Hawks can’t take on world when they look like Munchkins
Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and the Hawks are looking smaller by the game. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
It would be unfair to assume that the Hawks are crumbling after three consecutive home debacles, just as it would’ve been presumptuous to believe that a team without Al Horford (and his backup) could maintain a 16-6 pace for the rest of the NBA season.
But at the very least, this basketball team has slipped into that uncomfortable zone between concern and panic. I call it: trouble.
They look fatigued. They look disinterested or lost or, worst of all, hopeless. They certainly look short. A team loses the 6-foot-10 Horford and the 7-0 Jason Collins, and suddenly you half-expect 6-8 “center” Ivan Johnson and two members of the Lollipop Guild to run on to the court wearing colored shorts and striped leggings and start singing to Dorothy.
Yes. It’s only three games. If the Hawks can rebound and defeat Indiana on Wednesday night in their half-empty home of Philips Arena, they will be 17-9 and still own one of the better records in the Eastern Conference.
But this is the NBA. Size matters, guys.
“We certainly need another big body here,” coach Larry Drew said.
Also, maybe therapy. It’s natural that after a stretch that has seen the Hawks trail by 20-plus points in three consecutive home losses, Drew wonders where his players’ heads are at.
“As much as you don’t want it to affect your team players, it’s got to be in the back of their minds — it’s got to be,” he said. “Hopefully they can move forward and get through this.”
It’s easy to scream, “Make a trade!” But the Hawks are handicapped in that area in so many ways. They’re not in a situation where they can take on salary. They’re also not in a position to move significant pieces off this team without blowing up the roster because their biggest trade asset (Horford) is injured.
Finally, look around: Teams aren’t really making trades right now in this compact and late-getting-started NBA season.
Kenyon Martin, a street free agent, would’ve been a nice piece. But he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers for an amount (reportedly $2.5 million) the Hawks couldn’t come close to. (It also helped the Clippers that Martin wanted to play with his friend, Chauncey Billups.)
So general manager Rick Sund has been looking at a list of players who either weren’t good enough to make an NBA roster or are toiling in the “D” league.
Got news for you: At this point, I think the 7-foot juggler on the unicycle, just to the left of dancing elephants, looks good. The lack of size in the middle is forcing almost every other Hawk to play out of position at some point and get worn down, mentally and physically.
The Hawks are a fragile team even when they’re at full strength. Now they’re fragile and teetering on the edge of the top shelf.
Memphis led by 10 at halftime and outscored them 26-12 in the third. Philadelphia walked over the Hawks’ defense with a 37-point third quarter. Phoenix never trailed after late in first quarter and shot 52 percent to the Hawks’ 39.
“I hope we’re not in a situation where some of these guys have hit a wall already because there’s just too much basketball that has to be played,” Drew said.
It’s nobody’s fault that Horford and Collins got hurt. But fixing it? That’s on Sund.
Yes, he’s in a difficult situation, but he gets paid for difficult situations. Doing nothing is beyond dangerous, unless the mindset of the organization is, “Well, let’s just try to make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed.”
Sund says he’s not opposed to making a trade. But he acknowledges, “Having a full roster and a full season would make that easier.”
When the Hawks were rolling during the road trip, Sund said a player approached him and asked the general manager if he had any concerns about the team.
Sund’s response: “I wanted to see how we would respond when there’s a bump in the road, like a losing streak.”
This qualifies as a bump. We’re about to find out something. Prepare to cover your eyes.
By Jeff Schultz
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121 comments Add your comment
Atlanta Spirit Sucks
February 7th, 2012
4:20 pm
Don Waddell would say this team is moving in the right direction.
Let's Be Honest
February 7th, 2012
4:21 pm
What a joke of a franchise. “Let’s see..” “if” “maybe”
Do these clowns think Rose, Lebron, Wade, and Dwight are all going to get injured for the season paving the way for them?
It’s over, kids. Time to blow up this soft, mentally-weak group of bums.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2012
4:22 pm
“It’s easy to scream, “Make a trade!” But the Hawks are handicapped in that area in so many ways. They’re not in a situation where they can take on salary. They’re also not in a position to move significant pieces off this team without blowing up the roster because their biggest trade asset (Horford) is injured.”
They have an $8 million expiring contract in Kirk Hinrich, who isn’t even playing particularly well. Trade Kirk for a big man.
GET A DAMN BIG MAN SUND
Lon Stotts
February 7th, 2012
4:26 pm
Nice to hear LD acknowledge that another big body is needed. Maybe that will impel Sund to actually do something, like, I don’t know, sign Fesenko to a measly 10-day? Dude is 7′1″ 280 lbs, I don’t care if his feet are on backwards, that’s gotta count for something.
You want an indication on the pulse of this team? Ivan Johnson has been the most consistent player in the last two games. We need ten more Ivans, the guy is an NBA (and pro sports) anomaly with his “just play” attitude.
And guess what Schultzie: “let’s just make the playoffs” is the mindset of this organization.
Steve Belkin's ghost
February 7th, 2012
4:29 pm
A hahahahahahahaha, Bwahaaaahahahaa! Hoohehahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
honest_abe
February 7th, 2012
4:32 pm
najeh is that guy going around the blogs trying to convince the ajc readers that the hawks are in a better place than the falcons.
first of all, who care? i thought most atlantans were fans of teams based out of atlanta. i didn’t know it was a contest between the two clubs.
secondly, really? a team with one of the worst owners in sports history compared to possibly the best atlanta sports owner ever?
thirdly, mike vick ain’t coming back so wipe away those crocodile tears and move on.
hawks suck and until they get rid of josh smith they’ll be irrelevant.
Sloan
February 7th, 2012
4:35 pm
Crickets?
Gary O
February 7th, 2012
4:40 pm
Sund says he’s not opposed to making a trade. But he acknowledges, “Having a full roster and a full season would make that easier.”.
Sometimes I wonder how does Sund keep his job as a GM this long. Where is the creativity? I guess he is the kind of puppet the ASG is looking for.
Jody
February 7th, 2012
4:43 pm
@Jeff,
Why do you say Horford is the biggest trading chip? With Josh only having one more year on his deal and sure to ask for a truck load to re-sign, wouldn’t he be on the trading block? Or did Sund tell you something off the record?
Let's Be Honest
February 7th, 2012
4:44 pm
Who handed out all of these dumb contract extensions?????
Steve
February 7th, 2012
4:46 pm
Nobody cares about the Hawks. It’s not like they would have gotton past the second round this year anyway. Time to blow-up the team and start all over, again. 11,800 tickets sold for last night? Wow. I would dare to say only 8,000 or so showed up. Memphis, Toronto, and even Charlotte are averaging more per fans per game. Spring training will be here soon!
Let's Be Honest
February 7th, 2012
4:47 pm
Josh is not a leader. He’s never lead any team to anything worth mentioning. Horford at least has some college titles on his resume, plus the respect of his peers.
Clowns on here think Josh would breakout thi sseason because he lost a little weight? LMAO
Leaders are born, not made. Giving them more money won’t make them step up, look at Joe. Got his money and still the same sidekick deflecting responsibility.
Idiots!
Bravesfan79
February 7th, 2012
4:49 pm
Im a hardcore GT, Braves, Falcons, Hawks fan; and im sure there are thousands more just like me that dont roam the blogs daily.
The Hawks will be in good position as long as they get a top 6 spot in the playoffs. Having Horford back for the playoffs would be huge, and anything is possible then. And anyone who says “blow it up” is a moron… go root for the knicks or nets you idiot.
Let's Be Honest
February 7th, 2012
4:50 pm
Trading for somebody’s backup big ain’t saving this sinking ship!
Wake up, Atlanta!
Steve
February 7th, 2012
4:54 pm
“Bravesfan79″ are you kidding? Do you really see this team doing anything special this year or next year? Time to start over like they did several years ago. This team, even with Horford, would not get past Miami or Chicago. Probably not even Philly or Boston.
Fisch Bisch
February 7th, 2012
4:54 pm
First!
LakeDawg
February 7th, 2012
4:57 pm
What’s disconcerting is that we’ve all seen this before. For some unknown reason, the Hawks have decided to quit on the season, just as they were finally taking the next step. I guess it got a little too tough. This bunch will never win anything, except for JJ winning the lotto, er salary competition and Smoove winning the griping contest for not making the allstar team.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2012
4:58 pm
honest abe, did the Falcons win a playoff game last night while I was sleeping?
No?
Then they are not better than the Hawks.
LakeDawg
February 7th, 2012
4:59 pm
BLOW IT UP!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2012
4:59 pm
“first of all, who care?”
Evidently you do since you brought it up on this commenting thread out of the blue for no apparent reason.
honest_abe
February 7th, 2012
5:04 pm
nope, just saw you on a couple of blogs trying to convince people that the hawks are better than the falcons. what an inane argument.
seriously dude your mike vick infatuation won’t go away. pretty silly if you ask me. just callin it like i see it.
joey gt1
February 7th, 2012
5:08 pm
being a longtime hawks fan is hard… they are so frustrating to watch…one game they look like championship contenders and they other they look like a lottery bound team..al horford being out has been harder for the hawks then expected bc while the hawks were winning it was against smaller teams..look the last thre games we have faced 3 bigger teams as in pf and the c postion and we got dominated.. sund we need to get a competant big in here pronto.. if not this losing streak with the hawks will get worse
joey gt1
February 7th, 2012
5:12 pm
honestabe,
r u kidding , im a falcon and hawk fan, and in the past 5 years the hawks have aleast advance in the playoff.. with their terrible owners, the falcons have a great owner who keeps bringing in talent and the falcon cant get out of the first round.. falcon under achieving.. hawks over achieving.. even due to bad ownership
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2012
5:13 pm
“nope, just saw you on a couple of blogs trying to convince people that the hawks are better than the falcons. what an inane argument.
seriously dude your mike vick infatuation won’t go away. pretty silly if you ask me. just callin it like i see it.”
I haven’t mentioned Vick once throughout that entire discussion. You may not have noticed, but Vick doesn’t play for the Hawks. Nice try though.
Bravesfan79
February 7th, 2012
5:16 pm
Steve: Blowing it up and starting over is so overrated. How well has it worked for the Wizards, or the Warriors? Ill take having a top 4 eastern confrence team any day over having 15 win seasons!!
Why blow it up, when a major trade (like landing Howard) would make us a title contender!
Gary O
February 7th, 2012
5:18 pm
Josh is not their best trade chip, because after this year, he only has 1 year left. Therefore, a team trading for him could lose him to free agency after 1 year.
Horford, on the other hand, has 4 years, $48 mil left after this year. So the team will control him for at least 4 more years, at a salary that’s not too overpriced like some of the other centers out there.
Bravesfan79
February 7th, 2012
5:20 pm
And you cant say the Hawks havent been a top 4 east team the past 3 years. You sound like chicken little “the sky is falling”….. just think, just a few months ago, if you were a Giants fan you would of been saying the same thing about them probably.
Sad Sack
February 7th, 2012
5:20 pm
Maybe they should have just skipped this season.
Count von Count
February 7th, 2012
5:22 pm
A Tuesday Countdown would have been a better use of your time.
Steve
February 7th, 2012
5:29 pm
Hate to ruin your day but Howard is not coming to Atlanta.
Who Cares
February 7th, 2012
5:36 pm
Football is over. That can only mean one thing. Baseball is just around the corner. Basketball season is that dead time in between.
keith
February 7th, 2012
5:49 pm
I wouldn’t want Dwight Howard here anyway. He doesnt like our owners or his hometown and we would have to give up the entire team for him. We would be Orlando in Atlanta but worse.
HawksRealist
February 7th, 2012
5:53 pm
It doesn’t even make sense for the Hawks to make some of the moves Jeff talked about because they’re in the luxury tax.
kbb
February 7th, 2012
5:53 pm
The Spirit Group is on food stamps. We dont have one good center on the roster. Horford is a PF, Zsa Zsa is 3rd stringer level of talent. Collins shouldn’t even be in the NBA.
Lon Stotts
February 7th, 2012
5:55 pm
The problem with being a Hawks fan is that going to the games and actively supporting the team is a Catch-22. You want to go out and show your love for the players (at least when they’re playing hard), but by paying money to do so, you’re supporting the same entity that has put the organization in such a crappy place.
Tyler Perry, highest paid man in entertainment, your movies are officially a joke! Redeem yourself and crush the Knicks and Spike Lee every year by owning and building a juggernaut in your hometown Hawks! The fans will show up and love you for it!
doc
February 7th, 2012
5:57 pm
yeah rick, lets wait until they prove you and the basg wrong and everyone else in town that remotely follows this team knew all along we need a crowd of talls and we had none. call it bad luck when twin went down? i call it fortuitous as it now forces your hand to get a real tall guy in here that might be able to do more than set the occasional pick and take up space on the defensive end. god forbid getting a tall guy in here that can expand his wing span and move to maybe block a shot or maybe grab a rebound or how about this maybe do a pick and roll with a guard, make a shot from inside 10 feet or get an easy bucket on a put back. maybe 2 of those 5 would work instead of all those criteria.
the hawks are never going to get the easy baskets the way they are set up. realistically if dwight were here it would be his perfect mates only he isnt. time is past rick to get er dun. the problem is his motto as expressed on 680 to chuck and chernoff if every team loses a few in a row. the problem with that insight is he also follows with the idea you cant panic in the same sentence.
people are quickly losing interest those that havent walked away due to the strike. the other third wont be back either if they dont find an answer. yi was picked up by the mavs after the season started for example. the talls were out there, not now without a trade that could have been made for a second round draft pick or a draft pick not sold on draft day.
CSD
February 7th, 2012
6:00 pm
“Finally, look around: Teams aren’t really making trades right now in this compact and late-getting-started NBA season.”
Fail
Big Crimson 75
February 7th, 2012
6:01 pm
What has happened to Josh Smith ????
CSD
February 7th, 2012
6:08 pm
Seriously can you stop with this there were and are no bigs available this year crap. 3 teams this season specifically went out and got bigs in trades to fill a need on their team. Charlotte got Byron Mullens, New Jersey got Mehmet Okur and Memphis got Marreese Speights. Those teams made deals and got bigs. They stop with this there is nothing we can do let’s hope for the best poor, no options Hawks stuff. Grow a pair and make a move, or at least keep your backup center you drafted and pay a few bucks in luxury tax.
LakeDawg
February 7th, 2012
6:16 pm
Blow it up! I’m tired of looking at the faces of JJ, Smoove, and Williams. I don’t care if its an improvement or not.
Luke Cage
February 7th, 2012
6:17 pm
Amen@CSD!!
Luke Cage
February 7th, 2012
6:19 pm
In this day and age in order to win you gotta pay the money to get the best players, being chicken Sh!t about going over the luxury tax is not what fans want to hear.
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:22 pm
I dont care if people say Atlanta Hawks fans go crazy over a slump, its because we dont do anything about it. We got the same players, that have rolled over time and time again through the years, play well in spurts, then go away again. Joe Johnson is too nice and not a superstar, but we payed him like he is the best superstar in the league. Josh Smith will never get it, and sometimes I think he wants to be traded because he probably could play consistent all the time. Hiring Larry Drew was an absoulute low blow to Hawks fans, because it showed that we 1. cannot get quality coaches or do not want to pay for quality, and 2. cannot get free agents to come here. Its like when we overpaid for Alan Henderson, we will have to wait until Johnson’s contract runs out or trade him, we are not going anywhere with him.
JSS
February 7th, 2012
6:23 pm
Somebody on Food Stamps would have made a conference finals by now; they know how to .stretch a dollar effectively. No, the Falcons and Braves are like the middle class family who likes for their neighbors to think that they have assets that everyone wants… But when actually look under the hood, that car has a drive shaft that is on its last legs!
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:24 pm
I would rather my Atlanta Hawks team be irrelavant, and start over and try again like the middle of the road Mookie, Smitty, and Mutombo days. I want a high draft pick!
Luke Cage
February 7th, 2012
6:27 pm
@Keith
had a #2 pick and they screwed it up, going to take multiple draft picks and an eye for talent.
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:29 pm
@ Luke Cage, I agree we had the #2 pick and picked up Marvin Williams, oh the great Billy Knight. Even my friends that watched the draft with me were like, why didnt you guys take Chris Paul or Deron Williams, I thought you guys needed a point guard….
Jerry Sanduskey
February 7th, 2012
6:30 pm
Time for the Hawks to hit the showers!
Luke Cage
February 7th, 2012
6:35 pm
Bottom line these guys are going back to playing selfish again, there’s very little ball movement and for some reason the players won’t let Jeff run the team. So Jeff if you gotta get in these guys faces and get on them that your running this team then stand up and do so, screw whose toes your stepping on!!
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:39 pm
Jeff Teague has got to take the reins, they even said they will go as far as he takes them, because he is the only way for improvement from within. These guys need a reality check, and a psychiatrist.
Rick Sund
February 7th, 2012
6:42 pm
You fans should not EXPECT SO MUCH. There is PLENTY of UPSIDE to this team. I mean you have Joe “Superstar” Johnson and Josh “High Basketball IQ” Smith. I wish you fans would understand that Rome wasn’t BUILT IN A DAY. Just wait when Marvin steps it up because he has plenty of POTENTIAL. Larry Drew does an EXCELLENT job, especially without Horford. I know we spend money, we have the SEVENTH HIGHEST payroll and we wanted to make sure that we kept our CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER CORE together. Every season has its UPS and DOWNS. Hope to see you all tomorrow for CHIK FILA FAMILY NIGHT. Thats 4 tickets, 4 Sandwiches, 4 Cokes, and 4 popcorns for a low price to watch a QUALITY TEAM
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:43 pm
Good job Rick….
Joe
February 7th, 2012
6:48 pm
How about Sund get ‘BUMPED” out of the ATL!!!
Rick Sund
February 7th, 2012
6:49 pm
Our goal this year was to win THREE GAMES in the SECOND ROUND because around here the key word for each and every season is IMPROVEMENT. We don’t really need a BIG MAN now because we have ZAZA and IVAN. ZAZA is BULLY down in the paint, don’t you see how he BLOCKS PEOPLE OUT WHEN GOING FOR REBOUNDS. You know he is tough, don’t you remember him BOWING UP TO KEVIN GARNETT. That is why we gave him another contract. L.D. is rapidly turning into one of the ELITE COACHES. He makes GREAT IN GAME ADJUSTMENTS and he GREAT ROTATION. I love how he allowed Josh to OPEN HIS GAME UP BY SHOOTING JUMPERS. This has allowed Josh to even be a GREAT AT SHOOTING FREE THROWS. Marvin should be on the ALL STAR BALLOT, because his game has IMPROVED through CONSISTENCY.
Rick Sund
February 7th, 2012
6:54 pm
As my boss Gearon said, we have had MORE SUCCESS in the playoffs than any other team in Atlanta. Remember we are STILL YOUNG and have MUCH TIME TO BUILD OFF OUR SUCCESS. We may look like MUNCHKINS, but we have HEART OF GIANTS. With Josh’s INTELLIGENCE and BASKETBALL SAVVY, we have become a better team especially on FAST BREAKS AND THREE POINTERS. Josh is a 5 TOOL PLAYER. He can DRIBBLE, SHOOT, PASS, HARDLY EVER TURNS THE BALL OVER AND KEEPS HIS HEAD DURING GAMES. Why would you people want to trade him? You UNGRATEFUL FANS!
Nerehere
February 7th, 2012
7:01 pm
Jeff won’t make no waves. He just wants to get along till his contract runs out and play for a west coast team.
keith
February 7th, 2012
7:03 pm
LMAO @ Rick Sund. Well at least you tell it like it is Rick, we will see if the hawks can IMPROVE and win three games in the second round.
Disgusted
February 7th, 2012
7:11 pm
“And you cant say the Hawks havent been a top 4 east team the past 3 years. You sound like chicken little “the sky is falling”….. just think, just a few months ago, if you were a Giants fan you would of been saying the same thing about them probably”
The Hawks do not have the pedigree or history that the Giants have and never will. It is what it is, and this is a typical Hawks season which is not terribly bad, but no way they get past round two.
A healthy Horford and it could be interesting, but cannot go there now. Its part of the game.
Starting over is always dangerous, no one really wants to go back to 13-69. And who knows how the ping pong balls go in the lottery or will they be smart with a high pick and pass on a Chris Paul type again, or draft a Sheldon Williams with a top 5 pick.
Overall, its not that bad, but these owners need to go. Too much bad PR blood.
They have not been too bad on the basketball side, but they did too much damage on the hockey team that got exited out of town in a nice hurry after the law suit got settled.
keith
February 7th, 2012
7:18 pm
I was excited when I heard Alex Muerulo had bought the team, only to be twarted because they said he didnt have the money to buy them. The Hawks definately need a sole owner, I just wish one would step forward and make fans respect the product.
max joe
February 7th, 2012
7:25 pm
just get max joe some more money and things will be good–he make $18 mil this year, $24 mil in couple of years, but he need more money or he not happy. Pay up chumps!
moorman
February 7th, 2012
7:26 pm
hard to get excited for a team thats never made it to the conference finals…………..
phil
February 7th, 2012
7:27 pm
Big Crimson 75
February 7th, 2012
6:01 pm
What has happened to Josh Smith ????
******
What has happened? Where have you been? His brain is the size of an Oreo cookie.
My tater tots smell like dog
February 7th, 2012
7:28 pm
I miss the Thrashers
phil
February 7th, 2012
7:31 pm
Rick Sund
February 7th, 2012
6:42 pm
You fans should not EXPECT SO MUCH. There is PLENTY of UPSIDE to this team. I mean you have Joe “Superstar” Johnson and Josh “High Basketball IQ” Smith. I wish you fans would understand that Rome wasn’t BUILT IN A DAY. Just wait when Marvin steps it up because he has plenty of POTENTIAL. Larry Drew does an EXCELLENT job, especially without Horford. I know we spend money, we have the SEVENTH HIGHEST payroll and we wanted to make sure that we kept our CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER CORE together. Every season has its UPS and DOWNS. Hope to see you all tomorrow for CHIK FILA FAMILY NIGHT. Thats 4 tickets, 4 Sandwiches, 4 Cokes, and 4 popcorns for a low price to watch a QUALITY TEAM
*****
we agree, Rick. 44 years is way too soon to expect ultimate success….
Or even ANY real playoff success. Our bad.
Nerehere
February 7th, 2012
7:35 pm
Let’s add a free gospel concert or country western concert, cause we don’t want no “undesireables” coming into our good family values arena.
phil
February 7th, 2012
7:36 pm
Fire FG!!
Fire LD!!
Fire MS!!
Fire MF!!
Fire CMR!!
Fire CPJ!!
phil
February 7th, 2012
7:37 pm
Nerehere – amen to that!
keith
February 7th, 2012
7:38 pm
At least most of them A-town dancers are hot
superiorblogman
February 7th, 2012
7:43 pm
The sensible thing to do is trade Josh Smith for a lotto pick and just tank.
Having 2 lotto picks in this draft is greater than any feasible guy we could get in a trade.
If we are not getting Hibbert, Noah, D12, McGee, Brook Lopez, or Bynum we are not going to take a true step forward with a trade.
I would rather trade Josh for a lotto, tank for a lotto.
Jeff
Joe
Perry Jones III/Kidd Gilchrist/Harrison Barnes
Al
Andre Drummond
or
Joe
Jeff
Perry Jones III/Kidd Gilchrist/Barnes
Anthony Davis
Al
Much closer to a championship team that trading Josh for anything less than one of the before mentioned centers
keith
February 7th, 2012
7:46 pm
Im with you superiorblogman, No trade make us better, but a salary dump of Josh, add in Marvin, and maybe Kirk for some draft picks and young players. This will at least help us rebuild and get some young assests
keith
February 7th, 2012
7:54 pm
Even though Rick Sund is incompetent IMO, I think he is going to sit and see how the hawks do until after the All-Star break. Last year he did go get Kirk Hinrich, so I wont put it past him that he wont make a move. If the Hawks keep blowing games, he will make a move for future. If they improve, I think you make a move for this year. In any situation, they need to at least sign Fesenko and get some length in here.
hip the thing
February 7th, 2012
7:56 pm
they need more hip hop music during the breaks–the stuff they play now is too lame. they need to do stuff to get more african-americans to the games and cut prices.
kbb
February 7th, 2012
8:08 pm
Sign Fasenko. He is like 5x the player that Twin is
Paddy
February 7th, 2012
8:21 pm
This team is headed in the direction we knew they were going to go. And a 1/2 filled arena is being very optimistic.
Paddy
February 7th, 2012
8:23 pm
hip the thing……marketing is not your stong suit, is it. WOW.
Grandmaster JeJe
February 7th, 2012
8:38 pm
Sund says he’s not opposed to making a trade. But he acknowledges, “Having a full roster and a full season would make that easier.”.
He doesn’t make trades regardless
PALM BEACH BARON
February 7th, 2012
8:57 pm
There’s a pile of 6-11 7 7 foot guys out there now waiting for a phone call. To not have one of them on the roster now is stupidity. Trades? Trade Marvin Williams – a signified draft bust. Put him, Horford and K-man together with a 1st round pick and get Howard – no team can match that trade value for Orlando.
W.R.Terrell
February 7th, 2012
9:14 pm
Here’s a quick fix. (1)JOSH SMITH rebounds, block shots, give the ball to the point guard, keep the ball moving and shoots nothing beyond 4 feet from the basket (2) JOE JOHNSON catch and shoot and if the shot is not there keep the ball moving (3) HOW BOUT cutting to the basket fellas, setting picks and blocking out (4) MARVIN you’re a small forward who plays like a small guard and you got all that wing span and 6′9 in height. I have no prob with ZaZa, he’ll give you the BANGS for the bucks. Benching some of the starters is a good idea, the question is who?
Dawgs Man
February 7th, 2012
9:52 pm
How about we trade Josh Smith for a mop?
Rusty
February 7th, 2012
10:08 pm
People say let JT run the team,what chance does he have when the coach is against him.LD will set his azz down quick.
tree rollins
February 7th, 2012
10:09 pm
I hates to say it but I’ve been working out and I’m ready to play Coach Drew – let’s talk money!
tree rollins
February 7th, 2012
10:11 pm
Me and Chris Washburn can still dunk it – don’t roll your eyes…
lux
February 7th, 2012
10:11 pm
Trade Marvin Williams and Kirk Hinrich for Al Jefferson ! Win-Win
Rusty
February 7th, 2012
10:23 pm
Lux you don’t really believe Marvin & Kirk will get you Jefferson.
B'Red
February 7th, 2012
10:37 pm
get rid of Joe and that fat a– Contract, and I get so sick of Dominique calling him a superstar. He is just an overpaid average Joe who does not live up the his billing. Marvin need to be somewhere in the Dleage, I cant see him making the roster on any other team in the NBA. This organization keep making bad moves and then try to live with them. Joe Johnson is the last person on the team I want to see with the ball in his hand with the game on the line.
tom
February 7th, 2012
11:05 pm
it’s time to seriously become a dream fan
Flat
February 7th, 2012
11:26 pm
The starters on this team have no heart and/or competitive strength. As soon as a something bad happens in a game such as quick run by their opponent, they fold like napkins. At least the second string guys against the Suns came in and played hard. No team leadership and maybe even basketball IQ. That goes from the front office on down, Sad to see.
jack
February 8th, 2012
12:06 am
why is anyone surprised ??? Isn’t this the typical Hawks routine ?? Come on blazing in the first part of the year,,and then suck when it matters most. Same song every single year.
lux
February 8th, 2012
12:20 am
Rusty
Marvin Williams and Kirk Hinrich and first around pick for Al Jefferson ,
Jazz recently start Jamaal Tinsley and Josh Howard, and they really need a PG/SG.
How about that? Just for another year ,then we rebuild the team.
superiorblogman
February 8th, 2012
1:32 am
I mean another alternative is to get a go to guy like Monta Ellis to push Joe down to 2nd option since it is clear he is not a 1st option. Forget the leadership stuff he is not a valid 1st option.
I would look into getting a legit starting C for Josh but I don’t think we can.
2nd thing I would look into would be getting Monta or Bargnani without giving up Josh, Al, or Joe. This would effectively move Joe down to the 2nd scoring option and relieve him of some scoring and creating pressure.
Last thing I would look into is actually my preference of simply trading Josh for a lotto pick then tanking for a lotto pick. Ending up with 2 lotto picks. Al, Joe, and Jeff to build around.
Total wipeout
February 8th, 2012
3:09 am
Ah Sund Paid to GM and make excuse’s he the Don(teflon)Waddell of hockey so ASG feels they get a NHL team here wrong sorces say they in atlanta blew it so we never see a NHL team again unless someone else builds a New arena for hockey by atlanta Falcons new staduim then could as long ASG owns the team logo n arena not even a Minor league team will ASG will block the mayor Reed will just get paid 100,000 under the table to not say anythin more…..Face it if blank gets a new Outdoor stadium maybe he buy enough space to place a 19,000 arena for hockey n basketball too and Phoenix see this and Moves to atlanta in 2016
Jimmy Crack
February 8th, 2012
7:06 am
When a team is courting a player of need, try to impress guys. I just heard Larry Drew saying they had Kenyon Martin in to watch the game last week against Memphis. He said he heard Kenyon was “high” on the Hawks and considering joining the team. That was, of course, until Atlanta got mauled by the Grizzlies at home 96-77. Bye, bye Kenyon.
Chad
February 8th, 2012
7:18 am
With Hamady N’Diaye being waived, do the Hawks look at picking him up?
Trojan
February 8th, 2012
7:37 am
Come on Sund, at least attempt to do your job.
229 Bravesfan
February 8th, 2012
7:37 am
There is no hope for the Hawks. But Spring Training starts in 2 weeks, so GO BRAVES!!!
STRETCH
February 8th, 2012
8:03 am
Does Sund not hear what the people are saying? And more important, what his owon coach and players are saying?
The constant theme of the Hawks organization is they wont go after the players they should be going after. But they will pay the ones that dont deserve the money.
TheAntiMe
February 8th, 2012
8:24 am
Jerry Sanduskey
February 7th, 2012
6:30 pm
Time for the Hawks to hit the showers!
Why is it that I have a feeling that the word Munckins totally attracted you to this column? By the way, haven’t you done enough horsing around for one lifetime?
TheAntiMe
February 8th, 2012
8:46 am
You know, you would have to think that there must be at least one big somewhere out there worth a 10-day contract.
Baller4Life
February 8th, 2012
8:53 am
Sund needs to be allowed to make a trade for a good player not just a “D” league body to fould and eat up minutes. Ownership needs to own this. Either come out and say “We aren’t spending money to keep this team competitive” or make a move for a REAL center.
Baller4Life
February 8th, 2012
8:55 am
This crisis all goes back to over-paying Joe Johnson ($24 mill/per season). they should have let Joe walk and used the money to sign a power/scoring center. Something this franchise has NEVER had.
Baller4Life
February 8th, 2012
8:56 am
Marvin Williams has returned to the old Marvin. Awful.
Baller4Life
February 8th, 2012
9:05 am
You said it Jeff ! All teams need to do is put an all “bigs” line-up on the floor all 4th qtr. and Hawks won’t score 10 points.
The team and city wants fans to come to the games in Atlanta. But even the novice fan knows the Hawks don’t have a center. Its like a 5 on 4 game. Who wants to that ?
J. KONKAC
February 8th, 2012
9:33 am
hawks, give me a call
osh
February 8th, 2012
9:39 am
nobody wants to play with these head cases. Hawks can’t even get someone in on a 10 day trial.
where are all the players Joe was going to recruit?
pay dwight
February 8th, 2012
10:18 am
for enough money, dwight will come to ATL—just pay him whatever he wants—he can make the difference! It will take at least $25-$30 million, but he’s worth it!
The Wizard
February 8th, 2012
10:20 am
the hawks need to schedule a visit with the wizard–they need heart, a brain and some courage.
Moses Malone
February 8th, 2012
11:07 am
I can still play. i took my 6 year-old grandson to school just yesterday in some one on one.
Q #1
February 8th, 2012
11:08 am
Jeff, do you know why the Atlanta Hawks have never drafted or traded for a dominant center ? This perplexes me.
PMC
February 8th, 2012
11:50 am
It’s just a down stretch, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Don’t lose confidence. Stay the course, get on track. Stay confident. They are a good team. This is a down stretch.
Horford will be back eventually. Most of the big men available now are no better than the guys they already have on this roster.
Perservere. Stay strong, focus, play better. Eventually get Horford back.
PMC
February 8th, 2012
11:51 am
Nothing can be done about past moves and money problems now. It’s done.
Win with what you got. There is talent and skill on this roster. Get it done.
PMC
February 8th, 2012
11:54 am
Unless they can trade for a superstar… what’s the point really?
You’re adding a freaking body at this point, the guys that are on the roster now are the ones that are going to have to win games for you.
Waiting on finding a dominant center in the weeds to save the season is futile.
Put it on the current roster, not whatever Sund does.
jhawk
February 8th, 2012
12:34 pm
No matter what the owners say they are Cheeeeaaaapppp!!!! Pay the lux tax… They say that they would pay it if it put them over the top not doing it is going to drag them to the bottom… If Dwight Howard came to them and said i’m ready they would ask him to play for the league minimum.
aytunstopable
February 8th, 2012
1:01 pm
Best steven a impression: Just Stop It, SHow some respect. Just stop it with those excuses of not coming to the game. I always point to this… Look at golden state. their team is nowhere as good as ours. their owner effectively is worse than ASG. Yet they have the stadium packed most nights. SO just stop it just admit you never wanted to go in the first place or (like me) unable to go because of lack of funds. I probably dislike the owners and the GM more than yall but come on I see teams much, much worse than us get a full crowd and I know there are 2-4 teams with owners worse than us and worse teams than us and still get a full crowd. So just stop that nonsense already.
Now back to what I really want to talk about is just wait til the trade deadline. thats what i’m waiting for after watching these guys since i was 5 til now I am just gonna wait. because this happens everytime so I’m just gonna wait it out this time.
R. Royce
February 8th, 2012
2:14 pm
Back in the day, Clyde and Pearl (Earl) were responsible for bringing the ball up court. Clyde was an excellent ball handler and so was Pearl. The only time other players who were excellent dribblers brought the up the ball to midcourt-was when other teams had the full court press on. We had backup points like Dean Meminger, whom Teague sort of reminds me of. The Hawks have a dreaded history of messing up draft pick status as they did in 2005, when they passed up on and Deron Williams and CP3 for Marvin Williams-can you believe that? This is the reason all Atlanta transplants and basketball spectators who love the game should look up Atlanta Hawks draft NBA draft team history. Atlanta probably would’ve had acquired Lebron James if they were smart enough at that time to build their team around one player. Throughout the Hawks history, they have been known to bungle up their draft opportunities. They passed up on Pau Gasol, David Thompson, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, David Lee, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo, Hedo Turkoglu, Jamaal Magloire, Micheal Redd, Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, (well maybe not) Elden Campbell, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos, Robert Horry, Malik Sealy, Hubert Davis, Latrell Sprewell, (maybe not) Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, Terry Porter, Michael Adams, as well.
In one of the best drafts in NBA history, the Atlanta Hawks chose Southern Methodist University’s 7 foot center John Koncak over future Hall of Famers Karl Malone, Detlef Schrempf, and Joe Dumars, along with a host of other All-Star caliber players.
To make matters worse, Koncak was eventually signed to a $13.1 million dollar contract in 1989. At the time, this gave him a higher salary than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Considering that he was averaging a mere 6.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG (and coming off the bench) back then, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought he was worth the price the Hawks were paying for him. The Hawks contract to J.J. (Career Earnings: $91,313,901 ) when it’s all said and done will be higher than Miami’s big three, Kobe, and the rest of any NBA player in history that I know of.
Koncak eventually developed a reputation as a reliable defender during his career, but his low scoring combined with his ridiculous draft position and salary gave him an infamous spot in Atlanta Hawks lore than many fans would rather forget. Joe Johnson is the Hawks modern day 21st century Koncak or the modern day Allen Houston. We can see how many years was before the Knicks had any money to draft or acquire quality players in that era. I’d give the Hawks 5 to 6 years from now, if they survive in Atlanta as a franchise-to get to that level of having money to actually get a superstar on the court. Management (a new owner) will have had to change hands, a new arena would have to be built, and maybe, something positive can take place in this non-basketball progressive city called Atlanta.
Megan
February 8th, 2012
2:22 pm
Just out of curiosity, have the Hawks ever been worth a damn?
yoursporthouse.com
February 8th, 2012
2:27 pm
keith
February 7th, 2012
6:22 pm
Its like when we overpaid for Alan Henderson, we will have to wait until Johnson’s contract runs out or trade him, we are not going anywhere with him.
Ok hold on now, comparing Joe Johnson to Alan Henderson is a no-no.
JeanE
February 8th, 2012
3:58 pm
I was at the game against the Sixers on Sat. night. They started out OK but then Philly went on a tear and I knew the Hawks wouldn’t come back. Granted, the Sixers have some deadly shooters but we have to toughen up. I was very impressed with Ivan Johnson, a banger and a gamer who sparked them with his play but they need more. No only was Al a big guy but a positive, steadying influence that they severely miss! I don’t know what the answer is because who are we gonna get that would help? It’s sad because this team has some talent and can really play when they’re motivated. Josh Smith seems to get into a funk easily and I saw him jawing at Zaza, leave Zaza alone!
JeanE
February 8th, 2012
4:04 pm
Joe Johnson is the most boring “superstar” I’ve ever seen. I’d rather have a team of Teague’s and Ivan Johnson’s who are out there hustling and busing their butt every play. Also, I agree that Josh Smith is not a leader. Al was the leader and now we’re toast ’cause he’s out. Heinrich plays with energy but the game I was at, none of his shots were falling!
pointguardSlim
February 8th, 2012
5:55 pm
What has happened to Josh Smith ????
He turned into a small forward and we never got size to replace him.
While Marvin the bust Williams is undersized small forward. Lets say we got Troy Murphy at the 4 instead of Josh. And Josh crashing.
Instead of Josh crashing inside vs small forwards we have Marvin Williams.
Then the 4 who is supposed to be shooting from the top of the key is Josh Smith.
Sund/LD need to change the roster to get the most out of the backcourt rebounds and fastbreaks (Teague, JJ, Josh Smith)
Disgusted
February 8th, 2012
6:45 pm
Marvin Williams is an inconsistent journeyman type of player, sad for a guy who was the number two overall pick. And there were better players to choose from.
What was the big upside with this guy, its not like he was great in College.
He might have been a better player had he stayed in college for another year.
What did they think when they drafted him, that he was going to be another Paul Pierce or Julius Erving. Billy Knight was a bozo.
Josh Smith is not consistent and what can the Hawks really get for those guys (he and Marvin) in a trade?????
Forget about moving Joe, NO ONE takes on that $$$$$$. The Hawks are what they are for a few yrs until they can blow it up and start over. Oh well, we can wait another decade.
I know I will never set foot in the Phillips again as long as these owners are around. Not for any event.
Only another NHL team would get me back in and that is going to be a long long time, maybe 40 yrs and by then we will build another arena.
Atltodolavida
February 9th, 2012
11:32 am
Joe Johnson is the hawks best player by far. Don’t trade him. Josh is a big man. Don’t trade him. Trading Kirk for a big man sounds viable, since Pargo performs so well when called on. Marvin could be considered as a trade option as well. They will be in the playoffs for sure with or without a trade.