Two astute bloggers help dumb ol’ me assess the Hawks
A Smoove swoop. Note absence of swooners in background. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Hawks, it’s safe to say, have been better than most of us envisioned. But now, the season’s midpoint having just passed, the discussion changes. Is better good enough?
Because I know you tire of my bloviation — heck, I tire of my bloviation — I’ve decided to give you folks a slight break. I’ve enlisted the help of two of the best Hawks bloggers around: Bret LaGree of Hoopinion and Jason Walker of The Human Highlight Blog. (I would encourage you to patronize both sites; I do.)
Question No. 1: Are the Hawks legit contenders?
LaGree: “The Hawks have turned the East into a four-team race and they’re not necessarily the fourth team in that race. Obviously the path to the NBA finals would be much easier if they draw Boston in the second round than if have to go through Cleveland and Orlando. Even though the Hawks would not be favored in a seven-game series against either Cleveland or Orlando, they’re capable of beating either of those teams.”
Walker: “The Hawks have the talent to seriously compete for the championship, yes. At this halfway point in the season, the Hawks are among the elite in all advanced statistical categories, so the talent is producing at a top shelf rate. On the court, they have dispatched the Celtics three times [once even with Kevin Garnett], showed an even matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and beaten some top Western teams [Denver, Dallas, Portland, Utah, Phoenix] proving their mettle as a top team there as well … This is the season the Hawks get out of the second round of the playoffs.”
Me: The Hawks are good enough to win two playoff series and reach the Eastern finals. I don’t know if they can win three.
Question No. 2: Do the Hawks need to make a midseason trade?
LaGree: “I think about this a lot — because who doesn’t like hypothetical transactions? — but I struggle to see a plausible scenario where the Hawks have someone to trade that another team wants and they can afford to give up. Barring a serious injury, I expect they’ll stand pat. Which shouldn’t surprise us as continuity would be the defining characteristic of this team’s ascent.”
Walker: “What might be missing from the Hawks is a super-duper-star to make a path to a championship easier, but I don’t believe the Hawks are going to or should disrupt what they have to make such a deal. They are going to have to go the Detroit Piston share-the-ball route to a championship.”
Me: I don’t see an obvious personnel match that can be gotten before the trade deadline. Antawn Jamison of the Wizards, you say? He’s 33, he makes $11 million and his contract has two more years to run. And don’t the Hawks have to save money to keep Joe Johnson this summer?
Question No. 3:Why aren’t more fans coming to Philips Arena? (The Hawks are 21st in a 30-team league in home attendance.)
LaGree: “We had a good discussion about attendance on the site last week. The consensus seemed to be some combination of: 1. Traffic makes it difficult to get to Philips by 7 p.m. on weeknights from a fair percentage of the metro area; 2. Joe Johnson’s style of play, though effective, doesn’t capture the imagination of the casual fan that checked out on the Hawks sometime during the previous decade; 3. There just may not be a lot of basketball fans here.”
Walker: “Atlanta fans need the big draw to take them to sporting events. Big names and big events get their attention and their dollars. The Hawks packed them in when they had Dominique. The Falcons [did] with Michael Vick, the Braves with the national attention in the early ’90s … The Hawks aren’t there yet — but they’re getting closer. As of today, they are 10th in road attendance, their best showing in a long time and a litmus test of their ‘it’ factor. For over a decade, and even in the Lenny Wilkens years, this team hasn’t been the most fun to watch, but they are now and being at Philips Arena when things are happening is a great use of the sports dollar.”
Me: I thought the crowds would have picked up by now, but I’ve about given up trying to figure out the Atlanta sports fans. But I do think there are enough people in this city who like basketball to fill an arena on a regular basis. Maybe by May it will happen. Maybe.
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134 comments Add your comment
Nick
January 26th, 2010
12:15 am
I know we are talking about actual attendance at the arena but can someone please tell 790 the Zone to give it up as the flagship station. It is ridiculous that a PRO basketball team with tons of potential, are being broadcast on a station with NO, I repeat, NO signal after dark. If people coul;d hear the games when they are in their cars instead of just static maybe more people would start showing up at the arena.
scottbravesfan
January 26th, 2010
12:58 am
Atlanta is a terrible sports town
And NBA tickets are incredibly expensive.
jondy
January 26th, 2010
1:30 am
your close bradley. Now just finish the deal, give these guys the reigns to your columns, and then you can retire and never write another bad article again. AH, it would be great to have you out of here. Maybe you should write a hypothetical blog on how this town would feel with out you in it anymore. Keep up the good work… oh wait…
Andre
January 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Mark, I’ve been in Atlanta my whole life. 26 years. I am still unable to understand our fans here. I think Joe Johnson, should do a David Justice and say how other cities fans are more fired up than ours. It’s true. I know it’s hard for them answer a question in post game interviews “how is the home court advantage?” HORRIBLE. Truthfully, I believe A LOT of people still have a bad taste in their mouth about the Dominique trade. Also, I do agree with the lack of star-power here. Josh Smith is the closes we got to having a star that will almost do something amazing on a nightly basis.
JJ
January 26th, 2010
9:26 am
I really enjoy watching the Hawks play. Catch probably 65-70 games a year on the tube. But I haven’t been to a game in years (since Nique was in his prime). The reason? Simple priorities. I don’t know what it costs and I really don’t care. Between football, bball, and baseball, I pay anywhere from $4,000 to $5,000 to UGA every year and spend countless hours in Athens.
I simply don’t have the time or additional money to go to Hawks, Braves, or Falcons games on a regular basis. Supporting my alma mater is first on the list of discretionary items so while I really enjoy watching the Hawks, Braves, and Falcons and probably catch 90% of their respective games on TV, I just don’t get to go see them in person.
Plus, with a family, it’s kinda hard to go to that many UGA events and still make time for pro teams as well. The wife gets a little burnt out, ya know? I still consider myself a diehard fan of the teams. Just don’t get to see them in person.
Elvisinthehouse
January 26th, 2010
9:55 am
Dumb blog.
Brian in Athens
January 26th, 2010
11:44 am
Lack of star power may be a good thing. Granted it doesn’t happen often, Jordan never missed a championship series due to injury but if you take the best player off every team in the league do you think the Cavs beat the Hawks minus Lebron and JJ? Take Kobe off the Lakers or Howard off the Magic. I think the Hawks and Celtics have the best overall “teams”, the Celtics have missed Garnett for a lot of games the last two years. Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose that scenario, and they do have more starpower. However, find a way to shut down the star, or at least stop the 50 points games and make someone else beat you and I just don’t see Shaq being the go to guy. The Hawks have figured that out with D Wade and the Heat.
Playoffs?? Playoffs??
January 26th, 2010
12:29 pm
So I get my AJC from the driveway this morning and — SURPRISE — on the FP of the Sports section there’s yet ANOTHER story “trying to figure out WHY Philips isn’t full every night the Hawks play there.” At least I know I’m in ATL and reading the AJC…Next month it’ll be yet another story “trying to figure out WHY Philips isn’t full every night the Thrashers play there.” These are only “mysteries” to those with Press Credentials who have their tickets and expenses COMPED every time they show up at Philips…For everyone else it’s pretty simple:
____________NOW YOU KNOW____________ Mark Bradley —
Atlanta Sports Fans don’t “hate” the Hawks…Obviously. But aside from those season ticket holders who derive some portion of their very identity from being able to tell other fans that they aren’t “true Hawks fans” because they don’t have season tickets and they don’t unconditionally support the Hawks regardless of the caliber of their play or the maturity level displayed by some of its players, most everyone else knows this team is D-O-N-E. In fact, it was done BEFORE the season even started.
Casual fans are not “drawn” to follow a team whose leader has already said in a VERY PUBLIC WAY that he doesn’t even WANT to be here next year. WOW! Let’s put down our hard earned money to go see a team with a leader that doesn’t even want to be part of the team himself!! Clearly JJ is playing for a contract and, although he might indeed have the best season of his career, WHO CARES beyond those who spit venom in the general direction of anyone who dare say anything negative about the Hawks?!? THAT’S problem #1 Mr Bradley.
Problem #2 has already been covered quite well by others here. We’re in an economy that has 10% unemployment which is probably closer to 20% if the numbers were true. Since the Hawks & Thrashers have similarly priced tickets/expenses, allow me to show exactly what we got for our money when I took the wife and our 3 elem school age boys to Philips for a meeting between the Capitals & hometown Thrashers on Jan 9th:
Section 308
Row F
Seats 11-7
Type: Regular PriceTicket Price US $49.00 x 5
Convenience Charge US $7.80 x 5
SUBTOTAL US $284.00
Order Processing Fee US $3.65
Standard Mail No Charge
TOTAL CHARGES US $287.65
$287.65 for 300 level seats
$20 to park in “The Pit” (twice the normal chg because of Monster Jam at the Dome)
$60+ for an assortment of Cokes, Basic Hot Dogs & Popcorn for a family of 5
$15 for gasoline – driving to & from & sitting on the Connector for 1 HOUR because of Monster Jam
That’s almost $400 for ONE GAME at Philips!!! And because some IDIOT scheduled the game at the same time as Monster Jam, we missed most of the 1st period even though we left home 2 HOURS before game time to allow for icy roads. We also missed most of the 3rd period because it’s the ONLY ATL SPORTS EVENT we have ever left early. When the home team gets pummeled 8-1, there’s not much to cheer about.
In fact, aside from going to see the Thrashers beat up on the Lightning opening night, we’ve also gone to see them play: the Pens (Loss), the Caps again (Loss), the Stars (Loss)…Can hardly wait for the next 3 games I already have tickets to.
Yes, those are Thashers games, but it’s still Philips and the two teams are forever joined at the hip…Similar ticket prices, same venue, overpriced food that our dog wouldn’t eat, $300 for 300 level seats for 5, the team’s star player with one foot out the door, parking prices that feel like a mugging, bad traffic, you never know “which” team will show up when you roll the dice and buy tickets, etc.
When it’s all said and done, a ticket to a sporting event is nothing more than the purchase of an “EXPERIENCE”. ATL Sports Fans SHOULD BE APPLAUDED for putting down $400/game in order to put up with the kind of crap I laid out above. ATL Sports Professionals already make more $$$ in less than 1 season than any of us will see in our entire lifetimes — Yet, THEY WANT MORE!?!?
Kovalchuk wants THE MAXIMUM to stay here. JJ doesn’t even WANT to stay here. The Braves — “Playoffs??? Playoffs??? Don’t talk about Playoffs!” And as far as the Hawks Playoffs last year…
The FANS WERE THERE, it’s THE TEAM that failed to show up against LeBron & the Cavs. A complete and utterly embarrasing accordion show by the home team when it really counted. Did it look like they even CARED? Some did, some obviously didn’t and were quoted as being “ready for the off-season.” This Hawks team plays well when it wants to. It phones it in when it wants to.
I’m amazed as many people consistently show up at Hawks/Thrashers games given all of the above. It’s simply more “compelling” and easier on the family budget to watch it at home. At least you have a remote if they phone it in that night…Please Mr Bradley, no more stories about lame ATL Fans…Unless you’re going to start comping us to drive down to Philips and all that is Downtown ATL at night.
drmaryb
January 26th, 2010
1:26 pm
Hey Mark Bradley,
Keep up the great work! Great Blog on here! I usually do Sekou,. but he ain’t here Ne-more…MC is cool. But I am a Chiropractor who is fighting the Insurance companies and only “Lord Knows!” What is Health Care Reform? The economy is kicking our azzes out here in these mean streets…So , Sports and the HAWKS! @ The Highlight Factory! are my outlet to take a breather from finances!
Ne-way! Thanks for all your HARD work and CONTRIBUTIONS to the ATL! I LOVE YOU MAN…you are as ORIGINAL as “The VARSITY & COKE!” lol!
scott
January 26th, 2010
1:55 pm
I agree with the “astute” comment by Walker:
Walker: “ . . . but I don’t believe the Hawks are going to or should disrupt what they have to make such a deal. They are going to have to go the Detroit Piston share-the-ball route to a championship.”
My wife once told me that I was astute. But I thought she was referring to my intestinal capabilities following my consumption of Captain Ken’s Firehouse Beans.
Simple Answer
January 26th, 2010
2:05 pm
The reason attendance is down is simply the economy. I’ve been out of work for a year. If it were normal times I would def attend games. I use to attend all of ATL’s pro games including Falcon season tickets. I miss the good ole days.
Mike
January 26th, 2010
2:27 pm
Mark … I haven’t read all of the comments, so I’m sure this has been said. The Atlanta sports fan is simple. If we get an EXCITING superstar, the arena will sell out. Period. Atlanta is a flashy city. If Joe Johnson had Josh Smith’s personality, the Arena would sell out.
If it just so happened that the hawks allowed Joe’s contract to expire and used that money with a little more to sign DWade (who will also be a free agent), Guaranteed the Arena would sell out a week or two after he was signed.
It’s just who we are as a city. We need something highly tangible to make us fight traffic or ride marta when we have a perfectly good grill, ice cold cooler, and a flat screen at home.
Iceman
January 26th, 2010
2:43 pm
I live 90 miles away, otherwise I’d be there myself more often.
NickDiamond
January 26th, 2010
4:00 pm
The Hawks are continuing to win key games as their game in Houston last night was an awesome display of power, skill and speed. The Hawks havent won in Houston in over 10 years. Plus it was critical to get an important road win, with the brutal week continuing on against San Antonio, Boston and Orlando. The Hawks also seized the opportunity to gain ground last night on the Orlando Magic who also lost last night. The Hawks picked up a game in the standings last night and will finish the week with tough games. It was critical for the Hawks to start out well because the next 3 games will be tough. I think the Hawks can win all three games if they continue to play with high energy. Josh Smith is playing beyond an all-star level and Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford and Al Horford are not far behind. Joe Johnson allways plays at a HOF level and the bench players have been nothing short of sensational.
JASon
January 26th, 2010
4:44 pm
Most of the people who actually live near downtown don’t seem to be native Atlantans, or have moved here since the Olympics. And lets face it, these venues are poorly operated in terms of getting people in and out. What do you expect from this city, that’s why we don’t get more Super Bowls
spud webb
January 26th, 2010
4:50 pm
I agree, that the hawks have a legitimate shot to get to the eastern conf. finals, & a slim shot to represent the east in the finals, but I’d have to place them tied with Orlando in 2nd. Even tho Orlando has handled us this year, I still feel that the Hawks would give them a good series, possibly winning it.
As far as attendance, I have bought 7 or 13 game packages for the past 4 years up until this year. With my wife being laid off, i cannot justify spending the extra money on hawks tickets, altho i would love to attend. I watch them faithfully on the teli….nice that most of their games are in HD now too!
AceDawg
January 26th, 2010
4:52 pm
I agree with the commute issue. My untested, unproven guess is that most other teams with higher attendance rates have either A) a large, dense urban population near the arena; B) a populated area smaller than Atlanta that doesn’t have the same traffic problems; and/or C) the teams don’t have all 4 major pro sports teams.
What else you gonna do in Utah but see the Jazz? Or the Blazers in Portland? And how could you NOT fill an arena somewhere like Madison Square garden when millions of people are in walking distance of the building at all times? And how hard could it be to fight through Oklahoma City traffic. Yeah, a winning tradition and holywood celebrities help you fill an LA arena too.
Traceman
January 26th, 2010
4:53 pm
It always cracks me up to hear people in this city make excuses for why they don’t support the local teams. The Hawks have the 6th cheapest average ticket price and the 7th cheapest Fan Cost Index of the 30 teams in the NBA. Take a look at the link below:
http://teammarketing.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Fan%20Cost%20Index/NBA/NBA_FCI_08-09.pdf
Those of you who choose to use your discretionary income for something other than going to Hawks’ games, that is certainly your perogative. That said, apparently, people in OTHER cities DO choose to use their discretionary income to go watch their teams play.
The economy, traffic, parking, crime, etc and any other excuses that ATLiens use for not going to games exist in every other city yet most of the teams in those cities enjoy significantly more support than the Hawks. This is true DESPITE the fact that it costs more to watch their teams play.
Those who say that teams in Atlanta need a superstar in order for fans to come to their games have hit the nail right on the head. The Hawks have assembled one of the best TEAMS in the NBA yet it is not enough. The team is filled with high character guys, they play hard and they are arguably the most athletic team in the NBA from top to bottom. If they had all of that AND LeBron, THEN the fans would come.
JASon
January 26th, 2010
5:30 pm
We native Atlantans are flattered that everyone is comparing us to other major economic centers of the U.S. Atlanta would not even be a major city if not for the ‘96 Olympic games bringing in millions of transplants. We were perfectly fine with our city before all of you people infiltrated it. I will enjoy my very good local sports teams at my own leisure, thank you very much. I will also enjoy listening to all of you transplants criticize us.
MannyT
January 26th, 2010
6:00 pm
Aside from the premium games (Celtics, Cavs, Lakers) that are likely to sell out without the naysayers, there are cheap ways to attend a Hawks (or Thrashers) game.
Check Stubhub for cheap tickets (even in the lower level.) There are also discounts on Chick-Fil-A family nights, Wednesday night discounts, and unlimited eats seats for those of you who think a sporting event should have a Coney Island Eat off in the stands.
The arena now has an unlimited soft drink for $5 and unlimited popcorn for $5.50 (i.e. free refills)
There are several lots where you can park for about $5 if no competing event at Ga Dome.
This doesn’t even factor in the eat cheaper before you get in the arena options that are as close as the CNN food court.
Attendance to Hawks games was poor, way before the economy went bad. Some hardcore fans will be there w/o all the excuses, but many will not. Even when the Hawks were really bad about 5 years back, there were a lot of empty seats when you could get an upper level season ticket for $199. Maybe there is a marketing need to appeal to the more casual fans.I’d try some kind of raffle giving away 100 lottery tickets each game for the Need something for nothing crowd.
Seems like most folks show up based on the opponent…so the Hawks need to have good opponents in the playoffs to draw good crowds.
ISOWE–in search of woody’s eyebrows
Frank
January 26th, 2010
6:06 pm
No Fans in Atlanta???
There are many Basketball Fans to fill a stadium but NOT in Atlanta…. The Force moved from Gwinnett to Phillipos and Attendance went down…No Kidding….
The Stadiums must be at the Perimeter…Remember…Less that 500k people live in Atlanta and 3.5 million outside of Atlanta City Limits and you still have to ask why we cannot sellout a sporting event….
Stop being stupid and build the Stadiums where we live and play!!!
Deano
January 26th, 2010
6:17 pm
I think the fact that the Hawks don’t have a legit superstar can be a good thing. They have several players that can get it done on the offensive end on any given night. And when the guys committ to playing defense, it looks as if they have 6 players on the floor at times. I have watched almost every game this year, and have been to 2 games at Phillips, and I hate to say it, but the Hawks get absolutely NOTHING from Marvin Williams. He no longer has a good jump shot, when he drives to the basket he looks very awkward, and he is a mediocre defender at best. Atlanta has to get more out of the small forward position. I don’t know what they could possibly get in a trade for him, but a little more offensive fire power would sure look good come playoff time.
JD
January 26th, 2010
6:25 pm
Too often, after an 18 mile freeway trip to a Hawks game, the time from the Williams St exit to Philips takes longer than the 18 miles on the freeway.
Why would Ted Turner succumb to the City pressure to build downtown and not make access a priority? Ask the same question of the Smith family and the Dome. Police officers stand around doing nothing as the traffic backs up in one direction while the traffic light is green for an empty cross street.
The trip out of town is the same as the trip into town. Longer from the Philips/Dome area to the interstate than the 18 miles home.
The location issue (downtown versus the Perimeter) is an access issue not, as one less than scholarly blogger offered, an issue of fear of the dreaded inner-city citizens. There was a time, 25 to 30 years ago, that leaving your car outside the Dome or Omni was just asking to have the windows blown out by a brick to allow a thief the chance to steal. This is no longer true, but the drive is painful enough.
Cost to attend, access and lack of “star power” are the major issues, at least IMHO.
Dikembe Fan
January 26th, 2010
6:28 pm
Three thoughts on the attendance:
1. In general, the Hawks don’t have a star that has “it”. Horford could be in a couple years.
2. Ticket prices are ridiculous. I would love to go to the games, but I don’t want to get a nosebleed and nor do I want to pay $75 for a ticket. I can just stay at home, enjoy a good meal and watch the game in hi-def for less $. If #1 is resolved, I would consider going to see the Hawks live, but I will still gripe at the ticket prices.
3. Who wants to pay that much to see Josh Smith gripe at the officials after EVERY SINGLE PLAY. Yes, you committed a foul. Or maybe you didn’t. But be a man like Horford, Bibby and JJ and get ready for the next possession.
Having said all this, I still love the Hawks and have been a loyal TV watcher for years. Can we trade Marvin for a true center so Al can be a true PF and average 20/10 a night?
MannyT
January 26th, 2010
6:43 pm
@Frank…a Perimeter location only makes it closer for folks in north Fulton. No better for Douglas, Rockdale, Clayton, Fayette, or Henry counties.
Besides, when they decide to build these arenas, all the other counties have the same opportunity to pitch incentives to the teams.
@JD–I would compare the star power o fthe current team to that of the Steve Smith era. Not better, just comparable. Nevertheless, I would suspect that attendance was stronger in the late 1990’s. For some folks, good access is taking that MARTA train that drops you right outside of the Philips Arena door.
Choice is all about prefrence…most folks just don’t prefer our NBA team.
ISOWE
Playoffs?? Playoffs??
January 26th, 2010
7:46 pm
Traceman is probably Director of Marketing for the Atlanta Spirit because he shows an absolutely amazing ability for NOT being able to grasp the #1 reason Philips rarely sells out. This is spoken JUST LIKE A MARKETING GUY who missed Econ 101 in college:
“It always cracks me up to hear people in this city make excuses for why they don’t support the local teams. The Hawks have the 6th cheapest average ticket price and the 7th cheapest Fan Cost Index of the 30 teams in the NBA. Take a look at the link below:
Those of you who choose to use your discretionary income for something other than going to Hawks’ games, that is certainly your perogative. That said, apparently, people in OTHER cities DO choose to use their discretionary income to go watch their teams play.”
In other words, I’m going to shove someone’s statistics IN YOUR FACE in an attempt to SHAME YOU into buying tickets that YOU CAN’T AFFORD so we “look like a respectable major city.” (LOL…And they wonder why Philips doesn’t sell out!?!) Dude, there’s something called SUPPLY & DEMAND that obviously takes precedence over your precious statistics that you use to show us how foolish we are for not flocking to Philips Arena 3 nights a week because of the compelling value of “the 6th cheapest average ticket price and the 7th cheapest Fan Cost Index of the 30 teams in the NBA.”
Most people CAN’T AFFORD taking the family to several Hawks, several Thrashers, several Falcons, several Braves and several UGA or GT games every year since ticket prices go up every year regardless of performance. Loyal Falcons Fans just got reamed AGAIN by Blank & Co. The reg season was hardly over and already season ticket INCREASES were going out. WTH?!? The team didn’t even go to the Playoffs! Some of these seats have now QUADRUPLED in price just since Blank bought the team!!
“It’s OK…’The Marketing Guy’ has sadistics saying we’re still one of the cheapest NFL ticket prices, so the fans will pay up…They always pay up…Don’t they?? I mean, we can still be way overpriced just as long as all the other teams are way overpriced too, right?”
And as for someone saying Wed night game discounts? You don’t have kids do you? They COULD GIVE AWAY WED NT TICKETS and you’d never see us there. Something about getting home after 11pm on a school night…
And STUBHUB? Am I the only guy who’s figured out that the Atlanta Spirit is DUMPING TICKETS on StubHub? They’re real easy to spot. They’re never PRIME seats…Only the freakin shi77iest seats in Philips Arena: Secs 303, 304, 317 & 318, normally near the top so you can sit in the worst seats and say, “well, I DID only pay $10 a piece so I guess I should be happy” and Philips looks fuller than it otherwise would. It’s stupid crap like screwing over season ticket holders like this that has them scratching their marketing heads when they can’t figure out WHY season ticket holders don’t renew…
And there are always PLENTY of alternatives to sporting events too. Plus, everyone with a double-wide now has a 50″ flat screen and 12-pack on ice…
It’s ALL about the money. It’s ALWAYS about the money. Everything else is secondary…
Boneyard Randy
January 26th, 2010
8:37 pm
I take issue with the fans that are at philips arena. Save for a few that will get out of their seats, most of the people there won’t even put there hands together…too busy texting and tryin’ to look cool. At least they’re in the seats though, so I digress. Agreed that weekday games should be at 7:30 and weekend games should be 8:30pm…probably an nba league decision and not a team decision. Love the Hawks and look forward to the future. Once the real estate market improves, the trend of more people moving ITP will continue and it will be easier to fill up the seats w/ locals without having to depend on suburbanites. 10 year plan anyway. J-Smoove w/ be a savvy vet at 33.
RA
January 26th, 2010
9:14 pm
For those that say that Atlanta is not a basketball town, I beg to differ. Let Kobe Bryant come into town, it’s a basketball town. Let Le Bron James come into town, basketball town. Begs the question, who do the fans come out to see? If you listen to those crowds durring the ebb and flow of a game against the Lakers or the Cavs, you wouldn’t think they were there to see the home team. At a very shaky best, the home crowd roots for both teams. Now, I’m not saying don’t come out for the Lakers or for the Cavs. For my money, that’s the best game in town, but the Atlanta fans, whether there are 5,000 or 20,000, need to be SOLIDLY behind the home team. That’s all I’m saying.
Truth-Serum
January 27th, 2010
11:02 am
Mark you are not as dumb as you make yourself out to be,-LOL
Joking aside you have really stepped your game up and I appreciate you. It seems like you are becoming more “pure” in your ability to sit on the fence and let the story tell itself.
Having said that… I disagree with your featured bloggers. Hawks are good and I’m rooting, but we won’t get past the second round without a legitimate center. Your bloggers clearly lack insight and a polished understanding of the game.
The Hawks strength is in youthful athleticism and back court precision. That allows us to run and gun which is how we are winning, running, and gunning. This philosophy has been hashed out repeatedly over history. The conclusion is emphatically and unequivocal. Run and gun doesn’t win in the later and championship rounds because it gets nullified by presses, walkups, traps, time clock management and half court sets that run in and out with a “legitimate center” patrolling the paint. That’s why the most learned GM’s and head coaches pursue an enforcer/stopper to manage the post when they reach the level of serious contender.
I agree, (as I’ve said last year and all of this year), the hawks are in range and are definitely doing the hunting. However the “hunted”,(Cleveland, Orlando and Boston) have the ability to play lights out in the post and force you to long range, low percentage shots.
Horford is a good power forward, (he’s no center!) and averages over a season, about 13 pts and 10 rebounds. Those are decent numbers but the problem is he isn’t stopping anybody. Don’t tell me about rebounds, that’s not the point. The point is that you shut down the lane and force the opposition off the post. The point is that you alter and block shots. Horford doesn’t have this ability and that’s why these tiny guards like Turner and Parker put on major performances against him/us.
The championship round will be a half court, bruising physical battle. He who controls the post will win, which is precisely why we won’t. Our center can’t stop anyone in the low post. I agree with ESPN and I agree with the TNT analysts who have both offered that the Hawks are 1-2 years away from a title and a player away.
That player is a center….
ZeussFarmer
January 27th, 2010
3:44 pm
The Hawks will get tested after the next 3 games. If the Hawks win all three, which they should THE HAWKS HAVE ARRIVED AS A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP THREAT TO WIN IT ALL. If the Hawks lose all 3 ballgames, then its the same ole Hawks again who get folks hyped up just to let them down AFTER the truth is revealed. At any rate, the HAWKS ARE MUCH IMPROVED, and I only see two teams in the NBA who still have the Hawks number: cleveland and Orlando. Thats it! Quite an imrprovement.
ChickenLittle
January 27th, 2010
3:54 pm
The Hawks have their best chance this year to win a title in 40 years. I hope the Hawks step up to the plate and take advantage of it. The Hawks should know by now that they are as good as anyone in the league. If they dont know it, I feel sorry for them.
GraveDigger
January 27th, 2010
5:09 pm
I will be convinced that the Hawks are finally an upper echelon team if they beat their next three opponents convincingly (say by double digits). Boston, San Antonio and Orlando. Clobber those three guys and you are an elite team. No doubt. Thank you Billy Knight for building such a powerhouse team!
hatfieldgeoff
February 9th, 2010
9:09 am
The Hawks are currently the 3rd best team in the conference, but I do not think they could beat either Cleveland or Orlando in a 7-game series. The Hawks are missing a piece (maybe, a center so Horford can move to forward and marvin can come off the bench, or perhaps a strong 3-point shooter, as Bibby has lost his touch). Beyond this year what they really need is for Josh Smith to improve his offensive game so he is a go-to guy in a half-court game. Not jump shots, but rather getting passes in the paint and being about to hit a turnaround from 8 to 10 feet or make a move and drop in a bank shot over a defender. He currently doesn’t have the touch for these type of shots. Sometimes he shows some of these moves and finishes but he can’t do it consistenly enough to make him a threat, in fact against Orlando and Cleveland, going to Josh hurts our chances, particularly late. Horford’s offense is improving but he needs to develop into even more of a threat. Finally, Joe Johnson while a good scorer has to start passing the ball more during his one-on-one sessions. Just clearing out for Joe doesn’t always work and it seems to make the rest of the team stagnant. If Joe is going to demand attention then he has to get the ball to his teammates for easy baskets. That is how great players make others better. Winning and running will sell tickets but in this economy spending $100 bucks to go to a baskeball game has got to be something the average fan cuts out of his budget.
lexluther
February 11th, 2010
10:42 pm
Great first half of the season for Hawks. It was quite evident what value Jamal Crawford has for this team in his absenses against the Heat. Second unit was awful. Also, all this talk about Josh (J-Smoove) getting snub as a all star needs to DIE. A true all star makes free throws or play within his game. The second half of the season Josh needs to stop all that whinning and drive the ball to the basket. Oh also, make the shot after contact because we all know he’s going to miss the free throws.