ATLANTA IS A TOP 10 TV MARKET. THE PRODUCT SHOULD BE BETTER..

[Hawkmoor]

Im gonna destroy the NUMBER ONE excuse fans have for the Hawks not having a big time superstar on their roster.  Its ALWAYS dragged out that the Hawks cannot ATTRACT a superstar. I call their bluff.  The numbers and facts dont add up.  What they show is the Hawks DONT SERIOUSLY try to get a superstar.  They mumbled some junk about wanting Dwight Howard a few years ago. Thats about it. The truth of the matter is NBA stars look at the Hawks as a organization that dont want them and aint serious about winning championships. 

Look at the numbers. In 2015-2016, Atlanta was ranked 9th overall in tv market.  We KNOW Atlanta has a large "black" population.  Its ranked SECOND behind New York in Black viewership.  Thats a IMPORTANT number because it means you getting a WHOLE DEMOGRAPHIC of people to market and sell product to.  The only way the Hawks address that is with Rappers at halftime.   Why not take advantage of that marketing by seriously attracting a superstar??   They dont care WHO the superstar is.  Heck, the Knicks have Porzingas. Oklahoma City got TWO superstars and they out in the middle of nowhere.   Hawks fans WANT a superstar.  The stats say the Hawks can make their money back by going into the luxury tax.  

http://www.tvb.org/research/measurement/131627

 

Then, Atlanta has MORE ex and current pro athletes living in it than any city in the United States:

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/atlanta-a-favored-spot-for-athletes-to-call-home-1/nQKDp/

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2015/07/03/hundreds-of-ex-nfl-players-call-georgia-home.html

 

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[RedDawg#8]

I agree with this overall. I was just debating how most of our pro sports in the city would rather sell a gimmick than a real contender. Owners think us fans are stupid and only wanna see a bunch of dunkers (Highlight Factory Era) or 3point shots (current era). Its exciting for one year but after that people want to see progress. Its the same thing year after year. After Bud it will be another coach with another gimmick we haven't seen and it will get us to the playoffs and then we will plateau and wonder why we cant get thatone extra player to put us over the top.

Why can't they cut the crap and ACTIVELY try to bring a championship title to the city. It takes risks, its not easy, you will make mistakes and bad decisions, but consistent effort to build a champion attracts players who themselves want to win a championship. And no, just cause every player wants to win doesn't mean every player is giving their all every year to compete and get better as an individual. There is a reason why no Hawk ever talks about winning it all. They may talk about playoffs and that's it. That's their peak. playoffs, over the off season not one player said we were going  to come back and try to win it all. Almost ever player conceded that last year was something  they couldn't repeat. We came in to the year with lower expectations realistically. Now, what superstar do you know that wants to win a ring is going to want to play for squad like ours?

 

You add just ONE true star player to this team and we become a contender in the East especially with the King getting older, but we cant get past whether or not Horford deserves max money. That's Atlanta pro sports for you. The rest of the league is vying for KD and the like, and we are arguing over Al freaking Horford. That's our peak.

[Lurker]

What if it was known they got on hands and knees to beg and plead for a superstar, yet said superstar just laughed in their face and spit on them, moving on to another franchise?

Its time. Blow it all up.

[Hawkmoor]

51 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

I agree with this overall. I was just debating how most of our pro sports in the city would rather sell a gimmick than a real contender. Owners think us fans are stupid and only wanna see a bunch of dunkers (Highlight Factory Era) or 3point shots (current era). Its exciting for one year but after that people want to see progress. Its the same thing year after year. After Bud it will be another coach with another gimmick we haven't seen and it will get us to the playoffs and then we will plateau and wonder why we cant get thatone extra player to put us over the top.

Why can't they cut the crap and ACTIVELY try to bring a championship title to the city. It takes risks, its not easy, you will make mistakes and bad decisions, but consistent effort to build a champion attracts players who themselves want to win a championship. And no, just cause every player wants to win doesn't mean every player is giving their all every year to compete and get better as an individual. There is a reason why no Hawk ever talks about winning it all. They may talk about playoffs and that's it. That's their peak. playoffs, over the off season not one player said we were going  to come back and try to win it all. Almost ever player conceded that last year was something  they couldn't repeat. We came in to the year with lower expectations realistically. Now, what superstar do you know that wants to win a ring is going to want to play for squad like ours?

 

You add just ONE true star player to this team and we become a contender in the East especially with the King getting older, but we cant get past whether or not Horford deserves max money. That's Atlanta pro sports for you. The rest of the league is vying for KD and the like, and we are arguing over Al freaking Horford. That's our peak.

I agree with every word you said. EVERY WORD.  Its exactly spot on.  As long as they sell season tickets and dont go into the red, they dont care. Like you said, it take ONE true superstar to turn this around.  When Atlanta failed to make a move going back to last year's trade deadline, i knew they STILL wasnt serious. In fact, i have YET to hear Tony Ressler or Grant Hill say building a championship team in Atlanta is their goal. Ive heard PLENTY about them padding their wallets by either remodeling Phillips or getting a new Arena.

 

Until the FANS demand more, its gonna be the same.  I know Michael Vick's name is polarizing, but think back. Before the Falcons signed Vick, they were NOWHERE on the local or national stage. Heck, they couldnt sell out a home game.  If you lived in Atlanta, for a long time, you couldnt even watch a Falcons home game on tv because of blackouts.  When the Smiths, who knew they were gonna sell the team, ALLOWED Dan Reeves to break the local Atlanta mold and draft Vick, suddenly,  the Georgia Dome was a sellout, the Falcons were a legit threat, and the national media took note. Suddenly, players like Peerless Price wanted to come to Atlanta.   Thats how the Hawks have to approach this, but the fans keep coming to Phillips, which makes Hawks ownership not in a hurry to change how they do business.

[Wurider05]

What you all fail to miss is the most of these athletes don't want to live and work in the same place. You don't want all your women in the same place. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Wurider05 said:

What you all fail to miss is the most of these athletes don't want to live and work in the same place. You don't want all your women in the same place. 

You mean live, work and PLAY in same place. 

[Mdizzle5]

Porzingis and the OKC duo were also DRAFTED to their current teams. Just saying. 

[QuantumHawkz]

5 hours ago, Mdizzle5 said:

Porzingis and the OKC duo were also DRAFTED to their current teams. Just saying. 

RIGHT! The Hawks have suffered from poor front office operations for years. Thus be the reason why we don't have a "Superstar". I can careless about a" Superstar ", cause the last time I checked a " Superstar " doesn't win championships alone. Atlanta's sports mentality is flawed. I can remember the Mike Vick era, and there was times Vick didn't have a winning season, but ATL still loved him due to the fact he was a "Superstar". The New Hollywood is what they call Atlanta now......in more ways than one. Atlanta IS not a blue collar city....money is in Atlanta,so if the team isn't up to par they by pass it. " Loyal" fans won't come until a championship..... Until then ,Fcuk them. I ride for my team win,  lose or draw. Besides a "Superstar" coming here doesn't mean a championship. If that was the case OKC, Pelicans and Houston should always "win" cause they have "Superstar's" on the team.

Edited February 15, 2016 by QuantumHawkz

[Duff_Man]

Lots of fail in here.

[Diesel]

I don't think we lack a superstar for not pursuing a superstar.  I think that the Hawks specifically has been looked on and trashed by a lot of players because of decades of mistakes and having the wrong players on the squad.
  Example.

1.  Not picking Chris Paul.   I think we were Paul's #1 pick and we picked Marvin.  The whole basketball world saw that and  many stars who now look up to Paul like the guys look up to Kobe has put us on the list with Milwaukee and NJ as places that they don't want to go to.  

2.  Josh Smith.  It was great having Josh Smith.  However, I believe we held on him too long and the way we let him go was done without thinking about how other free agents looked at him.  Plus, I think Smoove was a bit of a league cancer for us.  He's talking to Howard and Carmelo telling them how bad things are.

3.  Previous regimes.  I don't know how much of an effect did the fallout that ASG have?  I mean to see the owners fighting over the team, does that make the Superstars not want to go to that place?

[Duff_Man]

32 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I don't think we lack a superstar for not pursuing a superstar.  I think that the Hawks specifically has been looked on and trashed by a lot of players because of decades of mistakes and having the wrong players on the squad.
  Example.

2.  Josh Smith.  It was great having Josh Smith.  However, I believe we held on him too long and the way we let him go was done without thinking about how other free agents looked at him.  Plus, I think Smoove was a bit of a league cancer for us.  He's talking to Howard and Carmelo telling them how bad things are.

Thank god.

[Hawkmoor]

10 hours ago, Mdizzle5 said:

Porzingis and the OKC duo were also DRAFTED to their current teams. Just saying. 

Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams........Dont get me started on the superstars the Hawks passed up in the draft.......

Edited February 15, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[Hawkmoor]

46 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I don't think we lack a superstar for not pursuing a superstar.  I think that the Hawks specifically has been looked on and trashed by a lot of players because of decades of mistakes and having the wrong players on the squad.
  Example.

1.  Not picking Chris Paul.   I think we were Paul's #1 pick and we picked Marvin.  The whole basketball world saw that and  many stars who now look up to Paul like the guys look up to Kobe has put us on the list with Milwaukee and NJ as places that they don't want to go to.  

2.  Josh Smith.  It was great having Josh Smith.  However, I believe we held on him too long and the way we let him go was done without thinking about how other free agents looked at him.  Plus, I think Smoove was a bit of a league cancer for us.  He's talking to Howard and Carmelo telling them how bad things are.

3.  Previous regimes.  I don't know how much of an effect did the fallout that ASG have?  I mean to see the owners fighting over the team, does that make the Superstars not want to go to that place?

But was he lying though? See, this is a circular argument. Im telling you the HAWKS themselves are why superstars dont wanna come here, not the city, and you backed it up with the Josh comment.  Thats why Koonin is in overdrive trying to repair the Hawks image off the court. The next step is to improve it ON the court. Money talks, all that stuff Josh talking about walks with the right contract to the right player.

[Dejay]

Okay, I'll bite. 

When your front office has had a reputation spanning nearly FOUR DECADES LONG of incompetence, what guys of note are going to line up to sign here? Since the '70s, you've had the likes of Stan Kasten, Pete Babcock, Billy Knight, and Rick Sund running the show. Would you trust ANY of these guys with your NBA team ? How many other NBA teams did they get to run since leaving town? 

This is the same franchise that until recently didn't have a scouting department to even look at college players, which explains why they were so gawd awful in the draft. I'm one of the originals who came over to Hawksquawk from the AJC Forum back in 2001. For close to 15 years, we have waxed poetic about the endless misses they've had in the draft. When you log onto Wikipedia, even they talk about it. And as a lot of vets on this board will attest, the bad draft picks didn't start with passing over Chris Paul over a decade ago. You can go back to the days when they passed on the likes of Rolando Blackman, Fat Lever, Larry Nance, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, Tom Chambers, Danny Ainge, Terry Porter...need I go on? When it comes to this category, no one in pro sports does it less justice than this franchise.

Add to this the constant mess of an ownership group that for over a decade enabled guys like Billy Knight and Rick Sund to run amok without much accountability and purposely lost an NHL franchise. With that kind of backdrop, it's a minor miracle that ANYONE in town showed up to their games without having someone escorting them at gunpoint.

For the longest time, a lot of us (myself included) bemoaned the lack of star power to carry our team over the top. Last season, we were proven wrong when they won 60 games and advanced to the ECFs for the first time in their Atlanta existence despite the Sefolosha mess and injuries to key players down the stretch. This year, they're losing a lot of the close games they won last season and rebounding at an even worse clip. Before we start talking about what star player we need here, let's shore those areas up first; you know, rebounding and hitting open shots...

Edited February 15, 2016 by Dejay

[Guest]

We've had this discussion previous;y and we've said as much.  Years of ownership futility and bad management are why the Hawks are viewed the way they are.  60 wins and ECF won't change that perception overnight.  New owners and management have to be vested and show a different side of these Hawks and be willing to spend as necessary to put a quality product on the floor that gets us closer to championship contention than not.

[Hawkmoor]

29 minutes ago, Dejay said:

Okay, I'll bite. 

When your front office has had a reputation spanning nearly FOUR DECADES LONG of incompetence, what guys of note are going to line up to sign here? Since the '70s, you've had the likes of Stan Kasten, Pete Babcock, Billy Knight, and Rick Sund running the show. Would you trust ANY of these guys with your NBA team ? How many other NBA teams did they get to run since leaving town? 

This is the same franchise that until recently didn't have a scouting department to even look at college players, which explains why they were so gawd awful in the draft. I'm one of the originals who came over to Hawksquawk from the AJC Forum back in 2001. For close to 15 years, we have waxed poetic about the endless misses they've had in the draft. When you log onto Wikipedia, even they talk about it. And as a lot of vets on this board will attest, the bad draft picks didn't start with passing over Chris Paul over a decade ago. You can go back to the days when they passed on the likes of Rolando Blackman, Fat Lever, Larry Nance, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, Tom Chambers, Danny Ainge, Terry Porter...need I go on? When it comes to this category, no one in pro sports does it less justice than this franchise.

Add to this the constant mess of an ownership group that for over a decade enabled guys like Billy Knight and Rick Sund to run amok without much accountability and purposely lost an NHL franchise. With that kind of backdrop, it's a minor miracle that ANYONE in town showed up to their games without having someone escorting them at gunpoint.

For the longest time, a lot of us (myself included) bemoaned the lack of star power to carry our team over the top. Last season, we were proven wrong when they won 60 games and advanced to the ECFs for the first time in their Atlanta existence despite the Sefolosha mess and injuries to key players down the stretch. This year, they're losing a lot of the close games they won last season and rebounding at an even worse clip. Before we start talking about what star player we need here, let's shore those areas up first; you know, rebounding and hitting open shots...

you NAILED IT!!!  you posted stuff i didnt even know...................

 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

you NAILED IT!!!  you posted stuff i didnt even know...................

 

When Ferry came aboard he reorganized the front office personnel,  marketing dept. Etc. One of the big things was an actual scouting department.

[Hawkmoor]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

When Ferry came aboard he reorganized the front office personnel,  marketing dept. Etc. One of the big things was an actual scouting department.

I mean, its unbelievable.  So, what were the Hawks doing before hand? Watching a few games on Raycom Network, ESPN, and the other networks?  Write a few names down on paper and if they were still on the board, draft them???????  WOW.  This organization...........

[Lurker]

What I'm reading here is exactly the point of what I've been saying with most Georgia sports. Most of the problem is tripping over their own selves and face planting. There's so much incompetency from college sports to pro sports.

[Dejay]

54 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

I mean, its unbelievable.  So, what were the Hawks doing before hand? Watching a few games on Raycom Network, ESPN, and the other networks?  Write a few names down on paper and if they were still on the board, draft them???????  WOW.  This organization...........

In a word, well, YES. How else can you explain the likes of Adam Keefe or Josh Childress becoming multi-millionaires? When the folks here (myself included) predicted players before the draft who'd pan out better than the ones the Hawks actually selected, that should tell you everything you need to know. The universal joke in the NBA Draft was that a team didn't want to just pick in the top-3. They wanted to pick right after the Hawks were done. They knew that they were getting a stud while the Hawks normally ended up with a bag of rocks like Charlie Brown on Halloween...