5 Things the Hawks learned

[Guest]

1) The first step is finding the right coach.

We know from past experience newly crowned executives, in any business, typically prefer to begin their reign with their own appointed guys in place. Ferry has already made some internal changes not visible to the public, so it is expected the next phase will come on the sidelines. Since Drew is a disciple of Woodson, the Hawks have been led from the sidelines by a similar voice since the 2005 campaign. Think about that for a moment. Maybe it is time for a change, from a philosophical standpoint.

2) Al Horford is a nice piece, but not THE piece. The centerpiece of Atlanta’s rebuild is most likely to be Al Horford, but it’s important that the team sees him for what/who he is. Much like Chris Bosh, Horford is a great complementary player, a second option.

Ferry told HOOPSWORLD last month that he believes too much emphasis is put on number one or two options, but also made it clear he values Horford’s presence on the roster and as long as he’s on it the big man will receive plenty of touches.

If you listen to Ferry talk about his visions for the franchise, one of the first words you’ll hear him say is “culture” as in building the right culture – both on and off the court. So like you were saying, Horford fits right into this type of space as a guy capable of averaging 20 and 10, solid locker room presence and possesses a winning pedigree (playoffs every season as a pro and championships at the University of Florida).

3) It’s time to say farewell to Josh Smith. Smith may not deserve all of the harsh criticism he has received from the fan base in Atlanta; after all, he was taking on a bigger role than his game is really capable of carrying. Smith is a very good player, more than capable of starting at power forward for a winning team, but move him to the small forward position and everything falls apart. His shot selection is spotty, his ball handling suspect, and when turnovers and bad shots result, fans get uptight. The Hawks are looking to make Horford their full-time power forward, meaning Smith is gone and the team needs to look for a legit small forward to play next to him. It would make a great deal of sense for the Hawks to work a sign-and-trade for Smith to help them acquire some solid pieces for their rebuild rather than to let him walk away for nothing.

This is not a knock against Smith, but maybe it is time for a fresh start for his sake and the organization’s. Smith is such a unique talent, but it’s hard to truly establish his market value throughout the league. Teams aren’t going to trade a franchise player for him, but as an executive you’re not going to take an opposing team’s number two or three options in return for him.

Smith would thrive in a faster-paced offense like those deployed in Denver or Golden State, for example. In those systems he would get out on the break more and wouldn’t fall victim to some of those long range jumpers he takes as a product of being in a predominantly half court set.

Smith is a polarizing figure in Atlanta. Fans are seemingly either 100 percent with Smith or 100 percent against him. That alone would make it hard for any franchise to put him as the face of the organization and drive enthusiasm at the ticket office.

4) Lou Williams was a great value in free agency. Last summer, Williams’ camp tried to bluff the Philadelphia 76ers into giving him a huge new contract

Without a doubt, Williams was one of the best signings of free agency last summer. It’s unfortunate he suffered the season ending knee injury (torn ACL). You could really see how his presence would have helped the Hawks in their opening round series versus Indiana. The Hawks struggled to consistently get buckets against the Pacers throughout the series and there’s one thing Williams has done rather consistently since entering the league and that’s get buckets.

Along with Horford, Williams will play an integral role in Ferry’s vision for the franchise.

5) It’s time to turn the keys over to Jeff Teague. When the Hawks drafted Teague with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, there were few who believed he would be a great starting point guard. Still, it’s never easy to evaluate young players and project who they might become in three or four years. The Hawks put Teague to the test, and he started coming into his own in his third year, averaging 12.9 points and 4.9 assists per game in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. This year he took another significant step forward, averaging 14.6 points and 7.2 assists, and while that doesn’t put him in elite status, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Teague can lead the Hawks going forward if he is given a strong enough supporting cast.

The development of Teague has to be on the list of positives for the Hawks this season. Teague followed up on his strong showing last year by taking his game to the next level, posting career highs in points, assists, three-point percentage (and makes) and free throw percentage. Teague also posted 17 games with double-digit assists, compared to only three in 2012.

Teague will likely enter the summer as a restricted free agent. It is almost a certainty the Hawks match any offer he receives, within reason.

The next developmental step Teague needs to make next season is taking more control of the team. There are just too many occasions where you’ll see Teague deferring and allowing a frontcourt player to bring the ball up the court and facilitate the offense. I’m not sure if that’s coaching, but the truly good point guards in this league command the ball and run the show. They are the floor generals and I have no doubt Teague is the next in line … but there’s still work to do.

Entire Article: http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-the-end-of-the-hawks-as-we-know-them

[GameTime]

Is Teague worth 8-9 million as a backup though? I do not see Teague as a starter for a championship contender. The only way I see Teague maximizing his potential is if a Bobby Knight character scares some sense into him; and that shouldn't be necessary at this level

[Gray Mule]

THANKS!

[coachx]

I fee like I must be in the minority in thinking that Josh would not play well in a fast paced system. Dude isn't in that great of shape and a lot of times he is the reason why we are such a slow moving team. Ever see him take the ball out after a made shot? She just lollygags. After a rebound? Well, he tries to dribble it up and it is like watching a gazelle try to dribble a basketball. He hardly ever hustles back on D.

Hey maybe he is in better shape than I give him and there are outside factors that make him appear slower to me. I just see him as being a reason why we are so slow and it is only going to get worse.

Didn't Atlanta lead the Eastern Conference in fast brake points ?

[Guest]

Looks we were tops in the East (http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/fastbreak-points-per-game) and 3rd overall.

Probably from Devin and Teague. Josh never runs as hard as he can on fast breaks consistently.

[GameTime]

Yup, and to me that is a characteristic you need to be a good fast-break team. Or at least be someone who would thrive in a fast-paced environment.

I miss high flying fast Josh.

[Guest]

I miss high flying fast Josh.

We all do.

[MaceCase]

Ferry missed an opportunity by not making Chef Jenkins his first sacking.

[TheTruth]

That vid was amazing. Looking at his jump shot then, he didn't take nearly as long to load up like he does now. I found that interesting.

As for the Hawks, perhaps the biggest immediate need is getting a legit coach in here that will galvanize a roster that will be full of players that weren't on the team last year or haven't been with the Hawks long, hold each player accountable, and maximize the talent and development of each player. This is highly important.

Next, we gotta find a starting big man who can play the 5, play D, rebound, and protect the rim, and above all, possess a post game...some way some how. I love Pekovic, but he's a RFA. And Bynum, wow, what a calculated risk that would be. Our jump shooting team is too predictable and reliant on jumpers...a big man who possesses a post game would help immensely.

We need a SF who will defend and can shoot. I like Korver, but I wouldn't overpay for him as he isn't a starting SF in this league, and he doesn't defend or rebound well enough for a Hawks team that hasn't been good at either in the recent past.

We need Teague to play with "dog in him" every game...instead of having the coaches dang near begging him each week to do so.

We need to keep Jenkins and Scott...and let these guys develop. At some point, just like with the Falcons, you gotta let your young guys play and develop. You drafted them and paid them, continue to invest in them.

We need to let Josh go. I like him, but I can't see us being a contending team with him as one of our top 2-3 players ...especially one who refuses to consistently play to his strengths.

We need to maintain cap flexibility if we can't get the strong pieces we need to build that contending team by 2014. We don't need to spend money just because we have the cap room to do so on lesser players.

We need to be patient. We won't get everything in one offseason...but we can add nice pieces that will set us up for future success.

Good luck, Ferry. You have quite a bit of work to do. The moves you make these next two seasons will shape the course of Hawks basketball for the forseeable future. But that is why you are paid the big bucks while I sit here at home typing away on a computer.

[Gray Mule]

"TOO MANY TIMES WE SAW DEFERRING AND A FRONT COURT

PLAYER BRINGING THE BALL UP."

Hawk fans know. That was Josh, demanding that he be "the man"

for the Hawks and do all things, including being the PG.

If, and that's a big if, Hawks do say good by to Josh, that should

eliminate this problem. Josh is seen by many as Mr. Hawk in Atlanta

and I'm sure he sees himself in that role. He is the highlight in the

highlight factory.

Too much me and not enough team. He will not change here. Perhaps,

in another place he will.

The entire future of the Atlanta Hawks depends on one thing, in my opinion.

What will Josh do? That's it. Keep Josh and hope we may get to the second

round, year after year and enjoy his highlights or let him go and - - - - Who knows!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

"TOO MANY TIMES WE SAW DEFERRING AND A FRONT COURT

PLAYER BRINGING THE BALL UP."

Hawk fans know. That was Josh, demanding that he be "the man"

for the Hawks and do all things, including being the PG.

If, and that's a big if, Hawks do say good by to Josh, that should

eliminate this problem. Josh is seen by many as Mr. Hawk in Atlanta

and I'm sure he sees himself in that role. He is the highlight in the

highlight factory.

Too much me and not enough team. He will not change here. Perhaps,

in another place he will.

The entire future of the Atlanta Hawks depends on one thing, in my opinion.

What will Josh do? That's it. Keep Josh and hope we may get to the second

round, year after year and enjoy his highlights or let him go and - - - - Who knows!

Actually GM . . . Woody was the one who initially told Josh ( and Marvin and Childress ) that when they got a rebound, to push the ball into the frontcourt. And he told them that in part because our PG situation was so poor in those early years, with Lue as the PG. And it didn't help that once Speedy got hurt, guys like Salim, Acie, Anthony Johnson, and Bibby were the PGs . . . guys who were all slower than Josh bringing that ball up the court.

When we finally got some PGs that were fast enough to push the ball up the court themselves, then yes . . Josh should've been giving that ball up so that he could fill the lanes.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

There should be a #6 to that . . . . Find a go-to scorer who has the ability to play like a superstar at times.