As the Hawks approach a new season, the buzz is long gone
Jamal Crawford and Larry Drew: Why aren't they smiling? (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
There was a time when the Hawks were coming off a 13-win season, but that was in 2005. These Hawks are coming off 53-29, which represents the third-best mark since the team moved here from St. Louis. So why does it feel as if last season was an epic dud?
Because the season ended with a playoff series that was an epic dud, and the summer was worse. The Hawks underspent for a coach and overspent to keep their best player, and their solution to the annual plaint of we-need-a-real-big-man was to sign the journeymen Josh Powell and Etan Thomas.
Getting swept by Orlando by an average of 25.3 points set the Hawks, who’d been clambering ever upward since the 13-69 nadir of Mike Woodson’s first season, back years in the eyes of its constituency, and the double move of promoting Larry Drew and making Joe Johnson the highest-paid free agent simply underscored the long-held notion that this club doesn’t know what it’s doing. (Never mind that losing Joe Johnson would have issued a similar message.)
The result: The team that finished third in the NBA East will open its season next Wednesday, and there’s no buzz of anticipation. There’s only a rumble of discontent.
“I’m not oblivious to what people are saying and feeling,” said Jamal Crawford, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and the happiest story of what should have been a happy season. But Crawford contributed to the fractious summer by demanding that the Hawks sign him to a new contract or trade him, neither of which has happened.
“Everyone has an opinion [as to how these Hawks will fare],” Crawford said, speaking after Wednesday’s practice. “It remains to be seen. We’ve got a whole new offense, a whole new system. I hope we’ll be able to take the next step. But you never know.”
Note the contrast. This time a year ago Crawford was as happy to be a Hawk as a 5-year-old running loose in Toys R Us. And now? “You never know.”
Exhibition games don’t mean much in any sport, but it’s worth noting that the Hawks have lost four of five, the most recent being another ritual drubbing by Orlando. On Thursday LeBron James will bring his talents to Philips Arena, and that could get messy, too. Indeed, this whole operation has the capacity to go really bad really fast.
Five of the first eight regular-season games are on the road. Said Drew, speaking of his retooled offense: “I see guys starting to pick it up. I was aware it was going to take some time. But the guys have bought into it, and what’s more important is that the main guy, Joe Johnson, buys into it.”
The proof of this purported buying-in, however, won’t be found in any preseason game. It will come in the final two of minutes of the games that count. Only then will we see if Johnson, who’d grown accustomed to taking nearly every key shot under Woodson, will be willing to defer to Crawford and Josh Smith and Al Horford. Only then will we see if Drew is up to the task.
Woodson was never popular with Hawks fans, and replacing him with just about anybody should have yielded a PR boost. Instead the Hawks replaced him not just with a man who hadn’t been a head coach but one who had been Woodson’s aide-de-camp for six years. (And who, not incidentally, came cheap.)
It was clear the Hawks had gone as far as they could under Woodson. Unclear is whether a guy who has been around this team — the starting five of which has remained unchanged since February 2008 — all along can be an agent of change. It’s possible Drew could represent an upgrade; it’s also possible he could be to Woodson as Ron Jirsa was to Tubby Smith at Georgia.
I take no pleasure in being so downbeat so soon, and I’d love to tell you I’m expecting nothing but great things from these Hawks. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I did.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
159 comments Add your comment
Rufus1
October 20th, 2010
5:31 pm
The Hawks will be better…
The Hawks will be better with one simple move that LD has already stated will happen….Teague will get the bulk of the minutes a PG or Better stated, Bibby’s minutes will be reduced.
NO team in the NBA that won 50 games last year made BIG changes… A negative outlooks causes so many of you to forget that obvious fact.
Talent wins in the regular season and coaching wins in the playoffs, that is why Woodson was fired. We had and still have the TALENT that won 53 games. Also, their is only one Orlando Magic team in the NBA, SO PLEASE STOP GIVING THE MAGIC’S CREDIT TO EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE.
Rufus1
October 20th, 2010
5:31 pm
NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS… That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. We swept the Celtics, Blowout the Bulls twice and beat the Bucks with Bogot twice. Please don’t tell me the Bulls have Boozer(Boozer’s # against the Hawks 9pts, 8rbs).
The season wouldn’t look so grimm, if you didn’t every team in the east the Magic’s Credit….
Go Hawks
Albany229
October 20th, 2010
5:46 pm
And you wonder why the media calls Atlanta a bad sports town. Atlanta fans don’t even give their teams a shot,who expected the 07-08 team go to the playoffs and go 7 with the Celtics? Who thought the 06-07 Thrashers would have won the Southeast division? Who thought that the 98-99 Falcons would have gone to the Super Bowl. So Atlanta please give the Hawks a chance, you never know what can happen.
juice sourcer
October 20th, 2010
5:49 pm
You said exactly what I feel….blah….this team has no mojo…major step back and really I don’t care because they don’t care…can’t wait to see how the 120M $ man or whatever JJ is being paid packs the house…I think not…place will be 1/2 empty most nights…mark it down
JD
October 20th, 2010
5:55 pm
Rufus1 – what are you smokin’? this team will struggle mightily. They don’t respect the coach now, what makes you think they’re buying into his new O? Wait til they struggle scoring points and see how quickly they revert to iso-Joe….
Sorry, can’t buy into it, won’t spend the money to see the product as it stands today.
Otis
October 20th, 2010
5:57 pm
My 5 least favorite things in sports:
1. NBA Players
2. The NBA
3. The Hawks
4. Rythmic Gymnastics
5. Curling
juice sourcer
October 20th, 2010
5:58 pm
What a pathetic franchise…no passion at all…will not go to one game and the NBA is great fun live…Hawks don’t care why should I. And paying Joe Johnson 100M + is just sick.
JD
October 20th, 2010
6:04 pm
@Otis – you’re kidding me right? I’d pay to see curling….LOL. How can you not like a sport where you drink before after AND during the game??
Jesse Stone
October 20th, 2010
6:07 pm
The parity of the NFL has been joked about since Pete Rozelle was in office. The NBA is the exact opposite. Most sportsfans know that there are only about 4 teams that have a real shot at winning the NBA title. The Atlanta Hawks are not one of those teams.
Bob Pettit
October 20th, 2010
6:13 pm
This team will never go anywhere as long as that looser J-Smooth is on the team – he was overwhelmed in the Orlando series last year & showed his true character……..
Concrete Pete
October 20th, 2010
6:23 pm
The NBA, along with it’s business plan and grossly overpaid brats that care ZERO about winning have run their course. The people that like (teenage city kids) the NBA can’t buy tickets. Until Atlanta is home to 20k platinum rap stars that will payto go to Phillips, the Hawks won’t matter.
KevinM
October 20th, 2010
6:27 pm
For someone to watch last season unfold, then come back to moving out the head coach and replacing him with his lieutenant, how excited should we be Albany? This is a joke; they were overmatched 2 straight years in the playoffs.
They looked like a team not on the same level as their opponent. Could it be because of one PG who hasn’t seen much time this preseason? Not possible…..
The best analogy would be a coach who was fired and replaced by his assistant….Tubby moved up and Jirsa was sitting and waiting for his opp.
The Hawks have been bad for so long, never making a serious threat, no one should be surprised by the turn of events. Its like waiting for the Braves to not let a visiting team clinch a series on your home field…..after so many times, you become numb and you look elsewhere.
Perhaps if this ownership group would be honest for a change and do what they said they would do which was do whatever it takes to win….instead, they give #2 who by the way, is a #2 in the best way possible, 25% or more of their salary structure. In the NBA, you better make that choice the right choice, because you don’t get a lot of do-overs when you lock someone in for that long.
And there is no excuse for not going after Carmelo Anthony because our current constructed lineup is not irreplaceable. Especially Bibby and Marvin.
Peter
October 20th, 2010
6:35 pm
Well Mark, back to a small front court and way over paying for JJ…they should finish above .500 but I suspect they do less than last year.
You stated last year they didn’t need a legit Big, and they had the size up front to compete.
I am again saying that is incorrect, and I wish JJ was gone, and some young talent took his place, or a trade for a viable small forward, cause Marvin is not the answer.
Kapoonka
October 20th, 2010
6:37 pm
I’m stil curious to know what team was willing to pony up the money for JJ? I almost would have preferred them call this season a wash, and save the money for Carmelo (too late now). Carmelo, Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford and Horford would have been a great foundation to build on. I’m not looking forward to the season. I think the Hawks will be the team every other team looks forward to playing. Drew’s lack of salary will be offset by the mega contract his son will eventually earn. More than anything, I feel sorry for the core players like Horford, and Josh Smith who will have to languish in mediocrity and have the marquee impact of their efforts slighted. Marvin Williams and Bibby should have been dealt a while back, and I’m still waiting for what seems to be a fragile and injury prone Teague to show me something.
Flying Tigers
October 20th, 2010
6:40 pm
Come on Mark, really, as long is this pitiful do nothing ownership is in place why bother? I have over the past 5 years attended maybe 7 Hawk games per year and 8 or 9 Thrasher games a year. Not this year, and not until new ownership that wants to try and win is in place. I know you have written about these guys before, but they are lucky to be in Atlanta as they would be run out of real die hard sport towns. Now I am a native Atlantian, and not trying to take shots at the fans, quite the contrary. If you are rich and have nothing better to do then by all means blow your money on some of these games, but if you are like me and work hard for your money and a single dad with a 15 year old son at home and bills to pay, well, lets just say I want be Gearon’s or the ASG’s patsy or chump anymore. One team will be lucky to sniff the playoffs and the other will get swept in round one or two. How the hell do you get excited about that. I would rather watch moss grow than the pitiful teams this organization throws at us. My money and time are more valuable to me, and this group that refuses to do the right thing for this city should either put up or sale the teams, because they are first class LOSERS!!!!!
Greg Kite
October 20th, 2010
6:43 pm
The NBA is Fantastic!
Dwight Schrute
October 20th, 2010
6:45 pm
When the NBA is locked out next year will anyone in Atlanta notice or care?
Naboo the Enigma
October 20th, 2010
6:50 pm
Two words… Joe Johnson
truthspitter
October 20th, 2010
6:53 pm
When is this garbage squad getting moved to Vegas so they can point shave every night and make the NBA into even a bigger mockery than it already is? Rick Sund is one DumbSundofaGM. Trade Smoove today please.
truthspitter
October 20th, 2010
6:54 pm
Hawks suck bad
Joe Johnson is a BUM
October 20th, 2010
6:54 pm
My 5 year old nephew during an easter egg hunt has more heart than Joe Johnson. Way to reward him with a contract after laying down during the playoffs. I hope the Hawks lose every game.
truthspitter
October 20th, 2010
6:54 pm
Over/Under 10,000 fans for opening night? I say under.
Naboo the Enigma
October 20th, 2010
6:55 pm
Why are all my posts getting filtered…
JSS
October 20th, 2010
6:55 pm
Niremetal will qualify this as a AJC Drive-By Blogging! Stop worrying about people “loving you” or “liking you.” Learn and execute your new offense. For goodness sake, it is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-E! As long you’re indifferent to it, you will never, ever, ever win a series of any important nature/ The Magic sent a straight shot across the bow last game… Sooner or later, you have to get the message!
I sure wish the “Willie Martinez is the root of all evil” blogger would get another bone to gnaw on…
Sanford Drive
October 20th, 2010
6:56 pm
Atlanta has a NBA team? What did we do wrong? How do we get rid of it?
jay
October 20th, 2010
6:59 pm
lol @ observation in a basketball blog saying basketball is a garbage sport……
as for the Hawks they needed a big body and Shaq/Dampier were available. they got neither. Soooo, Orlando will continue to crush them. Esp since the Magic are going to start using Brandon Bass more. it’s sad because this team has talent. they just can’t be physical enough to win in the playoffs.
hopefully LD will let this team run so we can try to outscore teams like Phoenix does.
truthspitter
October 20th, 2010
7:06 pm
Rick Sund and the ASG are garbage they are worried about luxury tax instead of the quality of product on floor. The Hawks will not have 10,000 fans opening night at the Lowlight Factory.
AK
October 20th, 2010
7:27 pm
i was a hawks fan all my 29 years, until they gave JJ that ridiculous deal. that sucked the $ out of the next decade of chances to sign great free agents. so i’m never looking back. the team is boringly average, with no heart whatsoever. the franchise is almost the biggest joke in the NBA and the NBA is the worst major sports league. too many greedy, fame-seeking thugs for me.
jojatek
October 20th, 2010
7:39 pm
In a city that has consistently managed to redefine the yardstick by which poorly managed professional sports franchises are judged, this year’s version of the Atlanta Hawks is destined to join the Pantheon of the most disappointing Atlanta professional sports franchises of all time. Who are we kidding here…??!!! There is absolutely no way that this team is not eliminated from playoff contention well before the end of the season, with plenty of finger-pointing and BS along the way!!! The off-season was an absolute embarrassment. No “buzz”??? That’s because we’ve all seen this movie before…
TS
October 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
I agree with everyone else that the Hawks appear poised to take a big step backwards. Marvin would be the best athlete on the floor if he weren’t too busy being a fly on the wall. There is no basis to believe that Teague is ready to elevate a playoff contender (or that Bibby can defend a point guard). Joe Johnson’s contract is going to cripple the franchise for YEARS. For all his talent, Josh Smith is never going to be a superstar or a guy who puts the team on his back. I do, however, love Al Horford’s game.
TM
October 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
The Hawks could leave this city for another… and 95% of the people here in the ATL would care less.
What does that say about this team? ahhhhhhh, not much.
REAL ATL fan
October 20th, 2010
8:01 pm
AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY ATLANTA IS A BAD SPORTS TOWN…. THESE HORRIBLE FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NCBravesFan
October 20th, 2010
8:35 pm
Mark: I think you’ve nailed it here. The Hawks really had a mandate to do something bold after their Orlando debacle in the playoffs. They talked the talk about spending money but when push came to shove, the ownership group went cheap again.
The Joe Johnson signing only made sense if the ownership was willing to spend money to address the true weaknesses of the team. If they weren’t (and time has shown they aren’t), the better move would be to let him walk, take a step back in the short term and look to improve a year or two down the line.
I don’t know much, but I do know the old saying about the definition of insanity. The Hawks look to be trying the same thing and expecting a different result …
Dawgs suck...
October 20th, 2010
8:35 pm
I’d rather watch ANY NBA game than watch or talk about the over-rated Georgia Bulldogs at ANY sport. Bunch of redneck loser is what they are…
SR
October 20th, 2010
8:36 pm
TS, that is as accurate a summary as anyone could offer. The reason there is no buzz for this franchise is because they set a record for getting their collective arses beat in the playoffs, hired a stiff for a coach and sat on those beaten duffs in the off-season and failed to add one meaningful player.
moorman
October 20th, 2010
8:42 pm
the hawks aint been right since they got rid of dominique.
I am finished with the Hawks.
October 20th, 2010
8:45 pm
For the last few years, i have watched almost all of the hawks games every year. I have attended at least 10 every year, and made room on my schedule to watch the rest of the games on Fox Sports South/Sports South. I literally cried out off excitement when we took Boston to game 7 in 08. I have always seen the “upside” in Marvin Williams. I have always defended my favorite NBA player, Josh Smith, no matter what. I have all of the starting five’s + Crawford’s Jerseys. I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on the Hawks. I was a TRUE fan.
I was until May 8th, 2010. I was done with the Hawks after Joe Johnson said that he could careless is the fans showed up of not.The Fans are the ones that pay you the ridiculous amount of money. I felt sick, I couldn’t believe that the man i cheered for through the good times and bad, didn’t even care! I would have rather taken all those thousands of dollars that i spent over the years and shredded them.
Just to add to the misery, the ASG rewards him with a max contract? WHAT HAS HE DONE TO EARN A MAX CONTRACT? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
As a previous comment already stated, this will be my last post about the Atlanta Hawks. Good Day to all!
And GO FALCONS! (the only Atlanta team worth spending time/money on)
Mark Bradley is a hater
October 20th, 2010
9:13 pm
This is y sometimes I wish the Falcons will fail. Im from Atlanta only bcuz Matt Ryan and the falcons get praised for doing exactly what?? Getting to the 1st round of the playoffs and losing,the braves get praised for getting to the 1st round and loose. But the hawks get to the 2nd round twice and loose yea its bad and i was pissed to but the players have no decision making in front office. I love my hawks and i will continue to root for them so cmon play like a chip on your shoulder and shake the damn haters off OH YEAH AND Mark get off RYAN JOCK UNTIL HE WINS A PLAYOFF SERIES
Da Analyst
October 20th, 2010
9:22 pm
Trade Josh Smith , Marvin Williams and a 1st round pick for Anthony and Nene. Instant offense and a center so Al can play power forward and the people will come , trust me they will come…..I am Da Analyst.
5150
October 20th, 2010
9:25 pm
jUST MORE BS! hawks are dead in the water…….Jamal looks like a freak in a side show……………
matt r
October 20th, 2010
9:26 pm
This may be the most pessimistic season preview from Mark Bradley I’ve ever read. Even the year of Petrino you were talking yourself into it.
Knockahoma
October 20th, 2010
9:36 pm
I’m a huge basketball fan and have been behind the Hawks since I was old enough to understand that trading Nique for Danny Manning was stupid. However, it wasn’t nearly as stupid as this ownership group.
They should have let Joe walk and realized that building around Horford was the way to go. Especially since a step back this year was inevitable. Maybe Smith finally learns to contribute athletically the best way he can which is with hussle. That would include him in the “build around” talk along with possibly Teague.
However, the asses known as the Atlanta Spirit only saw Joe as a way to sell tickets and were too stupid to realize that most Atlanta Hawks fans are educated and realize that Joe took this team as high as he could.
Lil' Barry Bailout
October 20th, 2010
9:41 pm
Hawks–boring.
When do pitchers and catchers report?
IlliniBrave
October 20th, 2010
10:07 pm
Go Hawks! And take the Trashers with you!!!
The town has three sports franchises: the Falcons, the Braves, and the Bulldogs. Everything else is and forever will be irrelevant.
Dballer
October 20th, 2010
10:12 pm
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
40-42
Dballer
October 20th, 2010
10:13 pm
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
NO PLAYOFF FOR ATL…
d
October 20th, 2010
10:28 pm
I watched this team for 3 years week in and week out. Only to hear one of their players after laying an egg say he doesn’t care what fans think…also watching players who get paid millions of dollars loaf around and whine during a playoff game. It was embarassing and by no means something I want to waste more time watching. Then no followup by team management or players to make ammends to fans. Pretty sad…
TROTTINGHOME
October 20th, 2010
10:45 pm
this offense will be in shambles by february
niremetal
October 20th, 2010
11:08 pm
I’d love to tell you I’m expecting nothing but great things from these Hawks. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I did.
I’d love to tell you that I expected Mark Bradley to write an intelligent, thoughtful article about NBA basketball. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I did.
Whopper Dawg
October 20th, 2010
11:17 pm
In the NBA especially, teams have a life cycle. The Hawks had a chance to create a great team, and came close, but blew it on the latter drafts, specially Marvin over the point guards. In the NBA, one huge mistake can and does change a franchise. The signing of Joe to a long term contract, continued mismanagement of the draft and the lack of franchise appeal to free agents have pretty much sealed the deal on this run of players, management and owners.
The only chance this franchise has is to get new ownership and management and maybe they can salvage this deal, but unless there is change that drastic, expect a continued downward spiral for this group of “actors”.