The Shaq comments after game.......

[MoonKnight]

from the 790theZone. I am paraphrasing but Shaq said there was nothing wrong with Atlanta's fans that winning wouldn't cure. He also said that if he played here there would be no problem with attendance or local fan support. He praised Atlanta as a great place to live, work and play. The reporter then asked if Shaq would like to play here when Shaq responded that he couldn't comment on the question (implicating NBA rules). I thought his words were interesting especially since I believe he has a home here and parties here when given the chance. Hmmm.... Anyway, GR should learn a lesson about how to handle the media from Shaq instead of calling out the home crowd.

[Diesel]

It would be nice to get the Daddy here in Atlanta but I think he's mistaken about the fans. It takes a personality (National) to draw fans. He is correct that if he played that the Phil would always be filled. However, if our current team were 60 game winners right now, there would still be a problem filling the Phil. It was like that in Dominiques day, I don't see today as being any different.

[MoonKnight]

Respectfully disagree about attendance during the Wilkins/Fratello years b/c those were very hot tickets and the Hawks were the toast of the ATL's professional teams during those years.

[Diesel]

Maybe when tickets were still CHEAP.

However, when we had Nique and Lenny was coaching and we were the best team in the East...

The OMNI was EMPTY.

On many occassions, I would go and could sit anywhere I pleased. One night Lenny almost put me in the game.

[emeans]

The Omni would always be packed when Dominique played in his prime and the Hawks were competing with the Boston Celtics for supremacy in the East. The Hawks were a very hot ticket. How quick we forget!!!

The bottom line is if you win (especially win championships) people will come....even in Atlanta's Phillips Arena.

Phillips would be packed every night if they would win. And of course winning usually means you have a superstar that will draw big crowds. Right now we don't have both...We are not winning nor do we have a superstar. That is why Phillips is empty!!!

[Admin]

Who the [censored] wanted to watch the Hawks slumber through 50 win seasons when those games were extremely boring. When Fratello was coach at least this team was exciting and unpredictable. After he left this franchise has been in the toilet as far as fan support has gone because of boring Lenny was/is, how much Weiss sucked, how much Lon hurt this team, etc.

[Diesel]

In Dominique's price the Hawks were a HOT ticket.

However, what about in the HAWKS' prime. That was in 1994. We had the best record in the East. We had Dominique who was still scoring about 25 ppg. However, Attendance SLUMPED.

I think that the problem was ticket prices. Still are. It's ashame it cost $160.00 to take a family of three to watch the Hawks.

IF Hawks want crowds, the ticket prices have to come down. I gotto take out a second morgage to see these jokers LOSE?

[Diesel]

That you'd rather have the 2003 season than to watch the 1994 season?

That 1994 season was excited. We beat the [censored] out of a Houston team that had won 17 straight.

Nique was the man.

Then Babcock goes trade happy....

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[Admin]

Did I say that? What I said was that during Fratellos years this team was exciting and then Lenny comes in and Nique is traded away and this goes from one of the most loved in the league to one of the most boring predictable teams there was. I am pretty [censored] sure that Lenny had a large hand in trading away Nique since he didnt really fit his scheme. However, I have to say that yes I would rather watch this team this year than any of Lennys boring predictable get their asses whipped in the playoffs teams. At least with these Hawks you dont know what to expect.

[Diesel]

Lenny didn't have a big Hand in trading Nique. Babcock has stated several times that He traded Nique because of Nique's contract.

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2002-10-30/feature.html

In reply to:

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I think the public reaction at the time was split about 50-50," Babcock recalls. "Dominique wanted a long-term contract, and we were only offering a one-year deal. People forget that we won more games [that season] after the trade than before."

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketbal...itaintso_hawks/

It amazes me the amount of things that Babcock can do and not get blamed for it.

[emeans]

Attendance slumped in 1994 because the Hawks continuously kept getting put out of the playoffs in the 2nd round every year (Similar to the Braves of present). Yes we had the best record in the East but everyone knew we were going to be beaten in the 2nd round.

The Braves are going through the exact same thing (as would any franchise). When you win you become spoiled. And when you win fans start expecting more and more (championships). If this doesn't happen over a SUSTAINED period of time you will lose your fan support and base. This is in ANY city, not just Atlanta.

The Hawks won consistently during the regular season, but never produced in the playoffs and that spells death to fan support. Now if the Hawks would have won a championship or two (We had the team when Boston and Bird beat us in the 7th game) during that period, it would be a different story today.

All of this is human nature 101. Winning championships breeds fans!!

[Diesel]

In reply to:

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Attendance slumped in 1994 because the Hawks continuously kept getting put out of the playoffs in the 2nd round every year (Similar to the Braves of present). Yes we had the best record in the East but everyone knew we were going to be beaten in the 2nd round.

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This may hold for 96 or 97... However, in 1994, We had Nique and it was Lenny's first year. We had 1 9 game win streak that saw us beat Houston in the midst of their 17 game streak. After three years of Weiss and not getting to the playoffs, being in first in the East should have been the cat's meow for us. However, people cared more about the price of tickets than the Hawks.

Reason being is that a lot of people who live in Atlanta are not from Atlanta. That's also why the Braves have slumping attendance. There are some people (transplanted) who will support because the team wins but not enough. It would take a mega star and it would take lower tickets. Winning is not enough.

[cynic]

That

[cynic]

I don't care that we didn't win the championship. I loved our team that year, b/c we let it all hang out every night. Ehlo diving for loose balls, Augmon and Mook terrorizing anybody's backcourt. Willis putting up double-doubles every night.

I just hope that we can ever have that level of excitement again. Sigh....

BTW, we beat the SHIZNATT out of Houston that year. We were up by 25 in that game and Lenny put in the scrubbs.

We were up by 25 on everybody. Man, it was awesome.