Poll: Is it time to just let the Hawks go?

[Guest]

Is it time to give the Hawks up and move on?

[jeddelong]

It is truly a shame that you would support a poll like this. For those of you that vote for the team to leave, I find that extremely short sighted. I find myself lucky to have a local team to root for. Whether they win or not, I am happy to know they are my team. Of course, I have dedication and allegiance....

[Guest]

If we are indeed rebuilding again the way Diesel thinks

it will be done, I'll basically shove this team on the back

burner.

I'll always be somewhat of a fan, but when it comes to

sports the Hawks get about 95% of my attention.However,

if this takes place....I'd say it will be closer to that of 40

or 50% til the team can str8 it's self out.

As a basketball fan, I can't go through another season letting

the problems of this team dull the whole season next

year....I think we have an awesome NBA season coming

up and I actually want to enjoy it this time.

[Guest]

Well, I'm stuck being a fan like the direction or not.

However, if they do gut the team and it it up to hope-

fully be sucessful in 5 or 6 years, I'm not going to watch

the losses pile up and not enjoy another season.

I think too many people treat sports like a marriage.The

Hawks have abused the fans it does have and left with

very little hope of a good future.

I'll be enjoying the rest of the NBA and enjoy the season

rather than watch games were we have no shot to win.I

just don't see the logic.

[jeddelong]

They have a name for fans like you "fair weathered," be who you are but it will mean more to me when this thing turns around.

[CHORO44]

I can't throw in the towel. I've been a New England Patriots fan all my life too and they finally won the big one and look to be solid for years to come. All it took there was an Ownership, Management, and Coaching change.

With McDavid coming on board and Billy running the ship and a new Coach coming I have to believe Atlanta will be on the rise. I know it looks bad but it must be getting better.

That being said if we trade Shareef for garbage I'll be really pissed and won't watch games for this upcoming season.

It also sucks living in Kings country as that team is so fun to watch.

[Guest]

So because I want to enjoy the upcoming season means

I'm fair weathered?lol You gota explain that one.A fair

weathered fan would have been gone along time ago.Not

to mention to be a fair weathered fan you have to have

been there during sucess.I don't recall us having sucess

since I've been a fan.

I don't have faith for this thing to turn around.

Bulls fans can have more faith because they actually

experienced sucess.And obviousally we aren't talking

first round playoff appearances.We are talking finals and

titles.

Since the hawks moved to Atlanta it's been nothing but

second round playoffs at best.I wouldn't call that sucess.

We have NO STORIED history either.

[Diesel]

I'm a Hawks fan forever but it's time to be realistic.

A lot of you applauded the trade of Big Dog for nothing but really, it was a sign of Bad things to come...

Moreover a sure sign that we are about to rebuild.

For you who want a deeper discussion, consider these thoughts in a different Post:

Were we better off with:

1. Big Dog/SAR being the core of our team. ONe a Postup threat the other a midrange threat.

or

2. JT/SAR being the core of our team. One a Postup threat the other an undersized SG that we play at the PG.

What it basically comes down to is a real comparison of JT and Big Dog. Big Dog is a 2 time allstar who was a consistent 20/7 player that shot 47% and averaged 2.6 t.o. per game before he came here. JT is an undersized SG that Can't gaurd SG and some PGs. He can't run an offense but he can score about 18.

You all know my feelings.

I feel that if you plugged in Sam Cassell in place of JT. Our team would have easily won 50 games. If you plugged in Kenny Anderson in place of JT, our team would have easily won 40-50 games.

However, with what we have NOW... JT is not a good enough Passer to make anybody on the team better. We have NO vet SGs or SF. So what we will be bringing is JT/Reef and Theo. We don't have enough scoring to compete effectively.

The whole defensive argument is null and void here. Really, JT and SAR are not good defensive players either. That means that our whole team lacks good defense.

So bottom line what did we accomplish. Some say we saved money to keep JT. However, that other lame joke that Knight keeps saying is we can now go after other players like Odom, Jackson... PLEAAASE.

What we really see is that we have an owner with Shallow Pockets. Do you think Cuban would have done the same? [censored] NO. Cuban would have bit the bullet, paid the Luxury tax and went out and found a coach and a PG/OG that would make this threesome work. Cuban may have been able to talk Odom into taking the MCE for 1 yr and accepting a larger payoff Next year.

So basically, we are in route to rebuild. Uncover you eyes Hawks fans... That's where we're heading. I say why wait 2 yrs to take a gamble. OUr best time for movement is now while our players have value. FAcy is a huge gamble that doesn't always pay out. IF we say we want to build around JT/SAR then there's no need to keep Theo around because he really don't fit. We need a Bigger C. We would also need an OG. I say that Odom trade is still perfect.

But us sitting around fooling ourselves will make us the worst team in the league and it could last for the decade if we are not smart.

[jeddelong]

What do I have to explain? You only want to follow the team when it is winning. That is my definition of a fair weathered fan?! You may have a different definition, but I am pretty sure most of society would agree with mine. As I am sure you remember, though I know you like to focus on the negative, our team was good not that many year ago. Did it win championships, no! However, we were good enough to have hop and get excited. Those days are fading but I will still gladly pay my 150 dollars for NBA League Pass. I will still go to my two Hawks/Celtics games a year (I live in Boston Currently). I believe you have to stick with a team if you believe them. Clearly, you do not!

[KB21]

Just a few points.

1. This team isn't going into a new rebuilding phase. The pieces they intended to build around starting with the 1999 draft are still here. Jason Terry was the start of the rebuilding process. The trade for Theo Ratliff was an addition of a great defensive center to man the paint area. Toni Kukoc was a good role player to get in that deal. The deal for Shareef Abdur-Rahim was supposed to take the team into the playoffs. However, injuries to Theo and Toni derailed that idea.

This team still has the core they want to build around with Jason, Theo, and Shareef. The addition of Boris Diaw, a poorer shooting/better defending version of Toni Kukoc (or a Scottie Pippen type of point-forward), is the continuation of the rebuilding.

[codyatl]

Go ahead and jump off the bandwagon. We don't want or need fans like you. i agree w/ jed, I am a hawks fan for life(as long as they are in atl) win or lose. Be patient, look at the braves for God's sakes. What did they do in the 80's? nothing, but now every yr we know we will have a team in the postseason(of course they usually lose early but they are still there). Or look at the Falcons. Aweful, terrible, just plain hard to watch for so many yrs but now.......we have the most exciting player int he league and a shot at going to the super bowl this yr. Good things will happen to the hawks but we have to be there through thick and thin. Just 1 mans opinion.

chancey

[Guest]

Jedd...Just in case you haven't noticed...There are millionaires that don't give a rats @ss about you

and I...Don't believe me?Ask Bonzi Wells and he'll

tell you.

I don't called getting embarassed by Charlotte/New

York and Chicago WINNING.That is exactally what

happend over and over again.The only reason we

even got out of the first round was because we beat

a horrible and talent lacking Detroit team...All They

had was Hill, an Joe Dumars, and a roster full of

scrubs.And we BARELY beat that team.

It's tough to have faith in a franchise that has NEVER

made the big correct move.Never gotten a big FA signing.

Save Mutombo because he was nothing but a role player.

He wasn't a top player in the league.

We got our @sses handed to us by Charlotte and NY

in back to back years was it?

If your talking about prior to 1989...Well, I wasn't a fan

in those days so I don't know.

If you want to waste your money on a [censored] poor team

that doesn't even UNDERSTAND HOW TO PLAY BASKET

BALL that is your stupidly.

However, this teams lack of accomplishments since I

have been a fan has taken it's toll.What has this franchise done to demand me lose my intrest in basketball for watching a sorry @ss team.

The local high school team has a better idea as to how

the game is played than the Hawks have.Look at their

turnovers?Is that basketball?Turning the ball over 25

times a game?Is that playing smart?

Your stupid loyality to millionares makes me laugh.You'd

make good being a rich mans Wh0re.

Look at the empty stands in the Hawks arena.Your

outnumbered.Most are smarter than this.

If I pay money I expect quaility entermainment.When

was the last time the Hawks gave the fans what they

paid for???Yeah! That's what I thought!

We were building before Chicago and they STILL are in

alot better shape than we are.Are they winning? NO,

but they atleast have a bright future.

This team is about to have a penny pincher owner, no

youth to build around, no head coach, no star player,

no good manangement.And you want me to be loyal

to these millionare players?lol

It sounds stupid.

I'm losing my passion for basketball PERIOD.And this

franchise is responsable for that.I'm tired of the seasons

being pointless by December.

You are in the minority.Most aren't stupid enough to

follow your path.Look how sports is losing it's fanbase

overall.Have you looked at basketball and baseball

ratings lately?

And you think most agree with you?lol funny stuff

[jeddelong]

How do I respond to that....I won't. I must say though that I am so glad that while I have a passion for the Hawks that I don't lurk around a Hawk's message board writing about how upset I am and how wronged I have been about a sports team. Sports are my passion, but I would like to think that I could never and would never write what you wrote. I think you bring us all down with your negative attitude.

[Guest]

We are going backwards instead of forwards.Go ask

Shareef if he's happy right now....What about Theo?

The players themselves appear to be pretty negitive.

That should tell you something.Why should I believe

in a team that doesn't believe in themselves?It makes

no sense.

[Hawksman]

Are you kidding me? I will never leave the Hawks no matter what. Nobody should vote A, hawk fan for life baby!

[chillzatl]

whatever it is, you've passed it.

[Guest]

If you would read my posts more carefully, you'd see I

am considering basically reducing what I focus on them.

When I talk about the NBA it concerns the Hawks 95%

of the time.But it's going to an exciting year, and if things

don't improve I'll be watching TNT and ESPN instead of

Hawk games.

[jeddelong]

If I was a betting man, my guess is that when the season starts you will be sure to watch the games and bring your negative energy to this board after every game. Hey, is there anyway we can make this a betting pool? Perhaps we could bet on the number of negative posts (nah too many). How about the number of times he has said in the last few years that he can't post or won't watch anymore. That is still pretty high, but it would make for a lot of fun....

[Guest]

You can COUNT on it.IF there is another long rebuilding

process you can count on it.UP and til right now it seemed

as if things could get better...Well, if we have a penny

pinching owner there is no hope what so ever.

I'm saying if the owner guts the team with the intention

of making profits AKA Donald Sterling this team will be

put on the back burner.

BOOK IT