I have tried to be on the pro win argument

[capstone21]

but after tonights loss I agree that the season is over for us. I am now in the protanking boat. We have to get a top three pick. We are this close to being a playoff quality team. We just need to make some moves in the offseason and two first round draft picks could give us some real options.

I also think we need a new coach with a different philosophy, a point guard and a low post threat. If we win the draft and are able to get Oden then I think we need to go after a good young point guard like Jarret Jack from Portland.

[Guest Walter]

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but after tonights loss I agree that the season is over for us. I am now in the protanking boat.

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Tanking...everybody's doing it.

W

[thescout5]

Agreed, being this close to a top 3 with just over 20 something games I vote to tank. The Hawks have some talent but to win in the playoffs you have to have interior defense and scoring from the inside. right now the Hawks don't have the parts, no team is going to trade big men, there really aren't big men available in free agency and to get one you have to draft them. If Hawes comes out that gives the draft Oden,Durant, Hawes.

I am more worried about the Hawks rather than what Phoenix might end up with if the Hawks can't finish in the top 3. The Hawks aren't going anywhere with this team might as well take a chance and tank in a draft that is going to be plentiful in talent unlike the other drafts the Hawks have been in recently.

Timing on having a bad year is everything,Boston and Memphis see that I hope the Hawks understand this.

[Guest Walter]

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Timing on having a bad year is everything,Boston and Memphis see that I hope the Hawks understand this.

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So true.

But it's also about making sure you have a bad enough year. We didn't the year we traded for Sura and missed out on Howard (or Okafor for that matter). BIG mistake.

W

[Atlantaholic]

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Tanking...everybody's doing it.

W

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I don't know if everybody... but Mike Woodson sure looks like he is

[SmooveTheFuture]

We draft a young player we still have to wait for him to develop which could take yearS? It doesnt solve our coaching problems, PG problems or GM problems someone explain to me why are tanking? Any player we draft is gonna take a while to develop and we still have alot of our problems besiders developing yet another young player.

[thescout5]

I would rather roll the dice and tank this year in a great draft than find out next year the club whats its cracked up to be and get a top 3 pick.All the years the Hawks have been terrible lets give it just this year for a shot at a franchise player thats all I want. If the Hawks finsih 4th or better 5th-11th then I can live with it. Just the thought of Oden,Durant or even a not ready Hawes would put this franchise back on the map and other teams envying the Hawks for once.

No one thought alot when Cleveland(James),Houston(Ming),San Antonio (Duncan,Robinson) tanked all we need is a top 3 pick.Even if Hawes didn't come out that 3rd pick will have alot of trade power to trade down and get Earl or maybe package some excess players in a blockbuster for a bigman.

[thescout5]

I don't agree any player we draft is going to take yrs to develop. the special ones like Lebron James,Wade,Duncan,anthony didn't wait they erupted in the NBA and I think this class has a few players like that. Oden will change a game even if he doesn't score alot and Durant seems unstoppable.

[SmooveTheFuture]

Say Hawks get 2nd pick again you take Durant? Wat the hell do you do with Smith, Childress and Marvin this solves nothing also I dont believe Durant will come into the NBA and domainte like Melo or Lebron did.

[jerrywest]

If Woody is with us next year, even if we have Oden + PG from Pacers pick, we are not going anywhere.

Forget about draft picks. Its worth it to lose just to get rid of Woody.

[thescout5]

You deal Childress and Marvin thats what you do if Durant were drafted.Durant is better than Anthony and for those players you do what it takes to create a spot.Smoove and Durant at forward would be unstoppable if it came to that. Where is Childress going to play JJ is the off guard and Marvin has upside but not near the upside Durant has.

[jezmund]

We are not at a place where we can 'pass' the BPA. The only position I would 'consider' passing BPA is SG. We need players that can lead and produce. Durant has already shown that ability at Texas as a Freshman. He is repeatedly scoring in the upper 20's and lower 30's with a decent % although he is always the focus of the D. I'm a pro-tanker as well ASSUMING Joe Johnson and Josh Smith will stick around and Woodson is let go.

[exodus]

and that is to fire BK. He is the one who brought everyone in and he has to be accountable. His acqusitions last summer have been total failures. At some point you have to stop saying "just wait until next year"

I don't see how another high draft pick is the answer since we have seen what BK has done with the last 3 top 10 picks.

BK has to go.

[thescout5]

Agree Exodus, before the draft BK has to be fired.He has already screwed up so many picks leaving the team with a bunch of parts that don't go together. He is the mastermind and we see what the results are. Woodson needs to be gone also then we can get on the right track.

[CBAreject]

ex, even BK won't screw up this pick. He's not that bad a drafter. No way he passes on Oden.

The fact that you guys suggest he would pass on the consensus top 2 to take some unknown is completely unfounded. You need it to support your anti-tanking arguments, however.

[VarsitySlacker]

I hate to do it. I feel like I'm going back on everything that I believe in. But I'm hopping aboard the pro-tank bandwagon.

We just lost to the Knicks. Not just the Knicks, but the Knicks without David Lee, without Nate Robinson, and without Jamal Crawford.

Do I believe that this team is good enough to be a contender? ABSOLUTELY. But it will NEVER happen with Woodson at the helm, because he has know idea how the hell to run a basketball team. You can't play not to lose, you have to play to win.

The thing is, people talk about how far away we are from the bottom, and how we're only so far out of the playoffs. We are CLOSER to the 2nd worst record than we are to the playoffs. We're almost closer to Memphis than we are to the 8-seed. So I concede. A tank job here will A) hopefully get us a decent draft pick, and more importantly B) get Woodson the hell off of my court.

[CBAreject]

Yes, Walter. Everyone is coming to the darkside.

However, will anyone rescind his hate-filled remarks against me? Incredibly doubtful. Now they realize I was right almost 30 freaking games ago. That was back when I was "idiot", "hater", and "not a true fan". I'm still those things, according to some, but a whole lot more people sure are coming around to my side.

[CBAreject]

Why did it take you 30 games to admit I was right, Varsity? I don't think you were one of the ones who called me "idiot", so I'll give you a pass.

[VarsitySlacker]

You will never see me call someone an idiot for their opinion. I reserve that term for people who lack intelligence, not popular viewpoints.

Honestly, we have different opinions. I think this team IS good enough to make an impact, and I believe you and Walter do not. However, there are no excuses right now for why they're not. The team is healthy enough to win, but there is absolutely no offensive scheme, no defense, and the most asinine substitution patterns I could imagine. We should have won the past 5 games, but we've choked them all away.

If we tank out, worst case scenario, Woodson is gone. Best case scenario, Woodson is gone and we have another star on the team from the draft. Worse case scenario should still make us a better team then we are now.

Basically, I'm calling for the players to quit on the coach more than I'm calling for the team to tank.

[CBAreject]

Disagree, VS. I believe this team is good enough to "make an impact". I do NOT believe they will ever be good enough to win a championship without acquiring one dominant post player and some other role players.

Making an impact is winning 45 games. We might do that next year or the year after if we add a role player or two and change coaches. That's very close to the ceiling for this team, though.

Low ceilings are no fun. Just ask Pete Babcock. His frustration with a low ceiling cost him his job (blew up the team and failed).