AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > November > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHawks future looks bright
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Michael Gearon Jr. has a new agenda. After four years of talking up the Hawks when nobody else was talking about them at all, he’s trying to temper expectations. He won’t predict a playoff spot. Over lunch at his favored Blue Ridge Grill, he barely mentions the P-word at all. Instead he says this:
“I have high hopes but realistic expectations. We have a phenomenal nucleus that’s complementary to each other. We have very high hopes, but realistically we’re still in the early stages.”
A lifelong Atlantan, Gearon remembers well what happened the one and only time the Hawks promised they’d make the playoffs. They didn’t come close, and the man who issued the guarantee — coach Lon Kruger — got fired the day after Christmas.
Gearon and the other members of Atlanta Spirit made their bid to buy the team a year later, and ever since the investors have had little but grief in the way of a return.
That is, however, subject to immediate change. The Hawks look pretty good. (We’ll say it again for emphasis, more slowly this time: The … Hawks … look … pretty … good.) They have a chance to reach the postseason for the first time since 1999. Given the wobbly state of the Atlanta sports scene, they have a chance to become the city’s team of choice for the first time since the late ’80s.
Please understand: A chance isn’t the same as an assurance. Gearon again: “I don’t like guarantees. What I will say is that I’ll be disappointed if I don’t see us getting better. Our goal is to be one of the most competitive teams in the East over the next five to seven years.”
Given that the Hawks have scarcely registered on the NBA scene for the better part of the last decade, this would constitute a brassy upgrade, but not an entirely fanciful one. Few clubs have collected as many good young players, and even if Billy Knight hasn’t always drafted the absolute right man at the absolute right moment, he has built a roster of handsome pieces. At issue now: Can this assembled talent evolve into an actual team?
“If we can’t turn talent into a team,” Gearon says, “we have a problem.”
That’s why the June draft seemed to stand as a line of demarcation. Rather than simply picking more wings, Knight took gifted players who, wonder of wonders, fill the positions at which the Hawks have long been deficient. Al Horford is a power forward who can play center. (Of Horford, teammate Josh Smith says: “He’s a rebounding machine.”) Acie Law IV has taken to point guard even more quickly than the Hawks had hoped. Look for one if not both to be starting by New Year’s.
But don’t be shocked if the season’s first impression seems to augur more of the same. The Hawks’ first five games are against Dallas, Detroit, New Jersey, Phoenix and Boston. “A brutal first two weeks,” Gearon calls it, and that’s one of the reasons he’s careful not to oversell his product. No sense setting everyone up to be let down.
He prefers the longer view. What Gearon calls “the core of the team — Joe [Johnson], Marvin [Williams], the two Joshes [Smith and Childress] and Al and Acie — are an average of 22 years old.”
There’s finally enough skill at all five positions to believe this franchise’s misery is coming to its end. There’s also this: Luck, never to be underestimated, seems to have turned. The Hawks could have wound up without a first-round pick in June, but the lottery handed them two choices among the first 11. And it didn’t, significantly, afford them the No. 1 pick overall. If it had, they’d have done as Portland did: They’d have drafted Greg Oden, who’ll miss the season due to knee surgery.
“And what would people be saying then?” Gearon says, laughing. ” ‘The Hawks are under a black cloud.’ “
The gloom appears to have lifted. Here come the new Hawks, and here, wonder of wonders, comes the sun.
Permalink | Comments (36) | Post your comment | Categories: Hawks / NBA, Mark Bradley
Comments
By Tommy Boy
November 1, 2007 1:06 PM | Link to this
The Hawks and their fans should not be hoping for just a playoff appearance…it’s not much to say that you’re the 7th or 8th best team in your conference. Everybody should be hoping for much more than that — competing for the conference title, not just shooting for a playoff spot.
I’m very glad that the Hawks didn’t get the first pick and draft Oden. Even before his knee problem, I thought that he would end up being a relative bust in the NBA. At Ohio State, he was always getting into foul trouble, didn’t run up and down the court well. I’m amazed that so many people were having trouble deciding between Oden and Durant.
By Woody
November 1, 2007 1:38 PM | Link to this
I find it interesting that the Spirit fire Hartley after taking the Thrashers to the playoffs but keep Billy & Woody around after one excruciating season after another. This ownership group is totally lost. What incentive does Woody have to win? He knows they will keep him around through losing seasons but his job could be lost with a winning season. Billy is simply a round peg in a square hole that everyone in the world recognizes except the Spirit. He will be around with the cockroaches after a nuclear strike. Just a hunch but I’m guessing the Spirit owners were art majors in school. How else to explain the ridiculous business decisions they make over and over again?
By Dr. Warren
November 1, 2007 1:59 PM | Link to this
Hawks will bring more joy at 41-41 than the Falcons (fat chance) or Braves would at .500. It will be nice to be competitive again, even if we don’t appear that way till December. Acie will be Armund Hill and Terry Furlow rolled into one. Horford will be Danny Roundfield with a touch of Kevin Willis. I could go on, but I guess you all can sense my excitement already…Fly you big BLUE birds!!!
By Dr. Warren
November 1, 2007 1:59 PM | Link to this
Hawks will bring more joy at 41-41 than the Falcons (fat chance) or Braves would at .500. It will be nice to be competitive again, even if we don’t appear that way till December. Acie will be Armund Hill and Terry Furlow rolled into one. Horford will be Danny Roundfield with a touch of Kevin Willis. I could go on, but I guess you all can sense my excitement already…Fly you big BLUE birds!!!
By John
November 1, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
I know this is a season of opitmism but what if the Hawks did something really, bold like trading Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Lorenzen Wright for Kobe Bryant? This deal would help both teams and works under the salary cap. Imagine a starting 5 of Kobe, Acie, Al, Marvin and Zaza. Wouldn’t that work?
By Ryder
November 1, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
John, I pondered the same thing… I think Atlanta would at best have to throw in one of their PGs in that deal like Lue to make it work. That lineup would work in the East, if the game was played on paper. However given Kobe’s desire to win immediately I don’t think his attitude would wait on these young guys to grow, no matter how seasoned Acie and Al are at this time.
That being said, I love the way the lineup is constructed right now. I think this team has finally gelled to the point where they can win the close games they couldn’t last year. Acie will be a clutch player in the end and Al will provide the Duncan-like fundamentals in the paint that this team has lacked since the days of Kevin Willis.
Also, JJ and Josh Smith are focused on getting this team to the next level. Josh Smith will be even hungrier to earn that big contract and I still think it was a wise move to have them wait to see if he can lift his game to the point where Atlanta actually begins winning.
Woody you have to understand that Hartley and Woodson were in two totally separate situations. For starters, Hartley had a lot of veterans on this team (Hossa, Tkachuk)along with youthful talent like Ilya and he ended up losing the team with his hard-line stance. In addition, Hartley lost this team with questionable line changes and switching goalies during the playoffs. Simply put they weren’t listening to him anymore and they had no choice but to let him go. I still think a lot of that decision to fire him was more on Waddell than ownership.
As for Woodson, management knew that he was in a rebuilding situation and that it was going to take time to develop the talent. They have no excuses this year and his ability to manage this talented roster will determine if he will make it past Christmas. Personally I believe that if they aren’t around .500 come January 1st then he’s gone.
By Hawksville Resident
November 1, 2007 5:19 PM | Link to this
I predict by the end of this year to have so many band wagon riders at the games we’re going to need a seperate parking lot!
By Greg
November 1, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this
Mike Woodson should not have to take any blame for this team poor record over the last 3 years. You can give Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley the roster he’s had and I bet the would be no better. The only thing I blame Woodson for is trying to play JSmith at the 4 when he is a natural 3. Put MWilliams on the bench start Horford and Zaza with JSmith, JJ, and AJ. Give the team a chance to win already. On good teams every player plays their role we need to do the same, but with no significant upgrades. We will not make the playoffs this year. We are still to young and I have never seen a lottery pick team make noise in the NBA.
By St. Bernard
November 1, 2007 6:09 PM | Link to this
What does it say that our captain is asking for the team to make a trade before the first tip-off????? Where’s the hope in that????
By hawk bandwagon driver
November 1, 2007 6:30 PM | Link to this
Hop on now!!! The bus will be jammed packed by midseason.
By William
November 1, 2007 6:44 PM | Link to this
JOIN CLUBHAWKS.com!!!
Talk about YOUR Atlanta Hawks 24/7 while getting daily news or rumors.
By Larry Young
November 1, 2007 7:07 PM | Link to this
I think the Hawks would be an ideal team to make a fair deal for Kobe, who else agrees? They could give up a couple of young guys to get him, he would own Atlanta and the Hawks would sell out in the ATL every night. I think they would still have enough core young guys to rule the East with this move.
By kaz
November 1, 2007 7:13 PM | Link to this
I love our Hawks, but I do agree with Joe Johnson who thinks we need another veteran (preferably in the front court)
By Pmart
November 1, 2007 7:44 PM | Link to this
I don’t know if the Kobe proposals are serious but he has a no trade clause in his contract and there is no way he goes to the Hawks.
By Remembering Roundfield
November 1, 2007 11:15 PM | Link to this
The guys havebeen working hard all summer to bring improvement to this team. I say we give them a chance to see what damage they can do with who we have. If it becomes obvious that we need more after 4-6 weeks then we can do something that makes sense and is not just a knee-jerk reaction. Let’s see if Smoove and Al can make points in the paint and if Acie, Chills and Marvin can slash and score. It would be great to pick up a scoring/rebounding/shot-blocking big, but how? Those guys don’t just grow on trees, and to acquire one usually means someone’s bank (or bench) is about to get ravaged. We’ve been patient up to now, let’s not blow it by being too hasty when we’re so close.
By HB Ando
November 2, 2007 12:54 AM | Link to this
The only thing we’re close to, is giving a lottery pick to Phoenix next summer………..
By coz109
November 2, 2007 2:09 AM | Link to this
Resign Josh Smith now! DO NOT LET HIM GET AWAY! The kid plays with passion and loves the hawks. Teams pray for guys like this. Letting him go would rank up there with trading ‘Nique and drafting the likes of Roy Marble and Adam Keefe.
By smartguy
November 2, 2007 10:00 AM | Link to this
Gearon sucks. I agree with coz, if they let Smooth get away, I will be done with this team for a long time. They can’t sign him now, and I have a feeling his asking price after a great season will be out of the Gearon Goons price range. They really, really should have locked him up before the season starts. Should have listened to Gilbert Arenas, but I guess Gearon jr knows more than him.
Its going to be hard to root for Smooth knowing that every great play just puts him one step farther away from the Hawks. Thanks, Gearon for that. Spirit sucks, period.
By HawksBeat.com
November 2, 2007 10:05 AM | Link to this
coz, it’s a gamble either way. Josh Smith could be the catalyst of this team making the playoffs, or the cancer leading to it’s implosion. He’s got enough talent to be the former, and enough of a temper and bad attitude at times to be the latter.
By BeFrank
November 2, 2007 11:10 AM | Link to this
Good to see all the positive vibes around our Atlanta Hawks! Let’s stay positive through the first 10 games of the season understanding that it would be a tough schedule even for the Spurs! The only change i think Woody should consider is pulling Marvin from the starting lineup if he does not produce. I think Al Horford is a starter waiting to happen. Go Hawks!
By BeFrank
November 2, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this
Also, Acie should be the starter Day 1! If he is that close to the veterans then let him learn now rather than later.
By The Realist
November 2, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this
For the umpteenth season in a row, the point guard position is still a crap shoot! I’d love nothing more than a playoff birth but, in all honesty, what is so different personnel-wise this season? We still don’t have much the muscle to hold our ground in the paint (hopefully Horford will make a little difference) & we still don’t know if the point guard spot is in decent hands. How many seasons in a row have we started w/ our only assurance being depth at the forward position?
By JohnD
November 2, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this
Josh Smith has one thing going for him that other young players often do not. Pete Smith, his father, is ever present and a tribute to the “Sports Parent”. A solid, no non-sense type who we can hope is a sign of how the son will mature.
By The Realist
November 2, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this
For the umpteenth season in a row, the point guard position is still a crap shoot! I’d love nothing more than a playoff birth but, in all honesty, what is so different personnel-wise this season? We still don’t have the muscle to hold our ground in the paint (hopefully Horford will make a little difference) & we still don’t know if the point guard spot is in decent hands. How many seasons in a row have we started w/ our only assurance being depth at the forward position?
By JohnD
November 2, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
The future is now, I know that is trite but also the reality.
Horford and Law do not necessarily have to start for the team to be successful, but they will have to play the important minutes.
By JohnD
November 2, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this
Realist
Acie Law is a point guard with better all around offensive skills than Jason Terry. Law is bigger and stronger than JT and at this point seems to be a natural point guard, something JT has not become.
Horford will make a huge difference but the team is still small by NBA standards. ZaZa has talent but no bulk, Wright is past being of help, Marvin is neither bulky nor quick, Solomon is a spot player at best who makes ZaZa look big - so you are correct we will have to make up for the lack of bulk and strength with quickness and desire.
Defensive schemes can cover for the lack of size but will the coaching staff make the adjustment?
Fortunately the Eastern Conference is undersized compared to the West, with one or two exceptions, and the Hawks should be able to compete in the East.
By chad
November 2, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this
Is Marvin Williams healthy? Is he starting 2nite?
By Dave
November 2, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
Why would we want Kobe for, - all he would do here is whine and complain a lot more than he whines and complains in LA. All Kobe wants to do is to win a championship, Be the “Man”, Get paid a gazillion dollars, and then act innocent and professional and pretend the problems in LA are not his fault, when in fact they are all his fault and while he would be a nice gate attraction in Atlanta, he certainly isn’t going to bring any championships here, he is a selfish spoiled malcontent, No Michael Jordan. My predictions are 30 to 35 wins for the Hawks this season. Kobe will go to the Bulls who will not do well either if they give up the talent to get Kobe if Kobe gets his way then the Lakers are in Serious trouble.
By hawksfan
November 2, 2007 12:41 PM | Link to this
Zaza has plenty of bulk—he’s 280+ pounds. What he lacks is great athleticism. Nevertheless, his current injury will hurt the Hawks heading out of the gate. Al will need some help, as Al is undersized. The Hawks have a very solid team this year, with the Joshes and JJ leading the way. Acie needs to come off the bench; don’t crown him a supersized JT until he shows something in the NBA, as JT is third best player on the Mavs. T. Lue and AJ are crafty vets that are not half-bad, if you have caught their games the last few years. We are okay at point guard, but still small down low (particularly with Zaza hurt). I think the bandwagon will fill up quickly, and I’ll drive the second bus—and I’ll also pay the fare to take Speedy out of town.
By The Realist
November 2, 2007 1:31 PM | Link to this
John D The only flag for me is the fact that Law isn’t proven. That’s why I call it a crap shoot. Trust me, I hope he turns out to be the PG we’ve been aching for.
I agree that our lack of bulk doesn’t hurt us as much in the East as it would in the West. I’m hoping we can compete.
hawksfan Regardless of his physical measurements, ZaZa plays small. Bulk means nothing if you don’t use it. Since he’s been with the team, he’s never been close to the physical presence we need in the middle.
I agree that Al is undersized to play center though. That’s why the center postion concerns me.
By Savannah Sig
November 2, 2007 4:37 PM | Link to this
Glad to see Michael and crew buy the Hawks. We played plenty of pick up games at Stegman Hall at UGA while pledging Sigma Chi. Congrats Michael and good luck turning the Hawks around.
By Reality
November 2, 2007 4:51 PM | Link to this
The Hawks blow. The NBA is unwatchable.
By Tom
November 2, 2007 5:07 PM | Link to this
Lou Hudson
By superman
November 2, 2007 5:09 PM | Link to this
Don’t worry about signing J Smith. He’ll be here… he is a restricted FA and the Hawks can match any offer and keep him so there is no need to sign him now. It would be just paying him what HIS agent wants without any negotiating. It’s like asking for $25 million a year. You must negotioate and Josh’s agent knows he has the upper hand right now and he can ask for a ridiculous amount which is what is happening.
By sonya
November 2, 2007 5:59 PM | Link to this
they suck this here.their stupid and dumb.yeah.
By Lee
November 3, 2007 1:16 AM | Link to this
How about those Hawks! Hawks 101 - Mavs 94. Great opening win.