The Hawks finished the regular season with a losing record. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They ranked 28th in NBA attendance and that’s even counting each head twice, which they tend to do at Philips Arena.
These are the bottom line numbers we look at in sports before arriving at such well-thought out, bar-stool analysis. Such as: “They stink.” And: “This is why they never should’ve traded Dominique.” And: “What does this have to do with spring football?”
But other than the familiar ending, this season was different. Before the year started, we didn’t know what to think about Mike Budenholzer as a head coach. We wondered about Jeff Teague as a starting point guard. Realistically, there wasn’t much to expect from a pedestrian roster where the two biggest moves in the Danny Ferry regime were subtractions (Joe Johnson and Josh Smith), not additions.
But something significant changed in the playoffs. There was an unfamiliar buzz. People cared.
This was brought home strangely enough in a defeat. They flubbed a late-game lead to Indiana in Game 6 of the first round and with that game went the series. But Philips Arena rocked like nobody could remember, at least not for a Springsteen concert.
“We had the crowd and the atmosphere that we’ve been dreaming about,” guard Kyle Korver said.
This was Monday, locker clean-out day. Korver said he was still “bummed” as he reflected on the season, largely because of that game, even while it may have represented a turning point for this franchise.
“One reason I came back here was we wanted to help build something like that,” he said. “You see what’s possible in every way with the team, the city, the crowd. It takes time to build some traction in this city. It starts with us. We have to put a product out there that fans want to come and watch. We laid a decent foundation. The next level for us is we have to learn how to win.”
Some of that will require the Hawks’ existing players to learn the art not unraveling in the final few minutes of games.
Some of that will require new players.
For the Hawks to take the next step, general manger Danny Ferry will need to do something he hasn’t done in his two years in Atlanta: spend money.
The Hawks will never be in the stupid payroll club. It’s not the Ferry way. That’s not to suggest he won’t give a bad contract at some point because even visionaries get blinded sometimes, or yield to an owner in mid-sugar rush. But Carmelo Anthony probably isn’t happening here. San Antonio is the blueprint and that’s not a franchise generally known for free agent splashes.
But the Hawks can, and should, spend money. Their payroll ranked 24th out of 30 teams this season. They have move-able contracts. They have enough space under the cap that they can be a trade partner for other teams that might be headed for salary cap Armageddon.
What the Hawks achieved against Indiana also likely caught the attention of expected free agents this summer. If Atlanta didn’t gain “Gotta be there” status, the franchise certainly isn’t the pariah it might’ve been. The perception is that things are getting better. Quickly.
Ferry’s ability to watch this team perform without the injured Al Horford allowed him to more easily identify this team’s core. Horford isn’t going anywhere. Neither is Teague, who flourished under Budenholzer. (Teague: “He took my game to another level.”) Paul Millsap carried the Hawks for a while and became an All-Star for the first time in his career. Korver, now 33, led the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (47.2) and averaged 12 points, his highest since 2007.
Second-year pro Mike Scott became an important player down the stretch. DeMarre Carroll was the team’s best defender. His goal now: to improve his three-point shooting. He wants to be “The African American Kyle Korver.” Yes, he said that.
There’s your core. Now it’s about upgrading.
Ferry will have some attractive options in the free agent market. Luol Deng isn’t the player he was five years ago, but he can still be a major asset at both ends of the court and likely won’t command nearly the $14.3 million he made this season.
If the Hawks have designs on moving Horford to power forward — and they should — Detroit’s 6-foot-11 Greg Monroe (restricted) or Cleveland’s 7-1 Spencer Hawes (unrestricted) would give them some needed size. The Hawks also need more scoring help and Utah’s Gordon Hayward (restricted) averaged over 16 points this season.
A team doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to sway a fickle sports market like Atlanta. This is Hawks’ chance. Ferry and Budenholzer succeeded in creating an identity in a short amount of time — an identity the Hawks actually want. It will be interesting to see what they do with it.
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