Hawks lose again — and it’s clear they need some help
Joe Johnson and the Hawks have fallen flat the last three games after a 16-6 start. (AP photo)
One week ago, the Hawks won a game by 23 points in Toronto. They went 4-1 on a road trip — their most successful trip in 43 years — and held one of the best records in the NBA at 16-6.
Then the team came home, and it was like watching Sybil change personalities.
The Hawks lost to the 9-14 Phoenix Suns, 99-90, on Monday night at Philips Arena. That makes three straight home losses to Memphis, Philadelphia and Phoenix. They’ve trailed by 20-plus points in all three games.
The one thread in the three losses has been a mixed effort.
There are several reasons why this may have happened. The most obvious: Being undersized without two centers, Al Horford (potentially out for the season) and Jason Collins (sidelined for two weeks), has led to physical fatigue, which has led to mental fatigue.
Players are not nearly as aggressive as they were earlier in the season. They’re not sharing the ball as much. They’ve probably has lost some confidence.
“We didn’t respnd well to their runs,” coach Larry Drew said after the Phoenix game. “I just don’t see how we can respond as if the game’s over.”
Here’s what has become obvious: This team needs some help.
General manager Rick Sund’s ability to make a trade is hamstrung by payroll issues. Any significant acquisition would put the Hawks into a tax situation, and there’s no indication that ownership is willing to pay that premium. But Sund can’t afford to sit back and do nothing, but to assume these problems are just going away is a dangerous game.
The Hawks were just starting to get some deserved attention. But after three straight flat performances at home, they’re threatening to slip off the landscape again.
On that note: pitchers and catchers report in two weeks.
I’ll have more on this tomorrow after speaking to Drew, Sund and some players. But I wanted to get your early thoughts on this team.
The floor is yours.
By Jeff Schultz
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140 comments Add your comment
Trojan
February 7th, 2012
7:42 am
Other teams are looking to make moves to strengthen themselves, the Hawks don’t even make moves to survive.
This team is almost lost.
Sund: Get a PC.
ASG: Sell the Hawks.
Get Dwight!
February 7th, 2012
7:43 am
The hawks need to break the bank and get Dwight—pay him whatever his people demand! He’s worth it. dump some of this overpaid mediocre talent and make the move, ASAP!
The ATL = loserville
February 7th, 2012
7:44 am
One fluke sports title since 1966! Loserville!!!
Trojan
February 7th, 2012
7:47 am
It’s not the fault of the fans that the Hawks are the most poorly run organization in the NBA. We have the coach that cost the least, we have the GM that cost the least. We have the ownership that cares the least.
Horrible organization.
Joe Johnson
February 7th, 2012
7:51 am
Everyone calm down, I am still making $24 mil this year, I got this……
tony
February 7th, 2012
7:56 am
ekd
February 7th, 2012
7:33 am
who cares. it’s lazy tattoed thugs running around bouncing a ball. with that ball, they would be in that beating video. it should also not surprise anyone that teams in this city often go through choke or suck periods. cause they all suck
__________________________________________________
You prove my point young man. Let me ask you……which player on the hawk’s team is a thug? (Thug means a brutal ruffian or assassin) You said thugs……so give us a list of players on the hawk’s roster that are thugs and give us the nature of their crimes. If you can’t, then you are a racist insensitive humanbeing.
justaverage
February 7th, 2012
7:58 am
Go look at the team’s record, it says it all. They are 12-1 against teams below .500 and 4-8 against teams above .500. Even if they do manage to make the playoffs, which is pretty easy in the NBA, they won’t amount to anything as usual. Just plain average!!!!
Sage of Bluesland
February 7th, 2012
8:03 am
Want real change? Cut the funds.
If they move, it will be a blessing.
Don’t subsidize the incompetence by going to the game….you’re just prolonging the suffering.
Rosy Palmer
February 7th, 2012
8:17 am
Pretty stupid not to trade for a center. If its only all about the money then just forfeit the season. Why even have a team ?
Rosy Palmer
February 7th, 2012
8:28 am
all players with more than one tattoo is a thug IMO. If you look like a thug,smell like a thug,and act like a thug. You a thug !
Rosy Palmer
February 7th, 2012
8:30 am
Go to ANY prison in the USA. I’ll bet you $1,000 someone is in there (everyone of them) with 2 or more tattoos !
Rosy Palmer
February 7th, 2012
8:31 am
All the gangs (thugs) have lots of tattoos. Allen Iverson started the thug tattooed look.
Rosy Palmer
February 7th, 2012
8:38 am
Well maybe Dennis Rodman was the first one ?
T Dog
February 7th, 2012
8:55 am
I thought the NBA was on strike. I didn’t realize they had worked that out. Of course I’ve had no reason to worry about it being worked out. I knew what kind of ownership group we had with the Hawks so I wasn’t going to waste money going to see them anyway.
Jake
February 7th, 2012
9:12 am
We def need a big man. I would love Howard and anyone would, but either way we got to have a big man. There is no other way around it.
Starrman
February 7th, 2012
9:23 am
No one seems to notice ever time Kirk return for IR we have a drop off.The Hawks were playing better with Pargo backing up Teague.
Nope
February 7th, 2012
9:35 am
Maybe Drew can’t coach at this level. I understand that the players have to make the plays to win the games, but I never see this team play with consistent purpose or a consistent vision.
CDOG
February 7th, 2012
9:36 am
the suns won’t have another easy game like this no more this season.it was like shooting practice. nobodies on the suns hitting 3pointers whenever they wanted to.everything the hawks took were jump shots while the lowly suns got what they wanted to.they didn’t try to play defense. they made washed up steve nash look like majic johnson.only the hawks will.it’s like i been saying, rick sund doesn’t care.it’s like going bear hunting, rick sund don’t want to shoot the bear, he only want to be one of the hunters.larry drew just sits there and let officials take his game and says nothing.he muted to mike smith of the falcons? it’s not going to get any better but i’m not going to watch josh smith and joe johnson shoot the hawks out of games, and no defense is played plus there’s no inside game on either end of the co only thank you rick sund.someone said, GO HAWKS, ONLY THING, THEY’RE GOING BACKWARDS AND WILL CONTINUE AS LONG AS SUND IS THERE.
Sideline Dude
February 7th, 2012
9:42 am
The NBA just needs to shut down. Nothing but a bunch of thugs.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2012
9:49 am
Eric Hinske, the most tattooed thug in Atlanta sports.
LakeDawg
February 7th, 2012
9:59 am
Worst bunch of losers I’ve ever seen. For the hundredth time, I thought they might have finally matured and kicked their loser mentality. They were 16-6 and 4-1 on the road trip without Horford. Then, inexplicably, they come home and decide once again that they’re just gonna lie down and quit. I don’t understand what goes through their mind, but if I have to see Joe Johnson sitting on the bench with that glazed loser look in his eyes…..while the Hawks are being blown out by a mediocre team at home…..one more time, well I won’t see it, because I won’t be watching.
tony
February 7th, 2012
10:00 am
Najeh Davenpoop, please don’t be like them. Tattooing does not make person a thug. Tattooing correlates with the word hippie.
Hippie –
a usually young person who does not wish to live by the normal rules of society and who shows his rejection of these rules by his unusual clothes, habits etc
LakeDawg
February 7th, 2012
10:02 am
Sideline Dude
February 7th, 2012
9:42 am
The NBA just needs to shut down. Nothing but a bunch of thugs.
————————————————————————
I agree. It will save more time for your KKK meetings.
Baddabing
February 7th, 2012
10:04 am
Good points Jeff. They are just worn out, maybe even jet lag after that awful road trip. When they play with alot of energy they are as good as anybody in the league but they need another big banger or two to dish out some punishment inside. The opponents big men are just killing us despite good play by Ivan and Zaza. Jason Collins is too soft. Josh is faster and more athletic with his slimmed down body but can’t bully anyone in the paint anymore.
Jerry West
February 7th, 2012
10:06 am
To paraphrase that college football coach in NC, this team doesn’t have enough dog in em. Too many nice guys. You got a supposed score first PG who needs to be coaxed into being aggressive. A “star” who seems reluctant to be one, and gives up when things get rough (see Joe vs. Igoudala). A wild card (emphasis on wild) who may just as soon give you 13 rebounds as 5 – yet you rely on him for rebounding and shotblocking. And a couple nice guys in Marvin and Horford. All of whom also pout when things are going bad. That’s your core. The guy who seems to care the most/ consistently display good basketball IQ is a 27 year old undrafted rookie. What’s wrong with this picture?
NEED MORE DOG!
cdog
February 7th, 2012
10:12 am
only the hawks would make a washed up steve nash look good.the suns won’t have this kind of game no more this season.only against the prideless paycheck cashing hawks.i won’t watch joe johnson and josh smith shoot the team out early while the opposing teams shoot layups after layups.it’s like having shooting practice against the hawks.they don’t attempt to play defense.nobodies hit 3point shots on them.it’s easy as eating pie to score on the hawks.everything is jumpshots for them. they will miss the playoffs.as long as rick sund is GM, they will continue to go backward.in the hunt, sund don’t want to shoot the bear, he only want to be one of the hunters which is sad.larry drew is terrible also. he just sits there and let the officials take his games while he just smiles. he reminds me of mike smith of the falcons.someone said GO Hawks, THEY re except it’s backward.
cdog
February 7th, 2012
10:12 am
only the hawks would make a washed up steve nash look good.the suns won’t have this kind of game no more this season.only against the prideless paycheck cashing hawks.i won’t watch joe johnson and josh smith shoot the team out early while the opposing teams shoot layups after layups.it’s like having shooting practice against the hawks.they don’t attempt to play defense.nobodies hit 3point shots on them.it’s easy as eating pie to score on the hawks.everything is jumpshots for them. they will miss the playoffs.as long as rick sund is GM, they will continue to go backward.in the hunt, sund don’t want to shoot the bear, he only want to be one of the hunters which is sad.larry drew is terrible also. he just sits there and let the officials take his games while he just smiles. he reminds me of mike smith of the falcons.someone said GO Hawks, THEY re except it’s backward.
cdog
February 7th, 2012
10:12 am
only the hawks would make a washed up steve nash look good.the suns won’t have this kind of game no more this season.only against the prideless paycheck cashing hawks.i won’t watch joe johnson and josh smith shoot the team out early while the opposing teams shoot layups after layups.it’s like having shooting practice against the hawks.they don’t attempt to play defense.nobodies hit 3point shots on them.it’s easy as eating pie to score on the hawks.everything is jumpshots for them. they will miss the playoffs.as long as rick sund is GM, they will continue to go backward.in the hunt, sund don’t want to shoot the bear, he only want to be one of the hunters which is sad.larry drew is terrible also. he just sits there and let the officials take his games while he just smiles. he reminds me of mike smith of the falcons.someone said GO Hawks, THEY re except it’s backward.
turbo
February 7th, 2012
10:23 am
This team needs new ownership. if we can’t get new ownership, they need to fire Larry Drew and start making trades to rebuild. 4 PFs playing 4 different positions is not going to get us anywhere. these players are just collecting a paycheck and working on their own personal stats. we know it, they know it, whether or not management has a clue is beyond me, but i for one am no longer supporting this team until something drastic happens. we need a center, we need draft picks, we need a real coach who understands his personell and we need new ownership. and on top of that, Philips and ASG need to work together to create a memorable fan experience for those of us willing to shell out money to go to games. walking the catacombs of philps arena is an embarassment to this city. i’ve been to high school games that were more aesthetically pleasing than that dump attached to CNN center. everyone always complains about the fans yet the owners have never taken any steps to provide us with a quality product. i’ve been a die hard hawks fan since i moved here 4 years ago but i can no longer waste money on guaranteed frustration. i’d rather sit at home and watch other teams play. its not fair to the fans and its not fair to the players, who, while i think are generally lazy and immature, have no reason to change when everyone above them (owners, mgmt, etc) seem to not care either.
falCANS
February 7th, 2012
10:25 am
TRADE EVERYBODY EXVEPT JOSH SMITH AND JEFF TEAGUE
Bill Walton EMC
February 7th, 2012
10:37 am
Like all Atlanta teams (and Athens) always a buch of wannabees, the media portrays all the teams as the next coming when in reality they are mediocre at the very best. Hawks ??? R U kidding me, they beat up on the dregs of the league and you have the fans( the few they have) and media crooning over them, then BOOM they finally play a few decent teams (oops look at the SUNS record) at home no less and aren’t even competitive. No Alice, the Hawks are not very good, but no bad enough to be getting a lottery pick, like Atlanta they are stuck in mediocrity forever!
Drewcat
February 7th, 2012
10:38 am
*In an exasperated voice*
SUND, GET A DAMN BIG MAN!!!
cpsman_atlanta
February 7th, 2012
10:40 am
The issue is obviously. Atlanta Spirit Group, LLC., decided many years ago to buy Phillips Arena, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Atlanta Thrashers. However, out of those three items, they only wanted the Hawks. They proved that time and time again, lawsuit after lawsuit, that it was all about basketball.
They sold one of the only enjoyable experiences at the arena in the Atlanta Thrashers, and then Gearon stood in front of a microphone and put some fake tears together for everyone to view, thinking he actually cared. Those that have followed the situation over the years knew better.
Because of that, thousands of people, including myself, will never step foot inside Phillips Arena again until the Hawks and the arena are sold to another group, and every member of Atlanta Spirit Group is out of the picture. It will be a start of a healing process that will take years to fix, but I believe it will happen soon.
Gary Bettman isn’t stupid. He didn’t want Atlanta to lose the Thrashers. He wanted the NHL to lose Atlanta Spirit Group. This makes him one of the smartest business leaders ever to do business with the city.
The NHL will return sooner than most people think…. All it takes is an exit by Atlanta Spirit Group.
Dr. Einstein
February 7th, 2012
10:44 am
Easy to spot the Hawks problem, they might have the lowest set of IQ’s in the league. Yes Cubbie they are not very bright people, despite the money thrown at them -which they will undoubtebly lose in the future –i.e Look at D Wilkins –broke even while he was still playing–face it the NBA is a collection of athletic, not very smart –no stupid–people, I love it when people sya ohh too many games this week –or ohh jet lag –LOL when tens of thousands of averag joes travel all week, go to work all day -not 48 minutes–and somehow surviveand prosper.. Listen the next time they interview Hawks player –hard to believe they could spell CAT given the C & the T
Max Joe
February 7th, 2012
10:47 am
Max Joe—$18 million, then $19 million.. up to $24 million / year!!! 17 points–YES!!!! Pay Joe more money!!!!
Matt from MN
February 7th, 2012
11:26 am
You know, I used to think I just didn’t care about NBA basketball. But watching Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love bring some respect back to the forlorn Timberwolves, has made me realize I just hate the woeful Hawks.
Jim
February 7th, 2012
11:36 am
Rick Sund should be the one fired–he has a history of “doing nothing” If the owners want to save money get rid of Sund and don’t replace him since he does nothing anyway.
Troy Everett
February 7th, 2012
11:44 am
I don’t think I have ever seen a team lay down like the Hawks lay down. They did it in the playoffs a few years ago against Orlando, from which Woody was fired. They do it often during regular season games. This team only has a hand full of competitors (Teague, Ivan, Green, Pargo). Those guys are not the most talented bunch, but they give 110% each time they’re on the floor.
The rest of the guys have no heart or competitive spirit. They just go through the motions. How on earth can you make millions and give no effort? Teams like the Hornets, Timberwolves, and Bucks suck. However, I see the players on those teams give 110% every night. I’d rather go to battle with guys like that rather than talented guys (Smith, Johnson) who have no heart.
Troy Everett
February 7th, 2012
11:48 am
And Larry Drew …
Why has Teague’s minutes been so spotty since Hinrich’s return? It’s like Drew doesn’t trust Teague anymore. More of that old Woody doctrine of going with the veteran player. Look, Hinrich is a nice player. However, this is Teague’s team. I’m afraid Drew is going to stunt Teague’s growth with these antics.
Common Sense
February 7th, 2012
11:48 am
I am a Hawks fan and have been for years but if you think I’m going to leave the comfort of my recliner and my HD TV with cold beer and a private bathroom mere feet away for a 20 mile (one way) drive to downtown Atlanta for $10 parking, $25 nose-bleed seats and $4 flat beer in order to pay for the ridiculous salaries of NBA players playing for an organization that has very little hope of fielding an elite team then you are out of your freaking mind. And please, don’t tell me I’m a bad fan because of my views. I’m raising a family and I have to make realistic choices as to how to spend my entertainment dollars. I love the Braves and Falcons, too, but actually attending games is probably not going to happen. I’ll watch them on TV and listen on the radio and show my support as best as I can but professional sports have simply priced themselves out of my budget.
Troy Everett
February 7th, 2012
11:52 am
And Lastly … why does ASG have that stupid guy at Hawks games playing the keyboard in the corner? How annoying! Can they not afford to hire a real DJ to play appropriate music at key times of the games? Most other arenas do. Instead of just playing the actual recording of current hits, this poor guy just belts it out on his keyboard. WTH.
Steve Hawes
February 7th, 2012
11:54 am
I can still be a force inside!!!
Arthur Blank
February 7th, 2012
11:57 am
Is the team for sale? I’d like to buy…(winning!).
Double Zero Eight
February 7th, 2012
11:58 am
Looks like we are relegated to playing “Fantasy Basketball”
again. Reality has reared its ugly head….they are a team
mired in mediocrity.
JSS
February 7th, 2012
12:02 pm
Never let an observational point of sarcasm get in the way of seeing the forest for the trees!
Ain’t that right Josh Hamilton and Cherokee Parks! Words that should be dropped from certain silly bloggers lexicon, thug and troll…
Small business owner
February 7th, 2012
12:04 pm
Wow, why don’t we fire Rick Sund and get you bloggers to run the team. I know let’s sign Dwight, Lebron and Chris Paul!
Seriously, do y’all know where the Hawks ranked in the NBA in Payroll? Let’s blow the team up so we can sign Isiah Rider and stink for 10 years…..wait we already tried that. Hawks are a good team having a rough patch.
Snake Bit
February 7th, 2012
12:06 pm
Leave aside (please) the racists and the “no one goes downtown” crowd. The real problem is the Hawks themselves. They never miss a chance to miss an opportunity. The football season ends and it is an ideal time for a team to say – “Hey, look at us!” They come home after a great road trip and crap the bed three straight nights at home. There was a real chance to generate some buzz about this team but it’s all just more negativity. Attendance sucks. I have real doubts that this city – which should be an elite NBA venue – can support this lackluster franchise. All that money for Sleepy Joe Johnson was wasted. Larry Drew? Please. It’s a boring team. Josh Smith gets his sportscenter highlights, so what. The NBA could use some contraction and ATL would be a candidate.
Kurt
February 7th, 2012
12:43 pm
Hawks are pretenders anyway no one in there right mind expects them to be championship contenders so it really don’t matter the Hawks suck plain and simple.
Haileysdad
February 7th, 2012
12:49 pm
Theres no one to blame but Sund. The payroll for this team is hamstrung by JJ’s contract. This is beating a dead horse but theres no other way to analyze it. He shld be fired for such a mistake and not allowed to continue to make more. Its a sad thing to watch right now. This team has played its heart out considering they have known the problem our center position is. Ive followed this team for 30 yrs. Its pathetic to watch a team that was so close ruined by mismanagement! All we needed was a little more flexibility…
osh
February 7th, 2012
12:50 pm
it’s osh smith cause he ain’t got no J!