AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 25
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Politically speaking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHICAGO - So much for those geniuses in meteorology.
The forecast for Chicago was supposed to be snowy and frigid. My flight shows up to Midway Airport and it’s snow-free and just a bit chilly.
Let’s hope the Hawks’ scouting report on the Bulls is a bit more accurate, because ya boy will be wrapped up like an Iditarod racer for Tuesday night’s game at United Center as opposed to a normal human being (seriously, this is bothering me in a major way, sorry).
I’ve noticed the increasing number of attacks on each other on the past couple blogs. I don’t know what that’s all about, but I would encourage you to focus your attentions elsewhere. You’ve seen how that political infighting works haven’t you (Obama-Clinton has turned into a WWE event full of all sort of politically incorrect speaking that the other side loves)?
We need to keep our eyes on the prize around here people.
The Hawks and the potential playoff push that’s going on right now should trump any of our dysfunctional conversations about whom you’d rather have between Josh Smith and Thaddeus Young (you can’t be serious?).
Anyone guessing what a guy who skipped high school might have done in college is dealing in the world of JK Rowlings (like some of those in the business in New York, more below) and the rest of the make believers. We’ll never know. It’s all just hyperbole anyway. More importantly, who cares?
At some point we have to deal in the here and now. We have to deal with what is and not what might have been or what should be (and I would caution anybody about making a definitive opinion on a player after just two or three seasons. Some guys take a while longer to develop and find their niche).
I’m not telling anyone not to ignore your imagination. But if you haven’t noticed, this isn’t the March of the past couple of years around here (when we were already knee-deep in lottery and draft talk because we knew the Hawks and playoffs were two words that didn’t belong together). We’re actually allowed to discuss the NBA and games and what’s going on in the standings and other trivial stuff like that.
In an effort to bolster the conversation I made a few calls this afternoon to get a good read on the aforementioned topics, touching base with a couple league execs from other teams, a scout friend and even a former Hawks player for the following:
I saw the report tonight that said Donnie Walsh has agreed to accept a job with the Knicks at season’s end (according to “sources”), which would change things dramatically in the Eastern Conference going forward. But when I talked to Walsh earlier today he said he didn’t know what he was going to do. I asked him about it after the media gathering to announce that he was not returning to the Pacers for a 25th season. The stuff out of New York (always to be read with an eyebrow raised) certainly forced his hand. He had to say something because the rumors had gotten totally insane. What you can hang onto is this entire saga is this ditty from the Walsh bio: “The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals six times and won the Central Division four times under Walsh. They made the NBA Finals in 2000, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, and had the league’s best record in 2004 before the franchise began unraveling.” That is some serious ammo for anyone that’s going job hunting in the NBA. Listen, I was there for playoff trips and the Pacers’ 61-win season (and the brawl, too). And I can tell you this, Walsh ran that organization the way you’re supposed to. He’s one of the best there’s been at his job. If any team is looking and has a chance to knock on his door, they’d be FOOLS not to do so.
Another league executive busted my chops when I approached him about my story idea that you can read online and in Tuesday’s paper touting Al Horford’s candidacy for Rookie of the Year. While he’s wildly impressed with what Horford has done, he pointed out that Durant averaging 19.6 points, even on a dreadful team, simply cannot be dismissed. “If you stick that asterisk on it because the Sonics are losing do you do that to every guy on a bad team that’s averaged 20 points a game?” he said. “I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think what either of those kids has done should be overlooked. They’re both having fantastic seasons, but in the grand scheme of things, neither of them is doing it for a team that’s a winner in this league. I’ll tell you what, if the Clippers hadn’t waited so long to unleash Al Thornton get into the mix, both of those guys [Durant and Horford] might be watching that kid win the award. Because he’s really come on since he started playing more. But again, he’s not putting up meaningful numbers on a quality team.” While I can concede his point, I think the winning team/losing team element of the debate is the weakest portion of the entire discussion. The fact is both of these guys have had pretty special seasons. One has been asked to do it while helping resurrect a franchise while the other has done it while a franchise in tear down mode. It’s a totally subjective argument, one that will be decided later by writers from around the league.
Everyone around here is focused on what will become of that eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference. But the race for the final spot in the Western Conference should be just as intriguing. It’s also going to go down to the wire as well, with Denver trying to claw their way into the mix past the Warriors and perhaps even the Mavericks now that Dirk Nowitzki is out indefinitely with that nasty knee/ankle injury. You know I’m rooting for the Warriors to hold on to their place (or move up even), mostly because I like their style. Listen, any team that scores 100 or more points in 33 straight games or whatever they’ve done, deserves to showcase their stuff for the fans in the playoffs. That led me to a conversation with a former Hawks player now working in the Western Conference, a guy who is locked into that playoff chase just like his former Hawks teammates. I wondered if he was keeping up with the Hawks still, even though he won’t see them again this season. “I know they’re right there in the mix,” he said. “I’m happy for those guys. They deserve a shot at the playoffs, especially those young guys, just so they can get a taste of what it’s like. I’ve been watching them, too, and I like that they’re playing a little more freely on offense. That’s the Bibby effect, man. They put a point guard in there and he’s not going to run those sets all day long. He knows how to push it. And that’s when most of those guys are at their best. It’s just too bad it took them so long to start playing that way. They should have been doing that all along.”
