Joe Johnson and Josh Childress calling out management!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The NBA trade deadline approaches and the Hawks are wondering: Are changes coming?

Los Angeles traded for Pau Gasol almost two weeks ago. Phoenix acquired Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion last week. Both moves came in advance of the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

With mostly the same roster the past three years, providing the same inconsistent results, Hawks players are curious.

"I don't know what to tell you," Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said. He mentioned the team's need for some help during training camp. "I'm not surprised Phoenix traded Shawn. I think going back to last summer it was clear that Shawn wanted to get out. But we're all smart enough to realize that the trade deadline is coming.

"A lot of things have to happen for us, either before the trade deadline or this summer. We have half our team in their contract year. So something has to happen at some point. Right now, so many teams are making so many big moves. I don't know what anybody is waiting on. I'm sure there is stuff out there for every team, but I'm done pressing the issue."

If the Hawks (21-26) aren't careful, their playoff dreams could fade.

The Hawks have been locked into the No. 7 slot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase for nearly two months. The schedule continues with tonight's game at Philips Arena against a Detroit team that has won eight straight games. That doesn't allow for any more long stretches of futility.

Winners of just seven of their past 20 games, including a three-game win streak earlier this month, the Hawks are well aware of their inability to sustain consistency.

"It's extremely frustrating," Josh Smith said. "For us to come out and play well and beat a team like the Lakers with Gasol, and then to beat Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Orlando and those types of teams, that tells you what type of team we could be. And then to come out and not be able to stay on the same floor with Houston ... and that's not to take anything away from Houston, because they're a great team.

"But we should be better than that. If we can beat the teams we've beaten this year, we should be able to beat anybody."

There is agreement in the locker room that these Hawks, as presently constituted, haven't given a true representation of who they are. Whether that's a product of their makeup or something else is the lingering question.

"I can't speak about the time before me," Hawks point guard Anthony Johnson said, "but our record is certainly not indicative of how good a team we are. And it's disappointing to every guy in this locker room. There's no way we should be below .500. That's the worst-case scenario for this team. The bottom line is you have to go out there and get it done between the lines. And we haven't done that consistently."

It's enough to make some Hawks players agree that any change, might be a good thing.

"Obviously, I'm paid to play and not to make decisions from the management side," Josh Childress said. "But when you see stagnation in your style of play or the way things are going, you have to look to see if you can add something or subtract something, whatever that may be, to get things rolling in the right direction.

"And that means anything, maybe just something to change the locker room dynamic. It could be something so small that might help. And I guess we all need to be a little more analytical about that and certainly be more proactive. Because the worst thing we could do is sit by and let another opportunity pass us by without doing whatever we needed to in order to make good things happen."</div>

hey someone has to have the balls to call management out! Good for them.

 

Good. Too bad management for the Hawks sucks, and they probably won't do anything.

Trade for Jason Kidd!!

 

Sounds like they're bitching because they aren't a good enough team to be above .500 in a weak eastern conference. They should just blame themselves. Maybe the Hawks management should trade JJ and JC if they're so unhappy.