AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 18
Friday, January 18, 2008
The truth? You can’t handle the truth!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TORONTO - Don’t worry, my friends.
You’re not alone.
You’re like fans of every other team in every other sport in every other city on the planet.
And just like ol’ Jack told Tom Cruise in a Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth,” anymore than any of the rest of us.
You want perfection, or something close to it or on the path to it.
The truth is, the Hawks (and at least 27 other teams) are far from perfection.
The truth is, the Hawks are just now making to the path. And that path is filled with potential potholes that they are sure to step in. It’s a part of the process.
You remember the process don’t you? It’s those lean years of struggle before any team is able to become a legitimate player on the biggest stage. All the big boys have had to endure suffer through it, despite revisionist history in places like Boston, Detroit and Phoenix.
Some other truths about the Hawks a mere 36 games into the roller coaster ride that this season is sure to be:
The truth is, the Hawks still haven’t solved their point guard dilemma. Anthony Johnson was supposed to be the security blanket, not the starter. The Hawks are in deep water without their floaties on, because one wrong step puts them back in point guard purgatory. Those of you who panned the notion of a Luke Ridnour fitting a need here don’t seem to giggling now.
The truth is, the Hawks have ventured into deep waters in the paint. Al Horford was supposed to be a bonus to what was already there (Zaza Pachulia, were he to make a miraculous return to his 2005-06 form the Hawks wouldn’t need to make deal for a big). Yet he’s being asked to do things (as Cheryl Miller so astutely pointed out the other day) that he shouldn’t. That he’s held up so well just 36 games into his pro career speaks volumes about the young fella. But there is still an obvious need for another big man on this roster. And as much as I like Solomon Jones and the potential he’s shown, he’s not the answer if this team is to finally end their playoff drought. Remember, we’re talking truth here. There’s a reason that teams that work the Hawks inside tend to always finish on top at the end of the night (and that’s not just with big men, but teams that attack the Hawks inside with guys big and small seem to always come away with the win).
The truth is, the Hawks aren’t playing to their strengths every night by dictating tempo as opposed to being dictated to. My stance won’t change on what I think is the best attack for this team. Hawks coach Mike Woodson has pointed out to me on many occasions that the Hawks can’t “run” because I, or anyone else, wants them to. I disagree. If a team makes up its mind to play a certain way, they can do whatever they want. But it has to be a commitment made by all. And the Hawks, while saying all the right things in the preseason about being committed to that style, simply haven’t stayed true to that. Blame whomever you want for that one.
The truth is, things aren’t nearly as dire as you think they are on a bad day. And they aren’t nearly as peachy as you think they are on a good day. Part of this team maturing into a legitimate playoff team comes with the ability to manage the emotional ebb and flow of a season - something a similarly young, talented and incomplete young team like Portland seems to have already conquered. Truth. At 18-18 ( the league can take wins away all they want but I won’t abide by that foolishness here, not in Blog-Z’s world) the Hawks are just about where you expected them to be right now.
The truth is, things have to change going forward. Whether it’s a cosmetic change, the physical removal of humans from their current spots or a philosophical shift in how they’re going to approach the second half of this season, it should be clear to everyone by now that the current approach will not provide the desired results to finish the regular season. Not if the Hawks aspire to more than just a noble chase for a playoff spot. The aim has to be higher. All the teams in the hunt now should have their sights set on slots 4-6 as opposed to one of the final two spots, which spell almost certain doom in the first round of the playoffs. Land anywhere between 4-6 and the first round foe is probably going to be a team you can match up with and a have a fighting chance of advancing to the second round, which would be the true mark of progress - for the Hawks or any other team trying to measure the strides that have been made.
Real talk.
Truth.
