The leadership of the Atlanta Hawks is up for grabs, although I am sure the position will linger due to the bad omen that the team has suffered for the past few years, and even more recently, this past season.
Suffering a sweep by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the playoffs, the team just could not pull it together to finally establish themselves as a highly-praised and successful group. Finishing as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern conference is a big accomplishment, but to make it further and be among the top dogs, there has got to be something more effective to offer; that would require a change in the lineup, including the coaching staff.
With the concern being with the future of the team, it would be a wise idea for the Hawks to make sure they choose carefully in picking up new players as well as allowing some to walk away. There seems to have been some mistakes in the past in their selection as Mike Bibby failed to deliver as the breath of fresh air the team needed. They expected him to be a scoring threat and a leader of the team, but he did not distribute the ball as they wanted and his numbers only decreased after being signed. It would be in the Hawk’s best interest to trade Bibby for a better, more efficient point guard.
Joe Johnson is now struggling between a decision to stay in Atlanta or pack up and claim a new home. As the team’s star player, Johnson needs a little more help if he wants to win games. If he were to go to Miami, there would be a win-win situation on both ends; Johnson could win games and put up numbers, establishing himself as a better player on a better team and the Heat could use him as a small forward and a shooting threat as a joint force with Dwayne Wade. This could be the beginning of a great future for Miami, but it still leaves a problem for Atlanta, as they would have to find someone who could effectively replace Johnson. Without him, the team will have to regroup completely to organize a more successful group of players. Changes must be made within the team’s structure and it must begin with their quest for a new center.
Al Horford has managed to slip by as a center for his entire career as a Hawk, but his natural position is power forward where he will be better positioned. However, if they decided to keep him as the center, he would have to build his strength and play bigger to pull off the position. Also, signing Amare Stoudemire as power forward would allow Josh Smith to play small forward and increase his range. Stoudemire’s presence on the Hawks’ court may be the relief they need.
The players are not the only asset of the team having to readjust elsewhere. Head coach Mike Woodson will not be given a second chance at tweaking the team. The Hawks have improved their record consistently for six years under his leadership, and even won fifty-three games this past season, but the progress of making it to the finals has remained negative and is not enough to spare the coach another year with the team. Still, we must give him some credit for the Hawks’ improvement, as he managed them for six years. Although there is a major risk in letting go of Woodson after taking his team to the playoffs, which has only recently become a common feat for the Hawks, I believe that a new coach could take them even further to help them get over the playoff hump. A new coach could add some variety to the team and possibly be the boost they need to excel beyond the second round of the playoffs.
Unless the Atlanta Hawks trade for some qualifying talent rather than choose to remain in the same stagnant position, their success will continue to dwindle even under the direction of any new coach.
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