Atlanta Hawks: Kwame Brown off the board
Re-u-nited and it feels so . . . strange.
Another free-agent center off the board for the Hawks as Kwame Brown joined up with Charlotte. Brown’s agent told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that Brown signed with the Bobcats for the veteran’s minimum
For those who still care to keep track, that narrows down the list of free-agent centers the Hawks are known to have some degree of interest in to Francisco Elson, Brian Skinner and Josh Boone.
Atlanta had some interest in Brown, who is the second center to opt to sign elsewhere for the same money–and it’s not like he’s chasing a ring or something like Shaq. Brown isn’t on strong Shaq’s level, of course, and it never seemed like the Hawks were that high on him. Still, it’s interesting that he decided to reunite with MJ and play for Larry Brown.
Agent Mark Bartelstein addressed the Jordan part:
“There’s been so much written about the fact that this was Michael’s first pick [as an executive] and so much criticism directed at both of them when it didn’t work out. When that happens you can do one of two things. You can run from all that or you can use it as motivation. What better way to try to turn your career around than to go back to where it all started?
“There were a lot of easier places Kwame could have gone, a lot of safer places. I think this says a lot about his competitive instinct and fire that he wanted to take on this challenge.”
– Still nothing to report on Pape Sy’s buyout or Jamal’s extension. Rick Sund is on vacation.
– Jamal got some love in this Seattle Times piece by Mason Kelley, whom I know from my days in South Florida. I can confirm Mason has a nice jumper but could probably use help from Jamal on his crossover.
– Terry Mosher of the Kitsap Sun (dope newspaper name) reports the Marvin Williams Center is planned to open in Bremerton, Wash., in 2012.
MC
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206 comments Add your comment
Joe Johnson Trade???
August 24th, 2010
12:25 pm
I seen a lot talk about the Hawks acquiring a center. What about Joe Johnson to Phoenix for the following:
Robin Lopez & Jason Richardson
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
12:28 pm
Ownership
Cubs, Redskins, Cowboys and Mets ownership group are considered to be some of the worst in professional sports. They spend their money poorly on the new hot players and every offseason their fans are excited, but they haven’t recently won any titles.
The Braves, Patriots and Colts are considered some of the best organizations in sports. They draft well, they don’t over spend on bad players and develop their young talent from within.
In the NBA Mark Cuban is considered a GREAT owner and ASG are considered Terrible owners…..I DON’T GET IT!!!!! ONLY in the NBA would Mark Cuban be considered a GREAT OWNER.
MAY BE THE ANALYST FOR THE NFL ARE SMARTER THAN THE NBA ANALYST….MOST NFL ANALYST HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE AND THE NBA ANALYST BARELY HAVE A HIGH-SCHOOL DIPLOMA….Just a thought.
Good business is good business, Bad business is bad business no matter the sport.
Hawk n the Ham
August 24th, 2010
12:34 pm
What am I going to do with my customized Kwame Brown Hawks jersey I ordered????
Thats it! I’m through!!!!
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
12:35 pm
Fundamentals
I think we have enough talent, I just think we needed a better coach. You don’t win in the 2nd round because of talent, because talent is equal….You win with scheme and Heart. Boston didn’t beat the Magic and Cavs with talent, they won because of coaching and heart…We have enough talent.
oranjucejonz
August 24th, 2010
12:40 pm
What are you people seeing in Damp.or Kwame that i dont see.Neither of them is an upgrade over Collins(all bums).I’m surprised that someone actually lobbying for either of these guys.My point is,We have missed all the other picks so now its down to selecting the best available player.I’m not sure if Denver really is worried that much about who they bring in this yr as long as they can get a high draft pick out of the deal.I THINK IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH THEM GETTING MELO SIGNED..Since he demanded a trade this story comes out of the blue,I’m thinking they’re desperate to move JR
oranjucejonz
August 24th, 2010
12:41 pm
WE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THAT TRADE AND STILL GET ONE OF THOSE OTHER GUYS
KevinM
August 24th, 2010
12:44 pm
Rufus1, doesn’t Wade and LeBron give the Hawks mismatches out of the gate? Not that we have to worry about them much, but we do have to have a good showing against them and we have to beat their 1st string.
My opinion only, but really, what does 53 wins do for you if you aren’t going to be a threat in the playoffs. Here we are, 3-4 guys under the age of 25, and we are hearing:
- We are tired going into the postseason.
- We play E#2 too many minutes.
- We don’t play together.
When is the excuses going to end? We have had so many reasons for our 2nd round exits. These guys have been around long enough to show their talent as a unit. Thousands of playing minutes together…they should know what the other is thinking by now.
I am not going to knock the results as much as the effort. Too many possessions are wasted. Too many free throws missed plain and simple.
Too many 2nd chances by the opponent. Did I mention our 3rd place efficient offense? Lots to knock, but yes, also lots to like.
There are lots of areas to address, and you would think this is a losing team! No, it is a team that doesn’t play well together. Early on, I truly thought that Smoove and Marvin never made up a very good forward tandem. I still don’t, but we have both under LT contracts. They will be together.
I see lots to improve upon, and the ASG and Sund doesn’t. They think LD will be the difference.
Fundamentals/dukestar, man do I question our draft and scouting evals. Just give away our 2nd draft picks, because we don’t use them to any advantage.
Are we just going after the best athlete/good guy or are we going for need? I thought Teague filled a need, but it will take Year 2 to see that. Sy-I expect to ’see’ very little if anything. Add him to Ayol and David Andersen. Solomon Jones and Stoudamire were memorable as well.
Jojo, you know what will tick me off? If we go get Dampier and give him more than the vet min? We all know that Shaq licks his chops when this guy is in the game…its hilarious. All we had to do was treat Shaq like he was important to our success. We could have worked on the stupid cap numbers once he arrived with ‘ATLANTA’ on his jersey.
Now what I really think is perhaps neither Dampier or Shaq match last year’s numbers….Shaq would have had to get minutes…understood. I think that both Dampier and Kwame are a waste of money.
We should be bringing in a young dude like Jason Thompson and getting him in important possessions and grow him from there. He also gives us some insurance say, if Al is looking elsewhere. Thompson, not an all-star but I like what I see and he isn’t getting Cousins or Dalemberts’ minutes in Sacramento.
Charlotte will take a chance with TJ Ford and reunite him with fellow Texan Augustine and that’s where I predict Dampier ends up. Dampier’s stats last year…..6/5 in 23 min….not good IMO.
Hawksgoingbackward
August 24th, 2010
12:46 pm
when you add it to the rest of this offseason, you are willing to take more???
Hawksgoingbackward
August 24th, 2010
12:48 pm
last comment @ The Real JC
KevinM
August 24th, 2010
12:49 pm
680thefan, right now, reporting Brian Skinner, Josh Boone and Francisco Elson are our choices and that we are 99.9 percent the same as last year.
They are giving it to the Hawks’ management group right now. Their own radio partner. The same starting 5 according to LD, and moving Al to the 4 and play with Zaza and Collins……ugh, I’m not having a bad dream..this is really happening.
wordsmithtom
August 24th, 2010
12:52 pm
I hope Kwame finds a “clue”…he’s not shown that skill yet. He can help Charlotte if he does. He wouldn’t have helped Atlanta any more than RandMo has. RandMo once had as much upside. I doubt Kwame ever gets it…..
As for Marvin. Kudos to him for remembering his roots. Helping the kids in his hometown. Shows a lot about his REAL CHARACTER, not about PR. He’ll come back to camp feeling good about himself. Just like Elvis, Marvin took care of his mama, then took care of the kids back home. Now, lets hope LD finds a way to use his big body to take care of us fans. I think he can. He has the talent.
Wink
August 24th, 2010
1:04 pm
You usually have to work to get a vacation! What has Sund done to deserve a vacation??? Dude controls his own job security:
Year One – Observes the team the team in place.
Year Two – does not address CORE, signs teams free agents to long term contracts (Bibby, ZaZa, Marvin), drafts Teague, or yeah he signs Jamal (Insurance on JJ)
Year Three – gives the vault to JJ. Does his own version of Decision 2010 and signs Collins & Josh Powell (3rd string bench players.
Where is the REAL WORK? What has he done to DESERVE VACATION?
You hear that – “crickets” “crickets”
AT WORK
August 24th, 2010
1:06 pm
i don’t understand the whole uproar about the hawks.
we’ve all seen what marvin can do once he is called upon to be the number one option..
only once has he been called to do so during a small stretch of games when jj was out..
marvin would be a superstar if he were not boggled down here in atllanta!!
then you have a beast like j-smoove,the offensive talents of crawford and jj,and even horford..
what we lack up front we can make up with the playing to the strengths of our 4’s and 5’s..
mo evans is not that bad of a player..he is one who is made for the open court in a fast pace game..
do u realize how much of an offensive threat we will be than in years past??
we all know how our adversaries will match up with us..
they are all strong on the inside,and that will be most of their scoring..they will be predictable..
but the atlanta hawks will not be!!
we can run and even out run with mo,teague,josh,crawford,jj,and others any given night..
or we can play the motion offense and stil be unpredictable and score..
who can have 2 sets of a 5 man rotation that can go one on one with any one of the 5 and score like we will be able to do??not even the lakers,celtics,the heat,no one!!!
im at work and im willing to be my 4 checks for the month of april that we,the atlanta hawks,will be the team to beat in the east this year..
LD,is gonna be the twin of DON NELSON in the NBA..
working thru our strengths and shoring up our weakness,that others will not be able to exploit..
DO YOU LARRY DREW!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!
GeeMack
August 24th, 2010
1:15 pm
Rufus1
I like your optimism, but the Hawks don’t have the talent make up to win a title in the NBA.
On every champioship team their is a clear cut leader on the floor. Who is that person for the Hawks?
Who holds the team accountable for their horrible playing habits? JJ? Josh? Al?
The team that wins titles have the same make up, and they Hawks don’t have it.
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
1:22 pm
KevinM
They are not excuses, they adjusments. If you think you have a Bad Coach, get a new one.
Please remember this about Wade and James, they can’t be the same players they were last year. They have to adjust their game to the team. What tandem would you prefer to guard Wade and James other than JJ and Marvin.
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
1:27 pm
Geemack
Our Coach didn’t have the Make-up, he is the true leader of the team. On the court I think that person will be AL, he has a championship pedigree.
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
1:37 pm
The hawks are talented and athletic, they just need the right schemes and heart to make their run in the playoffs longer and more competetive. Hollinger had the Hawks ranked no. 1 and in the top ten throughout the regular season last year. They just have to learn how to adjust as a team to the playoffs. Which all young teams have trouble doing. Remember when young Kobe and Shaq use to get swept by Karl Malone and the Jazz. Remember when Detroit and New York and Boston use to pick on MJ. I am not saying that the Hawks will win championships but with a better coaching scheme and new team attitude the hawks can make a lot of noise in the playoffs.
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
1:43 pm
If this is implemented the HAWKS will be the best team in the East…How will your perspective change about ASG?
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17156
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
1:43 pm
Great post Rondo
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
2:09 pm
Thanks Rufus1. Keeping your team together and going through growing pains isn’t a bad thing. In the 80’s that was a format for success in the nba. The Pistons, Lakers, Bulls, Celtics etc. Didn’t trade their core guys away just because they hit a bump in the road in the playoffs. They licked their wounds when they were defeated and vowed to do better the next season. Yes those teams added to their roster and got better. The Hawks added Jamal last season and got better. They added a new coach and new team philosophy this summer. Will they be better as a team defensively? Will they make deeper runs in the playoffs? Those questions still has yet to be answered. But time will tell……To be continued……..?????????
Mitun
August 24th, 2010
2:16 pm
our best option is to acquire thru a trade not FA.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
“Cubs, Redskins, Cowboys and Mets ownership group are considered to be some of the worst in professional sports. They spend their money poorly on the new hot players and every offseason their fans are excited, but they haven’t recently won any titles.”
Dan Snyder is only considered a bad owner because he insists on meddling in personnel decisions. In what alternate universe is Jerry Jones, the Steinbrenner of football, considered a bad owner? Who exactly considers Fred Wilpon a bad owner or holds him responsible for Omar Minaya’s personnel decisions? Sounds like you are grasping at straws to me.
“If this is implemented the HAWKS will be the best team in the East…How will your perspective change about ASG?
”
If the NBA institutes a hard cap, it won’t have any effect on the way the DASG and Rick Sund do business. The current NBA system has nothing to do with their risk-averse style of management. They will still continue to overpay players with whom they are comfortable instead of trying to find upgrades and then wonder why fans don’t come to see a team that has no chance at competing for a title.
And by the way, a hard cap would be disastrous for the Hawks since they would have to extend Horford after this season, and doing so under a hard cap with Joe, Josh, and Marvin on the books while leaving enough space to fill out the roster with quality players would be damn near impossible.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 24th, 2010
2:23 pm
“Keeping your team together and going through growing pains isn’t a bad thing. In the 80’s that was a format for success in the nba. The Pistons, Lakers, Bulls, Celtics etc. Didn’t trade their core guys away just because they hit a bump in the road in the playoffs. ”
Those teams had multiple Hall of Famers; it was only a matter of time before they figured out the most efficient way to play together and win. Name one future Hall of Famer on the Hawks.
I’m not in favor of breaking up the core just for the sake of breaking it up either, but those 80s teams had a lot more talent than this Hawks team.
KevinM
August 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
Rufus, we couldn’t stop Wade or James last year, and they were on seperate teams. We didn’t stop Bosh, who burned us for a game winner.
E#2 is not stopping Wade, and I have seen Marvin try to guard LeBron…0 as in zero for 2.
So take advantage of the Heat at the other positions and see if you come out ahead. I don’t see it.
We don’t match up with Orlando, and that one is obvious. The coaches don’t even match up. That team wants to win a title, we don’t. Its obvious and embarrassing to go into this season unchanged from last season.
Play all the matchups you want, but Wade and LeBron are going to have their time with us on both sides of the court. There aren’t enough fouls to give out.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
Also, about the hard cap… David Stern should be careful what he wishes for too. The biggest advantage of the soft cap that the NBA has now is the ability to keep your own players and build around them. In a league where salaries are held down by a hard cap and there is no mechanism by which small market teams can incentivize a player to stay put, free agents will increasingly head to big markets where they can make the same amount of money and more through endorsements. If Stern didn’t like LeDecision, he needs to think long and hard about his hard cap idea. The NBA isn’t the NFL where you can rely on the draft and let free agents go and remain competitive like the Patriots.
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
2:37 pm
Hall of Famers vs. Hall of Famers
No team in today’s NBA could compete with any of the top teams of the 80’s. Even the 88 Hawks would probably have championship dynasties if they played in today’s nba. Yes the 88 Hawks would crush Kobe and The 3 Amigos. Man I wish I had a Hot Tub Time Machine.
KevinM
August 24th, 2010
2:39 pm
najeh, good points, and we do have 2 all-stars. I would just like to continue to grow this roster. Right now, we can’t say this is a team that can contend for a title….and to make no changes at the same time.
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
2:46 pm
Any trade that can bring Marc Gasol to the Hawks is worth trying.
tjhook
August 24th, 2010
2:47 pm
Everyone is dismissing the Kwame Brown signing, but we needed a big man with some potential. Apparently, Drew wants a big man with off the ball ability. I don’t think those guys exists on the free agent market. maybe he can find it with an overseas project. Anyway, Kwame helps the Bobcats and hurts us in the playoff scramble.
dukester
August 24th, 2010
2:51 pm
@AT WORK Umm sir/ma’am im gonna need you to finish working.
“marvin would be a superstar if he were not boggled down here in atllanta!!”
Comments like this is a blantant violation of the “Child Please” (Ocho Cinco) law. You deserve one on this one. It takes heart to tbe a superstar the kind of heart that Josh Smith has to overcome Woody’s personality and coaching to get better each year despite what the fans and media says. Speaking of Marvin lets send him packing along with Jamal Crawford for Carmelo Anthony and a first round pick. They would do it. Then find a center that wants to rebound and block shots. Even if we didnt win a title the fans would be happy and with a squad like that people would show up. And also I read somewhere that Carmelo wants to be in a city where is wife can be in the entertainment business. What better city than Atlanta Carmelo!! Better weather than New York cheaper than new York and LA. And believe it or not most stars stay here because they can get peace and qiuet on there downtime. No papparazzi just good ole family life here sir. And the airport here you are 30 minutes from world here. Get it done BIG HEAD SUND!! AND CHEAP ASG!!! LOL
dukester
August 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
I MEAN WE ADD THE FIRST ROUND PICK IN ON THE DEAL
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
2:54 pm
Kwame even wasn’t the best basketball player in Georgia when he came out of high school. Yes he won Mr. Basketball and got drafted #1 out of High School.But Josh Powell and Alexander Johnson out-played him and showed more big-man skill in the High School Championship Tournament. Kwame has always been overhyped. The Hawks didn’t miss nothing by letting him walk on to MJ.
Fundamentals
August 24th, 2010
2:57 pm
Hard cap or something to level the playing field would be nice. Seems we play by the rules and watch teams that have 25%+ more on the payroll beat us. All things equal we’d be hard to beat.
Rufus – bashing the coach and calling for heart is nice, but give LD and his staff a chance. Woodson is gone. He had his chance. You just cut LD’s throat before his first game. Coach aint the issue – it’s whether they play together in the system. We could’ve won with Woodson & his system, we just chose to go our own separate ways.
Kevin M – true, we rarely use our 1st round picks with success, but other teams use both. Tell San Antonio that 2nd round picks are useless. Somehow other teams find gems in the 2nd while we burn our coal in the 1st.
Fundamentals
August 24th, 2010
2:59 pm
Rondo – Gasol seems to be coming along nicely for Memphis. He’s lost weight and learned alot in the NBA. Definitely a nice talent. Question is can Thabeet develop as well to make one man expendable?
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
3:02 pm
Fundamentals-True That
Buddy Grizzard
August 24th, 2010
3:06 pm
“…they just need the right schemes and heart to make their run in the playoffs longer and more competetive.” – Rondo
As I’ve detailed on a previous blog, the bad contract of Joe Johnson has thus far caused us to trade a number 7 overall pick, Josh Childress, for a future second round pick. Josh Childress has more heart than anybody currently on the Hawks roster except Al Horford.
Also as detailed previously, the Hawks will trade Jamal Crawford at the deadline because they cannot afford to sign him to a long term deal. This team has to cut payroll in every possible way in preparation to sign Horford to a max extension.
Why are the Hawks in such payroll distress that they have to trade lottery picks for future second-rounders? Start with Mike Bibby’s contract. It runs for two more seasons at $5.5 and $6.2m. This contract is really the central failure of Rick Sund’s tenure. Where would the Hawks be today if they had traded up one pick and drafted Ty Lawson, or taken Darren Collison instead of Jeff Teague? Teague emerged from summer league behind Bibby on the Hawk’s depth chart. Meaning he couldn’t unseat an incumbent point guard who doesn’t even rank among the top 30 point guards in the league (as ranked by Kelly Dwyer). Collison ranks 16th on Dwyer’s list, Lawson 25th.
Marvin Williams’ contract, by comparison, is not an albatross. Yes he has underperformed. But he could take a huge step forward in the new offensive system. Bibby can only take steps back.
The second worst contract of Sund’s tenure is Joe Johnson. You gave max money to a guy who said he doesn’t care if the fans show up. That’s the antithesis of heart. Instead of manning up and taking responsibility for the Hawk’s failures, he said I don’t care. Now we unload two starter-caliber players to avoid luxury tax because of this one contract, and Horford may not re-sign because the Hawks have put themselves in the same position as Cleveland… capped out and not enough talent to be contenders.
Rondo
August 24th, 2010
3:27 pm
The Atlanta Hawks a 53 win team with no talent….wow!
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
3:35 pm
Dan Snyder is only considered a bad owner because he insists on meddling in personnel decisions. Bad business is bad business, how you get their doesn’t matter.
In what alternate universe is Jerry Jones a bad owner. The same one that fired Jimmy Johnson, sign Pacman and Tank Johnson, hired Wade Phillips and traded a 1st and 3rd round pick for busted receiver(Roy Williams)…In that Universe.
Who exactly considers Fred Wilpon a bad owner or holds him responsible for Omar Minaya’s personnel decisions? You are reflection of the people you hire. Minaya’s has spent 120mil to put a bad team on the field for last 3 years and has traded away all of their good prospects to do it. Name the free agent he signed that worked, but he still has a JOB.
Over paying for mediocre players is how Knicks, Mavs and Magic do business…Not wanting to 22mil a year(11mil salary, 11mil Lux tax) for Brandon Hayward is STUPID, not rick-averse.
Having faith in a young core that just won 53 games and not wanting to disrupt that is sound thinking.
The NBA has it wrong Mark Cuban is a IDIOT, if he was in the NFL they would call him an IDIOT, just like Daniel Snyder…Cuban would have sign Haynesworth too.
PS The Magic spend 23mil more dollars to win 3 more game….7.6mil a win.
Grandad
August 24th, 2010
3:35 pm
oranjucejonz
Although my colleagues have already answered
your questions, I’ll expand slightly.
# 1. J.R. Smith is a [2] not a [3].
# 2. Adjectives being used by Denver
to describe ‘Smith:
*headache *attitude *immature
**brought on by not starting & not enough
playing time to satisfy him.
# 3. Why in the world would we trade Zaza?
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
3:36 pm
Fundamentals
I am happy about LD…I was ref. to Woodson.
Grandad
August 24th, 2010
3:37 pm
Rondo
Memphis has named Marc Gasol Team Captain.
I doubt they trade him.
They think as highly of him as we do of Al.
Ray
August 24th, 2010
3:39 pm
i think that the bobcats will release Dampier and he’ll end up in ATL…i honestly think that’s who Sund is after. The contract Joe got puts us in a hold the next 6 yrs…If we can keep the core of starts that we have, meaning williams, horford, and smith, and wait for teague and jordan crawford to develop, we really could be a threat in 5 to 6 years. But as of right now, it seems that management/ownership are only content with making the playoffs and that’s pathetic.
dukester
August 24th, 2010
3:39 pm
Hawks have talent just not enough to make it over the hump. The question to me is do ASG “think” they have the talent to make it over the hump or do they “just dont care and want to put a product on the floor” That really is the anwser to all of our trade proposals and big man acquisitions. LOL
I mean do we just sit back and say ho hum cant wait for the season to start. Or really go out before the season and try to put a package together to at least not be a middle of the pack team.
I mean when you are watching the kentucky derby there is not a photo finish on the 4-7 place horses. LOL So how could you run a competitive sport and be content on not finishing first!!!
cp
August 24th, 2010
4:50 pm
I cant believe a few people actually said that Jason Collins can rebound and defend. WOW. Jason Collins? Really? I have to question whether you have seen an actual NBA game if you think this bum can rebound and defend. You might want to go look at his career rebounding numbers. And can people stop blaming Woodrow for not playing Collins. I was never a fan of Woodson but even I couldn’t blame him for Collins.. Dude was so over weight he had to be put on the injury list at one point. How in the world is it the coach’s fault for a player being that out of shape? Collins is trash and has always been trash. The sad part is, as bad as Kwame is he is better than Collins.
Macaroni Tony
August 24th, 2010
4:50 pm
I see that the Hawks don’t have a pg in the top 30 pg in the league. We Have two of the top sg in the league with JJ rank number four and JC1 ranked like number 12. MW is ranked 21, so JS and Al will have to be ranked in the top ten in there fields. I think we should just play together with this new offense and show a lot of people that they were wrong.
Steven A.
August 24th, 2010
5:26 pm
And I thought Billy Knight was inept. Guys in the front office have SIGHT but no Vision. You heard it here 1st. Hawks will be a lot closer to 41-41 this season. Major step backwards,
Najeh Davenpoop
August 24th, 2010
5:26 pm
“Over paying for mediocre players is how Knicks, Mavs and Magic do business…Not wanting to 22mil a year(11mil salary, 11mil Lux tax) for Brandon Hayward is STUPID, not rick-averse. ”
The Mavs and Magic have made an NBA Finals in the last five years. When is the last time the Hawks made an NBA Finals? If overpaying mediocrity is how they did it, the Hawks better start learning how to overpay mediocrity.
terrell
August 24th, 2010
5:28 pm
Rather have Dampier. Cant believe Kwame made the front page of the Hawks blog.
Rufus1
August 24th, 2010
6:00 pm
Naj
They lost right. They spent 100mil dollars more the Hawks for 1 finals appearance…NICE. When they win the title it might be worth it.
I accidental finals appearance (KG’s injury) the Magic had isn’t worth the Money they spent…especially when you lose.
The Truth
August 24th, 2010
6:57 pm
“Guys in the front office have SIGHT but no Vision. You heard it here 1st. Hawks will be a lot closer to 41-41 this season”
The sad thing about this prophetic prediction, if true, is that the front office will not be viewed as the problem area. Publicly, it will be on LD, the face of the “new” Hawks. The faceless front office will pretend to be as shock as everyone else; as if they were duped by LD’s promises. We are all too familiar with they’re gimmickry. Even with his innovative ideas, LD still needs more quality players to reach the higher winning expectation that has been placed on him. With the current construction of the Hawks team, he will be at a disadvantage to reach these goals considering the upgrades in the eastern conference and around the league. Again, anything less then 53 wins and/or further playoff advancement beyond the 1st round will be perceived as a failure. With only a 2-year contract to prove himself, the stage could be set for LD to also coach scared if things don’t go as plan. Given this scenario, he would be tempted to shorten his rotation to save his job (as Woody tried to do). It would become déjà vu all over again (Woody 2.0)