AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 07
Monday, January 7, 2008
Who you with?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week the vultures were out, picking over the bones of those of us who dared voice concern over a two-game losing streak.
Now that the Hawks have burrowed four-games deep into this mess, suddenly we don’t seem so crazy.
But I’m not here to antagonize today … well, of course, I am. But not right now.
My purpose this evening is to tell you how surprised I am by the resolve of the cats in the Hawks’ locker room. Rather than throwing each other under the bus when things go bad, they’re rallying around each other.
While studying and reporting for a story on the Hawks’ fall-back plan when their Give-it-to-Joe-and-let-him-do-work offense breaks down, his teammates were all about lifting up their captain (who has shot a meager 21-for-63 from the floor during the four-game losing streak).
A nine-game swing the likes of which the Hawks have experienced would usually be the time when the haters and fakers show up (on blogs and in the locker room), and it’s a natural reaction when you lose four straight after winning five straight, I don’t care who you are.
So I was prepared for some finger pointing to go on, not expecting it but prepared for it. And given the locker room uneasiness at the end of November it’s a reasonable expectation to see some signs of stress in the locker room.
Instead, the ranks were already fortified. Neither Josh Smith nor Marvin Williams wanted to hear anything about Johnson’s struggles.
“Joe’s been in this position before, man,” Williams said. “He knows what it takes to shake out of a shooting slump. He’s a professional, an All-Star, he’ll bounce back. In the meantime, we’ve got to step it up, not just one of us, but all of us, and make sure we get going earlier. Everybody loves to pile on when you’re down. But we’re not going there. We’re going to fight for each other. It’s on the rest of us to pick up the slack the same way Joe has for the past two and a half years.”
Knock the Hawks all you want for their current struggles, but I dig that kind of attitude. You stick with your boys, good or bad.
All that said, the only thing that can be done to fix the Hawks’ obvious issues inside (I’ve grown tired of barking about the lack of a legitimate inside presence to go along with Al Horford) is to make a move. The other people being used inside are neither effective enough nor consistent enough to aid the (playoff) cause. It’s really that simple.
The Hawks are going to keep seeing teams that are going to be bigger, stronger and/or just flat better than they are in the post. The folks already on the roster can’t fix that problem without some assistance. While I’m not an advocate for some of the wild trade rumors that some of you seem to love so much, I think it’s fair to say that an all-out (big)manhunt should be the first and only order of business as the trade deadline approaches.
