Mulching and Nesting

The Atlanta Hawks have mulched and are nesting.  They liberated themselves from the ill-advised Joe Johnson max contract and the questionable Marvin Williams contract extension.  Johnson, who struggled being the marquee player in Atlanta, will take his talents to the Brooklyn Nets while Williams will see if he can revitalize his career with the Utah Jazz.

Sometimes there is a thing as addition by subtraction.  Yes, Johnson was an (underwhelming) All Star, who averaged 17.2 points per game, but Johnson’s production and leadership did not equal his paycheck.  Moreover, he had taken the team as far as he could – a first or second round playoff lost and a destiny of mediocre draft picks. 

The Birds may struggle this season, but they are building a nest to hatch something special.  You can argue that the Hawks are now Josh Smith’s team as he is the best player on the team.  Smith has the physical potential to be an All Star and dominate player, but his mental toughness is questionable as he has the propensity to shoot 3-pointers at odd times.  Additionally, he checks out and pouts.  Smith would benefit from watching LeBron James’ performance in the NBA finals – slash to the basket and dominate with size. 

Atlanta added Gwinnett County native, Lou Williams and Devin Harris to the backcourt.  Hopefully, Coach Larry Drew will depart from the asinine policy of the Hawks’ former coach and allow rookie John Jenkins an opportunity to develop by playing.  With the addition of the above players, I wonder how they will effect Jeff Teague’s playing time.  Al Horford will continue to be a force in the paint.  However, he needs to show improved clutch play and I hope the Birds find a real center so he can move to the power forward position.

The Hawks will likely struggle this season and may not make the playoffs, but I believe new General Manager Danny Ferry is making the right moves.  Now, he needs to make a big splash with free agency.  Ferry tried to bring Dwight Howard home, but the drama king, Howard, picked the Los Angeles Lakers.  He and Kobe Bryant will have a hard time beating the Oklahoma Thunder, but his chances of winning a title are better with them and I cannot hate Howard for chasing the dream.