Hawks = NY Mets of Basketball?

[Jamil]

Uncle Pete's plan of loading up the team with offensive players who have no interest in playing defense is failing and will continue to fail.

This is similar to the 2002 NY Mets. They went on a spending spree, bringing in players like Mo Vaughn and Roberto Alomar, yet they didn't bother to address their pitching needs.

Once again, Pete fails because of New York Envy. It was that same envy in trying to figure out a way to counter Sprewell/Houston that caused him to trade for JJ/JR.

Sure the Hawks are scoring alot of points, but it's not getting anyone's attention. The fans are tired of gimmicks. Scoring tons of points yet toiling around the .500 mark in a fight with Milwaukee (who was supposed to be dead after getting "fleeced" in the Big Dog Trade) isn't luring the fans. In fact, it appears that attendance is down....especially during weekday games.

Keep trying, Pete. Maybe some day you'll get it right.

[chillzatl]

I'm serious here. Have so many people just forgotten how basketball really works?? We have a young, inexperienced team that has not been together for long. What do people really expect? We are NOT going to be a perfect team overnight, heck, after a season we will not be. And nobody should expect that. YOU DO NOT MAKE A WINNER OVERNIGHT!!!!!

Becoming a good team takes time. Look at every team playing today that's considered good. They've been playing together for a while, getting better, learning each other, learning a system..to go to where they are today. A few years ago they were in our position. A team with several good players and very little team chemistry.

Look at Dallas. They've had most of these players for years now. But just a few years ago they weren't getting close to th playoffs. Then they finally made the playoffs and got bounced first round. But they've improved and gone further and further, with basically the same lineup they started with. A perfect example of "winning takes time".

I'm sure every one of those teams like Dallas had fans just like some we have here too. Fans who forget or never knew, just what it takes to win in the NBA. Having a lineup of good players will get you wins. But it's not going to make you a contender. We've got a team of good players. We just need to let them gel and hopefully, mold them into a team that wins.

Losing sucks, but every team loses. A few years ago Dallas used to get blown out of games all the time. But they also won some very good games. It's part of becoming a good team. I'm sure they had lots of fans that complained and said the team would never do anything. But winning takes time. They had a group of good players and let them stay together to learn and right now they are off to one of the best starts in history. WINNING TAKES TIME>

[Guest]

ESP when we have been terrible for 4 years.But

I'm also not a full believer of these guys.I don't

believe in Lons coaching,Big Dog/Shareef at the

forwards because of their HORRIBLE defense and

most of all the terrible bench.

patience is something I have little of.

[chillzatl]

You've always lacked the ability to look at the big picture and not get carried away by an individual game. That's nothing new. Most people are able to look at the big picture and see that we have a talented lineup that hasn't formed into a team yet. We've played well against very good teams and played bad against very bad teams. That's what inexperienced teams do. Like it or don't like it, it is a fact of life in the NBA though.

[Guest]

We also have alot of holes"

1)Lots of lousy defenders

2)Lots of turnover machines

3)Bad coaching

4)Lack of atheletic ability.Shareef has no lift

in traffic what so ever.

5)No shooters

6)No understanding of how to win

7)No leader

8)A below average bench

9)In ability to run plays and get them to work other

than simple easy plays that when break down force

the team to create random shots that usally don't

make.

It's been 4 years, this is the big picture.It's always been

the teams mentality*and it's fans*to be happy with

mediocrity.

[flava]

one big difference - the Mets have a lot of fans and we have like six (luckily, they all post here!).

flava