8 Years is a Long Time

I love this time of year because of the NBA Playoffs. NFL and NCAA football may be co-kings of the sports world, but NBA basketball, more specifically; NBA Playoff basketball is a close second when it comes to excitement and entertainment. This year’s playoffs have offered so many built-in storylines and plot twist that the league doesn’t even have to hire an army of public relation firms to oversell the event.

First we started with the up and coming Chicago Bulls running circles around the aging defending champion Miami Heat with both Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Then we saw one man gang Kobe Bryant and the Los Angles Lakes fall once again to the roadrunner Phoenix Suns. Then it got extra juicy when the underdog Golden State Warriors with estranged former Dallas coach, Don Nelson, demolished Mark Cuban’s 67 win, #1 seed, self-proclaimed 2007 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. Then you throw in LeBron James once again taking the Cleveland Cavilers to the second round of the playoffs as Tracey McGrady once fails to take the Houston Rockets to the second round. Next, add former Toronto Raptor Vince Carter sticking it his old team with his new team the New Jersey Nets and you have a tasty playoff gumbo that’s fun to watch.

Man I wish the Atlanta Hawks could’ve been in the playoff mix. As much as I love watching basketball, I’d love cheering the home team even more, especially if they were in the playoffs. The last time the Hawks reached the post season was in1999, where they lost in the second round. The Birds haven’t had a winning season in eight years and our current team management appears to be clueless on how to reverse this trend.

If I was in the charge, then this is what I’d do:

1. Determine the true owner of the team. The Hawks organization is a perfect example of why team sports should be owned by one person and/or controlled by one person as opposed to a group. Members disagree, which lead to litigation, which leads to the organization being hamstringed because of lack of true direction.
2. Replace Billy Knight as general manager. How many forwards does a team really need and why do all our players have the same playing style? For team sports to be successful, there needs to diverse yet interchangeable pieces. The general manager should be great at evaluating draft and free agent talents. Unfortunately, Knight has shown limited abilities in both.
3. Replace Mike Woodson as head coach. The team no longer responds to him. This is evident by their lackluster performance during the second half of games. Oftentimes, the Hawks couldn’t buy a basket during the third and fourth quarter. Additionally, he has not shown the ability to coach up mediocre talent.
4. Sign a legitimate center who can intimidate, rebound, block, and hit a consistent 10 footer. ZaZa Pachuilia and Solomon Jones show potential, but they both appear to be backup centers.
5. Sign a legitimate point guard who can run the offense and worries more about getting assist as opposed to points. If the Hawks are going with the young, fast team, then they need a point guard who will distribute the ball consistently. Unfortunately, Speedy Claxton, Anthony Johnson, and Tyronn Lue aren’t getting the job done.
6. Sign, draft, and/or develop a consistent number two scoring option. All-star Joe Johnson shouldn’t be the only Hawk capable of scoring consistently. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams showed promise while Joe Johnson was injured, but the big question is will they be able to do it while he’s on the floor. Both Smith and Marvin were drafted in the first round, now it’s time they live up to their potential.