AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2005 > November > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHawks will be better, but how much?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
The Hawks are going to be better. That’s the good news. The bad news: They couldn’t possibly be worse. And now more bad news: Being better is a long way from winning.
The Hawks were 13-69 last season. Says Mike Woodson, their coach: “My goal is to make the playoffs.”
He believes a .500 record would do it. A .500 record would be 41-41. The Hawks would have to improve by 28 games to get to .500. And how hard is that?
In 1969 the Milwaukee Bucks drafted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar … and improved by 29 games. In 1992 the Orlando Magic drafted Shaquille O’Neal … and improved by 20 games. In 1984 the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan … and improved by 11 games.
The Hawks have added Joe Johnson, who’s a good player, and Marvin Williams, who’ll be a good player. They have more talent than at any time since the Blaylock-Smith-Mutombo-Laettner nucleus was broken up at the shank of the 20th century. But we must temper our expectations with the realization that the only NBA teams that get exponentially better overnight tend to do so by adding a future Hall of Famer — or at least an MVP-to-be, as happened last season when Steve Nash joined Phoenix and the Suns improved by 33 games — and nobody among these Hawks yet fits such a lofty profile.
“It’s all about making the playoffs,” Woodson says. “As a coach, I’m not into saying, ‘Let’s try to win 20 games.’ Anything’s possible.”
And then Woodson says: “Is anybody picking us to make the playoffs?”
He knows the answer: Nobody is. The best estimates have the Hawks nudging upward from dead last in the NBA to 24th-best among the 30 teams. And that’s not nothing. That’s improvement.
The Hawks got worse — dumping Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Antoine Walker and even Rasheed Wallace, in uniform for only one game — on purpose. They shed salary so they could have money to spend on a difference-making free agent. The Hawks are paying Johnson $70 million to make a difference. The Hawks believe he’s an established player who’s about to become an All-Star.
They believed Williams was the most talented player in the June draft, and he might well have been. But Williams, who didn’t start a game in his season at North Carolina, was the Hawks’ seventh-leading scorer in preseason, and already it’s being said that he’s too deferential. (The same was said during his brief time in Chapel Hill.) The Hawks didn’t burn their highest draft choice in 30 years on someone who’s content to be a role player. They need Williams to be a star.
“We do have some offensive weapons,” Woodson says, and that commodity has been in short supply. At issue is whether these Hawks will complement one another or simply replicate each other’s skills. Their five best players — Johnson, Williams, Al Harrington, Josh Childress and Josh Smith — are between 6 feet 7 and 6-9. The Hawks believe having interchangeable parts is the wave of tomorrow, but surely there will be moments when they’d like to have a better point guard than Tyronn Lue or a stronger center than Zaza Pachulia.
Already the season of promise has been touched by darkness. No one can say how the loss of Jason Collier will affect this impressionable team. “He was part of our family,” Woodson says. “It’s going to be tough.”
The young Hawks can honor Collier’s memory by conducting themselves with the professionalism he showed. There’s the potential for growth here that hasn’t existed since this franchise moved into Philips Arena in 1999, but growth seldom takes a direct course. The young Hawks will wobble before they walk, and the prospect of running still seems a good ways off.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Hawks / NBA, Mark Bradley
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By John Crawford
November 1, 2005 09:13 PM | Link to this
No big man, long season… slight improvement elsewhere….
By Steven
November 1, 2005 10:44 PM | Link to this
Obviously we are not looking at a playoff caliber team, but you can’t expect a thirteen win team to turn into contenders in one offseason. I think the key thing to remember is that for the first time since this rebuilding process started after the Isaiah Rider fiasco, there is actually some real talent to look forward too. Josh Smith is exciting, Joe Johnson is a legit 20+ points a game guy, we had an excellent draft drafting the player with the most potential in both rounds. Thats right don’t forget about Salim Stoudamire a real shooter who is even pegged by Eric Neel of ESPN to be rookie of the year in this NBA Preview. It’s a start at least to building something great and there has to be a start to everything. Yes we need a big man but we have four things going for us in that regard. First cap room, second an ownership that isn’t afraid to spend some money, three a town that most athletes claim as one of their favorite to live in or visit and finally a likely lottery pick next year. We haven’t righted the ship yet, but I for one have hope.
By mountain_jim
November 2, 2005 07:36 AM | Link to this
I have hope, though living up in the wnc mountains I will have few televised opportunities to see this team grow.
This week is the League Pass freeview on DirecTv, so I am hoping to see tonight’s game there unless Charlotte is playing also and it gets blacked out for me….
Go Hawks!
mj
By Whopper Dawg
November 2, 2005 10:13 AM | Link to this
I have been a fan for a long time. Cotton, Hubie, Mike, Kevin, Lenny - Lou, Drew, Tree, Doc -
I think it is quite possible that I will not be on this earth if and when the Hawks ever put it together.
By Astro Joe
November 2, 2005 11:06 AM | Link to this
The good news is that BK probably has 2 more seasons (including this one) for this interchangeable line-up to show real progress or he is gone and Woodson with him). If nothing else, we do have some assets if we need to make changes. If this team falters, we will not have to start from step 1 to get it back on course.
By Pete
November 2, 2005 11:59 AM | Link to this
Way to go Mark - just when a local team seems to be turning the corner, you proceed to dump all over them. Typical.
By Rutuger
November 2, 2005 04:16 PM | Link to this
The 2 Live Stews (although known more for their entertainment value than for actual sports knowledge) said it best today: The Hawks may not be contenders right now, but they needed someone to step up and take charge, and Billy Knight has done just that. I am a lifelong Hawks fan, and therefore have seen some dark years, but dammit, the fact that this organization is showing a pulse and a desire to improve and become competitive makes me excited.
It’s easy to crap on a franchise that has had trouble winning. ESPN does that constantly. But in a time when people in Philips Arena are working hard to make me proud of my NBA team once again, I would rather cheer them on and give them some time to put this thing together.
Antoine Walker would not take us to the playoffs this year—hell, neither would Rasheed Wallace. Will this new crop of young guys do it? Most likely not in this first year, but let them get accustomed and see how it goes. In two years, if it’s the same old Hawks, then I’ll be right there with you, screaming for a change.
GO HAWKS!!!
By A Real Fan
November 2, 2005 04:50 PM | Link to this
Today is my birthday. A Hawks win to open the season would be a great gift.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Basketball Princess
November 4, 2005 10:56 AM | Link to this
What comes down must come up. What goes around will come back around. The Hawks will step up to the plate.
Everyone is so quick to critisize BK but please remember that he had a bunch of dead weight whn he became employed. He had to exfoliate the dead skin to bring out the the new skin.
When one gets a facial, afterwards the skin is fresh and healthy looking and to keep it looking fresh and healthy looking you have to make drastic changes in how you care for your skin. New products of moisturizers, cleanseres, scubs, masks and even drinking more water. Somehow you have to figure out the best combination of different products that works best with you skin type….Well the The Hawks Administration is the skin type. The Products are J Smith for Sensative skin, Joe Johnson for for oily skin, Marvin Williams for dry skin, Al harrington for Night time moisture, Z. Pachulia for 7 day scrub, Childress for masks and the other players like Ivey, D. Smith T Lue is water…Somehow the face will figure out what works for it but you have to give it time to adapt.
When you start using a new product on your face it seems like it gets worse before it gets better. Last season was the worst now give it time to get better becuse you will soon be impressed with the results.
By wes
November 6, 2005 10:47 AM | Link to this
This pretty much sums it up: 10 bucks wins you 1500 if you were to bet on the Hawks winning it all this year.