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Friday, May 4, 2007
Do you believe (in risky business)?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The way the calls and emails came between late Thursday night and early this morning, you’d have thought a significant world event had taken place.
Communication like what I experienced should be reserved solely for momentous occasions like the end of the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan or the birth of a child, not for the end of the Dallas Mavericks’ season. (And if you missed last night’s scintillating show, I hope you have TiVo or some other way of watching the action in its entirety, because it was truly must-see-TV if you’re a hoops fan at all.)
But in the twisted world I live in, where sports take precedent over most everything else, I probably shouldn’t be surprised. Still, it’s tough to keep things in perspective sometimes.
Nevertheless, this is a basketball forum first, so let’s stick to basketball today.
A few things crossed my mind as Stephen Jackson and the Warriors escorted the Mavericks from the playoff premises:
Would Hawks fans pile into Philips Arena the way that yellow-clad Warriors crowd packed into Oracle Arena to form the rowdiest scene of the season, regular or postseason?
Do you believe, like the slogan on those loud yellow T-shirts proclaimed, that the Hawks are in store for a similar watershed moment sometime soon? (And no, geniuses, I don’t mean the No. 8 seed knocking off the No. 1 seed, but simply a trip to the playoffs after nearly a decade of watching from afar.)
Are the Hawks brave enough to jumpstart the rebuilding process by taking a calculated risk to add the type of difference makers that can propel a team the way the Stephen Jackson did last night? It’s risky business, of course, but it comes with a huge reward if you’re able to cash in the way the Golden State GM Chris Mullin did, not only by adding Jackson and Al Harrington, but also Don Nelson.
Before anyone goes off the deep end saying that I think the Hawks should find a Stephen Jackson-type player (see: dude with immense talent but also a questionable off-the-court resume), calm down. Besides, the Hawks had Jackson and Harrington (not to mention Jason Terry) at different stages of their careers. So step back and forget about the specifics and analyze the question in general terms.
The Miami Heat took a short-term risk before the 2005-06 season and cashed in with a title, though it helps when Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade are already in the fold. Now they’re paying for it, with an aged team that has to be torn apart and rebuilt in time for the start of training camp. But the risk paid off with a handsome reward.
The Los Angeles Lakers tried it before the 2003-04 season, bringing in Karl Malone and Gary Payton for what most everyone agreed would be a certain title-winning run. That risk almost paid off, and probably would have were it not for Kobe Bryant’s legal issues, subsequent personal issues with Shaq, and a nasty outfit from Detroit that wasn’t interested in cooperating with the Lakers’ master plan. The Lakers are still paying for decisions made then.
Mullin’s magic act with the Warriors was done on a much smaller scale. But he accomplished his goal (delivering the Warriors from a league-worst 13-year playoff absence) by mixing risky business with a hint of serendipity (Nellie against his former team and the owners he’s still battling with over a reported $6.6 million in compensation?; the folks that write scripts for the Young and the Restless couldn’t have cooked up a better drama).
So I ask you again, is it worth the risk of blowing up whatever you think you’ve built to chase more instant gratification? After watching Thursday night’s action, I’m open to the possibilities.
