On draft day I was hoping for either Hawes or Noah (as those were the two bigs likely to fall to our spot) as we desperately needed a big man. Since we drafted Hawes I've been a full supporter. I was disappointed with his playing time his rookie year, as I would have liked to have seen him get more consistent minutes. Last year I was in full support of the Miller trade just for the reason that it cleared time for Hawes.
We needed to know if we had a legitimate player in Hawes and if he could be an important piece to this puzzle.
Hawes had played very good basketball at the start of the season when Miller was serving his suspension, and he played good basketball once he took the starting job after the Miller trade. So going into this season I felt confident that he was going to be a piece for our young team.
One of the things I've always liked about Hawes is that he got the attitude you want from a big man. He seems to have an edge about him, as if he's always trying to prove to people that he can dominate at his position. Unfortunately, that attitude doesn't always seem to show itself in his play on the court. I always attributed that to just being such a young player and his need to just develop his body and get stronger so he could physically do the things that he has the skill to achieve.
This year has been a major disappointment. Just watching these first 11 games has me wondering if Hawes really is going to be a contributing piece for our young team.
While I don't question his desire to be the best and to make an impact I think that he's really struggling with self-doubt.
I think he is telling himself that he can compete at a very high level, but since it's not coming together while on the court, he's getting hesitant and playing far more tentatively then what we saw when his confidence was high.
I also think that having the other young players (Evans, Casspi, JT) playing really well, and making an impact on the court is actually hurting Hawes. He's seeing his fellow young teammates making an impact, and it makes it all the more vivid that his contributions are lacking.
I am 100% in favor of bringing in a defensive/rebounding/shot blocking center. And if that Center ends up taking the starting position, that would be fine. With that said, I haven't given up hope on Hawes. I think he has the attitude which will eventually see him navigate through his self-doubt.
He's still so incredibly young, and big man do take longer to develop. We've seen some fantastic games by Hawes, so we know he has the ability to get it done. And our patience could really be rewarded if he can eventually get past these issues he's having and grow into consistently being the player he's shown glimpses of.
With that said, I think he should remain the starter unless there is a change in the roster. Moving May into the starting lineup with JT will not improve our team, and I think it also will negatively impact Hawes' confidence and delay his hopeful recovery.
Hawes knows better than anyone else that his play is not up to standard. I don't think he needs to have a fire lit under him, as I'd imagine he's built up a sufficiently massive bonfire under his own posterior.
He's struggling, and as a young player, I have to give him time to try to work things out. Now, if he still consistently playing this way by the trade deadline, then in my mind it would be reasonable to begin to look at other options.
Finally, I have no problems with Westphal using Hawes to better space the floor and keep the lanes clear for Tyreke. I just wish that we would go to Hawes even more than we are going to JT while in the post. Hawes has some beautiful stuff, and if he is getting consistent minutes, than I really wish it would be to develop what could be a huge contributing factor to his personal growth and ideally the team's success. Working hard to develop, and intentionally utilize Hawes' post game could be a huge factor in making this team significant again.
I'm loving what I'm seeing from our youth. Though Donte did not put up great numbers last night against Dallas, he still played far better in those limited minutes than almost any game last season. It looks as if he might have turned a corner, and if so, that bodes well for us all.
I thought that Hawes had turned that corner last season, and I hope for his sake, and the sake of the team, that he can find his confidence, rhythm, and game again.
