Sigh

[capstone21]

That victory probably cost us a chance at the worst record or second worst record. We can't do anything right. With an easy record to finish the season I have a bad feeling we are going to move up in the rankings.

[Blunt91]

I had stated in a earlier post that the Hawks might win this one since Davis was not in the line up. Oh well maybe the Bulls or Wizards will beat some team they aren't suppose to beat.

[chillzatl]

a grip on the #3 spot. As long as were at #3, we still have a shot! We gotta be careful though. Phoenix is lurking..

[d2v16DKG]

I haven't posted for a while and today I thought I would take a peek. Again I read your loser comment disappointed that the Hawks won. Please, go root for another team while I cheer my heart out for the Hawks!

[d2v16DKG]

Boy, it must feel good rooting for your team to lose! Only a loser does that. Excuse me if I cheer for my Hawks to win!!

[Nicholasp27]

did u also enjoy the Pete Babcock era or are you ready to move on?

[d2v16DKG]

My friend, I just can't understand the mindset cheering for your team to lose and expressing disappointment when they get a good win like last night. Maybe you can and you support those loser comments I responded to but I can't. I been with this team since the days of Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan and "Pistol Pete" and I take offense when I hear those kind of remarks. But that's me.

[chillzatl]

but most people also recognize that winning one or two games isn't going to help us. It's not going to gain us any more fans. It's not going to make us better next year. Mainly because most of these guys will not be here next year.

But losing helps us. It gives us a better chance to get a #1 pick and some much deserved hype and hope for this team. It certainly isn't going to cost us any fans.

I don't like losing any more than the next person. But losing is a reality for this team this year. I mean we've been losing all season. Even when we were rooting for wins. We still lost games.

I like seeing them win. I like seeing them compete and play with urgency and passion. But one or two random hurts us more than it helps right now.

[phoostal]

It's unbelievable, I think we would be in the same boat now if we kept Wallace instead of trading him. The only exception is that we may have made a run for the playoffs. Which I feel would be a positive for reasons I have explained in the past.

Instead now we aren't making the playoffs, but our draft pick may only be a few slots higher. Not much of a change. The way it is going we may finish with the 5th worst record. Which means we will be picking 6th. Geez, I'm glad we tanked the season.

I will hold out to wait and see what happens in the next 9 games. But, back to my original point it would have been better to hold on to Wallace than to tank the season.

What are we going to have to show for finishing with the 6th worst record? Dermarr Johnson. Let me calm myself down with that steal in the draft. Someone like that will be able to turn this franchise around.

Maybe Billy Knight can package the 6th pick and Milwaukee's for one in the top 3. I will still give this strategy some time to unfold, specifically 9 games. But, if we aren't in the top 3 picks. Like I have been saying all along we should have kept Wallace.

I will agree I don't think it is right to openly root for your team to lose. Doesn't seem like much of a fan. I root for this team to win every time it plays. If we lose I look at it as a positive. With us improving our draft selection.

Right now we just have two types of fans. One that wishes us to lose to improve our draft selection to help this franchise in the long run and the other just wants to win now and see how it unfolds over the long run.

I gave my philosophy on how we didn't have to tank the season by keeping Wallace. Others feel strongly about losing and getting a top 3 pick. So far that strategy is not off to a good start. Well, it isn't if we don't get a top 3 pick. But, maybe Knight can work some trade out to get in the top 3 selections. Then again, he may have been able to still do that with not trading Wallace. Oh well, nothing left to do but watch the final 9 games.

For the negative fans cheer for us to lose and maybe we can sneak into the bottom three slots and hope for ping pong balls. For the other fans root for the team to finish it out strong. Either way it looks like we may not be in the top 3 picks. I guess you can say if you really were going to tank the season you should have made those trades after the first week. Right now it seems this team is screwed

Just my opinion.

P

[AHF]

I root for this team to have meaningful success. Generally, that means winning games. However, this team will not have meaningful success until they land impact players through the draft and/or free agency. Last year's roster was doomed to mediocrity. Wallace would have been a short-term rental.

I totaly understand the idea that rooting for the Hawks to lose is wrong - because I feel that every game I watch them play. However, the only measure for success for the remainder of this season, IMO, is what position we end up in the draft. Since it is a lottery, we could finish one spot out of the playoffs and end up with the #1 pick or finish with the worst record and end up with the #5 pick (b/c of Charlotte). There is not total control over the result of the lottery but we have some control over that by how many ping pong balls we get and that is based on how many games we lose.

At the end of the day, though, the draft choices Knight makes will be most important. Plenty of superstar were drafted 5th or later in the draft (KG, Kobe, TMac, Nowitzski, Pierce, Amare, etc.) and talent evaluation will be at least as important as draft position.

I want the Hawks to turn the corner and not run in place - that is why I'd rather see them optimize their chances at an impact player rather than see them beat out the Suns to finish with the fourth worst record in the NBA as opposed to the third worst record. That is not meaningful success, IMO.

[codyatl]

but all winning games right now does is hurt our chances at drafting a youngster from hotlanta that actually wants to play here. Sure, he may be a bust, but what do we have to lose? There are far more +'s than -'s.

I just don't understand how you cannot grasp the concept here. WE ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!! WE WOULDN"T WIN EVEN IF WE DID!!!!!!! So, please tell me what we will gain by winning every game we play from here on in? Enlighten me, please. Take the Falcons last yr for example. If they would have lost just 1 more game down the stretch they would be in position to draft their biggest need right now instead of maybe having to trade up to get him.......Robert Gallery. So, basically we traded a win, 1 measily little win for a top notch OT. Great. Who knows the hawks may get lucky and still get a franchise player later in the lotto but me personally, I would rather take my chances w/ either okafor or howard. If that means losing every game we play then so be it. I want this team to excel in the longrun. I am not so shortsighted that I worry about games in a season that was losts to us long ago. You need to wake up and realize what is going on here.

[capstone21]

losing now is for the greater good.

Why do you think San Antonio ended up with Duncan. They tanked their season and don't you think that worked out for them in the long run?

[CHORO44]

Why are we revisiting this discussion? Were only a handful around during the Babcock era? Wasn't Nique drafted third overall? We finally have a talent evaluator as our GM and by trading Wallace we secured another first round pick in this year's draft. We are in full rebuilding mode and the only way to do that is to have a couple of nice drafts. This is our only chance to get a top 3 pick and we need to go for it. I hate losing too but at least be realistic, what good is getting bounced out of the first round of the playoffs when 75% of this roster won't be around to build off it. Diaw and this year's draft are going to be our future just get used to it.

[Plainview1981]

Just another reason why the NBA isn't a real sport any

more. Other teams are starting to purposely tank to try

and get the 1 pick in the draft. That isn't competeing

at all. It goes againest what sports is supposed to

stand for. If the Hawks don't get a top 3 pick they

even screwed up at tanking.... If Billy Knight was

so great Memphis wouldn't have gave him the boot.

[codyatl]

Looks to me like Knight did a pretty damn good job in Memphis. They are playing as good as any team in the league right now and the bulk of that team was put together by Mr. Knight.

[HawkTodd]

If you always look to rebuild you can never expect to win.

[Weez]

who's tanking? I see Washington still winning games, Chicago coaching as he sees fit, based on effort ~ which is right, esp. with young players/him being new to the team, and Orlando still going out and trying...

we won last night as well.

[Plainview1981]

In part of taking advange of Pete...Any GM could take

advange of Pete. They got Pau and Lo or a guy that hawks

trade for table scraps basically two years later. He didn't

trade for Bonzi....He didn't trade for Mike Miller.

[Plainview1981]

who's tanking? I see Washington still winning games, Chicago coaching as he sees fit, based on effort ~ which is right, esp. with young players/him being new to the team, and Orlando still going out and trying...

we won last night as well."

It's not because that's what most of the GM's truely want

though. C'mon, you know better than that.

[capstone21]

SAR is not table scraps 'Abdur Rahim Rules'