In three seasons at Florida, Al Horford played for teams that were 24-8, 33-6 and 35-5, won two national championships and were celebrated nationally for teamwork, unselfishness and uncommon maturity for young college athletes.
Then he played for the Hawks.
There were three seasons under Mike Woodson, when the team won as many as 53 games but always hit a ceiling in the playoffs, in part because of a dysfunctional locker room. There was a restructured, somewhat stripped-down version of the same under Larry Drew that engineered a first-round playoff upset of Orlando and stretched Chicago, but otherwise was a similar cast of misfits. There were the contrasting personalities of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith and Marvin Williams and, well, that’s enough. There were no leaders.
Then came a third general manager with a third coach and yet another plan.
Even the greatest of optimists begin to wonder at some point about whether they’re meant to taste success again.
“Very frustrating,” Horford recalled the other night. “I didn’t want to let it get me down, but at times it would. I always tried to stay positive and work with what we had.”
No need to fake it any more. The Hawks’ play is arousing a nation of “Huh’s?” and “How’s?” and “Wow’s.” They’ve won 14 consecutive, which exceeds their win total for the entire 2004-05 season. They are 35-8, which is only three short of their win total last season (38-44). One would have to travel 2,100 miles to find an NBA team with a better record (Golden State: 34-6).
Horford hasn’t been this happy since he left Gainesville. Neither one of two pectorals have exploded. Problematic pectorals are not common obstacles in an NBA career, but Horford has torn both of his in two of the past three years. He said he’s finally feeling healthy, “finally feeling like I’m in a rhythm.”
His play as a relatively undersized center (6-foot-10, 245 pounds) has been so good at the rim on defense and on pick-and-rolls, that he’s fine with staying put now and not moving to power forward (which had been his preference).
“I can be defending on the perimeter, and even in the post I feel like we have a defensive system and there’s help around so I don’t have to go so hard, necessarily. I’ve embraced this role.”
He has embraced everything.
When a team like the Hawks puts together an A-plus record with B-to-B-plus talent, it’s because of all those things that came together for Horford and his teammates in college: work ethic, intelligence, sharing the ball, defense, humility. The Hawks never blended before like they blend now.
It was apparent in Horford’s rookie season that he could be a leader. It also became apparent that there were times when he would say something, but certain veteran teammates didn’t like it. Some also didn’t like that the media painted Horford in such a positive light while they bashed others.
Horford didn’t mention any names when discussing past teams, but said, “We always had good guys here, but this is different. I feel like we have a lot of veteran guys who get it, who police each other and aren’t afraid to get after each other for messing up. We’ve handled criticism as well as any place I’ve ever been, even Florida. In the heat of the moment when somebody’s telling you something, your inclination is to (turn away).”
That happened?
“We wouldn’t even get that far. There wasn’t that open communication, maybe for fear. I was younger and I was like, ‘Should I say something to that guy? He’s an eight-year vet.’ At times I would, but I wouldn’t say it every time.”
Horford was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for a second time after averaging 21.7 points (84 percent shooting), eight rebounds and 6.3 assists in three games. Coach Mike Budenholzer praised his work at both ends of the court, saying, “I had a gut feeling (before last season) he would fit in with what we wanted to do. He’s such a smart player.”
Teammate Kyle Korver echoed those sentiments, calling Horford “the most consistent player and person I’ve ever been around. He approaches every game the same way. He’s an extreme professional. He comes with the right mindset. His cup is always have full. He’s always positive, which is very unusual.”
That’s true in any walk of life, but particularly a locker room in Atlanta.
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