So maybe playoffs are better than a lottery pick
When the Hawks began dropping engine parts in February, and general manager Danny Ferry just stood back and watched, not offering his team so much as an oil change or even one of those little pine-tree deodorizers, it was easy to wonder: Does he care?
Because Ferry’s reality was the same as any general manager’s who was in the early stages of a rebuilding project: While ticket sellers were advertising the Hawks as a professional sports franchise, striving for excellence, seeking your love and respect, there wasn’t much to be gained by a cameo playoff appearance. Ferry’s words and actions said as much. From his mouth, as the team was circling the drain with a 1-10 stretch: “We made the decision to not go for any quick fixes and look at the broader picture of what we’re trying to do from a program standpoint.”
It was a really nice string of words. But some would call that tanking. Bosses just call that business.
But the Hawks changed the equation. Because of what they’ve done in this playoff series against Indiana, the value of this postseason is no longer dwarfed by the tantalizing potential of a lottery draft pick.
The Hawks have won two of three games against Indiana. They weren’t expected to win two of seven. They were expected to be road kill.
Two wins in a best-of-seven series doesn’t ensure anything. But they’re learning how to compete (and win) in a playoff atmosphere, and against one of the NBA’s top (even if unravelling) teams. They’re creating an identity and functioning in an unselfish system that was foreign to most of these players until seven months ago. They’re establishing credibility with a scorched or disconnected fan base.
None of those things have been staples of this organization.
This playoff series also has given Ferry and coach Mike Budenholzer a greater sense of who they might want to keep around for the future. Feel free to scream, “Jeff Teague!” in unison.
There is significant value in all of that — value that would not have been possible if the Hawks had finished this season, or simply were blown out by Indiana, as most anticipated.
Ferry, a former player, is in playoff mode. It’s that one-game-at-a-time, think-of-only-today mindset that quiets the noise and minimizes distractions. He figures this isn’t the best time to speculate about what the Hawks’ little postseason uprising might mean for the future, or to reflect on his trade deadline stance.
“I’m more focused on what’s going on right now,” he said. “I’m happy the way guys like Kyle (Korver) and Jeff and DeMarre (Carroll) stepped up (in Game 3). They’re all getting great experience, and they’re moving us forward.”
But when asked if winning two playoff games now looked more attractive than the potential of a lottery pick, he paused, then gave probably the best and only response he could, under the circumstances: “I knew good could come from either (scenario). Whatever it was we needed to move forward and make the best of it. But what’s important now is we’re in the mix of the playoffs. We’re building an identity and building momentum as a program.”
I’ll say it: This is better. The percentages were against the Hawks landing a top-five pick in the lottery. So Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle — they were dead as possible Hawks players a long time ago. So we’re talking about weighing the significance of getting a pick in the six-to-14 range against the 15th.
The better pick doesn’t measure against the credibility the Hawks have gained, on and off the court.
Indiana has some immensely talented players. But they’re a mess. Their effort is in question. Their coach, Frank Vogel, seems helpless to motivate them, and he’s been outcoached by Budenholzer. Paul George, the young star, is showing he has maturity issues. George Hill has been a liability on offense and defense (he was pulled off of guarding Teague after Game 1 and was 1-for-11 shooting in Game 3).
Center Roy Hibbert … nobody’s sure what’s going on there.
“We’ve all tried to talk to him, keep him confident,” forward David West said.
The Hawks deserve some credit for all this because if they weren’t playing together and with passion, if they weren’t poised and uncaring about what anybody said or wrote about them, the Pacers would’ve walked all over them, even with their issues.
“I’ve liked our team all year because we’re competitive and we’re building good habits,” Ferry said. “But as far as the playoffs go, we just have to focus on the next game. The last thing you want to do is over-analyze this because the swings in the playoffs can be real. Just focus on what’s in front of you.”
It’s an unexpectedly nice view.
