Official Game Thread: Hawks at Wizards (3 PM Tip!)

[lethalweapon3]

“Hang tight, Jalen. As soon as I take over the Wizards, I’ll come get you outta here.”

 

For The District... Adjacent!

Looks like it’s not just the Raptors making moves to end 2023. Monumental Sports’ Ted Leonsis announced a $2 billion plan to eventually slide his NBA Washington Wizards, and his NHL Washington Capitals, across the Potomac and into superburb Alexandria, Virginia.

Monumental spent upwards of $30 million to renovate the original MCI Center, now just past its 25^th year in operation, in 2020. Not even five years later, they want to relocate its prime tenants beyond the central city.

Moving teams to far-fetched lands, as we learned with the Bravos racing The Freeze just beyond the outskirts of The Perimeter, isn’t so far-fetched whenever there’s a bunch of tax-sheltered, tax-deferred, and/or tax-free money to be generated by a land deal. Enjoy that G-League team, the WNBA Mystics, and that sweet new practice court, D.C. Go, Go-Go!

I’m coinciding that news with the final days of the CNN sign and CNN Center back home, adjacent to the Atlanta Hawks’ alleged home confines. The Hawks signed a 20-year deal with the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority to stick around State Farm, in 2018, right on time for Ye Olde Philips to finish renovations and become The Place Trae Young Re-Built.

But high people in high places are always trying to pull an FSU and wiggle their way around the terms and conditions… say, yesterday’s 60-point beatdown was Wake Forest’s fault somehow, right, Noles?... and I’m wondering how “around” “sticking around” is, really.

A lot of historic moments went down in and around the Omni Center ever since Ted Turner accepted Tom Cousins’ Gone With the Wind deal, and first moved Cable News Network’s growing ops staff into what was the lonely edge of downtown back in the 1980s. The beige concrete building that housed them will become harder to raze, and commemorate with a fancy sign, as it approaches the mythical 50-year mark of historical significance in 2026.

Post-Centennial Olympics, and specifically post-Centennial Olympic Park, that real estate has overtaken Westin Peachtree Plaza and Peachtree Center as the welcome mat for the City of Atlanta. With all due respect to D.C.’s gentrified Chinatown and Penn Quarter, this is no longer just another frayed subsection of Atlanta’s downtown district. I believe that it’s time, already, to make sure the Pac logo is prominently displayed at a Marietta Street, Park-facing arena, and not just prettifying a parking deck above Hudson Grille.

Make the world’s travelers, the ones seeking shelter and restrooms and trinkets and grub inside the arena’s adjacent food court, and our city’s intown sports fans, shuffle past a new, selfie-friendly basketball venue. The current arena space could then become the nexus between the World Cup-friendly mini-metropolis that Swiss Family Ressler is feverishly constructing across and down the street, Arthur Blank’s vegetable steamer basket thingie, and Omni Arena III. Great spot for a new food court/waystation.

There’s talk by Florida’s current CNN Center landholders of someday converting the vacated existing property shackling State Farm Arena to help address downtown’s dire sub-market-rate housing needs. If you believe that will come to fruition, have I got a bridge spanning over Dominique Wilkins Way to sell you! Further, the BeltLine will be full-360 before The State of Jawjah lets anyone pursue a casino-sportsbook-hotel complex inside ex-CNN Center.

But might a new arena imperil the front entrance to the original Omni Hotel? Am I asking the town that repeatedly reneged on low-income housing redevelopments for stadia, that nudged Jasmine Guy’s daddy’s congregation out of their historic church so Uncle Arthur can keep playing in one rain-resistant venue while constructing another, to preserve a 4-star hotel? Tuh.

I’d rather see a proactive and cooperative approach by own intown biz leaders and money-movers, today, than fiddling around and feigning surprise when whoever owns the Hawks a few years from now joins in on a joint land-grab and development scheme with Flames III up in Forsyth, or down in soccer-happy Fayette.

When people arrive at Centennial Olympic Park and peer across Marietta Street, a sparkling new arena anchoring our Hawks Basketball Club, featuring our logo, our stars, such that we have any by that time, and a relocated ATLANTA canopy, should be the prominent landmark feature. Not some Anytown McCormick & Schmick’s on the bottom floor of an empty edifice.

You’d like to share thoughts about the present-day travails of Young’s Hawks and the recently returning Delon Wright’s Wizards, ahead of today’s Must Win (or is it Must Lose Time already? 3 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, MonSpoNet in the DMV) at What’s In Your Wallet Arena? Good for you. No, truly, it’s downright noble. Besides, what else are we gonna do, watch Falcons-Bears? Please, have at it. I’m on the prowl, for some Martinelli’s cider and a peach to drop from my roof, before the clock strikes 12 again.

 

Have a Safe and Prosperous 2K24. Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Atlanta has taken three straight season series from the Wizards, and has prevailed in four-straight games at Capital One, five straight overall.

Hawks back-bencher Garrison Mathews got his NBA big break on a two-way deal with the Wiz back in 2019. He started in nearly 25 games (7 wins in his first 9 starts) in his second season on a two-way with Washington, a team that did not realize they were peaking at 34-38.

Junior Unseld's team will have to go 29-22 the rest of the way to match the past two seasons finishing at 35-47. Danilo Gallinari (Out, back spasms) can only provide moral support.

Delon's return from a 20-game absence this past week is Wright on time, as starter Tyus Jones is listed as Questionable (sore foot).

Here's to some more Brunoball this afternoon, as Onyeka Okongwu (Out, illness) is under the weather. Trae (+30.4 plus/minus avg in 2 games vs. WAS this season) is listed as Probable despite a contused knee, so hopefully he won't join OO and Dre Hunter (Out, inflamed knee) on the shelf, and hopefully he, Dejounte and Bogi all rediscover their second-half shooting strokes.

 

~lw3

[kg01]

Offbrand tip time alert.  We gettin blowed out. 

[Dnice]

I hope they don't dap up kuzma at tip.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Have a Safe and Prosperous 2K24. Let’s Go Hawks!

Thanks lw3! Same to you.. speaking of 2K..

It was a stats party  

JJ messed around and triple doubled!

Go Hawks!!!

[kg01]

20 minutes ago, Dnice said:

I hope they don't dap up kuzma at tip.

I hope they dap up his face. 

[Dnice]

Hip check his ass or something. 

[benhillboy]

Trae and Clint should dominate and Hawks cruise by 13.  If Poole drops 29 and the Wizards pull away late it’s high time for a “player’s only” meeting.

Hawks really need to rescue Delon outta there.  Even in only 10 games to have this on/off amidst all the garbage is nothing short of remarkable:

Edited December 31, 2023 by benhillboy

[terrell]

Between the Falcons and the Hawks, Atl Sports are a joke right now.. smh

Edited December 31, 2023 by terrell

[TheNorthCydeRises]

OK Hawks.  No messing around or meltdowns today.

5 hours of critical games for me today.  

Hawks right now.  Bengals in about 90 minutes.

 

[terrell]

Poole gonna drop 40 on us isnt he? 

Or some other random?

Edited December 31, 2023 by terrell

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Need that double double today Bruno, to start a backup center controversy.

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 minutes ago, terrell said:

Poole gonna drop 40 on us isnt he? 

Or some other random?

 

Yes.

But don't mind that.

Just get the win.

[Chrimturn]

2 minutes ago, terrell said:

Poole gonna drop 40 on us isnt he? 

Or some other random?

Trae’s due for 40.  Been a month.

40+pts  15 ast

see how he responds here

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Nice start Hawks

 

[terrell]

1 minute ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Nice start Hawks

 

Does it even matter how we start a game at this point?

[Chrimturn]

6 minutes ago, Chrimturn said:

see how he responds here

….aaaaaaaaand starts off with a turnover.

setting the tone early

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 minute ago, terrell said:

Does it even matter how we start a game at this point?

Yeah that is true.

Hawks games don't start until the 3rd quarter.

[SalvorMallow]

Bey lost on D SMH

Hey look at that inside out play between JJ and Trae. Thats what we need to see!

[terrell]

8 minutes ago, Chrimturn said:

….aaaaaaaaand starts off with a turnover.

setting the tone early

 

Turnover machine since he's been playing ball honestly.

Edited December 31, 2023 by terrell