AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 02
Monday, October 2, 2006
Early chemistry a key
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The real show doesn’t start until Tuesday. That’s when the Hawks hit the court for two-a-day practices and we all find out just what kind of chemistry this team will have this season. Aside from the obvious — keeping the main characters off the injury list — I don’t know that there is a more important issue for this or any team in the NBA.
The Hawks didn’t find the right chemistry mix until two months into the season a year ago, their 2-16 record during the first 18 games proof that the right balance eluded them until then. No one wanted to use Jason Collier’s death as an excuse, but to this day I believe that the traumatic impact of Oct. 16, 2005, was never acknowledged for the devastation it wrought throughout the organization.
It almost felt like the Hawks had to hit rock bottom last year (the hot seat was blazing for the coaching staff by then; the owners had to either give Mike Woodson a vote of confidence or give him the boot — they made the right choice by the way) before they could rise from the ashes that was all their early season tumult.
It took weeks for Joe Johnson to find his comfort zone with his new teammates (remember, his deal didn’t get done until late August) and then Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire had to be incorporated into the playing rotation.
I say all that to make this point, aside from Speedy Claxton’s hopefully speedy (sorry, couldn’t resist) recovery from his broken hand, the Hawks shouldn’t have any other speed bumps to slow them down this season. At least none that are obvious right now.
So let’s study the first 18 games on the schedule for this season. And yes, I know we’ve got the preseason schedule to deal with. But that’s just an extended training camp. I’m talking about the game that actually count.
Let’s look 18-deep right now and guess where these guys could be by then. Keep in mind that for the first time in years that first month won’t include an extended trip through the Western Conference, where the most promising of seasons can be derailed in a matter of days.
The Hawks play 14 games before having to worry about that Western Conference trip. And by then, we should have a pretty good idea of what type of team these guys are capable of becoming and what type of season they can put together with a roster that is finally two-deep (legitimately two-deep) at every position.
Now I’m not even a fan of preseason predictions for a season (I know, I know, that’s not what it looked like in Sunday’s paper), let alone first month predictions. But as far as I can tell, the Hawks’ first 18 games shape as their most important of the season. If they get off to a good start the possibilities are endless. If not …
Playing .500 ball or even better through 18 games would be off the charts for the Hawks. But if the Hawks can stay anywhere within three games of .500 through the first 18 games, they have a chance to rid themselves of some of those early season demons from years past.
Some people might think that 6-12 is selling a team short. But after 39 wins and 125 losses the past two seasons, I think these guys have to crawl a little bit before they walk. Feel free to tell me if I’m crazy (you always do anyway).
