F*ck Lenny Wilkins

[Admin]

saying that Seattle should try and build a big lead on us because we will quit. This isn't your Lenny Hawks, we aren't quiting like his teams did towards the end of his tenure.

[Plainview1981]

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saying that Seattle should try and build a big lead on us because we will quit. This isn't your Lenny Hawks, we aren't quiting like his teams did towards the end of his tenure.

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Lenny's importance in the league wore out a decade ago... Who really cares what he says?

[bird_dirt]

it's amazing the man simultaniously holds the record for the most wins and the most losses for an nba coach.

[TheDude]

i'm glad you saw that....he's basically just bashing us all game. points out our weaknesss and basically just so much how it easy it is to beat us yet finds nothing positive to say.

he's been pissing me off all game.

He basically has called our team a heartless, talentless, mindless team.I wish our team could read this right now.

[hawkman]

Not trying to flame here, but did you watch the Hawks during Wilkens' tenure as coach? I'm not talking about the latter Isaiah Rider/Jim Jackson/rebuild on-the-fly days, but rather the Mookie/Ehlo/Smitty/Laettner/Mutombo days. They played basketball the way it was supposed to be played. I loved their defensive intensity which was a direct result of Lenny's coaching style. I wasn't fortunate enough or old enough to see the early Nique/Doc/Tree Rollins teams so to me, the Lenny Wilkens "era" represents the "good old days" of Hawks basketball. Maybe he's allowing his personal differences with the organization to influence his commentary on the team, but I wouldn't let that take away from the things he accomplished while he was here nor his accomplishments throughout his coaching career.

[Plainview1981]

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Not trying to flame here, but did you watch the Hawks during Wilkens' tenure as coach? I'm not talking about the latter Isaiah Rider/Jim Jackson/rebuild on-the-fly days, but rather the Mookie/Ehlo/Smitty/Laettner/Mutombo days. They played basketball the way it was supposed to be played. I loved their defensive intensity which was a direct result of Lenny's coaching style. I wasn't fortunate enough or old enough to see the early Nique/Doc/Tree Rollins teams so to me, the Lenny Wilkens "era" represents the "good old days" of Hawks basketball. Maybe he's allowing his personal differences with the organization to influence his commentary on the team, but I wouldn't let that take away from the things he accomplished while he was here nor his accomplishments throughout his coaching career.

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His Atlanta coached teams were fairly heartless. All you have to do is look at their playoff performances to see that. A tean with any heart wouldn't have got ran out of the building like they did in that series againest the Knicks.

[hawkman]

Heck, I thought they always had heart. It was just that age caught up with them in that series. That was the reason that Babcock decided to rebuild the following season. Man, to say that those guys were heartless is a little harsh. Smitty was/is a class guy who wasn't afraid to take the big shots. Mookie was a gritty, no nonsense point guard who could almost guard anybody on the floor. Mutombo, of course, added to the defensive mentality of those teams. It's strange that people can look at the team as it is now and be so protective/optimistic and yet bash a team that had some of the very things that we so desparately need now and was actually successful to boot

**EDIT** And to be honest, we DID quit tonight.

[Plainview1981]

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Heck, I thought they always had heart. It was just that age caught up with them in that series. That was the reason that Babcock decided to rebuild the following season. Man, to say that those guys were heartless is a little harsh. Smitty was/is a class guy who wasn't afraid to take the big shots. Mookie was a gritty, no nonsense point guard who could almost guard anybody on the floor. Mutombo, of course, added to the defensive mentality of those teams. It's strange that people can look at the team as it is now and be so protective/optimistic and yet bash a team that had some of the very things that we so desparately need now and was actually successful to boot

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Mookie and his golf game... And we can't forget that Christain Leattner was on those teams. The problem with Mookie is that he was such a horrible shooter and never improved in that area.

[hawkman]

But Mookie brought so much more than just defense. Everyone lauds Speedy for his D but what else does he bring to the table? I'm not knocking him but he hasn't shown much so far. Imagine if we had Mookie at his prime on this team right now. Would we still be thinking about picking a PG in the mid-first round of the draft this upcoming off season? And Laettner actually played center for us one season and actually played quite well. He complained to the refs quite a bit but he was actually a very skilled player. I'm just saying that things weren't so bad under Lenny. I learned that you can't take 50 win seasons and playoff appearances for granted. If things were really that "bad" back then, my God man, how do you feel about the state of this franchise now?

[Popeye]

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**EDIT** And to be honest, we DID quit tonight.

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True, there was no fire, energy or any intensity tonight from our guys except Joe of course. They almost had more off rebounds than we had total rebounds.

[AtLaS]

where are yall hearing from Lenny Wilkens??

[Admin]

He was one of the douche bag announcers for the Sonics. They might as well have had the ESPN writers announcing the game the way the Hawks were getting bashed all night, from the players to the coaches. I would write FSN if I thought it would do any good to complain, thats how bad it was tonight watching the game.

[Plainview1981]

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**EDIT** And to be honest, we DID quit tonight.

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True, there was no fire, energy or any intensity tonight from our guys except Joe of course. They almost had more off rebounds than we had total rebounds.

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This is closer to what the Hawks really are. They truly don't have alot of proven talent and alot of the so called good players haven't panned out... All you got to do is look at Speedy/Lo/Shelden Williams/Smoove. Marvin Williams has yet to get off his butt and actually do anything.

This road trip is a reality check. After Lue/JJ/Chillz and ZaZa every once while and in a small way Jones this team doesn't have alot. Some might throw S.Williams in that catagory... But he's the 5th pick in the draft and averaging a whole 6PPG.

[Plastic Man]

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Maybe he's allowing his personal differences with the organization to influence his commentary on the team, but I wouldn't let that take away from the things he accomplished while he was here nor his accomplishments throughout his coaching career.

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he sounded bitter from the start. i was extremely aggravated at every statement he made. i don't care what he has accomplished, he showed absolutely no class. he focused on bashing the hawks, not on commentating the sonics.

[Diesel]

some of the things he was saying are correct and things we need to work on...

For instance, l

1. We do not box out!

2. We have no business running a 1-2-2.

3. We are short in the frontcourt and we're not overwhelmingly good at defense.

For instance.....

Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison gave a CLINIC, WORKSHOP, and SEMINAR about why Smoove is not a PF.... for those of you who insist that Smoove is.

4. Right now, Lue is the only true PG we have.

In the beggining, they talked about Seattles press and matchup zone... without a PG on the floor, we're susceptible. We shouldn't play Salim as the only PG on the floor.

[Diesel]

Please...

Those teams were overachievers...

In a 7 game series, they were usually exposed... but I doubt that any other coach would have taken those teams any farther.

[macdaddy]

No doubt. Those teams were essentially all heart. And they never gave up on a game because they're defense could get them back in it. They had about 6-7 guys who should even be on an nba roster and they won 50 games.

Wilkens obviously has bad blood with the Hawks, but his whole MO is playing vets who play the game 'the right way'. He has no patience for guys like Smoove who don't have consistency in their game yet.

I didn't see much of the game but we were flat in the first quarter. Most of the games we win we establish a lead and keep it.

[Diesel]

You're right about Smoove.

I think it was three times where he made mention that Smoove out to be playing in the post and not shooting threes....

As far as his old teams... I would love to see JJ on the team with Mookie, Smitty, & Deke.

DAMN!!

[LastDon]

I Have never witness a commentator bash the hawks the way Lenny did last night. I didn't realize that he had so much hate towards the hawks.

[hawkman]

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I Have never witness a commentator bash the hawks the way Lenny did last night. I didn't realize that he had so much hate towards the hawks.

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Well you have to consider the circumstances of his exit. He was used to having a consistent, defensive minded team that would at least make it to the playoffs every season. However it was obvious that this was an aging team. In that series versus the Knicks, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell seemed to drive and score at will. Babcock decided to rebuild. Smitty was dumped for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson and Mookie was traded for the 10th pick in the draft(Jason Terry). Just like that the two leaders of those Hawks teams were gone, replaced by Isaiah and the original JJ. Of course, Isaiah didn't want to come to Atlanta and it showed. He was suspended repeatedly until he was finally released somewhere around mid-season. JJ played well but struggled with injuries throughout his time with the Hawks. JT showed promise as a rookie but he was still a rookie. That team fell below .500 and that was the end of that. I don't know what went on behind closed doors between Lenny and management, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty. In the end Lenny was used as a scapegoat despite the fact that it was management's poor decisions that contributed to that losing season. He was fired and replaced by Lon Kruger. Too bad though, I really thought that JT played more like a traditional PG under him and could have been one of the best had Lenny stayed on. Ever since then, the Hawks have been struggling to get back to respectability.