WTF are the Hawks doing? It seems like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. Atlanta has been in a full rebuild but it doesn’t feel like they have a very hopeful future at the same time. Other teams in a rebuild such as the Grizzlies, Mavericks, and New Orleans feel like they have more hopeful futures. The Hawks haven’t made the playoffs since 2016-2017 and they’re still the worst team in the league. One man has been behind a pyramid of horrible decisions, Travis Schlenk. The Hawks need to fire Travis Schlenk before he does more irreparable damage.
2018 was the year that Schlenk really started to make his footprint with the organization. Atlanta went into the 2018 NBA Draft with 3 first round picks and a high second round pick. This draft was going to make or break the franchise. We know which one it’s done by now. Holding the 3rd pick in the NBA Draft, all they had to do was hand in the card that said Luka Doncic. Instead, they got cute. They wanted to collect more assets and grab their next Steph Curry. Sounds great, except it was a colossal mistake most saw coming even at the time.
The 2018 NBA Draft will forever kill the heart and soul of Hawks fans forever. What could have been Luka Doncic turned into Trae Young. Atlanta thought Kevin Heurter was going to be Klay Thompson. Epic fail. Omari Spellman was the other first round pick and he’s not even on the roster anymore. The worst part is he’s playing well for Golden State. What could have been Devonte’ Graham turned into Bol Bol who was later traded for cash considerations. Even if the Hawks would have missed on two of the picks, imagine what Graham and Luka could have been doing for this franchise right now?
Then Schlenk gave away Dennis Schroder for no reason in a weird 3 way trade that brought Carmelo Anthony to Atlanta. They treated Schroder like he was a salary dump and ate the Carmelo deal for zero reason. Schroder is a nice contributor for the Thunder. Atlanta gave him away so they could buy out Melo. In a million years from now, that trade will still never make sense.
The 2019 NBA Draft is a little too early to tell but the early signs are not promising. De’Andre Hunter might end up being a contributor but far from a star. Cam Reddish looks lost like a deer in headlights. He’s unplayable so far as a rookie. Now they probably made a good trade dealing away Taurean Prince for two first rounders, but Atlanta still hasn’t really cashed in on a good pick.
Travis Schlenk gotta go. The Hawks are the worst team in the NBA. Now they’re planning on doing the unthinkable. Despite having a record of 8-30, they want to buy at the trade deadline. Dear, Travis. When you suck, that means you should probably sell to collect future assets. Instead, they want to trade away first round picks to secure Andre Drummond for no reason when they can just sign him in the offseason.
The Hawks need to take the keys way. Travis Schlenk needs to be fired because he’s drunk at the wheel. Nothing he’s done has worked out or even made any sense at the time he made that decision. The Hawks are a worse run franchise than the Knicks and that’s saying something. To put the cherry on top, Travis Schlenk is the guy that fired Mike Buddenhotzer. How’s he doing in Milwaukee, by the way? The Hawks are a disaster and Schlenk is the only man to blame.
