Missing Four Ingrediants

The NBA playoffs are down to the final four teams. The teams on the outside looking in probably notice those four teams have an identity that works for them, and its the main reason they are still standing.

As a Hawks fan, I can't help but notice that they are missing those four ingredients. I'm not suggesting they need to go get all four, but the reality is, they don't have even one item on the grocery list! Let's take a closer look:

The Lakers -

This team has a championship coach in Phil Jackson. He runs a system that works. This team has a superstar in Kobe Bryant. He comes through for his team in the clutch.

The Hawks -

Currently they don't have a coach. The one they did never won a 2nd round playoff game. His system apparently was some variation of organized chaos. Their "star" player....Joe Johnson, in big games, big moments, clutch possessions - he disappeared quicker than a John Gotti witness.

The Magic -

This team is built around their center, Dwight Howard. They can play an inside out game, with multiple players who are capable of knocking down outside shots.

The Hawks -

Their center is a power forward playing out of position in Al Horford. When Horford gets doubled, you can hear a collective gasp in Philips Arena when Josh Smith sets up on the perimeter calling for Al to kick it out of the double team (or it ends up in the hands of Joe - "Mr. Clutch." Pick your poison.)

The Suns -

They have the ultimate floor general. They have a true point guard in Steve Nash. His first priority is to make life easier for his teammates. He's also a tough-nosed player who has played through some pretty painful injuries this post-season.

The Hawks -

They have a point guard who can move side-to-side about as quickly as my grandmother (and she can't even go to her left.) Mike Bibby's better days (years) are behind him. In fact they are so far back, you have to squint really hard to see them.

The Celtics -

What makes this team so successful is their team defense. Guys like Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce will frustrate their opponent on the perimeter, while Kevin Garnett will get into the mind of his counterpart while protecting the paint down low. A large part of their success is credited to assistant coach and defensive specialist, Tom "I Will Be A Head Coach Somewhere Next Season" Thibodeau.

The Hawks -

Well....Josh Smith can block a few shots. Yep....that's about all I got when it comes to the Hawks and their defense.

So let's recap the key four ingredients: (1) a championship caliber coach with a clutch star player (2) a true dominant center (3) a traditional, pure point guard (4) team defense.

The Hawks are lacking all four. I'd say it's time for Rick Sund to go grocery shopping this summer....and he better bring his checkbook!

Stuck In No Man's Land

It's over. The Joe Johnson experiment was a mild success. There is no shame in that. He came here and helped the team make the playoffs the past three seasons. He just didn't do much for them once he got there. In fact, over the past 7 playoff games Johnson averaged 13 points per game on 32 percent shooting.

If the Hawks want to be contenders in the East, they need to find a leader and a closer. They need to find their Batman. Right now they are stuck with Robin. However, we all know its not that easy to land a superhero, unless you have a lot of money or a lot of valuable assets to trade.

The Hawks are now stuck in that no-mans land. They are good enough to make the playoffs, but just bad enough to never win a 2nd round series. So how did this happen? I have my own theories, and it starts with one man -- Marvin Williams. It's two-fold. Marvin represents a mistake. He represents a giant mistake made by the former Hawks general manager Billy Knight, who selected a player that didn't fill a need at the time. The Hawks desperately needed a point guard and Chris Paul and Deron Williams were available. Billy wanted another "big." That mistake has probably set back this franchise for 5 years, maybe more. The Hawks have never been able to stabilize the point guard position since that blunder (See Acie Law, Speedy Claxton, Jeff Teague).

On top of all that, Marvin regressed this year, averaging 1o ppg in the regular season and 9 ppg in the playoffs. That is your #2 overall lottery pick. Not getting production out of that pick, in my opinion, is why the Hawks are not contenders in the East. That is the key to this whole situation. If that pick had panned out either in the form of Chris Paul or Deron Williams, or if Marvin turns into a real player (17 ppg as an example), then the Hawks fortunes are completely different.

Think about it. Everyone else on this roster pretty much gave you what you expected. Joe was a 20+ ppg all star. Horford is a solid double double guy. Josh Smith is a stat stuffer with points, rebounds, blocks and steals. Jamal lead all 6th men in scoring. Bibby was a solid role player. And then there's clumsy Marvin Williams. Not only did he fail to improve, he got worse.....and richer. That's a recipe for disaster for any franchise. That's how general managers lose their jobs.

The Hawks better make some major moves this summer. Minor tweaks aren't good enough anymore. Pull off a blockbuster trade. This team needs a hero. It needs a star. It needs a Batman....

Yes...Now We Know

For the past two seasons the Atlanta Hawks have used as their marketing campaign, "Now You Know." This all came about after the Hawks LOST a 7-game series to the Boston Celtics three years ago. Apparently someone in the Hawks marketing department thought losing a 7-game series was worth pounding their chest over. The real meaning, I'm guessing, is/was "now you know what we are all about....we play competitive basketball and can compete with the elite teams in the East." Again, this was two seasons ago....my how things have changed.

I think we can all agree, the Hawks need to re-evaluate the, "Now You Know" slogan, because after watching these past two post-seasons, the one thing we now know is it's time to make changes.

We know that the Hawks need a new coach. Mike Woodson has been here for 6 seasons. In professional sports, that's an eternity for a head coach. There is a reason for that too....most owners/general managers are quick to realize when a coach has overstayed his welcome. It usually happens around the 5-year mark. By that time, unless the coach is cranking out championships, most parties involved realize a new voice in the huddle is probably needed.

We know that Joe Johnson started thinking about free agency after the Milwaukee series. Looking completely overwhelmed in Game One vs. Orlando and shooting 4 for 11 for 10 points, Joe Johnson had had enough. Joe didn't care about being an Atlanta Hawk anymore. His body was on the court for Games Two and Three, however, his mind was in New York, Chicago, Miami, or any other place with way too much money to spend on such a mediocre playoff performer. Oh, and 'now we know' Joe doesn't really care what the Atlanta fans think about him.
We know that Mike Bibby is really over matched vs. any point guard under the age of 30.

We know that Josh Smith can mentally checkout of a game before the first TV timeout.

We know that Marvin Williams is stealing money from the Hawks.

We know that Al Horford continues to play out of position and may not sniff the All-Star game again until he is moved to power forward.

We know that Rick Sund now has the daunting task of retooling a franchise by replacing two critical pieces: the head coach, the top scorer.

Maybe next season the Hawks can launch their new campaign - "Now Without Joe." Or if they continue to start Bibby at point guard, perhaps they go with, "Now We're Slow." A while back, they went with, "Rise Up." Apparently that was a reference to the cost of season tickets.

It's clear changes must be made this summer. The Hawks ownership knows it. The general manager knows it.....and now you know it.

Thoughts After Game Two - It's Time For Change

It's time. Time to move in a new direction. The Atlanta Hawks need a brand refresh. This team is made up of too many negative personalities. It has never been more glaring than in these first two games vs. Orlando.

Again, you can start with the head coach. His personality does not get through to his players. When things start falling apart in a game, he sulks on the bench. This franchise needs a new voice. A new attitude. By the way, he completely over-thought the entire strategy for defending Dwight Howard. It's the playoffs - that means I better see Jason Collins and Randolph Morris sitting on the bench in their $1000 suits, not playing critical minutes in a game when Al Horford only had 1 first half foul.

Joe Johnson doesn't speak. That's a problem. Your team leader should also be your floor leader. He should be an extension of the coach. Joe is anything but that. I've sat 6 rows from the floor for probably 38 Hawks home games this year and I can honestly say I don't ever remember hearing Joe Johnson speak. Not to teammates, opponents, or referees. If not for a post-game sound bite on the television, I don't think I'd even know what he sounds like. In Game Two Thursday night when Josh Smith was pouting and not getting back on defense (or offense), nobody said anything to him. If Joe Johnson were a leader, he would have pulled him aside during the next whistle and got in his face! With the Hawks still in this game at the end of the 3rd quarter I emailed a bunch of friends to say, "Let's see if Joe Johnson can have a moment just once. Biggest quarter of his career." What did Joe do? He scored 2 points in the 4th quarter.

As for Josh Smith...is there a bigger enigma on this roster? When it's going bad for him, it's like a really bad accident on I-285, tough to watch, and really quite maddening. Josh still doesn't know his limitations. He still thinks he should be leading the fast break. If everyone in the building knows that after two dribbles he will either turn it over himself or have it stolen from behind....why doesn't he know it?? He still thinks if he misses a jump hook he is entitled to find the closest referee and b*tch that he was fouled (in the meantime, 9 other players are at the other end of the floor continuing to play.)

Marvin Williams has zero toughness. He loses control of the ball on most drives to the basket. If he doesn't, he typically just falls down. I've also noticed this year that when he skies high to grab a rebound, one of the many results is (a) fall down or (b) lose the ball trying to clutch it with two hands.

Jamal Crawford is strictly a "streak shooter." He can only score in bunches. The problem is when he's off, he still SHOOTS in bunches.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but let's recap the key personalities of this team. You have a coach that the players stopped listening to. You have your 4-time All Star that is a borderline mute. You have an unbelievably athletic power forward who isn't disciplined and has the maturity of a high school player. A clumsy small forward and a 6th man who hasn't passed the ball since Bush was in office.

Is this really who Hawks fan want to hitch their wagon to for the next few years? This is the cast of characters we are relying on to beat the elite, well coached, disciplined teams in the East. I say no. I say, it's time.

GAME ONE - HAWKS SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED!

The Hawks quit halfway through the 2nd quarter. To be down by 40 points to ANY FREAKIN' team in the NBA is an absolute JOKE! Let alone in the playoffs, where you are one of the final 8 teams standing. There should not be this big of a disparity between any two teams. I absolutely don't understand what happens to this team on the road in the playoffs!

The only constant I can think of is the coach. Mike Woodson should take full responsibility for this horrible showing. When you lose one road game in a series by 20+ points, that's understandable, but when it happens multiple games, every year, in every series -- that's a pattern! Someone isn't getting guys mentally focused. Someone isn't getting guys fired up. Someone isn't motivating guys when things start to go south. That someone spends most of his time sulking on the bench with his hand on his cheek -- Mike Woodson. I won't lose any sleep if he's not back with the Hawks next year.

As for the players:

Joe Johnson has no clue how to take command of a struggling team. He doesn't ask for the ball. He walks around emotionless. Zero leadership. I got news for Hawks fans or the next franchise that takes their checkbook out for Joe -- YOU CAN'T TEACH LEADERSHIP.

Al Horford can look so pedestrian at times. There is something awkward about the way he moves with the ball. He puts his head straight down and dribbles like a 3rd grader as he tries to back his way towards the rim.

Marvin Williams is flat out the most uncoordinated, nonathletic forward in the NBA. I've never seen a guy fall down so many times under the rim. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to know that we gave him $37 million over the next 5 years.

Mike Bibby hits his first shot of every game. After that, he immediately starts looking like a 32 year old point guard.

Jamal Crawford is still shooting....he is the poster child for the expressing, "shoot yourself out of a slump."

The problem with this ungodly blowout is Orlando sent a message loud and clear -- YOU AIN'T READY. YOU'RE NOT AT OUR LEVEL, AND DON'T THINK FOR ONE SECOND YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS A SERIES.

Midway through the 3rd quarter I started feeling bad for TNT...they could have been showing reruns of 'Law & Order'.

I said in my blog early Tuesday morning that the tone of this series, the effort displayed in this series would decide the fate of this franchise. If Game One is any indication -- I expect the Hawks to take 5 steps backward next season.

One Series May Decide The Fate of a Franchise

For the past three seasons the Atlanta Hawks have increased their regular season win-total and secured themselves a spot in the NBA playoffs. For the second year in a row they advanced to the conference semi-finals. Last year this Hawks team looked like they were satisfied just getting out of the first round. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept them out so fast of the 2nd round it hardly felt like they got there. However, if we are to believe in the progression this franchise has shown each year, I ask you this: what should we expect now?

One could argue that how competitive this Hawks team is in this series vs. Orlando will decide the fate of this franchise for the next few years. Head coach Mike Woodson is playing without a contract. Reluctant star Joe Johnson is a free agent this summer. Jamal Crawford is only here for one more season. The Hawks, who looked out matched during the regular season vs. Orlando, must make this series competitive. If the Hawks bow out 4-1 or even worse, get swept 4-0, what will occur? What has to happen? What needs to happen? Does the Atlanta Spirit offer Woodson a new contract? Do they offer a Joe a max contract? My guess is (a) Woodson is gone and (b) the Atlanta Spirit offer Joe a sizable contract but not a maximum deal. They will then let some other franchise get suckered into putting superstar money into a player that will give them a pretty average return on their investment.

What happens if the Hawks stretch this series to 7 games, but lose? Does Woodson deserve a new lease on life? Will Joe head into the summer feeling good about the state of this franchise? My guess is (a) Woodson is offered a 3-year contract extension...if he wants it. However, another opportunity may come his way, perhaps in Philadelphia where his mentor Larry Brown may take the job as team president, and (b) the Atlanta Spirit offer Joe a sizable contract but not a maximum deal. They will then let some other franchise get suckered into putting superstar money into a player that will give them a pretty mediocre return on their investment. Sound familiar?

Bottom line, for this franchise to stabilize it's future, it almost has to win this series. A trip to the Eastern Conference Finals transforms the Hawks from good to great. You become a destination spot for free agents who believe they could be the missing piece to get this team over that final hurdle.

Fate is described as an inevitable course of events. Tonight those events begin. The Hawks futures rests on it...