Hawk Str8Talk

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 14

2012-01-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

In previous episodes of HS8T, we spread such truths as Horford's injury won't have any 'getting to the playoff impact'; Ivan Johnson's job saving ability; why Jason Collins shouldn't start; and why Larry Drew needs a technical...so, it's time for mo' TRUTHS!!! Read the disclaimer and then...let's go

Listen, we've all had our Marvin Williams sucks moment. Whether it was relative to the greatness that is Deron Williams or Chris Paul, relative to his ability to sit in the background of every game, or relative to his lack of finishing touch around the rim - we've all been upset at Marvin Williams (~~see missed alley oop dunk vs. the Hornets as example #1~~). But let's just keep it real - maybe it really was an injury that caused Marvin's regression last year. Anyone who is getting pulled for Damien Wilkins and seeing the production from his position increase significantly cannot be that valuable and no, Marvin was not valuable last year. Coming into this season, it was widely believed that like most of the 'core' - the growth could only come from a better bench and Jeff Teague. Well, Marvin's touch from 3, ability to get to the line, and his rebounding have been markedly better. Should this Marvin be at full tilt when a healthy Horford joins the team - maybe the calls for Marvin to become a super sub will be forever retracted and maybe, just maybe the ceiling for this team can be raised. Speaking of ceiling...

Truth 2. The Hawks have raised their ceiling ~~from guaranteed 2nd round loss to likely 2nd round loss~~.

First, I'd like to see what we do in the event that Al Horford cannot come back for the playoffs and whether we prepare (appropriately) for the future by making a move (~~bye, bye Kirk Hinrich~~), but I'll just be honest - this team has a variability that if the team plays at its highest level and that includes the poor decision making and FT shooting of Josh Smith - this team actually finally has a potential that can be built upon. There is a lot to be happy about regarding these Hawks. Tops is the development of Jeff Teague (~~still boggles my mind what the coaching staff was watching for 2 seasons in practice~~), but less obvious is the fact that if healthy, the Hawks don't have to hit on every cylinder to be successful. Every one of the starting five with Horford has the ability to put up a 20 spot. T-Mc can summon his past every 5 games or so. V-Rad can hit 4 3s in bench time. Willie Green inexplicably has found a soft spot in my heart by channeling his Jamal/Flip-ness for the veteran minimum price tag we should have been paying Jamal/Flip. Ivan has brought some toughness and is the crunch time fill-in for Josh Smith when we need free throws to be knocked down. Zaza has shown that he is a capable big man and can be counted on when his minutes are not jerked around by the coach who doesn't like him. We haven't even talked about Kirk and Jannero Pargo (a very capable 5th guard for the vet minimum). This is nothing to sneeze at people. There's true depth there. And we can even get rid of Stackhouse and/or Collins to get players who are jettisoned at the trade deadline or who are waived. Simply put, we have reason to believe that the Hawks can take advantage of an injury to the Heat or Bulls OR even just playing lights out in a way that we've never seen our All Star caliber talent perform in the postseason. So, let's not write them off for a real playoff run yet, but why haven't I made the turn..

Truth 3. The Hawks record vs. .500 and over teams is still cause for concern.

So, my pessimism about the Hawks in encapsulated in this one thing (non-Larry Drew category): we can't beat good teams consistently. Last I checked, you have to defeat the best teams 4 out of 7 times to advance. Right now, there are 4 good to great teams in the East - the Pacers, Sixers, Heat, and Bulls. The Magic and Celtics could get mentally and physically up to that level, but for now - lots of reasons say that the Magic and Celtics run is over, but these other teams require you to beat them 4 times in ways where we may be as talented or less talented. To beat teams that are as good or better than you, you have to execute, your best players have to perform, and you have to have mental toughness (~~oh, and the coach has to not get outcoached~~). So far, to the order of a 3-6 record, we can't beat good teams. We've lost to the Sixers, Bulls, Pacers, Heat, Rockets, and Spurs. Now, we should have won 2 of those games (Bulls and Heat), but the fact that we didn't win those games is part of the problem. To turn the corner, you must consistently beat the good teams in the league. Anything else turns this into...

Truth 4. The method is different, but the season's outcome is pretty much the same.

So, I'm getting a little more excited about the season and I've certainly gotten to the point that DESPITE the Al Horford injury - I'm ready to revise upward my prediction for the Hawks. It's possible for the Hawks to have a 3 seed and a 66% to 70% winning percentage if everything breaks right (~~and nothing else breaks wrong~~). So, let's keep it real - the Hawks have been beating up on the worst teams in the league for 3 years running now. That's what we do. We dominate the teams (and sometimes luck into a W or 2) who are bad. That's why they are bad. The Pistons being the Pistons allowed us to win that game in the same way that the Hawks being the Hawks allowed the Heat and Bulls not be swept by us so far this season. So, why should I believe that this season is the same. The vets and the playing style (more defensive and penetrating) still haven't pushed us over that final hump of beating GOOD teams consistently. Until I see that, it's hard to say much more can happen than any other season...this leads me to truth #5....

Truth 5. Fans and bloggers need to quit crying about national attention about our start.

Hey, fans - here's a little secret that you haven't gotten clued into. The Hawks deserve all the disrespect they've gotten the last few years. Charles Barkley, SI, USA Today, PTI, etc all have reason to NOT believe in the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks when in the biggest spotlights have failed miserably. In the playoffs, we barely beat the Big One's Heat, the Bogut-less Bucks, and were swept soundly for 2 years. We beat a really awful Magic team and then had a good game in the playoffs vs. Bulls. How many ESPN/TNT games have we flubbed? How well did we do vs. the Heat without their stars? I say this not to tell you that your team sucks. I don't believe that to be the case, but if you are a casual observer, then why would you believe that things have changed. We still have Rick Sund, Larry Drew, the Atlanta Spirit, and the same leadership running this ship, so let's wait until the end of the year and the playoffs before you starting crying 'disrespect'. The Hawks are being afforded exactly what their past says they should receive. Let's channel that energy into requiring the team and its management to give us the assets to change how the rest of the country feels about us. That means Teague must keep ballin', that means Joe needs to be that All Star, that means Josh Smith needs to MAKE the All Star game, and we can continue to push the Heat for the division title and I promise you - we'll get all the publicity and attention we desire and it'll be for the right reason. Right now, we want accolades without doing anything different from what we've done in the past. We've done the great regular season, beat up on the scrubs thing before...let's sweep a team, upset a contender, etc before we ask for that awards that should come with achievement.

Next week, we'll discuss - whether we should make a trade or wait for Al Horford? Until then, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 13

2012-01-17T18:09:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Atlanta Hawks have hit adversity in the name of a Hawks injury, but So, it's time to read the disclaimer and then - let's go...

And by no impact I mean - as long as everyone else stays relatively healthy (T-Mc & Marvin) - that the Hawks are still one of the top 8 teams in the conference. For those who panicked when Al went down, let me help everyone out. The Hawks are not a lottery level basketball team. The Hawks are not a contender for the NBA title. So, what happened when Al Horford was injured? Ummmmmm, nothing. Sure, we may not have a weapon that we are accustomed to having, but last year - we were one of the remaining 8 teams without point guard consistency, no All Star level production from the center or shooting guard, and Marvin Williams playing behind ...uh, some Wilkins fellow. So, what is it that I'm saying? That have a lot of talent. What we don't have is an efficient, cohesive use of all of those talents ~~(not to mention experience, leadership and an identity for those talents).~~ So, before this is confused as Al Horford hate, it's not. I'll definitely stump for Al's defense and his ability to use his few touches to score points, but despite popular belief - he's no more a leader than Joe Johnson is. So, we're not going to miss anything other than production and depth and at the level that he's performed this season - we can approximate it elsewhere. ~~I'll reserve my Al Horford is a souped up Chuck Hayes theory for another day.~~ So, I simply say that there are only 4 teams with 2 All Star level talents to go along with some NBA level talent on the bench ~~(though the jury is still out on Jannero Pargo).~~ Maybe it would help if I remind everyone of who is left in the Eastern Conference. Here's who needs us to lose 2 more starters to have a chance at our spot - the Pistons, Wizards, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Raptors, and Nets. So, that leaves 9 teams. Which means only Milwaukee, Boston, and New York have a chance at beating out the Hawks for that 8th spot. Does anyone think that's going to happen? If you do, I have some land to sell. So, I repeat - Al Horford is definitely a piece we want back for the playoffs, rusty or not. But any thought that we need to lower playoff expectations ~~(and shame on Larry "No Excuses" Drew for saying anything other than next man up)~~ is ludicrous.

Truth 2. Ivan Johnson could save Larry Drew (and Rick Sund).

Listen, I have made it VERY clear that I have no confidence in Larry Drew or Rick Sund. I'm not sure if that'll change any time soon ~~(particularly after sitting behind the bench vs. the Raptors last week - he definitely handles Zaza and Teague MUCH differently than anyone else on the team)~~, but the decision to add Ivan Johnson to the rotation could be a season saver. The only way you can make up for bad drafting decisions is to pick up diamonds in the rough. Signing a player like Wes Matthews can do wonders for your team. In this case, you can easily forgive the mistake of Pape Sy and Keith Benson if you keep an Ivan Johnson and he actually helps you win a game or two. The Hawks have needed another enforcer and it looks like they found one in Ivan. He'll never cost you more than the minimum and he's still going to contribute. This would normally be a squandered signing, but Drew is actually playing him through his inexperience and mistakes. I will keep my eye on this upon Al's possible return and other players' return to health.

Truth 3. Jason Collins should never start (not even vs. Dwight Howard).

I hate that I have to say this, but since Drew seemingly likes Jason Collins - I must. Jason Collins is done. He's not worth a roster spot unless you think you have to go through Dwight Howard to win a title. But since you don't - you would rather just have a player that can do something more than play one on one defense vs. Dwight Howard. If you are afforded the luxury to have him, fine - but I don't care what your thoughts are about Zaza Pachulia (and I happen to think he's a fairly good backup center, emphasis on backup) - he's light years better than Jason Collins. Shoots better, rebounds better, passes better and is tougher and more intimidating. Jason Collins is none of those things and if he comes into the game as anything other a backup - it sends a signal that he just has a problem with Zaza. And if you heard the names he called Drew vs. the Raptors - there is a problem brewing and if I'm him - I don't blame him. Drew has never shown Zaza the respect he deserves. Let's hope that the Horford injury will force Drew to give Zaza the grudging respect he's having to give Jeff Teague. And if he needs a big body on the 2nd string - his name is ~~undersized~~ Ivan Johnson.

Truth 4. Larry Drew needs a technical.

I've been to probably 25-30 games a year since Philips Arena opened. The Toronto game was probably the worst officiated game that I've ever witnessed up close. There were a number of fouls that were not called on Jeff Teague, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams. The Raptors were given every ticky-tack call and even ones that weren't even fouls. At one point, Jeff Teague was given a technical foul for defending himself against a player who pushed him and was yakking with him. In the huddle, guess who's getting cussed out - Jeff Teague. Not only that - Josh Smith, who certainly has gotten technicals and never misses a chance to give an official an earful - was not talked to on ANY timeouts for any reason. Why is this being outlined? Because Larry Drew needs to learn how to stick up for his guys. On several occasions, I watched Drew passively suggest that maybe we could possibly get a call ~~(if the officials felt so inclined)~~. Dammit, to get respect, sometimes - you gotta demand it. Sometimes, you just have to send officials a signal that your team will not be disrespected, esp. not at home on MLK Day. You have to say - we want equal rights because Bro. Martin said it should be so. And guess what - your team would respect you because of it. Not only that, it would benefit the team for that to happen. I certainly can't imagine that the Hawks are getting the benefit of any doubt from officials and that must change today.

Truth 5. 2012 Off-season Planning can't wait for 2012 Playoff Results.

The Hawks need more talent to win a title (~~and a coach, GM, and owners~~) and to get more talent - they need to determine who to trade between Horford and Josh Smith, whether it's possible to get $20M/yr production from Joe Johnson ~~(they can't)~~, whether Marvin can be showcased enough to make him trade-able, and how to get cap room and/or draft picks. Here's what we know - that this is the deepest draft in the last 5-10 years, there are some great players who will be available in the off-season, and the Hawks are stuck in cap/draft limbo. Too capped to get a great player and too good to get a real difference maker. I know everyone wants to wait to see how far this team can go. Turn away if you aren't ready (SPOILER ALERT) - we won't (Al or not) win a title this year. So, we need to prepare for the off-season now. What does that mean - Kirk Hinrich is expendable and come trade deadline...everyone needs to be on the table. Don't get fooled into thinking anything else, my fellow Hawks fans or else we'll be at 2012-2013 with the same ceiling we've had for the past 3 years and with no way to change it.

Next week, we'll discuss - what's wrong with the fans? why Al Horford fans confuse important with best? why Josh overtake Joe and Al as our leader in 2012? Until then, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 12

2012-01-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

We're back and it's time to provide our signature weekly article about our fair Hawks. Since everyone and their mama wants to do a game recap about the Hawks these days, it's up to me to say what everyone says they want, but aren't always ready to hear (as in don't tell your significant other how they REALLY look in those jeans). So, it's time to read the disclaimer and then - let's go...

Disclaimer: As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players last. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building).

Truth 1. Jeff Teague is the #1 key to this season (like he was last season).

Everyone knows that I created the Jeff Teague Fan Club, then built a bus with my blog boo, CoCo, and we rode around town for a full year getting eggs and bird droppings all over it before we finally started getting the rest of the Hawk fans to jump onboard. The bus is now on blocks because it's too many folks claiming how much they love Jeff Teague and why he should have been starting since he was at Wake Forest. It's so bad that former Peachtree Hoops blogger, Drew, retired after being so famously wrong about Mike Bibby's value to the Hawks ~~(or at least that's how I recall it)~~. And yet, it's still true that the Hawks will not be a factor in the playoffs in a point guard driven league without Jeff Teague being a major cog on this team. He can potentially be the 3rd most important player for this team (yes, I believe he can mean more than Al Horford) and he's already pushing to be the difference between another uninspired run through the playoffs or serving notice that the Hawks should be respected like the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders.

Truth 2. Larry Drew doesn't trust Marvin Williams to close basketball games.

Has Marvin done anything to not trust him to be a great contributor throughout the game. I could have missed that, but the lack of faith is puzzling since Marvin has played better than I've ever seen. This is evidenced by how quickly Marvin is pulled and how long it takes to get him back in the game. His 4th quarter minutes are uh...lacking. Last year, that was acceptable (desirable even), but this isn't last year. This year, he has showed that he actually could make a mockery of my 3 year plea to make him our 6th man. The sample size is small, but so far - Marvin Williams and crunch time minutes are not a mix.

Truth 3. If the bench gets any better, it's time to trade Kirk Hinrich.

This is probably a good time to mention that Jamal Crawford is not going to be missed. Watching players who can do more than just hit baskets will be a welcome sight and I honestly believe that by All Star weekend - we'll wonder why we ever fell in love Jamal. The bench so far is much more versatile and complete early this season. McGrady has been great. Zaza has been steady. V-Rad has shown flashes. Pargo and Green can't get any worse ~~(on knees praying)~~, so there's room for growth. We could even see if Donald Sloan or Ivan Johnson actually have reason to be played this season. And if that's the case, Kirk Hinrich (like Jamal Crawford) makes too much money to keep him, so it's much more valuable to the franchise to either trade him for a big man or for a cheaper alternative and draft picks in what is projected to be the deepest draft in the last 5 years. So, that we're clear - I like Kirk Hinrich, but if you aren't going to go over the luxury tax, then every player must be evaluated based on their production to salary ratio and he makes too much to be a backup. C'mon bench - show Kirk the door.

Truth 4. Josh Smith is regressing & Al Horford has become Chuck Hayes good (these are not compliments).

Pains me to say this, but Josh is our most talented player and yet, he's playing worse than I've ever seen him. It's like his basketball IQ has regressed on the offensive end more than ever. More jump shots, more dribbling on the break. It's just maddening, but what's just as maddening is watching Al Horford turn into Chuck Hayes on the offensive end of the court. Short of running past centers - I am not sure if we're watching the same games, but Horford has just become a really solid guy who we all want to be some sort of star. Calling him an All Star just inflates our expectations of Al, but in reality - expecting him to put up a 20-10 when it's needed is becoming a fading pipe dream. As I said while watching him tonight, if you have Ronnie Brewer on your hip and you can't take him into the paint and abuse him, then PROBLEMA, Senor Horford!

Truth 5. Nobody turns a fast break into a jump shot like the Hawks.

I'm not sure if I'm the only person who sees this as a problem, but I can't for the life of me fathom why we shoot jump shots on at least half of our transition opportunities. I mean if you're passing them to Ray Allen, fine. To Kevin Martin or Stephen Curry or any dead eye shooter..ok! But I think we all know that there's no one we're trusting with a stop and pop, so can we just increase the odds of the layup or at a minimum the foul and show why running is a good thing for this squad.

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Hawk Str8Talk Offseason Overview & Season Preview 2011-2012

2011-12-31T15:34:00.001-05:00

It's time for some Str8Talk. After flirting with the end of the blog (by virtue of my pledge that I would quit blogging if the Hawks defeated the Bulls in last year's playoffs), it's time to get back to blogging. As we go into our 4th year, I'm sure my tens of fans have asked - why the lack of blogs this offseason. Well, two things happened - there was this thing called the lockout, which was really not about principles but was simply a money grab for the owners so they could continue to run the league with the same issues of competitive balance at play (see Paul, Chris & Howard, Dwight) and there ALSO was this thing that happened called - the Hawks are NOT sold. The first muted my desire to blog, the second KILLED it...

Yes, this was a crushing blow for us here at Hawk Str8Talk HQ. You've seen our disclaimer since the start of this blog (and if you haven't - here it is - Disclaimer: As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players last. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building)) and we thought we had permanently retired it at the sight of Mr. Alex Mereulo. But then, in true Hawks ownership fashion and like Sugar Ray Leonard, someone's money was kinda funny and well, long story short - the disclaimer is un-retired and is back. For those who are new to this blog, then you only need to read this and this to understand why the disclaimer is necessary. We'll discuss these further below, but to be clear - all critical thinking starts at the top and trickles down from there. So, with that, we needed a minute to ready for the season, but just like last year - 6 days in, we're ready to go. So, let's end 2011 with a kickoff for Hawk Str8Talk...like last year, the desire to do game recaps is over, but we will continue to do a weekly article here and on Peachtree Hoops called Honesty Corner's 5 Truths - where we put the week's 5 most important observations. Also, we will talk about things off the beaten path (like Al Horford's marriage - scandalous stuff indeed) and what's happening in Hawk land behind the scenes. If you want to get our musings during the games, you can check me out at @hawkstr8talk on Twitter. So, with no further ado, it's time to get to the thoughts and predictions where we promise - all predictions wrong or this blog costs you more than free.

Before we delve into the season, let's talk about the value of our blog in relation (not instead of) to our Hawks blog brethren - who you can check on here here and here and here along with my Hawks blog boo here. There are some things that you need to be aware of:

This blog is all about winning championships. So, you can read here how we could win the battle and lose the war. This is about critical thinking our way to a NBA championship. Yes, on game day, I'm cheering my HEART out for the Hawks, but the goal of the BLOG is to report on all things related to how the hell do we win a title? Period. Go to our other brethren if you want a viewpoint that's more cheering no matter what the facts may say (Note: that's not meant as a slight to other blogs, just to say that that's my only true angle - winning a title).
This blog is about talking the things that other blogs don't...like - how did the dance team do? where groupies in full force for the big games? what is happening in the front office? why you should go to Miami for a road trip once a year? Etc, etc, etc...
This blog is lastly about fun - so keep your hate confined to Tea Party rallies. Here is where sanity reigns and critical debate is welcome as long as you know how to keep your feelings in check.

As we did the last 3 years, it's time to give our review of the coach and the team and its prospects. As well as our (drum roll please) best case and worst case predictions along with our true prediction for 2011-2012. One last note - we reserve the right to change our prediction as things change. We'll identify when that happens and make adjustments as necessary. Now, off to the analysis:

Offseason Additions/Subtractions:

Let's start with the subtractions - Hilton Armstrong, Josh Powell, and Etan Thomas will not be missed one iota. Damien Wilkins was replaceable while providing some negligible value last year. This leaves us with Pape Sy and Jamal Crawford. It's unfortunate that we have to use a seemingly average to below average player to prove a point, but Pape Sy is just another example of either the Hawks inability to develop talent or their inability to scout players. In either (or both), the waiving of a player that you bought out of his contract just last year should be a significant demerit against the Rick Sund regime. For me, it's both. A team with the limited budget that the Hawks have can't invest in a player that you don't get a chance to validate one way or the other. This more than a concern that we're missing out on hidden gems is the problem with our management and the coaching team's synergy in selecting players that will aid in our pursuit of a title. The franchise that doesn't give a reasonable chance to Jordan Crawford, Keith Benson, and now Pape Sy. Not to mention past casualties Acie Law IV, Salim Stoudamire, Solomon Jones, Sergiy Gladyr, and Cenk Aykol, Oh, and did I forget to mention Jeff Teague (we'll come back to him later). The point is simply that a team with razor thin margins for adding talent (via draft and veterans signed at the minimum) cannot be cavalier about the process of adding talent nor acquiring assets (draft picks, trade exceptions) that will move the franchise forward. After saying all that, Pape Sy and Keith Benson weren't good, never were, so let's move on.

This brings us to Jamal Crawford. There was a lot of chatter about whether or not to bring back Jamal Crawford and so that I don't spend a lot of time on this - here's a truth that many people still haven't grasped and that's that - Jamal Crawford was never a great acquisition for this franchise. For $18M over 2 years, getting highlights and scoring is not enough. You can compare him to Acie Law IV and Craig (can't call him Speedy) Claxton, but I'd prefer to compare him to what else other teams would have attempted to get for $9M a year in their place. So, instead of trading for a luxury piece vs. a true need, I've said this since the trade and I maintain that Jamal Crawford (much like Kirk Hinrich) are not players you can retain at the price tag we are paying when you have other glaring needs. It was tolerable during his 6th Man of the Year season, but last year - a $9M price tag for a backup shooting guard who doesn't do anything other than score (esp. at less than an elite level) - Jamal Crawford should have been on the trading block from offseason through the trading deadline. Unfortunately, our management and coaching staff looked at him as a core component instead of the enhanced Eddie House luxury piece to a puzzle that any other championship level team would view Jamal as. To be clear, I like Jamal Crawford as a person, but I've maintained for 2 years that he's a flashy guy who exhibits traits that belie why his previous teams have never made the playoffs. Additionally, there are players for a cheaper price that could put up similar numbers if all you asked him to do was come in and score the ball. The whole thing was always illogical to have $30M invested in the shooting guard position for a combo that doesn't include Jordan, Wade, etc. So, in true Hawks fashion, we never looked to get an asset back from a player we certainly weren't going to be able to resign from the moment we re-signed Joe Johnson. Like Mike Woodson, I suspect that we'll look back and say - hmmm, why isn't he setting the world on fire the way we thought he was (for those who believe that) in his post-Hawks career? (Note: I'm still waiting for the first article blasting the Hawks for letting Jamal Crawford go.)

Enough of looking backward, let's go forward and say that we added some players...Tracy McGrady, Jannero Pargo, Donald Sloan, Willie Green, Jerry Stackhouse, Ivan Johnson, and Vladimir Radmanovic. We know that all of these guys are coming in for the absolute minimum you can pay a player, so let's separate the gold from the fool's version. Here's what you hope happens - Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic are good additions that you hope don't fall victim to the insane schedule this year. Whether they have anything left in the tank by the (spoiler alert) playoffs will determine what round this team bows out of. Jannero Pargo and Willie Green probably shouldn't be on the team (not at the expense of Pape Sy or Wanamaker in my mind), but we know that developing talent is ..oh, see my rant above - so let's just hope that their veteran-ness provides some value or their terrible-ness keeps Teague and Hinrich on the court more often that not. Jerry Stackhouse is what we hoped Josh Powell would be last year..a veteran leader who provides locker room leadership. Anyone who watched the Hawks last year, there was not much leadership, so let's hope that Stackhouse can be that guy - or else he needs to be cut. Finally, Ivan Johnson and Donald Sloan are this season's sit on the bench guys and they may deserve to be, but let's hope that when the schedule is insane and players are in foul trouble or injured that opportunities to prove their worth are offered to these guys (or in Pargo's case - simply letting Sloan play could just be the best thing to do no matter what).

Overall, the additions are a net positive over last year's group at first glance (Jamal Crawford included), but we'll see if that lasts since we know that one or two of these guys will be waived during the season to keep the team under the tax and who knows how the injury front will impact us. So, I congratulate Rick Sund on signing players who can contribute this year while I continue to give him the side eye for not being able to make the hard decisions to carve out cap room and draft picks for use this year and in anticipation of next season's free agent pool.

Coaching:
I was a very vocal dissenting voice in selecting Larry Drew as our coach. Never say that I'm not consistent when I say - I still don't believe in Larry Drew. I give him credit for his use of Jason Collins in last year's playoff series vs. the Orlando Magic. That's about the only thing I can say was A+ work. When I juxtapose that with his decision to sit Jeff Teague long enough that we gave away our Jamal Crawford replacement AND a draft pick (hello Chris Singleton or even Norris Cole) searching for what was sitting on our bench at (wait for it) a higher price tag than the other guy we shouldn't have been paying (Mike Bibby anyone?) as much as we were, then the Jason Collins move doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy. In fact, that decision alone makes me angry. Every time I watch Jeff Teague do something that none of our other guards can do - I say to myself how can the point guard developing Larry Drew not see what my limited basketball knowledge seems to see. So, call me biased, but something drastic will have to happen to change the opinion that this is NOT the coach for the future.

What drastic thing could happen - well, glad you asked...they are going to be things that aren't foreign to many Hawks fans (and some that may). They are:

Not allowing Josh Smith to shoot jump shots without his ass hitting the pine
Giving Jeff Teague the freedom to run the offense and allowing him to make mistakes without pulling him like the rest of the starters.
Never starting Kirk Hinrich (unless it's as a SG and Joe Johnson as a SF or as a result of an injury).
Selecting Al Horford as your ONE and ONLY captain.
Retiring the Horford Treatment (a la 2 fouls and you sit for the half).
Making Marvin Williams your 6th Man (my request for the past 3 seasons)
Putting an end to the Hawks proclivity to turn transition opportunities into jump shots (mostly due to forwards and centers trying to run the break)

These are things that would move the needle in terms of putting a stamp on this team's identity and showing that we are more disciplined and focused on the things that win championships. The sooner he recognizes that this team's ability to win a title is tied to defense, depth, and Jeff Teague's development - the better. Until then, I'm not a believer.

Starters:
This season I'll only make some statements in the form of bulleted items:

Bottom line, Jeff Teague is the far and away X factor for this team. It can be argued that there's some improvement to be pulled from Joe, Josh, Al, and Marvin, but I prefer to think that those guys are who they are within some standard deviation. I'm not expecting them to do much different this year than last year (unless of course, you move Marvin to the 6th Man role), but as the number one Teague fan (see here and here) and as seemingly the only sane voice in the Hawks blogosphere in Teague's rookie season who called for him to start THEN - it's beyond obvious that having a penetrating guard who can finish at the rim AND defend other point guards credibly is the key to giving this team a new look and more varied options offensively and defensively. He is more and more becoming the guy I said he could possibly be and that's...Rajon Rondo. (Note: It's also fair that I'm going to be biased about this all season long because it validates maybe the best call I've made since I drafted LaDainian Tomlinson his rookie year in my keeper football fantasy draft.)
As for the rest of the team, they are who they are. Hopefully, we'll decide to trade Josh or Al and get a center (Howard anyone?) and move toward pushing toward a title, but until then - let's just see whether Joe can put up a $20M worthy season, Marvin's back lets him get to making a better defensive contribution and open jump shots and that Al and Josh do what they do BEST ALL THE TIME.

Bench:
I mentioned much about them in my offseason piece, so I'll simply say that if we don't have to use Jason Collins over Zaza Pachulia, then this season is success. I'm not sure why he's not considered a part of the core, but Zaza is a 2nd team beast and he should be utilized as such. Done and done.

Intangibles:

I'm not really sure what to make of the Hawks being full of veterans that we know aren't going to be here next year, but we will have to just see if T-Mc and V-Rod can provide some significant value to go along with Zaza and Hinrich. While I have serious reservations about the ability of this team to go past the 2nd round, I can say that as long as Teague is leading this team - I have hope that we will compete differently than ever. We still don't have any championship leaders or toughness, but...in Teague I trust.

Last note - there have been recent discussions about trading for Dwight Howard. Short of them saying we want your starting 5 and your next 3 years worth of draft picks - my answer is DO IT! Yes, it's a risk, but if you're trying to win a title - you will do it with Dwight Howard more than with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, etc. So, doesn't matter the package - just do it (well, it does, but I'm saying that a reasonable offer even one more weighted to the Magic is ok with me), then figure out how to keep him in town. Probably too much to ask of this ownership and management, but I must admit that if the conversations are even being had, then KUDOS. Bout time we're in the discussions for elite talent.

Ok, you had to read through all of that just to get to my predictions, so here they go:

Best Case Prediction - 44-22 (3rd in Eastern Conference)
Worst Case Prediction - 31-35 (9th in Eastern Conference)
My Prediction - 38-28 (5th in Eastern Conference) and a 1st round playoff exit

Simply put, at our healthiest, we are a good team with a puncher's chance, but I can't overlook the fact that the schedule is crazy and injuries and overuse happen, so we can't believe that no one is going to get hurt and that these old veterans won't be shells of their selves by season's end and with little evidence from past years that we'll develop our players for that circumstance - we have to believe that we'll hit a stretch where we lose games we shouldn't that will lead us to the 5th seed (Miami and Chicago are easy - I'm fearful that New York and my darkhorse, Indiana may jump up over us).

So, what do you guys think? Leave your predictions in the comments and we'll see you at the Highlight Factory!!!

Operation Championship?: The Hawks 2010-2011 Season

2011-08-15T20:06:00.000-04:00

It's certainly WELL overdue, but it's about that time that we do our end of season review of our Atlanta Hawks. Unlike most blogs that do these things, the point here is - what is moving us toward or away from a NBA title from my POV. Normally, the next thing I would say is read this disclaimer:

This disclaimer leads us to the first of the GOOD things that happened this year

Good #1: New Ownership Means New Disclaimer

This is actually good #1, #2, and #3. It can't be expressed how poorly the Atlanta Spirit Group have run this organization. Lawsuits; spending money lavishly on players who didn't deserve it; not spending money on scouting, coaching, the other roster spaces, D League, etc.; not treating the employees well; not being fan friendly; and the list goes on (~~tops on my fan list - the lack of plastic dipping cups for ketchup~~). Bottom line, this tenure has not been a good one. For those who say - well, we did go from assy to classy. Well, I offer to you that the Clippers have made the playoffs in our lifetime - that doesn't make Donald Sterling less than a terrible owner ~~(and universally regarded scumbag)~~. The fact that he has obtained Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon from all that ineptitude will probably result in an uptick in wins. Same thing applies here. We've long said that ASG (nor Mike Woodson) should be given an outsized amount of credit for things that they did for this franchise. Yes, they didn't completely mute the forward progress, but they certainly didn't aid the long term ~~(or sustained)~~ progression to excellence.

So, in enters - ALEX MERUELO (my new BFF) to swoop in and save the day. Let me start this off by saying that 1) he could be worse than ASG and 2) he could fire all my friends in the Hawks organization and I would hate that, but as I ALWAYS - if you're not making moves to push every level of your organization to be excellent (and giving them the tools to do so), then you're regressing. I hope this gives the organization a reset that says - we will only accept top notch candidates for GM, Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Scouts, etc. So, the greater good must always be at the forefront. Hopefully, this will hit the reset button on Atlanta as a prime location for talent (on and off the court). [Note: I'm reserving my Los Hawks (or Halocones) and Hispanic communiques for later, ~~but uh... can you say more Latina Dancers and Groupies? #WINNING~~]

Good #4: Jeff Teague's Playoff Run

It would not be a stretch to say that the most exciting thing we saw all season was Jeff Teague going toe to toe with Derrick Rose (and not getting ANY sort of respect from the officials). Anyone who has EVER read a HawkStr8Talk blog regarding our point guard play knows 2 things - 1) two way play is valued at a premium and 2) player development at the point guard is respected almost everywhere except ..Atlanta (or the Mike Woodson coaching tree), so starting with Acie Law IV (who admittedly never may have been anything more than a backup ~~or quite possibly a poor man's Mike Conley~~) and extending throughout the Jeff Teague era - the coaching staff has never made an attempt to develop a player they didn't have to (see Smith, Josh; Childress, Josh; Williams, Marvin; Horford, Al). As a result, cheap talent has never been mined for any appreciable amount of time. It's not my lot in life to determine who will shine and who will suck, but it is rarely revealed solely in practice what value a player with talent can provide your team.

ENTER Jeff Teague - the guy I've been touting as the guy who should have been our point guard post All Star break of his rookie seasaon. Last year, it was apparent that Mike Bibby should only serve to mentor and back up Teague and that any bumps should simply be weathered. There were times when I thought I might be wrong to show faith in the old chap, but the Portland game essentially sealed any doubt I had about his talent AND his potential impact on the team. The treatment he's received is still inexplicable to me. Not one analysis has provided me a reason for why Jeff Teague had 12 DNPs last year - TWELVE!!!!!! And so, it was with the glee of a fantasy football player who select Jamaal Charles and Arian Foster deep in back to back drafts - that I watched Jeff Teague's playoff run. Simply put, he was the best Hawk to play in the playoffs. Every time he came off the court - the gaping hole in defensive pressure and penetrating ability was palpable. You can't say that for any player during the playoff run where you were actually afraid that he was going to leave the court and were yelling for the coach to put him back in. He was THAT good ~~(and would have been better if they called the 7-8 fouls I saw him taking in the lane)~~. I can't promise that he'll start for the Hawks next season because I don't know why he didn't before, but I can say that I hope that the Alex Meruelo owned Hawks won't tolerate anything less.

Good #5: 2 All Stars & 1 All NBA Nod

I'll get to the other side of this coin ~~(called the paper dragon this represents)~~, but deservedly or not - we had 2 All Stars, 1 other possible All Star, and an All NBA nod. It shouldn't be taken lightly. So, thanks for the production that resulted in it. Joe Johnson and Al Horford, hats off to you.

Good #6: Damien Wilkins

We are reaching here, but when you take a guy off the scrap heap and he pushes your #2 draft pick and recently minted, compensated small forward for his playing time. You are winning. Maybe not championship level winning, but the takeaway that should come from this is that it can be done. Sund, yes - you can do more of that and less of the signings that yield us Joe Smith, Etan Thomas, Josh Powell, et al.

And now, it brings us to ~~(Bill Simmons-esque blog length)~~ the bad that was the Atlanta Hawks season. Let's just the disclaimer side out of the way

Bad #1: The GM and Coach Still Are Subpar (Pending Meruelo Scrutiny)

I certainly won't budge on my stance that the Damian Wilkins signing and the signings of Horford & Josh Smith at reasonable prices are the best things that have happened in the Sund administration. I know you want me to add Jamal Crawford, but I won't - I don't think taking on that salary was worth it if we could have gotten other more needed pieces OR simply just let the money roll off the books for a better position to make deals during the talent-rich summer of 2010. I've always seen Jamal as a one trick pony that if you don't get that trick - he's useless. His two years while entertaining in stretches did nothing to move this organization toward a title.

So, that really only leads me to the coach to come up with a defense for. And when I squint, I can give you the dispensing of the switching at every opportunity as a positive, but when balanced against the Jamal Crawford as point guard, the highly egregious Jeff Teague behind Mike Bibby situation, the continued existence of the 2 foul and sit rule, the lack of playing time for Jordan Crawford, and the regression of Marvin Williams ~~(oh the lack of media savvy, suit selection, and inability to go bat sh*& when your team is being disrespected or is disrespecting you by giving up.)~~ The Larry Drew era so far has been defined in my eyes by the exchange with Zaza Pachulia, who is arguably your hardest worker and gets yanked and blessed out in public because he took a 16ft jumper in a 30 point blowout. ~~Forgetting the simple fact that your favorite players have been shooting ill advised shots ALL SEASON LONG in much more important winnable games than this one.~~ If that's when you are determining that you need to take a stand, you sir no longer deserve to be the coach of the Atlanta Hawks. I didn't want him to be selected in the first place and nothing save a decision to play Dwight Howard straight up has changed that stance. In a nutshell, GM Sund and Coach Drew are not leading this team to a title, so let's end the charade and move on to bigger and better things.

Bad #2: Trading The Wrong Crawford

Say word, L - you wanted to trade Crawford, not Crawford. Damn straight. Again, Jordan Crawford may not be the answer to replacing Jamal Crawford, but if you ask me - he's younger, cheaper, and has a penchant for passing, rebounding, and faking defensive desire in ways you only dream of. For that, I'm willing to roll the dice. For $10M+, you must do more than shooting well in spurts. This again is why Bad #1 hurts so much. Sund is playing a one trick pony $10M and yet, will give up on talent and a shorter contract to get another (should be) backup point/combo guard with a longer contract. It's not that the economic model is bad in the NBA, it's that teams make stupid decisions with the money that's spent. You can argue that Jordan Crawford may never pan out, but at the cost he commanded - it was well worth the gamble to explore it further.

So, yes - the move to be made was - Jamal Crawford for Kirk Hinrich OR something of that nature. That was where our backup/starting center or our small forward or defensive specialist talent was supposed to come from.

So, that really only leads me to the coach to come up with a defense for. And when I squint, I can give you the dispensing of the switching at every opportunity as a positive, but when balanced against the Jamal Crawford as point guard, the highly egregious Jeff Teague behind Mike Bibby situation, the continued existence of the 2 foul and sit rule, the lack of playing time for Jordan Crawford, and the regression of Marvin Williams ~~(oh the lack of media savvy, suit selection, and inability to go bat sh*& when your team is being disrespected or is disrespecting you by giving up.)~~ The Larry Drew era so far has been defined in my eyes by the exchange with Zaza Pachulia, who is arguably your hardest worker and gets yanked and blessed out in public because he took a 16ft jumper in a 30 point blowout. ~~Forgetting the simple fact that your favorite players have been shooting ill advised shots ALL SEASON LONG in much more important winnable games than this one.~~ If that's when you are determining that you need to take a stand, you sir no longer deserve to be the coach of the Atlanta Hawks. I didn't want him to be selected in the first place and nothing save a decision to play Dwight Howard straight up has changed that stance. In a nutshell, GM Sund and Coach Drew are not leading this team to a title, so let's end the charade and move on to bigger and better things.

Bad #3: Joe Johnson's Season

Simply put, Joe Johnson didn't have a great season. He didn't really even have a good season. It was somewhere between average and good. Of course, his usage produced numbers (and that yielded him another All Star berth - this one much more on reputation and lack of other shooting guard options vs. undebatable excellence). But I have watched all of these seasons with Joe Johnson and the first 3 were full of evidence of Joe Johnson's talent. These last 2 years have been a mixed bag. Coming off of one good season, unfortunately, yielded the largest contract in the NBA last off-season. It's normally a bad practice to pay a premium for a noticeable decline in play. This brings us to this year's performance. Sure, there were some injury concerns and there was a change in offensive philosophy. That said, the most disturbing thing of the past 2 seasons is that we haven't really seen a DOMINANT basketball player in Joe Johnson. Forget the contract. He's just not making the difference that he MUST make to win a title and then there's the contract. ~~Seriously, I've seen Nate Robinson dominate almost as many games as Joe Johnson since 2009.~~

That is a problem. That is my litmus test. If you can't win some games all by yourself (injury/offensive philosophy/double team be damned), then we don't need you. Not at $20M per...and therefore, we need a buyer. Not sure if there is one, but it's almost at showcase him proportions where you have to offer him after any hot week, month, etc to get that contract off the books. For those who say, but who do you get to replace him and does that mean we win as many games? I simply say - being hamstrung by a player that can't win you games in the playoffs means you don't need that player ~~(if you want to win a title)~~.

Bad #4: Al & Josh's Power Forward Conundrum

We still haven't figured this out. Listen, we have 2 power forwards on our team. They play best as power forwards and so, it means you pick one - you trade the other if you can get fair value and you move on to finding a balanced roster that can grow into a championship level team. Do you want the steady, hard working leadership type OR do you want the enigmatic, but ultra talented wonderkid? Personally, it's simple - whoever gets the best value back. That's it. I have no allegiance to either. Al doesn't have a low post game and he shrank noticeably in the 2011 Playoffs (Joahkim Noah, seriously, AL?). Josh can take over a game, but unfortunately has a propensity to spend 30% of his time doing things he's only average doing vs. the 70% of the time doing the things he is sublime at. So, bottom line, the ~~new~~ GM must solve this. The sooner, the better.

Bad #5: Marvin's Disappearance

I really don't have an analysis or words for this. It's actually sad. He seems like a nice guy who was saddled with expectations he never deserved. For any other franchise, Marvin is just another tale of draft bust-ness, but for us - it's symptomatic of the failed ASG administration. It's not that we don't make mistakes - it's that we compound them. Drafting Marvin was a mistake. Drafting Shelden after him was a catastrophe. Re-upping Marvin was a George Bush double down. That's what hurts.

He's just been average before now, so to go to subpar is borderline depressing. I guess the victory is that all that 'core' talk has done a 'remove Marvin, add Jeff' 180 that seems to make more sense for the direction of the franchise. Yes, we need a small forward, but not at that cost for that effort. If we find a buyer, it's time to cut bait.

HAWKS SOLD! Hope is restored!!!

2011-08-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

More details, a recap of the year, and a recap of the ASG era is forthcoming!!!! My blog career has just been revived.

ESPN The Mag quotes your favorite blog

2011-06-17T17:36:00.000-04:00

So, just when you wonder whether or not anyone hears your voice..you see this. Check out the link on ajc.com or if you're an ESPN.com insider, click here (or subscriber of ESPN The Mag - you can see it in print or on your iPad).

Mama, your boy done made it...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 11

2011-05-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

We'll be providing a complete Year In Review once the NBA Finals are over, but for now - here's some truths to tide you over - mostly dedicated to the news that Rick Sund will continue to be our GM...

Disclaimer: As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players last. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building).

Truth 1. Jeff Teague needs to keep his nose clean.

There will be a report tomorrow on the Today Show discussing his role in an alleged sexual assault. Now, I will let the legal system determine how much truth there is to this, but I will say this to Mr. Jeff Teague. There were already rumors about your lack of dedication to your craft early this season and let's just say - if you know who your coach is (and will likely be next year), then we'd advise you to stay on the narrow path of goodness. Primarily because as a human, that's just what you should do, but also because of the fact that you know it takes very little to get Larry Drew to put you back on the bench (and if you were actually involved in a sexual assault, then you are dead to me.)

~~(Let me find out this girl is affiliated with Larry Drew or his circle in any way and the season long quest for what really is happening is solved.)~~

Truth 2. Consistent Inconsistency = Player Movement.

I'm going to spend more time during the offseason proposing the right changes for the Atlanta Hawks, but I'll just reiterate what I've been saying for the past 2 offseasons and that's that - ~~short of new owners, a new GM, and a new coach~~ - the players have to change. We'll talk about who at a later date, but I think it's pretty clear when watching the remaining teams in NBA playoffs and you can see a marked difference between the Hawks and those teams. The Hawks do not look like a team, but instead a group of individuals playing for the same organization. There are pockets of fire and energy, but outside of that - Joe, Al, and Josh do not look like they are on the same page and it's 4 years in on this journey. If you can't put it together in 4 years ~~(while the Heat were able to get on a page in half a season)~~, then you probably are never going to get on the same page.

We have watched the Hawks be consistently inconsistent for over 2 years and now, it's time to make moves. We know that the fan base is leery of moves due to our track record with trading our assets, but this isn't a time for timid, passive management. If we want to win, bold and aggressive moves must be made. The time is now ~~(or whenever the CBA says so)~~.

Truth 3. Year In Review Preview (The Pluses).

So, let's make a list of the things that were positive this year.

1. Damian Wilkins - Anytime you can sign someone off the street and they can contribute in any way. That's a win.

2. Jeff Teague’s Playoff Performance – We have no idea if it’s transferrable to the regular season and is sustainable over the rest of his career, but for the offseason – the Hawks and its fans can finally settle on the idea that they have a point guard who can contribute on offense and DEFENSE.

3. Al Horford – Playoffs excepted, Al had his best year yet. He’s deadly with the pick and pop. We won’t discuss whether this is enough to move the Hawks forward, but for the season – it’s hard to say All Star and 3^rd team All NBA are negatives.

4. Zaza Pachulia – Simply put, when he played consistent minutes, he played fairly well. Every team needs a Zaza.

Truth 4. Year In Review Preview (The Negatives).

So, let's make a list of the things that were negative this year.

1. Player Development – For Jeff Teague and Zaza Pachulia ~~(and Damian Wilkins upon the revelation that Marvin Williams has regressed tremendously)~~ to not receive consistent minutes for this team, just continues the poor use of the meager assets at our coach’s hands.

2. Joe Johnson – Yes, he made the All Star game. No, he didn’t get one vote for All NBA. To be one of the top paid players in the league and to only have about 3-4 special games in an entire season and to decline in almost every category says – epic fail.

3. Marvin Williams – He just regressed to the point that he was usable in the biggest games in recent Atlanta Hawk history. You can blame Billy Knight for drafting him, but isn’t it worst if you re-sign him and he provides you less than during his formative years.

4. The Bench – When Damian Wilkins is your coup signing, you’ve failed to bring much needed help to a bench that consisted of little used Teague, sometimes used Zaza, and over used Jamal.

5. Regular Season – When you lose 9 more games than the year before with the same cast and winning a 1^st round series that you have won the last 2 years sounds like success, then you really had a bad regular season. Simply put, the fact that you played hard in the 2^nd round is looked at as progress sends the signal that you really didn’t put forth a regular season’s worth of professional efforts.

Truth 5. Billy Knight runs laps around Rick Sund as a GM.

Let me preface this with another truth – I don’t want Billy Knight back as the GM for the Atlanta Hawks, but I’ve written this before and after seeing that Rick Sund was given an extension – I figure it’s time to try to understand once again why people think Rick Sund has provided this team with assets to make us viable contenders. The Sund era is much closer to rivaling the Babcock era than coming close to the star-crossed Knight era.

Let’s recount what happened during the 2003-2008 tenure of Billy Knight. He did the following:

· Positives:

o Dismantled a team that was last in attendance, at the salary cap limit, and devoid of draft picks due to Pete Babcock (the players he had to get rid of were – Abdur-Rahim, Terrell Brandon, Alan Henderson, Theo Ratliff, Jason Terry (who we could have kept, but he signed a $8M/yr contract that we matched and wasn’t worth that), Al Harrington, Antoine Walker.

o Acquired 4 additional first round picks and 1 second round draft over his tenure

o Drafted the following NBA players (Josh Smith, Al Horford, Boris Diaw, Josh Childress)

o Signed or traded for Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Mike Bibby

o Attendance increased from last to 20^th (not huge, but it’s positive)

o ~~Rumored to have had a deal for Amare Stoudamire (ASG intervened)~~

o ~~Attempted to fire Mike Woodson~~

o ~~Had the finest wife of any GM I’ve ever met~~

· Negatives:

o Drafted Shelden Williams, Acie Law, and Marvin Williams ~~(though my sources have continually said that he wanted to draft Deron Williams, ASG wanted Marvin Williams)~~

o Signed Speedy Claxton

o Got little value out of our 2^nd round picks

o Too much love for Mario West

o ~~Had the worst haircut in the NBA~~

The Rick Sund tenure includes the following:

· Positives:

o Traded for Jamal Crawford ~~(though this is a small positive since there was no signing that brought defensive talent to compliment Jamal’s offense)~~

o Signed Damian Wilkins and Flip Murray for cheap ~~(I’m reaching here)~~

o Re-signed Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Zaza Pachulia to market friendly contracts

o Drafted Jeff Teague (conditional to whether he gets to play)

· Negatives:

o Drafted Jordan Crawford

o Sold 1^st round draft pick & getting no value out of 2^nd round draft picks

o Resigned Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, and Maurice Evans to cap killing contracts

o Traded away 1^st round draft pick and Jordan Crawford for Kirk Hinrich ~~(further muddying our cap situation)~~

o Poor cap management

o Hired the backup of the guy he fired

o No use of the D League for players who need seasoning.

o Started falling back in attendance to 22^nd

o Signed Joe Smith, Jason Collins, Josh Powell, Randolph Morris, & Etan Thomas to all be back up big men ~~(did I mention that we sold a 1^st round draft pick while signing these guys?)~~

So, explain to me why I should want Rick Sund to continue to lead the franchise. The only thing that Sund didn’t do is make the big mistake (Shelden) and the perceived mistake (or what I call – taking the bullet for his bosses on Chris Paul or Deron Williams), but he did take this franchise and make a relatively large jump in viability that we haven’t seen from Sund’s tenure. In fact, we’re regressing and we have few assets to even make any changes. Think about this – we have $3M remaining to sign 6 players for next season. He basically bet the farm on the core and I don’t know one fan who believes in the entire core any longer, so why again are we spending any time on Knight? Shoot, as far as I’m concerned, Knight has proven qualifications of cleaning up the messes that guys like Sund make. Again, NO – I don’t want Knight back because he presided over two franchise changing picks and he has to be accountable for that, but on the Josh Smith pick ALONE – he’s done more for the Atlanta Hawks than Rick Sund could dream about. Knight in a KO!!!

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5th Truths: Vol. 10

2011-05-13T14:52:00.000-04:00

[Note: this was written before game 6, but with the Blogger.com outage could only be posted now.]

Going to focus on Game 4 & 5 and the Atlanta Hawk fans, so let's get it...

Disclaimer: As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players last. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building).

Truth 1. The media is lazy.

The Atlanta Hawks fan base has been hit hard for far too long. Listen, the fans in Atlanta are not the most rabid fan base in the country. That's not news, but I want to dispel the myth that the Hawks fans are not good fans. Media, if you're going to lob a grenade at us, do your job and lob the right one. If I hear one more 'it's 50/50' when it's really just about 1000 tops all in the same proximity, I'm gonna scream. Here are the reasons other teams' fans are in Philips Arena (in order):

Everyone has moved to Atlanta!!!! I don't know why this point never gets offered up when we wonder why there are other team's fans in the building. No one is TRAVELING to Atlanta for these games. They all live here and have money just like me. In the last 15 years, 3 more million people live in the 28 county metro area (note: there were only 5 counties that made up the metro area when I moved here when I was 5). So, it's a fair statement to say uh...a SIGNIFICANT (read: hundreds of thousands) number of those people might come from cold as hell Boston, Chicago, New York and from expensive as hell Los Angeles. Those are the only cities that bring fans to our arena. Is it that hard to figure out that when tickets go on sale that those individuals could go and purchase the 1-3 games when those guys are in town? Unlike us the true Hawks fans who have 41 games to choose from...economy's tough and yes, it's a transplant town. And before you bring up other arenas - let's just keep it all the way 100%. No other NBA city is like Atlanta. Only DC, NYC, Miami, and LA can claim that people are moving to those cities in the numbers that they could actually buy a BLOCK of seats and cheer for their home team, but only in DC and Miami (pre-LeBron) could you actually buy those seats. NYC and LA seats are sold out all season no matter what. Why? Because win or lose, there are 20M people who live there. Supply and demand says - those games will always sell out. So, this phenomena is only possible in two cities - DC and Atlanta. And it's not going to happen in DC because the Wizards suck. If I move to any city with a NBA team, put my Hawks tickets in pen and I'm gonna cheer my butt off and if 1000 folks like me live there, we'd sound like we were running the building too.
Fans everywhere are pretty much fairweather until their 'team' is winning. Guess how many people I've found out were from Chicago these past two weeks. Uh, a ton. How many did I ever hear from before this year? ONE! Only one fan base can I respect as a fan base that always is cheering on their team (in a delusional fashion in many cases) and that's the New York Knicks fans. I hear from them all the time, all year and I have to respect that, but Bulls fans - never heard from them until they figured out ..hey, we might actually be good this year. Same for Laker fans and Celtic fans and Heat fans. When those teams are losing - you're not hearing any MVP chants, they don't want my free tickets, and they are not crowing about any championships. Simple as that.
We don't have a superstar. People follow superstars. Free agency killed the blind allegiance to the front of the jersey, so until we get a superstar - no one is REALLY following the Hawks.
We don't play hard. If the Hawks played hard, the people would follow them more than they do now. No one is trying to follow schizophrenic teams. Maybe in Portland or Sacramento where there are no other pro sports ~~(or nightclubs, lounges, strip clubs, weather, etc)~~.

Truth 2. Larry Drew has excelled at the assistant coach functions, not the head coach functions this postseason.
It grates on me each time I hear that Larry Drew deserves credit ~~(probably my Teague treatment bias)~~ this offseason, so let me illustrate why Larry Drew has been an assistant coach for so long (and should remain an assistant coach once his head coaching tenure ends). First, he's made great use of making game to game adjustments to the starting lineup and defensive adjustments to focus on the matchups. You can tell that it has given Chicago something to account for throughout this series.
Similarly, when faced with making those in-game adjustments and substitution patterns, Drew has been too reliant on hoping the players he likes most ~~(veterans)~~ will reward his faith instead of going with what his eyes are showing him. So, if Zaza has 11 points in the first half, see if Zaza can get 11 more in the 2nd half. If Jeff Teague is slowing down Derrick Rose, then don't ask Jamal Crawford to try to mimic that effort. It's ok to use Damian Wilkins in a situation where you have seen no sign of Marvin Williams providing anything in this series. That's what we expect from a head coach. We expect a head coach to not rely on what he's always relied on come the 4th quarter and to take the ball out of the max contract guy and the 6th man's hands if they have shown that they aren't able to make shots. I know that's risky, but no risk/no reward.
Not only that, he's made very little use of the media to a) motivate his team (the energy and effort excuses are really getting old) and b) to express the point that we deserve calls from the officials too. Game 4 was ridiculous. You want the team to stop bitching the refs, then that means YOU have to bitch for them. You can't allow them to make terrible calls without at least once in a while losing your ever-loving mind. The refs are human and you can bet that if they know that you won't be ripping them a new one - you just might take a few extra bad calls or never get a make up one. You played in the league, Drew - you know how this works. Now, time to make your money, Drew, or show us why you should have stayed an assistant coach in the first place.
Note: Is it only ironic to me that the guys who have gotten the biggest shafts from Larry Drew have played their best this playoff season and the guys who have been trusted the most by him have been the most inconsistent?

Truth 3. Changing of the Guards (the Jeff Teague edition).

I'm sure this will seem self-serving ~~(but when has that ever stopped me before)~~, but it's probably the appropriate time to highlight my thoughts about Jeff Teague's impact on this season back in November. It's been well documented how much I believed that every person who believed that Jeff Teague shouldn't have been starting (yes, starting) LAST SEASON after the All Star break was short sighted and that any belief that he needed to 'win' the starting job this season was insane if they wanted to see the team (and Teague) take a step forward. CoCo and I were pretty close to alone in believing this. Again, I will simply say with much more confidence...welcome to the party everyone. I don't say this with an 'I told you so' because I'd believe it if he failed miserably this season (because it would allow us to determine what to do with the point guard position this offseason), but I do take some pride in seeing Woodson and Drew exposed significantly on this issue on the brightest stage possible. Teague has proven this so thoroughly that even Acie Law is asking for retribution.
As for his on court performance, I'm at the point where I don't feel good about any possession where Jeff isn't a part of it. If he's not there to play defense, I'm nervous. I'd rather Jeff break down his man one-on-one than Joe or Jamal. He's shown no inclination to take numerous bad shots, turn over the ball, or to not play hard. What more do we want from our point guard? He's had 5 straight solid, if not spectacular performances. Who on the Hawks has done that? No one else. Sure, we had some better performances, but overall - offense and defense..only Josh's Game 4 compares. As soon as we start to value defense as a skill to covet as an organization, we'll start to see that Jeff has the upside to be more valuable than Joe Johnson to this organization ~~(which says more about Joe Johnson than Teague but I digress)~~.
There are questions still being asked such as - what to do with Hinrich ~~(trade or new 6th man)~~, Jamal ~~(sign and trade!)~~, and whether Jeff should be starting when everyone is healthy to which I say - this is no longer a question, people. For a capped out team with no draft picks, you must start Teague not only on merit, but because he costs you next to nothing and you need to better utilize the cap room taken by Crawford and Hinrich (and Williams, Thomas, Powell, Collins, and J. Johnson). So, let's not be fooled. The Teague era is here - let's just hope that we have a coach who is able to value and push Teague vs. retard his growth. ~~[Note: I'm on record that what's happened to Teague is worth Drew losing his job all by itself.]~~

Truth 4. The officials are affecting this series.

Those who follow my blog - they know I don't do the official blame game. I think it's useless and discounts the human error factor. That said, I must say - every delusional Bulls fan who thinks that the Bulls aren't getting the benefit of some extra help from the officials isn't watching the games. The only thing I'll give them is that the mistakes they are making that the Hawks are benefiting from have just been a little more bizarre and egregious (an inadvertent whistle? Really?), but in general - I'm watching both teams in the paint getting contact, but only one player is getting a call each and every time.
I'll just say what I always do and that's that - great players are already great. They don't need any extra help to make them greater. That said, let's hope that the officials don't help on either side and may the best team win Game 6 ~~(and Game 7)~~

Truth 5. Where is our All Star production?.

I have high expectations of our best players and all I can say is - this is the time when you prove that you're an All Star or All-NBA. So, this last truth is pointed at you, Joe Johnson and Al Horford. The best players for the Hawks this series are Jeff Teague and Josh Smith. Think we might be able to win this series if our All Star/max player and recently minted All-NBA center were actually performing as such. Yep, I do too. We already have seen the complete disintegration of Marvin Williams (and an unwilling replacement of him for Damien Wilkins) and the inevitable shooting slump by Jamal Crawford, but while we can overcome them with energy and effort - we can't overcome the lack of elite production from our most talented ~~(expensive)~~ talent. Simply put, the All stars have to step up and prove their elitism ~~(and earn their paychecks)~~.

Let's go Hawks!!! Game 6 starts now...

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Things My Grandmother Could Teach About Basketball

2011-05-08T09:34:00.000-04:00

On this Mother's Day, I will be celebrating by taking my mother and my grandmother to the Hawks game. Now, this sounds self serving, but for a family that has significant Indiana roots where basketball is king - trust me, I'm going to win the "who got the best gift for Mother's Day" crown for years with this one esp. since no one even remembers when my grandmother has attended a NBA game (she being the biggest NBA fan I know). So, we're going to ignore the fact that she's a Bulls fan and just go with family over fandom. I give this preamble because there are some things when talking to my grandmother that even SHE sees that bother her about the Hawks and I figured I'd share them before we head out to Game 4. Here's the list:

1. Fast Break

I've always shared my distaste of the power forward and center leading the break. I'm not sure where this became the phenomena, but it must stop. Since rec league, Grandma and I agree that you should give the ball to the point guard and fill the lane with very few exceptions. Not only that, (Note: Grandma didn't share this one, but it needs to be said) 90% of your fast breaks should end with a shot taken AT THE RIM. I'm going to blow a gasket if I continue to see 3 on 1, 3 on 2 breaks continue to end with jump shots. I know we're a jump shooting team, but that is ASININE!!!!! Do they not do a 3 man weave drill in Hawks camp?

2. Be Aggressive

It's not just a high school cheer. Maybe the reason we like jump shots is because of something else Grandma notices and that's that we don't like contact. Zaza Pachulia and Jeff Teague are the only players I've seen in the Bulls series that have gone into the paint looking for contact. I don't know if it's because we're afraid to foul and get pulled per Larry Drew's rules or it's because we're soft and simply don't want to BE fouled, but that fact has us looking very much like punks. In the NBA, to the aggressors go the spoils. (See Memphis Grizzlies for video evidence)

3. Your Power Forward Shouldn't Shoot Jump Shots

I know it's piling on, but I'm just speaking on what Grandma said...and even she can see that Josh is great inside the paint and he's not outside the paint (reserving Stevie Wonder joke). Again, if your power forward was so good at shooting 3s and long 2 pt shots, you should have some offense designed to take advantage of it. It should be curious to the team and the player that you are always open for said shots. There is another element that doesn't get spoken on regarding this and that's that his teammates should a) not pass it to him unless the shot clock is a factor or b) DIRECT HIS ASS TO THE LOW POST. I mean is it a NBA rule that you can't waive a guy off a spot and point to where you want him. I recall my days in the rec league as a point guard and whenever players didn't have the IQ to perform tasks that they were good at - I told them what tasks to perform. i.e. when Craig and 'nem were at the 3 pt line and we knew Craig and 'nem couldn't hit that shot, I gave a simple direction while dribbling to move to where they can make shots so I could give them the ball. No movement, no ball. Sometimes, it was a simple wave of the hand, sometimes it was yelled, sometimes it was whispered during timeouts...but it was clear that when possessions were golden and precious - we're not wasting it on Craig and 'nem's 3 point dreams.

4. If You Can't Take The Heat, Get Out the Kitchen

This one isn't something Grandma said, but she sure would co-sign this because my mom taught me this. Be available to take the heat if you're available to take the glory. Not much has been made of this, but it says something to me regarding the leadership vacuum in Hawks-ville when our co-captains are never available for post game press conferences. I watched Dwight Howard take the heat for his teammates' failings throughout the first round of the playoffs. Joe Johnson (twice) and Al (once) showed up only after wins. Josh has never showed up. Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague are NOT our captains. They should not be speaking for the team when we lose, yet Jamal is almost always the player who speaks for us when we lose. Not only that, Joe Johnson wasn't even available to be INTERVIEWED after Game 3. This has very little to do with basketball ability, but it does have something to do with accountability. Athletes are always very vocal about their worth and why they should receive what they should, but those contracts do come with some obligations and I'm sorry, but our captains (and specifically Joe Johnson) should always be available to answer for the performance of his team - win or lose. Every big money player does it and I'm not sure why it's even allowable that he shouldn't. It speaks to the lack of leadership that has permeated this team and why we have such uneven performances.

5. Why Don't They Cut To The Basket?

Cutting to the basket is what you do when a player is doubled and your shot is not an outside shot. So, the perimeter guys can spot up for threes and the big men can CUT TO THE BASKET. But you can't have everyone sit at a spot up position waiting for the doubled player to just pass it. That's not how basketball works if you're trying to make it easy. I can't recount how many times I said - uh, someone cut to the basket. Simple concept...

6. Body Language

You can see it in our body language when we are having a tough time playing the game, but it also extends to the bench. When our players go to the bench, there's very little engagement with the game. Only Josh seems to jump up and stay engaged with the game and the players when he's on the bench. It is a stark contrast watching the OKC/MEM and LAL/DAL series and seeing the stars of those teams cheering and giving direction to their teammates while they are on the bench. Something about that strikes a chord that those are teams in the truest sense and the Hawks are just guys who play together.

Let's hope that some of these things change between now and Game 4 or else my blogging career will be alive and well for yet another year. Let's Go Hawks!!!!

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 9

2011-05-05T17:33:00.001-04:00

Time for another Postseason Edition of the Honesty Corner, so let's get to it.

Truth 1. Jeff Teague is the best Hawk on the court this round.

Yes, Joe Johnson was sublime in Game 1, but the odds of Joe duplicating that effort again are slim. The odds that Jeff Teague will be able to continue to score in double digits, play good defense, and not turnover the ball are repeatable is much higher. His play so far supports my belief that there is a personal issue between the coaching staff (Woodson/Drew's) and Jeff Teague (or young guards in general). There's just simply no logical reason that can be offered for why Jeff Teague is not starting for this team at best and a regular rotation player at worst.

We've waxed poetic about the fact that this coaching staff does not value defensive talent as part of the reason a player should get minutes. Sure, Jeff Teague is inconsistent offensively and probably would be for a while in an offense where he'd be the 4th option at best, but the ability to hold his counterpart to a minimal carnage vs. the Hawks has been long undervalued. Of the 9 games he's started as a Hawk, I recall at least 3 that he was the BEST HAWK on the floor. It's borderline criminal what has occurred with his minutes this season and it's what gives me the most pause in entrusting another campaign to Larry Drew. If I heard my boss tell me that he's ALWAYS had faith in me and reward that with a begrudging start only due to injury, I'd say kiss my a$$. You can bet that if I was Jeff Teague, I'd walk into Sund's office as soon as the Hawks' season is over and say - either fire Drew or trade me. No in between.

All that said, Jeff Teague has proven that he belongs on the court with the best players in the league in all situations (starting, closing, clutch, defensive stops, etc). As an example, in only one game - Drew realized hey, if I want to cool off a perimeter player, then I best put Teague on him. In Game 1, when Korver started heating up due to JC1's ~~desire~~ inability to get through screens, it was Teague who put an end to open looks. Same for Rose. It just makes me angry even thinking about how much better Teague could be at this juncture if we'd just followed the HS8T plan of starting Teague LAST season down the stretch ~~(not to mention Jordan Crawford and 1st round pick we'd be using to bolster the roster next year)~~.

Truth 2. Josh Smith is a liability, but let's not let Al off the suckage hook.

Listen, I'm not going to mince words - Josh Smith has gone from my favorite Hawk to a benign cancer. I can't come up with another way to put it. Yes, he's talented and a wonderful transition player (when not dribbling) and help defender. He even is a force inside offensively, but if you don't recognize your strengths, then you are not helping the team. The best teams' players know exactly what they do well. How crazy would it look if Kyle Korver was trying to shoot free jumpers off the dribble or posting up for sky hooks? That's how ridiculous it is to have Josh Smith on the perimeter. I blame him (and Larry Drew) and anyone who even passes him the ball in those situations at this stage. This isn't the regular season. Every possession must be valued and Josh has proven that you can't trust him to make sound basketball decisions.

But here's the thing - we KNOW this about Josh. We take the good with the bad and yes, I finally advocate seeing if there is a package that includes Josh that can improve this team this offseason, but we also must take Al Horford to task. He's an All Star, our All Star - supposedly our heart and soul...and uh, he's not really dialed in this postseason. No, he's not completely missing in action like Marvin Williams, but we are used to Marvin being missing. We aren't used to Al not being a force. He has to be a force. We're winning games in spite of the fact that our front court is NOT imposing its will on anyone. I see this as a good thing in that we can get BETTER, but let's be honest - for everyone who is mad at Josh...uh, reserve about 80% of that criticism for Al too. He's supposed to be better than Josh and he's not doing much better - that's a problem.

Truth 3. A Split is Great, but...

Unlike Game 3 of the first round, I thought Game 2 was the key. If we could get that game, the series is over. Of course, the Hawks didn't come out with the 'we want to put the dagger in your chest' mentality and so, now we have a series. Yes, the Hawks have handled their business at the Highlight Factory, but we also have to continue to not be deceived into thinking that our team's mental state is not our best attribute. We can collapse at any time, so when we are competitive - we need to capitalize with a victory.

The killer instinct must be present every single game. There's nothing wrong with getting a sweep, guys. I know we want to complain about refs and laud the desperation card, but aren't we desperate? Is the taste of a title enough to want every single W available? Just saying...

Truth 4. Game 1 Joe is worth $100M.

That's really all I want to say about that. I don't know that we'll see him again this postseason, but I did want to say - whatever is the cost of 1/89 (regular season plus postseason games) of his salary this season...he was worth that in Game 1. Stealing money most of the rest of the season, but this game - pay that man!!! Can we get our money's worth for the rest of the postseason, please?

Truth 5. The Disrespect Has Been EARNED.

Every fan who has talked about the postseason Hawks and why we aren't getting any respect and all that. Let me keep it real...I hate to listen to it, but it's DESERVED. Teams that don't play to their strengths, who don't recognize their best players, who don't play their best reserves, who lose to teams at home by 30 points, who don't have a lot of heart and what not... yeah, they must PROVE more than once, maybe twice or thrice that they aren't who we thought they were. There's a difference between potential and hope vs. demonstration and belief. Hawks fans see the potential and hope for the best, but everyone sees what they demonstrate. So, let's end the complaining about respect and wanting something we haven't earned and let's just focus on earning what we deserve. Seeing articles about Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, and Jeff Teague makes me happy for the simple reason that they earned them. Their play was the reason someone decided it was worthwhile to write about.

Hawks, quit crying for attention and make them pay attention. The Mavericks ain't crying about why folks don't believe in them - they are showing the Lakers and the rest of the country that they aren't who they've been for the past 5 years. So, let's get to the Eastern Conference Finals and prove that we belong in the elite. I still have major reservations about saying we're there (and I've bet my blogging career on it), but trust me - nothing would make me happier than to hang up my writing career. Let's do it....

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Prediction Time

2011-05-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

I'm going to do my 2nd round truths tomorrow, but here's a few things on my mind before the games start:

1. I hate Larry Drew for continuing to lie about his faith in Jeff Teague. I hope Teague goes for 30 tonight in the EFF YOU game of his life.
2. Those who have been talking matchups - here's how I see it...we have a matchup advantage at shooting guard and center and 6th man, but they have home court, coach, the other 3 starters, and the bench. Doesn't look good for the Hawks.
3. I don't know how we win more than 1 game in this series WITH Kirk, so I'm going to say Bulls in 5 just because the Hawks always do something that's outside of their character and jump shots are bound to fall in at least 1 game this series.

So, Bulls in 5 (closer to 4 if you had to ask me to bet on 4 vs. 6) and let's hope this is motivation for them to prove me wrong and end my blogging career.

Let's Go Hawks!!!

Hawks Win! (And Now We Wait...)

2011-04-29T17:18:00.000-04:00

I know I said we'd lose to the Magic in 5. I then had to come back and say - uh...the Magic really aren't that good, so we got a shot and then, it was apparent we'd defeat the Magic because they simply couldn't hit shots that we allowed them to take.

So, I'm thrilled to say that I was wrong about this series. I'm not sure I'm going to be happy about this win come July, but for now - we'll take it with pride and look to see if there is something from this series that can be taken into this series with Chicago. So, I do want to say a few things before we get to our round 2 truths.

Kirk Hinrich being hurt is NOT an excuse for this team to lay down. Mike Woodson got a pass for the sweep vs. the Cavs in 2009 due to injuries (one of which was his fault for having Joe Johnson playing into the 4th quarter of a 30pt blowout), but the fact that Larry Drew took the risk of not playing his other point guard in the event that something like this could happen is HIS fault.
If we get swept, the season is NOT a success. We can make it plausible if and only if we exceed the accomplishments of the Indiana Pacers. If we can't play better and have better results than the Pacers, there's a problem.

That's all - enjoy being one of the top 4 teams in the East for the 3rd straight season. See you at the Highlight Factory!!!!

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths (minus 1): Vol. 8

2011-04-25T16:08:00.002-04:00

Time for another Postseason Edition of the Honesty Corner, so let's get to it.

Truth 1. Jamal Crawford may be playing his way out of Atlanta.

Most people forget how positive this blog used to be. It was frequently positive about the upstart Hawks and their ascension to the upper tier of the Eastern Conference. Then, we started managing the team's resources, assets, and games in a way that was completely unsustainable relative to winning NBA titles. And then, I had to be fair to what my eyes told me (Enter Evil HawkStr8Talk posts).

Well, let's be fair to what our eyes are showing us right now. And that's that Jamal Crawford is playing very well. That very well is a little skewed to what we've come to expect from Jamal with regards to offense and defense. He's been lights out on offense and tolerable defensively. Now, if we use some sort of regression to the mean of his career - we'd look for the bad Jamal to show up soon, but that's not a wish. What is happening though is an inflation in Jamal's value to a NBA basketball team. So much so that it may simply price him beyond what the Atlanta Hawks can afford (CBA pending). Since it's very apparent that the Hawks need better interior defense and offense as well as elite point guard play, it's not bad for the organization if Jamal continues to play lights out. The odds that Jamal is going to take the pay cut necessary to add the 2-3 pieces the Hawks need to get better are very low. So, the continued brilliance of Jamal Crawford could be his audition for greener pastures, pastures that aren't located in the Highlight Factory. Whether that is a good thing will depend on what Rick Sund can do with Jamal's cap room...(and based on track record - worry should ensue in 5,4,3...)

Truth 2. Orlando's All Star >>> Atlanta's All Stars and it doesn't matter.

We already knew that there was only one true max salary superstar in this series, but this is ridiculous. Yes, the Hawks are winning games and we should all be proud of that fact, but should Joe Johnson and Al Horford be getting outplayed by Jamal Crawford too? I get 1-2 hot games, but all four. Who knew that Howard would be better than Joe and Al combined? Now, there's a reason this shouldn't be cause for concern - wait for it... because Orlando sucks.

I know, I know. I should be heaping all the praise on the Hawks for everything they are doing to start the 'Where's Dwight Howard's new digs?' or better yet, the 'for the price of Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Jamal Crawford - can we show you some homes in Buckhead, Mr. Howard.com? website, but I'm sorry - I've watched the Hawks all season and for all that they are doing to be up 3-1 - I see a WHOLE lot of suck-age from the Magic that only resulted in 4 and 3 pt victories. Sure, the Hawks haven't played very well either. Yes, it's the playoffs. Yes, we've watched Butler/UCONN for the past 3 games (with Jamal Crawford as Kemba Walker), but we've watched this version of the Hawks before. We haven't watched the Magic just implode on the perimeter like this before. We haven't watched SVG end up powerless to do anything vs. any team. The way they are missing open shots (yes, the Hawks are playing good perimeter defense, but NO - they aren't the cause of half of these missed shots) reminds me of how we miss open jump shots. There are shots that are open, but not even Josh Smith would take them. I mean it's THAT bad. My rose colored Hawks eyes can't shield me from how bad this Magic team has played. You can see them pressing to the nth degree and yet, still have had shots to win games down the stretch at home. So, let's hold up on the platitudes until we play a team that isn't as bad as last year's Bucks or the year before's Heat. Teams that were so bad that they should have both been swept except for the fact that - yep, the Hawks weren't that good either. I'd be more encouraged if Game 1 had repeated itself 3 more times. We'll win this series and still have much more to prove. Who'd a thunk?

Truth 3. Larry Drew wins no extra points.

Gotta keep it real...I already gave Drew credit for deciding to have a more stable, repeatable defensive strategy for the Magic in the regular season. So, why would I change my mind about the coach when we're barely surviving a Magic team that has completely given up the ghost? Same bad rotation decisions. Same bad offensive stretches. Same Josh boneheaded-ness sprinkled with production. I think it's sad when you want to give the coach credit for benching a player who is obviously oblivious to the team concept of trying to win the game (which is what happened to Josh in Game 3 when he was benched down the stretch) and yet, all I kept saying is - that's what a coach should do. Player doesn't want to follow the game plan. Player doesn't participate in the game. Simple concept really...but never applied to the point that people think he's actually making adjustments and strong coaching moves when it happens.

So, some have resorted to saying - hey, maybe Drew has a shot. I say...uh, solve the Bulls before you ask me to reassess that fact. If a sound defensive strategy can turn the Bulls into the same missing open jump shot while Derrick Rose goes wild on us outfit, then I'll be willing to concede that maybe I'm wrong about Larry Drew. If a sound offensive strategy can unlock a max salary effort from Joe Johnson, an All Star effort from Al Horford, and simply a basketball IQ-ified effort from Josh Smith, then yes - I'll do what I said last Truth session, which leads me to Truth #4...

[Note: And I haven't even mentioned that this Drew guy put Zaza in the doghouse during the season and wanted to trade him for a point guard. Yelled at him for one jump shot in a 30 pt blowout, even. How would this Howard strategy work if your second line of defense after Collins was either Horford OR Armstrong/Thomas/Powell? I'm just sayin' that the dude hasn't been feeling the only effort guy outside of Horford. Can anyone honestly see a reason that Zaza isn't a critical part of the rotation?]

Truth 4. Motivational Ploy is working.

I said I'd stop blogging if we beat the Bulls. I still stand by that. I appreciate those who (like me or not) thought that was too drastic of a statement and want my blogging career to continue, but simply put - I have no material if I went all this time thinking we needed a complete overhaul and yet, we can beat the #1 and #4 seeds in the NBA playoffs. Even at their absolute suckiest, I never thought we could be up 3-1 over the Magic. A Game 7 upset or something - ok, but really just a bad Larry Drew decision away from a sweep? Uh, not so much.

So, I am going with the fact that maybe Jamal (who said he reads the blogs) posted this in the locker room as a motivating factor to get me out the blogging game. And if that's so - I'll take it. My blogging career for an ECF appearance seems like a fair trade off to me. Besides, I have a woman to find and kids to create. Trust me, I'd rather be wrong and watching the ECF from the Highlight Factory than arguing with the fans about how to change this team in the offseason. Never thought it possible that I wouldn't be telling Kris that he's too much of a homer to see how bad this team is constructed for the long term, but miracles happen (and at this rate - that includes the wife and the kids). Let's hope the Hawks are a part of one. Let's go Hawks!!!

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Things That Make You Go Hmmm, Postseason Edition

2011-04-20T14:40:00.000-04:00

Channeling Arsenio Hall once again...

1. Can the Hawks defend home court?

We have had a problem defending our home court all season going 24-17. Games 3 and 4 will provide the Hawks the opportunity to show that the season was simply a cat and mouse game where we wanted to give all comers a false sense of security, right?. It also should give some level of confidence to the Magic that the Hawks are not a juggernaut in the Highlight Factory. What will win out? Cat & mouse vs. road confidence?

2. If Teague/Pachulia/Williams get less PT than Collins/Powell/Armstrong/Thomas, can you consider the postseason a success?

I've talked frequently about how you can win the battle and lose the war. Well, let's be excited about the fact that the Hawks slayed a little giant in defeating its first legitimate postseason opponent (I don't consider the Heat or Bucks - over the past two seasons - legitimate postseason opponents) and on the road to boot. Certainly, this is a by any means necessary scenario, but is it really encouraging to see even more de-emphasis of the players you needed to make a 8 legitimate NBA player rotation viable? Sure, the Collins defense makes sense in limited spurts, but haven't we seen what Powell, Armstrong, and Thomas can do. And if they were so worthy of doing it - shouldn't there have been other times this season when we should have seen them do it. Shouldn't we have invested time in giving them roles that could be used during our 44-38 campaign? My answer is no, but I'm wondering if this is something I should be pondering right now as I watch the guys who I think actually have more to contribute sit on the bench.

3. Will the real Larry Drew stand up?

Is Larry Drew the guy who mixed and matched his way to a Game 1 victory where he pushed all the right buttons (save for a lapse in judgment IMO during Nelson's 3rd quarter explosion) or is he the guy who effectively fouled out this 'best' player for the 2nd quarter of Game 2? I'm all for following principles and formulas, but the talent difference should highlight to you that some things are worth the risk. Risking a 3rd foul is worth it if your alternative is Josh Powell or Hilton Armstrong.

Not only that, doesn't it seem like the Hawks are being coached as if they are trying to hang on instead of landing the knockout blow. The players have come to play...will Larry Drew come to coach? Are there in-game adjustments to be found? Game 3 redemption needs to be on the menu...

4. Can Joe Johnson make his contract reasonable in one postseason?

Undoubtedly, the Joe Johnson contract will forever be debated (unless a NBA championship finds its way to Atlanta during the next 4 years), but can Joe Johnson make us forget he got all that money this offseason? Game 1 - he almost made me think he's worth Al Horford money. Game 2 - he made me think he's worth Marvin Williams money. Let's hope for all of his dismissiveness of the Atlanta fans that he's worth Joe Johnson money come Game 3 and 4. A 30PPG average over these home games could go a long way to shutting the naysayers up...or can it?

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 7

2011-04-18T18:01:00.000-04:00

Time for the Postseason Edition of the Honesty Corner, so let's get to it.

Truth 1. The Matchup Shouldn't Mask The Problem.

Admittedly, I was giddy while watching the Hawks run ram shod all over the Orlando Magic. This is an emotion that was sorely missing throughout this 2010-2011 campaign, but that's mostly because the function of my posts is to focus on what makes us move toward a NBA championship. A playoff win didn't change any of those things that I question about this team. An unlikely series win still won't change those things is probably not going to do that either.

On the good side, Joe Johnson played to about 80% of his contract. Kirk Hinrich played to about 75% of his trade 'value' (how depressing is it that Hilton Armstrong didn't even make the playoff active list for this team?) and we made our jump shots on the whole. On the bad side, Joe Johnson and Kirk Hinrich have not been consistent about being at or above those percentages above and a team that relies on jump shots a) doesn't normally hit them with consistency and b) never makes any noise in the playoffs. So, hats off to the Hawks, but we're going to need to see more from the Atlanta Hawks to convince us that the problems we've watched for the past 3 years are erased by one impressive playoff victory.

Truth 2. There were 2 items to get excited about.

There were a few things that should have made Hawks fans happy in Game 1. The first is that they said they were confident and then, they went out and displayed the confidence that they said they had. First, we've rarely done that and we've probably never done it in a game that mattered as much to the opposing team. For most playoff teams, that is a given. For these Hawks, not so much and for that - we should hope that this is something to build upon. While there is still a lot of skepticism in the Atlanta Hawks, the one thing that can trump a flawed philosophy is confidence in that flawed philosophy. See Golden State 2007 as exhibit #1. They never were going to win the title, but they did ride the wave for 10 games to shock the world.

The second thing you should have been happy about was Larry Drew being a REAL coach. When he saw his players trying to change his game plan, he called a time out and said - roll with what I laid out as our game plan. Simple issue for most coaches, but for this team - there have been plenty of instances of player improvisation and very little repercussions from said coach. To see the coach challenge the team to follow his instruction and to see the team have success by doing so could just maybe give the coach the stones to impart other instructions for the team to follow. There's still reason to believe that the team has effectively tuned out the coach for much of the season, but this could cause the team to follow the leadership of its coach for a change. One would hope.

Truth 3. Winning Does Have Negative Consequences.

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it. If this playoff series causes the leadership to stay the course, I don't want them to win. Yes, that causes a complete inner turmoil for my cheering interests. I certainly could never openly want my team to lose, but the long term interests that I shouldn't have to worry about don't seem to be the concern of our ownership and management. With that in mind, there's great fear that any success will embolden ASG and Sund to continue to double down on a flawed roster. So, I don't want to say it, but I can't help it - anything other than a DEEP run in the playoffs could end up with a long term epic fail written all over a first round series win. How's that for a fan's conflict of interests?

One other consequence of winning this way just reinforces that this team doesn't need Teague and confirms my belief that Teague won't be a part of this team in 2011-2012 OR we're continuing the inexplicable use of Teague over the past 2 years. How do you expect him to ever be a factor in your ability to win meaningful games if he's never played in one?

Truth 4. Did Marvin & Zaza catch the Teague Fever?.

So, Zaza and Marvin are now taking on much smaller roles and, of course, Jeff Teague and Damian Wilkins caught the DNP Plague. Josh is a starting small forward. Zaza is just one of a merry quartet of Dwight Hackers. For Marvin, that might be fine and a function of the lineup changes. For Zaza, it's a slap in the face for arguably the hardest working and most skilled of the reserve backups. I said in last week's Truths that Zaza was playing the best of all Hawks over the last 20 games and he's rewarded with...9 minutes against the Magic. Sorry but if 15 minutes are distributed between Etan Thomas and Josh Powell when they can be given to Zaza - that's just not good minute distribution.

To be fair, it may get them past the Magic, but does it translate to something that beats any other playoff team?

Truth 5. Here's the Greatest Motivational Ploy Ever.

I'm not looking ahead. In fact, I am on record in my thinking that the Magic will win this series 4-1, so I'm not going to say that I believe the Hawks are going to stop being inconsistent and maddening after one game, but to be clear - if the Hawks can defeat the Bulls with this group and coaching staff, I'll stop blogging. Yes, you heard it here first. I've staked my claim to being ahead of the curve on much of what ails this team (i.e. I've been talking the issues that dominate the AJC and Peachtree Hoops commenters for 3 years now.) and so, if we can turn this on for 8 playoff victories this postseason, then I will freely and openly admit that I know nothing about NBA basketball and retire.

Sell the website. Head to the big retirement community called my club seat at Philips Arena. And just shut up. [What's that I hear - is that a standing ovation?] I've said that I don't know if there's a team that I'd be confident about us beating this first round season (East or West) and certainly don't have any expectation that we're sound enough to make a deep run with this collection of players and coaches. So, if they can defeat the Magic, and then prove that it's not just the matchup and an utter collapse by the Magic by taking the Bulls by the horns and defeating them, I announce my retirement. I won't even say a goodbye, no retirement circuit, nothing - just a straight vanish from blogging about this team ever again. Hawks, you wanted motivation. You now have motivation.

Let's Go Hawks!!!!

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 6

2011-04-11T18:03:00.000-04:00

One last Honesty Corner before our Postseason Preview Truths, so let's get to it.

Truth 1. Wizards' Loss Foreshadows Certain Playoff Futility.

Let's start with this. The losses to the Pacers and Wizards happened without Josh Smith or Jason Collins. That matters....for about 5 points. After that, what happened the last two games is ludicrous. I've spent an inordinate amount of time speaking with full throated clarity that this team is weak-minded, rudderless, and lack leaders. Does someone want to offer an argument that disputes that? Where's the leader who either says "Coach Drew, we don't want to play and rather than embarrass you and the organization - we implore you to rest us and play the reserves or says we will do our damnedest to blow these guys out, SO we can rest." That can't be understated any more than when you lose with the ease that you lose vs. the Pacers (a team also looking for momentum going into the playoffs) and then, come back and have no pride vs. a team that has former teammates on it ready to show you why you made a mistake by trading them.

How that happens...how no one gets tossed (Coach Drew), how no one absolutely obliterates their teammates (Joe, Al, Josh), and how you let the 3rd WORST team beat you by 30 points is beyond unfathomable. I used to be under the impression that we could only possibly defeat the Sixers, Knicks, and Pacers in a playoff series and the Knicks and Sixers were iffy, but now - no 7 game series is safe. For those who got excited by the prospect of the Magic as the opponent, this sets up as a sweep if I've ever seen one.

Truth 2. Game 80 I Don't Knows.

Anytime your captains say that they don't know what to do to make things better in game 80 - you are failing. Whenever your coach is unable to pinpoint ways to get the best out of the players he has at his disposal - it's pretty much a wrap. All these 'I don't know' give me a 'I do know' and that's I do know that we're not winning a playoff game, much less a playoff series.

Also, here's a quick note - if anyone is under the impression that this team much like what happened last year with Mike Woodson hasn't checked out - how then do you explain that the coach was very clear that he wanted to use these last 4 games to gain momentum and they instead laid down, presumably to rest and avoid injury. I'm just waiting for the first player to say it's time for Coach Drew to go because I've yet to hear ONE Hawk make a declaration all season about their support of Coach Drew. If the Hawks had courage and wanted to win, one of them would say so.

Truth 3. Rest Trumps Momentum.

Not that it should have happened the way it did, but the players are right - the coach is wrong. At this stage in the season, we've played enough to know what the Hawks will do. 4 meaningless games are not going to generate enough momentum to offset the health needed to even make this Magic series competitive and guess who agreed - the players!!! The same ones who didn't put forth any effort toward the first 2 games. Listen to these quotes and these quotes and tell me they aren't essentially saying - I have to say something about momentum because that's what coach said, but really - sit my ass until Game 1 of the NBA playoffs.

And I felt this way (and posted about it) before finding out that Marvin hurt his ankle. How hard was this decision Larry Drew? Didn't you realize that if they haven't bought in by game 78, then they weren't bought in and so, going for rest was really your last gasp at salvaging a mediocre first campaign. Seriously, how hard was this decision? Forget these last 2 games as well and protect Jason, Josh, Joe, Al, and Marvin above any desire to win 2 meaningless games.

Truth 4. Optimism lies in unlikely places.

I've been accused of being the most pessimistic fan in the Hawks blogosphere. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I would say that it's interesting that 3 years after I started blogging that the interest in blogging about the Hawks is at an all-time low. I'm not sure how you stay positive when your organization is like that guy who buys a new car, then tricks it out with garish logos, rims, stereo systems, etc and wonder why the car doesn't produce at the same value and why it can't be resold for anything close to what was paid for it while our counterparts are buying prime real estate and a few foreclosures that can be flipped for twice their value. I don't even know of a commenter who has positive things to say about this team these days, so that's a preamble to say - it's not just me.

With that as the backdrop, I will say this - and I hope this is something that Larry Drew can hang his hat on - the best players of the past month are....Zaza Pachulia and Jeff Teague. Yes, it surprises me too. Of course, you'd wish those names were Joe Johnson, Al Horford, our basketball Tupac (Josh Smith) or even Kirk Hinrich, but we have to give credit where its due.

Jeff Teague has every reason to put a big middle finger in the air to 2010-2011 and the coaching staff of the Atlanta Hawks. The hook has been unkind and unfair to Mr. Teague and yet, he still is coming into games saying - I'm going to show you how good I can be despite the fact that you've had me playing my whole career with ball hogs, without an offensive game plan that requires a point guard to initiate play, watching a shooting guard who wasn't been shooting well and doesn't defend worth a damn taking his backup point guard minutes, or some of the worst reserves in the NBA. Despite that, I still try to shine. Then, we find ourselves watching a game Zaza Pachulia. He too has shined in the face of a coach who publicly humiliated him during a blowout for taking a bad shot on a team that has been taking terrible shots for 3 years without any repercussions and also in the ignominy of having to watch our 3rd string center occasionally start over me despite the lack of productivity from the 3rd string center for the last 2 years. Despite these things, these guys are playing well and deserve rotation minutes. Zaza probably will get them. Teague not so much, and yet optimism reigns. And it better since there's no other place where growth can come from this roster as it's presently constituted. Take a bow, fellas, take a bow.

Note: I still stand by the fact that if Larry Drew continues to be head coach. Jeff Teague and probably Zaza Pachulia are no longer Hawks in 2011-2012 and this makes sense because we don't keep appreciable assets in this organization.

Truth 5. Fans fearful of change are killing this franchise.

Before you take this too far, READ THE DISCLAIMER ABOVE first. So, of course, the fans are LAST on the list of problems for this organization, but with that said - if I have to read another fan who brings up Mike Woodson, Billy Knight, or how bad the old days were as a reason to accept or delight in how far we've come...I'm gonna break something. Listen, this is about titles. If you are happy with first round playoff exits and content with mediocre output on an annual basis, then keep your mouth shut. Don't get in the way of us who realize that you have to have leaders, develop talent, have judicious use of limited resources, and demand excellence from the GM, the coach, and the players. It's tiresome to have to debate what we all know to be true. This team is doomed to be a 6th - 8th seed for the next 3 years with NO hope of winning a series at this rate. You're watching the Sixers, Knicks, Pacers, Wizards, and Nets all prepare themselves to leapfrog the Hawks with only two teams (the Celtics (age) or Magic (losing Howard), though you know they will spend or do whatever possible to stay contenders) who could conceivably drop to our level or below it.

So, you can debate how the change happens, but you can't debate that change MUST occur and must occur now. There's no in between. No more if we get rid of Larry Drew - we could end up with oh, Terry Stotts. No more if we get rid of Joe Johnson - we could end up with Michael Redd. Those things are true statements, but guess what's also true....you could get next year's Thibodeau (Lawrence Frank, anyone?), you could move Joe Johnson and get draft picks and some cap space and some prospect who can lead this team. Bottom line, being the 13th or 14th best team in the NBA is nothing to be excited about. The difference between 13th and 25th is not really all that large. Those teams get up for the Lakers too. They make it competitive vs. the Bulls too, but just lose about 10-20 more games they shouldn't lose. Ya know like when they play the Hornets at home or when they lose to Wizards on the road after already being embarrassed.

Like I said, enough with the fear of change - let's ALL support the fact that major change is necessary. No one on this roster is untouchable (yes, I'm talking to you, Al, Josh, or Joe). Doesn't mean I wouldn't miss some guys, but at this point - no player is so stellar that they can't kick rocks for the right price.

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 5

2011-04-06T18:22:00.000-04:00

As we get closer to the playoffs, it's time to get serious about our postseason prospects and that means the 5th edition of the Honesty Corner is ready for takeoff.

Truth 1. This postseason is a referendum on me, not the Hawks.

Listen, I think everyone knows where I stand with regards to the Hawks. Long time fan, fiercely loyal to the logo, but not much of a fan of the current regime. In Philips Arena, I'm all cheers. On the blog, I'm 100% ruthless about saying what I'm watching without an ounce of homer-dom, which leads me to say this. It's eerie how right I was about the Hawks this season. Check out my season preview. Here's what I missed on:

That the Bucks would ever be a factor in the East
That we'd get the 6th seed, not the 5th (though a tenth of a point for saying that 5th seed was the best we could hope for)
The regular season record is still up for grabs (a 2-2 finish will seal the 46-36 that was predicted.

Now, recently, I've encountered some consternation from Hawks fans regarding being right about what ails this organization and there's probably something to be said for being as diplomatic as Hoopinion about it, but that's not the HawkStr8Talk way. We will continue to just highlight the issues as clearly as we see them and that means that our reputation for calling our shot is on the line. Since the offseason yielded no appreciable help toward the goal of winning a title, we took on the persona of a team that is regressing. By almost every measure, offense, defense, player development across the board, and coaching - the Hawks are worse than last year, which pushed us to say we'd likely lose in the first round. I still feel strongly that that will be the result (a 4-1 loss rings as a good prediction). If the Hawks can win a round, color me a fool for trying to predict these Hawks.

Truth 2. Larry Drew and Rick Sund's ineptness = Jordan Crawford as a Wizard.

Here's what I said when we traded Mike Bibby. So, you already know that I was NEVER a fan of this trade when a simple Jeff Teague start would suffice, but you give these things a chance (and yes, the playoffs will be the ultimate referendum) and see where they shake out. So far, it's shaking out snake eyes. The Hawks are .500 with Hinrich. The Wizards are 6-15 with Jordan Crawford (though 4 of the last 5 games have been wins 5-8 as the starter). If the trade was ONLY Hinrich for Crawford, this would still be a bad trade for the Hawks, but the fact that a first round draft pick was involved and we took on MORE salary - it just can't be overstated how bad this trade was for this organization. Now, so we don't get accused of ignoring that Jordan Crawford is getting minutes and shots that he wouldn't get for the Hawks - we acknowledge that (though if you look at what is causing Jordan's bad FG% - check his 3 pt shooting. If he stops shooting from 3, he's better than Joe and Jamal in almost every category). That said, it's arguable that Jordan's output over the past 15 games has been at minimum Jamal Crawford-esque and borderline Joe Johnson-esque. 40 vs. the Heat!?! Triple Double vs. the Cavs (which isn't all that impressive until you wonder when the last time Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford had a triple double). Wait - I'm gonna say it - he's playing better than Joe and Jamal, dammit.

The question all offseason was whether Jordan Crawford could be a cheaper version of Jamal Crawford or an emergency version of Joe Johnson and it looks like he could at least be that, but even if it doesn't - it STILL doesn't account for why he's had 41 DNPs in a season where Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague and Mike Bibby all have underperformed during the season on MULTIPLE occasions. I don't need him to be the 6th man, but are you telling me that arguably the 5th best rookie I've seen all year couldn't get off the Atlanta Hawks Thin Mint bench? Couldn't replace Damien Wilkins or Mo Evans or slumping guards at one time or another to the point that we thought he was disposable? Our offense has been so stellar that a shot in the arm was NEVER needed. It's simply maddening on Sund's and Drew's behalf. You can't convince this makes sense in any sphere anyone else lives in.

Truth 3. Joe Johnson isn't clutch.

This probably isn't news to most objective observers, but Joe Johnson's 4th quarter output lately has been pretty 6yr, 60M-ish. 3pt shooting has been below average and so, while you can forgive some parts, we simply need Joe to show up when it's clutch time and lately - it hasn't happened. Its his lack of clutchness that makes it difficult to swallow that he's owed $100M over the next 5 years. The reason you pay anyone that kind of money is either because they fill the building (no check), they sell product (no check), they win championships (no check), or they are pillars in the community (no check). So, right now, it's can you be clutch. We can't expect you to produce like a $123M basketball player because you were never worth $123M, but we can expect you to hit every big shot for your team and unfortunately, not even that's happening. And if I look back at his career - honestly, I remember as many clutch Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, and Al Horford plays as I do Joe Johnson. Something is wrong with that.

Truth 4. Denver is proving why you can let your star go.

It was bandied about by many that the fact that you couldn't replace Joe Johnson with a star of his caliber would send the franchise backward. This was part and parcel for why we bid against ourselves to pay Joe Johnson the most money of 2010's offseason. The fear of going backward. Now, that we're going backward anyway, it should be noted for future fears that the Denver Nuggets looked at the fear of going backward and simply got other pieces, changed their game, and kept moving forward. The team that had the #1 offense prior to the Melo trade now has the #1 defense after it. Not only that, they have picks, financial flexibility, a great coach, teamwork, and are...wait for it - 15 of 19 since the trade and arguably in a position to build toward a title in a way that they never could with Carmelo. This is why you can't panic in the face of tough bold decisions. This is why you don't re-sign Bibby, Marvin, and Joe at prices that are outside of reasonable expectations of their value. It's because the 'core' doesn't have to stay the same if the 'core' has never done anything of note that requires rewarding. Sure, Melo forced Denver's hand, but they got what they desired from it and moved forward. Joe forced our hand by not signing an extension - we should have taken that and decided that new parts at better prices were better than old parts at inflated prices.

Truth 5. Post-Game Press Conferences tell me everything.

This week, I had about 10 post-game press conferences on Sports South recorded that I never had listened to and so, I finally got around to watching them and guess what I learned...effort and urgency are Larry Drew's favorite catch phrases. When we win, we brought the energy. When we lose, we didn't feel the urgency and it's with that kind of astute analysis that I say - if it's about energy and effort, then you sir are firing yourself. It needs to be because Josh doesn't execute the offense or Jamal is not rotating on defense. You know things that they can do, but don't and even then, that's a coaching problem. Particularly, when the team and coach happen to see the game differently. That means...they haven't bought in and you can't change their output when you need to. At Game 78, if the team hasn't bought into your program, either your program sucks or you suck. Plain and simple. It didn't take the Bulls more than 20 games to buy into Thibs' program (or to have some tell it - Rose bought in this offseason and the rest of the team followed). Too bad, no one bothered to tell the team that they might want to lock into the program by game 25, so that Rick Sund could weed out and get rid of those who didn't buy in. Yep, the post game conference reveals all.

Bonus Truth. If a Jason Collins injury causes concern for your team, you are doomed.

I saw how well Jason Collins played Dwight Howard. I also saw a guy who has had about 50 DNPs go down with an ankle injury and all I have to say is - if that's a problem, then I change my 4-1 playoff loss to a sweep. Worry about Josh Smith's knee, not Jason Collins' ankle. I have zero confidence that Jason Collins is the difference in the Hawks' season. If Dwight Howard can't solve Collins in a 7 game series, he doesn't deserve to be paid $25M in 2012 by anyone. That's my word.

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm

2011-03-25T13:12:00.000-04:00

With apologies to Arsenio Hall, it's time to put a long finger in the air on a few things in Hawks land to see if these things make you go hmmmm too.

1. Is Marvin Williams better as a reserve?

We've been so devoid of positives that it's been lost that when Marvin Williams was coming off the bench - he was pretty effective. Not #2 pick in the draft effective, but more aggressive offensively. It's as if he got that inner dog that Coach Drew is always looking for.

2. What's the bigger story? Joe Johnson's season of proving that he was only worth about half of the $120M he received this offseason OR the untold story for why Jeff Teague hasn't played much of this season

For all the currency the blog world gets out of Jeff Teague, the downward spiral of this team was paying Joe Johnson this past offseason. It's not Joe's fault he's not worth that money. You simply can't pay top dollar for a player who is a complimentary player who isn't a leader on the team, community, or the league. No one goes to a game to watch Joe Johnson and so on many levels - it made no sense. If the ceiling with him is second round playoff exit, then you can't justify the expenditure. A sign and trade on the order of the Carmelo Anthony trade (well, obviously a few levels below that) would have been more prudent and heads need to roll because of the way it will hamstring the organization for the next few years.

That said, the JUICIER story is what Jeff Teague has done to Larry Drew. It's painful obvious to any objective observer that it's not even about basketball play that has Teague on the bench at this stage. The popular thought last year and for part of this one was that Bibby was simply better and that the young PG needed to watch and get some seasoning. Well, we've taken many shots for our position that Teague should have been starting from the All Star game last season until now (or he proved through consistent PT that he was woefully unprepared to be the guy for the future), but the recent DNPs just prove the point that it's not even about basketball. I wouldn't be surprised at this stage if Teague beat Bibby out in camp and Drew just wanted to play the veteran. Maybe there's a deal between Drew and Bibby. Maybe Teague called Drew Jr a punk for leaving UNC. I don't know, but there's an unreported story here for why Teague isn't playing. So, unless you are totally discounting defense (the half of the game everyone conveniently omits when stumping for Bibby over Teague over the past calendar year), there is no conceivable reason you can give us for why Jeff Teague is collecting DNPs like he's Pape Sy.

3. Speaking of which, will we ever see Pape Sy suit up for the Hawks?

For Sund's sake, he better. To think that Landry Fields could have been a Hawk or some other guys that we could actually use just sticks in my craw. And so, ONE of these projects needs to hit the floor and why not the guy we bought out and pulled out of the D League to sit on our bench. I don't care who it is, but it's a lot of draft picks catching splinter time. We haven't seen draft picks hit the floor for the Hawks since the Billy Knight era...ponder that for a minute

4. While we're talking about Billy Knight, if rebuilding ensues, shouldn't we consider him?

For all his inability to find a point guard, I'm not sure if you guys remember the Hawks were a salary capped aging team that couldn't get past the second round (sound familiar) before Billy Knight came to town. He got rid of Rasheed Wallace, Alan Henderson, Antoine Walker, etc when their contracts weren't the most friendly for trading. He built a stockpile of picks and cap space. You can question his use of some of those, but not all of them. Unlike Sund, Knight has had some home runs on his resume (Josh Smith at 18 is a home run). Now, we might need to bring in someone to ensure we don't give up extra draft picks when doing sign and trades or when the point guard evaluation is going on, but simply put - shouldn't we long for the days when Billy Knight was at the helm. (That speaks as much to Sund as it does to the shameful GM legacy of the franchise).

5. If Jamal gets re-signed, shouldn't we check Larry Drew for a large deposit of funds?

Seriously, the only thing that makes sense for why Jamal has such strong allegiance from the coach in the face of bad offense and awful defense is that he's trying to get him a new contract and re-signed to the Hawks. Even if it gets him fired...and to that we say - is there a deal under the table in case that happens? If I'm Coach Drew, I absolutely am saying - "look, Jamal - if you're here with a phat contract and I get fired for not playing Teague at the point....YOU OWE ME! You do realize my contract ain't even fully guaranteed, so yeah - me and Jr. are gonna see you and my money better be in small bills." Can't this really be what's happening? This is plausible, right? Tell MC and Ken S to get on the stick and figure this out...I'm only slightly playing.

Those are the things that make me say hmmmmm...have a great weekend Hawks fans (and HOPEFULLY 2 wins vs. the Nets and Cavs unless, of course, losses get Drew and Sund fired on Monday).

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 4

2011-03-22T16:21:00.000-04:00

Let's start this Honesty Corner off with a shout out to the greatness that's Atlanta weather. It was so awesome that I quickly forgot how disgusting the Atlanta Hawks played vs. the Miami Heat (or maybe that was the special sauce I was sipping that caused my memory loss). Unfortunately, not much is awesome in Hawks land these days and so, it stands that the Corner must be written, but before I do so - you can read this blog or this one and see the progress we've made so far this year. As always read the disclaimer and then, let's get to it...

Truth 1. Larry Drew Has No Clue.

Not only does it rhyme, but it's become more clear that it's true. Take the 20 minutes out of your day to listen to this audio and tell me that you're dealing with someone who actually believes what he's saying. Listen, this is not specific to Larry Drew because Mike Woodson had the same problem, but anytime you are asking more questions at the END of the season about YOUR team than you were at the beginning of the season - that's a coaching problem. The Hawks have not been better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning since 2007 and so, it stands to believe that the coaching philosophy is being tuned out and that the program being offered is not being bought into. Let's discuss the ways that our coach has no clue.

Jeff Teague's player development (or lack thereof) - This has been discussed ad nauseum and is simply a carryover from the Mike Woodson era, but what's worse - it has cost us our Jamal Crawford replacement and any other additional help by way of a 1st round pick. Bottom line, I won't mince words here. Jeff Teague will never be an effective player for the Atlanta Hawks under Larry Drew. Drew doesn't trust him. It's obvious - let's just dispense with the pretense that anything else is true. And I wouldn't put this at the top of the list if he wasn't OUTRIGHT LYING TO US ABOUT THIS.
Roster Balance - I've been hollering from the top of Stone Mountain about roster balance for 3 years now. Marvin Williams should have been coming off the bench with Jamal Crawford at the beginning of LAST season. It's a lot better for the balance of the starting and bench players to have Teague, Johnson, Smith, Horford, and Wilkins/Evans, so you have talent (and this extends to defense as well) coming off the bench. There's a reason that Ginobili came off the bench for much of his career - it's because the roster works BETTER that way. Too bad, Coach Drew hasn't figured that out yet.
Damien Wilkins - When a guy you signed off the scrap heap is the ONLY player you can claim is neck and neck with Al Horford as the players who have improved from last year to this one, you can't be doing a great job at coaching 'em up or motivating them. On top of that, he shines as the example that if you give him consistent minutes - a player may show himself worthy of more. Unfortunately, Jeff Teague and Zaza Pachulia are not getting that chance despite being at worst 2 of your top 8 players.
Mental Toughness - Coach Drew has been on the staff for over 6 years (repeat that 10 times) and we still are talking about having mental toughness issues. This is new??!? At game 70, we're still talking about this. Yep, this is a culture problem and the fact that you haven't changed it means that you were the wrong coach.
Leadership - How many players' only meetings are you allowed to have a year before you realize that they aren't working? My PO meetings count is at 5 for the year. The PO means that what the coach is saying is not helping, so we the players need to address it ourselves. In my days of working toward championships (from high school to intramurals), the max on PO meetings is 2 per year before you just realize that your team as constructed is what it is. The Hawks are what they are. Average defense. Average offense. Deficient in leadership, heart, and toughness, but talented enough to overcome their deficiencies vs. bad basketball teams. Sorry ASG, you need new people.

Truth 2.Al Horford is following the Hawks lead.

I know that the love affair with Al Horford is strong, but he won't be the player he needs to be for this franchise until he stops crying about what's happening and simply does something about it on the floor. Get in a player's face. Demand the ball in the post. Call out the best players, the coach, the management, but do something to show that you are actually a leader. So far, he's just shown that he's a warrior and that's great, but it shouldn't be confused with leadership. You're only a leader if they follow. Not to mention, he's turned into a jump shooter along with the rest of the team. Looks like he's falling back to the mean (i.e. the rest of the Hawks) and not ascending to the extreme and dragging the team with him.

Truth 3. First Round Sweep would be a blessing.

I know that most fans would cringe at the sight of another playoff slaughter, but let's look at the bright side. Maybe losing money leads to selling the franchise, canning the coach, and looking for a new GM and players. Yes, all of these things need to happen to move this franchise forward and so, while it would be embarrassing - this is what this team needs to realize that major changes need to be made. Can you say Orlando averaging 20pt victories in 2011 otra vez? I can.

Truth 4. Rick Sund is stealing money.

I just want to reiterate that the best moves of his Hawks career have been to a) trade for a limited and expensive Jamal Crawford (yes, I consider a player who doesn't play half of the court - limited) and b) to sign Damian Wilkins. That's it. No other moves have been worthy of anything (save signing Josh Smith and Al Horford to reasonable contracts). To not have a plan for beefing up our roster or the flexibility to position the roster for last summer or ...the summer of 2012 (hint, hint). It's just laughable. No draft picks and no more upside on the roster (no, Jeff Teague doesn't qualify) and I'll be the guy to say it - Rick Sund is about to go the way of Billy Knight and Mike Woodson, which is from a nice little NBA job to no other team ever wanting them to be a part of another NBA franchise ever. In an old boy's network, that's extremely hard to accomplish. Which leads me to...

Truth 5. There is no more upside on this roster.

I'd be remiss if I didn't discuss my arguments in 2009 and 2010 about Marvin needing to go to the bench for roster balance and Jeff Teague needing to start in 2010 (yes, here's the blog war with Peachtree Hoops last year and the fact that Bibby was traded and that we got swept just like I said we would in 2010 vindicates my entire premise. Check that exchange out here and here and here.), but it bears repeating. There is no 'core' to believe in anymore and there isn't a hot shot on the bench to look to for growth. Jeff Teague has no trust in the organization and the other players, Pape Sy and formerly Jordan Crawford (of the 'I'm averaging more points than Jamal Crawford in less minutes' Crawfords) have Elmer's Glue on their bench seats. So, how do you get better? Where does better come from? It's not from maybe the most tenured starting 5 in the NBA. We've seen what they can do and the answer equals regression to the point that they could get swept out of the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year. That can't bode well for the Hawks sales team come this offseason.

Bonus Truth. The Start to DNP Strategy = Dumbest. Move. Ever.

Yes, in all my 30 years of watching NBA basketball and 25+ years of studying Hawks basketball, I have never, ever, ever, ever seen a team garner any level of success where they start a player (oh, say...Jeff Teague or Jason Collins) and find them with DNPs unless 2 things have happened - 1) they were insubordinate or 2) the ownership/management made the call down to the coach and said - get so and so off the court OR get so and so into the game and if that's at the expense of 2nd so and so...so be it. So, I'm just sayin' until I hear that one of those things has occurred - Larry Drew's starting of Jason Collins vs. certain lineups, but not playing him against almost anyone else and his ability to start Jeff Teague vs. the Portland Trailblazers (a playoff team) and not play him at ALL vs. the Detroit Pistons is the DUMBEST coaching decision I've ever seen. Seriously. There simply is no way a player can be consistent or believe in a coach who can start him and DNP him in the same week, particularly if said coach waxes poetic about how he has/is always in his corner.

Note: It still boggles the mind that Jason Collins (our 3rd best center by far) can start over Horford and Pachulia when either are healthy, but if he's good enough to start a game, then why is he unworthy of PT during any game he doesn't start. It also boggles the mind that our best defensive guard is not needed to defend in every game.

And with that note, that's this week's 5 Truths....agree or disagree if you must, but if it's the Honesty Corner, then it can't be lies. See you in the comments...

There goes one of next week's truths

2011-03-09T16:03:00.000-05:00

Damn you MC for being such an on point beat writer and blogger...I had this truth queue'd up for next week's 5 Truths

Y'all enjoy it - it's the revelation that they are ALL jump shooters.

I'm sick...

Hawks/Laker Truths

2011-03-09T01:22:00.000-05:00

I'm on this truthiness kick, so I figured I'd say a few things about tonight's Lakers game.

1. Coach Drew is in over his head. I just got through listening to the press conference, but it was not ever close past the first 10 minutes of the game. The Lakers dominated us and didn't really break a sweat to win vs. our team at home. Here's some of the quotes - "I thought we were right there." "We ran out of gas." "We tried to match up big last time, but we lost some of our offense, so we went with our regular lineup to give us some offense." "If there was a bright side to it...we competed, we were right there, but that's not satisfactory". The 'we thought it was like a road game, but that's no excuse'. He said we competed hard and we were right there three times. What game was he watching that I wasn't? THIS is why the guys and the city aren't behind you. You are trying to sell us something that isn't backed up by what our eyes are watching.

2. I'm not sure how I've missed this, but we have turned into a complete drive and kick jump shooting team. I'm not sure I've ever seen an NBA team drive and look for a jump shot more than the Hawks. Maybe the Suns, Warriors, or the Magic, but those teams had some of the most deadly shooters in the game to do it with...but even then - I recall seeing those guys back cut and make layups and score in transition in ways the Hawks wish they could. Bottom line, a half court drive and kick team has never been successful in NBA history to my knowledge. Why would we think that we could start that trend?

3. It also dawned on me that there are really only two players on the team that don't count on their jump shots as their main offensive attribute. Those folks are Jeff Teague and Zaza Pachulia. What two players are having the worst time in getting consistent minutes from the coach? You do the math....

And that's all I got...yep, the Lakers are better, were gonna be better, but it's still a shame that we didn't even compete. And uh, how did old Jordan Crawford do in his 20 minutes tonight? What...20pts..summamabit..

Honesty Corner's 5 Truths: Vol. 3

2011-03-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

It's no time for fake rhymes, so let's get into this week's 5 Truths...

Disclaimer: As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building).

Truth 1. The Hawks Are Only Winning if Charlie Sheen Is Keeping Score.

Sorry to use the most overused example of insanity at the moment, but listening to the Hawks coaches and players these days is akin to listening to Charlie Sheen's version of winning. In Charlie Sheen's world, getting fired from your highest paid perch for a good (not great) show, losing custody of your kids, and not being aware of your own addictions to drugs and sex equates to Tiger Blood, Adonis DNA and uh..Bi-WINNING!!! In Hawks land, being elite (words uttered by our very own GM Rick Sund) equates to paying the highest salary for a good (not great) player, winning more games than the last 5 years, having a good road record, having 2 All Stars, and being young enough to sell the impression that we can still get better even if said youth has been simmering for 4-5 years in the crock pot.

You can use all the platitudes and pontifications regarding what ails the Hawks, but it's really simple. The team has had no leadership for over 4-5 years to the point that the guys don't even know where to start. They don't know how to fix their issues. The elite teams ALL have slumps, issues, lulls. Most are able to easily identify the problem before they fix it and then go about the process of addressing said problems (the Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, and for the sake of not knowing ...Bulls and Heat are teams I'm referring to here). The Hawks have sung the same song for 3 years without one solution. So, when the media says Joe - what's the problem and he says 'I wish I knew'. Donald Trump should pop out and say 'you're fired'. Same for Al, same for Joe, same for Jamal. These guys know what the problem is, but are too cowardly to say publicly what I've known for 3 years. It's why Coach Drew, no matter what his strategic strengths could ever have been, should never have been hired. The Hawks problems are as much mental as they are physical makeup. Lack of toughness, lack of basketball IQ, and lack of leadership means you can only be a first or second round casualty. It doesn't help if your GM never brings in talent (hey, I wonder if that Landry Fields fellow would have been worth selecting with that second draft pick or if a Leon Powe would have been worth signing instead of say...oh, Josh Powell) or if your coach can't stand up to the players or if the players simply ...oh nevermind.

Truth 2. Kirk Hinrich, welcome to Planet Jump Shot (cuz that's where the shots are).

I hate actually being right about this, but I've been saying for 3 years (there goes that 3 years again) that we are a jump shooting team and that's it. We can wax poetic about wanting to get our best players (who happen to be our center and power forward) the ball on the inside, but have you ever wondered why they are always on the perimeter taking shots? Because that's where the shots are. Seems like there was this sense that Larry Drew was going to change the offense and to his credit, the names of the plays and the way we got the jump shots (even with more spacing) did change, but the end result...just more jump shots. I've watched Kirk Hinrich and you can even see his frustration with the fact that all the players head outside to get the shots that are harder to take and make. Why? Because that's where the shots for the Hawks are. We shoot jumpers. When we make them, we're a top 8 team. When we miss them, we're a top 16 team. Kirk, you're not getting guys to go inside to get the ball because they know where the shots are on this team. OUTSIDE 18ft. Period, point blank. Doing anything else is only going to get your blood pressure high or a spot behind Jeff Teague. Pick your poison.

Truth 3. The Atlanta Hawks wish they had Miami Heat problems.

I said it when they were 9-8 and I'll say it again. The Heat will be fine. They may not win a title this season, but their management will do everything possible to fix whatever ails the Heat come this postseason (be it coaching, players, health, wives, jersey color,...). The Hawks, on the other hand, will blame something on their demise - they won't call out their lack of playmakers, their lack of defensive talent, their lack of leadership, their average coaching, their complete and utter inability to manage their finances/draft picks to mine talent, or something simple like an injury. And as a result, they won't be fine because they won't fix the problem. The problem is - if Marvin Williams is your starting small forward or Horford is your starting center or Josh Smith (no matter how successful) is shooting outside 15 feet more than twice a game or Joe Johnson is the highest paid player in the league, then you are (sorry Charlie Sheen) tri-losing...wait, quad-losing. I guess that should be quint-losing if I use the bench and the lack of depth as just another example. Bottom line, year 1 is not the time to declare the Heat's problems to be dire. They did the heavy lifting - next year, they can be judged. The Hawks in year 6 - we can go ahead and say it...the war has been lost.

Truth 4. The Hawks can't win with Josh Smith and can't win without him.

This is probably going to be my most painful truth ever. And I've buried it down here, so that maybe I can possibly come back and say it was all a lie when Josh ascends to great heights as an All-NBA power forward on the way to an Atlanta Hawks ECF run in 2011-2012, but this is me talking about truths, so I just have to get it out. My favorite Hawk (and the guy I'm on record as saying is our most talented player), Josh Smith, has been ruined. He's never been coached - not in high school, not in AAU, not by Mike Woodson, and now, not by Larry Drew. So, it stands to reason that he'll never be given the tutelage by someone he respects to simply cut out all the garbage in his game because he doesn't think it's garbage. I'm sure that those of you who say - hey, it's worth the turnovers on the break and the missed jump shots to get a push from your PF in transition and some 3s from your 4 spot and with all that yeoman defensive work, who cares? Well, if you want a championship squad, I care. I think of all of the post moves he could have if he wasn't chucking up 500 jumpers a day so he can hit 33% in his best years. Think of all the alley oops he could catch if he found the point guard and ran like the wind every single fast break. Think of all the leadership he could be doling out if he spent his time talking to his teammates instead of woofing to the refs and his coaches. Bottom line, Josh Smith at age 25 is ruined. He's never gonna be who he could be and he certainly won't be who we need him to be in order to win a championship. And the thing that hurts most is that - on a nightly basis, without him - we just can't win as presently constituted. On this team, his worth is inflated to the point that it makes him seem more necessary than he is. This painful chapter will probably continue until we get the gonads to trade him for...Jordan Crawford and a 2nd rounder. Sigh....

Truth 5. Consistency Starts With the Coach

Coach Drew, you wanna know why your bench is inconsistent - because YOU are inconsistent. I don't know a NBA championship coach who is inconsistent. They believe what they believe wins titles and either the players get on board or they don't. Which brings us to the Hawks lack of player development along the bench. There's not a player on the team outside of the starting 5 and Jamal Crawford who know what to expect from you, Coach Drew. It doesn't take a guy having to play in the NBA to understand that your confidence is built from stability and the Hawks bench is anything but stable. When your 7th best player (Jeff Teague) can go anywhere from a DNP to 15 minutes on the court on any given day, you got trust issues. When your best backup post player (Zaza) goes from a consistent 15 MPG to DNPs inexplicably, you got trust issues. You want these players to go through a brick wall for you, then you need to stick with them through thick and thin. I'd actually be in your corner if herky jerky nature extended to the ENTIRE team, but no matter how many 3s with 20 seconds on the shot clock Josh Smith takes - he's playing his 35+ minutes. And if that's the case, then give your bench the same courtesy and see if some consistency comes with it.

Bonus Truth: The Home Crowd Complaints.

As an quasi-Atlanta native, this must continue to be repeated. Listen, Atlanta is overrun with folks from all over the country, largely places like LA, Boston, and NYC who don't get to see their teams but once or twice a year. These people come from places where the teams are institutions and have had some level of success that has entrenched the fan-dom so deep that it seeps from their veins. That's not ATL. We're still a very young sports town. There's no Atlanta Hawks fans that are at granddad age. There's no evil eye and shaming of the family name for not growing up an Atlanta sports fan. And there's little success to look at and say - that's when I caught the fever. And then that does happen (i.e. Nique, Deion) - we mysteriously let them get outta town for ...(what did we get again for Deion?) Why do I tell you this? Because people continue to move to our town and wonder why there aren't diehard Hawks fans buying all the seats and shouting down the people from these cities that are so awesome that they left them to enjoy our wasteland called Atlanta...the city with all this terrible weather and exorbitantly priced housing. Trust me, the reason we suck as a sports city is because our OWNERS just have little to no idea of how to run sports organizations. Only Arthur Blank has been savvy enough to tap into what means most to Atlantans and he's been paid off handsomely in return. The Braves, Thrashers, and Hawks have not been that fortunate and until that luck turns around - you'll have folks from every team in the league coming in and shouting about how great their team is. And why should we care when we give away first round picks for Kirk Hinrich? So, pipe down Mr. and Mrs. Why Does It Feel Like Madison Square Garden In Here - when (wait, if) we get a real owner that will subside real quick...see that Boston/Hawks playoff series a few years ago for confirmation, ya hear!

And that's the triple truth, Ruth...

This Week's 5 Truths

2011-03-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

Last week's 5 Truths had so many page views that we had to bring it back. The people have SPOKEN. So, let's get to it.

As always, all criticisms come after blaming the Atlanta Spirit Group first, management second, and then coaches and players. Those criticisms come through the prism of winning championships (or the things that result in championship team building).

Truth 1. The Hawks Trade Was A Net Negative

So, since everyone wants to hedge their bets on this trade of Bibby, Evans, Jo. Crawford, and a first round pick for a moderately above average point guard and a below average post player - let me be the most clear about what this trade means. In a nutshell, it's simply further proof that the Hawks organization either is financially motivated in the most inept way possible OR it's the most clear evidence that our scouting dept is the worst in the NBA. It's really indefensible to trade the things you need to upgrade your team. I'm not sure why the writers and fans are not in full blown panic over this trade. While other teams are adding depth or cornerstones to their future growth, the Hawks do NEITHER. Yes, Hinrich for Bibby is an upgrade, but it's not a seed or playoff changer by any measure. It doesn't save you money, it doesn't prepare you for the summer of '12, it doesn't inspire confidence that Jamal Crawford will leave town for a player who can score and not be scored upon at will, and it mortgages your future in absolute terms (unless Pape Sy and Ceyk are the future for this team). So, in young people's parlance, WHO DOES THAT? Yep, the Hawks do that. Oh, did I mention that we showed Zaza that we don't believe in him at the same time? It is a business, but if you are going to conduct it - at least get rid of him vs. having it fall through and have to deal with how to get your best backup post presence to believe that you believe in him.

Truth 2. Buyouts show that the Hawks don't buy in.

Well, another round of bolstering the team depth - whether to fill a need or to buy insurance against injuries - go by without the Hawks addressing their biggest issues. Competent post presence to help Horford and Smith. Help at small forward. Leadership. Toughness. None of those are going to be addressed by our top 8 players. So, why not get a player who wants to help a team get over the top? And what better team than one with open roster spots and space in the rotation (unless Armstrong, Collier, Thomas, Powell, and D. Wilkins are getting in the way of that)? The only explanation is that we don't spend money wisely OR that we are viewing the title contenders as making trades and acquisitions because they are scared of the Hawks and their firepower. Choose one.

Truth 3. Teague is proving what I already knew to be true.

Basically, in 3 games, Jeff Teague has proven what many of us already knew to be true. That's that - at worst, he's a worthy backup point guard who can at the very least defend well enough to prevent the sieve like defense on tap when Crawford and Bibby were in the game and at best, he's your future point guard. Sure, he needs seasoning in the ways of running a team and having the confidence to determine when to take his shot and get others theirs (that's, of course, hoping he can make his shot), but to be clear - nothing has happened over the past 2 years other than show that Teague's CONFIDENCE is what's been sorely lacking, not his ability. There's not a player in the league that could be jerked around in terms of playing time while watching other players held to a different standard and do much better. Never playing with starters, never playing in critical situations, never being trusted to make a difference in winning and losing. That will destroy any player's spirit, confidence, and impact. If there's any major criticism of the Drew era, it should be a former point guard's inability to see that and to coach him up appropriately to make a difference for this season.

Truth 4. Defense wins championships

Lots of complaining in the first 3 truths, but this one isn't. Bottom line, we are damn happy to see the Hawks defending. There are other issues inhibiting the Hawks from winning titles (see opening salvo for review), but it certainly is comforting to see the Hawks respond to the trade by doing more to defend. It's by no means perfect, but in spurts - it is a sight to behold. (Baby steps, baby steps)

Truth 5. The West Coast Trip Confirms It

Check out this article, then read this truth. It's nothing we haven't already discussed with regards to our leadership, but it stinks to high heaven to have the coach and the players lulled into this sense that this road trip was OK in any way. Sure, I'm probably being harsh considering 2 weeks on the road and a trade that changes the team dynamics, but if you're trying to convince me that winning vs. the Pistons, Warriors, and Blazers is an acceptable road trip for a team that hopes to make noise in the playoffs - consider that a mission failed. Being dominated by the Lakers without a semblance of fight and losing in short order to the Knicks and Nuggets are not signs of promise. The language of this team still reaks of mediocrity acceptance and so, queue up the excuses we're bound to hear come May after our first round loss.

Bonus Truth: The injury excuse won't fly.

We hope Josh Smith doesn't have a serious injury. We hope Kirk gets well soon. We trust that the rest of the team (the backs of Horford, Williams, and Crawford, Joe's elbow, etc) stays in great shape, but even if we don't - the injury excuse doesn't fly anymore. The fact that we're 7-8 deep and then, have 5 NBDL level players on the roster after that is the fault of the organization and it needs to be dealt with accordingly. The 'we're still young and are growing as a core' has been obliterated. Thank the Nets, Knicks, and Heat for that...

And that's the triple truth, Ruth...

Mo Truth

2011-02-24T01:29:00.000-05:00

So, let me keep it brief...

The trade sucks - Kirk Hinrich, age 30, is not an NBA difference maker at a position that is full of difference makers. The defense gets better, but only incrementally. The Hawks needed a difference maker at PG and so, they got another guy to join Collins and Thomas and Powell on the bench twiddling their thumbs. And so what did they give up - the guy you drafted and raved about who could replace a one dimensional Jamal Crawford (furthering my fears that we could actually RESIGN a guy who isn't going to help your team win a title) and a first round draft pick who could help you build depth on the cheap. Doesn't matter to me that Bibby and Evans needed to leave town, but a lateral at BEST move just sucks.

What else do we lose? Future flexibility come 2012 to actually sign someone who matters. Or in other words, fail, fail, fail!!! If the player you trade for doesn't change your seed and doesn't change your lot come playoff time (I mean does ANYONE think Hinrich is the difference in the Hawks winning and losing vs. the Orlando Magic). So, I say again - this organization is completely and utterly clueless. Period. I'm on record as saying this trade will blow up in the Hawks' face. At least we got a 4 time all star for giving up extra stuff that wasn't necessary in the Joe Johnson, but going overboard for Kirk Hinrich...REALLY!?!?!

The Honesty Corner's 5 Truths (The Debut)

2011-02-23T20:14:00.000-05:00

Hawks Fans,

I'm back for a limited time only to drop in and drop dime in what I'm going to call - the HS8T Honesty Corner. I've been loathe to say much over the past 2 months because I was seeing all the negative repercussions of the Hawks' actions manifest themselves and didn't want to be Dave Downer or face the wrath of those who hate when I'm right about something, plus it's only so many times you can say the same thing post after post. If you are one of those haters, you might want to go to the following blogs to find posts that may wax poetic about every crevice of the Hawks game experience (good and bad), so to those folks - head on over to the AJC, Hoopinion, or Peachtree Hoops.

The Honesty Corner's 5 Truths

Note: Before you read any of this, I've sworn myself to always blame the Atlanta Spirit Group first before I make any other critiques, so if you see me blame management, the coach, and the players - I blame the OWNERSHIP FIRST. Ok, carry on...

Truth 1. The Hawks drop to 7th.

Yes, the Hawks are now in 7th in the pecking order of teams who have the capability of winning the Eastern Conference title in the next 3-5 years. Sure, the Hawks are almost guaranteed to be the 4th or 5th (we think they'll be 5th) seed, but we'd be doing tremendously to make the 2nd round this season and so, throwing this year out - it pains me to say that the Knicks and Nets now join the C's, Heat, Bulls, and Magic as teams who are more likely to put together a team that can win the Eastern Conference. Lots of holes for those teams to fill, but I'd rather start with defensively challenged Melo and Amare or Deron and Brook than our leadership/ownership challenged Hawks bunch. Since the Hawks have yet to acquire or attempt to develop ANY player that makes the Hawks a championship contender since drafting Al Horford - there's no reason to believe that it's going to happen any time soon.

Truth 2. It should have been Thibodeau.

There was a time this offseason when I made the call for a white guy to coach the Hawks. It was tongue in cheek, but kinda serious too. I had serious reservations (outlined here) about Larry Drew and he's done absolutely nothing to convince me that he's anything more than the type of coach you hire because a) he's cheap or b) you want a coach to be patient with young talent before you hire the real coach to win the title. If this sounds like Mike Woodson, then yes - you've read my mind. Only the problem is - we're not a young team and we're ready to make the next leap. Soooooo, we're stuck with a coach who was friends with the players and has been loathe to make the moves necessary to expose the Hawks to short term losses in exchange for long term gain (i.e. playing Teague and Crawford or using Marvin off the bench exclusively or playing the best defensive players when you NEED defense). For all of the tough talk I've heard from Drew, I'm still waiting for him to SEND the message. Messages are sent with lineup changes, with minutes being pulled. It starts no matter who your best players are. The reason Gregg Popovich's Spurs do so well is because he will sit Tim Duncan if he jacks up a defensive rotation. The fact that Josh Smith doesn't find pine for ill advised 3 point shots is all you have to say about Larry Drew. (Remember short term loss for long term gain...it matters). Oh and save me the offense has changed argument - this is just Iso 2.0 with some extra wrinkles and more Josh jump shots.

Truth 3. It's time to prepare for the offseason of 2012.

So, the biggest offseason in NBA history passes and we sign a player who isn't one of its very best to the biggest contract of said offseason. We let every draft and midseason trade deadline go by without adding any useful pieces. With this as the backdrop, there's little reason to believe that things will change now or ever with ASG and Rick Sund at the helm, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be said - this team as constructed will NOT make a title run in the East, so it's time to dump the zeroes and get some heroes and those heroes will be front and center come 2012. That's right - I'm saying that it's time to start blowing this team up. Who might go? Dump (in order) Crawford, Bibby, Williams, Teague, Johnson, Evans, and yes...Josh Smith. I hate to say it, but my favorite player is now dump worthy. We need to position ourselves to trade and sign for Chris Paul or Deron Williams. We need to talk to Utah TODAY and see if they want to get rid of Al Jefferson or Paul Milsap, so we can pair them up with Al Horford and just start over. Of course, you'd say - I don't want to go back to the 15 win days. Well, neither do I, but that's how it works in the NBA - you have to get awful to get awesome or you have to be EXTREMELY BOLD. Maybe the collective bargaining agreement changes all of that, but our financial commitments will have us incapable of making any moves for the next 3 years unless we turn into DUMP CITY. So, sorry y'all - it's time. Any talk of anything else is akin to the US gov't talking about how we are trying to balance the budget and deficit by cutting taxes and cutting spending with the things that only affect like 12% of the budget.

Truth 4. The Hawks still have no leaders.

I said this for about 3 years. No one has true hardcore leadership skills on this team. And yes, Al Horford is on that list too. Now, I admire Al's heart and skill, but sorta like the folks who touted Rick Sund as the greatest thing to hit Atlanta after that Jamal Crawford trade - Al gets a lot of credit for maturity and confusing that with leadership. It ain't leadership if they ain't changing. I'd rather he go prima donna at this stage and say he's not playing center, that he wants to be a focal point of the offense, and for the team to get on his back. Oh wait - he probably shouldn't say that, but there needs to be a concerted effort to create a soft mutiny on this team. Blackboards need to smash, players need to be called out, coach needs to get stung a bit. These lightly veiled comments in public need to become heavily veiled. I mean who loses by 43 at home. Who says they are elite and loses by 24 without ONE run to the Lakers. Who does that? A team with no leadership. A team that doesn't respect the coach or themselves.

Truth 5. Jump Shooting Teams don't win titles.

Frankly, I'm not sure why folks get excited about the Hawks. Look, I've been saying for years that the Hawks have enough talent to win 60% of their games because over 60% of the games you play will be against teams that suck. The Hawks only have to win about 4-5 games versus good teams to win 50 games, so this seeding and 50 win stuff is fool's gold. You can't win titles with average defense and jump shooting. And that's what we do...

Bonus Truth: Jeff Teague isn't the answer and he STILL should be starting.

It's probably a good time to reiterate that I predicted that the Hawks would finish 6th in the conference and lose in the 1st round, so I'm already wrong about where we'll end up unless the Knicks catch some serious fire, but let's look at the upside for why we should HOPE that that happens. If not, ownership may still harbor false notions that we can get better internally. The key problem for the Hawks hasn't been that we aren't willing to spend, but that we aren't willing to draft and sign good players (read: not Collins, Thomas, Powell, Wilkins) and then DEVELOP THEM. So, it's been obvious for 2 seasons that Bibby couldn't take us past the 2nd round, so why are we scared to start Jeff Teague? Look Acie Law 2.0 is not ready to carry us to a EC title this year, but you know a little secret - (whispering) neither is Mike Bibby. Guess who is younger and has more upside. Yep, I thought so. This team needs to know if he CAN be a contributor with starter minutes and starters around him. How good would you be as a point guard if you always had to pass to Mo Evans and Damien Wilkins. And to be clear, trading for spare parts like Kirk Hinrich won't help you. Start Teague NOW.

That concludes this week's Truths. See you next week when we break down why Mo Evans needs to go bald again.

Losing The War

2010-12-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Little did I think that so much could happen in 4 days since the last post, but yes - the Southeast Division has changed mightily. Let us recount the ways.

Joe Johnson Returns and I'm Mighty Skeptical. Let's level set. Joe Johnson is a good player who when added to the Atlanta Hawks rotation makes them better. That is not an altogether true statement when he is injured. So, it's not a comforting thought when I'm listening to the NBA.com's HangTime Podcast (kudos to Sekou Smith, Micah Hart, and Lang Whitaker - all Hawks affliates to some degree) for this week where Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham reveals that a) Joe Johnson didn't tell anyone (by anyone we mean the organization, not just the press) about his injury until it needed surgery and b) Joe Johnson didn't ask for any opinion on when he would return. He simply said I feel good, so let's go. If his stroke was demonstrably better upon his return, we wouldn't quibble, but since the player didn't let on that he was injured before and didn't let on that he was game ready, WHY would I believe that he's 100%. This is important because the Hawks are winning and losing at the same clip with and without Joe Johnson. So, why not wait until we're all certain that he's 100% instead of under the cloud that he's less than that and is working back into shape at the expense of the development of the team. As I always say, quit worrying about seeding and worry about getting ready for the playoffs...like
The Orlando Magic Method. First, simply throw out last night's game and throw out any sentiment (yes, I saw some bloggers who are in violation) that we're somehow better than the Magic. Listen, they didn't trade 25% of their team because they were afraid of being caught by the Atlanta Hawks. They did so because they saw flaws that were not going to be addressed in time to win in the playoffs. They didn't wait until after a tough stretch of games to pick a time to make the deals. They said - our team won't win a title and here's what we are going to do about it. There are legitimate questions over whether these are the right moves, but doing the same thing and expecting different results is called insanity (or what I like to call the Atlanta Hawks philosophy). That said, I can't endorse whether this was the right move in practical terms, but in theory - a big ol' AMEN to the Orlando Magic GM for making a move to improve their lot in the East. Nothing like sending a message to the team and coach that nothing will be spared in the pursuit of the championship. It may blow up, but there's something admirable about a BOOM or BUST mentality.
Jeff Teague. So, instead of working Joe Johnson back into the lineup, we decided to follow up Teague's good performance vs. the Celtics with 15, 8, & 7 minutes off the bench.
D League Anyone? Update I asked for some D League action and it looks like those prayers have been answered. In 2011, Pape Sy will be heading to Utah. The only remaining question is - how long must we wait before Jordan Crawford joins him?

Our Predictions' Progress: There's actually a reason now to believe that the Magic could fight with the Hawks for the 4th seed. Does this really matter in the grand scheme of things? No, because I don't think the Hawks can beat the Magic with the home court advantage. That said, I did make a prediction of 5th seed and a first round loss, so maybe half of that is in jeopardy while the Magic get their house in order. It's nice to hope that these trades will spell doom for the Magic, but the likelihood of that where the Hawks are concerned is not worth betting on.

Evidence Is Mounting...

2010-12-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

Since we last saw you, the Hawks defeated the Indiana Pacers and lost to the Pistons by 23 and the Celtics by 12. Tonight we play the Charlotte Bobcats. So, since last week, what have we learned about the Hawks and its organization? Let me provide my perspective on why I have yet to find the path away from 1st round playoff series...

If the Hawks don't win a 2nd round playoff series, the Joe Johnson contract is a failure. How do I come to that conclusion? Well, in the games without Joe Johnson, I think I'm convinced that this is still a playoff team. The worse that could happen would be that we end up as the 6th seed (it's possible that the Bulls and Knicks would be ahead of us with or without Joe Johnson), but every team below them is not going to pass us in the standings (unless the Bucks find their inner 2010 Playoffs mojo). I did say that before we signed Joe Johnson, but then it was conjecture..now, there's tape that says that the Hawks can continue to defeat mediocre and bad basketball teams while competing and mostly losing against good to elite teams. So, to me, the answer for whether there is ANY redeeming value in Joe Johnson is him catching fire in the playoffs. Period. Anything other than that and he's only served to severely compromise our finances for the next 5-6 years. Note: Joe Johnson earned every cent of contract 1, but probably is going to be stealing money (and possibly starting in season 1 of contract 2). Let's hope that this sounds the alarm that our fair GM should be on the hot seat to the extent that you can blame a GM that is probably neutered by his ownership group.
Our Player Development Process is why I refuse to give ~~Mike Woodson~~ Larry Drew any credit. As I watched the Celtics game, I was faced with the fresh, virgin feeling of wanting to be a Celtics fan. Not because I care about the team per se, but because there's something very refreshing about seeing a team being expected to win despite any injury or issue and that the players are played with the belief that their development matters to their short term and long term improvement and that it is reflected in playing time. Look, I've spent an inordinate amount of time communicating that developing a player in this era's NBA requires consistent playing time (see my rants about Acie Law and Jeff Teague). Outside of Al Horford (the rare polished product), no young player for this organization gets playing time unless forced. Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams were played because the Hawks were forced to do so. There has been no consistent effort since to develop the future of this franchise. It's clear that acquiring or developing a point guard and defensive talents are needed to move this team forward. Developing players in the past have resulted in useful pieces for this organization...Here's an example of how ridiculous this episode has been. Jeff 'Hawks Proclaimed PG of the Future' Teague has played 13.5 MPG. Most of those minutes have been in garbage time. This has occurred on a team that has only 5 guards (I reject any notion that Damien Wilkins or Maurice Evans are considered guards). Only 2 of those guards are point guards. The two top shooting guards have dealt with injuries. The other is a rookie. With this as the backdrop and a complete NEED for the Hawks to have a better point guard and defensive presence, Teague has played fewer minutes than Semih Erden who is averaging a minute more and the same amount of points on a team that has 7 Big Men (2 of which have been injured more often than not). So, I need someone to explain why you need 2 of your 5 guards to be OUT in order to get 25 minutes of playing time you should be getting EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!! You can find minutes for Damien Wilkins, but you can't find minutes for your future point guard. Again, I say - Teague will not be a part of the Atlanta Hawks in 2011-12.
Jeff Teague, Part 2.Ok, here's one last point. People often use Teague's inconsistent play as the reason not to play Jeff Teague. Here's what I say to that. Why would you expect consistency from a player who doesn't get played consistency? It was predictable to watch Teague make mistakes down the stretch vs. the Celtics. Here's what was foreign to him - extended playing time, playing with the starters (some new ones at that), being expected to score, being expected to initiate the offense without Crawford or Johnson to take the ball as soon as he crossed midcourt, being asked to run the break vs. Josh or Al since they weren't in the game, being in the game with the game on the line, being in the game vs. a good defensive team. With ALL of that, Jeff Teague was your 2nd best player last night. That's why I hate the way they are treating Teague. He may not be the answer at starting point guard, but nobody knows that until you give him the ball and say...PLAY! Mike Bibby's days as a starting point guard ...get this...for an elite team are over. If you want to be elite, he must be an off the bench shooter for your team. A veteran presence when Jeff Teague isn't able to bring what you need to steady the team. That's it. Asking for anything more just proves the point that we do not have a clue on how to build a championship team.
Our Leadership Vacuum Continues. I think Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce's post-game comments were instructive and they were in a nutshell. Yeah, we have injuries and so what...we expect to win. Josh Smith's post game comments were that we can't judge this team until our team is complete. If that isn't a microcosm of the difference in these teams, I don't know what is.
D League Anyone? The Pape Sy and Jordan Crawford to the D League watch continues. Can there be any useful purpose of having a developmental player who probably needed seasoning overseas would sit for an entire season? Again, how is it possible that a team with financial woes BOUGHT OUT Pape Sy and isn't seeing him develop on a basketball court somewhere other than practice?

Our Predictions' Progress: Feeling more and more confident that there's no way this team wins a 1st round playoff series vs. the Bulls, Celtics, Heat, or Magic. Our hope is that the Knicks can continue this run and sneak into a position that allows us to play them. Otherwise, I can't wait to see the spin on the season and the value of Joe Johnson to this team.

HS8T Weekly Musings

2010-12-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

I think I've finally found my lane as it relates to how to stay regular with the Hawks blogs without going back to Game Recaps. My friends over at Peachtree Hoops and Hoopinion do such a good job with that and honestly, I don't look at games for their individual outcomes. I look at games as a predictor for future success, championship success, so we'll discuss what's happening toward that goal each week. So, with that backdrop, let's go...

First, let's revisit a few things from last week's post along with a thought based on this season's prediction of record and seed.

Joe Johnson should take as MUCH time as possible to get healthy. We still believe that comment to be true. Honestly, not much has happened on the court that made me say - wow, if we had Joe Johnson, this outcome would be quite different. This would include the Spurs game where the introduction of Joe Johnson would likely only have meant that the Spurs TWO best players would have reentered the game to ensure that a Spurs victory was completed. There is one amendment that I'll add for this week - Joe Johnson AND Josh Smith should take as much time as possible to get healthy. After seeing Josh injured, all I could think was - don't you dare come back into the game. Get better. Don't compromise the long term health of the team for the sake of a few meaningless victories or losses.
Jeff Teague's time in Atlanta should come to an end. And nothing has changed my mind about this. I feel pretty comfortable with the fact that this issue will not improve. One of Coach Drew's stated benefits (similar to Coach Woodson's stated benefits of defensive guruism) was his ability to groom point guards (despite the fact that Acie Law IV, Pape Sy (understandably) and Jeff Teague have done nothing to bolster that claim). That said, Jeff Teague has fallen out of the rotation. It is a pretty sad state of affairs when you watch the player you begged the Hawks to select (DeJuan Blair) puts the finishing blows to a loss in which your point guard of the future records a DNP-CD. For everyone who was concerned about the signing of Ramon Sessions, all I can say is - at least he's a rotation player on an NBA team. Teague isn't playing for a team that only has 3 other viable guard options (one of which is injured). Put another way - Teague isn't playing for a team that just signed the greatest player in its frachise's history's nephew and ends up getting time within..oh 1 game. As I said last week, Teague's time is done in Atlanta.
Al & Josh should use this time to seize complete control of this team. Nothing has really changed here. I will use this space to say again - Josh get healthy first, then return healthy enough to continue the experiment of Josh Smith as our starting small forward and lights out jump shooter (ok, that's an exaggeration, but he has made enough to make Joe Johnson envious). Yes, it has problems associated with it, but none that are any worse than having no perimeter defense. Plus, anything that makes Horford feel more comfortable (i.e. playing the 4) is something I think we should contemplate.
GM Rick Sund, it's time to make your money. I asked for him to make his money and he makes a signing of Damien Wilkins. So far, that signing has had some positive benefits. Now, we want to see the next evolution of that money being made. Starting with Jeff Teague, Pape Sy, and/or Jordan Crawford's demotion to the D-League. If they can't play when Joe Johnson is gone, then they aren't ever going to play, so develop them elsewhere. Then, Sund's work should end around trade deadline time with a trade of Jamal Crawford. Simply put, the team needs an infusion of defensive talent and the only way that's happening is if he leaves.

Our Predictions' Progress: So, the standings now say that we are tied for 5th in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks (certainly didn't see that coming), but the four ahead of us make perfect sense. Now, let's hope that our current pace to 51 wins doesn't fall victim to my prediction of 46. Injuries or not, we're still better than 60% of the teams in the league which means that we should win 45 games on talent alone. With Indiana, Boston, Detroit, Charlotte, and New Jersey on the docket this week - we expect to see at least 4 more victories, so until next week...Go Hawks!!!!

December's Hawks/Thrashers Deals

2010-12-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

Readers,

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	Contact Info:
ATL LOWDOWN	Name:	Will Stephens
	Email:	William.stephens@atlantaspirit.com

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Addition By Subtraction?

2010-12-03T18:11:00.000-05:00

Since we last posted here, there have been a lot of things that have occurred.

We signed Damien Wilkens.
Jeff Teague had, for a moment, fallen out of the rotation.
Al Horford and Josh Smith have made the case for All Star berths.
Oh, and this last little thing, Joe Johnson is out for 4-6 weeks.

Now, you know that we've been very critical about the Hawks' front office and their ability (or inability) to provide the coaching staff with personnel to execute game plans at an elite level. With that backdrop, there are a few things that struck me over the past few games.

Joe Johnson should take as MUCH time as possible to get healthy. For the short term (this year) and long term (those other 5 years on your contract), the Hawks are served best by not rushing Joe Johnson back into service. Coach Drew should use this as his opportunity to explore lineups that develop the depth we seek for a deep postseason run. This injury provides enough cover should you not make the playoffs (highly unlikely) or high seeding to prevent an offseason firing, so coach as if a championship level team is what you are molding.
Jeff Teague's time in Atlanta should come to an end. I've always had a way of being ahead of the curve on these things, so just go with me. Yes, I've advocated that Jeff be the starter and I stand by that, but, as painful as it is to see another 1st round pick leave this organization as a failure, it's obvious that the coaching staff has no faith in Jeff Teague's ability to run this team. The benchings after every mistake are exactly what happened with Acie Law IV. That coaching style didn't work for Law and it's not going to work with Jeff. The coaching staff has made it apparent that they are only comfortable with veterans and therefore, it's time to move on and find a point guard that the staff can trust to lead the team. The signing of Damien Wilkens and the lack of a 'next man up' philosophy should highlight that point. Our ceiling is limited until that happens. [Note: See my Rick Sund note regarding this.]
Al & Josh should use this time to seize complete control of this team. Al should assume the leadership mantle and Josh should assume the talent mantle. I rarely admit complete ineptitude on evaluation of things Hawk related, but I must say that my post two years ago about Al Horford not being special was probably foolhardy (ok, let's remove the probably). He's definitely a special talent. What I probably should have said was - Mike Woodson (and now, Larry Drew), why don't you structure the team's offense and defense as if he's a special talent. We let Josh demonstrate his talents, but why not Al? Hopefully, these two men will take this month to display how much more we can and should rely upon the talents of Horford and Smith. I would say that for other players, but I don't think they really matter. Williams, Bibby, and Crawford aren't going to show us anything as a result of Joe's injury.
GM Rick Sund, it's time to make your money. First, let me say - I really like Rick Sund. Very nice guy. Bumped into him last night at a downtown restaurant and he mentioned a few things off the record (where they will stay), but he didn't seem willing to acknowledge a silver lining in Joe's injury, which was strange since he mentioned very quickly how the 33 assists vs. the Grizzlies were a season high and that that bodes well for us. Of course, I was more interested in hearing that he wanted Jeff Teague stepping up, Josh and Al putting the team on their backs, and getting more players to grow into roles necessary in the playoffs. It gave me the impression that they really do think that Joe's the franchise player despite the evidence that this season provides in that he's really our 3rd best player. That said, I'm wrong and we're not witnessing the second coming of Michael 'pay me before I get hurt again' Redd.

So, we're currently at 12-7, a half game ahead of the 12-8 Heat. Let's see if the Hawks can start to put together more home wins and better competition vs. playoff bound teams despite some injury woes. Will this be used as an excuse or an opportunity? We shall see, but that 46 win and 5th seed is looking more and more real everyday.

Playoffs?!?? Maybe Not...

2010-11-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

I would like to say thanks to me. Yes, me. After one of my lengthy rants about the Hawks' problems, problems that are sure (to me) to result in a first round loss in 6 or 7 games or a certain THIRD straight sweep in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs - I was going to smartly show just how insightful I can be about this team by saying 'as bad as we were vs. the Celtics, we'll beat the Nets to prove that we're still flawed, but not flawed enough to incite the kind of change necessary to make the Celtics game temporarily forgettable to the coaches and players and possibly management.' That's been our 2 year pattern. To show just enough to make you think that the flaws you see are correctable.

I provide that backdrop to yesterday's overtime defeat at the hands of the Nets as a point that sometimes, it's better not to always try to sound intelligent about the psyche of the Atlanta Hawks. Yep, that would have been me looking stupid for making a proclamation regarding our makeup and fortitude. I keep seeing articles and blogs about 'is it time to hit the panic button?' Well, if you asked THIS GUY (complete with fingers and thumbs in some Northeastern accent), the time to accurate hit such a button in a way that changes could occur on an ascent to a title would have been when we had trouble beating a woeful Heat team and were swept by the Cavs two postseasons ago. You should have hit it again when we were having trouble with a hobbled Bucks team and again swept by the Magic last postseason. So, yes, the panic button should have impressions of all fan's DNA. Not because of an 8-7 start to the season, but because of our allegiance to a core that has been proven time and time again that it is not suited to play championship basketball. Hitting the panic button now would only provide us with changes that in all likelihood won't make a difference in the end goal, but hey - change is what the Hawks need right now.

Here's some quotes that should be scary two years ago - Mo's quote on Monday about us not knowing our identity, which is a quote he gave in the playoffs two years ago. Every quote that even mentions effort and energy should tell you everything you need to know about why the mix needs to be stirred up in a significant way. I don't know if it will work, but I didn't know that Manu Ginobili would work as the 6th man. I didn't know if Rondo would ever turn into John Stockton without a jump shot either. I do know that trotting out the same 8-9 players and expecting them to do things different, to play differently, to expend effort differently is insane, but I sure would like to see it for about 20 games. I'd like to see Teague setting up Johnson, Horford, and Smith. I'd like to see Evans spotting up for 3s. I'd like to see Marvin in a role where we're asking him to be aggressive and attempting to score when he's not the 4th option in the offense. I'd like to see Bibby managing Crawford's control of the basketball with the 2nd string. It could all lead to a 5 game losing streak and it'll still be the right thing to do. These guys need to feel like their jobs are on the line and that their play will dictate what happens, not what their generic sound bites represent.

Note: I say this with the thought that, like Obama, I want my coach to coach without the concern of losing his job. Unrealistic, I know, but I feel comfortable that the results would leave us better off. I don't know how a coach can listen to these post-game interviews and not throw something through a glass door unless his concern is winning as many games as possible to prove his worth (in regular season wins, mind you). The sound bite - 'we came with energy tonight' as if that's a GOOD thing is as clear of an indictment of where this team is and its ceiling for the season. It's entirely possible for this team to NOT make the playoffs, not likely, but it is possible. You don't think so...go back and see how quickly the Pistons, Wizards, and even the Sixers bit the dust over the past 2-3 years. If you think that can't happen, then maybe you forgot that Josh Smith battled with Mike Woodson or that Jamal Crawford's past is not complete with locker room harmony. Hawks fans, consider yourselves warned.

There's An Alarm At the Gate

2010-11-23T18:16:00.000-05:00

There are several things swirling through my head as I write this blog...this will probably not have the flow and expertise of our friends at Hoopinion, AJC (thanks MC for the tweet convo) or Peachtree Hoops.

Let me get the items off my head, then try to wrap this up into something resembling a reasonable blog post.

Hiring Coach Drew was the wrong move and it can't be fixed without firing him. - OR him exposing the frauds on this team. Yes, I'm repeating something I said when he was hired. As I said then, it really has very little to do with whether or not Coach Drew is a good coach or not, tactically, but his locker game needs to go from mediocre to great fast. His schemes, tactics, and motivational abilities could be questioned, but they won't be by me. The locker room needs a completely NEW voice with new assistants, new style, new schemes, new punishments, new rewards, new workout regime, new everything. Seriously, this deserves a 'hide yo wife, hide yo kids' Youtube clip. Kris, MC, Coco, Bret...what say you?
Signing Jason Collins, Etan Thomas, and Josh Powell were the wrong moves and it can't be fixed unless you stop playing them and they spend their time changing this team's culture. - That's all I have to say about that, but we also need to look into showcasing players. The Knicks did it with Nate Robinson last season, then traded him. Yes, I'm talking about you..Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Marvin Williams, & Joe Johnson. Of course, Hoopinion makes a great case for the fact that there's probably no one who really wants those guys, but the point being - if Rick Sund holds any sway and if you can give the coach a guarantee that you won't blame him for the losses, then it's time to just change up and give these guys carte blanche to put up numbers and then, try like heck to trade these guys. Mike Bibby too...there's gotta be a team that needs a savvy vet who makes 3s. Simply put, I liked the Hawks more when they were 13-69 and the young boys were playing their hearts out than now when I know we have talent, but have no idea that effort & heart has to be consistent to go along with it.
The Hawks have yet to obtain a heart - The reason Utah fans love their team (aside from the fact that they are the only game in town) is because no matter what - Jerry Sloan requires toughness and heart. They may not have the talent, but those boys will ALWAYS play. They may be down by 20 pts, but it's because they were outPLAYED. I can accept about 10 games where a team does not play well and depending on the talent of that team - you may get blown out. But at no point having a run vs your 'rival' (note: I now believe the Celtics have made their point clear - the Hawks are not a rival of the Celtics.) is completely unacceptable. In fact, if I'm Coach Drew - I'd send YouTube clips of The Wiz where they introduced the Tin Man.
Jeff Teague is the key to a championship - I'll keep saying it. If you don't start Teague, flush this version of the Hawks down the drain. Now, you may find that Teague is wholly unable to raise to the level of starting point guard in this league. If that's true, here's what's also true. Rick Sund can't evaluate talent. This coaching staff either lied about all the talent he possessed for the past 2 offseasons OR can't develop point guards, which means - major changes need to happen. And it all starts with starting Jeff Teague...learning what he can do the rest of the year as the starting point guard (a real one, not the version that brings the ball up and gives it to Joe or Jamal immediately) will reveal what steps need to be unearthed to move this franchise forward.
Hawks fans aren't fooled - I was at the arena last night and I think the Hawks organization (among many things) misjudged just how intelligent Hawks fans are. Yes, there are several people who wondered why I believed we would take a step backwards this season. Well, I'm not saying we've gone backwards, but I am saying that we are stuck in mud as a team. The amount of growth that our players can make is close to being tapped out. Short of giving minutes to Jordan Crawford and Jeff Teague, our players are who they are and the chemistry is what it is (unless of course, you get a new coach and new system). And so for all the barbs this town takes for being apathetic about the team (some of which is all the way fair), it's hard to muster up money in this economy when you know that your team didn't show up in the past 2 years during the postseason and you determine that the coach and 3 bums and a 3rd string shooting guard are the answers to the question "How do we get better?" So, am I surprised that there are few sellouts and enthusiasm in the building this year? Absolutely not. People were 100% more excited last year because they believed that we could be BETTER than last year. Now that we've seen what Jamal, Collins, & company can do - we understand that we needed MORE this offseason. No team that isn't trying for more lottery balls does nothing in an offseason where they were swept and thinks, yeah - we're going to be better than the teams WHO GO ADD PIECES to the teams already better than yours. Fans aren't that idiotic, ASG, and I'm sure by the lack of energy at the Celtics game that even the most casual fan is up on it. Basically, the gig is up. Expect poor fan support this year and by extension - expect a pretty average home record this season.
We have a leadership problem - Yes, I'm sure this is no surprise to anyone, but here's the glaring example of how it has been manifested. It's been said by a few that it's not very instructive to watch pre- and post- game comments or to see what is said in the media about your team. And in some cases, that's absolutely correct, but in 3 years of blogging about the Hawks - I'm still waiting on the organization to have laser like focus on the SPECIFIC issues that face the team in the micro and macro senses and then do something about it. Prime example - we've heard repeatedly when games like the Celtics game happen. Al, Josh, Joe, Coach Woody and now Coach Drew tell you how bad it is and that they have no answer. Rarely does that "how bad it is" comment come with the accountability in action. So, a coaching action when something like that would be - sit all my starters in the first 5 minutes of the Celtic game. A playing action would be - here's where I decided to PLAY my way through the issue and then, counsel other players to do the same. I've yet to hear someone call out Bibby and Crawford for their defensive struggles, yet some kind of way Jeff Teague doesn't get to play garbage time minutes and Jordan Crawford does. Josh Powell does. And where's Etan Thomas? Doesn't he have a poem on leadership we can use right about now? And let's keep it real - we're past time for players to be called out. I'm ready for the Coach Drew press conference where he says - I expect Joe Johnson to play like the highest paid player this offseason and if he doesn't - we'll be playing Jordan Crawford. Phil Jackson told Kobe 2 seasons ago that if he couldn't starting making shots he should sit. Read that last sentence and then, go back and see who won the title that season.
No further judgments can be made until the 2nd round of the playoffs - And at this rate, we probably won't be there to participate in them.

So, you want to get me excited about the season, Coach Drew. Then, start Teague. Play Jordan Crawford ahead of Jamal Crawford. Bench players who don't give max effort. If it means we'll lose games, so be it. Put your stamp on this team because right now, you're losing the battle and war and it's barely your fault. You see - you thought you had a professional basketball team who wanted to win a title and that's just not the case. You have Al Horford and a bunch of guys who either are mentally unable (Josh Smith, Joe Johnson) or physically unable (the rest) to do that, so the sooner you start exposing these guys - the sooner you'll get players that you can mold into YOUR team. That should be your only goal at this point. Forget trying to be the #3 or #4 seed. Try uncovering the hearts and minds of our Atlanta Hawks. Tall task, but anything short of that will have you on the unemployment line, much sooner than later.

Game Recap: Jazz @ Hawks

2010-11-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

Preamble Ramble

So, the goal for the game vs. the Jazz should not only have been to show that they could bounce back from an embarrassing loss vs. the Milwaukee Bucks (a game that should give pause to anyone who believes that the Hawks have a tight stranglehold on the 4th seed in the East), but also to send the message that the Bucks game is not indicative of the mental toughness that the team will display throughout the season.

Game Recap - Jazz 90, Hawks 86

Overall Observations:

The case for bouncing back was made.
The case for mental toughness was a little more mixed.
Why is it that first and second round players for teams like the Jazz get playing time during the season vs. good teams and ours don't. It shouldn't be lost on the front office with regard to Sund's ability to find talent or the coach's decision to use the regular season to develop players you will need to avoid playoff embarrassment when you see Earl Watson competently spell Deron Williams or watch second round draft pick Jeremy Evans provide 6 minutes of energy and production while the starters rested for the stretch drive.
Welcome back small forward rotation. It was no coincidence that the team looked closer to its normal self, but it does strike us as interesting that Jason Collins can go from starter to DNP. It probably highlights that he probably shouldn't have been playing at all small forwards missing or not.
I've normally used the Utah Jazz as a good barometer game for the Hawks due to the fact that you know they are well coached, won't quit, and will force you to execute in order to be successful. Our home game vs. the Jazz in 2008 was probably in the top 4 wins of that season. So, this game should be taken with some mixed messaging. On the good side, we were back to competitive vs. a very good team and on the bad side, we were watching the type of team that executes its scheme no matter what time in the game it is vs. the occasional reverting to bad habits exhibited by our Hawks. It would be illuminating to see the Hawks not give up about 15 possessions a game doing things we aren't good at doing.
How refreshing to see a new end of game play being run. Let's not let the end result take away from the fact that an easy shot was created to tie the game. Kudos to Coach Drew for realizing that using Joe and Jamal as decoys can be a very successful way to create an end of game shot.

Str8 Butter Award - First Str8 Butter Award of the Year goes to Joe Johnson. Nothing spectacular, but he did provide a solid presence down the stretch.

Starter Kudos/Smackdown -

* M. Williams - Good to see Marvin Williams back to knock off some rest and get back into the process of establishing himself as a critical member of this basketball team.
* Josh Smith - Honestly, Osh has had a really good shooting season, but it will continue to vex me as to why he is allowed free reign (he's acquitted himself well enough so far this year to allow for necessary jump shots) at outside shots. This is not Karl Malone we're talking about here. Additionally, why is Josh continually allowed to bring up the ball. On 3 occasions, he made bad decisions on the fast break. It's the POINT GUARD'S job to bring up the ball...
* M. Bibby - I've been especially harsh on Bibby as our starting guard and this needs to be given some context. Mike Bibby is a good offensive presence for this team. What he is not is a good leader or defensive presence. When those things are necessary - he needs to be on the bench. Unfortunately, that's not how he's seen. Guys like Mike Bibby should not be portrayed as Derek Fisher type winners for a franchise and unfortunately, that rears its head in the kinds of machinations used to keep him on the floor, which simply are not sustainable for an elite team t maintain. As long as he's starting, the Hawks will be guaranteeing themselves Pretender status (though it's reasonable to assume that starting Teague will not change that - it only removes it as a guarantee and replaces it with upside that is missing right now)
* J. Johnson - See Str8 Baller
* A. Horford - Missed FTs happen, so there's not much to take from this as an indicator for the season, so I will only say that I hope Al never has to take a desperation 3 again.

Bench Kudos/Smackdown

* Ja. Crawford - actually saw him try on a few plays of defense. Baby steps, baby steps.
* J. Teague - Simply put - he looks like a guy who doesn't have the confidence to run a NBA basketball team.
* M. Evans - Nice to have you back...
* Josh Powell - For a guy without a lot of offensive success, you sure do get up shots. Not sure if it's the Josh Smith captaincy at work, but I've never seen more power forward jump shots for guys without great strokes ever.
* Z. Pachulia - Not really much of a factor tonight..
* Jo. Crawford - DNP
* J. Collins - DNP
* E. Thomas - Inactive
* P. Sy - Inactive

Coaching Kudos/Smackdown

I've given Coach Drew his props for the end of game play call, but it was a little disconcerting to look at the starters work so hard to keep the lead vs. the Jazz bench. Now, he can't be held accountable for the fact that we have such a weak bench, but I think it would be more effective to employ the strategy of win the war, not the battle (well, let's win the battle too, but not at the expense of the war). That means - every game has to come with enough time for the team's bench. I even made the comment at the 6 minute mark that the Jazz has rested his starters for the stretch and that may make the difference. Lo and behold...the Jazz looked fresher and executed when it mattered.

Str8 Talk Love

No love...other than to the marketing team that got us those spicy chicken sandwiches. Gotta love Chick-Fil-A!

Season Prediction
46-36..injuries, sameness in mental makeup do not offset the change in coaching style and strategy. I still don't see how we are a top 4 seed and I'm settling into the thought that we could be will be struggling to keep from being in the unenviable position of the 6th seed. Again, I don't doubt the Hawks ability to win basketball games vs. teams that have less talent than we do. It's the doubt that we spend the season preparing for the playoffs like all other elite teams do. Unfortunately, this season - it may result in some negative regular season spill over. Let's hope not, but this 4 game losing streak coupled with a few shaky wins isn't trending very well right now.

Atlanta Hawks & Thrashers Deals

2010-11-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

Readers,

As we provided last year, you can get your deals on Hawks and Thrasher tickets by using the links below or contacting our sales representative, William Stephens. When buying from Ticketmaster, be sure to use the code ATLLD.

Best,

HawkStr8Talk


	Contact Info:
	Name:	Will Stephens
	Email:	William.stephens@atlantaspirit.com

Click here to buy now PASSCODE: ATLLD or contact Will Stephens @ 404 878-3782

We're BACKKKKKKK - 11% Season Review

2010-11-12T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's pretty obvious that HS8T has been absent among the giants of Hawks blogging. Year 3 has been a pretty tough one to provide timely and thorough analysis on a game by game basis. We're going to get back to game recaps, but you don't come here for quick analysis. You come here to find out - ARE THE HAWKS GETTING BETTER PREPARED TO BECOME AN ELITE, CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDING TEAM? So, let's talk about some things we discussed in our pre-season preview:

Leadership - I've been on a fairly consistent stream of consciousness regarding the lack of leadership for the Atlanta Hawks. Front Office, Management, Coaching, & Players. None of them (not even Al Horford) give me a shred of confidence that the things they say and do come from a place of all falling in line with a sound strategy for growing into an elite team. The game vs. the Magic to the Bucks is a prime example. Again, the words uttered prior to the game reflected wanting to COMPETE with the Magic, not we are going to beat the Magic are concerning. The actions displayed vs. the Bucks are just as concerning. No one should come on your floor and put a 79-36 run on you. Granted, there are injuries, but pride has to come into play. This coming off of 2 straight poor postseasons (and no, I will continue to repeat that winning two series against vastly inferior teams (talent-wise) is as much of an indictment of that as getting swept by vastly superior teams (talent-wise)). The thrust from all parties should be to prove that we will ALWAYS play our hardest under every circumstance. That goes to leadership and the lack thereof. So far, my hope that signing Josh Powell and/or Etan Thomas would help in this area has not been satisfied.
Strategy - So far, my belief that the offense is and never was the problem has been pretty spot on. Give Larry Drew credit - the offense looks like it could be better, more balanced, and a strength of this team, but that gets balanced with the thought that there still is a lack of discipline in shot making by players (Osh Smith, Jamal Crawford, and Josh Powell come to mind as guys who will take any shot and not always shots that they should). So, let me be clear - Drew's Motion Offense is simply Woodson's Share The Ball Offense + a few wrinkles. That being said - it's still the defense that will continue to be a problem and honestly, it's simply talent. We don't have talented defensive players. Hoopinion has started a campaign of sorts to prove how great Al Horford is at defense. And I won't argue his value to this team defensively, but I think it's dangerous to take this too far. Al Horford is a great defender vs. power forwards and as a help defender. Josh Smith is a great help defender. Other than that, the Hawks have very few players who are good at defense. Jeff Teague is probably the 3rd best defender (sorry, Marvin). I bring these things up because the flaw I've seen so far in Drew's defensive strategy is his lack of desire to actually play defensive lineups when stops are necessary. I've seen a lot of time outs to stop momentum (which is a great departure from the Woodson era), but not many times when we've valued defense over potential offensive firepower.At some point, that has to change.
Toughness - See Leadership section...again, not seeing elite level toughness. Forget the physical part, but mentally this team is not tough.
Defense - We said it above, so we won't rehash, but it would be nice if this team decided that the path to a title (and by team, I mean GM Sund sign players who play defense and coach Drew playing guys who play defense)
Front Office - Won't belabor this, but since the last 3-4 games our bench has stunk up the joint and no one determined that maybe we'd want to get some wing/perimeter help when we knew that Mo Evans had knee problems is a reason be disappointed. This coupled with the fact that again, the 1st round draft pick has more talent than the guys we signed in the offseason yet he's at a position that we don't really need help at...yes, this is quite depressing.
Familiarity Breeds Success - We noted in the season preview that we'd start the season hot. Why? Well, we always do. The team that has the same core is pretty much going to defeat teams who are trying to get their feel and rotations together. The Hawks didn't harbor that issue. Now, this losing streak is connected to the fact that we had injuries and, of course, that lack of toughness and leadership. So, we'll just say - nothing has changed. We'll still win 60% of our games this season. That's a 48 win season. What's interesting is that I'm already convinced that this success is a red herring...meaning we'll be the 4-6th seed and yet, we'll be the 6th best team in the playoffs at best and a prime candidate to lose in the 1st round.
(New) Injuries - Let's hope that this is NOT a sign of things to come. The Hawks have been incredibly lucky with the injuries over the last 2 years and now, could the chickens come to roost. Maybe the silver lining is that this could highlight the point that many have noted and that's that you just can't put anyone in Roster spots 9-13. You actually MAY need to use those guys to win 10-15 games in a season.
(New) Player Development - Here's my biggest concern for our long term health and it's going to be pretty controversial I'm sure, but I've been on this train before and I'm never afraid to get on board again. The key to this season is ..... STARTING JEFF TEAGUE. Now, I say that for reasons that I'm sure people will disagree with, so let me start by saying - Jeff Teague has not demonstrated that he's a better point guard than Mike Bibby. He could very well be a bust. He's actually on a career trajectory that mirrors one Mr. Acie Law IV. Now, that said - Mike Conley, Rajon Rondo, and Chauncey Billups have all been on the same path. The difference is - someone gave them the ball and said...you will learn on the job and prove to us that you are a bust or not. These are the good examples of that. If there's anything that's painfully obvious when watching Teague, he's not comfortable leading the Hawks. He's a point guard who isn't leading the team's offense, which is the POINT OF HAVING A POINT GUARD. His first inclination is to either - give the ball to Jamal OR to break down his man to dish or shoot a mostly unsuccessful floater. That's it. It's not to run an offense. Until he is given the reins to actually be the person to run the offense, we won't get better as a team. Period. Having him as the guy who runs the offense and provide defense that Jamal and Bibby are unable or unwilling to do is the only way to improve this team. I'll go down with the ship believing that. This is something that requires stones. It guarantees that you will lose games you probably could win otherwise, but it hopefully pays off in a Brandon Jennings type playoff run. If it doesn't, it highlights why you have to get a point guard in the offseason (or better yet, midseason trade deadline). So, I say again - Jeff Teague is the key to the season. I'll keep saying that as much as I can until someone listens. And that's said with full knowledge that he looks awful right now, but it's the kind of awful that anyone who has played pick up basketball with people who have no confidence in your game. It can intimidate you into not being able to help you grow. Teague will never get better as the second string point guard ESPECIALLY when that means - dribbling up court to do a hand off to Jamal Crawford. There's no growth or learning associated with that. Oh, and if we are trading Jamal, then let's get Jordan on the court more when it actually matters.

So, that's where we are and I'm headed to the Jazz game in order to post my first game recap of the season. Leave your comments, peoples!!!!

The Third Annual HS8T Season Preview (Belatedly)

2010-11-02T18:33:00.001-04:00

Note: I was ill for much of last week and hence, the reason for the lateness on this and the 3 game recaps. Never fear though - all will be rectified by night's end.

With the season only 6 days underway, we know everyone is sitting with bated breath waiting for the Hawks Str8Talk season prediction (haters and fans alike). Though last year's prediction was 1 game off our BEST CASE (an improvement off of our previous year's 4 game miss), we are taking Hoopinion's advice and are warning you ahead of time - all predictions wrong or this blog costs you more than free.

Before we delve into the items that we didn't touch on in our pre-Season Review review, let's talk about the value of our blog in relation (not instead of) to our Hawks blog brethren - who you can check out here here and here along with my Hawks blog boo here. There are some things that you need to be aware of:

This blog is all about winning championships. So, you can read here how we could win the battle and lose the war. This is about critical thinking our way to a NBA championship. Yes, on game day, I'm cheering my HEART out for the Hawks, but the goal of the BLOG is to report on all things - how the hell do we win a title? Period. Go to our other brethren if you want a viewpoint that's more cheering no matter what the facts may say (Note: that's not meant as a slight to other blogs, just to say that that's my only true angle - winning a title).
This blog is about talking the things that other blogs don't...like - how did the dance team do? where groupies in full force for the big games? what is happening in the front office? why you should go to Miami for a road trip once a year? Etc, etc, etc...
This blog is lastly about fun - so keep your hate confined to Tea Party rallies. Here is where sanity reigns and critical debate is welcome as long as you know how to keep your feelings in check.
Last note - this year, we will have a link for purchasing tickets. Yes, you can get tickets via the blog, so feel free to get around some fees and save some money on occasion (more on this later, but just know that tickets are now on a sliding scale based on time of year and the quality of opponent, so we'll guide you through the best ways to get tickets at the right price.)

As we did the last 2 years, it's time to give our review of the coach and the team and its prospects. As well as our (drum roll please) best case and worst case predictions along with our true prediction for 2009-2010. One last note - as a part of our game recaps, we always use the game's result to determine whether we should upgrade or downgrade our prediction, so it should be noted that at 4-0 last year - we were clear that the Hawks were NOT who we thought they were (and that's meant as a good thing), so don't put our prediction in stone - we aren't trying to win points by nailing the prediction we make, ok? [This note is explicitly for some commenters who we had to ban last year.] Now, off to the analysis:

Coaching:
Let's start with the obvious. This blog was a fan of Mike Woodson the man and the coach...up until oh 2008, then we realized that it was time for Mike Woodson the coach to find another employer. The fact that no NBA team has reached out to put Mike Woodson and his prowess (defensive or otherwise) back to work speaks volumes in a league where Mike Dunleavy repeatedly finds himself employed. So, let's just say that this is a place where an upgrade could work wonders. Not necessarily in the regular season record, but certainly come playoff time.

Enter Larry Drew...the guy who worked for Mike Woodson. We've already spoken ad nauseum at how bad a move we think this is, so let's not belabor the point. Let's just target the areas where we want to see improvement and interestingly for all the talk about it - it's not the OFFENSE. Listen - the Hawks weren't having problems on offense last year. They were having problems with the diversity of the offense in crunch time. So, for all of the 'changes' on deck, this motion offense sounds pretty similar to 'share the ball' from last year. And we think they can do that pretty easily. What we'd like to see the Hawks do is - CONTINUE TO DO THE THINGS THAT WERE WINNING YOU THE games. (say it like 'The Rent's Too Damn High') In fact, call it Larry Stewart's Continue to Share The Ball Offense. That's all we need and we need it all game long. Sure, ISO-Offense is fine in moderation, but if that's all you got in crunch time, then it's a losing proposition. Frankly, here's what I'd prefer to hear from the coach...

I won't allow Josh Smith to shoot jump shots without his ass hitting the pine
I will give Jeff Teague the freedom to run the offense for 41 games until he proves that he is unable to develop into a starting point guard at which point - I will tell Rick Sund to do everything possible to trade for a starting point guard.
I am able to draw up plays to exploit the weaknesses that I see during a basketball game

Those are the only things we really needed from a coach. Defensively, yes - the switch-a-roo needed to be scrapped, but what we needed more was - I need better defensive players. Again, nothing that can be done to improve the team appreciably without...you guessed it - BETTER DEFENSIVE PLAYERS. Now, you could argue that maybe we should stop playing the bad defensive players when stops are needed and I'd agree, so we'll add that to our coaching wish list. Can Larry Drew put the best defensive team on the floor when the situations dictate it? All that said...we have to be real - we got a coach on the cheap. If he can give us twice his worth, we'll take it and run until the ownership deems us worthy of a real top quality coach who wants to win a NBA championship.

Bottom line, we think it's entirely possible that Larry Drew can be more successful than Mike Woodson, but not record wise. His value can only be judged come the playoffs, so until then - we'll be watching Teague's development, Inside Game (Smith & Horford) Attention, Defensive Improvement, Team's Freshness Factor, Motivation (as judged by not falling asleep to start 1st and 3rd quarters of games) and in-game adjustments. Let's see how it pans out...Grade: C-

Starters:
Well, last year - we said that the Hawks had one of the top starting 5s in the league. This season, I'm not sure I can say that - sure, we have 3 players with All Star ability, but then we have 2 of them who are really just average joes. Stack them up against the top 33% and we aren't so hot. So, this season should be about level setting and being honest, so here's where we start:

Offensively - Again, the Hawks are a good offensive basketball team. They are despite not playing faster to their strength of athleticism and not getting their players the basketball where they can do the most damage inside (re: Osh Smith and Al Horford), so yes, improvement can be had here. Anytime you allow your PF to shoot jumpers he can't make and allow your PF and C to lead the break about 25% of the time - you can find improvement. That said, the Hawks will not be short of baskets during the regular season. It's when the Hawks have to manufacture buckets against good defensive teams that we have problems and that's what Drew is here to correct. So far, that process has been stymied some by lack of time together in the new system, but we'll be watching this very closely.
Defensively - Here's where we actually are just very average. Horford and Smith are still trying to make up for the woes of our other 3 players. Yes, Williams has some defensive talent, but not against the guys that matter and certainly not when asked to make for the defeciencies of the perimeter players. Essentially, this won't get better until we get Bibby out of the starting 5. Until then, there's very little that will change about our defense.

Grade: B-

Bench:

Last season, I was very hopeful that more players would play, though history said no. And to form, Teague sat. Evans got old. Crawford was brilliant offensively and putrid defensively. Zaza was good Zaza with the opportunities he received and everyone else sucked. What does that end up meaning - the team suffered when the 2nd string played. All we can say about it was: Mario West was the in-season signing to shore up the team. This season, sanity partially prevailed. Yep, no Mario. But then, Jason Collins was signed and Etan Thomas was signed and Jordan Crawford and Pape Sy (who?) were drafted and well....we really just have last year's bench all over again. Last year's optimism for bench improvement has been replaced with sanity (thanks Jon Stewart).
Grade: D

All of this leads us to a determination of what we think the players have in store for us, so we'll do some quick blurbs on each player and our expectations:

Bibby - As I correctly predicted last year, we won't win a 2nd round game with Bibby as our starting point guard. Period. He's a great spot up shooter, but that's it. No assist value, no defensive value means he's too limited to really lead this team in a conference with Rondo, Jennings, Rose, Nelson, and pick who you want to call the Heat Point Guard. Start Teague now...
Johnson -He got his check. It's not his fault the team is now going to have to trade an asset to move forward as a team (or maybe it is), but bottom line - enjoy the production for 1-2 seasons and then watch the Joe must go rallies begin.
Williams - Seriously, Marvin is the key. If he becomes an above average small forward, this team is a serious contender for a 4 seed. If not, well...
Osh Smith - I've opined about Osh and our love for him, but the milk is going bad and going bad faster than I ever expected.. why? His love of the jump shot and leading fast breaks. For the life of me, why has no coach just sat him down? Well, because he's wondrously talented in almost every other way and with no one to push him for minutes - that's the price we pay I guess. Still, no way I'm a coach and I let that happen - I'd lose games before I'd watch a guy shoot 28% from outside for 5 years. Just no way I'd let it happen. That said, he's still our favorite Hawk. Tortured existence and all...
Horford - Last year, I said Al Horford doesn't impress me. Well, here's the season to prove what you're worth (update: he's worth $60M more). Listen, we think he's a good addition, but all this talk about him being one of the best centers rings hollow when the centers are all pretty bad. So, to us, averaging 20 and 10 is what makes us perk up a bit. It's Drew's job to get him the rock more, but certainly - Al, you gotta stand up and be counted on the offensive end every night or else...I'l say it again...I'm not that impressed.
Teague - I'm gonna be honest - Teague has not looked all that great to me. Neither did Rondo. Neither did Parker. The point here - let him prove it to me...Mike Conley looked awful for 2 years, but those guys played. At minimum, he gives you better defense than anyone else on your roster on the perimeter, so quit messing with his confidence in himself and play the man. Please.
Crawford - I can repeat last year's point - if you want a guy to just shoot, he's your guy. If you want a guy who ignores the defensive end, he's your guy. Sorry, but it is what it is. If you ask me, it's the Jordan Crawford show come midseason.
Evans - Wish I could say something worthwhile here, but I can't. Sorry.
Etan Thomas - I've seen the light - no more projections of great veteran leadership being needed. The Hawks have been together for enough years that they don't need veteran leadership on the bench - they need one to run the team. So, he'll just be another dude. See Smith, Joe.
Pachulia - Love the Zaza...gritty and grimy. Just what this Hawks crew needs.
Crawford and Collins - The rook and the weight watcher....unfortunately, more Joes to fill out the roster. Yep, I said it.

Ok, you had to read through all of that just to get to my predictions, so here they go:

Best Case Prediction - 52-30 (4th in Eastern Conference)
Worst Case Prediction - 43-39 (7th in Eastern Conference)
My Prediction - 46-36 (6th in Eastern Conference) and a likely 1st round playoff exit

Simply put, we're an injury away from a 5-6 game losing streak that destroys any chance at a top 4 seed. I don't think we're better than the Heat, Celtics, or Magic. Probably not better than the best team in the Central (the Bucks or Bulls) and so, we are looking at a 5th seed at best. That's just how the math works out. As I always say, it sounds real gloomy for a possible 50 win team, but since my metric is a shot at the title...I just don't see a way to even improve upon last year, which means regression. That said, I fully expect us to start the season off hot (that's what teams who have the same core should do against teams getting to know their new teammates) and then plateau like we've done for the past 2 years. Game recaps coming soon...

So, what do you guys think? Leave your predictions in the comments and we'll see you at the Highlight Factory Wednesday!!!

Repeating History...

2010-10-20T17:16:00.000-04:00

Good people,

On the precipice of the Annual Season Preview and an attempt to find the fire to write about a team that has lost 95% of the buzz and sizzle that we all had this time last year, we provide a few nuggets from the mind of the HS8T braintrust.

Looking at last year's Hawks/Magic preseason game - it's eerie how similar they were. We were blown out, we looked listless on both ends of the court, and we didn't say anything afterward that really explained it other than - it's the preseason (which could be a good enough explanation).

That said - here's my thoughts so far this preseason:

Keeping the core as a strategy should allow for a new system to take hold easier than not, right?
Larry Drew has not given us any reason to believe that he's the answer to our leadership and motivation issues.
Larry Drew should be given until at least midseason before we determine whether the defensive and offensive schemes are going to help this team become more competitive come playoff time.
Waiting for anyone (front office, coaches, players, fans) to explain how a team that stood pat is going to become better than teams who were better than us and managed to make additions. This seems to be the reason for the lack of buzz.
Last season, there were offseason and preseason predictions from the team. This year, there have not been any announcements of the expectations for this team from the team. This, to me, says everything about how everyone in the Hawks organization feels about this team (i.e. it's better to not say - yes, we will compete, but we don't expect to contend for the division, the conference, or the title and we don't have a roadmap for how that is going to happen.) Alert me to the first time someone says - yes, our team's goal is to win the NBA title.
Losing to the Magic by 29 points was entirely predictable.
It won't be the worst thing for Jamal Crawford to make hay about his contract..all the way up until the point where the team decides to re-up on his contract.
Jeff Teague is not going to earn the starting position at this rate and I still believe that if he's not going to be the starter on game 1 (unless health is the issue) - this team should subtract 5 games and any shot at winning a 1st round playoff series.
Finally, Josh is still shooting jump shots.

Also, I did see a note from Jeff Van Gundy about what Mike Woodson did so wrong that he didn't keep his job. Mr. Van Gundy, have you been watching this team? Listen, you make a compelling point about the talent deficit between the Hawks and the elite teams in the league, but PLEASE stop using the tired - in 2005, we won 13 games and now, we're winning 53 reasoning. A bunch of young guys SHOULD win 13 games. Over 5 seasons, you SHOULD win more games. A guy making 20M a year should bring you from a miserable total to different level. So, yes - we got better, but let's not overrate the job done from the coaching position and why is it so hard to conceive that if you have an opportunity to get rid of Maurice Evans for someone who is better than you do it. Same for coaches...if you have a guy who is decent, but have a chance to get someone better than decent to match a team that you think is better than decent, then you do so. Simple as that...