"Fire Sale!"

"Visions of sugar plums danced in their head."

Remember that line from, "The night before Christmas?"

When a business has a fire, often they will have a "Fire
Sale" and dispose of everything that was in the building.
Some may have slight damage by smoke or water, but
it is all for sale --- CHEAP.

Since Hawks have not had a very good season, so far,
there seems to be much thought that there will be a
"Fire Sale" of all their players and other teams will
be able to gobble them up at below wholesale prices.

The "Sugar Plum" mindset of some opponents seem to be,
"We can dump anything on Atlanta and get the player
or players from them that we need."

Some of the post we read around the net indicate that
the Hawks would trade their players for just about
anything we would offer.  Our high priced, long contract
players that we don't want or need can be dumped on
the Hawks.  Throw in a draft pick or two which will be
available five/ten years down the road and they will
jump on it.

NEWS FLASH!  It ain't happening!

The real problem with this Hawks team?  It all goes back to
the sale of the Hawks.  Yep.  And we're still hurting
because we can't get it approved and closed out.

While the rest of the league was preparing for the upcoming
season last summer, everything was at a standstill for
Atlanta.  No coach or G.M.  "Interm" meaning, you sit
here until we find someone to sit here.  You just keep
the seat warm.

Finally, the Interm label was removed.  The season was
at hand.  You guys can pick up the scraps.  "New" owners
may or may not wish to replace you when they are
approved.  They set the closing date, then moved it up,
again and again  ----and, still, we wait.

Turmoil -- Unhappy players.  Unhappy fans.  No team
at all.  Just a bunch of individuals, doing their own thing.

Finally, we see a team emerge from all this.  They become
more like family.  They care for each other and the team.
They begin to play together.  They begin to listen and
pay attention to the coaches.

Terry Stotts.  Through all this, somehow, he has managed
to keep his sanity.  I don't know how.  What ever he did,
it didn't work.  When he talked, apparently no one would
really listen.  "Lame duck" was putting it nicely, yet he
hung in there, survived, at least, so far.

All season these Hawks have yet to experience winning
back to back games.  Their season is set up so that
the hardest stretch of the year comes first.  They have
the most road games of any N.B.A. team to open the
year.  Not just this year but every year.

With all this, Atlanta is still only 5 or 6 games out of the
playoff picture!  The schedule gets better.  A team has
emerged from the ashes.  Defense has become the
password for these Hawks.  They actually listen to
Terry Stotts and his staff.

Now they must defend their home court.  They must
begin to make a noise.  They must improve on their
one game winning streak!

Fire sale?  No!  Just watch out, here comes the Hawk
TEAM!!  No more pussyfooting around.  We've come
to play ball!!!!!

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!