The Real question...

[DocWilkins]

Can this franchise really undertake a route of rebuilding thru the draft and praying that the ping pong balls fall into place?My opinion is the time is now...I remember the 13 win season and then the gradual building thru the draft and the acquisition of Joe and thinking man we really are headed in the right direction. Alas it was not to be and here we are circa 2004...I think the ownership brought Danny in to build a winner that the ownership so desperately needs. Fans aren't going to come out to watch this team thru a rebuild...They barely come out now and we have been a playoff caliber team for years...My point is Ferry has to make a big splash...I think he will lose more interest and patience from our fans if he does not. I don't want to stay in the continuous cycle of mediocrity and this year I will open my wallet solely on the performance of our moves off the court. I am scared to see what will happen on the court if we make no progress thru FA...So I pose to you Atlanta's Air force...What do you think?

Edited July 3, 2013 by DocWilkins

[phoostal]

Can this franchise really undertake a route of rebuilding thru the draft and praying that the ping pong balls fall into place?My opinion is the time is now...I remember the 13 win season and then the gradual building thru the draft and the acquisition of Joe and thinking man we really are headed in the right direction. Alas it was not to be and here we are circa 2004...I think the ownership brought Danny in to build a winner that the ownership so desperately needs. Fans aren't going to come out to watch this team thru a rebuild...They barely come out now and we have been a playoff caliber team for years...My point is Ferry has to make a big splash...I think he will lose more interest and patience from our fans if he does not. I don't want to stay in the continuous cycle of mediocrity and this year I will open my wallet solely on the performance of our moves off the court. I am scared to see what will happen on the court if we make no progress thru FA...So I pose to you Atlanta's Air force...What do you think?

I agree, yes it would be nice to have a pick in the top 5, but fans are losing interest and none of the top NBA players take this organization seriously. Ferry needs to change this perception by getting a superstar to commit. Similar to what Reggie White did with the Packers. The Packers were horrible, White went there perception changed. They started getting better free agents and having good drafts. Hawks need to make a similar impact with a significant free agent.

What good does all the cap room do if no wants to play here. If we can't convince Paul and Howard to come, what makes anyone think next years crop of free agents are going to be any different? Throw in the fact that if the team tanks, no superstar will want to come here. I think we all agree we need a superstar or two to win a championship in today's NBA. Also, you better hit a home run on every draft pick, since you won't get any top free agents.

Everyone says follow the Spurs model, well the Spurs had two stars in Robinson and Duncan. They hit with their late round picks in Parker and Manu. They didn't get top free agents. If the Hawks follow this model they better well land the #1 pick in two drafts that have can't miss hall of famers.

Bottom line DF needs to change the perception of the Hawks for the team to be taken seriously. Its DF's job to get some of these superstars to believe in the Hawks. Can't always rely on the draft.

[Vol4ever]

^^^^^^^^^^^these two posts. I have been preaching this for some time now. I believe DF is smart enough to know this and hopefully will do something.

[Dejay]

Although I have often kidded about making my avatar into an Abrams tank, I wholeheartedly agree with these posts. The Hawks organization doesn't have the $$$ to endure another 7-9 year run of 28-win seasons; they just don't. And as I've often stated on this forum, the fans in this town DO NOT TOLERATE LOSING OF ANY KIND. They don't care about the '5-year plan', capspace, the 'process', or about developing players for the future, only to see them scamper away to another team once their contracts end; they want stars in their jersey, winning big ballgames RIGHT NOW. There's a reason why you hear 'MVP!' chants whenever (insert superstar here) arrives in town and has a big game. No one pays $$$ to see a jobber get flogged by 32.

The problem with the tanking idea is that this is the wrong place to do it. Too many folks remember what happened the last time this bunch jettisoned their veterans and went with the draft (see Williams, Marvin. Or perhaps Childress, Joshua. Maybe Williams, Shelden). No way and I mean this, NO EFFIN WAY will this city sit through another run of that without turning Philips into a library on Saturday night. It would be like going back to the bank for another loan after defaulting on the last one you got from them; your FICO score isn't high enough to be trusted.

Trust. That's what this franchise is sorely missing. They lost that trust decades ago when they didn't put anyone around Nique when he was carrying them to 50-win seasons. They lost even more after trading him. Then there was J.R. Rider and the mess that was the Babcock years. Then it was the 'resident basketball expert' detonating one lottery pick after another in the name of some cracked up experiment that hasn't been tried before or since. Then it was Sund and years of 'WLOC' while half of the Eastern conference passed us by. Now it's Ferry's turn to wipe the slate clean and start from ground zero. The problem is that too many of us have long memories of what went wrong before and simply don't trust this organization to get it right. Fans here trust the Braves' braintrust because they've 'done it before'. So have the Falcons to an extent (despite the playoff losses, they've still gone to three conference title games and a Super Bowl). But the Hawks? They couldn't spell conference title if you spotted them the first twelve letters.

I simply don't trust the unpredicability of the NBA draft and really worry about the future of this team, especially if they don't get it right this time around. This isn't a one-horse town like San Antonio, Portland, or Sacramento where the NBA has no competition to deal with. The Braves are leading the NL East and is in position to have a big October. The Falcons are one of the five best teams in all of pro football and one of the favorites to win it all. UGA is in line to make another run at the SEC title. That leaves very little disposable income locally to watch a team that is in year one of the 'process' of developing young players, especially if that team is 6-25 going into New Year's. Nor will they care if they get screwed out of the top pick and have to select someone with a name who can't really make a difference (how many playoff games Kyrie Irving has played in so far?).

Stuff like this is what got the Thrashers sold and shipped off to Manitoba. That 25-year lease isn't forever, you know. Another 5-8 year run of losing and, well, I'm just saying...

[Swatguy]

^^^^^^^^^^^these two posts. I have been preaching this for some time now. I believe DF is smart enough to know this and hopefully will do something.

The Hiring of Bud does not equate definite smarts. It smells like a deal done in 2012. This smells like a slow build and we were already past that point enjoying perennial playoff staples. Cleveland, Washington and Detroit passes us this year.

Edited July 3, 2013 by Swatguy

[Guest]

The Hiring of Bud does not equate definite smarts. It smells like a deal done in 2012. This smells like a slow build and we were already past that point enjoying perennial playoff staples. Cleveland, Washington and Detroit passes us this year.

Without DF and Bud - I doubt the Hawks even get a sit down interview with D12.Hawks weren't on his list of teams he wanted to be traded to and I think it was a courtesy FA visit to not look bad for his home town if he had denied the interview.

[Swatguy]

Without DF and Bud - I doubt the Hawks even get a sit down interview with D12.Hawks weren't on his list of teams he wanted to be traded to and I think it was a courtesy FA visit to not look bad for his home town if he had denied the interview.

I believe if Drew was the HC we would have a better chance. Guys knew, respected and played hard for Drew. LD stood up and made guys accountable. Why do Ferry/Bud invoke such respect?

[Guest]

I believe if Drew was the HC we would have a better chance. Guys knew, respected and played hard for Drew. LD stood up and made guys accountable. Why do Ferry/Bud invoke such respect?

Hahaha, at LD making guys accountable.

[taz]

No and it's dumb to wait on fate. Ferry will hopefully go out and create his own destiny via signings and trading for assets. Only an idiot would think waiting and praying for a lottery ball is a good idea

[taz]

I believe if Drew was the HC we would have a better chance. Guys knew, respected and played hard for Drew. LD stood up and made guys accountable. Why do Ferry/Bud invoke such respect?

Well for bud it's those rings on his fingers that kinda thing means alot to players

[DJlaysitup]

....Only an idiot would think waiting and praying for a lottery ball is a good idea

The thing is...the Lottery has actually MADE teams multiple times over the years. S.A. is the biggest example, but OKC is close, CLE was happy there for a few years, CP3 is a reasonable example, even D12 in ORL.

Sure, you have to have the type of organization that you can effectively build around them and keep them happy - but it has been proven to work.

If there truly are 5 or 6 potential stars coming out in 2014 it is at least something to consider.

[Watchman]

I believe if Drew was the HC we would have a better chance. Guys knew, respected and played hard for Drew. LD stood up and made guys accountable. Why do Ferry/Bud invoke such respect?

OK Larry, we know that you've infiltrated our site. Just be glad someone gave you a job, even if it is Milwaukee.