Warning ! Review in Progress
That should be on a sign, and it should be posted on the outside of the door to Rick Sund’s office.
For like, a month.
The Hawks have made strides this season, as the record alone shows. They’ve won their first playoff series in roughly a decade. We should be celebrating, right? Ask the players and coaching staff if they feel like celebrating. Probably not very much, after getting ushered out of the postseason unceremoniously via a 4-game sweep. Injuries to key players had a lot to do with it. Injuries have a psychological effect as well as a physical one. But the Hawks weren’t the only team to experience this. Houston lost center Yao Ming. Orlando lost starting point guard Jameer Nelson well before the season ended. Boston lost Kevin Garnett. Perhaps, however, those are different stories. In each case, the team in question only experienced losing one major player to injury, whereas the Hawks had to deal with three starters not being anywhere near full health. That, and well….the other teams were better prepared for such things, in ways that the Hawks were not. We’ll get to that later, and not necessarily in this particular blog.
And so, the review in progress begins.
There is a dual meaning here, as you might have guessed. No doubt it is now time for Sund and his assistant to begin reviewing the season. Thus the “review that will be in progress.” The roster, the coaching staff, wins and losses, injuries, drama, all of it. But it’s not just a review of the past season. It’s also a review in “progress”, itself. As in, what does progress mean to the ASG, to Sund, and to the organization as a whole?
Does progressing simply mean winning more games than the previous season? How about getting to the second round of the playoffs? What it means exactly, and how many factors are involved in this review and analysis will determine what happens next. If winning more games than last season and making the second round of the playoffs was the only goal in the mind of ownership and management, then progress was certainly made. But if getting better year after year, and eventually contending for a championship is the goal, then things are not so simple after all.
Teams like the Hawks have no further to look than the Chicago Bulls of a couple years back. Fighting their way to 49 wins and proving themselves to be a very tough out in the playoffs, they had the entire Eastern Conference scared, and the pundits all over them….only to fall all the way down into lottery land the very next season.
Progress is not necessarily just about putting one foot in front of the other, or just going further than you did yesterday. It’s also about putting yourself into position to go even further tomorrow, than you did today. And going further than that, the day after. It’s not all about how far you have come. It’s also about how far you can go. “Baby steps,” we always say. And it’s true. You have to take baby steps. But you also eventually have to learn to walk smoothly, and with varying speeds. And then, you learn to run.
And that’s where the Hawks are right now. Trying to figure out if this is truly progress, or not. The numbers of course, tell a simple but very static story. The numbers tell you what you’ve been hearing and reading for the last 4 or 5 years. You keep hearing that the Hawks have been winning more and more games each year. Very true. Undeniable. But when you are that far down, where can you go, but up? (Unless of course, you STAY down, but that’s how people get fired and teams get sold…we won’t go there). Plus, there is something to be said for organic growth (I almost can’t use that term without asking Astro Joe for a copyright allowance/exception). Is it not reasonable to expect a young group of talented basketball players to get better year after year?
The question that probably burns the most is, can the Hawks go further? If they can, then we count this season as a major step in the progression of this team. If they cannot, then progress suddenly stops, and becomes something else. It’s called peaking, and it’s not what you want. Why? Because at this point, you realize that things cannot get any better. They can only stay the same, or get worse, which is of course called regression. That alone should be enough to motivate anybody to do all they can to stay on the path of true progress.
I was one of several people that thought last summer was a huge key to the future of this team. Plainly stated, it wasn’t, and I was wrong. I think it’s this summer (stop laughing…I could be wrong again, I know). General Manager Rick Sund has his work cut out for him, as what he (more specifically what the ASG) does this offseason can quite literally either boost or retard this team’s progress. Each move, and most likely the first, will be a domino effect on all of the others. One of the biggest issues is team chemistry. The Hawks don’t have enough of it, and need more of it to become better than they are. Sund has to figure that puzzle out, and it probably won’t be easy. I’m glad I don’t have that job. I won’t lie, I’d rather sit here and make outrageous proclomations from the safety of the ol’ armchair. I suspect most of us would (no Ando, I’m not referring to you).
So there it is. A review in progress. The season is over, and the “real” front office work begins (not that it ever really ends). Sund and the ASG have to decide what progress means to them. They have to decide whether or not the team has lived up to that standard. And they have to figure out what can be done, going forward. So what do you think? Are you happy with the strides this team has taken? Do you think they have exhibited true progress? What does Sund need to do to help improve upon the existing product? Are you sick of the word progress yet?
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221 comments Add your comment
TROTTINGHOME
May 26th, 2009
8:10 am
When Woody quits riding Joe into the ground and putting him up wet we will never win. Sad that Woody will openly state he rode Joe into the ground and then not say that he should have done it differently for Joe’s sake .
Do I dare mention Woody and “Ye Sir Master ” in the same sentence.
TROTTINGHOME
May 26th, 2009
8:12 am
OOP’s….First word should have been… Until Woody…
Astro Joe
May 26th, 2009
12:09 pm
Good stuff, Manny, in the wee hours of the night.
One of Woody’s faults is the way that he puts players in a box and doesn’t seem to allow them to move to a different box from season-to-season. Marvin is used to playing a role. He won an NCAA title because he played a specific role for Coach Williams. He comes to the Hawks (who had Harrington at the time) and Marvin plays yet another role. But as his game has expanded over time, his role has mostly remained the same. Woody still typically substitutes Marvin first. If that resulted in him spending time as the primary scorer when the second unit enters the game, that would be a good strategy. But that doesn’t seem like the game plan. I recall the games Marvin played when Joe went down during the past season (and his role expanded briefly). It’s hard to believe that he didn’t have the capability to do more if Woody would expand his role/box. Josh will just “take his”, he won’t wait for Woody’s permission. And obviously, there is both good and bad to that aggressive approach. But Marvin (and to a lesser extent Horford), are looking for their coach to define their role in conjunction with the team’s success. They learned the importance of “role” in winning college championships. Woody needs to recognize that these guys shouldn’t be playing the same role after 2+ years in the league as they did during their rookie campaigns. Some boxes need to expand (Marvin & Horford) will others shrink (Bibby & Joe).
Big Ray
May 26th, 2009
12:35 pm
Astro Joe,
Excellent point. The definition of those roles matters much. I can’t emphasize enough how accurate your take is on Josh (he will “get his” by taking it) and Marvin (”tell me what to do, and I’ll do it”). Josh’s approach definitely has different results (shades of brilliance vs. moments of insanity). Marvin’s approach results in him being constantly villified as a near-useless asset.
Like you said, Horford and Williams come from a role-playing background. Defining their roles more clearly (and as you said, in an expanded fashion) would automatically help define the roles of the other guys. At this point, “fit” comes in. If Joe and Bibby aren’t called upon for so much of the offense, and Horford/Williams ARE, now Smith’s role becomes more defined. Which means he would have no excuse for “playing within the flow of the offense.”
If at any point somebody deviates from their role, it becomes obvious. It should also be obvious who fits and who does not….
Big Ray
May 26th, 2009
12:36 pm
And at some point, Woody has to figure these guys’ roles out, before organic growth peaks and becomes stagnant.
Joe Johnson
May 26th, 2009
1:15 pm
All this waiting for organic growth is making me…TIRED!!
Astro Joe
May 26th, 2009
2:41 pm
Take a nap, Joe. Wake up around September.
Ray, let’s call it what it is. Smith has street cred because of his high-flying antics and because of his “f the authority” attitude. Marvin is fundamentally sound and respects authority. In the off-season, Marvin returns to work on his college degree and practices with an exclusive set of UNC alum. If Smith pursues any academic pursuit, it hasn’t been mentioned since he joined the league. Marvin is methodical and seemingly focuses on mastering 1-2 skills per off-season (e.g. 3 point shooting, improving his drives to the basket, perimeter defense, a little running hook, etc) while Smith is urgently trying to become a low-post stud AND a great ball distributor in the same summer (sessions with Hakeem and Calvin Murphy).
There’s a lot to like/dislike about each approach. But I know which one captures the heart of most fans, because most fans are interested in instant success and not “organic growth”.
(I went to the open practice the Hawks held last year, when they ran out of popcorn… but I digress. I watched Marvin after the session do some shooting drills with Mark Price. It appeared that he needed to hit 5 shots in a row from different spots behind the 3-point line before he could move to the next spot. It probably took him about 15-20 minutes to finish the drill. But it was clear that he had been working a lot of that drill for the entire summer. Call me a hater, but I just can’t imagine Smith having the discipline to do the same thing time-after-time-after-time-after-time-after-time to improve his dribbling or shooting or free throw or whatever specific skill. That’s not to say that he doesn’t work at his game, but repetition seems to be a proven way to develop muscle memory and confidence in a skill. I can’t help but wonder if the reason Smith does a lot of things fairly well but seemingly has mastered very little (excluding shot-blocking) is a result of his inability to stay focused on developing one skill at a time. But his attention span can improve over time).
Sautee
May 26th, 2009
2:54 pm
AJ,
What’s YOUR take on Kirk’s “fire Woody since you refuse to extend him” rant?
Astro Joe
May 26th, 2009
3:15 pm
Sautee, here or on Sekou’s site? I haven’t read it… please point me in the right direction.
Michael Gearon, Jr.
May 26th, 2009
5:32 pm
Glen Davis is overrated; he just got lucky on that game-winning shot, that’s all. Now if only Joe Johnson could make clutch 45-footers and avoid getting tired, I think he’d be part of the MVP conversation next season.
KevinA
May 26th, 2009
6:10 pm
I think your conversation around organic growth is spot on. What isn’t mentioned much is the upside potential of Big AL. He has a good head on his sholders and should play better next year. It will be like a present that will unwrap at the beginning of the season. I trust Marvin to add to his offensive skills also.
The big question will be Josh. Will he work on his handle, post and finishing skills or work on the jumper. Lets hope on the former.
Solo might make a big jump in skill set also. Gain another 15 lbs of muscle, work on blocking out and post moves.
Even if we do nothing but resign our players I think we can improve.
JJ and Bibby need to work on getting their team mates more involved and work on pick and role plays for Josh and AL.
KevinA
May 26th, 2009
6:12 pm
One more time I will suggest the AJC keeping this blog alive. It can’t cost that much to do so.
Paul Pierce
May 27th, 2009
11:06 am
PLEASE keep this blog alive! Hawks fans need SOMETHING to talk about in May and June!!
They CERTAINLY can’t talk about CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!
Wabe
May 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
I understand everything you said about Marvin Manny, but I’m not sure if you understood the comparison I tryed to make.
I was just comparing Carmelo’s role and how he poses mismatches for opponents to Marvin and the Hawks. I wasn’t calling Marvin a bust, just saying that he’s our wingman that we’re banking on to be THAT GUY that causes the mismatches and frees up players like JJ. Honestly, if you’re watching the Cav/Magic series, you can see that the Cavs are having some major problems matching up with guys like Hedo/Rashard. Both can play physical and have the size to post up smaller defenders, but can also step behind the 3pt line and knock it down. They’re tough covers. Before the Hawks played the Cavs, I said that Marvin should have a meaningful series, simply because of what we’re seeing the Magic doing now. Nobody on the Cavs should be able to stay in front of Marvin, but obviously he was plagued by a bum wrist, and honestly, I don’t think he’s there yet at this point in his career.
I’m not trying to bash Marvin, just comparing him to legit SMALL FORWARDS in the league today, something the Hawks seem to lack. Just trying to envision how much better the Hawks offense would be if they could improve at that postion.
Point Gaurd or Small Forward. If they resign Marvin, I would think they need to upgrade at Bibby’s postion. If they keep Bibby, upgrade at the Small Forward spot. But, I would think keeping Marvin over Bibby is a no-brainer.
Bee
May 31st, 2009
8:07 am
How about a coach that can handle his players and command a presence during the game that creates a spark in the players he is coaching. Bring Avery Johnson in and let Woodson go. The coaching staff should reflect where you are going….(A chip) The Hawks do not have that. I love the Hawks, but we have to have a champion somewhere on staff to make a champion. A’s up
Bee
Big Ray
May 31st, 2009
12:54 pm
Astro Joe,
Agreed on the approaches, and I could have sworn that we pretty much WERE calling it what it is.
Here’s the thing: Why, oh WHY does Woody not reward a guy like Marvin Williams for both is work ethic and his coachability, while Mr. Street Cred Smith gets all the touches?
Smith is 2nd or 3rd option on offense. Marvin is still 4th or 5th. Of course, I guess the easy answer would be to say that this has less to do with Woody (and his role definitions) and more to do with Josh and his rebelliousness.
Then again, as I recall, it was Bibby who jumped in Woody’s a$$ and told him “If you don’t like that player (Josh) shooting that jumper there, then tell him to move (translation: change the design of the play).
Just sayin’….
Hms
May 31st, 2009
12:59 pm
PAUL PIERCE,
Glad you can talk about a championship. Are you still sending thankyou notes to Danny Ainge for getting Kevin Garnett so you could finally learn how to win more than 30 games? Kevin sits down and you cant even get past the second round. Back to losing. You better pray Kevin gets healthy again or you will be sitting around the campfire, telling stories about the year that Danny Ainge, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, and James Posey pooled together and bought you a ring so your punk ass could talk smack. Enjoy punk boy.
cdog
May 31st, 2009
3:53 pm
TO MARK BRADLEY,JON BARRY, MARV ALBERT,AND ALL OF THE CLEVELAND FANS,DON’T MAKE LEBRON JAMES MAD HUH?WHO CARES ABOUT HIM GETTING MAD?ONLY THE HAWKS, RICK SUND AND PISTONS CARE. THE ORLANDO MAJIC AND DWIGHT HOWARD DON”T. RICK SUND YOU SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD INSIDE DEFENSE WITH THE BIG MAN? PLEASE DON”T SCREW UP BY NOT BRING SOME IN. TAKE THE CELL PHONE OUT AND START BRING THE HAWKS CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYERS INSTEAD OF RETREADS.
Hms
May 31st, 2009
5:00 pm
Word.
Darrin "The Vent King"
June 5th, 2009
3:30 pm
I swear if I see one more post about signing Rasheed Wallace I will puke. As soon as he gets here, nuts up, and starts piling up tech after tech the same people talking about signing him will be the same ones wanting the GM’s head for bringing him here. Give me a break…it’s called team chemistry and that lugnut knows nothing but losing his mind and being unprofessional. Why in the world would you want that cancer here? Mike Woodson can’t even handle Josh Smith, what do you think will happen if ‘Sheed gets a hold of him? Snap out of it already people.
Rick
June 5th, 2009
6:19 pm
Joe Johnson has the lowest basketball IQ of any starter in the league. You cannot win playing through him as he does not share the ball and eats up 10 to 15 seconds of every possession. What good is a point guard if all he does is bring the ball down and give it to Joe who challenges his man for the next ten seconds. Can the guy even shoot in flow off a screen??? Trade him for a big man and an shooting small forward who matches better on D than Maurice Evans…have a solid six man rotation up front, move Maurice Evans to 2, Bibby to back up PG and 2, bring in point guard off free agency. Flip to third string…never shares and makes mental mistakes 40% of the time he has the ball. Josh and Marvin have to learn the step in pull back jumper and stop and pop jumper from 12 -14. Somebody has to work on Josh’s release and mid jumpers to go with his drives. Marvin needs more post moves, fades,etc. Horford needs to learn to go left.