Just play ball

[DrReality]

Just play ball

By Sekou K Smith | Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 09:55 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

LOS ANGELES - While dozens of teams in the NBA wobble back and forth trying to find their footing and reshuffle the deck to either dump salaries or mold themselves into contenders, the Hawks have just one task ahead of them these last 30 games.

Play ball.

That’s all they have to do at this point in their season. Just finish what they started (31-21 at the All-Star break) and this season plays out even better than they could have imagined.

No one can deny that they are dipping their toes into shark-infested waters this week and next, their five-game road trip begins here tonight against Kobe Bryant and his Lakers and careens through Sacramento, Portland, Utah and Denver before they return home late next week.

But there’s also no denying these Hawks have prepared themselves for this gauntlet by already equaling last season’s road win total (a paltry 12 games, I know, but it is what it is).

Hawks coach Mike Woodson found out just what kind of resolve his team had before the break, when they won four of five games to reestablish their identity as a gritty bunch capable of winning when least expected.

“We’ve found ways to compete all year, with key guys out and on the road and everything else,” he said. “There’s no reason to think we won’t continue to do that. I think we’ve established ourselves as that kind of team, going all the way back to [the playoff series against] Boston.”

Trade rumors involving the Hawks are basically non-existent (though I did hear rumblings in Phoenix over the weekend that the words Clippers, Hawks and Camby had been swirling in a tasty rumor that ultimately turned up nothing when I pressed a few individuals for details). As well they should be. Because if the Hawks can’t pull of a one-sided deal to add an extra big, there’s no reason to deal.

The Hawks have actually earned the right to take that position regarding trades. Think about it for a minute (you remember the ugly years of the recent past), they have all the things any team wants going into the final 30 games of a season and potentially huge summer.

— They’re 10 games above .500 and firmly entrenched in the top four of the Eastern Conference standings.

— They have contracts coming off the books this summer (Mike Bibby’s $15 million and Zaza Pachulia’s $4 million being the most lucrative expiring deals), allowing them the flexibility to deal when the trade and free agent market is wide open as opposed to concentrated for teams desperate to make moves.

— They have their core group of players (minus Bibby if he is the future at point guard) intact and ready to move forward with a workable payroll number that isn’t in danger of crashing through the luxury tax threshold.

“At this point, the only thing that slows them down is any miscalculations or mistakes they might make in terms of how they retool that roster this summer,” an Eastern Conference assistant general manager friend told me during All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. “I’ll be honest, I’m stunned they’ve managed to survive all the draft mistakes that have were made the past few years. Not taking Chris Paul and Brandon Roy in successive years is just inexcusable. You normally would have to sacrifice somebody when you botch drafts like that. But I have to give them some credit, they’ve managed to survive and come out with a workable set up for the immediate future.”

That future includes any tweaking the Hawks would like to do with the roster (if a monster trade is in the works for the summer, there will be no restrictions on any of the major players the Hawks would have to move to get a major player in return).

“The only real question facing them is whether or not they’re committed to Bibby for the long haul, and by that I’m talking the next three or four years,” a Western Conference player personnel friend told me during a email exchange Monday afternoon. “They have point guard issues that will have to be addressed this summer one way or another. If Bibby’s not the future, who is? They haven’t played Law the way you would if you’re grooming him for the job. At least the way it looks to the rest of us. So I’ll be curious to see how that plays out.”

In the meantime, the Hawks’ can focus on the one thing scads of other desperate teams wish they could and that’s just playing ball.

* D-LEAGUE STINT FOR HUNTER *

Hawks rookie forward Othello Hunter has played just 34 minutes all season. He should easily tip that this week during a brief stint with the Hawks’ D-League affiliate (the Anaheim Arsenal).

While the Hawks are in California for games this week the Arsenal play three straight home games, allowing Hunter to get some work in with the D-League crew while and then rejoin the Hawks in Portland over the weekend for the remainder of the trip and then head back to Atlanta.

It’s a good look for Hunter individually, minutes of live action anywhere are better than sitting in a suit, and also helps the Hawks get him some seasoning they simply cannot with the playing rotation in the frontcourt already locked down.

* NO FLIP = ACIE TIME? *

The Hawks lost arguably their hottest player in Flip Murray, whom Woodson said will miss “at least” the first two games of this road trip to tend to family affairs.

As the Hawks took to the practice floor Monday afternoon at the Los Angles Clippers sparkling new practice facility, I asked Woodson what they were going to do to replace Murray’s spark off the bench.

“Acie Law [iV] and Mario West are going to have to step up and give us that spark,” Woodson said. “Those are the guys that are going to have to fill that void. It’s as simple as that.”

This seems like an opportune time for Law in particular. A frequent emailer (we’ll call him RA) made a great analogy this morning when he compared Law’s time with the Hawks to that of Boris Diaw.

“It’s like he’s waiting for something,” RA wrote about Law. “I got that same feeling when I was watching Diaw play with the Hawks. I knew there was a good player in there. I was certain of it. He was either in the wrong system, or the wrong place, maybe the wrong time. I don’t know. I hope we fair better with Law.”

Well put.

Edited February 17, 2009 by DrReality

[DrReality]

And more later:

By Sekou K. Smith

February 17, 2009 11:04 AM | Link to this

The folks I’ve talked with still think that the Hawks will have to see what the market for Bibby is going to be this summer before making any sort of commitment. The Hawks, as proved last summer, won’t be bidding against themselves (Childress, Josh Smith being previous examples). That’s a risky way of doing business if things don’t work out. But most people don’t see the Hawks letting Bibby go. He’s worked great with this team and fits well with Joe Johnson. Also, without a high draft pick to spend on a point guard in the draft, the chances of snagging a PG becomes a much more complex issue (a free agent PG costs far more than one you can draft). And unless you get a Mario Chalmers type cat, you’re pretty much out of luck anyway.

[uga2006]

Camby is exactly what this team is missing. I'm sure he'd have to be ZAZA and somebody maybe Speedy.

just checked it on the trade checker and it works!!!!

Edited February 18, 2009 by uga2006