They've got speed and on crack right now. They cant play like this 82 games. They are the phoenix wanna be minus Nash. Same for the Bobcats.
The problem is that even if the Hawks are the second-most talented team in the East (and you can certainly make that case), they have no team offense. It's too much sloppy individual drives, too many turnovers and not enough passing.
The East is extremely weak right now, Atlanta has a good chance of making the playoffs. (anyone know whats wrong with the Bulls??) It seems like the only good teams in the East right now are the Celtics and the Magic..(and of course the Pistons, but they're always 'there') both of which have gotten players from the West this past offseason.
I see every Hawks game(living in GA) and they only win against great teams, especially at home. So tis is nothing new. What they need to do is win against these mediocre teams.
Ben "I haven't shown a pulse in two years" Wallace, who forces the Bulls to play 4-on-5 whenever he starts. Luol "everyone thinks I'm a stud even though I've done jack" Deng and Kirk "I look like a leprechaun Hinrich and have never improved" Hinrich are playing the worst basketball of their careers. Apparently, Deng and Gordon didn't like being lowballed after the Bulls brass demonstrated its willingness to pay through the nose for front-court stiffs like Chandler and Wallace -- and it's showing.
IMHO Hawks lack an NBA quality coach as well as on court leader. Woodson is a good guy, bad coach. JJ is a great talent but they need a strong veteran on court. Their ownership quagmire has handcuffed the imponent front office impeding the prospects to become a mid-level draft pick for Suns, instead of a likely Lotto.
You hit on the crux of the problem that has been the Atlanta Hawks in years past: leadership. The front office has always handicapped their level of competition and they haven't have a real court general and genuine coach at the same time since Fratello/Dominique. They have made horrible trades since (Danny Manning, Isiah Rider) in attempt to obtain a leader and mostly failed, the best deal being for JJ. Horford is a fantastic addition and if they had Chris Paul IMO, they would be set. Paul would fit this team so perfectly it kills me, and Acie Law may develop into a serviceable point but will NEVER give what they lost when they passed on CP3. If I had that pick, I would have taken Crittenton as the best point left, or Thornton as best overall left. Does anybody think they would rather have Al Harrington back? I say they are much worse with Harrington than Horford/Law, bc Al plays the same soft post game with range that Marvin Williams does and would be easy to defend. Horford is a great piece but this team is a wild card at best without a point guard.
Agreed on the stuff said about lack of leadership, from the front office down. If you can't teach Acie Law how to run an NBA team, you can forget about these guys. If you are an owner and don't realize that you need a coach that can instruct a PG, you can forget about these guys. Evan
when is al horford gonna stop getting so many turnovers? he's killing me in fantasy with 3 TOs a game.
