2013-2014 Atlanta Hawks Season Preview: I'm not saying they should tank, but....

It's almost time to tip-off another season of Atlanta Hawks basketball, and I am very concerned about this team. I don't have any delusions that the Hawks could be a good team. At best, this is probably a 7th or 8th seed. However, making the playoffs would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to this team, but I kinda get the feeling that the powers that be are going to try to do just that.
I'm not saying they should tank, I'm just saying they should play well enough to miss the playoffs. Anyone concerned with the well being of this team going forward, should aspire to be in the lottery. At the end of this season, anything more than the lottery, and less than a championship is a failure.
Over on Hawkstr8talk.com, Larry presents a very good post about how you need a HOFer to win a championship, among other things. The Hawks don't have a HOFer on their roster. Hell, they barely have an All-Star. Considering players don't want to come to Atlanta (something that truly baffles me) that's likely not going to change unless the Hawks happen to draft a future HOFer. I'd love to think they could make a trade for a great player who's still in his prime, but I think we all know that's not going to happen. Just think about it. When perennial All-Stars start demanding trades to a handful of destinations, Atlanta is never on any of their lists. We're just not going find ourselves on the receiving end of a trade or free agency signing that's going to turn our team into an instant championship contender. I've accepted that, and you should too.
Their best bet is to put themselves in position to have a great player fall into their laps. They're going to have to get into the lottery. There's no guarantee that they're going to get a number one pick, but at this point, they at least have to try. This is actually a really good time for them to start building through the lottery for the next few years. LeBron is in his prime, and unless he decides to take a few years off to take care of a gambling problem realize his dream as a NFL player, it's probably going to be awhile before anyone else comes out of the Eastern Conference. A couple of teams will put up a good fight, push the Heat to 6 games here and there, but if LeBron is healthy, the Heat should own the East for a few more years. So, now is as good of a time as any to play well enough to miss the playoffs.
I know from a business perspective, it's not the best idea to have a shitty team, but I'm not financially invested in the Hawks so I don't really give a damn about what kind of losses they may or may not incur.  I'm just a fan, and I want to root for a team that has a legitimate chance to win a championship at some point in my lifetime. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backward before you can start to move forward. That's the position the Atlanta Hawks organization is in at the moment. They can continue to trot out mediocre teams who aren't a threat to win a damn thing, or they can put themselves in position to draft the guy who can turn the team into a legitimate contender. You know which choice I'm in favor of. What say you?







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