A week ago, the Hawks were 12-6 and alone in second place in the NBA's southeast division after dispersing of the N Y Knicks, 98-95 in the friendly confines of Philips Arena in the ATL.
One week later........and the Hawks are still in second........though tied with the Miami Heat. But the record now stands at 12-9, with three straight losses in the state of Texas.
Atlanta lost a heart-breaker at Dallas, 100-98 on Saturday. Then were dismantled on Tuesday, 92-84 at Houston and out played by San Antonio, 95-89 on Wednesday.
Suddenly, these young Hawks are not shooting.....making way too many turn-overs.......and are not functioning as a cohesive unit.
All star guard Joe Johnson has done his part.......Joe averaged 30 points per game in the three losses. For that matter, the entire starting five has been decent........averaging double figures. The problem for these Hawks is bench play from the reserves. No one is stepping up. Are they tired? It is an 82 game grueling schedule but there have only been 21 games played.....roughly one-fourth of the season.
A starting five in the NBA can take you only so far.......players 6 to 12 on the roster have to produce and make an impact . The Hawks bench is neither ..........
Panic time? No........but the Hawks should start recruiting now to strengthen their weakness. Time to check-out those aging veterans who need one more chance to show themselves in post season play........
A few names that come to mind.......
Stephon Marbury ? Jason Terry ? Juwan Howard ? Antawn Jamison ? Joe Smith ?
Just a thought.....
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