Where To Next?

[A-town Hawks]

As a proud Hawks fan since 2003, I've suffered through many repetitive slip ups by the ASG and always seemed to suck it up (like many of us fans) and keep supporting the team that I have been happy to call my own. But like many of us this horrible offseason has taken a toll and as much as I love the Hawks seeing a young hometown star with immense potential go without even wanting to, is the last straw. It if is for you as well, then the question is where to next? Personally, Im probably going to be a Portland fan with a soft spot for ATL and wherever Smoove lands.

[TnDawg]

As a proud Hawks fan since 2003, I've suffered through many repetitive slip ups by the ASG and always seemed to suck it up (like many of us fans) and keep supporting the team that I have been happy to call my own. But like many of us this horrible offseason has taken a toll and as much as I love the Hawks seeing a young hometown star with immense potential go without even wanting to, is the last straw. It if is for you as well, then the question is where to next? Personally, Im probably going to be a Portland fan with a soft spot for ATL and wherever Smoove lands.

for over 20 years while serving in the military I talked trash and defended the ATL/and GA teams from soldiers from across the country...even when they were down right terrible and seemed inept......I will continue to support the Hawks, Falcons and Braves..... I don't think true team fans switch loyalty so easily. Unless they win it all....every year has some type of disappointment......If the ASG/Sund messes this up it will be filed with Mckyers' night before the Superbowl tryst...but the Hawks will still be my team.

[crimedog]

for over 20 years while serving in the military I talked trash and defended the ATL/and GA teams from soldiers from across the country...even when they were down right terrible and seemed inept......I will continue to support the Hawks, Falcons and Braves..... I don't think true team fans switch loyalty so easily. Unless they win it all....every year has some type of disappointment......If the ASG/Sund messes this up it will be filed with Mckyers' night before the Superbowl tryst...but the Hawks will still be my team.

Hawks'll still be my team, I just won't pay nearly as much attention to them. I haven't lived in ATL since the ASG took over but started watching the Hawks again around that time, I just couldn't stomach the big dog, jt, reef' years.

I watch the Hawks because they are entertaining. If they became less entertaining to save a few bucks, I'll watch a team that values its fans more.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

for over 20 years while serving in the military I talked trash and defended the ATL/and GA teams from soldiers from across the country...even when they were down right terrible and seemed inept......I will continue to support the Hawks, Falcons and Braves..... I don't think true team fans switch loyalty so easily. Unless they win it all....every year has some type of disappointment......If the ASG/Sund messes this up it will be filed with Mckyers' night before the Superbowl tryst...but the Hawks will still be my team.

Tell these guys something please, TnDawg. I know emotions are running high these days, but that's why some of my posts these days are directed toward the fans.

If you say that you're done with the Hawks, if Smith gets traded . . . then MEAN WHAT YOU SAY.

Because if you come back to the fold, after we're 8 - 3 to start the year, that makes you no more than a bandwagon fan. Yeah I know . . . people don't want to be called that after being so "loyal" to the Hawks for many years, but that IS the definition of a bandwagon fan. You just don't jump ship like that, and call yourself a loyal fan. You have to see how everything plays out.

It's OK to be upset. But if losing Smith is going to cause you to turn your backs to the other guys we have here like JJ, Horford, Marvin, and Acie, then I don't know what to say. You're either in or you're out.

As far as JJ goes, I bet he'd readily welcome a guy like Lamar Odom here, if we lost Smith. It'll finally give JJ a legit #2 guy to defer to offensively, even taking some of the ballhandling duties off of him. And he'll have a smarter player on the court to play alongside.

If I'm Sund, that's the guy you have to bring in here.

As enticing as a Prince/Amir Johnson deal looks, I'm very weary of gambling on Amir. He's basically Solomon Jones, from a build standpoint. And he's not big enough to play center. He'd have to play the 4.

I'd rather have Prince/Maxiell . . . but they probably won't give us Maxiell.

Give me Lamar, and I'll be happy.

Edited July 27, 2008 by northcyde

[Chris18]

Where to next? The lottery.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Hawks'll still be my team, I just won't pay nearly as much attention to them. I haven't lived in ATL since the ASG took over but started watching the Hawks again around that time, I just couldn't stomach the big dog, jt, reef' years.

I watch the Hawks because they are entertaining. If they became less entertaining to save a few bucks, I'll watch a team that values its fans more.

Crime . . . it's about winning. Not about entertainment.

Ish . . the Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining. But they don't win.

The 95 - 98 Hawks had to be considered a "boring" team to watch . . . but they won. They just couldn't make much noise in the playoffs. But they did win games. In the end, I don't care if we averaged 80 ppg. As long as our opponents scored less, I'm good with the win.

[AtLaS]

Tell these guys something please, TnDawg. I know emotions are running high these days, but that's why some of my posts these days are directed toward the fans.

If you say that you're done with the Hawks, if Smith gets traded . . . then MEAN WHAT YOU SAY.

Because if you come back to the fold, after we're 8 - 3 to start the year, that makes you no more than a bandwagon fan. Yeah I know . . . people don't want to be called that after being so "loyal" to the Hawks for many years, but that IS the definition of a bandwagon fan. You just don't jump ship like that, and call yourself a loyal fan. You have to see how everything plays out.

It's OK to be upset. But if losing Smith is going to cause you to turn your backs to the other guys we have here like JJ, Horford, Marvin, and Acie, then I don't know what to say. You're either in or you're out.

As far as JJ goes, I bet he'd readily welcome a guy like Lamar Odom here, if we lost Smith. It'll finally give JJ a legit #2 guy to defer to offensively, even taking some of the ballhandling duties off of him. And he'll have a smarter player on the court to play alongside.

If I'm Sund, that's the guy you have to bring in here.

As enticing as a Prince/Amir Johnson deal looks, I'm very weary of gambling on Amir. He's basically Solomon Jones, from a build standpoint. And he's not big enough to play center. He'd have to play the 4.

I'd rather have Prince/Maxiell . . . but they probably won't give us Maxiell.

Give me Lamar, and I'll be happy.

It just makes no sense to trade for Lamar, why would they rather pay Lamar 15 million than Smith 12 million?

About the bandwagon thing, I'm no bandwagon fan but if they don't resign Smith, I won't keep up with the team that much next year (well, I probably will, I'm addicted to Hawks basketball) but I DEFINITELY won't go to any games or support the ASG in any possible way. The only thing I might do is show up with a ton of people with bags over our heads like the protesting fans of Boston and/or Milwaukee.

[crimedog]

Crime . . . it's about winning. Not about entertainment.

Ish . . the Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining. But they don't win.

The 95 - 98 Hawks had to be considered a "boring" team to watch . . . but they won. They just couldn't make much noise in the playoffs. But they did win games. In the end, I don't care if we averaged 80 ppg. As long as our opponents scored less, I'm good with the win.

Couple things here, I'm entertained by good, winning basketball. I also don't find Memphis that exciting because I don't like watching Rudy. Tim Duncan is one of my favorite players to watch, some people don't think he is an exciting player but I am extremely entertained by him. Believe me though, if just winning didn't do it for me, I wouldn't waste my time and money on it, I don't get anything for a team winning but I certainly enjoy watching good ball.

I am loyal the the Hawks which is why I've watched them more than other more successful teams even though I don't live in Atlanta any more, but I don't have blind loyalty. I spend money on TV packages that show the Hawks games, I spend money on tickets to the games when I'm in Atlanta, I take a couple hours out of my life to take in a Hawks game. If the team doesn't want to put in what I consider a reasonable effort to put a good product on the court, I'm not going to waste my time and money. My threshold for bad basketball is higher than most Atl folks but I do have a threshold.

[NJHAWK]

Northcyde you hit the nail on the head with the Amir/Solomon comparison. He is not only built like Solo but he has shown about the same basketball wise as Solo has shown so far, NOTHING. If I was Sund I would offer Smoove and Speedy for Prince, Maxiel and Amir. Im not sure if that works cap wise because I dont know what Smooves starting salary would be but if Detroit doesnt bite then look out west. Prince is a solid starter but it would give us 3 sf's who all started last year for playoff teams ( Prince, Marv and Evans ). Prince is a better 3 point shooter and man to man defender than Smoove but everything else is in Smooves favor. Including scoring, rebounding, block shots and steals. Not to mention youth and a world of promise. This talk about Amir being a future star is laughable. Sure it could happen and Solo could be a future star as well but the likelyhood of either happening is as slim as their builds, lol. Maxiel has good potential and is a tough cat. If Dumars wants Smoove Sund better make him pay up.

[mattlanta]

This is a joke thread, right? Personally, I've been a Hawks fan ever since I landed in America (11-12 years ago). As a kid growing up in the Bronx, I was tempted to become a Knicks fan. However, a couple years ago I tried switching my loyalty and tried acting like a fan of another team, but I only realized that I was only pretending to be a fan, and I knew that, at heart, I'd always be a Hawks fan. Sure I was young, I started playing basketball only when I was around 8, so I didn't get the rules and the schematics, but I realiezd the basic things when I was around 4-7. I didn't know any of the Hawks players, and I barely understood what the broadcasters were saying, but along those years I started learning. I've been a MUCH more knowledgeable fan when I picked up NBA 2k5 around 2004, and I only started learning even more around the time that I bought NBA 2k7 (in December 2006) and started reading and asking questions in Hawksquawk (Hawksquawk raised my basketball IQ a little and helped me understood the game a little more).

Maybe when Connecticut gets a team, I'll support them... but I know I'll never be able to support another team like I do for this team right now regardless of how bad our owners are treating our players and regardless of how little the owners care about the fans. Call me crazy, but I guess I'm a die-hard Hawks fan just like I am a die-hard Falcons fan, Braves fan, and UConn Huskies fan.

Hopefully the Hawks stay in Atlanta forever (most likely thanks to you Atlantians who show Hawks spirit and come out to the games) so I wouldn't have to get stuck in a dilemma of whether or not I'll support them if they're in another city.

Edited July 27, 2008 by Libid21

[mattlanta]

As a proud Hawks fan since 2003, I've suffered through many repetitive slip ups by the ASG and always seemed to suck it up (like many of us fans) and keep supporting the team that I have been happy to call my own. But like many of us this horrible offseason has taken a toll and as much as I love the Hawks seeing a young hometown star with immense potential go without even wanting to, is the last straw. It if is for you as well, then the question is where to next? Personally, Im probably going to be a Portland fan with a soft spot for ATL and wherever Smoove lands.

To be honest, you completely lost my respect for being a Hawks fan. Regardless of whether or not we are down this year, we are definitely not out. However, you talk like the Hawks organization will just disappear. I hate bandwagon fans like you. I absolutely HATE your kind. Abandon a team because they look to be going downhill, and then at the same time support a team that looks like they're on their way up.

[A-town Hawks]

To be honest, you completely lost my respect for being a Hawks fan. Regardless of whether or not we are down this year, we are definitely not out. However, you talk like the Hawks organization will just disappear. I hate bandwagon fans like you. I absolutely HATE your kind. Abandon a team because they look to be going downhill, and then at the same time support a team that looks like they're on their way up.

Everybody obviously includingyou, wants to be the loyal dedicated fan in hopes of never being labeled as a "bandwagoner", its cliche to hate the bandwagon and say your a loyal fan. I have been a loyal fan to this team through many of the repetitive and seemingly obvious mistakes the management has made over these long and hard 7 years. Like most of us, I was sitting at those horrible drafts screaming at the TV, watching the same empty stadium every home game, and marveling at the despicable coaching tendencies of Woody.

But like crimedog said its hard to put out time and money for a organization that doesnt care about its fans. As a Hawk fan I feel a bond to this team and like you all put myself through the constant crap that comes with being a Hawks, why? For the love of the team. And with the constant, avoidable mishaps the organization always engages in I FEEL DOWNRIGHT DISRESPECTED like as if all my time, dedication, and money invested in this team were just being ripped away by the ownership and kept in their pockets without showing us the fan any kind of loyalty back.

So go ahead Hate me and call me the bandwagoner but I know that I put in just as much as you did into this team, and maybe you can tolerate being disrespected just so that you can have the "loyal" tag but not me, no one disrespects me.

[A-town Hawks]

To be honest, you completely lost my respect for being a Hawks fan. Regardless of whether or not we are down this year, we are definitely not out. However, you talk like the Hawks organization will just disappear. I hate bandwagon fans like you. I absolutely HATE your kind. Abandon a team because they look to be going downhill, and then at the same time support a team that looks like they're on their way up.

And for the record I'm not contemplating giving my allegiance to Portland because there on the way up, because if that was the case then why would I have became a hawks fan in 02'?

[TnDawg]

To be honest, you completely lost my respect for being a Hawks fan. Regardless of whether or not we are down this year, we are definitely not out. However, you talk like the Hawks organization will just disappear. I hate bandwagon fans like you. I absolutely HATE your kind. Abandon a team because they look to be going downhill, and then at the same time support a team that looks like they're on their way up.

As a fan one of the reasons we get upset when our team, whether its the players or management does something that causes a setback is we are emotionally attached. Its that emotion that drives us, for better or worse. In a perfect world our team go on a run like the Patriots, San Antonio or even the Lakers. Those glory years is something we fall back on when we defend our team from naysayers. Or if the team overall isn't doing too well then we shift focus from the team to an individual player. We want to be able to brag about our teams over the next guys....that adds to the excitement. Having Bragging rights makes the entire season more enjoyable and as a fan we want that. The problem though for most of the ATL teams over the years is they don't have that winning history (remember before you mention the Braves, how many years they sucked before going on the run) to fall back on. One of the things that bothers me about some posters is they jump to quickly on each other, but I understand it....we all have our own way of reacting. Please remember that in order to dish it out....you should be able to take it. Its about bragging rights and loyalty....it's why these types of boards exist... to have an avenue to share the team spirit with like-minded people.

As far as bandwagon fans goes I don't like them...except I may make an exception for people who don't have teams in their states. Unless they keep switching teams like the tides. Atlas stated: " About the bandwagon thing, I'm no bandwagon fan but if they don't resign Smith, I won't keep up with the team that much next year (well, I probably will, I'm addicted to Hawks basketball) but I DEFINITELY won't go to any games or support the ASG in any possible way. The only thing I might do is show up with a ton of people with bags over our heads like the protesting fans of Boston and/or Milwaukee". To me thats OK.....because inspite of being upset or whatever he's not dismissing the team. Hopefully he will go to the game and act like those fans in Boston or the Aint's. Booing and wearings bags shows displeasure, but it also let the players and management know that the fans care...and they are supporting the team despite whats going on. Its still too early to give up on the team for next season... even if Smoove leaves.