Some junk I gotta get off my chest.

[Wretch]

Superstar Theory

CBA Reject said something that became my signature for a very long time. Something along the lines of "Your car needs hub cabs too. But you can't build a car with a bunch of hub caps. You need an engine first." Let me show you what an NBA Engine looks like:

What do we have...that is on that level? It's not about having one of the greatest of all time, because when the "greatest of all time" were playing...nobody called them that. I remember being one of only two people in the ENTIRE school that was rooting for the Bulls in the 80's and early 90's. Dispite Jordan having shoes and whatnot, people were enamored with the Pistons, Lakers, and Celtics...

But MJ got them there. That's what an engine DOES. You can say we don't have one, and it's hard to get one, and we can't mortgage the team for a...(etc., etc., etc.). But until you fix THAT.... Until you fill THAT hole...

You are not going to win.

Fans are not coming to the games.

The national media doesn't care about you.

The national fan base doesn't care about you.

The stars don't want to come to your team.

YOU. DON'T. MATTER.

This is why we sit around wishing for a washed up Shaq, a has been TMac, or a "Meh" Vince Carter. The plan has to start with getting a damn engine. That's how you get to the promised land. These are the players that get it DONE.

Don't tell me this team doesn't need a star. It has needed one for nearly 20 years. From Wikipedia:

Wilkins showed no signs of fading in his 12th NBA season, even after a tumultuous midseason trade. After 11½ years with the Atlanta Hawks, Wilkins was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on February 24 in exchange for Danny Manning. This is still the only time in NBA history a team in first place in their conference traded its leading scorer after the All-Star break.

We have a lot of infamous records surrounding this team don't we?

Fan support

What has this team done in 40 years? What jerseys hang from the rafters? What memories does this team have? Who are it's memorable players?

*crickets*

This team can't get past the 2nd round and can barely get out of the 1st.

This team has no star power.

This team has no history.

It's not the fault of the guys on the court. They do all they can. This is the fault of wasted draft picks, bad free agent signings, and suspect coaching. This is the fault of front office management and OWNERSHIP.

If you build it they will come. I think it's time we FINALLY built a real team WHATEVER the cost.

Boneheaded plays...

There are 52 seconds in an elimination game. Team is down by 2. And it's....

Ewing for 3?

Barkley running the point?

Jason Kidd posting up?

Duncan with the crossover dribble?

Back door lob.....Karl Malone to John Stockton?

How much sense does any of that make? None at all. It's NOTokay for Josh Smith to refuse to give the ball up on the break or take forced, crossover, fade away jumpers...at ANY time during ANY game. Let alone in a critical situation. Why can't people understand this? Nobody is picking on Josh Smith. For the love of God Almighty......there are just some things that you don't do. In ANY sport.

Winning teams and winning players figure this shit out. On winning teams, players have roles. They don't go outside of those roles to prove anything. They work within the framework of the system and they don't continually force things.

When games eventually come down to 1 or 2 possessions, you can't throw away possessions on Josh Smith trying to play PG.

"BUT UH...WHAT ABOUT THOSE FORCED SHOTS BY JOE JOHNSON? OR MISSED FREE THROWS BY HORFORD...OR BLAH, BLAH, BLAH..."

You live with that. You live with Joe being open for 3 and missing. Why? Because that's his damn shot. You don't live with Josh Smith, trying to fadeaway, with a hand in his face, because he is NEVER going to hit that shot. HE'S NEVER GOING TO HIT THAT MOTHERFUCKING SHOT. It's not his game. It's a waste of a possession.

....and what? We're THAT good that we can just GIVE people extra opportunities to score on us?

You live with Josh rolling left, with a jump hook. Hell, you can even live with him spotting up, taking a shot in rhythm. But having him going coast to coast...with a guard or wing on either side of him...only to fumble it right into someone's hand..... Shots like the one at the end of the Celtics game....

That's like shooting yourself in the face.

Josh Smith has to figure this shit out and there ain't no excuses for it. No, "Yeah...blame it all on Josh." None of this, "I can live with a few of those plays." And no, "Well, he is our best player."

None of that. Josh has to learn...and this is the MAIN reason why he has not made an All-Star game. It's not about production or talent. It's about his attitude and refusal to let the game come to him. I love him. But good GRAVY man........he helps other teams WIN with *unnecessary bullshit!

K...endrant.

*un·nec·es·sar·y

[uhn-nes-uh-ser-ee] not necessary or essential; needless; unessential.

[EazyRoc]

Wasn't it Josh running point when he threw the big alley oop to Al to start our come back ? Making one player, especially our most productive one, the scapegoat for our teams struggles makes no sense.

[Jody23]

Wasn't it Josh running point when he threw the big alley oop to Al to start our come back ? Making one player, especially our most productive one, the scapegoat for our teams struggles makes no sense.

I don't think Wretch was making Josh a scapegoat. And for the one or two plays that have a good result with Smoove pushing the ball, how about the four or five that lead to turnovers or bad decisions. You can't seriously think that those things don't have a significantly adverse impact on the team overall. But in addition to that, we have the ill-advised jumpers and poor shot selection. The view that these things are okay because he's productive in other areas is in itself detrimental to the team. Watching San Antonio last night really showed how guys playing their roles and staying within the team concept really is critical to winning no matter how much talent you think you have.

[NineOhTheRino]

Good post! I agree with the top half but...you guys give Josh too much power. No way one guy should get this much attention.

Edited May 16, 2012 by NineOhTheRino

[MaceCase]

Give it up for Wretch. Negative free for over a month before he fell off the wagon.

[Joker]

I don't think Wretch was making Josh a scapegoat. And for the one or two plays that have a good result with Smoove pushing the ball, how about the four or five that lead to turnovers or bad decisions. You can't seriously think that those things don't have a significantly adverse impact on the team overall. But in addition to that, we have the ill-advised jumpers and poor shot selection. The view that these things are okay because he's productive in other areas is in itself detrimental to the team. Watching San Antonio last night really showed how guys playing their roles and staying within the team concept really is critical to winning no matter how much talent you think you have.

San Antonio has a legit team. They spend reasonable on all their players. No Marvin or Joe contracts. They have a reasonable star. Duncan the anchor and low post specialist, TP the star, Manu the super slasher and they play their roles. They just have a superior organization which leads to great play.

[coachx]

The only way to get a superstar is to get a good lottery pick. I'm ready to take that gamble.Our pieces simply will not get it done for a superstar aquiring trade.

[Joker]

The only way to get a superstar is to get a good lottery pick. I'm ready to take that gamble.Our pieces simply will not get it done for a superstar aquiring trade.

There are multiple ways to get a superstar.DraftTradeFree Agencyetc. Edited May 16, 2012 by nbasuperstar40

[Mutombolievable]

Give it up for Wretch. Negative free for over a month before he fell off the wagon.

But you know what, he's right. Players need to learn what their strengths and weaknesses are for the better of the team. The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts unless one of the parts is LeBron, Kobe, Rose, Durant or another superstar that the NBA is going to make untouchable and the center of attention in the media and on the court.

There are multiple ways to get a superstar.DraftTradeFree Agencyetc.

It's pretty tough to get a superstar when picking in the middle of the first round though. We might have the pieces to trade for one but will any stay here? Have any superstars signed with us in the past....ever? The way to go is through the draft and for the past 5 years we have been to far down the board and before that, well, we missed...I've been going to games since I can remember and there's nothing more that I'd love to see than our arena filled with fans of the same team cheering like hell with the Hawks on their way to victory. Hopefully, one day it'll happen. With the way the NBA is these days though, Wretch is right, we need a superstar to make the fans come, we need a superstar to get the team calls, we need a superstar to get recognition by the media, we need a superstar if we want a shot in hell at winning. Edited May 16, 2012 by Mutombolievable

[benhillboy]

San Antonio has a legit team. They spend reasonable on all their players. No Marvin or Joe contracts. They have a reasonable star. Duncan the anchor and low post specialist, TP the star, Manu the super slasher and they play their roles. They just have a superior organization which leads to great play.

Popovich is the King of Basketball Knowledge right now. How the hell is Boris Diaw starting over Blair who's been there much longer, boxing out for tough rebounds and making swift hockey assists? Stephen Jackson willingly passing up his shot to get a better one for Danny Green? Kawaii Leonard starting, with the green light to do anything he wants because Pop trusts him so much, as a rook no less. Timmy looking like the '05 version. Them and the Thunder are fun to watch right now. With the inconsistency in the Celtics, I wouldn't mind a Finals between two Western teams. Edited May 16, 2012 by benhillboy

[KB21]

But you know what, he's right. Players need to learn what their strengths and weaknesses are for the better of the team. The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts unless one of the parts is LeBron, Kobe, Rose, Durant or another superstar that the NBA is going to make untouchable and the center of attention in the media and on the court.It's pretty tough to get a superstar when picking in the middle of the first round though. We might have the pieces to trade for one but will any stay here? Have any superstars signed with us in the past....ever? The way to go is through the draft and for the past 5 years we have been to far down the board and before that, well, we missed...I've been going to games since I can remember and there's nothing more that I'd love to see than our arena filled with fans of the same team cheering like hell with the Hawks on their way to victory. Hopefully, one day it'll happen. With the way the NBA is these days though, Wretch is right, we need a superstar to make the fans come, we need a superstar to get the team calls, we need a superstar to get recognition by the media, we need a superstar if we want a shot in hell at winning.

With AAU basketball being the racket it is, it is difficult to find players who have an understanding of what their limitations are and understand what their role should be. Players these days are being told from the time they are 12-13 years old that they are the best thing since sliced bread, that they are a star. This carries over. Players today have a sense of entitlement.I'm a firm believer in team basketball, and I believe that true team basketball will always trump having that one guy that you rely on in the clutch over and over again. The problem in the NBA is that there true team basketball is very limited, because you have players that do not understand their roles or that feel like they should be the guy the ball goes to in the crunch.

[Diesel]

Wasn't it Josh running point when he threw the big alley oop to Al to start our come back ? Making one player, especially our most productive one, the scapegoat for our teams struggles makes no sense.

That's the problem. Even if you do something good that is outside your role, you're still outside of your role. Eventually, it will come back to get you.Bigger than him doing it is him believe that it proves something good. Josh is not Dirk and never will be. Why does he try to prove it all the time? Unless we get a coach who can reach him, he is partly responsible for our fall.

[Diesel]

Give it up for Wretch. Negative free for over a month before he fell off the wagon.

Why do you consider it negative and not constructive?

[NineOhTheRino]

Man some of us are up and down like a seesaw. One minute we need a superstar then the next we don't. One minute we should trade a couple pieces to make a run then the next we're talking about rebuilding. What happening here?

Edited May 16, 2012 by NineOhTheRino

[Diesel]

Man some of us are up and down like a seesaw. One minute we need a superstar then the next we don't.One minute we should trade a couple pieces to make a run then the next we're talking about rebuilding. What happening here?

Wretch talked about an engine. Well, our efforts thus far has taken us to the 2nd round at best. My belief is that with a real low post scoring big, we will become much harder to beat. Would I like that to be a superstar... Sure would... but I think we're moving to the place where a superstar is not really necessary but skillset and attention to role is.

[Jody23]

That's the problem. Even if you do something good that is outside your role, you're still outside of your role. Eventually, it will come back to get you.Bigger than him doing it is him believe that it proves something good. Josh is not Dirk and never will be. Why does he try to prove it all the time? Unless we get a coach who can reach him, he is partly responsible for our fall.

With one year left on his deal, do you take the risk of trying to find a coach that can "reach him"? Even if you found a coach that could persuade him to curtail the jumpers, would it make that much of a difference? I ask this because even in the year where he didn't take many three point attempts, the Hawks still weren't good enough to be an elite team. Not trying to bash, but it's been eight years. From a team perspective, I wouldn't take the risk of finding the magical coach for a guy who seems intent on leaving and we get nothing for him. Edited May 16, 2012 by Jody23

[Joker]

Man some of us are up and down like a seesaw. One minute we need a superstar then the next we don't.One minute we should trade a couple pieces to make a run then the next we're talking about rebuilding. What happening here?

We are never going to play like a Pop team. We have an identity. We just don't have pieces that fit it.

[Sothron]

The NBA is the only league where you need at least one superstar usually two to win a title or even to compete for one. The Hawks haven't had a superstar since Nique was traded. We won't win a ring unless that changes.

[Diesel]

With one year left on his deal, do you take the risk of trying to find a coach that can "reach him"? Even if you found a coach that could persuade him to curtail the jumpers, would it make that much of a difference? I ask this because even in the year where he didn't take many three point attempts, the Hawks still weren't good enough to be an elite team. Not trying to bash, but it's been eight years. From a team perspective, I wouldn't take the risk of finding the magical coach for a guy who seems intent on leaving and we get nothing for him.

The new GM has to sit down with Josh... Soon and search his heart and see what Josh's true intentions are. Not the media's intention for Josh. Not his agent. Not some fans. But what Josh really wants.

[MaceCase]

Why do you consider it negative and not constructive?

You can be both but Wretch specifically took an oath that he'd abstain from any amount of criticism that would point out any negatives and only emphasize the positives for a spell. Thus the reason he feels the need to get that boulder off his chest.Kudos to him, bigger man than most for making it this far although I will admit I hadn't been critically reading his posts since his declaration. Perhaps he snuck some negative vibes past me.