Dejay

Its on now. It's nice to see how the Hawks got it done back then. Too bad they have the Pacers' announcers doing the broadcast.

It shows me that he's on the lazy side (ala Alan Henderson and Brad Sellers) with the difference being that O'Bryant didn't have a coach to insert a foot in his ass to improve his game like Henderson did at Indiana. To have that size advantage and only get 13/8 is a red flag that should not be ignored in the least. I'd understand a little more if he was in the ACC, SEC or Big-10 but BRADLEY? There is simply NO EXCUSE for his lack of production against inferior competition in the post. I'd be more pissed than I was in '92 when Babs selected Adam Keefe over Sprewell and Peeler if O'Bryant is picked number 5. I wouldn't touch him, even if we traded down.

This may not be popular but my answer is O'Bryant. If you cannot dominate at Bradley, what does that tell you? I just don't trust big guys who haven't seen enough competition in the post to help him get better. Besides, isn't he supposed to be a project anyway? Let's not spend anymore draft picks on project players, please.

Roy and Brewer are the only guys that I have remotely been interested in when it comes to this draft, espcially Roy because of his ability to hit shots off screens and pull-up jumpers (a skill Childress has yet to develop). I wouldn't cry that much if either of these two are selected.

Getting AI would take us out of the '07 sweepstakes but let's be really honest with ourselves; just how many of those guys would be heading down here anyway without overpaying again? I mean, didn't we learn ANYTHING from watching the Bulls languish with their cap space years ago? Remember when KG, Duncan, McGrady, and Grant Hill were all free agents and Jerry Krause was telling everyone under the sound of his voice that KG and Duncan were all but done deals with the cap room they cleared out after Jordan, Rodman, and Pippen were gone, only to end up overpaying for an overrated Eddie Robinson? Cap space don't mean a darn thing in free agency until pen hits paper and the team is having a press conference introducing 'insert newest NBA acquisition here'. Again, the Hawks lost about 40 of its 56 games by >10 points; you're telling me that AI's presence ALONE wouldn't have made the difference in about 10-15 of those games? If the front office thought outside the box for once and brought in AI, this team is a playoff contender NEXT YEAR. That means more winning, which would bring more fans to the stands, more media coverage in the form of games on network/national TV, and most importantly, MOMENTUM FOR THE NEXT SEASON. If they even qualified as a 6-8th seed in the playoffs, how many stories would be run of them coming back to life after a 7-year hiatus, not to mention being two seasons removed from a near-70 loss campaign? How many Iverson and JJ stories would be run in the press? You think ESPN and TNT would pass up on talking to the young guys and their development, not to mention their bright futures HERE as opposed to talking about which uniform they would prefer wearing after leaving Atlanta? This team would be back on the NBA map again. You think any pending free agents who are not looking at the max deal would be paying some attention to that and think, 'hey, that team only needs one more piece and I could be that piece to get them to the next level'. Again, if the price is right, I get AI, end of story. I can respect the opinions of those who do not agree but please give me a better plan that does not include 2-4 more years of waiting on a playoff appearance. That's all I'm asking for. GAME, SET, MATCH.

Okay, I'll play the game your way then. Let's pass over AI and go the route of the tried and true 5-year plan the modest Burger King has in mind. After all, these 5-year plans worked out so well in places like Chicago and Golden State. Let's start with drafting a 'defensive minded' guard with the 5th pick, or better yet, a post player this time around; after all, we all know that the Hawks have had such a successful track record of developing guards and post players in the draft. Then after that, we can sign and trade Harrington for someone, hell, ANYONE and if he just walks without compensation, we can use the cap space to sign a guy like.... Ben Wallace. Nope, will probably stay in Detroit. Chris Wilcox. Didn't Alan Henderson do the same thing he did in the last half of a season when Lenny unglued him from the bench? Nene. Sure he's been out for an entire season and has been to as many All-Star games as I have but he can be the answer, couldn't he? Francisco Elson? Jackie Butler? Bring Pryzbilla back? That would excite the fanbase around these parts. What if he becomes the next Jim McIlviene? Who else, KB? What other big-name post player is available THIS OFFSEASON to get for Harrington? Call me a cynic but I don't trust this front office to do the right thing to build a decent team, let alone a good/great one. Neither BK or anyone from this ownership group has earned enough points in their beacon score to give them credit for anything other than getting rid of players who, in all likelihood, would've left on the first thing smoking once their contracts ran out anyway. Good teams don't come along solely from drafting and developing draft picks, especially when those picks aren't named Jordan, Bird, Magic, Labron, Shaquille, etc. I think getting AI would be a great move, especially if the cost isn't too great. You may not agree with it but for the love of GOD, give me a better plan that doesn't include waiting another 2-4 years of waiting around for a 35-win season. You may have the patience to wait on the young guys to develop and build slowly and I applaud you for it but I don't. There, I said it. What the blue HELL is wrong with a quick fix, especially if it can get you to the playoffs two seasons removed from a 13-win campaign and generate interest in a town who's forgotten that the team still exists? Didn't Phoenix take a chance when they brought back Nash after a 22-win season? That only brought them consecutive appearances to the Western finals. What about the Heat and Shaq? Last I recall, he wasn't 27 while earning the league minimum when they sent Odom, Grant, and others packing and they don't seem to be regretting it one single bit. The Nets were in even worse shape than the Hawks when they traded for Jason Kidd and he was no spring chicken, either. I guess the consecutive Finals appearances were just a mirage of mine. And as for him no longer packing the Wachovia Center in Philly, it is called apathy folks. We all know what it is by now, don't we? Remember how the Omni was when Kasten gave up on a title run after the Bucks debacle in the '89 playoffs when the Keefes, Rasmussens, Augmons, Snoops, Ferrells, and Rumeals were riding shotgun with Nique and Willis? Its no small wonder why attendance dropped like a rock in a swimming pool once the 50+ win seasons stopped and the pain started coming in the form of more losses. Same deal here with the Sixers once the TEAM started LOSING. I almost spit my beer on my laptop when someone stated that Philips only had 17,500 in the house to watch AI in January. If this team averaged 'only' 17,500 a game, you wouldn't have every ESPN anchor trying to do their best stand-up routine when the Hawks are mentioned. That would mean at least another 4-6 more sellouts, wouldn't it? But nope, lets wait another 3-5 years and hope/wish/pray that the guys they bring in pans out and don't get swayed by some playoff contender once their rookie deals run out. Let's just hope JJ don't get discouraged when he sees the Suns contend for titles with Diaw while he sits at home every April. Let's just keep hope alive, folks. Not me. After nearly a decade of having my favorite basketball team become the punchline to every NBA joke, I have faith in making a drastic move and the reward of bringing in AI far outweighs the risks here. That's how you spell faith anyway; R-I-S-K.

I don't see the rationale behind NOT wanting AI on this team. The guys is an All-World player, a future HOF'er, hates losing, a former MVP, and leaves it all on the court EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. What's not to like about his game, folks? I hear people talk about him hogging the ball and domineering the offense? Didn't we hear the same 'effin' thing in regards to Nique when he was here? Isn't Iverson's reasons nearly the same as Nique's? Who else would you trust to make a shot with the clock running down? Webber? Nope. Iggy? I like him but even he has Diaw in ATL-tendencies at times. Korver? Only if he's wide-ass open behind the stripe would he even bother. Who else? If I was Iverson, I would shoot even MORE. Like I stated earlier, if he was 35 and giving you 14/5 a night, things would be different. But he seems to be getting better with age as his numbers indicate. Just do me this favor, people: think of where this team is in the here and now, not in 2008. We're talking about a 26-win club that hasn't made the playoffs since Clinton ran the show in D.C., who has constantly been in the bottom-3 in attendance for much of its stay in a state-of-the-art arena where the only playoff game that's been seen in it was from an Arena league team. It has an ownership group is who already crying about losing $$$ in court (allegedly) while its front office employs one of the most arrogant GMs in recent memory who has put together as many winning teams in the league as I have. All of this is being done in a town with one of the largest transient population bases in the country, where apathy sets in quicker than a NY minute. Again, this team doesn't have 3-5 years to contend for an 8th seed, especially with a GM who few people in the metro area wouldn't trust as far as they could hip-toss him. Iverson would re-ignite this franchise in a way that hasn't been seen since Nique's heyday. Having him here would mean a sold-out Philips most nights and games on ESPN and TNT; sights of which hasn't been seen in nearly a decade. Going to a Hawks game would MEAN something again in this town just like it in the late-80's. All of this means network/national coverage and playoff games which equates to more $$$ in the ownership's pockets. Free agents would no longer look at the ATL as a place to leverage another team into give them the contract they really want. ESPN anchors would have to come up with new material in regards to Hawks home games because there wouldn't be empty seats in the building. It's a win for the owners because of the added revenue. It's a win for the young players because they would, for once, see what a winning basketball team looks like without glancing at the other locker room, and the fans.

As much as I detested the Childress pick, it would make less than no sense to trade him in order to move up in this draft. To me, there isn't ANYONE in this draft worth moving up from their current position to get. NO ONE. If anything, I would move down, especially if I can get a vet for some 'right now' help in the process.

This team could do a whole lot worse than Dalembert. I didn't get a chance to see him a lot other than when he played against the Hawks, but it appears as if he would be what this team so desperately needs. He doesn't need to get Shaq-in his prime numbers to be effective here; all he needs to do is provide defense, occasional scoring, and rebounding. Of course, the cheaper route would be to draft a big man but there isn't a post player in the draft (including Aldridge and O'Bryant) that makes me say 'get that guy' with the 5th pick. Besides, I'm still sore from the last two post players this teams has drafted in the lottery(Keefe and Koncak), which set the team back several years.

We've seen everyone under the sun on ESPN wax poetic about the attendance and the perceived lack of support for years. It has almost become the ole standby to use there whenever our city is mentioned. If they did their homework, for once, they would run a story about WHY there are empty seats at Hawks games instead of overstating the obvious. I have some simple questions for them and anyone who questions why the fans don't show: -Where were they to wax poetic about Adam Keefe, Keith Edmonson, Al Wood, Don Collins, Doug Edwards, Rumeal Robinson, Ed Gray, Roshown McLeod, Dermarr Johnson, and countless other bums who were being chosen in the first round by this team? -Where were they to congratulate the Hawks for trading their alltime leading scorer and franchise player for a guy who stated from day 1 that he wasn't going to be part of the program? In a potential championship season, no less? -Where were they when Alan Henderson, Jon Koncak, and Chris Crawford were being given long-term contract extensions which capped the team out for years? -Where were they to see the Hawks pass on the likes of Joe Dumars, Larry Nance, Rolando Blackman, Karl Malone, Chris Mullen, Michael Finley, Michael Redd, Fat Lever, Ricky Pierce, and other fellow All-Stars to pick the guys mentioned earlier? -Where were they to cheer the Hawks when they brought in Ken Norman and Blair Rasmussen, along with their contracts which others teams wouldn't touch with a 20-foot pole? -Isaiah Rider for Steve Smith. Tim McCormick for Kenny Smith. Spud Webb for Travis Mays. WHERE WERE THEY THEN????? I know where WE were. Cheering them on when others ran for the hills.

I also smell an AI trade or something of that caliber going down within the next couple of months. Despite falling short of the playoffs, the Thrashers are finally winning and pulling their load; now the owners are looking for the Hawks to do the same, if not better. And the way this group is losing $$$, they can't afford for this team to be in the bottom-3 in attendance for another 2-5 years. As I stated earlier, this ownership group doesn't have the jack of Arthur Blank to wait on the young guys and hemorrage $$$ at the same time. As we all know, Atlanta isn't the type of town to get behind losing of ANY kind; just ask the Braves. With five other pro sports teams (including the Force and Gladiators), two major college programs, multiple spots of entertainment, 10 1/2 months of good weather year round, and 80+ percent of the metro area populated by transients who really could give a fat baby's ass about going to 'insert Atlanta sports facility here' until their hometown teams come in, with the rest staying away because they know better, losing is just not tolerated and the punishment for doing so is folks finding something and somewhere else to spend their $$$.

Do we get the pain in the ass in the locker room Jim Jackson or the I'll hold out for half of my rookie season Jim Jackson?

You just said it in a nutshell. I want this team to win, period, end of story. If you don't think AI can help, that's fine although I completely disagree with it. But for the love of GOD, please give me an alternative. Give me a fresh idea that DON'T involve waiting on ANOTHER 20-year old to get his feet wet in the league. The Joshes, Marvin, hell, even JJ, aren't signed to lifetime contracts here. Neither does the ownership have endless streams of $$$ like Arthur Blank to continue hemorraging cash all in the name of rebuilding while watching other former moribund franchises like the Clips, Cavs, and others get their 'get out of NBA-jail free' cards. If there is someone else available who would cost similar to less than what is being proposed for AI who could have a greater impact, I'm all ears. But please don't give me the 'let's continue building slowly with the young guys' BS. I'm not interested in looking at the future lineup for the 2009-2010 Atlanta Hawks. Situations change with time too much for me to think this way, especially when it comes to this franchise. I don't know about any of you but I'm ready to see playoff games in Philips that don't involve the Georgia Force. It's been SEVEN YEARS since this team has played a game in the spring that MATTERED. That's seven years TOO LONG IMHO.

Don't worry, I changed it for you.

Player 1 Beep...beep...beep...Adam Keefe...Rumeal Robinson...Stacy Augmon...Roshown McLeod... Player 2 Umm...players who suck...bad Hawk draft picks...no? Uh, overrated Hawk draft picks... Player 1 Beep...beep...beep...Priest Lauderdale...Ed Gray...Cal Bowdler...Dion Glover... Player 2 Umm...players who stink...um..players with no game...um...guys who can't shoot...no that's just Augmon and Glover...oh, GUYS WHO WOULD'VE BEEN 2RD ROUND DRAFT PICKS HAD BABS NOT TAKEN THEM!!! DING!! Player 1 Beep...beep...beep...Ivano Newbill...Todd Mundt...Ennis Whatley... Player 2 Umm...players who suck...uh, bad NFL players...wait, they were in the NBA?...Umm..oh, I know...GUYS WHO HAD NO BUSINESS IN THE LEAGUE WHO THE HAWKS GOT ANYWAY!!! DING DING DING!! Player 1 Danny Manning...Jim Jackson...J.R. Rider...umm, Tim McCormick...Glenn Robinson... Player 2 Oh, that's too easy...GUYS THE HAWKS HAD NO BUSINESS TRADING FOR!!! DING DING DING DING!!! Player 1 Beep...beep...beep...Chris Crawford...Alan Henderson... Player 2 Umm...players who are hurt all the time...players who stink... Player 1 Beep...beep...beep...Chris Crawford...Alan Henderson...oh, Jon Koncak...Blair Rasmussen... Player 2 Umm...guys who suck...umm...guys who stink...umm...guys who don't show...wait, GUYS I COULD OUTPLAY AFTER THEY SIGNED THEIR LONG-TERM CONTRACT EXTENSIONS!!! DING DING DING DING DING!!!!!

Okay, so I guess since AI didn't make the playoffs this year, we wouldn't need him. Just like we wouldn't need KG, McGrady, Jao, Jason Richardson, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and a host of others who ALSO didn't make the postseason. Since all of these guys played on better teams and are still in lotto land, there is NO WAY any of them could help out the Hawks. Right. So let's just sit back, relax, and wait another 3-5 years on the NEXT Joe Johnson to take the Hawks' $$$ and not just use them for leverage. By then, both Joshes and Marvin would've left for greener pastures while new owner Steve Belkin is seen making 'tourist' stops in Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and in Las Vegas's new sports arena.

What's the word I'm looking for...oh yeah, BRILLIANT!!!

Count me in for AI. Exactly how many All-Star caliber players outside of JJ, Big Dog, Theo, and Shareef have this team managed to bring in without dragging them kicking and screaming over the last 10 years? The last 20? I would understand if he was 35, averaged 12 a night coming off the bench, and was clearly slowing down but that isn't the case. The man's stats actually IMPROVED this past season instead of declined. AI and JJ would give the Hawks one of the scariest backcourts in all of basketball, period. You're telling me with a straight face that AI's presence ALONE wouldn't have made the difference in about half of the close losses the Hawks had this past season? They probably would've made the playoffs THIS YEAR if he was riding shotgun with JJ and not Royal Ivey and his 3-4 ppg and that's BEFORE a big man of any worth is acquired. Besides, how many years have we been waiting to shut up the Bill Simmons, Bill Waltons, and Chad Fords of the world who have taken endless shots at our team and our town for having the audacity to not spend hard-earned $$$ on a bad product? In case you've forgotten about that, just wait until the Western Finals; you can bet that Walton will have the 'Atlanta stinks, look at how they gave up on a superstar like Boris Diaw' jokes on the ready if Diaw does as much as breathe hard. To me, getting AI would almost (and I did say almost) be equivalent to the Heat bringing in Shaq. His salary locked up their cap space and, while he was still dominant at times, he clearly left his best fastball in L.A. if you know what I mean. And it wasn't as if the Heat was winning 55 games a year before he got there; they had just as hard a time winning over fans as the Hawks do now. But we all know what came about from there. The young players Miami had grew up, they became a power in the East again, and they no longer have to worry about giveaways at the gate or bringing folks down from the upper deck to make the crowd look bigger than it actually is. And as for their cap number, Shaq's salary didn't deter them from getting Payton, Williams, and Walker, didn't it? Just how in the blue hell did they manage to do that? With a superstar on your squad, it's a much easier sell not only in recruiting other players who fits the team's needs but also in terms of not having to overspend like the Hawks currently do. And that's the bottom line. It's not just the fact that Iverson is here but once he helps get the team back to respectability and in the postseason, other NBA free agents to be will have no choice but to take notice. The Hawks could potentially win 38-45 the following season but would gain a lot more from the back end once free agents know that this is a viable NBA destination once again and not just someone to use for leverage on the next deal with the team they REALLY want to play for. Iverson would help give this team a much needed boost in notoriety, national/network TV exposure, ticket sales, revenue, and, oh yeah, WINS. We can talk about the 'rebuilding' process and wanting to 'bide our time' all we want but we're not the ones bleeding $10-20 million a year, with a massive Belkin buyout on the horizon, while watching the arena go empty more times than not. I'm not saying the Hawks should fall on their collective faces and offer the moon to Philly but for them to not at least consider making an offer when they're clearly listening would be foolish.

I second that, Tmac. To say we as fans have no right to question and criticize the GM of a team that has won as many playoff games in the last seven years as I have is total bullsh!t to say the least. That's like going to a restaurant, getting lousy service and undercooked food, only for the manager to turn his/her nose up to you and several others who are also complaining and say 'I know more about food than you do so just pay for your meals and get the hell out before I call security'. Would you be willing to make a return appearance there? No, but you sure as hell will tell any and everyone within the sound of your voice not to venture anywhere near the vicinity. Hate to break the news to you KB, but Billy Knight doesn't get a pass here. He, nor the Hawks for that matter, have earned enough points on their beacon score to get the benefit of the doubt. Last I checked, this team still hasn't selected an All-Star from the draft since Kevin Willis back in 1984. Sure, his draft picks have been better than those of Kasten's and Babcock's but what the hell is that really saying? As I stated earlier, either of us could've made better picks during the same time period than Babs in his best wet dream. The fact that there are people on this board still debating the merits of the last two lottery selections BK made speaks enough volumes to write a novel by Oliver Stone. I can go on the limb and say that there aren't NEARLY as many folks in Philly or Chicago wishing they had traded up for Childress instead of getting Iguodala or Deng like there are here. And the fact of the matter of getting Williams is also debatable. Fact is, Joe Johnson WASN'T a done deal for leaving Phoenix when the draft took place so to say that the team didn't need to draft a point guard is just plain stupid. I'll be the first to the confession pew if Williams becomes the next KG or even McGrady for that matter but if he becomes the next 'insert failed Hawks draft pick here', BK had better have his Monster and Career Builder accounts up to date.

To me, this thing about Knight being such a fantastic talent evaluator is a little overblown. I think the reason so many of us say that is because we've been so used to Babs bringing in the Adam Keefes and Dion Glovers of the world that anyone else would've been deemed a substantial improvement. Hell, any of us could've run the draft in Babcock's place and been considered an expert for talent compared to him. Anyway, don't the Hawks still own the record for having the longest run between drafting All-Stars (which currently stands at 22 years and counting). And for all of his 'genious', how many of his draft picks have even had as much as a 3rd place vote in the ROY category? Outside of Smith and Diaw (who had to go elsewhere to re-discover his game because he didn't have much of one here), who else has really exceeded expectations?

Forget a muzzle, where is the friggin' mute button when you need it? Does he know anything about public relations? I'm no PR specialist but even I know when the team you're running hasn't made the playoffs in SEVEN YEARS, the last thing you want to do is tell the paying public who endured much of this embarrassment of an NBA franchise with their emotions and hard-earned $$$ to relax because you know more than they do and their opinions don't matter. You know what, you're SUPPOSED TO KNOW MORE THAN WE DO, you're the friggin' GM of the team. And you know what else? The fans opinions DO matter. It's their opinions which determine whether to send $$$ to watch them and the Warriors get it on in mid-season or save up for Falcon season tickets for the coming fall. There is no attendance problem when the elite teams and their players come to town; the difference is whether those who sell out the building for those games step foot in the building when any of the other 20+ teams show up. The success of a business not only depends on bringing paying customers to your doors but BRINGING THEM BACK AGAIN. The way BK comes across, he might as well be standing in front of the Hawks' ticket office with a loaded AK-47 and a ski mask. I don't expect Knight to be surfing the net on 'Squawk for ideas but he should have enough media savvy to know better than this. If he was winning 55+ a season and had a couple of conference title or NBA championship banners hanging up in Philips, I'd give him the margin of error here. But when you're winning as many games as Kennesaw State, there's a serious problem. It's this same attitude which caused attendance to drop at Turner Field when Kasten and Schoerholz constantly thumbed their noses at anyone who thought 14 consecutive division titles and ONE world title wasn't the ultimate run of the ages, not just the constant losing in October.

Trading the pick wouldn't be the worst scenario in the world to me. Last I checked, there are no clear cut guys in the draft that would have team execs drooling over themselves to get. As I stated before, this team don't have the luxury to wait for yet ANOTHER young guy to develop; we have enough of them here already (Williams, Smith, Childress, not to mention 21-year old Zaza). But will they be a little gun-shy because of what happened the last time they traded a high pick (#3/Knight/Wright for SAR)?

I've seen this before unless they've updated it to include him being added to the Hall. A must see. It still stings the way Babs and Kasten dumped him off; they treated Adam Keefe better.

Yep, it's time for all of us to start heading back to Sunday school and bible study. The mere thought of the Clippers already winning three playoff games made me stop drinking a few days ago . The Clippers in the Western Conference Finals? I think Stern would have a stroke on the air if that went down while ABC execs exercise their stock options and run for cover. I know LA is the 2nd largest media market but 99.9999% of that derives from Laker fandome. I don't think Nicholson, Arsenio, Magic and the gang would be showing up in Staples to see the Clips and Spurs get it on for the sake of their city. You think Fox would've rather seen the Cubs in last year's World Series than the White Sox?

Very good poll today. After thinking about it, my list came down to three candidates: Golden State, Seattle, and NY. Seattle lost Antonio Daniels, traded Radmanovic to the Clips for Wilcox and lost 17 more games. While I think the players get some blame here, you have to look at the coaching change. Say what you want about Nate McMillan but you want to compare him to Bob Weiss? My point exactly. Once they lost Nate, most of their edge that got them over was also lost. Having Weiss there during the start of the season is like having your dad's AMEX card; you go totally nuts and do what you want until the bill comes due and you're left with bitter-beer face. NY brought in HOF coach Larry Brown, acquired Eddy Curry, Steve Francis, and still managed to lose more games than the Hawks. No need to wax poetic about their cap situation or the fact that they gift-wrapped a lotto pick to the Bulls in the Curry trade. On paper, they are supposed to be a whole lot better than their record indicates. Golden State went on a tear to end last season and started out this season 12-5 if I'm not mistaken. After a few years of near-misses under Eric Musselman, it seemed as if they were finally going to make the playoffs only to see the bottom completely fall out. Players bickered over touches, no one bothered to play hard (except Richardson) let alone play defense, Baron Davis returned to being, well, Baron Davis, and Mike Montgomery simply wasn't able to put the clamps down to prevent the downward spiral. All things said, my winner (or loser) is the Warriors. The other teams at least can remember what the playoffs in their city once looked like. The Warriors had the players, few major injuries, a returning coaching staff, momentum from the prior year, an excellent start to the season, and STILL couldn't come close to playoff contention when all things were said and done. There is simply no excuse AT ALL for them to be watching the playoffs from their lazy-boy sofa with less talented teams like the Jazz, Raptors, Hawks, Blazers, Bobcats, and Hornets let alone wholly disfunctional ones like the Knicks, Sixers, Sonics, and T-Wolves. It reeks of disappointment. GAME, SET, MATCH.