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The SB Nation Basketball Summer Series continues with Word Association Day where we, along with all the other NBA Blogs in the network, chose a word to describe ours and every other team in the league.
What did others say about us and us about them? Brace yourselves and come on in to check it out.
To use a word to describe the Hawks in this exercise could have taken on current, historical or emotional context, as you will see in the answers below, both in teams talking about us and us about them.
First, here is the overwhelmingly singular discussion on the Hawks from the other blogs in the network,
| sad | Sad about what? Oh, wait. |
| Mediocrity | Can't argue here. Stuck in the middle is no place to be. |
| Underachievers | Should any Atlanta team have done better? |
| Stale | Must have been in favor of this summer's moves then. |
| Drifting | Ditto. |
| Unchanging | Hmmmmm... |
| unimaginiative | We would have also accepted "boring" |
| This team couldn't even comment. We'll file this under "if you don't have anything nice to say" | |
| almost | Certainly. |
| milquetoast | "a weak, ineffectual or bland person, place or thing." Well then. |
| dysfunctional | That I can't focus this comment on any one part of the organization probably validates this perception. |
| underrated | Annually. |
| Windmills | Who doesn't love Dominique reminders? |
| Who? | Ouch. |
| Joe | Was certainly the center of discussion since his acquisition in 2005. |
| Meh | Obviously, the above-mentioned Joe Johnson era impacted this NBA watcher in a meaningful way. |
| Forever .500 | Hawks last near .500 season was 1994-95 (42-40), one season in 17 were they even inside of 5 wins of .500, for better or worse. But I get the point, yawn-worthy and without any chance for a title. Accepted. |
| I like(d) Dwight! | Hey, there's still a chance! (aw, dang) |
| confusing | Not to the other 127 or so teams that responded -- seems pretty universal |
| Pedestrian | It's like reading a Thesaurus for boring!....... |
| Attendance | .....and who doesn't like boring?! I guess anyone who had to pay to watch. |
| Freedom | The first post-Joe look at the franchise. |
| Barnstorming | Over my head here. Help in the comments please. Educate a Gator, will you? |
| Mid-tier | Yup. |
| Lethargic | A team with Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Al Horford is thought of this way -- ARE YOU LISTENING LARRY DREW? RUN! RUN, ATLANTA, RUN! |
| Mediocrity | And thus ends the streak of not repeating the same type of association with "Not terrible, but not exceptional." |
| Nique | Another reminder. I needed it at this point. |
| Hops | But lethargic hops, right? |
Whew. Heck of a list, eh? Need a shower?
Looking at this list could aid in any second thoughts Danny Ferry might have had in unloading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams and going for something more exceptional.
The only words folks didn't use was boring, but you can tell the rest of the league certainly felt that way towards a team that made the playoffs the last five seasons.
Alright, so sound off on these in the comments, but in the meantime, let me show you what I commented on the rest of the league and you can also take time, if you choose, to build your own word association list.
| Charlotte Bobcats | Quagmire |
| Orlando Magic | Rollercoaster |
| Miami Heat | Store-Bought |
| Washington Wizards | Bullets |
| Chicago Bulls | Jordan |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | LeBron |
| Detroit Pistons | BadBoys |
| Indiana Pacers | Solid |
| Milwaukee Bucks | In-between |
| Boston Celtics | Hated |
| Brooklyn Nets | Hype |
| New York Knicks | Marquee |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Dr. J |
| Toronto Raptors | Outsiders |
| Dallas Mavericks | Aging |
| Houston Rockets | Unlucky |
| Memphis Grizzlies | BBQ |
| New Orleans Hornets | Interesting |
| San Antonio Spurs | Gold-Standard |
| Golden State Warriors | Offense |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Exciting |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Tops |
| Phoenix Suns | Healthy |
| Sacramento Kings | Abused |
| Denver Nuggets | Altitude |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | The Way |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Love |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Very Unlucky |
| Utah Jazz | Stockton-to-Malone |