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Photo by susanswong, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsI'm 76% sure the Hawks' "patience" is just indecision with better PR.
Jackson Caudell at SI made the case this week: $65 million in expiring contracts isn't an accident, it's ammunition. Onsi Saleh said the quiet part loud — "No skipping steps. We want to grow this thing out organically."
Organic. While the Heat added Giannis. While the Celtics swapped Brown for Paul George. While the defending champion Knicks retooled with Shamet and Alvarado.
Two days ago I wrote that this front office built a beautiful house with no foundation. That was about the roster. This is about the approach.
The market is the tell. Bleacher Report ranked the Clippers and Bucks ahead of the Hawks for Kuminga. Jonathan Kuminga — who was just HERE. The league looked at Atlanta's "ammunition" and ranked them third for their own former player.
Yes, the 20-6 post-All-Star-Break run was real. Nobody disputes that. But a hot stretch doesn't answer the organizational question. The Knicks answered that question — 140-89 in Game 6. A 47-point halftime deficit.
JJ got $150 million. Daniels got $100 million. The core is locked. The window is NOW.
So what's the plan? McCollum on a one-year deal. Landale on a one-year deal. Salary dumps.
Simone sees architecture. I see a front office standing at the buffet, plate in hand, not putting anything on it.
Tell me I'm wrong.
The Tilt
The Hawks' patience isn't strategic restraint — it's a front office that can't close, and the trade market already knows it.
— Dex Ponce
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