The Golden State Warriors have cut the NBA in half. Either you’re in the arms race or you’re rebuilding, and the Hawks should be in the latter half.
When looking at the Hawks recent success and multiple playoff runs, one player in particular has made a name for himself. His list of accomplishments as a Hawk are lengthy: Leading team scorer, four consecutive playoff trips, an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, four-time All-Star, 2016 All-Defensive Second Team member, and a perennial dark horse for Defensive Player of the Year. This Atlanta Hawk has built a career’s worth of accomplishments in the span of four years. However its time for this power forward to go elsewhere. It’s time for Paul Millsap to leave.
Millsap was once a respectable but underappreciated player on the Utah Jazz. In 2013, he took his talents to Atlanta and quickly became the team’s best player and one hoop heads raved about. For fans who appreciated defense, dunks, and high I.Q. basketball; Paul was your man. The big man took his career and the Hawks to new highs but approaches a fork in the road of his career. He can join a contender and possibly get a ring. He could also stay where he’s comfortable and become an all time great Hawk (albeit probably without winning a championship). While he has two choices available to him, there’s only one that’s best for him and this franchise.
Millsap Should Want to Leave
The Hawks can provide up to an enticing $207 million dollars on Millsap’s next contract, but many other squads can provide well over $100 million and a chance at basketball glory. The four-time All-Star should choose rings over dollars. Atlanta never had the firepower to get past Cleveland, let alone even challenge this iteration of the super-team Golden State Warriors. It’s not like Atlanta is his only suitor either, as many contenders and fast risers have shown interest. The NBA grapevine shows teams like Boston, Houston, and Denver being enamored with his abilities. With the Harden-led Rockets adding the point god Chris Paul, that situation should be especially appealing for Paul.
Millsap’s game doesn’t hinge on athleticism and he hasn’t yet shown signs of slowing down at 32. So retiring on a super max contract with his jersey next to Dominique Wilkins’ in the rafters is possible. But being on a championship team is equally possible and all the more rewarding. No one will fault the power forward for choosing immense wealth and personal glory. Atlanta will remember him. If he wins a championship however, the whole NBA will know his name.
Atlanta Needs to Let Him Go
The Hawks have tried their darnedest to win a ring with Paul Millsap. The 60-win motion offense bonanza, making the more explosive Dennis Schroder starter, and even changing identities from Horford to Howard. However, it’s just not happening. Atlanta isn’t a free agent destination. As a local, that’s always been questionable but it is what it is. The decade-long playoff run has kept the Hawks from acquiring stars in the draft. This roster isn’t going to improve, and taking up 35% of the salary cap with Millsap’s contract isn’t the answer. It’s time to rebuild and trust a Process.
If they proceed to keep the status quo, the Hawks could end up like the Indiana Pacers. You may remember the Indiana teams that made the conference finals but couldn’t get past Lebron. Sound familiar? Savvy veterans and a young Paul George just couldn’t get it done. Eventually veterans left and Paul George was left alone in his prime on a sub-par squad. Now the star wing man is halfway out the door. The Hawks are at risk of experiencing the same pattern with their young players. Atlanta doesn’t want Schroder or Taurean Prince hitting their prime and getting fed up with mediocrity. Adding young talent, not Paul Millsap, can prevent this.
It’s always hard for a team to leave an era behind, but if the franchise wants to conquer the NBA in the future, it must start anew and forget these kind of plays:
Atlanta loves you Anchorman, but go get a ring.
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