Sekou Smith: "Hawks Will Rebuild From Scratch"

[theatlfan]

The way I see it, our end goal is to be a TRUE contender like OKC or Miami, not a perennial playoff team. We've been a perennial playoff team, and I think we all know just how unsatisfying that is. In order to reach our end goal, we need TALENT. Talent that we don't have right now. We can either sign FAs to get that talent, or we can draft for it. That's about it..

Not sure I agree with that line - we need players, not necessarily just talent. H3ll, if all that was needed was talent, then we could collect the Darko's and Terrence Williams' of the world and have as much talent as any other team out there, including MIA. The problem is that talent doesn't win games, production does. I'll admit that the difference here in some cases is negligible, but in some cases, this difference can be pretty large.

I do agree however in that we should either sign FAs or tank to the draft. Does Ferry think the same? I don't know, but I really don't think so.

The last half of your post should tell you something. Howard is to reliant on shooters and spacing. It's a very important aspect of the game, but as I have pointed out, the Hawks themselves have used the recipe of just matching up with the shooters and let Dwight do whatever. Not only that, but you are forcing Paul to be more of a jump shooter, when he's better with the ball in his hands. If Dwight was anything close to Shaq, then i wouldn't have no problem, but he isn't. I would rather just have Paul and build around him, but I don't know if he wants leaves LA.

In today's NBA, you need 2 players who can do their thing though. I don't see landing both Dwight and Paul as meaning one has to play a background role and subjugate his game to the other's - it just means you have 2 stars who can alternate their styles with each other which causes the D some h3ll. Dwayne Wade is still putting up 20+/5/5 with LeBron in town; it may have taken Dwight awhile to get healthy and in sync with LAL, but he still put up numbers over the last 2 months on par with the rest of his career even though Kobe is a notorious ball hog. I don't think that this would extend too far past 2 (which is really LAL's problem), but 2 works just fine.

[HMFFL]

As fans, we must be open minded during the present time, and realize the rebuilding period was going to occur. I hope Ferry makes it as short as possible and makes the appropriate changes that are needed for us to obtain a try superstar during the near future. While Al Horford is a star, I believe it's common sense that the city needs a much bigger star, and one that can excite the city like Dominique Wilkins did.

[ATLHawksfan21]

The last half of your post should tell you something. Howard is to reliant on shooters and spacing. It's a very important aspect of the game, but as I have pointed out, the Hawks themselves have used the recipe of just matching up with the shooters and let Dwight do whatever. Not only that, but you are forcing Paul to be more of a jump shooter, when he's better with the ball in his hands. If Dwight was anything close to Shaq, then i wouldn't have no problem, but he isn't. I would rather just have Paul and build around him, but I don't know if he wants leaves LA.

This is not where I was going with that statement if you took it like that. Paul would obviously be the one in charge of running the offense and our go to play would be the pick-and-roll with either Horford or Howard. Paul can get to any spot on the floor that he wants. I was just saying that Paul can also hit the 3 at a decent rate because you said our only shooter may be Jenkins. Howard obviously wouldn't be the primary focus of the offense but I think he would have success when Paul is able to get him the ball where he wants it on the block and he has ample shooters around him which will give him that extra second to make his move.

Receiving the pass in a spot that leads you to the basket or sets you up to have your body in position to make the move to the basket is key to a big man being successful on the block and Paul does this better than anyone.

[ATLHawksfan21]

Let's not harp too much on DeAndre Jordan, he's really not relevant to us at all.

The way I see it, our end goal is to be a TRUE contender like OKC or Miami, not a perennial playoff team. We've been a perennial playoff team, and I think we all know just how unsatisfying that is. In order to reach our end goal, we need TALENT. Talent that we don't have right now. We can either sign FAs to get that talent, or we can draft for it. That's about it.

If we can sign CP3 and Dwight, great. We're 90% of the way there. Talk them and Josh into coming with paycuts, sign undervalued role players, and we're there. But this isn't very probable.

More likely, we will need to tank 2013-2014. We let Smith walk, don't overpay any FA, draft some guys with star potential, and have a 30 win season. It will hurt, but it's the only way.

I wouldn't mind tanking if we don't land CP3 and Dwight but this just looks like the perfect scenario for this team to finally make a big splash. It would be a bad idea to keep Josh around over Horford though. Horfords game blends perfectly with a duo of Howard and Paul. Joshs game would hinder them.

[ATL Boy]

As fans, we must be open minded during the present time, and realize the rebuilding period was going to occur. I hope Ferry makes it as short as possible and makes the appropriate changes that are needed for us to obtain a try superstar during the near future. While Al Horford is a star, I believe it's common sense that the city needs a much bigger star, and one that can excite the city like Dominique Wilkins did.

This

Atlanta has some serious fair weathered fans, when things are going good then great the fans come out and we're a happy franchise, however when things don't go so good (which they haven't since the Dominique days) then fans don't rarely come out to support. This is the reason for the half empty stadiums and cheers for the other teams we've witnessed so much this season. It's not just with the Hawks it's the city of Atlanta in general for some reason: the Braves played in front of half empty ball parks during their glory years, the Thrashers were relocated because fans never came out, and the Falcons' fans aren't really renowned for their loyalty or raucous crowds.

The Hawks can't afford another long rebuild like we had in the 2000s, it would completely tear up the fan support if we were in the lottery year in and year out. Now I don't think we'd relocate because it would cost the Atlanta Spirit alot of money to sell the franchise and Stern wouldn't like it because Atlanta's a major TV market but it would really not be good from a fans' perspective. This is why I think we have to spend our money wisely this offseason, we could look back on the summer of 2013 as one of the key offseason's in the franchise's history, but hey in Ferry we trust.

[parson]

It's not just with the Hawks it's the city of Atlanta in general for some reason: the Braves played in front of half empty ball parks during their glory years, the Thrashers were relocated because fans never came out, and the Falcons' fans aren't really renowned for their loyalty or raucous crowds.

That's ESPN's version. The reality is that the Braves were among the league-leaders in attendance for years. Only when fans decided the team was configured for the regular season and not for the playoffs, did attendance drop. Hard to care about a team that has no chance of winning it all (ASG should pay attention).

Look at 1991-2012 -these numbers are our attendance (1st set) compared to league average, with our attendance ranking.
1991 - 2,140,217 - 2,058,014 (6th)
1992 - 3,077,400 - 2,009,261 (1st)
1993 - 3,884,720 - 2,637,470 (2nd)
1994 - 2,539,240 - 1,843,416 (2nd)
1995 - 2,561,831 - 1,793,589 (3rd)
1996 - 2,901,242 - 2,169,949 (3rd)
1997 - 3,464,488 - 2,277,526 (2nd)
1998 - 3,360,860 - 2,401,674 (3rd)
1999 - 3,284,901 - 2,380,436 (2nd)
2000 - 3,234,304 - 2,480,194 (4th)
2001 - 2,823,530 - 2,481,346 (6th)
2002 - 2,603,482 - 2,309,294 (8th)
2003 - 2,401,084 - 2,273,813 (7th)
2004 - 2,322,565 - 2,512,690 (10th)
2005 - 2,521,534 - 2,583,685 (10th)
2006 - 2,549,522 - 2,598,741 (9th)
2007 - 2,745,203 - 2,756,384 (10th)
2008 - 2,532,834 - 2,755,082 (10th)
2009 - 2,373,631 - 2,571,627 (10th)
2010 - 2,510,119 - 2,563,111 (9th)
2011 - 2,372,940 - 2,547,018 (8th)
2012 - 2,420,171 - 2,592,218 (8th)

[Jamaaliver]

That's ESPN's version. The reality is that the Braves were among the league-leaders in attendance for years.

C'mon.

Atlanta fans are horrible. (Present company excluded.)

Falcons fans bail at the first sign of adversity (See year two of the Matt Ryan era.)

Philips only sells out when a top team comes to visit. (See every time the Lakers, Knicks, Heat, Celtics come to town.)

And those Braves attendance numbers seem...inaccurate. From 2000 we rarely played at capacity crowd in the Ted. My research shows we haven't been top 10 in total attendance this millemium.

In 2012, we ranked 19th in total attendance. 15th in attendance per game.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance/_/sort/homeTotal

[PandaKidd]

It takes time to build a fan base. ESPECIALLY in a transplant city. There are not a ton of 20-30 year falcon fans. Theres not a ton of 20-30 year Hawks fans.

I got news for you though, I dont necessarily buy the whole "Atlanta has a **** fan base" argument. I went to the Pats vs 49er game in Foxboro in Dec.....there were TONS of 49er fans. Now there were more Pats fans than Niners, but the 49ers is a team with a long long long pedigree and fanbase.

Of course the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks have a much more loyal fanbase, look at their teams compared to ours. Look at the history, look at the ownership. The city demographics.

To me, Ferry is doing a GREAT job with the Hawks. As a multiple season ticket holder, i can tell you this was the best year IMO.

Hawks were much more involved inthe community from giveaways, fantasy camps, paying peoples tolls on 400, buying people lunch at the howell mill lunch trucks, % off for military and college kids, more billboard placement, etc. I met a lot of people that were first time hawks game people. Actually come to think of it, i never saw any season ticket holders more than once or twice. Seems to me lots of people buy the tickets and resell them.

It takes time to build a franchise. Falcons turned it around. Braves are in the progress of getting it back, Hawks are on deck