Wretch

Read it down below.

Aint that the damn truth. There is a f#cking curse on this team...there HAS to be. No matter what the Hawks are involved in, sh#t just gets strange...

Injuries, business, trades, the draft, whatever...doesn't matter. It's like we are destined to never join the actual NBA world. We'll never have more than 2 games on national television...

How are the lottery tie-breakers decided vs. western conference opponents? Is it based on the regular season matchups? We lost both games against the Clips and split the series with Phoenix - who has a better winning percentage against its division.

No sirrr... *lol* I'll be cursing on every basket made, every lead taken, every offensive rebound. The hell with it. I've been rooting for the team all year, with the exception being the last couple of weeks...where haven't really rooted against them, but haven't been interested in winning either.

Right now, I'm straight up hatin', call me what you want!

Let's go Hawks! Go straight to sh#t!

I want to know where the precedent or the rule is regarding all this. On what grounds does the NBA have to stand on saying you can't make a shot attempt? Sh#t if they say that Sura shouldn't be given credit for his rebound, then they shouldn't be giving people free throws for hoisting the ball up during a foul just so they could be "in the act of shooting. *LOL* I've seen some CRAZY shot attempts in CRITICAL game situations...

There's no rule that says you can't intetionally miss a free throw for any reason. If that were the case, then they should call a tech on guys trying to make and miss to send a game into overtime.

I mean, Ricky D shooting at the opponents basket is one thing - which is IMO inconsequential in the meaningless moments in a meaningless game; Sura throwing up a shot and catching the rebound in a similar situation is another.

*LOL* From the looks of the play, it would seem to me that he should be given credit based on the degree of difficulty. Stotts should be slapped too, because there was a rebound that bounced off a few guys that rolled to him (#8 I think), and he looked right at the scorers and said count it; he also left Sura in for the sake of getting the board.

What about Jordan going for whatever that rediculous amount of points it was that he needed in ONE GAME to surpass Shaq for the scoring title?

What about stopping the game on a foul to hand Nique the ball for *can't right of the top of my head remember the statistical feat*

Do I think what Sura did was right? I honestly don't think it matters, that it's petty, and the man should be given credit for his shot attempt and the rebound. It's not a shot at the integrity of the game, hell, the man is playing his heart out in meaningless games when he has already earned some attention and losing is in the team's better interest.

It took JT 4 years to earn that contract... I think Jack has earned a good contract but, I wouldn't lock him up for 6 years at the same price.

I kinda knew there would be a reaction like that. But the reaction is WRONG. First of all, there is no rule that says you have to dribble out the clock at the end of regulation if you have a comfortable lead. Secondly, it was a shot attempt - the key word being ATTEMPT. If Atlanta were not ahead at that point, and had Sura caught the ball and thrown it up at the rim, would it not have counted as a shot attempt? And did the NBA also not give him credit for a shot attempt?

If I were Sura, I'd probably just laugh it off...and I'm sure he doesn't give a sh#t one way or the other; I don't expect an apology from him either. Also, I don't think it's the same situation as Ricky Davis - being that it was THREE CONSECUTIVE triple-doubles on the line, it WAS a shot attempt, and that it was an attempt at HIS OWN basket.

Even still, I don't see the problem. So a guy wants a triple double, big deal. In the end, it's just goofing off near the end of a game. It's no more disrespectful than mild trash talking, taking a gorilla dunk and hanging on the rim (when the score doesn't matter), or throwing the ball in the air at the end of a game.

If anything, I think Greg Anthony should be fined for hatin' last night. Did anyone see that? He said you don't see winners doing things like that, and that it just goes to show what losers are all about - that they are just concerned about stats. Get a job Greg and a personality and stop hatin'!

Pffft.

There's nothing wrong with being direct or blunt. There's nothing wroing with questioning the legitimacy of a supposed title contender. There is a time to be impartial and there is a time to be blunt. Some analysts have a blunt stance on everything. Personally, I don't have a problem with that. It is refreshing and the truth is the truth. But again, there is a difference between being disrespectful and being blunt.

I think a guy like Jim Rome would say the exact same thing to Garnett's face as he would behind his back. I think the Hot Seat does a good job of asking direct questions expecting perhaps blunt and direct answers. But with Garnett sitting in front of Smith, does he ask him, "does your team deserve mentioning in a conversation regarding title contenders?"

And the comments about Sacramento, the words roll out of his mouth as if he shared the same opinion. I think Smith overplays his part...looking for just for reaction to make a name for himself; whereas guys, like Charles Barkely for example, simply give their opinion - telling it like it is.

Smith is just fake and annoying.

I think that says much of it right there; and because of that, his comments carry an annoying, disrespectful tone of bias.

Between being direct, honest, and informed and being disrespectful. A guy like Rome talks [censored], but he's just giving an honest opinion - and the key here is that Rome will talks smack to people whether they are in his face or not.

...asking Shaq if the TWolves deserve to be mentioned in the same conversation with the Lakers and the Kings? As if ANYONE (besides maybe Ron Artest or Dennis Rodman) would give him the kind of answer he's looking for...

Smith has a decent opinion on basketball. He should drop the act.

I believe it's manipulated just a tad; if it is, there is NO way anyone needs a top 3 spot more than us. Orlando and Chicago are all but guaranteed a 1 - 3 pick. Chicago has been screwed so many times in the lottery, I can't imagine a "fixed" lottery doing it again...

I'm sure he means 8 to 9 million over the course of the contract... That's about right and I'd definitely give him 3 years.

He was a complete jack@ss about it - not just analyzing the situation, saying, "It's about damn time." He was loud and vocal about it as if he were a Knicks fan (probably is)...and just talking as much smack as he could. He's trying to be like Rome, but he just comes off as a f#ck-nugget with an attitude problem.

Dude is a complete jack@ss. Just had to tell somebody. Sometimes he's pretty insightful, but his tone of voice and lack of respect for any team that hasn't won a championship just ANNOY the p#ss out of me...

See the ESPN Motion, Sunday Conversation with Shaq...

Man... If I were CWebb or Garnett, I'd slap the lips of that jack@ss the next time he interviewed me.

We'll make moves this summer, we'll have a good draft, and we will have plenty of money come next summer - when we could have yet another good draft pick. With the new owners coming in, we may not be winning, but we will definitely be a much different franchise than than the one that McGrady is evaluating right now.

*lol*

Yeah... I am not convinced that the lottery is real. I think some years, where it really doesn't matter, Stern just lets it fly. But in the case where sh#t just needs to be done (LeBron, Memphis(Van)/Detroit, CWebb, Yao/JWill) I think the NBA steps in and creates it's own destiny within the top 3 picks. And considering the lack of parity between the 2 conferences, I don't think there's any question regarding motive.

I don't think there's any under the table business between the league and the teams involved. Stern or whomever just determines which picks in the top three go where. Having the drawing behind closed doors makes no difference, it is the machine that has been created to produce the number combinations that the league needs.

With that, I don't think that there is any need to worry about where we finish. We are in dire need of facelift, just as Cleveland was in need of LeBron and Detroit (an already *decent* EC team) was in need of Memphis' pick. I don't think we'll get the top pick. But the team that does get it, will be a team inclined to take Okafur - like Orlando who coincedentally has the worst record in the league. We'll get the 2nd pick, take Howard, and the rest would be up to chance. So realistically, I think the lottery is being drawn only for the #3 pick.

Otherwise if *bwahahaha* the lottery is "real", and we end up picking 5th, I hope Deng declares - that might give us a chance at Smith.

I feel bad for him too (well, as bad as I can feel considering that his pocket change could pay my salary for a year... ). He's a guy who's just fallen off the radar. I can only imagine the kind of team Orlando would have been. It would have been great for the NBA and especially the Eastern Conference.

Knowing that within the next few years, we will have a completely different team on the floor. Chances are we'll have an identity - which we've not had since Nique left.

Thinking about all the top players in the league immediately brings up their colors. Names like Iverson, Kobe, Garnett, and Duncan are synonymous with their franchises. We don't have one of those... We don't have a LeBron or Carmelo either. Hell, we don't even have a Kwame, Chandler, or Miles to gripe about or for the league to take notice of.

It's all about to change though and I couldn't be more excited. Whether we tank, scrap it out, draft 1st or 5th...our franchise is heading for a new beginning. We will FINALLY have an identity.

In the nearly two decades that I've followed this team, I can't say that I've ever been more excited! I wouldn't rather be a fan of any other team in the league right now.

(Heh. Jay, what'chu know about that Pacman Hawk! *LOL*)

I don't think there is enough in place to entice Kobe to sign with us. He's either going to resign with LA, move crosstown to the Clippers, or sign with a team with a solid core. Anyone remember his face when SanAntonio put them out of the playoffs last year?

He was crying, shaken, and determined to get back. This after coming off of a 3-peat! He's a tireless competitor and asking him to come to Atlanta would be asking him to rebuild our franchise. I don't think he's interested in rebuilding.

Anywho, I do believe that we have a GREAT chance at signing TMac - whom I like better anyway and believe would be a much better fit. That is...if he decides to leave Orlando.

Not quite. First of all, players who are locked up in a contract will play for us until thier deal runs out or until we get rid of them. They are our players, and watching them over a period of time develops an attatchment (to the good players anyway...) This is just a basic rule of sports. I don't know these new guys. I haven't seen them play 6 months of basketball. The only thing that makes me a fan is that they now play for my team.

Cool.

But the biggest difference here is that all of these guys could be headed elsewhere. With no guarantee from our franchise that they will be back, their primary concern is MAKING MONEY - not playing their hearts out for us. A guy like JT says, "I want to be here. I love this city. I've been through the rough times. I want to be here when it turns around. I want to help turn it around." That's the difference.

A guy like Sura or even Jack, they have the attitude, "Hey, this is a great city. Management is getting settled and the franchise is going in a new direction. We'll just have to see what happens this summer. Right now, I'm just concerned about going out and playing hard every night, having fun, and trying to win a few games." That translates into - "I'm looking for a paycheck."

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. If any of us were in that situation, we'd be doing the same thing. However, you can't expect me to go out and cheer for this guy to get himself a good paycheck. I wish these guys all the luck in the world in trying to secure a decent deal - but my biggest concern is that my team is in the best possible position to draft the player that they want.

So, I cheer for them...but I don't expect them to win and I'm not looking for them to win. I'd like for them to get paid and I'd like for them to come back as Hawks - but I want a top draft pick.

...

As for who to bring in...and what to do.

We should have gotten a draft pick for Reef and Ratliff. So all we're left with is dangling JT out there. Oh well, can't cry over spilled milk. We aren't in a win now situation and anything we do is going to spark some interest in the team. So, I don't think we have to go after the sure thing in the draft (Okafur). I think Howard is a better fit, if only through a marketing angle. I haven't seen him play, but I like what I hear about him.

I wish we could pick up Smith too. Something tells me that he's going to be the player that teams are going to wish they had taken in this draft. If we don't get one of the top 2 picks, I think he's a no-brainer.

Free agents...

First, I have to start right here. I like Jackson and Sura. You're talking about two very tough "go all out" type of players. People had forgotten about Sura and he was supposed to be just a throw in as we tanked the season. However, he and Jack are the reason why the Hawks are competing so hard down the stretch. Jack is worth around $5 mill. and I'd give it to him. Sura is probably worth the same...but he'll have to play out a full, productive season (like he's been doing for us the past couple of months) to earn it. He'll probably end up signing a short deal with an option like Jackson. I'd give him that, but I think someone has a eye for him in their plans to make a run.

TMac is obviously on everyone's radar. But not everyone has the money like we do to sign him. For that reason alone, I don't think he can be looking at signing with a contender; and unlike Kobe, he isn't fresh off of a three-peat. He'll be looking for a talented team to sign with. I think we can put that out there next off season; and with the money available to sign the supporting cast that he needs, I think we have a better than average shot at signing him - if he walks away from Orlando.

Management might be looking into dealing for Iverson with the intent of luring another top 10 player through free agency. Iverson, Jackson/Sura, McGrady, Howard/Okafur...? I'd buy that for a dollar! The question is, do we give up our 1st rounder for him...

I wouldn't if we are looking at a top 3 pick. Obviously, Philly would be looking to take back JT, but the bigger problem that I have is giving up a PF with star potential for an older speed guard...

I don't know what the rush was for this offseason. We would have had the money to go after TMac next year regardless. Perhaps our new owners are serious about going after Kobe Bryant? I don't think a Kobe/Iverson combo would work well. That's just too much ego.

...and to be honest, I just want to see what Billy Knight has planned for this summer. If we don't improve through fa'cy this summer, then I just don't see the point of dumping all of our talent for basically nothing.

The best thing for the franchise is to be in the best position to draft the player that we want - be it whomever. The bottom line is that winning at this point in the season is pointless.

The fact that many of these players may not be here next season is a very valid arguement. These guys are representing their team by default. They are playing to earn their keep in the NBA - not to win anything of significance...which they couldn't anyway, being that we are so mathematically out of contention for anything of significance.

The reality is, these guys are rented for less than half a season and are auditioning for whomever will pay them. They are no more "our Hawks" than the players that we traded to Portland.

Nope.

That doesn't mean I won't cheer for them; but given the choice between meaningless wins for these rented "mercenaries" or best possible lottery position...

Yeah...

...and I wouldn't say none of the present Hawks care about wins. I don't think that's the case at all. I think it matters to the guys who have fought in Hawks colors all year long. I think it matters to an extent, to every guy on the floor.

Still, they are the same players whether they win or lose. It doesn't make them any better that they pull out a few wins at the end of the season. It says that they haven't quit...which is good; and it says that they are competitors...which is excellent.

But don't delude yourself. A paycheck, security, and a stable environment matter more to them than a few thousand fans booing or cheering them at the games and at home in front of a TV.

Bank on that. If winning were more important than money, then our (arguably) most key player would have never suited up for us this season.

Nope.

...

As for the draft...

*sigh* I've had this conversation years before we even thought about the lottery. The contention is always the same thing...there are no sure fire things in the draft, look at (insert_bust), there isn't alway a Shaq, etc...

It doesn't matter. You don't win in this league without stars. It just doesn't happen - ever. Sure there are scrappy Utah's and defensive Detroits out there, but these guys aren't the favorites to win anything of importance. And those types of teams WILL NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THE CITY OF ATLANTA. Having a mediocre or middle of the pack team breeds only mediocre or middle of the pack results; and Atlanta sports in general has suffered through it for eons. No one will come out to see an average, over achieving team get stomped in the 1st round of the playoffs.

To break away from the pack, and to breathe life into this particular franchise, we need a star. Draft him, sign him, or trade for him.

But...

We ain't got sh#t left to trade for a star...

We are a loooooong shot to sign someone big...

What's left...?

A freebie, locked up for 3 years at 1/4th the price of a superstar. If he blossoms, we resign him...if anyone tries to take him away...we take him right back. Regardless of where we pick, our future lies in the lottery.

...and I would rather be in the position to consider drafting a bust than to not have the chance at all.

...

And winning games is one thing, winning meaningless games is another. If we had a young squad that was supposed to be our future...already in place like Chicago...then it would be quie a different story.

WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT!

We have JT, we HOPE that we have Jack, we're lucky if we can get Sura at a bargain. We need talent, not hard fought meaningless wins that push us further down in the draft. Luck may have it that a gem like Paul Pierce or TMac would fall to us after everyone else makes their drafting mistakes. True. But again, I'd rather take my chances with my pick of the cream of the crop.

If our next draft pick is a bust...oh well, we've still got free agency and we've still got the next draft and the next. All of us "tank" supporters are fine with that...at some point, it's going to stop and it ain't gonna be 11 or 12 years from now like the Clips (who have had their chances if not for their cheap-@ss owner BTW)...

But on the other hand...

If we draft the next Dirk or TMac or JO or Pierce...and they become a vital piece to our puzzle (ala Duncan or Kobe) then what else can be said except thank God for the draft? And everyone will jump on the (insert_Atlanta_Hawks_superstar) bandwagon...

I doubt there are many people who believe 100% that our next draft pick will be our immediate savior; at the same time, we ALL acknowledge that we need to start building our future through the draft.

Even if we could lure Kobe and TMac, it wouldn't hurt to have a PF with star potential to develop. It wouldn't hurt to have 2 such players...

Winning? Gives us what?

Right now?

A few nights to cheer and a lower draft pick.

I'll be long dead before that happens. Still, my team will be my team no matter who holds them up financially. Where a team is based doesn't matter...what matters is watching them stomp the sh#t out of someone and rubbing it in someone else's face!

Seriously, though...

A team is a team. If they were the Microsoft Hawks, I'd still want them to be in the best possible position to improve. I would want them to do what's best for the franchise. If my team is losing and is composed of 80% mercenaries...then I am really not interested in them winning; and losing helps more.

What's really funny is that these damn dudes don't care about winning! I mean, it's nice for them to go out and say, "hey, we kicked Dallas' @ss!" And it looks good on their NBA resume...but above all else, they are looking to get paid, some are just looking to stay in the NBA.

They aren't draft picks that we've locked up for 3 years. They aren't signed to long, fat contracts and they could care less about MY opinion of them. And that's fine with me, there is no reason why they should. At the same time, I don't owe them anything. If you want them to go out and give it their all and fatten up that resume...that's cool.

Me...?

I could care less. I will care when our roster is filled out and the games start to matter. Yes, they deserve some support - from whoever their fans are; if I were at the game and they won...and I got to speak to JT or Sura, the last thing on my mind would be damning them for winning. I'd tell them how I feel, but I would tell them how much I like their game and how hard they played - then I'd ask for an autograph.