SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE HAWKS

Josh Smith (left) and Marvin
Williams of the Atlanta Hawks.
(AP Photo)

The Atlanta Hawks were a pitiful sight in their 99-76 home defeat to the Boston Celtics and head coach Larry Drew can only bow and shake his head slowly after the game. And here comes another loss, this time to the New Jersey Nets, 107-101 in overtime. It was their third straight defeat and seventh in their last ten games. The Hawks started the season soaring high with five consecutive victories. Drew says he want to get to the bottom of what is currently ailing the team, which he describes as lacking in energy, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We are playing like we are coming off a back-to-back-to-back. I told the guys I don’t know what you are doing the night before we play, I don’t know what you are doing away from the floor. Something is going on that is not allowing us to play with an energy and passion that we should be playing with. As a head coach, I’ve got to find out what it is. Something is going on and I’ve got to get to the bottom of it. Players have to know themselves. They have to know their bodies. They have to know how to get physically and mentally ready for every game, especially at the start. First four minutes of the game, when I see my players bending over grabbing their shorts because they are winded, something is going on. Something is wrong.

“I am disappointed that we are not playing with a hunger. We are looking to point fingers. We are playing the blame game. More importantly, our energy level is not good at all. We are not doing things quick, we are not doing things with speed, we are not doing things with urgency.”