there shouldn’t be…9 new faces; 11 up for new contracts, and 1 coach who has no guarantee he’ll be back next year all line up for Truth #2

2. The Season Is An Audition – This season will be one for patience.  It’ll take until Game 30 or so to get a true read on this team.  It’ll be a season where the Hawks can get roasted by James Harden on one night and defeat his former cohorts a few nights later WITHOUT their best player.  It’s the reminder that this team is not talentless.  It’s just chemistry-less.  That chemistry will be tested from the GM to the coach to the players.  Chemistry that leaves Ivan Johnson and Anthony Morrow on the bench one night and puts them on the floor the next in crucial situations.  Be ready for guys to start one night and DNP-CD the next.  So, be assured that it’s audition time.  Some for other teams and others for a future with the Hawks.  Either way, we should be clear to not let panic set in as it’s important that we all support the process that the team is embarking upon and that’s to remake the organization and figure out who fits and who doesn’t.

3. Rookies Stand Down – Of course, missing from this audition are John Jenkins and Mike Scott.  Now, we knew that Mike Scott was unlikely to see some time this early if at all, but when you’re the 1^st round pick of a team that’s in transition (pun intended) – you probably want to get the 1^st round pick some experience for when he’s actually called upon in the future (i.e. 2013-2014).  Now, it’s Game 2, so there’s nothing to panic about here…unless you were expecting to see him in the preseason or to even hear his name from anyone these days.  If you’re looking for the first chink in the armor that Danny Ferry has put on as the general manager, not seeing him even close to a minute could be cause for criticism.  He certainly shouldn’t play before Lou Williams, but otherwise, there are no special players ahead of Jenkins that mandate that he should be bolted to the bench.  In this case, I always say follow the money – the guy who has a contract beyond this year should ultimately play more than those who don’t.  For context, there are the 40 rookies who have played so far.  How many were selected after Jenkins? 25. How many are playing for teams in the tier of the Atlanta Hawks (mid-range, but not a contender)?  Maybe 6 have played real minutes in every game (3 play for the Dallas Mavericks), so I only mention this for those who will reflexively respond with – “rookies shouldn’t play, need to earn time, etc.”  This is true for teams that won’t be radically different and are building toward or contending for a title.  The Hawks do not qualify for this designation just yet.  Play the kids…

4. The Darkhorse Is Still Buckin’ – This little ditty came across my RSS feed this week and I think it gives more fodder to my dream that Howard and Paul are not against playing for the same team (and this team should be the Atlanta Hawks).  Now, there’s a LOT that can be read into this article, but my red, white and blue colored glasses came away with three things.   A) Paul & Howard would like to play together, B) the assumption that it won’t happen came from the WRITER and not that it can’t happen at the end of the season, and C) that the faulty assumption that players won’t come to a destination because of the previous year’s team (see Heat, Miami from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 OR Celtics, Boston ’06-07 to ’07-’08).   So, again – we’re the darkhorse, but I’m still unconvinced that a Josh Smith prodded, Danny Ferry overhaul and updated organizational structure can’t pull this off.  Journey said it best – Don’t Stop Believin’

5. Extend Larry Drew TODAY – Lastly, if I’m only taking the temperature of the Hawks fan room, Coach Larry Drew is not winning any fans in Atlanta.  Let me just put up the 3^rd quarter of the Indiana game as an inexcusable and unacceptable excuse for coaching. I’ll attempt to blame many things that I don’t like about Coach Drew on his lame duck status, but that quarter isn’t one of them.  That said, maybe it’s his way, his rotations, the team’s lack of identity, but I have heard some rumblings in the Hawks organization that it’s possible that if the team doesn’t look good through the All Star break that he could be fired.  So, when there’s no strong indication that he’s not coaching for his job (i.e. an extension), you’re coaching for your job.  But if the Hawks are more flush with cash (and I’ve heard that the days of saving staples and paper – true stories – of yesteryear are over), while I strongly believe that Larry Drew should no longer be the coach, he can’t coach this group effectively without an extension.  I’ve said this for 2 seasons now – extend the man so he can coach knowing that a) the players can’t effectively submarine his efforts as easily and b) if unsuccessful, his paper won’t be affected for at least a hot minute.  There’s no way he’s asking John Jenkins to enter a game when he can ask Lou Williams. No way he’s asking Josh Smith to rest that ankle an extra day when he can NOT and hopefully win an extra game.  So, that’s a problem.  So, it’s worth whatever his 1 year salary extension is to make this season useful.  GM Danny Ferry, make it happen.