Lang Whitaker is many things - executive editor of Slam Magazine, a columnist for SI.com, and most importantly, a die-hard Hawks fan. For 2007-08 , Lang will be sharing his thoughts on the team in an exclusive column for Hawks.com. Check back every Wednesday throughout the season to read his latest musings, and read him every day at www.SLAMonline.com

"Still Baby Birds"
by Lang Whitaker

It was a week of extremes in The Birdhouse, with one superb win and two horrific losses. As beautiful as the Hawks looked against the Suns last Wednesday, they appeared just as ugly against the Celtics and Wizards. (The lesson we hopefully learned here: Run! Run every chance you get, Hawks! Run! Run from the draconian oppression of Woody's halfcourt sets!)

Now, I don't know if Josh Smith yelled at Tyronn Lue during that Detroit game, but I certainly did, several times. If Josh didn't yell at Lue, he probably should have. Someone needed to. Because even though Lue saved the Hawks the game before against Dallas, he wasn't experiencing his finest minutes in Auburn Hills. And if a player on a team isn't performing well, someone else on his team should figure out a way to get that player motivated. Maybe it's a whisper coming out of a huddle, or perhaps it's a supportive pat on the back. Or maybe it's putting a guy on blast every once in a while.

That what leaders do. In the past, Joe Johnson's been that guy for us, but Joe's seemed kind of sleepy out there thus far this year. (As sleepy as a guy can be leading his team in both points and assists.) Joe's always appeared sort of passive, but Joe's our franchise guy and we need him out there controlling the troops. I find myself wishing Joe already had the spirit of a Kevin Garnett or a Sam Cassell, where he was able to bring fire and brimstone to the Hawks. But that's just not Joe. Not yet, at least.

The thing about most fierce leaders is that they grow into the role, and it's not fair for me to expect Joe to have this whole thing down this early in his career. He'll continue to mature and learn, and I'm sure eventually he'll emote more. This kind of leadership development can happen overnight (see: Richt, Mark), but then it doesn't seem authentic. We've got to wait.

This is the conundrum the Hawks are in right now. As badly as I'd like to see them turn things up and all come out with the spirit and cohesion of the '92 Dream Team, it's just not realistic. We have one of the youngest teams in the League. The 836 surviving members of Atlanta Spirit have asked for our patience as the team grows together. Rome wasn't built in a day, but it's only an hour or so from downtown, depending on traffic.

When I was on the Hawks Podcast a few weeks ago, I said I'd be happy if the Hawks could just get a few wins out of their initial five game slate against last year's playoff teams. They did exactly what I asked, going 2-3, and now the schedule will begin to balance out a bit. That doesn't mean the Hawks are going to turn into the Spurs overnight, but as time goes by, as the guys play together more, as Woody begins to trust Acie Law to handle the point, these Hawks are going to be just fine.

I'm waiting for these Hawks to turn into predators. But I have to accept that right now, we're still watching a bunch of baby birds.

MAILING IT IN:

OK, let's go to Maurice in Decatur (where it's greater). Mo writes…

I hate to beat a dead horse, but the Hawks need a new coach. The only reason I can see Woodson being allowed to stick around this year is from sheer loyalty (as if the Hawks know anything about that, read: 1993 season). When I watch the Hawks, I see very little moving without the ball. I see a young talented roster with no guidance. Our talent will get us through the first 3 and a half quarters, but we need coaching to win these games. We can easily be 4-0 right now, granted, 2-2 with the schedule we've had is good, considering. But to lose to the Nets by 5 and then Detroit by 1 is a sign of poor coaching. That Marvin Williams foul mishap in the Detroit game is something that can be avoided through coaching and effective communication in the timeouts. At least when we've gotten blown out over the last couple of years, it's been because we were getting beat by better teams. This squad we have this year has plenty of potential, and with the right coaching we could easily nab a playoff spot in the bottom half of the bracket. We saw how unstable the East was last year, nothing is guaranteed if you don't win the Division.

The Hawks are playing Billy Ball at last

Get off that ledge, Maurice! First of all, the folks who moved Dominique in 1993 are out of basketball now, and Nique's still around, though these days instead of Kevin Willis, Nique's teaming up with Jerome Jurenovich. (I love how Nique has notes in his hand during the halftime broadcasts. Break it down, Nique!)

On to Mike Woodson. See, much like God, Mike Woodson moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. I don't understand everything Woody does, but his job, as hard as this is for me to admit, isn't to appease me. Woody's job is to help the Hawks players get better day by day.

There are times when I'm watching a Hawks game and I wish there was a portal in my apartment that would take my directly inside the soul of Mike Woodson. (To be ethical, I should point out that I would only use this portal during Hawks games.) Once there, I'd be able to control Woody's body and thoughts. I'd stalk around sidelines, put my hands on my hips, accidentally spill Gatorade on the floor when Joey Crawford jogged past and shrewdly maneuver the Hawks to an 82-0 season.

But this isn't going to happen. And until then, we have to trust that the Hawks know what they're doing, that Mike Woodson is the best man for this job. Regardless of what you think, Maurice.

Look at it this way: I've been hyper-critical of Billy Knight the last few years, for everything from passing on Chris Paul to not passing on Shelden Williams. But early this season, especially in flashes against Phoenix and Dallas, I finally saw Billy's vision for the Hawks come to fruition, with clarity and precision. There was a team of long, lean, athletic players out there, zooming up and down the court, dominating their opponents and dictating the tempo. Even Shelden. Seeing this happen was both exciting and educational, because it proved to me that the team Billy is concocting is going to work, eventually.

Billy is the person who hired Mike Woodson. Billy brought him into this world, Billy can take him out. We can think whatever we want to think about Mike Woodson's coaching ability, but Billy's the man making the decisions. It looks like he was dead-on about the way he's building this team. And I like to think Billy knew what he was doing when he hired Mike Woodson. He's learning and improving just as the players are. Patience, grasshoppers, patience.

This isn't to say that I endorse everything Mike Woodson does or says. Woody isn't John Wooden. But at least he's not Bob Weiss, either.

Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at www.SLAMonline.com. He can be reached at lang@harris-pub.com. The best email he receives each week will run in his column.