Let me start by saying that this blog is the best resource for Hawks fans that has ever existed, particularly the rants of hawksdawg, who always has a perfect balance of objective facts and humor.  I think that many average Hawks fans aren't always motivated to speak their minds on here, particularly if they don't have a rigid stance on an issue being debated.  So here are some middle-of-the-road stances I have taken after much thought.

It seems people either love or hate Coach Woodson.  I was not a big fan of him early in his tenture (how could you be, we were horrible!).  And let's be honest, he was making some bad coaching decisions at times.  But I don't understand the people who continue to paint a picture of him as the worst coach in the NBA. He has grown with this team, and he is a much better coach than three years ago.  Bad coaches scare away free agents, and the fact that we held on to all of our key players this off-season, as well as picking up Crawford and Smith, is at least a partial testament to his effectiveness.  That being said, I see him as an average coach, but c'mon, we're owned by the Atlanta Spirit Group, beggars can't be choosers!

No one will argue that Marvin Willaims was a bad pick.  How do use the second pick for a college sixth man?  I never understood the hype.  But I will say that flip-flopping between him and Crawford is brilliant.  Williams has a defensive presence that doesn't always show up in stats.  He is a perfect fit for this starting unit, considering that everybody else can score.  And then to be able to switch him out with Crawford when the offense isn't clicking?  Flippin' sweet!

Josh Smith is the most important part of our team.  It seems pretty obvious.

How much better could anyone expect this team to be?  Looking at the top teams in the NBA... Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo, Howard, any Celtics starter not named Kendrick.  All of these teams have solid role players as well.  No offense to Joe, but we don't have anybody on that level.  We should be proud and grateful to have the Hawks playing at this level.  They are regularly blowing other teams out of the water.  When was the last time that happened?

We should enjoy this while we can.  I see no albatross holding this team down.  Never stop talking about what will make the Hawks better, but at the same time, if you look for something negative to focus on, chances are you will probably find it.  So all of the Woodson, Joe, Josh, Marvin haters out there, let it go.