Atlanta

Winless in February


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

Another game, another loss. The Hawks lost to the Sixers 103-85and to the Pacers 84-79over the weekend. Virtually everyone is already looking ahead to the summer, with high draft picks, big free agent signings, and trades galore. Is this year's team like Denver and Cleveland before Carmelo and LeBron? Or are they more like the Bulls of years past, young and hopeful but until this year, not going anywhere?

The Hawks are virtually guaranteed to get one of the top three picks. Right now they can do no worse than fifth, and that's if they get very unlucky. The draft is going to be their biggest savior; they will just need to be sure they are drafting the best player available, even if it gives them duplication at a spot, rather than drafting for need. Because when you're one of the worst teams in the league, you need everything.

Drafting the best player available can also mean trading down in the draft to get multiple picks. But if their scouts and talent evaluators are doing their job as superbly as Atlanta will need them to be, they should be taking a player with the pick they get. They should also be simultaneously pursuing a strategy similar to what the Bobcats did last year of ranking all available players in the league as to preference. Because with their huge cap space this summer, they don't want to overpay for a role player.

They need a slam dunk summer.

NEXT GAME
The Hawks (9-37, fifth in the Southeast) host the LA Lakers (24-21, third in the Pacific) TONIGHT. The Lakers are fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot while the Hawks are hoping to get their first February win. The game starts at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on WPXA and NBA League Pass.

TEAM NOTES
Hawks Fans, don't miss a chance to get to know your team better on and off the court with the new internet radio show HAWK TALK ONLINE!Join Hawks broadcasters Bob Rathbun and Steve Holman as they discuss the team, the NBA, and other basketball issues.

INJURY UPDATE
Josh Smith(ankle),Kenny Anderson(calf), andChris Crawford (knee) are all on the injured list. Crawford is out for the season.Tyronn Lue(Achilles) is out at least 3-4 games.

NEWSLINES

Tim Tucker ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionwrites: The Hawks have the lowest payroll in the NBA this season except for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. And with their highest paid player, Antoine Walker, coming off the payroll at season's end, if not before, the Hawks are going to have a ton of money to spend on free agents come summer. Michael Gearon Jr. says the question is not whether they'll spend it, but how. "Our commitment is we'll spend right, we'll spend smart, but we're going to spend," said Gearon, a key member of the Hawks' ownership group."That's never been an issue." How to spend is an issue, he said. "One of the things we discuss a lot with Billy [Knight, the Hawks' general manager] is what makes more sense to build a competitive team," Gearon said. "Do you go sign a marquee player, or do you sign a couple of good players?"

Adam Krohn ofThe GSU Signal Onlinewrites: The members of the Atlanta Hawks are probably scratching their heads at what the Chicago Bulls are doing.After starting the season 0-9, Chicago is now 22-21, after finishing the month of January a league best 13-3, with win streaks of seven and five games. Unlike the Clippers, Hawks and most struggling teams, the Bulls have found a way to be successful with younger players.

George Henry of The Associated Press writes inThe Boston Globe: Jermaine O'Neal was so difficult to stop that Atlanta coach Mike Woodson finally told Obinna Ekezie to foul the Indiana star repeatedly.It made no difference. "Obviously, Atlanta has a young team," O'Neal said. "You don't want to give a young team any motivation to compete with you. Those guys still competed."