NBA Lockout News: Open Letter to Atlanta Hawks' Fans Fails to Address the Truth
What I am about to present to you was presented to me by Slam Online. It is an open letter to Atlanta Hawks fans from Hawks’ President Bob Williams referring to fans’ worries about the franchise being sold. It addresses less than a few points fans should be concerned about.
"To Our Hawks Fans,
Today it was reported that our current owners, Atlanta Spirit LLC, signed an agreement to sell a majority ownership stake in the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena operating rights to The Meruelo Group. Completion of the sale is subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors, which is expected to occur later this year.
Our ultimate goal has always been and will continue to be bringing championship basketball and world class entertainment to Philips Arena and the city of Atlanta. We value and appreciate your support, and look forward to sharing many more unforgettable moments with you, our fans.
Sincerely,
Bob Williams
"
President, Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena
The above letter did nothing for me. Maybe that is because I have no emotional ties to the organization or because I think the last thing that should be on a fans’ mind is ownership. The fact that Bob Williams injected the term ‘championship basketball’ in this piece brings a bit more confusion than normally.
Everyone watched the same basketball games that Atlanta competed in. Even though there were sparks from the young Al Horford, the amped Josh Smith and the silent but deadly jump shooter Joe Johnson, the team still failed to impress against an inexperienced Derrick Rose.
Yes, the MVP averaged 25 points this season and impressed anyone who watched him, including myself. Who would not enjoy him swiveling underneath the hoop every other second past an unknowing defender?
However, every hero has his or her own kryptonite. The Hawks, because they refuse to play with consistent heart, seemed to fail at their mission. With so many threats on so many different areas of the floor, Atlanta should have been more than able to advance past the Bulls and take advantage of their team’s fatal flaws.
However, the major problem is that there is no vocal leader on the squad.
With every other team in the league, you see that one man that can hype his team up in the eye of defeat. The Lakers have Kobe, the Heat has Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Orlando has Dwight Howard and even the Indiana Pacers have Danny Granger and Tyler Hansbrough aka ‘Psycho T.'
Who does Atlanta have? You can see Smith from time to time getting pumped up on the court but when addressing his teammates on the court or on the bench, he is less than admirable.
Atlanta fans should be slightly more worried about the personnel change on the court and why the President feels he and the franchise are presenting championship basketball, than ownership. In all actuality, ownership may be able to promote a change.
More heart, more wins, a championship.
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