Hawkings From Media Day: Heightened Expectations, Slam Magaz

[swatguy]

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/10/hawkings-from-media-day-heightened-expectations/


Dominique steals the show; Marvin’s on Muscle Watch.

by Zettler Clay

You could see the adrenaline in his eyes. Maurice Evans was on the verge of signing with the Golden State Warriors, but decided that Atlanta was ultimately a better fit for him. How so? Perhaps so he could face this team four times a year:

“I don’t know why they [Orlando] didn’t sign me. Beats the hell out of me…I did all that they asked me to do, guard the opposing team’s best players and knock down shots and do the dirty work. But it’s been like that my whole career, me having to prove that I belong here. When I step on that court, salaries don’t matter. On that court, it’s will. Ray Lewis said the other night ‘If me and another player collide, and it’s about will,’ then I feel comfortable every time, because nobody is going to outwill me.”

Meanwhile Flip Murray is coolly sitting on the other side of the room. He brings a different edge, a cold-blooded, take-no-prisoners demeanor that would not have fit with this team a year ago. But then again, these are different times in Atlanta.

Welcome to the 2008–09 Atlanta Hawks, where fans have proven to be alive when a team is put in front of them.

Heightened expectations was the theme at this year’s media day in the “A,” where half of the people in the room were anticipating Paper Trail from T.I., and the other half (the media) were looking to vet the team for answers. A few among the Atlanta sports media, including yours truly, lined up to take a look at the team who took the world champions to seven games four months ago.

Of course, during this time of the year, every team has the optimism of a Joel Osteen sermon. Of course players are as free as a kite when the record is 0-0, giving that same “anything can happen, this is a new season rhetoric.” Of course, the assistant coaches are chilling in obscurity while allowing the head coach to take on the burdensome task of explaining to people like myself why this season will be better thatn last.

But, of course, this is the first season in the last 18 years where you can say the Hawks are the best sports franchise in Atlanta, and it’s not April Fool’s Day.

The most noticeable traits about media day was the absence of bombast and the emergence of the Alpha Dog(s). There were no bold proclamations and outrageous predictions. Just a group of men focused on the task at hand: to build on last year’s success. Over the last few years, when the Birds were laughingstocks on the come-up, an Alpha Dog was missing. Antoine Walker, Al Harrington, Jason Terry, Stephen Jackson. None of those players filled that role for the Hawks. Judging from media day, the Hawks seem have two burgeoning Alpha Dogs on the squad:

1) Al Horford
2) Flip Murray

I know many would say, ‘what about Joe?’ True, he is the team’s best player. But an Alpha Dog he is not. That’s not a knock on Joe at all. It’s simply true that he won’t get in a player’s face or spark his team with speeches and his play. Horford will. During last year’s playoff series, he retrieved footage from his Florida days to hype his team after they were down 2-0 coming back from Boston. He got into it with Paul Pierce–as a rookie in the playoffs–and backed it up. You can’t teach that. He’s the type of player that every team needs to win a championship.

Talking to him on this day he was mellow, focused and understated (as usual) in his responses to the upcoming season. He stated his goal of having a solid double-double this season. He vowed to assert himself more in the post. He would never admit that he is the leader on the team, but would acknowledge that he would fill that role if necessary. That’s his style. Show, don’t tell.

[HMFFL]

Good find and it's good to see some of Zettler's work.