making the Hawks more marketable

[Ruhiel]

lets get a worse version of D-Rose with a worse attitude!

hand him the keys to the franchise!

btw here's Rose playing SG unlike the bigger Westbrook who wants to convince everyone he is exclusively a PG.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeff3x ... e-on_sport

Harden is a more versatile and better attitude and thus a better team player than Westbrook.
Westbrook's frustration stems from his limitations and we cant just give up a big man for a small inefficient guy like RW.

[MaceCase]

Westbrook is a statwhore which Hawk fans can attest to with an ego that far exceeds his talents. As a PG your number 1 priority is to get the rest of your team into the game rather than trying to assert yourself especially when you have a fricking phenom in Kevin Durant to pass to. The playoffs certainly exposed Russell as he was imploding left and right with his chuckfests and he didn't get back on track until coach Brooks took him offball and let Harden (who is a more natural facilitator in the Joe/Ginobili mold) and even Maynor handle the PG duties.

I simply don't see Westbrook being a legitimate superstar candidate in the league as I've already pointed out to two guys on OKC that are better than him. The guy just has Steve Francis' game with Ricky Davis' mentality and that's just a **** mix. Would I take him on the Hawks? Sure, we need talent but not at the expense of other talents and definitely not as the de facto number 1. We'd still need an actual PG too.

you mean like D-Rose

Why don't you finish that sentence that you bolded?
Rose doesn't have an MVP caliber player to pass to......other than hisself.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Westbrook is a statwhore which Hawk fans can attest to with an ego that far exceeds his talents. As a PG your number 1 priority is to get the rest of your team into the game rather than trying to assert yourself especially when you have a fricking phenom in Kevin Durant to pass to. The playoffs certainly exposed Russell as he was imploding left and right with his chuckfests and he didn't get back on track until coach Brooks took him offball and let Harden (who is a more natural facilitator in the Joe/Ginobili mold) and even Maynor handle the PG duties.

I simply don't see Westbrook being a legitimate superstar candidate in the league as I've already pointed out to two guys on OKC that are better than him. The guy just has Steve Francis' game with Ricky Davis' mentality and that's just a **** mix. Would I take him on the Hawks? Sure, we need talent but not at the expense of other talents and definitely not as the de facto number 1. We'd still need an actual PG too.

As pointed out, Rose has no real threat to pass to. Deng is decent, but nothing special. Noah really isn't an offensive threat. Boozer struggled mightily this year and probably showed he isn't a #2 option. So that leaves only Rose to do damage with. Rose was generous and smart enough to pass the ball when he needed to, but only if it was necessary. Give Rose a playmaker like Durant or a low post option like Randolph and Chicago wins it all, while Rose averages 10+ assist. Westbrook is simply Steve Francis and I would say Francis was better.

you mean like D-Rose

[Jaruff]

I just don't know who the Hawks could get to bring the people to philips arena. but I do know that noone currently on the roster is that type of guy. the closest thing is Josh Smith.

Even though I'm a Bobcats fan, I do live in Northeast GA and would go to several Hawks games a year but the location is a killer. Philips is in a terrible spot for anyone not in the immediate area. The Georgia Dome isn't as bad (mainly Saturday and Sunday games) but try going down I-85 during the week to make it to Atlanta for a 6:30/7:30/whatever tip-off. If the arena wasn't smack in the middle of everything else, I think attendance would be higher. Also, you have to keep in mind that kids don't have as much money so you're getting fewer attendees from the local colleges.

[evildallas]

Reading the last post made me think of something: Whenever the games come back, the Hawks have already announced that they are moving start times back to 7:30pm from 7pm. They had assumed that most of their fanbase worked downtown and would rather hang around for the 7pm start and they were wrong. 7:30pm is still rough with traffic, but it is better.

As I've said before Hope, Winning and a likeable Star are all keys to attendance. Further down, but still having some impact is the in game experience. In this I suspect the Hawks have followed the NBA cookie cutter experience to the letter or close. It's pretty good if you are going to 1 game only. If you attend more than a handful of games over a few years you see the patterns and learn the tricks. If the organization is worried about game attendance they need to spend a few bucks developing some variety and learn a few new tricks along the way to augment the product on the floor. Here are some small ideas:

1) Music - The first night they played "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie a sing-along erupted (impact of that one commercial I guess). Now when they play it the effect isn't the same. Maybe people weren't in the mood or maybe they need a little karaoke variety. My point is there are a set of songs that if played in a bar often erupt in a sing along. Don't Stop Believin', Living on a Prayer, Sweet Caroline are just some of the examples. Mix it up. Try different songs. Maybe even run a timeout segment where you show the lyrics on the scoreboard to try to spur involvement. Would you stand in front of 15000 people and sing one of these songs? Probably not. Would you sing along with 15000 people being just a voice in the crowd? Probably.

2) Prime the crowd. The Warriors used to have a section of cheap seats that they reserved for students. What it did was guaranteed a certain energy and vocal nature of the crowd. The Hawks could do the same thing. You arm that group with noise makers and maybe a pregame food/beverage discount (tied to the ticket type and only good at a specific station near their section) and the rest of the crowd benefits from the energy that group brings to the crowd as a whole.

3) Embrace diversity - Atlanta is a diverse metropolitan area. Reach out to the different groups or give the primary fan base an taste of other cultures. My idea is to have a Dominican pride night, a Mexican pride night, Chinese pride night, Korean pride night, Japanese pride night, Czech pride night and so forth. How do you do this? Make one spot in the food court a rotational theme location and on these pride night you have food authentic to that culture sold there. In the game program have an insert with some facts or tidbits about the country and when possible something tying into the Atlanta community. Possibly make a presentation involving a related charity or honor someone from that community. Work up something graphical (banner or sign) that shows each of the honored groups maybe tying it together as _____ United for the Hawks. Sounds cheesy, but when you're selling seats you want to be inclusive. Also word of mouth advertising works best when you have a diverse group of people spreading the word. Get different people to a game and show them a good product and let them tell others they need to catch a game.

I could go into the various games and promotions, but I won't. The summary is that to you need to make the atmosphere electric and experience less uniform to sell more season tickets because you are competing with watching from home. And you've got to get a wide array of people to a game (and entertained) to spread the word to new potential ticket buyers.

[azuresou1]

It'd also help if the product on the court didn't occasionally get blown out by 30 by the Wizards or run a 20 point deficit to the Celtics 20 minutes in.

[MaceCase]

It'd also help if the product on the court didn't occasionally get blown out by 30 by the Wizards or run a 20 point deficit to the Celtics 20 minutes in.

I'm not sure we can put that on the roster because before this past season we could count on the Hawks to be a dominant home team but I will lend you that iso ball and lack of a marquee name probably led to a "boring" ho hum experience. In the old days the guys would save their egg laying for some trip to Charlotte or during some 10 o'clock game out on the west coast or at least had the decency of waiting until the playoffs before getting blown out at home.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Evildallas, Music probably won't have a lot to do with attendance, but it could use a bit more mix and flavor to it. I think more urban mixes need to be added since Atlanta is more of an urban city. Not all of it has to be urban, but just a more bigger mix of genre's and different songs. The Karaoke theme could be something effective during halftime. Maybe have "section battle" and give away food/drinks, tickets to an unattractive game, or Hawks memorabilia/souvenirs.

Having a "spirit group" section(Not to be confused with ASG), would really bring more excitement and enthusiasm to the games and of course by offering discounts, noise makers, and other items would help sell that section. Hope Mr. Alex can think of that.

To embrace the diversity, I think you have to have players of the ethnic groups you wish to have special nights for as well. Hence, maybe we could benefit having a known Euro. I think Yi helped bring in a good number of the Asian population in Washington. He's a FA, why not try bringing him in as a reserve guy. Hawks could use his size and potential(I think he still has some)off the bench.

One thing you didn't touch on is having new faces on the team, especially guys who hometown is in a border state. Think about a guy like Brandan Wright, who has a lot of talent and potential still and hometown is Nashville, TN. People that know him from TN might see him playing and see him & the team doing well and decide they will make the drive down 75 just to watch a few games. Even if you can't find contributors of that status, the team needs fresh blood that can contribute. Marvin has worn his welcome. Zaza really doesn't do much until playoff time and I am pretty sure the fans would like to see something else besides Powell and Etan Thomas. Hopefully Benson, Sy, & Rolle can bring something to the table.

[myrak433]

2) Prime the crowd. The Warriors used to have a section of cheap seats that they reserved for students. What it did was guaranteed a certain energy and vocal nature of the crowd. The Hawks could do the same thing. You arm that group with noise makers and maybe a pregame food/beverage discount (tied to the ticket type and only good at a specific station near their section) and the rest of the crowd benefits from the energy that group brings to the crowd as a

3) Embrace diversity - Atlanta is a diverse metropolitan area. Reach out to the different groups or give the primary fan base an taste of other cultures. My idea is to have a Dominican pride night, a Mexican pride night, Chinese pride night, Korean pride night, Japanese pride night, Czech pride night and so forth. How do you do this? Make one spot in the food court a rotational theme location and on these pride night you have food authentic to that culture sold there. In the game program have an insert with some facts or tidbits about the country and when possible something tying into the Atlanta community. Possibly make a presentation involving a related charity or honor someone from that community. Work up something graphical (banner or sign) that shows each of the honored groups maybe tying it together as _____ United for the Hawks. Sounds cheesy, but when you're selling seats you want to be inclusive. Also word of mouth advertising works best when you have a diverse group of people spreading the word. Get different people to a game and show them a good product and let them tell others they need to catch a game.

I like these two most. but Atlanta still is a "BIG STAR TOWN". you have to have a star to get most people to come to the games...... i.e. when Atlanta got Vick the dome stayed sold out. the Hawks need someone the can electrify the crowd. I believe Westbrook could be that for us.... or we need to win it all.

[Ruhiel]

wth? Why would celebs come to a game where the team is not competitive.

watching Jerome Bettis he looked apprehensive at best. And then what? the Atlanta Hawks laid an egg against Chicago.

If you were a star would you have nothing better to do than go to a Hawks game?

The best this roster can do is market other teams like the Nets do.

[myrak433]

lets get a worse version of D-Rose with a worse attitude!

hand him the keys to the franchise!

btw here's Rose playing SG unlike the bigger Westbrook who wants to convince everyone he is exclusively a PG.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeff3x ... e-on_sport

Harden is a more versatile and better attitude and thus a better team player than Westbrook.
Westbrook's frustration stems from his limitations and we cant just give up a big man for a small inefficient guy like RW.

my bad I will remember to make sure I include Motiejunas, Thabeet, and Hill in any trade I propose so it will have Ruhiel blessings.

so how about Horford for Westbrook then Marvin Williams, Zaza, 2012 2nd round pick, and 2013 1st round pick for Motiejunas, Thabeet, and Hill?

[Ruhiel]

lets get a worse version of D-Rose with a worse attitude!

hand him the keys to the franchise!

btw here's Rose playing SG unlike the bigger Westbrook who wants to convince everyone he is exclusively a PG.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeff3x ... e-on_sport

Harden is a more versatile and better attitude and thus a better team player than Westbrook.
Westbrook's frustration stems from his limitations and we cant just give up a big man for a small inefficient guy like RW.

my bad I will remember to make sure I include Motiejunas, Thabeet, and Hill in any trade I propose so it will have Ruhiel blessings.

so how about Horford for Westbrook then Marvin Williams, Zaza, 2012 2nd round pick, and 2013 1st round pick for Motiejunas, Thabeet, and Hill?

Your "superstar" model will not work but lets post that as a trade thread.

Rockets send a 7'1 Small Forward and Rockets receive Marvin Williams and worthless picks.

Zaza and a late 1st rounder.

Zaza our most consistent playoff performer gets replaced instead of duplicated.

Horford who wasnt traded for Deron Williams gets traded for Russell Westbrook

Sounds about right.

[evildallas]

The best this roster can do is market other teams like the Nets do.

I really disagree. We've tried this and it's contributed to making the team a laughing stock.

Hope of competing for a title and winning is the most important item. A marketable star would be #2. I covered those. I chose to focus the heart of my post on ways outside the product on the floor, because cba and contract situation will impact the speed at which the on-court product can be improved.

My background is a multi-year season ticket holder. It is very hard to convince myself that I need to fight traffic to catch a Tuesday night game in the middle of the season against the Bobcats or Pistons when I could save myself the cost of drinks and a snack and watch the game at home. There are a lot games that fall in that had to force myself category during the season and I love basketball. If too many fall that way then I might switch to a flex-plan or just picking a handful of games to attend in person. Attendance is in a fight with watching at home not to mention all other entertainment options. The whole product live needs to be more attractive than the watching it on the big screen at home. Winning alone isn't enough to make the games attractive (it's necessary to keep them from being repulsive), but it's a start. On top of that it means delivering the energy and excitement that you get in post-season more often. I need an electric crowd and some variety in the trappings around the game to beat the watch it at home option. The excitement of a competitive game with an electric crowd gets the endorphins flowing and if you deliver that enough people will want to be there because you don't get that at home.

[azuresou1]

I'll be honest and say that I've never attended a Hawks home game, since I don't live in Atlanta. I agree with evil - I've attended Nets home games, and Wizards home games. Both teams suck. The Wizards games had energy. The Nets games didn't, even after they got Deron.

The biggest difference, IMO, is that the Wizards market themselves while the Nets market the opposing team, and that the Wizards people are really good at keeping fans engaged.

[Ruhiel]

Thabeet as an underdog role player is more marketable than an old Collins. Also he has a humorous demeanor/personality. Also the foreign aspect

If the NJN version of Collins were younger he'd be marketable as a no-nonsense big lineup starter.
ATL> NJN marketing ability.

NOT saying Thabeet alone for Horford, just saying role players are marketable as long as they play their role in winning. Given his role Pachulia would be a star backup on LA or any other contender.

much worse players have done it. Mbenga? The Custodian anyone? No one in LA/DAL is buying into those guys or the FO if they lose.

[Ruhiel]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANjEqw3MDx8[/youtube]

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2011/10/5 ... commercial