I was going to pose the question 10 days ago....

[CBAreject]

I figured we had a good chance to lose 5-7 games in a row. I was wondering if people would start talking about tanking on here if we were 9-19.

Some people are already starting to talk about a top 3 pick. If this gets much worse, people will definitely start encouraging tanking. It's so sad after a 4-1 start. I truly think that the injuries have just been too much. This is as good a team as I thought.

[HawksFan87]

the way we are going it feels like we are tanking anyway we cant hold a lead Joe get's double teamed he's tired. Marvin is not playing well. Za-Za has one good game a month, our do it all Mr. Smith is hurt. Chillz was the only bright spot last night.

[Sothron]

Its time to start tanking in the hopes we can at least get a top 3 pick to get a real center.

[gutz]

You know we will not get a top 3 pick right? This team is cursed man and it is clearly showing this season again. These injuries have been ridiculous! No other team in the NBA has even come close to as many key injuries as the Hawks. Right when we start off the season great for once at 4-1 with Marvin even out, the injuries just erupt and it just kills a team. Any team with this many injuries would not be able to compete either. It just destroys too much of anything a team has or had going on like chemistry, substituitions, depth and so on. This team is just in a stuper right now and we need to healthy fast!!!

[CBAreject]

We need to go .500 to make the playoffs. That will require a 32-23 finish. We won't do that with Smoove missing the next 4 weeks.

Here's what will happen. The team will continue to dump games until Smoove returns. We'll have the 3rd worst record in the NBA at that point. After he returns, we will play slightly better, but we'll still stink. By then, the whole forum will be talking "Oden". Then, in the last 20 games of the season, we'll go 13-7, vaulting us from the 3rd worst record to 7th or 8th worst. We'll then lose our pick to PHX.

Some of us will bemoan that meaningless 20 game "hot streak". Others will berate us for wishing for our team to lose. They will exclaim that the last 20 games gave us "something to build on". Some will remind them of the Dwight Howard draft year. They will spit back with "You're not a real fan!"...except they'll spell it "your", of course.

I've been a Hawks fan for a long time. I know how these things tend to shake out.

[DJlaysitup]

LOL - others will say it's a mute point

[CBAreject]

What was that? I'm sorry I didn't hear your point. Either I am deaf, you are dumb, or your point is mute. Even a blind man can see that.

[hawkman]

Quote:

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We need to go .500 to make the playoffs. That will require a 32-23 finish. We won't do that with Smoove missing the next 4 weeks.

Here's what will happen. The team will continue to dump games until Smoove returns. We'll have the 3rd worst record in the NBA at that point. After he returns, we will play slightly better, but we'll still stink. By then, the whole forum will be talking "Oden". Then, in the last 20 games of the season, we'll go 13-7, vaulting us from the 3rd worst record to 7th or 8th worst. We'll then lose our pick to PHX.

Some of us will bemoan that meaningless 20 game "hot streak". Others will berate us for wishing for our team to lose. They will exclaim that the last 20 games gave us "something to build on". Some will remind them of the Dwight Howard draft year. They will spit back with "You're not a real fan!"...except they'll spell it "your", of course.

I've been a Hawks fan for a long time. I know how these things tend to shake out.

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I'm not a big fan of pessimism but I think that your prediction is spot on, all the way down to the bad grammar.

[Sothron]

Quote:

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We need to go .500 to make the playoffs. That will require a 32-23 finish. We won't do that with Smoove missing the next 4 weeks.

Here's what will happen. The team will continue to dump games until Smoove returns. We'll have the 3rd worst record in the NBA at that point. After he returns, we will play slightly better, but we'll still stink. By then, the whole forum will be talking "Oden". Then, in the last 20 games of the season, we'll go 13-7, vaulting us from the 3rd worst record to 7th or 8th worst. We'll then lose our pick to PHX.

Some of us will bemoan that meaningless 20 game "hot streak". Others will berate us for wishing for our team to lose. They will exclaim that the last 20 games gave us "something to build on". Some will remind them of the Dwight Howard draft year. They will spit back with "You're not a real fan!"...except they'll spell it "your", of course.

I've been a Hawks fan for a long time. I know how these things tend to shake out.

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This needs to be stickied. We have seen the "second half PROGRESSS" for about EIGHT YEARS now. And what do we have to show for it? Jack [censored].

The only chance this franchise has with the current ownership fiasco is to get lucky in the lottery and nab Oden or someone else in the top three and pray to God (seriously) that he is the real deal at center. We won't spend any more money, no one will trade us a center that's worth anything and we're stuck with a bunch of young kids who have a coach with rocks for brains.

[Packfill]

Quote:

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We need to go .500 to make the playoffs. That will require a 32-23 finish. We won't do that with Smoove missing the next 4 weeks.

Here's what will happen. The team will continue to dump games until Smoove returns. We'll have the 3rd worst record in the NBA at that point. After he returns, we will play slightly better, but we'll still stink. By then, the whole forum will be talking "Oden". Then, in the last 20 games of the season, we'll go 13-7, vaulting us from the 3rd worst record to 7th or 8th worst. We'll then lose our pick to PHX.

Some of us will bemoan that meaningless 20 game "hot streak". Others will berate us for wishing for our team to lose. They will exclaim that the last 20 games gave us "something to build on". Some will remind them of the Dwight Howard draft year. They will spit back with "You're not a real fan!"...except they'll spell it "your", of course.

I've been a Hawks fan for a long time. I know how these things tend to shake out.

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So true. So sad.

[Diesel]

I think Tanking is a realistic possibility from an ownership perspective. This draft class is strong in bigs.

Still, I think that our team is not as bad as our record suggests. I think that if we were fully healthy this whole time, we would probably be 10 wins better.

But yes, it's a very valid question. DO we tank for the rich prize?

I think it's somewhat a welfare mentality to tank. I would rather see our guys play hard, learn, and do better next year.

[AHF]

I would say to keep fighting all out right now and reassess at the All-Star break. If we don't have a realistic shot at the playoffs and we are already in the bottom 3, then I don't see any reason not to tank when you are looking at a draft class like this year.

I think the team would come into the season with more good vibes with an Oden, Noah, etc. added than by giving Phoenix a #6 pick in the draft and watching them enjoy Horford for the next decade. Guys like Duncan, Shaq, etc. change the course of franchises and are worth a heck of a lot more than the good feelings of a strong finish into mediocrity.

However, that assumes we are going to keep losing like we are right now. You know that Kipling poem:

Quote:

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If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:.

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Don't get too high or too low. I think our season is at its nadir right now. We can't let that completely color our judgment. The Hawks need to houst ourselves up and get a backbone and turn the corner before the season is lost.

If that can't happen, we do need to make strategic choices which might involve letting JJ recover from his exhaustion for the last 30 games of the season and develop our young guys while making a charge for Oden.

[Guest Walter]

It sounds all good and well AHF, but this draft affords us a top notch center prospect at 1, 2, or 3 with Oden, Thabeet, and Noah (not my preference) all available. We don't have to tank perfectly, just tank well enough and we come out all-right.

What "injury" can we think up for the NBA's iron-man, Joe Johnson. Kidding of course.

W

[macdaddy]

That's easy: exhaustion.

Did JJ really need to come back in the game for the final seconds of the quarter. You play the game with the team you have not the team you want. Get those guys off the bench.

[DJlaysitup]

Remember - Utah has been said to had the best draft last year and they picked last in the lottery.

Worst team gets a 25% chance.

ODDS FOR #1 PICK

1. 25.0%

2. 19.9%

3. 13.8%

4. 13.7%

5. 8.8%

6. 5.3%

7. 5.3%

8. 2.3%

9. 2.2%

10.1.1%

11. 0.8%

12. 0.7%

13. 0.6%

14. 0.5%

So if your team is worst in the league - your chances of getting Oden are exactly the same as flipping a coin and calling it right - then flipping again and calling it right again. (try that a few times).

Realistically though - if Stern ain't fixing it - the worst team does have a 58.7% chance at getting a top 3 pick (my math could be wrong.. but I don't think so).

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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Realistically though - if Stern ain't fixing it - the worst team does have a 58.7% chance at getting a top 3 pick (my math could be wrong.. but I don't think so).

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Those are the odds I care about. With Noah, Oden, and Thabeet all available we can't go (absolutely) wrong here.

W

[DJlaysitup]

unless the 41.3% comes through - then - even as the "worst team" PHX gets our pick.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

True fans of this team would NEVER want to see the Hawks tank the season, just to get a top 3 pick.

Take that for what you want.

It's one thing if you just couldn't compete on the same level night after night, like 3 years ago.

LOL @ tanking the season just to get a pick.

By the way, the "great" Greg Oden got completely dominated by Florida last weekend. He didn't even look like a top 15 player, let alone the consensus #1. I know the kid is still a little hurt, but he doesn't look like a "once in a generation" type center to me.

I got to see Kevin Durant play against my Vols last weekend as well ( great win by the Vols, by the way ). Durant looks to be a good player, but the Garnett comparisons are way too soon as well.

LOL . . what makes people think everything will change if we get either of those two players? We've been in the lottery for what . . 6 - 7 years now?

The best thing for this team to do, is to keep this squad together, and let them play as hard as they can on a nightly basis. Real ballplayers don't like to lose, so you just can't tell your guys to just "give up". Especially not young guys.

I bet the Bobcats don't take the season, just to get Oden or Durant, so why should we?

Matter of fact, let me take this one more step. Any of you wanting to see YOUR FAVORITE team to lose the vast majority of their games this year, should just turn in your "Hawks fan membership", and never return. We definitely don't need those types of fans amongst our small fan base.

[DJlaysitup]

Quote:

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True fans of this team would NEVER want to see the Hawks tank the season, just to get a top 3 pick.

Take that for what you want.

It's one thing if you just couldn't compete on the same level night after night, like 3 years ago.

LOL @ tanking the season just to get a pick.

By the way, the "great" Greg Oden got completely dominated by Florida last weekend. He didn't even look like a top 15 player, let alone the consensus #1. I know the kid is still a little hurt, but he doesn't look like a "once in a generation" type center to me.

I got to see Kevin Durant play against my Vols last weekend as well ( great win by the Vols, by the way ). Durant looks to be a good player, but the Garnett comparisons are way too soon as well.

LOL . . what makes people think everything will change if we get either of those two players? We've been in the lottery for what . . 6 - 7 years now?

The best thing for this team to do, is to keep this squad together, and let them play as hard as they can on a nightly basis. Real ballplayers don't like to lose, so you just can't tell your guys to just "give up". Especially not young guys.

I bet the Bobcats don't take the season, just to get Oden or Durant, so why should we?

Matter of fact, let me take this one more step. Any of you wanting to see YOUR FAVORITE team to lose the vast majority of their games this year, should just turn in your "Hawks fan membership", and never return. We definitely don't need those types of fans amongst our small fan base.

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Well CBAreject - you were right.

[gutz]

Secondly whoever thinks Noah is that good is nuts. The guy is real raw offensively and gets most of his points on putbacks and dunks. He is also very thin and not strong. HE would get dominated by bigger centers. I don't even consider him a center really. More of a PF type that is long and can block shots. He is more along the lines of Solomon right now in his game. He is a junior in college as well and putting up mediocre numbers really for someone who is so hyped up to go in the top 3. He is only averaging 12pts and 7rb. a game right now along with only 1.5blks a game. This guy will get killed in the NBA. Oden and Hibbert are the only legit 2 centers that could come in right away and make a difference for this team solely on the fact that they are huge and strong but also have better overall offensive games right now. Same thing with Durant. This guy is only 6"9 and weighs 200lbs. right now man. We don't need another Forward period!!!! Do you all even know who these guys are or watch college basketball. I don't want anything to do with Noah or Durant in this next draft. They solve NOTHING for the Hawks. WE need a big defensive Center with an offensive game. Oden and Hibbert both possess those talents. Noah and Durant are merely projects and play the forward position. They will at least in the NBA.