Unacceptable

So obviously I posted a one paragraph view on the shellacking at Staples last night, but I wanted to expand upon it further today. I'm a loyal reader of Sekou Smith, Hawks beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and he called the debacle as stunning as anything he's ever seen and he's not one for too much hyperbole.

First and foremost, you can't put any of this on Mike Bibby. Certainly cynical talking heads and bloggers will crack jokes about him, but there was really nothing he could do to change the outcome of last night's game. He'd spent 24 hours with his new team playing against a very good Western Conference team coming off a long road trip. It was just a tough environment. Bibby didn't have any impact on the game, but there was none to be had. The Lakers punched the Hawks in the mouth from the get go and the Hawks never fought back, trailing by as many as 41 points in the first half.

It was truly a pathetic effort. The Hawks were slow and off balance all night on the defensive end. They were as disjointed on offense as they were prior to acquiring Bibby. In fact, they seemed to forget they acquired Bibby at times as the "Joe Johnson dribbles for 22 seconds and then puts up a bad shot" offense was in full force even with Bibby on the floor. You have to wonder with Mike Woodson's proven inability to diagram or design an offense how a proven veteran Point Guard is going to put up with that nonsense without getting incredibly frustrated.

I'm not expecting the Hawks to go into L.A. and beat one of the best teams in the NBA. I am expecting them to go out there and play with pride and passion and that seems to be lacking with the Hawks. By dumping Anthony Johnson and Lorenzen Wright, the injured Speedy Claxton took over as the senior member of the Hawks at 29 years old, just days older than Bibby. That's right, the Hawks have nobody over the age of 30 on the roster. So why do they always seem to look so lethargic? This team NEVER looks excited on the floor. Last night they looked tired. How does that happen? They had four days off prior to the game last night yet the effort was poor and the energy level poorer, that just can't happen with a team of guys under 30.

The Hawks also have huge question marks on the roster. I was 100 percent behind the Bibby trade and one game isn't going to change my opinion, but the Hawks have dumped four players to get him and only added one other player to the roster (NBDL'er Jeremy Richardson). By thinning out the roster Atlanta is now counting on Salim Stoudamire, Solomon Jones and the NBDL All Star MVP Richardson to log meaningful minutes. That's a huge risk seeing as how Stoudamire had only played 13 minutes since December 15th and Jones 47 minutes in that same time span prior to last night. I've been critical of Woodson's bench management all season and it's coming to the forefront now. Guys need to step up and make plays, but it's admittedly a bit unfair to expect huge results when they can't get off the bench.

The time for excuses is over. When you haven't been to the playoffs in this millenium, excuses come easy. It's time for Ownership to hold management accountable for its actions. It's time for GM Billy Knight to hold coach Woodson accountable for his actions. It's time Woodson holds his players accountable for their actions. And it's time for the Hawks players to hold each other accountable. The Hawks have 32 games left to make a push for the playoffs. 17 of those are on road. The Hawks have one road win in 2008 and it was over 14 win Seattle. Based on last season, it will take 40 wins to make the playoffs, 41 to get the 6th seed and avoid a surefire sweep at the hands of Boston or Detroit. The math right now isn't adding up for the Hawks the way they've been playing.

It's time to change the status quo. It's time for leaders to emerge and demand more from teammates. Joe Johnson is an outstanding basketball player, but he's yet to prove that he is an outstanding leader. It's up to Joe and the newly acquired Bibby to do something, anything, to light a fire in their younger teammates or the Hawks will miss the playoffs for a 9th straight season.

Check out the show tonight, Tad and I will talk more about last night's debacle, the state of the NBA and the Falcons roster cuts. Check it out from 8-9pm on www.radiosandysprings.com