Hawk's New Chapter

As a Hawks fan, this offseason, still in its infancy, has been THE most exciting one in recent memory. Atlanta sports franchises are known for their passive, "old school", approach to success. The Braves have one of the best farm systems in the majors. They approach success by carefully "growing" players from a young age instead of buying success like many teams these days. The Hawks have had the key components of their "mediocre" 1st round of the playoff team since Al Horford was drafted 3rd overall in the 2007 draft. All five of these years, Atlanta has been in the same place. They come into the playoffs and underdog, and lose in either the first or second round. Don't get me wrong. I love that the Hawks make it to the playoffs, heck we could be Charlotte, but I have come to expect this first or second round loss every year. Finally, the Hawks have made some moves and have started to turn heads around the league.

The off season started with the acquisition of a new GM, Danny Ferry, former VP of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs. Ferry was considered one of the best high school basketball players and played professionally for Cleveland and, for a long time, held the record for most games played for their franchise. That is until "Big Z" dethroned him in 2009. His management career also began with the Cavs. He experienced much success during his time as GM; however most of this fell directly on the shoulders of this guy named LeBron James. When you have that guy, it's almost impossible not to make a run in the playoffs. Ferry made a series of very questionable moves as the GM. The most questionable of these is the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal. This, at the point in his career where he could hardly make it down the court. Somehow he thought that would get LeBron his ring? After resigning from the Cav's, Ferry "took his talents" to San Antonio where he played a large part in the continuation of the Spur dynasty. Everywhere he has been, success follows and everyone in Atlanta is hoping that this streak continues, even Rick Sund.

Ferry began making moves even before his bags were unpacked in the ATL. The Hawks selected John Jenkins, 3pt specialist out of Vanderbilt, in the first round, and Mike Scott out of UVA in the second. The Jenkins pick is a high-risk-high-reward pick as his game is very one dimensional. One thing is for sure, the boy can shoot and that’s what the Hawks need. Someone, other than Marvin Williams to pass to when they need a triple.

Right after the draft, the impossible occured. Something so unthinkable it would make Kevin Garnett proud. The Hawks traded Joe Johnson and cleansed themselves of the cancer that was his 6 year $119 million contract. Johnson, who averaged a mere 18.8 points per game this past season, did not live up to his title as highest paid player in the NBA. Many looked at Johnson as the anchor of mediocrity for the Hawks, which is why I rejoiced when he was sent to Brooklyn. I honestly don't even care who the Hawks received in return for Johnson, (Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson (via sign-and-trade), and Houston’s 2013 lottery-protected first-round pick ). The biggest win for the Hawks is getting rid of JJ and his massive Ford (see Bradley's "Treat Yo Self") and his massive contract.

What does this mean for the Hawk's future? Good question. With Johnson's contract gone, this frees up space on the Hawks payroll and focus falls on the 2013 offseason. Notable free agents include Chris Paul, Dwight Howard (probably), Manu Ginobli, and the whole Jazz team. Josh Smith's contract will have expired as well, and he is sure to have many suitors. If the Hawks could land one of these big names, it would most certainly break up the mediocrity of the team and bring a new hope to the franchise. Howard and Smith's long time friendship might help to reel in Dwight and start a new chapter in The Highlight Factory.

Perhaps the biggest win for the Hawks is getting rid of the scar on the franchise that is Marvin Williams. Every time I look at his face I see missed opportunity, and I see flashes of CP3 in red and navy slicing up defenses in the Phillips. Marvin was traded to the Jazz for former Badger Devin Harris. Harris has fought through injuries in his past few seasons but will be a good replacement for Kirk Hinrich if the rumors surrounding his trade do in fact come true. (My sources, i.e. Levy, tell me that a trade is very likely)

One thing is for sure, these offseason moves have opened up an exciting future for the Atlanta Hawks. With the right management and coaching, the Hawks could become a power in the East and compete with the "next level" teams that dominate basketball.