Atlanta Hawks: Moving in the Right Direction?
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Hawks are firmly in play for playoff contention, but are they moving in the right direction?
This may seem like a strange read. In fact, it could qualify as silly. The Atlanta Hawks, as of now currently sit in 4th position in Eastern Conference play, have a one game lead in the Southeast Division, and look to be playing well enough to stick around come playoff time. Why in the world would someone question the current state of “Hawks Nation”? In a word, personnel.
The 2014-2015 season for the Hawks was one for record books and fan astonishment. The regular season concluded with a record of 60-22 (unheard of in Atlanta), giving Atlanta a number “1 Seed” in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a Division title. Even after getting swept by Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Championship, it looked like Atlanta was closer to being a perennial contender rather than a one season pretender. Fast forward two years, and the picture now seems opaque and murky.
A lot has happened in those two years. Former GM, Danny Ferry, was caught up in a mini-scandal (he had a few), and was relieved of his duties. In the process, and due to his enormous success in just his first year as Head Coach, Mike Budenholzer was given the title of President of Basketball Operations, in addition to, his role as Head Coach. This gave an inordinate, and unprecedented for the Atlanta franchise, amount of power and responsibility in terms of personnel.
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A quick look at some of those personnel decisions, and one begins to see why, possibly, a 60 win team regressed to a mean of 40-45 wins-per-year-team. First, the NBA Draft hasn’t afforded a starter in three years. I don’t care what sport it is, that track record will cause recession and regression. In the NBA specifically, it isn’t usual for a 2nd Round pick to contribute immediately, but to not have a 1st round pick contribute in three years is almost indefensible, and is certainly an indictment.
In addition, and here is where most fans focus, Free Agency and trades haven’t exactly been robust successes. The losses of Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver caused fan consternation, but Dwight Howard and Tim Hardaway Jr. have produced and contributed at a fairly high level. The problem here has been the decision to extend Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder. Both are athletic talents with “high upside”, but both are also wildly inconsistent. Add to that, thus far, contracts like Tiago Splitter and Mike Scott are just not providing value, and the additions of Gary Neal and Mike Dunleavy Jr. are, well, underwhelming.
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Yet, here the Atlanta Hawks are sitting playoff pretty and leading their Division. Without a doubt, Coach Budenholzer is a quality coach and has a vision for the team. The Hawks seem perched to be relevant for as long as he is in town. Still, with the missed opportunities via Draft, and the piecemeal and tinkering approach via Free Agency and trades, one has to wonder…are these Hawks moving in the right direction? And, what direction is that?