In yet another rant on one of the Association's worst teams, I'd like to take a timeout to talk about the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks aren't as bad as their record indicates. 22 and 49, not the worst in the league, not even the worst in their own conference (Imagine that!). But, the problem with the Hawks is not their competitiveness, which they demonstrate on a fairly regular basis. It is, however, their lack of any current NBA talent. Before you get your panties in a bunch, I'll advise that we are setting Joe Johnson aside and excusing Al Harrington because he essentially on another roster, even as we speak.
Zaza Pachulia, commonly known by friends and children as ZZP, is a prime example of one kind of player that makes up their roster. Granted, his numbers are solid enough, 11 and a half points, 8 rebounds per contest. Take a look at his minutes though...The man plays over 30 minutes a night without another player ever even considering the thought of rebounding on his team. Also, take a look at his blocks. Now, we all know that Pachules can hop. But, a half block per game? Take it easy Big Z, you're terrorizing the league at a rate that is unprecedented and unheralded.
Tyronne Lue. Is it even fair to insult this man? He knows he shouldn't be in the NBA. We know he shouldn't be in the league. Christ, I'm sure his coach and teammates know it too. Not to mention the fact the guy looks like a rat with braids. But, I digress.
The other type of player on this roster comes in the form of Josh Childress, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. These guys are all solid players at this point in their young careers, but won't develop into great players for years, possibly even decades because of how two came into the league practically wearing diapers.
Childress, we'll give the oreo this, he can shoot. The shoots at a high level, which is impressive for the low field goal percentage that's so common in the NBA. But, after that he's not particularly useful. Rebouding, shot blocking, steals, assists? He's about average or less, in most cases, in each category.
Marvin Williams and Josh Smith are more fun to group together. Both are absolutely oozing with potential and have shown flashes of brilliance. Call me crazy, but I like Smith, Mr. Smoove to you, better than Williams. I know what's been said about M-Will, but I don't know if I buy it. I don't know if he has enough to make it as a superstar in the league, from a moves stand point, from an freak athlete stand point, from a outstanding ability in any particular area stand point. Not to say he's not any good, but from what I've seen of him in the pros and more so at UNC, he isn't really great at anything. He can get to the hoop and throw down, shoot fairly well. But, he can't shoot the three, and isn't a prolific rebounder. Neither is he extraordinarily quick or what have you. Smith on the other hand, does have some glaring deficits. But, in the second half of this season he has proved that he is worth more than a simple highlight every once in a while of him T-bagging some bum on the Hornets (maybe Brandon Bass, if you swing that way). 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 dimes, and most importantly 3 blocks per game. This guy's never going to be a dominant scorer, but he seems to be developing into a good player, that can do a bunch of things.
I'll say this for the Hawks, they have a bunch of really good young pieces. I would love to see Marvin Williams develop into a better player, which I think will happen, but just not into the superstar everyone else sees.
Yet, their major problem is not the talent they have for the future, but the talent they have now. While Smith has made progress, its not necessarily translating into wins. They have a better roster than the forlorn Blazers, or Knicks. But, the concern is when that roster will translate into some W's. Maybe next season. Maybe the season after that. Maybe a decade after that.
But, where do you go if you're the Hawks Front Office (Ed. Note: There is ongoing league investigation to make sure that one actually exists). You have talent on your roster, but it won't be good for a while. You're going to be bad until they turn good, which means you'll still have high picks every year, making you younger and younger each year. Not to mention that often you can't attract Free Agents with more than 20 minutes of experience in the league. So, with this in mind, what do you do?
When you figure it out, you let me know.
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