I wonder?

[Diesel]

Now that the ownership issue is resolved ,how fiscally responsible will this ownership group be. That's not to say that they should rush out and be irresponsible. But I'm saying that I know it was a hard task making moves with Belkin still being a part of the group and not wanting to spend too much with him being in a place to take over the team if ASG were to lose. (i.e. ASG loses and get nothing for all their investment). However, I think ASG has to see the bigger picture that we are close to being a championship quality team.

So with that in mind:

1. Are they interested in more experienced coaching?

I was of the believe that LD was hired for continuity and cheapness. Larry Brown, Sam Mitchell, Lawrence Frank, Mike Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, are all available. There are more but these are just from the top of my head. Paul Westhead could be a top assistant.

2. What trades would they consider?

Big teams spend the money. The NBA doesn't have the history that supports a underbudget team without an 7 footer or Jordan winning the championship. We don't have Jordan. We don't have a 7 footer.

3. What are the ramifications of staying pat?

In a way, I think the fanbase will take another hit. The fans don't care that we resigned Horf and JJ. I think at the end of the day, most fans want to see the Hawks aquire somebody. Chris Paul would be great. Melo = OK. But the Hawks fanbase might have a 7 person riot if the Hawks just stay pat.

[Vol4ever]

Now that the ownership issue is resolved ,how fiscally responsible will this ownership group be. That's not to say that they should rush out and be irresponsible. But I'm saying that I know it was a hard task making moves with Belkin still being a part of the group and not wanting to spend too much with him being in a place to take over the team if ASG were to lose. (i.e. ASG loses and get nothing for all their investment). However, I think ASG has to see the bigger picture that we are close to being a championship quality team.

So with that in mind:

1. Are they interested in more experienced coaching?

I was of the believe that LD was hired for continuity and cheapness. Larry Brown, Sam Mitchell, Lawrence Frank, Mike Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, are all available. There are more but these are just from the top of my head. Paul Westhead could be a top assistant.

2. What trades would they consider?

Big teams spend the money. The NBA doesn't have the history that supports a underbudget team without an 7 footer or Jordan winning the championship. We don't have Jordan. We don't have a 7 footer.

3. What are the ramifications of staying pat?

In a way, I think the fanbase will take another hit. The fans don't care that we resigned Horf and JJ. I think at the end of the day, most fans want to see the Hawks aquire somebody. Chris Paul would be great. Melo = OK. But the Hawks fanbase might have a 7 person riot if the Hawks just stay pat.

Diesel,

I think this team has peaked not talent wise but chemistry wise. I think we have 3 PF's on the team in Smith, Horford, and Williams. We need a center, but the one's that seem to be available just do not take us to the next level - I am not a Kaman fan. I dont know what Crawfords value is around the league, but for me to deal him I have to brng back a good PG in a deal like that. Oviously I would like to see Steve Nash here, but Im not convinced that the Suns will trade him. A tweak or two might be the best we could hope for this year. I would like to see a vet like Grant Hill also come here and although he is old in the tooth, he brings wisdom and maybe could help this team.

All in all I think this team is done, they are not as good as Boston, Orlando, or Miami. They have no low post game and live and die by the jump shot. I have been a Hawks fan since 1978 but they really frustrate me and it starts at the top with ownership and goes down to the 12th man.

[Diesel]

Diesel,

I think this team has peaked not talent wise but chemistry wise. I think we have 3 PF's on the team in Smith, Horford, and Williams. We need a center, but the one's that seem to be available just do not take us to the next level - I am not a Kaman fan. I dont know what Crawfords value is around the league, but for me to deal him I have to brng back a good PG in a deal like that. Oviously I would like to see Steve Nash here, but Im not convinced that the Suns will trade him. A tweak or two might be the best we could hope for this year. I would like to see a vet like Grant Hill also come here and although he is old in the tooth, he brings wisdom and maybe could help this team.

All in all I think this team is done, they are not as good as Boston, Orlando, or Miami. They have no low post game and live and die by the jump shot. I have been a Hawks fan since 1978 but they really frustrate me and it starts at the top with ownership and goes down to the 12th man.

I'm not so dismissive of our future, especially being that we haven't seen this team play under this coach 1. Healthy, 2. with full understanding of the system. Still, we haven't looked so bad. I agree that we are not classical in our makeup, but maybe Classical is not necessary to win. I just think that we have to be prudent in our decisions. We shouldn't rush to make a deal because a deal is out there. I hear the heeing and hawing of a lot of the fans here and I believe that some just want to make a move just to make a move. Some want to make a move because they believe that we have to have a particular piece to be more classic. I say that this team was built to be different. We have possibly 3 allstars on this team. Possibly 4 really. I just think that we need to give this a chance and if a good deal (not any deal) comes along, we should really consider it.

[AHF]

On the first point, until the team gets additional investment I have a hard time seeing them doing more than they have recently been doing (extending JJ & Horf, selling a desirable draft pick, being unwilling to add Shaq, etc.).

[99PROBL3MS]

Alot of people think this team needs a "superstar". I think the number one thing holding this team out of the conversation is defense at the PG position. This team has others flaws for sure, but that is the number one issue. At this point in his career, Bibby cannot consistently cover 90% of the leagues PGs.

[dlpin]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with one ownership group in place now.

There are basically 2 ways of winning a championship in the NBA:

You either draft a superstar or you spend a lot of money.

No ifs, ands or buts. Even the one team to win it all in the past 40 years without a true superstar, the 2004 detroit pistons, had to go out and open their wallets to land Rasheed Wallace.

Every team to win it all in the past 40 years either drafted superstars (Bird, Magic, Thomas, Jordan, Olajuwon, Duncan, Kobe) or went out and either signed a super star or acquired stars by taking on a lot more in contracts (Shaq, KG, Gasol, Sheed).

[T21]

We can only hope that the ASG is saving chips for the right hand, and that they will use it wisely! No team in the NBA has won without goin' over the cap and without spending money... They will have to do it at some point if they want to win!

I still believe in our team and hope that timely and wise strategy that lands one or two quality pieces is just what we need... However, it ain't easy to do... That's why Sund is very cautious.

P.S. As some posters already mentioned, we should see what ASG is all about very soon...

[Joker]

I'm not so dismissive of our future, especially being that we haven't seen this team play under this coach 1. Healthy, 2. with full understanding of the system. Still, we haven't looked so bad. I agree that we are not classical in our makeup, but maybe Classical is not necessary to win. I just think that we have to be prudent in our decisions. We shouldn't rush to make a deal because a deal is out there. I hear the heeing and hawing of a lot of the fans here and I believe that some just want to make a move just to make a move. Some want to make a move because they believe that we have to have a particular piece to be more classic. I say that this team was built to be different. We have possibly 3 allstars on this team. Possibly 4 really. I just think that we need to give this a chance and if a good deal (not any deal) comes along, we should really consider it.

Diesel, we are talented, every bit as talented as any team in the NBA. The issue is, we are not a team. We don't have a center. Our PG can't play defense and isn't good enough on offense to where it doesn't matter. The best players are all #2 options. With no balance, minimal depth, and oversize in the back court, undersized in the front-court doesn't win championships in the NBA.

@ the other poster, I agree Kaman is far from the piece we need to win for a title. That's what hurts Atlanta, they are three pieces always if they can maintain their core (Joe, Smith,Horford). We will see.

We can only hope that the ASG is saving chips for the right hand, and that they will use it wisely! No team in the NBA has won without goin' over the cap and without spending money... They will have to do it at some point if they want to win!

I still believe in our team and hope that timely and wise strategy that lands one or two quality pieces is just what we need... However, it ain't easy to do... That's why Sund is very cautious.

P.S. As some posters already mentioned, we should see what ASG is all about very soon...

Most of those teams make money, almost all of them, that's key.

[Diesel]

Diesel, we are talented, every bit as talented as any team in the NBA. The issue is, we are not a team. We don't have a center. Our PG can't play defense and isn't good enough on offense to where it doesn't matter. The best players are all #2 options. With no balance, minimal depth, and oversize in the back court, undersized in the front-court doesn't win championships in the NBA.

@ the other poster, I agree Kaman is far from the piece we need to win for a title. That's what hurts Atlanta, they are three pieces always if they can maintain their core (Joe, Smith,Horford). We will see.

Most of those teams make money, almost all of them, that's key.

Again, this speaks to my point.

Without having a notable C and a young PG, we're still in the conversation. We were built this way. If you want to go back to our main error it was selecting Marvin over Paul and Deron... still, we have very good players. Are we a classical team with great 1-5 as defined over the years? No. However, we have a chance to be the first with interchangable parts to do something. The key is that we have to embrace what we have and work with that unless a good deal come along. I think that we have to replace fantasy with reality. The reality is that there's no good deal that will give us a great 1 or 5 coming unless we are willing to give away better talent to get it. In other words, we give up the better player to have this ideal makeup. With that being the case, I say.. we shouldn't give up the better talent for that. Especially when we don't know if that will get us any closer to winning. It's time to play our hand and trust that LD can make it happen.

[Vol4ever]

I'm not so dismissive of our future, especially being that we haven't seen this team play under this coach 1. Healthy, 2. with full understanding of the system. Still, we haven't looked so bad. I agree that we are not classical in our makeup, but maybe Classical is not necessary to win. I just think that we have to be prudent in our decisions. We shouldn't rush to make a deal because a deal is out there. I hear the heeing and hawing of a lot of the fans here and I believe that some just want to make a move just to make a move. Some want to make a move because they believe that we have to have a particular piece to be more classic. I say that this team was built to be different. We have possibly 3 allstars on this team. Possibly 4 really. I just think that we need to give this a chance and if a good deal (not any deal) comes along, we should really consider it.

Sorry, but the truth is "this coach" was only hired because of money, nothing else. We do not have a legitimate PG and I watched the games yesterday of how the PG's performed for their teams. Never been much of a Andre Miller fan, but in last nights game he was the floor general on offense and play good perimiter defense. I like Bibbs a bunch and he is one of the very best long distance shooters out there, but we need a PG and some low post offense.

We live and die by the jumper and maybe if we had a legit PG it might get some of our bigs down in the hole a little more which leads to layups, dunks, and free throws and that puts a lot of pressure on the other teams.

[Wretch]

Now that the ownership issue is resolved ,how fiscally responsible will this ownership group be. That's not to say that they should rush out and be irresponsible. But I'm saying that I know it was a hard task making moves with Belkin still being a part of the group and not wanting to spend too much with him being in a place to take over the team if ASG were to lose. (i.e. ASG loses and get nothing for all their investment). However, I think ASG has to see the bigger picture that we are close to being a championship quality team.

So with that in mind:

1. Are they interested in more experienced coaching?

I was of the believe that LD was hired for continuity and cheapness. Larry Brown, Sam Mitchell, Lawrence Frank, Mike Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, are all available. There are more but these are just from the top of my head. Paul Westhead could be a top assistant.

2. What trades would they consider?

Big teams spend the money. The NBA doesn't have the history that supports a underbudget team without an 7 footer or Jordan winning the championship. We don't have Jordan. We don't have a 7 footer.

3. What are the ramifications of staying pat?

In a way, I think the fanbase will take another hit. The fans don't care that we resigned Horf and JJ. I think at the end of the day, most fans want to see the Hawks aquire somebody. Chris Paul would be great. Melo = OK. But the Hawks fanbase might have a 7 person riot if the Hawks just stay pat.

On point #1) Coaching is not so much of an issue right now. As someone who was livid over the apparent "budget hire" of LD, I have to say that the man has at least earned the right to see what he can really do with this club. He has performed better than expected. To his credit, LD has an incredible resume for an assistant and is long overdue. Hell, he's got more experience than Spoelstra and look what that cat has been put in charge of (and by whom). In any case, coaching is not so much of an issue. Personnel is...

On point #2) They better be considering something. For the sake of the team, the fans, and their bottom lines. I just...I don't understand how people can not see the biggest problem with this franchise. Not just this current incarnation of the Atlanta Hawks, but the SAME DAMN PROBLEM that we've had over the last 25 or so years. There is no history here...no glory days to hearken back to. Just Nique. And from what I understand, Atlanta is like a hub for transients that couldn't care less about the club anyway.... So what do the people of Atlanta get behind? You may think that putting a winner on the floor is going to fix things at the box office, but here's a newsflash - we have a winner right now. And it's not the first time. We learned that lesson from Nique & Co. We learned that lesson from the Smitty's teams - *PAINFULLY*, anybody remember the Pacers turning our home court against us in the playoffs?

What does that have to do with winning? F#CKIN' Everything. Good players do not win games - Allstars do. Great players win the games that count. This isn't about having someone's jersey to buy or having a figurehead of the team on the court. It's about WINNING. Discounting our lone star, the players that make things happen are the kind we do not currently have and haven't had in nearly 3 decades. Hate it. B*tch about it. Argue until you're blue in the face. It's the truth. This is a game that is *literally* driven by superstar, megastar, celebrity talent and there IS NO WAY AROUND IT. You can dig and scratch. You can spit PER and potential until your mouth dries up. Look all you want, but all you will find is a *RARE* anomaly. An anomaly that will A) not get this team out of the 2nd round and B) not improve its draw. I don't care how well we build. Unless we put a real face in the starting lineup, we are going nowhere.

-NOWHERE-

Not an issue? Tell that to the owners who, last I heard, were bleeding money all over this thing. No money? No coach. No FA's. No nada. The only good part about that is MAYBE a strong investor will swoop in and save this ship...and then move it to Seattle. I don't know the probabilities of that actually happening (I know we have a sizable market ripe for a star to drive it and a new Arena...so that helps), but playing with fate is not a good idea.

To answer the question, I have no idea who the ASG might be looking at...but they need to be looking at someone. Maybe Al Horford could be the talent/face that we need? I'd love it, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll tell you one thing though, you put Pat Riley or Mitch Kupchak in our front office and I'll tell you what they'd do. They'd keep Al and then pull Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, or even Dwight Howard out of their back pocket and slap him in our starting lineup with him. Go big or go home - and for as long as I've watched this team, we've been going home. In my Denzel voice, "The sh!t's chess, it ain't CHECKERS!" Thinking some random vet is going to magically turn us into a contender is folly, and it is certainly "checkers"/nickle & dime mentality.

On point #3) The ramifications of standing pat...? Click...

Edited December 27, 2010 by Wretch

[Vol4ever]

Wretch - good post.

A lot of us have been around for a long time.......................me since 1978 and im sure Gray Mule and others more than that. I do agree with you concerning the "Superstar" mentality and the ownership did give superstar money to Joe Johnson and he is just not a superstar.

I would love to see Carmelo Anthony come here but Im afraid there is no one out there that would take Joe and his contract.

[Joker]

Again, this speaks to my point.

Without having a notable C and a young PG, we're still in the conversation. We were built this way. If you want to go back to our main error it was selecting Marvin over Paul and Deron... still, we have very good players. Are we a classical team with great 1-5 as defined over the years? No. However, we have a chance to be the first with interchangable parts to do something. The key is that we have to embrace what we have and work with that unless a good deal come along. I think that we have to replace fantasy with reality. The reality is that there's no good deal that will give us a great 1 or 5 coming unless we are willing to give away better talent to get it. In other words, we give up the better player to have this ideal makeup. With that being the case, I say.. we shouldn't give up the better talent for that. Especially when we don't know if that will get us any closer to winning. It's time to play our hand and trust that LD can make it happen.

We really are just too talented not to be. As for bolded, nothing we can do about it now. But we have to make moves that make the team a contender. No we don't. There are a lot of flaws within us and Detroit is the first interchangable team win a title in the current age. Sheed was a PF who played center as well and Big Ben was mainly a C who was finally able to play efficiently when they got Sheed. They used Sheed to defend centers and used Big Ben to defend the paint as well as defend centers if the opponent PF had range. Horford nor Smith can defend centers well unless the centers are bad. This is where Atlanta issues are really bad. I agree that no great 1 or 5 is available and probably won't be. But reality is this team won't win in the playoffs. They should be competitive in the second round this year but the teams in the second round will all be better than us. Orlando, Miami, Boston, and Chicago. I hate that Chicago has passed us but it's just the way it is.

[Dejay]

What Wretch said is correct. There is no secret to winning big in the playoffs. The major problem I've had over the years is their total disregard of urgency to get the pieces necessary to win a title. Standing pat has become such the norm here that it sends shockwaves when they do make a move.

[99PROBL3MS]

Carmelo is the one of the best talents in the league but I don't know how much closer he gets this team to contention. He has played on some very talented teams in DEN and led them past the first round one time. I would be ecstatic if we landed him because he Joe, and Horford would be a great trio. I still think we would suffer in the playoffs if we cant defend the PG and C position efficiently.