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Sunday, February 24, 2008
Oomgowaye!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SAN ANTONIO - You probably don’t recognize that word, Oomgowaye. Five weeks ago I’d never heard of it either.
But I kept hearing Steve Smith talk about it, before games, during games, after games, on the road during dinner and just about everywhere in between.
“Gotta have an Oomgowaye,” he would say after an opposing player shoved a Hawks player aside on his way to the basket or after an opposing player hard fouled a Hawks player on his way to the basket.
When pressed on it’s meaning, he offered up a relatively simple and reasonable explanation.
An Oomgowaye (um-gow-wah, hey since this is the first time it’s being written, I can do it how I see fit) is quite simply a guy who plays with a force that overpowers all others on the floor and therefore gives his team a physical edge that can’t be matched by the opposition.
It’s true, the Hawks don’t have such a player on their current roster, though there are several floating around the waiver wire now that the trade deadline has passed.
The Hawks have run into a few the past few weeks or so, none who fit the description better than Sacramento’s Ron Artest.
When faced with the Hawks’ impressive assortment of athletically gifted and graceful young players Artest resorted to what I like to call the Truck Robinson approach (for all you youngsters out there, Leonard “Truck” Robinson was basically the Artest of the 1970s and 80s, a physical monster with the ability and skill to play inside out and basically dominate opponents with sheer physicality. I used to hear my pops talk about him all the time and along with my older brother have always used him as a baseline for tough as nails players like that).
Artest, who is far bigger than Robinson ever was (6-7, 260 compared to 6-7, 225) manhandled the poor Hawks Wednesday night at Arco Arena. He was pushing everybody around, doing it all while playing with a controlled aggression that can eliminate the opposition’s chances of ever taking control of the game when he’s on the floor because they have no way of matching his pure physical prowess.
Having known Artest for years now, it was a treat to watch him work again (we both did time in Indiana earlier this decade when the Pacers were among the league’s elite teams). After the game I bumped into him at a local restaurant in Sacramento and we talked about all things basketball, including the way he dominates opponents like the Hawks.
He admitted that it was strictly a physical thing. He overpowered the Hawks inside and out, dictating to the Hawks how he wanted the game to be played. He loves the athleticism and grit of guys like Josh Smith and Al Horford, but he knew they couldn’t match him. He knew there was no one in a Hawks uniform that night that could match him (we talked about quite a few other things but none of that will be repeated here, sorry).
That night Artest was the Oomgowaye Smitty is always talking about.
Without an Oomgowaye of their own, it’s hard to see these Hawks making the playoffs this season.
Sure, it’s still a very real possibility that they get there - if you haven’t been energized by the addition of Mike Bibby and all that he brings as a point guard and deadly outside shooter than there is no helping you.
But again, without a physical force added, do you see this Hawks team marching into the playoffs?
