Hawks 2008 Presser

[WigNosy]

"Overachieved."

That word comes crackling over the loudspeakers in the Atlanta press room before the cat even takes his place behind the podium.

"We overachieved. And we got lucky that injuries to the Bucks let us back into the division crown."

The hairless cat makes its way to the podium.

"I felt we had a potential playoff team last season. I felt we overachieved, though, and worried that a #1 seed would make our players think they had arrived. The assured me they were ready to win a title. A second round exit at the hands of the Celtics proved I was right and they were wrong. We were too young, too inexperienced, and of course, we didn't yet have a true alpha.

"So I knew I had to fix that. We had to get an alpha. We had to solve our lack of experience. And we needed someone to keep up with the Twin Towers looks in Boston and Milwaukee - much as I love McDyess, he was no longer the horse he had been in the past and Joakim wasn't quite ready yet.

"On draft day, we found our alpha in the person of Tim Duncan. We're happy to have him on board.

"We watched RFA with tremendous interest and made offers to Ben Gordon and Devin Harris that we thought were quite fair considering they'll have the opportunity to play next to Duncan. Ben took our offer; Devin looked for greener pastures in Houston. We looked at the offer, and while it was a little higher than we had budgeted for, it was still within the parameters we felt were acceptable so we matched.

"Unrestricted free agency is always a bit of a crapshoot, but we were happy to bring back McDyess on a contract that all but guarantees he will retire a Hawk. He's been with us through rebuilding, championships, rebuilding again, and now hopefully another period of a lot of winning. It speaks to his character that he's been steady the whole time and never complained whether we needed him to shoulder the bulk of the load or give up some of his individual stats to help us win titles.

"We added several veterans in free agency as well, and we're going to have sift through them to see who can help us and who will ride the pine. Training Camp showed us something about who was committed to excellence and who was going to rest on their laurels - and also showed us that while Joakim has potential, we need to keep a watchful eye on his offseason regimen. It also probably marks the end of the Andrea Bargnani era - we've been sitting on him in hopes he would work himself into a contributor but for the second time in three years, he's showing us he's not serious about basketball.

"I know you're all thinking about asking how we will contend for a title. I don't think we're quite there yet - I still have some issues with the makeup of the team I'm working to address, but I hope by the time the trade deadline rolls around we'll have the pieces in place we need to compete. I'll take questions now."

[NOLa.]

What's it like being a cat and neutering a person?

Sent via Morse code

[WigNosy]

What's it like being a cat and neutering a person?

Sent via Morse code

Ask the luxury tax.

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Though Tim Duncan is still regarded by many as an alpha, he's 32 and has seen little playoff success since joing the league. How confident are you that this team is exactly what he needs around him and can cover his weaknesses, and that this is not just a repeat of the Jordan Experiment in Minnesota?

[WigNosy]

Random Reporter: Though Tim Duncan is still regarded by many as an alpha, he's 32 and has seen little playoff success since joing the league. How confident are you that this team is exactly what he needs around him and can cover his weaknesses, and that this is not just a repeat of the Jordan Experiment in Minnesota?

That's an excellent question. The short answer is I'm not sure we are exactly what he needs around him. I think we're still a piece or two away. However, when you have the chance to acquire an MVP caliber player without disrupting your young core, I think you have to pull the trigger.

[JNR]

GWR: Is it safe to say that Rudy Gay is the engine on your team?

[ballsohard]

Have the Hawks fans caught the Gay fever ?

[Eazy P]

Is It Championship or Bust for your current team?

[Bowtothebill23]

Jack Markson here. Many are very excited to see the Hawks this season, and many are predicting a Hawks championship. But, let's be pessimistic for a second. Let's say I tell you that at the end of the season, the Hawks just lost in the first or second round. Write me the script? What will have go wrong for the Hawks to have an early exit? In other words, what do you see as a fault on this team that could potentially keep it from becoming a legit contender?

[WigNosy]

GWR: Is it safe to say that Rudy Gay is the engine on your team?

Rudy Gay is the future. Our Twin Towers of Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol are the engines of the present.

[WigNosy]

Have the Hawks fans caught the Gay fever ?

Actually, our number-one selling jersey continues to be McDyess' jersey. Our fans are loyal that way.

[WigNosy]

Is It Championship or Bust for your current team?

It's championship or bust any year I pony up to pay the tax man.

[WigNosy]

Jack Markson here. Many are very excited to see the Hawks this season, and many are predicting a Hawks championship. But, let's be pessimistic for a second. Let's say I tell you that at the end of the season, the Hawks just lost in the first or second round. Write me the script? What will have go wrong for the Hawks to have an early exit? In other words, what do you see as a fault on this team that could potentially keep it from becoming a legit contender?

Injuries (03-04). Foul trouble in a key game (02-03). Another historically great team making a run in the same season. Defensive lack of focus. Hot shooting by our opponents. Some combination of the above.

Any number of things can stop a team from reaching a title. I suspect one or more of these could be a problem for our team, which is why the trade doors in Atlanta are still open.

[Conroy]

Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, what role will Lamar Odom play this season. He seemed to be everywhere on be court last year but with a more balanced roster will he play a more traditional role? Or still be the human Swiss Army knife?

[WigNosy]

The coaching staff is still working to define roles but I expect Lamar will be reprising his Swiss Army Knife role.