Hawks fans are eager for a winner.
Since moving to Atlanta in the 1960s, the organization has appeared in two conference finals and has yet to reach the NBA Finals. They were good in the regular season for over a decade with guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Paul Millsap leading the team. But they were never able to make an impact in the postseason. Then came Trae Young, and the expectations quickly elevated.
The CEO of the Hawks Steve Koonin joined Dukes & Bell on Friday afternoon, and he preached patience.
Carl Dukes started by asking Koonin if the fans are being impatient with the team and the reaction was palpable, "Oh God yes!"
The conversation about the Hawks taking the next step and growing into a championship contender grew to unbelievable levels after Trae Young and company made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last summer. For fans, it rapidly accelerated the timeline and this season's result fell short of those expectations.
But there's a reason that fans don't make decisions.
"The Celtics haven't been in the Finals for a decade," Koonin said. "Are you on a 10-year plan?"
Of course the fans aren't, they want to win now. That's just the way fans are. Fortunately, the Hawks don't have an owner that is willing to rest on his laurels.
"There is nobody in this world more impatient than (Hawks' owner) Tony Ressler," Koonin said. "That I can assure you after working for him for seven years. But I will say that (winning) doesn't happen overnight. As far as the Celtics go, let's go back to what happened last night, who are the key pieces? White, who came in a midseason trade, and Horford who they used to Kemba Walker off their books."
Patience can be good, it worked for the Celtics who started a pedestrian 21-23 and held that record in January, but how long will patience be enough?