Hope and Optimism in Atlanta?
The Atlanta Hawks’ struggles over the last, oh, let’s go with decade, have been well documented in these parts (mostly here). We know about their draft blunders, the crippling injuries, and the comical mismanagement of assets by the front office.
According to Billy Knight, the much-maligned team GM, those days are behind his franchise and he warns its fans to prepare for a great season in the Dirty. From the AJC:
“The bottom line is going to be what happens between the lines,” Knight said. “The coaches have worked hard to do what they need to do to get this team ready and the players have certainly put in their work. Now they have to produce when the lights come on. We think we’re ready for it and ready for the challenge, and it’s absolutely a challenge. But I think this team is ready for it.”
“We’ve got more quality depth than we’ve had from top to bottom. You add it all together and we should see some fruition of this in the won-loss column.”
The good news for Hawks fans is that this isn’t just empty talk from a man well aware of the insecurity of his job should the team fall on its face this year: The Hawks have a strong (if not young) nucleus which can only improve; the point guard play (a bane to the existence of those who follow the team closely) has been addressed; and for the first time in a long time, there’s a legitimacy to the hope and optimism springing forth in Atlanta.
And if none of the above works out, at least the team will have pretty new uniforms to wear this season.
35 Responses to “Hope and Optimism in Atlanta?”
Oct.1 at 11:04 am
Mr. Bob Dobolina says:
Pretty new uniforms? I miss the McHawks
Oct.1 at 11:04 am
Co Co says:
rolling my eyes
Oct.1 at 11:09 am
Lang Whitaker says:
The scariest part is either the photo of Billy with the article (in which he looks like Shirley Hemphill) or the part about how all the players on the roster are there because the Hawks want them to be there. I mean…
Oct.1 at 11:12 am
Co Co says:
The scariest part is the roster Lang.
Oct.1 at 11:13 am
Bryce says:
who cares if the hawks win - the only thing that matters is that Josh Smith can jump over people in Live (TMRW!) and puts up crazy fantasy numbers (10, 10, 5, 5, 5) - Keep sucking hawks, more numbers for smith
Oct.1 at 11:16 am
white hot eboy says:
I’m giving 5-2 odds that the ATLien won’t be a Hawk by Feb. 21.
Oct.1 at 11:18 am
Co Co says:
Who won’t be a Hawk EBoy? Josh? He ain’t going nowhere. They have the right to match any offer he gets and who are they going to get for him if they trade him?
Oct.1 at 11:26 am
white hot eboy says:
Co Co, you should know that Josh is one of the only DESIRABLE trade pieces they have, and since they have a glut of big forwards, if they can get back a really nice SF that can complement Joe J, they’d be way more balanced and might actually compete for a playoff spot.
Oct.1 at 11:30 am
Ken H. says:
How come every Atlanta team is named after a bird? Hawks, Falcons, Thrashers (which have a weird bird logo for those not familiar with the NHL)… even the Braves have a little feather on their unis!
Oct.1 at 11:31 am
Ken H. says:
And the new uniforms look like they just ripped the USA logo off and slapped “HAWKS” on the front
Oct.1 at 11:33 am
Co Co says:
Eboy, you are under the impression that they are trying to win. Don’t be misinformed. The owners are cheap. Yeah they’ll make a move here or there to make the fans think they are trying to be competitive, but trust me when I tell you that this is not the case. They have the attitude of if we make the playoffs that’d be great, but we aren’t going to spend any real money or make any real moves to make this franchise better. There are things they could have done in many seasons past that would have improved this team if they were really trying to compete. They aren’t, they just want to look like they are.
Oct.1 at 11:56 am
Cheryl says:
Co Co, I hear you, but I also understand that you and Lang have a right to be skeptical. I, for one, think the Hawks may make some noise in spite of the sucky management and coach. These young cats got nothing to lose and I think they may scare some teams, esp. in their division. Don’t sleep on this team. Now, won’t it be nice if we can come back to this post in February and say “that ASPOV girl is PROPHETIC, I tell ya!”
Oct.1 at 12:05 pm
Co Co says:
As a Hawks fan of course we believe this team will make some noise, but just like you said it will have to be in spite of the front office and coach.
Oct.1 at 12:06 pm
Bryan says:
They have to be good sometime.
Oct.1 at 12:09 pm
Dyce says:
I have live 08, and the hawks are ranked a 90…..and the celtics are a 75, I’m wondering if this means the hawks are going to be good.
Oct.1 at 12:26 pm
Myung says:
“They have to be good sometime.” I’ve said that for the last 9 years or so…
Oct.1 at 12:28 pm
mcbias says:
Looks like it’s time to start printing those play-off ticket guarantees again! Oh wait…
Oct.1 at 12:29 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Best possible time for Atlanta to make a run - the rest of their division is weak. Great time to peak as a team.
Oct.1 at 12:31 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Was Sekou laughing, crying, or both when he wrote that?
Oct.1 at 1:02 pm
Captain America says:
Hawks = D League
Oct.1 at 1:15 pm
Rubens says:
bring back the pacman logos!
Oct.1 at 1:42 pm
Akuma says:
Is Joe Johnson a team Jordan guy now?
Oct.1 at 1:51 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
eboy is sucking on that glass d#ck. josh smith aint going nowhere. im gonna be bold. THE HAWKS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, GUARANSHEED. 8th spot though.
Oct.1 at 2:06 pm
BETCATS says:
Cats will eat the Hawks this year
Oct.1 at 2:07 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
JJ’s been with Jordan for a minute.
Oct.1 at 2:49 pm
h-town nick says:
Hawks to the playoffs? Bold. Very bold. I will re-raise….ZAZA PACHULIA TO THE ALL STAR GAME….
Oct.1 at 2:52 pm
white hot eboy says:
Tarzan, he’s limited in his ability to change the Hawk’s fortunes. On a team with a strong structure and a good system in place he could be a monster. Understand, meatstick matador?
Oct.1 at 3:20 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I just tried to figure out a Josh Smith for Shawn Marion trade and couldn’t because no one on the Hawks makes any real money except for Joe Johnson (and JJ plus Josh for Same Ol’ Shawn makes no sense whatsoever).
Oct.1 at 3:23 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Josh Smith for Shawn Marion?
Oct.1 at 3:24 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
nevermind, i seem to be late.
Oct.1 at 3:25 pm
d.Y. says:
ugly uniforms, no playoffs. plus, because god hates atlanta, say hello to #1 pick, the newest phoenix sun, oj mayo! and lil jon will start making baile funk records.
Oct.1 at 3:26 pm
rob says:
the bottom line is between the lines. yeah, sounds like a promising outlook for the hawks this year. or doesn’t it?
Oct.1 at 11:48 pm
Kayce Online says:
playoffs? ha ha. we’ll see, maybe they’ll stumble in but that won’t make a difference.. only consolation with this bunch is at least their games shouldn’t be overly boring
Oct.2 at 10:43 am
Beda706 says:
Now I believe my beloved Hawks will have a better season, if not there best in recent years this season. The fact of the matter is we’ve wasted draft pick on playes lil ZaZa Pachulia and that bum from South Florida. Let’s try making noise during free agency and in the off season. Our Main need is a 4 who is willing to bang and get dirty down low. A guy that lives in the paint. We’re just to soft and play with to much finesse to even be a contender this season
Oct.2 at 7:38 pm
milan says:
we got a beast at point named ZAZA PACHULIAAAAAAAAAA