Jeff Teague wore his own 1980’s throwback uniform – jersey and shorts – for exit interviews two days after the Hawks’ historic season came to abrupt end.
However, this day was not about the past, even the most recent pain of playoff elimination only hours old. It was about looking forward to what the franchise considers a bright future.
The Hawks cleaned out their lockers and met with coaches Thursday before departing for the summer after being swept from the Eastern Conference finals by the Cavaliers.
“Now we understand there is another level that we are trying to get to which means we have to keep working and keep growing together,” Al Horford said. “You don’t want to lose period. I don’t want that, and I think we got that across, I don’t want that to overshadow what we were able to accomplish this season. In all honesty, they were the better team. You have to give them credit. We were a good team but we weren’t the best team in the East.”
Trying to get to the next level becomes the vision of the Hawks – even after a 60-win regular season, falling one series short of the NBA Finals and accumulating individual and team accolades.
“There are a lot of things that are pointing in the right direction that I take a lot of pride in, we take a lot of pride in, the growth and the foundation that we’ve been able to establish,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Going forward how close are we? There’s only one team that is left standing. You want to be that one team that is left standing. We feel we are a team that can be in that mix and competing on that level. We have the players that are capable of that.
“We want to add to our group, improve our group, but through some of the accomplishments of the regular season and making it to the Eastern Conference finals, on the court our players have shown that they are in the mix. They are part of the group who can compete with anybody in our league. We are not satisfied. We want more. We will go into the summer motivated.”
There will be important events and decisions this summer. New ownership is weeks away from becoming finalized. The draft is June 25th and the Hawks only three selections, including the 15th overall pick thanks to the Nets. Free agency begins on July 1st and Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, along with Pero Antic (restricted), John Jenkins and Elton Brand, are free to leave. Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha and Shelvin Mack will be coming off season-ending surgeries. When training camp begins Sept. 29, the Hawks may look very similar or very different.
“Definitely a success in pretty much all aspects,” Millsap said. “We set some goals. The ultimate goal is to win a championship but we felt we made major strides from last year. … Everything is coming together.”
Millsap and Carroll both reiterated that they are comfortable in Atlanta and would like to stay but they have options to explore to do what is best for them and their families. The two were key cogs in the Hawks’ success.
When asked how this free agency will be different that two seasons ago when he joined the Hawks from the Jazz and blossomed into a solid starter in the league, Carroll smiled.
“First of all, I won’t have to be working out for no teams,” Carroll said. “And another thing, teams will be calling me instead of me calling them.”
The Hawks were able to look back and appreciate the season. Several players said they will use the final results as motivation for a summer of more work, more improvement and more vision of what they can attain next year.
“I think it was a great year,” Teague said. “We did a great job. We made history. We did a lot of special things. I don’t think we are happy how it ended but when you look back on how we did this year, it was exciting.”
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