Hawks biggest weakness

With the Hawks starting off the season with 20 wins and only 6 losses its hard to find fault with much of what they’ve done. This Atlanta team has very little weaknesses, and has proven so far that the Big 3 in the Eastern Conference, should now be referred to as the Big 4.

The Hawks are not completely flawless though, and in my opinion they have one major problem. Now this isn’t the only problem with the current Hawks team, but it is hands down the biggest. That problem is Mike Bibby.

The Hawks traded for Mike Bibby almost two years ago. His impact on the team was immediate. He helped lead the Hawks to a playoff berth in his first half season with the Hawks, and almost led them to a 1st round upset of the eventual champion Boston Celtics. The next season he helped increase the Hawks win total, while decreasing their vacation time, as they reached the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time since Steve Smith was on the court and not in the broadcast booth. So why, you might ask, is Bibby a weakness?

Plain and simple, Bibby cannot play defense. He’s not just weak, but he’s nonexistent. The past year in a half he covered up these deficiencies with his playmaking on the offensive end. Now though, his age has began to show, and he just cannot beat people off of the dribble like he use to. In a game against the Indiana Pacers this season, the Hawks were vastly superior. The game remained close through the first half though, because Mike Woodson was having to hide Bibby on defense.

In that particular game, the Hawks were forced to let Joe Johnson chase T.J. Ford all over the court on offense, to allow Bibby to guard Dahntay Jones. The Pacers quickly realized no matter who Bibby was guarding they had a mismatch. Time and time again they fed the ball to Jones in the post, and the Hawks were forced to double team and scramble, so as to not allow for Jones to abuse Bibby. At the end of the night, the Hawks won the game comfortably, but their weakness was exposed.

For the Hawks to take the next step, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and maybe even the Finals, they will have to beat one of the Big 3 teams. Whether it be the Cavaliers, Celtics, or Magic, Woodson will have to strategize around Bibby’s lack of defense. Against the Pacers the Hawks were able to overcome Bibby’s defense, but I’m just not sure they are talented enough to do so against any of the Big 3.

Bibby is still a valuable part of the Hawks, but his defense is going to have to improve if the Hawks want to take the next step. Hawks biggest strength will be coming soon.

Tags: Mike Bibby