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Hawkszone Perspective

2004-05 Hawks Likely To Struggle

If you've driven southbound on the connector recently you may have noticed a prominent billboard staring down at you with a partially obstructed Atlanta Hawks logo below a daily countdown to the "restart" of the Atlanta Hawks.

As GM Billy Knight has been busy building a new roster and coaching crew, the front office has instituted new marketing strategies and built new business alliances in an attempt to bring fans and prominence back to an organization that has become the most maligned franchise in town.

Atlanta Spirit LLC has done more than an admirable job trying to "restart" thier new investment in the eyes of Atlanta fans.  In fact, from top to bottom the new ownership has really been shaking things up.

Now comes the biggest shakeup of all.  All the talk, hype and anticipation is about to end and the reality of the NBA's merciless regular season is about to begin.

For the last half a decade, that hasn't meant good things for the Atlanta Hawks.

Lest we forget that many a season has been heartily anticipated and held high hopes for Hawks fans.  Whether it was a new coach, the arrival of new players or a new arena,  fans have had reasons to believe that things would get better only to have thier hoped dashed once the season got under way.

This year's Hawks may be no exception.  Despite favorable additions in Al Harrington and Antoine Walker, this Hawks team hasn't much in proven, first line talent.  Jon Barry, Kenny Anderson and Kevin Willis are veteran players, but thier contributions will be tempered at best.

Too much of the work will be left in the hands of inexperienced players like Josh Childress, Josh Smith and Boris Diaw.  The likelihood that they will be able to consistently perform is a big question mark.

Leading this roster will be Mike Woodson, who despite his talent as an assistant coach, is just as unproven in his position as the rookies are in theirs.

It isn't that there aren't reasons for optimism.  Reasons to believe the Hawks could do better than expected do exist.

The Hawks are probably more athletic than at any other time since the early '90's.  Billy Knight has absolutely succeeded in bringing players in who play above the rim and will play energized ball.

To that end, with the additions of high draft picks the Hawks could always have picked up a superstar in the making.  There is no doubt that one of the Josh's could be the next big thing.

And even though the coaching staff is inexperienced, they will likely be a breath of fresh air in thier structure and attention to things previous regimes have forgotten; like defense.

The Hawks will also be playing in the Eastern Conference's new Southeast Division, where the only real competition should be the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

So when the Hawks begin the season on November 3rd in Phoenix, Hawkszone urges all fans to support the team and hope for the best.

Just don't be surprised if it takes a few more regular season openers to get it right.

Smith No Bust on Dunk Night

Remember last June when ESPN's Jay Bilas declared that Josh Smith was the player "most likely to be a bust" on draft night.

Like much draft night speculation, so far that has turned out to be more than slightly off target.

So far the Hawks' "J Smoove", "Guilty Pleasure" or whatever else you want to call Josh Smith has been anything but a bust.

Averaging 8 points, over 5 rebounds and over 1 block a game in an average 25 minutes per game has made Josh Smith one of the most productive players of the 2004 NBA draft.  

He has brought needed excitement to a Hawks team that has struggled to put wins on the board.

He didn't disappoint during the All-Star Dunk Competition either.  Smith took on some stiff rivals in Denver and came away the Champion after performing 4 spectacular dunks that awed the crowd and had his fellow players on thier feet.

Smith's first dunk was a page out of the history books as he jumped from just inside in the free throw line and slammed it down Jordan style.  On his second attempt, and perhaps the one that most influenced the evening's competition, Smith jumped over a seated Kenyon Martin who threw Josh the ball for a monster dunk.

On Smoove's third go round Josh paid homage to former Hawks great Dominique Wilkins by donning his number 21 jersey and performing a double pump jam that Nique had performed during one of his historic dunk competitions against Michael Jordan.

For his final dunk, Smith did a high flying 360 that brought the house down.

Smith stood beside Wilkins as he received the Dunk Championship trophy.

I wonder where Mr. Bilas was?

Poor Start May Be Deceiving

The Atlanta Hawks started out this season pretty much like everyone expected.

Handed an opening week that was cruel even by NBA scheduler's standards, the team promptly lost all 3 games on their opening road trip by double digits and managed to squander an otherwise nice performance in thier home opener.

The tough schedule was a influential factor, but the Hawks didn't do themselves any favors.  They played sloppy offensively, turned the ball over and despite Mike Woodson's new "defense first" ideology played about as poor defensively as any recent Hawks squad.

But don't go throwing in the towel just yet.  The Hawks aren't playoff material but they will likely look a whole lot better fairly soon.

An entirely new team doesn't gel right away.  One shouldn't make the mistake of viewing these new Hawks offensive dry spells or missed defensive assignments as the same old story.  Previous Hawks teams have made those blunders with players that had played together for multiple seasons and alongside far greater talent.  This Hawks team has barely been introduced to each other and doesn't exactly have the talent level of Hawks roster's in the past few seasons.

It can be assured that Mike Woodson is seriously ticked off at the way the Hawks defended out west. It stands to reason that he will be spending most of his time in the near future working to avoid the continuation of unopposed dunks and drives against his team.

The final responsibility lies in each players effort however, and that effort needs to be stepped up.  There are certain hurdles in the way of the Hawks defense right now, (problems at center; the absence of Tony Delk) but there is no excuse for as poor a defense as the Hawks displayed last week.

On the offensive end, Hawks observers and the team alike are beginning to realize how difficult it is going to be to rely on Antoine Walker and Al Harrington exclusively for points.  Even though both of these guys are potent scorers, they will wear out quickly if the Hawks' role players aren't consistent with thier scoring.

For now, Hawks fans should take a wait and see approach.  The first few weeks of this season may yield a losing record, but if the Hawks steadily improve they can certainly still win the backing of the city by season's end.

After all, isn't that what this season is supposed to be about?

Knight Takes Another Step

The last pieces of the old Atlanta Hawks are now only a memory.

Billy Knight has finally found a suitor for Hawks guard Jason Terry, forward Alan Henderson and both of thier contracts. Throwing in a conditional first round pick along with that allowed Knight to acquire Antoine Walker and Tony Delk from the talent laden Dallas Mavericks.

The play was a similar one for Knight, whose dismantling of the Hawks roster has been well documented. It was a poorly kept secret that Knight was shopping Terry and the 2 years remaining on his contract.

To include Henderson, who was in his final year of a fat contract awarded in the Babcock era, was another solid move by Billy.

Terry has spent his entire NBA career in a Hawks uniform. Coming to the Hawks just as the downfall of the organization was beginning in 1999, Terry has been one of the only permanent fixtures on the Hawks squad.

On the court, Terry's traversed from the two guard positions trying to find the best fit. Never really able to establish himself at either point or shooting guard, Terry nevertheless was a talented contributor. Off the court, Terry was as cheerful and enthusiastic as anyone could ask for despite the Hawks lack of success.

At 9 years, Alan Henderson was the most senior Hawk, and his departure truly marks the end of an era that included his former teammates like Steve Smith, Craig Ehlo, Christian Leattner, Mookie Blaylock and Dikembe Mutombo.

Henderson performed admirably during the Hawks playoff runs in the mid 90's, earning him the Most Improved Player award in 1997 (which led to a somewhat outrageous contract extension). Henderson's solid fundamentals and rebounding ability made him a consistent contributor.

But over the last several seasons Henderson's health has declined and his contributions have been minimal. He might have been the only guy in town that thought he would see training camp.

The addition of a recognizable player in Antoine Walker is a gift for the Hawks. Only a few seasons back, Walker was a legitimate star in the league.

His brief tenure last season in Dallas was not his most successful effort, but he still started all 82 games and put up good numbers. His crafty moves in the post can yield impressive results, and when he isn't launching them recklessly his long range shooting can be profitable.

The knocks on Walker are that he is disinterested in defense and that he shoots too many 3 pointers. There have also been doubts about his attitude.

Tony Delk was an important part of the deal as well. A serviceable point guard, Delk will be able to fill that position where the Hawks are thin.

The deal may signal future moves by Knight, who is still intent on bringing in talent from the free agent pool.

With Walker in the final year of a 14 million dollar contract, Knight has considerable leverage. He may choose to hold on to Walker for the season if he puts up big numbers, not unusual for players in a contract year, then use the vacant salary cap space next summer in the free agent market.

Knight could also include Walker in future trade offers, a move like that could come very soon.  Rumors are still circulating that the Hawks would like to make a deal with the Grizzlies for Stromile Swift and Bonzi Wells, and Walker (along with free agent Eric Dampier) may be enough to make that deal happen.

The market for Walker's services have the potential for increasing as this season gets under way, which would allow Knight options even if he's unable to make another deal right now.

Childress & Smith Newest Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks still managed to make things interesting on Draft night.

After a week in which thier hopes of trading up for local high school star Dwight Howard were summarily crushed, Billy Knight and his staff were faced with the challenge of improving the Hawks the old fashioned way.

Knight continued his tenure of unexpected moves with the Hawks first selection.  At No. 6, the Hawks selected forward Josh Childress of Stanford, puzzling many who felt that the still available Loul Deng or Andre Iguodala were better talents.

After seeing many high value players skipped in the early first round, Knight took advantage and swooped up the "other" Atlanta high school star Josh Smith.  Smith was projected to go higher than 17, and Knight seemed more than willing to take a chance on the fire plug guard/forward.

Knight defended his first selection arguing that Childress's strong athleticism and defensive skills made him a required element in his rebuilding process.  Many feel that the Stanford forward will likely play shooting guard at the professional level.  With so much uncertainty revolving around what the Hawks roster will look like next season, having backcourt strength and defense alongside Jason Terry clearly became of paramount importance.

Josh Smith represents high hopes and high risks for the Hawks.  A tremendous leaper with unquestionable athleticism, Smith could become a premier scorer for the Hawks.  The risk in Smith is just as obvious.  With no collegiate experience, it is yet to be seen whether or not Smith can create his own shot and pull of his moves against NBA defenders.  Not surprisingly, Smith's defense is also suspect.

Reaction to the Hawks' first round picks was mixed.

Most observers were surprised by the selection of Childress at such a high spot.  Childress was not a name the Hawks seemed focused on leading up to draft day, so his selection yielded some of the same strange looks on fan's faces that have become common after Hawks selections in years past.

The Josh Smith pick seemed to be greeted with more optimism.  The ability to get an exciting local talent was a coup considering the Hawks position with thier second pick, and many who spoke with Hawkszone following the pick recognized Knight's feat.

Now that the Hawks have put some potential back on the roster, the front office now enters the upcoming free agent market in search for proven talent.  

The concentration of backcourt selections in the draft suggests Billy Knight will head strongly after big, frontcourt anchors that are available in free agency. Stromile Swift, Erick Dampier and Mark Blount are some of the names certainly to be on the Hawks radar screen.

Knight's plan is now beginning to enter it's most important phase. After gutting the roster, Knight's true success will only be realized only if he is able to fill those empty spots with something superior.

After being dealt a series of blows starting with the Draft Lotto, Knight managed to turn a potentially disappointing draft night into a reasonably optimistic start to rebuilding the Hawks talent core.

Not a bad job Billy. Not a bad job at all.

Hawks End and Begin Again (4/14/04)

The Atlanta Hawks ended this season in a similar fashion - playing good basketball that meant absolutely nothing.

After spending another fall and winter blowing any chance of success, the Hawks have perfected the art of the late season tease.

This year is a bit different. Rather than the same old cast playing out the spring, it's a replacement team of bandits playing spoilers.

The old Hawks core of Shareef Abdur Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Jason Terry has been stripped away so that only the last remains, and when the Hawks team marched of the court in Boston on Wednesday night it was barely recognizable to that which began the season.

Credit that fact to the cost cutting, cap space creating wizardry of still fresh General Manager Billy Knight.  Knight suspected early on that his relatively high paid core just wasn't ever going to get it done, and he didn't wait long to make his moves once the Hawks early season struggles confirmed his suspicions.

So now that the Hawks, armed with a bare bones budget and a solid lottery spot, are finally finished teasing us with another late season rally,  they can begin to repair what's wrong with thier franchise and the team.

The new management team seems steadfast in thier support of G.M. Billy Knight, and now Hawks fans will get to see if he is as good at bringing in talent as he is getting rid of salary.

Knight has been careful not to make any promises, but he isn't shy about admitting his desire to pursue the biggest and best free agents available.  He and the new management have even assembled a new recruitment panel of NBA legends, including former Hawk great Dominique Wilkins, to help lure NBA talent to Atlanta.

Billy and his staff have also been busy evaluating this June's NBA draft, in which the Hawks are likely to garner one of the top 5 picks.  The Hawks are eager to see if they can snag Atlanta high school standout Josh Howard, whose hometown status and big man abilities are something the Hawks wouldn't mind including in thier rebuilding project.

If the Hawks manage to pull of either a big free agent signing or an impact player in the draft, they will be well on thier way to improving the situation.  If they can do both, they may very well be right back where they need to be to make a run for the playoffs.

In any case, the Hawks need to spend this summer doing what it takes to energize it's franchise inside and out.  The new management team and it's newly appointed local boss, Bernie Mullin, are in for a challenge when it come to orchestrating a renewed Hawks presence.  No matter what Atlantans tell you, they are a fickle bunch when it comes to local teams.  Add to that the recent mismatched marketing of the NBA and you have a hard sell when it comes to the Hawks.

However, there is certainly one way you can improve your odds.  Win.

If the Hawks spend this summer making sure they do a little more of that, a lot of things will take care of themselves.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines (4/5/04)

It's might be tempting for the new owners of the Atlanta Hawks to take some time off.

After all, this group of investors has just closed the deal that seemingly never would be.

But the Atlanta Hawks need thier attention - now.

As the Hawks wind down a season that can be described as nothing short of pathetic, the new owners face the challenge of reinventing the team on the court and in the minds of Atlanta sports fans.

Luckily, they have been awarded a gift by thier predecessors in the form of GM Billy Knight, who has given these guys the advantage of a bare bones payroll and a likely high draft pick for next season.

However, the new ownership faces more challenges than just snagging some free agents.  If the new ownership team intends on truly bringing the Hawks back to a premier basketball organization they will have to make fundamental changes in the way the team is run.

Long time Hawks fans and season ticket holders can tell you plenty of what needs to be changed, and newly appointed CEO Bernie Mullin needs to ask them.  Send out a few questionnaires to long time fans, and you will have plenty of ideas on improving game day operations, arena management and ticket sales.

Special attention needs to be paid to how the Hawks are marketed.  It is a tough city to be a sports team, but the Hawks can muster a better effort than they have in recent years.  Choosing between mocking your own franchise and simply ignoring thier existence don't have to be the only options.

The new ownership team has made a point to everyone who asks that they bought the Hawks (along with the Thrashers and operating rights to Philips Arena) as more than just an investment, and there is no reason to doubt thier intentions.  It seems rather clear they would like nothing more than to see the Hawks become an elite NBA team that Atlantans can get excited about.

They've got a long way to go, so let's get going.

Hawks Fire Sale Has Begun (2/10/04)

The Atlanta Hawks were actually beginning to walk with thier heads up.

Winners of 8 of thier last 15 contests, the Hawks were headed for the All Star break smiling Monday night after beating the Mavericks for the first time in six years.

Then GM Billy Knight pressed that big red button on his desk.

Knight traded away Theo Ratliff,  Shareef Abdur Rahim and backup point guard Dan Dickau to the Blazers for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person.

News of the deal slowly percolated through the Hawks locker room after the game.

The deal is proof from Knight that he's committed to shedding salary to strengthen the Hawks position in the free agent market.

Shareef and Ratliff account for nearly 23 million dollars of the Hawks payroll and would have made it difficult for the Hawks to make moves this summer, even with the expired contract of Terrell Brandon coming off the books.

Knight had indicated that he understood that a failing team would have to give up some significant talent to get what they wanted, and now he knows just how much that price was for the Hawks.

The Hawks may not miss Ratliff's and SAR's salaries, but they certainly will miss thier talent.

After returning from a series of freak injuries, Theo Ratliff has looked just as good if not better than then GM Pete Babcock had hoped for when he traded for him.  Leading the league in blocks once again, Ratliff  has been a dominating force. Anybody who has watched the Hawks this year knows the Hawks defensive troubles are not Theo's fault.

As noted in these pages, Shareef Adbur Rahim has been consistently good even as the Hawks haven't been.  The team's leading scorer, SAR is a class act and easily one of the best power forwards in the league.  His post moves are fantastic, his range impressive and his defense adequate.

If there is anything certain about this trade, it's that the Portland Trailblazers just became a much better team.

As for Hawks, they will have to stomach the rest of the season with what just became a significantly less talented team in exchange for thier coveted cap relief.  Wallace will no doubt arrive disgruntled, and perhaps the most the Hawks can hope for is that he won't have enough time (30 games) to do as much damage as Isaiah Rider, the last Blazer to live in CNN Center.

Rasheed Wallace is in the final of year of a whopping contract that pays him 17 million this season.  The Hawks are unlikely to resign him or Person (8 million, expires end of season) and that means the Hawks will have a considerable amount of loot to offer a big name free agent.

But will the Hawks be able to a lure a superstar to Atlanta which is now slated to tank another season to add to 4 previous losing seasons?

The Hawks are taking a big gamble.  The last big time free agent the Hawks managed to sign was Dikembe Mutombo, and he isn't your average NBA personality.

However, the Hawks have been mired in the swamps of the NBA for quite some time now and Billy Knight should at very least be commended for taking action.

Billy Knight called the trade he executed "the ugly part of the business".

Now comes the hard part.

Terry Begins To Feel The Heat

It seemed almost inevitable, as so many things surrounding the Hawks seem to these days.

Jason Terry, who the Hawks have spent the last 3 seasons trying to turn into their solution in the backcourt, is now showing the all too familiar signs of a struggling player on a failing team.

Even though his scoring numbers are up slightly, Terry's turnover average is the highest it has been in his career and his 3 point percentage is the lowest it's been since his rookie season.

Many of Terry's shortfalls cannot be illustrated by stats.  His defensive troubles and inability to execute down the stretch being examples.

His teammates have certainly been of little assistance.  The balance of the Hawks team joins Terry in the responsibility of possessing the league's 3rd highest turnover percentage, 5th worst 3 point percentage and allowing the 5th most points of any team in the league.

But this week head coach Terry Stotts decided J.T. and his recent poor play were what needed to be highlighted.  Before the Hawks Wednesday night loss to the Warriors, Stotts benched Terry and teammate Theo Ratliff for supposedly being repeatedly late to pre-game shoot arounds.

Whether or not you believe his story, it's still a fair guess that Stotts' decision to bench Terry had just as much to do with his bad performance on the court as his alleged off court truancy.

You could almost feel this conflict arising the past few weeks.  Terry has been a central figure in many of the Hawks recent collapses.  His poor defense, inability to control the offense and the uneasy pairing of him and back-up point guard Jacque Vaughn hasn't yielded good results for the team.

When Terry turned the ball over twice in the final minute of the Hawks collapse against Orlando, you knew that Terry's struggles would leap from the backpage to the frontpage.

Terry's reaction to Stott's benching was perhaps even more telling of the guards recent frustration.  During Terry's 16 minutes on the floor he took only one shot, scored no points and committed 2 turnovers.  Frankly, it looked like he wasn't interested in playing.

When Stott's pointed out his disappointment in J.T.'s showing, Terry responded "I wasn't impressed with his coaching tonight, either."

The apparent acrimony between Terry and Stotts is likely temporary, but it illustrates just how bad things are getting in the Hawks locker room.

Just two weeks ago, Stephen Jackson was suspended for blowing up at the coaching staff after they pointed out that the players needed to start taking responsibility for the team's troubles.  Though Stotts and Jackson insist they hold no ill will from the encounter, it stands to reason there may still be lingering feelings.

Add to that recent comments by Hawks center Theo Ratliff, who publicly criticized his teammates in the media for what he perceives as a lackluster defensive effort.  It is likely no coincidence that it was Theo that joined Terry on the bench.

Of course, losing has it's consequences and the Hawks recent controversies are some of them.  No locker room can be a peaceful place when you have lost 74% of the games you've played and are already 12.5 games back of your division leader just 27 games into the season.

Jason Terry is certainly not responsible for all these losses and frankly the people in the know are well aware of that.  But those same people, which include his coaching staff, are also aware that J.T. has repeatedly expressed a desire to lead the Hawks.

They are likely reminding him that leadership comes with responsibility.

Let's hope Jason takes the hint.

AOL/TW Makes New Deal For Hawks (9/16/03)

The Atlanta Hawks cyclone of a summer just took an unexpected turn.

On what was believed to be the eve of the long awaited sale of the Hawks and Thrashers to Dallas businessman David McDavid, AOL Time Warner abruptly wiped the Dallas businessman out of the picture and announced the sale of the two franchises to a group made up primarily of local businessmen, power brokers and Hawks insiders.

For their part, McDavid's group seemed shocked by the news. According to McDavid's business manager Stephen Dieb, the group had expecting to sign the final agreement early this week and make a formal announcement shortly thereafter.

But early Monday morning, AOL/Time Warner reps informed McDavid they were no longer interested in selling him the two franchises.

As the news spread throughout the day many Hawks fans pondered who might take McDavid's place, if anyone.

They didn't have to wait long for an answer.

Only a few hours after shunning McDavid, AOL/Time Warner announced that a binding agreement had been reached to sell the franchises to a group that is led by Boston businessman Steve Belkin, corporate partners Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, and Todd Foreman; Dalton businessman Bud Seretean; Atlanta Hawks Chairman of the Board Michael Gearon, Sr., his son businessman Michael Gearon, Jr. and attorney Rutherford Seydel.

The days events came as a surprise to almost everyone but the most avid of Hawks fans and observers who had for months suspected the McDavid deal was far short of the "sure thing" those involved in the negotiations wanted outsiders believe.

As was reported by Hawkszone.net routinely, problems with the deal began almost immediately after AOL/Time Warner announced they had entered into exclusive dealings with the McDavid group last April. Within weeks rumors began to circulate that McDavid was having trouble finding the requisite cash to purchase the franchises and operating rights to Philips Arena that were valued at over 300 million dollars.

The process dragged on well beyond the original timetable that gave McDavid exclusive rights to bargain, but both sides publicly maintained that the slowdown was just the result of the deal's complexity and that most issues were minor.

But as the negotiations went from painfully to agonizingly slow, evidence mounted that the problems were more serious.

Chief among the difficulties was the fact that along with the lease on Hawks/Thrashers home Philips Arena came the building's 150 million dollar debt to the city. Taking on this lien became a major issue for McDavid and his investment group, who balked at taking on such a large amount of debt. Further complicating the matter was the fact that AOL/Time Warner used the Hawks as a form of collateral in the Philips deal.

Reports indicate that McDavid kept hammering for a lower price and ways to work around the debt. Before Monday morning, it seems they had been getting their way.

So how did McDavid & Co. lose out after months of negotiations? It's a good question and theories abound.  It's a smart conclusion that AOL/Time Warner may very well have been wary of the ever shrinking profit to be gained from a deal with McDavid. After spending so much time and effort on the deal, getting less than anticipated for the teams and possibly having to substitute other assets for the Hawks as collateral for  the Philips Arena debt wasn't what they wanted.

It is also reasonable to conclude that the "new" buyers had an inside track on the negotiations. Exactly when AOL/Time Warner began to deal directly with the new group is unknown but they certainly didn't have to look hard to find them. Among the leaders of the investment is current Hawks Chairman of the Board Michael Gearon, Sr.. Also in that group is Atlanta attorney Rutherford Seydel, who is married to Ted Turner's daughter Laura.

Whether or not the McDavid was aware of the existence of a competing group is unknown. The shock that they displayed at the turn of events seems to indicate they didn't.

What does all of this mean for the Hawks on the court? You know the guys who actually play basketball on a court and not in the boardroom.

The answer's might be just as uncertain. Assuming that AOL/Time Warner actually sells to Belkin, Gearon, Seydel & Co. and doesn't change their mind again, the Hawks will have to make some quick decisions going into training camp.

Thankfully, General Manager Billy Knight is still in command and can now fully focus on putting together as competitive a squad as he can for this season.

One of his main tasks is to match the offer sheet given to restricted free agent Jason Terry by the Utah Jazz. All evidence suggests that he will, and that decision may come even quicker considering recent developments.

The front office must also concentrate on filling out a Hawks roster which is fascinatingly small just two weeks removed from the start training camp. There are certainly free agents to be signed and potential trades to made.

Whatever Knight ends up putting together will certainly have been impacted by this summers series of zany happenings. It is very likely that this season's team will be going into many games shorthanded, and in front of an ever shrinking number of fans.

Some may argue that the fallout of the McDavid deal is just another example of a Hawks organization that is adrift at sea with no clear path or port in sight. They may be right, but a new ownership team that seems ready to take the reigns might mean there are reasons for marginal optimism.

Hopefully, the Hawks ship can now get it's bearings and make a turn for a winning destination.

At least the anchor is now being drawn onto the deck.

Babcock Still A Tough Act to Follow (4/7/03)

Stan Kasten might think that after firing Pete Babcock he has completed his task.  The thorn is his side now removed, he will never again be asked why Babcock's still around.

After all, there was no greater debate in HawksLand than whether or not Babcock's performance was the reason the Hawks never made it big.  That debate's over.

But Kasten's job is far from done, very far indeed.

The every cocky President of our Atlanta Hawks has to find a general manager who can do everything Babcock could do and everything he couldn't.  He needs to find the complete package.

After all, Pete Babcock was very good at a lot of aspects of being GM.  It should not be forgotten that he posted an overall winning record and put some competitive teams on the court.  It wasn't by luck either.

There is no underestimating the importance of being a solid, worthy character - qualities that Babcock's colleagues attribute to him.  When you dealt with Pete Babcock, you knew you were getting the straight stuff.  He was trusted by his fellow general managers for which there is no substitute when it comes to making a deal.

On that accord, there was never much doubt when it came to Babcock's aggressiveness on issues of personnel, and he pulled off many major deals throughout his tenure that a lesser man couldn't have.  Even though his trades might not have always made the team better, Pete was never trigger shy.  He would do the deal if he thought it was good for the team, but he never would make a deal simply to make one.

Babcock also never let anyone else take the blame for his team's performance or makeup, and if you think that his incessant accountability is less than sincere, you don't know Pete Babcock.  He immersed himself in this organization completely and it's failings in recent years took it's toll on Babcock.  Those who gave even a cursory glance at the man in the last few month knew he was hurting.  For him, it was far more than just a job.

So Kasten must find a new GM with the aforementioned qualities.  But he must also find an individual that can excel where Babcock didn't.

The most glaring inadequacies in Pete's performance came in June.  The NBA draft.

We've all heard these names before but let's run through them again for good measure.  Does anyone remember Priest Lauderdale, Alan Digbue, Roshown McLoed, Hanno Mottola, Cal Bowdler, or Ed Gray?  Those are just a few of the guys that Babcock was more than convinced could make an impact in the league.  Hmmm.  These guys are either playing overseas or sitting at home watching T.V. right now.  Babcock never put together a scouting staff that could advise him on future talent, and he paid dearly for it.

Babcock also became a little too obsessed with following the rules.  There is no doubt that compliance with the majority of rules are absolutely required, but anyone who watches the league carefully knows there are some infractions that David Stern & Co. purposely do not enforce.

Pete's utter refusal to store healthy players on the injured list became an obsession that put the team at a competitive disadvantage.  The rest of the teams in the league use the injured list as a backup pool of often fully capable players so when injuries occur they can maintain a talented squad.  This is a routine practice in the NBA, and the league officials don't scrutinize the validity of an injured list player's ailment.  

But Babcock was never comfortable with the whole process of getting team doctor's verification of a less than truthful injury, and thus he never placed a healthy player on the team's I.L..  So while he was busy lobbying the league to change a rule they never enforced, the rest of the team had a reserve of healthy players to prevent roster inadequacies.

Babcock also never seemed to understand how to strike a balance between putting a well rounded team on the court and getting fans in the seats.  Reluctant to trade away the entire team for a superstar, Pete often settled for less than exciting players.  In terms of team effectiveness on the court, this theory worked well as was evidenced by teams like the 96-97 squad.  

However, names like Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith or even Dikembe Mutombo never got the city excited.  Babcock never took a chance on the theory that a team can be supplemented around a superstar, putting a big money man in the middle of role players.  His nightmare must have been turning out like Minnesota with Kevin Garnett, but that team now has much better attendance and has continued to create talent around their superstar.  They are much closer to success than the Hawks.

So Stan Kasten needs a man who can draft well, adapt to the leagues tendencies, and put exciting players on the court that the public wants to see.  If he does, he will give the Hawks something they never had under Pete Babcock.

Stan Kasten sent packing a talented, yet flawed, professional in Pete Babcock.  Somehow he must find a better skilled replacement.

If he doesn't, then firing Pete Babcock becomes nothing more than a token act.  

Perhaps Kasten's final one.

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