Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Hawks Owner Calls Out Organization for Complacency "At All Levels"
Today's media availability for Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler did not disappoint. Whether it's All-Star point guard Trae Young, general manager Travis Schlenk, or members of the ownership group, there's never a dull press conference in Atlanta.
Today, Ressler made headlines by saying he wasn't scared of the luxury tax and that he had given Schlenk the green light to enter the luxury tax. While that is indeed music to fans' ears, his subsequent comments were even more surprising.
Alison Mastrangelo of WSB asked if the team became complacent; Ressler said the following:
"I think we were and are a young team getting to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. I do think that created a little bit of complacency this summer, frankly. I think at all levels, and again, I don't blame the players. I think ownership, I think front office, I think coaching staff, I think players might have all thought we were, as they say, 'just a small step away'."
Ressler continued his stream of consciousness, "And that is an interesting comment because that step that Trae had on the refs foot last season, it might have been a small step away. Because I thought we were playing the kind of magical basketball that could have taken us anywhere. So, I think we all jointly kind of looked at us as one step away. That's not - that won't happen again."
Ressler finished answering the question by saying, "I actually think it was complacency across this organization. Maybe for the right reasons because we all thought we were closer than we were. That's what this season told me. And the idea of having complacency before you win a championship. Maybe after we win one, I'll take a breath. But we're not going to have complacency again. I don't think at any level."
You have to love the accountability of the team owner. Ressler went on to confirm that he had confidence in both Travis Schlenk and Nate McMillan, although he said both of them (and himself) all underperformed this season.
With the team ready to spend money and upgrade the roster, it is sure to be an exciting summer in Atlanta. Stay locked into AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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