The Hawks Dilemma

by Sterling Platinum on Feb 24, 2010 3:40 PM EST Comment 7 comments

When I am talking to one of my co-workers about the Hawks, the question that always crosses my mind is, can this current group win a championship this year or in the near future? The problem is, I don't feel comfortable enough to answer yes for either. Why? What can the Hawks do to push themselves over the top and reach the pinnacle?

Most NBA analyst you listen to would say that they are one big man away. Here is the dilemma, if we get that big man, what happens to Josh and Al. Would one of them be comfortable enough going to the bench? If you have to trade one of them, which would it be? Is there a guy coming in the upcoming draft that can fill the void off the bench? I believe the Hawks are better when they play inside out, but we are undersized. I think most agree that we don't want to break up the core, but we may have to in order to get that missing big man. The only guys I think could help would be Marcus Camby or Amare Stoudemire, but what would the Hawks have to give up to get them and what would that mean to the core. Also, unlike the top teams, the Hawks don't have the money to throw around because our money is invested in our core players and Spirit Group do not have the money to spend anyway.

Also, I like Woody, but one of the other bloggers hit it on the head when he said that he has reached his ceiling as a coach. My hope is that this dilemma can be solved by a change in leadership that will get the most out of this talent. I believe the Hawks have one of the top starting lineups in the league and a pretty good bench. However, it appears that the starters are overplayed and the bench is underutilized.

Lastly is Joe Johnson. Is he really the superstar that can get the Hawks to a title? If you lose him in the offseason, who replaces him? From what I am hearing, if Joe walks, the Hawks would only have $10 million available for a free agent (please check me on this if you have better data). In that case, you are not going to get an upper tier start to replace him. Do you spend that $10 million to improve your bench and start Jamal? Can you bring back J-Chill? If Joe is gone, will Marvin step up?

Just some thoughts, but I ask everyone here, can this group win a title now or in the near future? If not what should we do to get there? Fifty win seasons are okay, but I am hoping we can win a championship.

A FanPost expresses the opinion of the community member who wrote it and not that of the blog management.

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I don't think the team, as currently constructed, can win a title...

not with Joe Johnson as the go to weapon.

My questions are 3-fold
1) Do we need a bigger body in the middle or is Horford adequate? Al is a great player, but he is overmatched by bigger C’s like Dwight Howard, and in a 7 game series that is a matchup that costs you. Now, that may improve over time in Horford individually, or as a team with Smith staying closer to the paint, but there is a legitimate question as to whether the combo of Smooth and Horf at the 4 and 5 is good enough to get it done, or if one needs to be moved for a more complimentary skill set.

2) Who’s PG? Bibby is slowing down obviously, so he’s clearly a matchup problem going forward that opponents can easily exploit. Is Teague capable of being that championship caliber point, or do we need to look elsewhere?

3) Joe Jo and Marvin at the 2/3. Joe will likely begin to slow down, so can Marvin pick up the slack as a go-to scorer? We need someone that can fill that role, and if it isn’t Marvin, then something needs to be done either trading him or finding an improvement at the 2.

Basically, we’re one or two players short in my opinion. The problem is those players are Dwight Howard on the inside, and then a Wade/Bryant/Lebron on the outside. Also of thought is do we have any first ballot Hall of Fame players? Outside of Billups, the Wallaces and Co in Detroit, there really haven’t been any title winners without a truly dynamic, big time, elite talent—Kobe, Duncan, Shaq, Bird, Magic, Isaih, Dr. J, Kareem, etc. Do we have someone of that level who can dominate games single-handidly? Or are we relying on Smooth to become a Ben Wallace like defensive force with perfect set of teammates as compliments around him?

by Mr. Sanchez on Feb 24, 2010 5:37 PM EST reply actions

Neither Josh nor Al need to go to the bench

There are a lot of big guys that would be just fine coming of the bench, furthermore, Marvin is so lacks that he would be just fine going to bench and moving Josh back to the three, I think Josh can punish 3’s in the post enough to make up for the bad defense that may come along with him being at the 3

by Truthspitter on Feb 25, 2010 9:08 PM EST reply actions

Yeah you’ve very well outlined the huge challenge facing Rick Sund this offseason. I don’t see this group with this coach winning a title without some help in the form of injuries to star players on other teams (Dwight, Lebron, Kobe).

I don’t think a big man is the answer. Camby or Stoudamire isn’t really going to do better for the Hawks vs Orlando then Horford. It would make more sense to just get better defensively all over. Let Howard get his 25 and 15 but be able to stop his teammates from going nuts on 3s and layups.

I like Joe a lot, but bringing him back to a 4 year deal would be a mistake given his age and heavy minutes played in his career. The Hawks need to replace him with a lesser free agent or via a trade then bring in a new coach who can get more out of Horford, Smith, and Marvin to replace Joe’s production.

by redwards95 on Feb 27, 2010 7:35 AM EST reply actions

If that were to happen Thats gonna blow up in our faces next year

Mark my words. We need a leader and jj is that. Now, losing him isnt the end of the world(for me it is lol) but replacing it with someone who cant produce like him will be difficult. Not just points but his assists, defensive presence, etc. If we replace him the person has to be seasoned to handle the hawks. Not saying smoove and al and jamal cant hold it down but jj is a important piece that would have to be replaced witj an equally important piece……

by Hawksgirl on Feb 27, 2010 4:46 PM EST up reply actions

I don't know if I 100% agree with that.

JJ is the star of this squad, no doubt, but I do not think He is the key to the future. I think Al would be a much better leader for the future of this team. I think Joe would be a better asset if He was not the face of the team, but just a skilled piece of the puzzle. Listen to game interviews from Joe, and Al. Everyone knows that Joe is low keyed, it is just a part of his personality, Al has the ability to get a better effort out of others.

by RamblininAlb on Feb 27, 2010 7:36 PM EST up reply actions

I didnt say he was the key to the future

I just said he is going to be hard to replace. He is a skilled piece of the puzzle but you have to admit that replacing him has to be with someone who has the ability to carry the load? And I agree that Al would be a great leader but smoove is making a run to be a leader to on this squad.

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