Post by Skillz on Mar 22, 2008 11:56:14 GMT -5
Hawks Recent Struggles Highlight Questionable Trades
By, 'Skillz
The Hawks struggles have been clearly highlighted across Atlanta, only time will tell in deciding which direction they go in.
By, 'Skillz
The Hawks struggles have been clearly highlighted across Atlanta, only time will tell in deciding which direction they go in.
The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most enigmatic franchises in the early stages of BBS. Starting the league with a 40-42 record despite having very little talent, winning 50 games the year after that, yet finishing 27-55 in a rebuilding season in 2002, the Hawks success had echoed that of their GM 'Skillz, a GM who basically defines the word inconsistent. After a disappointing reign with the Nets in the 2nd version of BBS, 'Skillz enjoyed moderate success with the Hawks in his second stead, winning over 50 games three times, yet failing to reach the finals. His efforts have earned him acclaim as one of the top gm's, yet his struggles have been widely critiqued. Said to be the least likely to win a title by Basone, 'Skillz has often been critiqued for pointless trades that often lead to the downfall of his teams.
More questions have aroused lately, as the Hawks are 17-21 after making a number of moves that have sacrificed their future to contend. Built around young superstar Dwayne Wade, Atlanta has a pair of overpriced big men in Rasheed Wallace and Joe Smith, two players of whom the Hawks dealt a considerable amount for. Then there is veteran star Grant Hill, a player that resulted in the Hawks losing 3 of their 1st round picks and sacrificing much of their future. Despite what looks like a star-studded lineup, the Hawks are 9th in the East, and have not been able to even get to the .500 mark. And now, concerns have been raised on whether or not 'Skillz will get desperate and trade Dwayne Wade, perhaps their lone bright spot in a dark season.
‘Skillz, however, addressed Hawks fans concerns in a press conference Friday, in which he sounded more candid than ever before.
“I made a mistake,” Skillz said. “I underestimated the talent of the East and simply made a mistake. We had the pieces to try and contend, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. And still, looking at our roster, I know we have the pieces. It’s just a matter of finding the right group and trying to remain patient. We sacrificed some picks, took on some contracts, but we have the talent to win, we just have to find the right mix. And at the end of the day, we have something that we never could have imagined having last year, Dwayne Wade.”
When addressing the possibility of trading Dwayne Wade, ‘Skillz immediately shut it down.
“Dwayne Wade will not be traded, “ Skillz said. “The Hawks as an organization have never had a player like Dwayne, and we intend on making him a Hawk for life. A player like him only comes along once in a lifetime, and trading him, the one saving grace of the Hawks franchise, would be incredibly stupid.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that the Hawks will shy away from trading any of their other players, as rumors have been circulating about possible Grant Hill trades. Other teams have also been rumored to be expressing interest in Joe Smith and Rasheed Wallace.
“We are looking at all of our options,” Skillz said.
It should be interesting to see whether the Hawks stick it out and try to win this season, or knock it down again and build around Wade. The Hawks do, after all, have both their 2004 and 2005 1st round picks.
