Are you loko for koloko?!?
January 28 Episode:
In which Travis takes a solo trip to the island of Koloko where he talks about the Hawks three game winning streak, the cosmic turpitude of being a loser rooting for a loser team, and why it’s better to have the high ground if you’re going to fight Miami Heat fans in the stands. Listen to the whole thing:
Transcript
Published: January 28, 2026 |
A Solo Mission
Welcome to the CaCaw Podcast. It is Jan. 28, 2026. Jesse is not here, so I’m your solo host, Travis. Jesse is out this week, and we had an idea that maybe we’d have some special guests or maybe we would just skip it. But then I thought, you know what, we owe it to the listeners, we owe it to our audience to be at least somewhat consistent with something in our lives. So I’m going to run through what the last week looked like for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Recent Run: Wins We Needed
We had the dispiriting loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the last time we checked in. That was Monday, Jan. 19. Then we go to Memphis and get a win, 124-122. Then we play the Phoenix Suns at home and get another win, 110-103. Then on Monday, we play the Indiana Pacers at home in a weird game at 1:30 p.m. because of the ice and the cold here in Atlanta, and we get that win, 132-116. So things are possibly looking up for the Hawks. They are wins they definitely needed because tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 28, they’re going to play at the Celtics' arena, which I’m guessing will probably be a loss.
Schedule Strength and the Road to .500
One thing to note is that the schedule has gotten way easier. According to Tankathon, I think we have the third-easiest schedule in the second half of the season. We had a very hard schedule because of rest imbalance and road back-to-backs. Now we’re in the second half of the season, and things are going to glide a little more downhill. When looking at the schedule, I was thinking probably somewhere around the Thursday, Feb. 5, or Saturday, Feb. 7, game, I bet the Hawks will be back at .500.
The Christian Koloko Factor
The main thing to note is the rise of franchise savior Christian Koloko. So many people were saying, me included, that this team needed a five, a suitable five. We bring in Koloko, and all of a sudden the team has somebody who can protect the rim, who’s an effective five, who’s tall, can just stand there with his arms up. When somebody like Stephon Castle or De’Aaron Fox is driving to the lane, he isn’t just having a free pass. Things are starting to be like, oh, this is what a team looks like when it has players in the proper roles. He is the piece that can help make it so the defense can tighten up and raise the floor so they’re at least a plausible playoff team.
Golden Ideas and the Shadow of Fred Hoiberg
Last night, I found myself watching Michigan and Nebraska. I have a rooting interest for Nebraska because Fred Hoiberg’s the coach. Fred Hoiberg, when I was growing up in Ames, Iowa, was my absolute hero. I remember in English class, Mr. Forsman wanted people to write “golden ideas.” You were supposed to write aphorisms, and he would highlight them and put little stars on them.
The first big thing I wrote about was the feeling of watching Fred Hoiberg play basketball. I remember saying he was “rabbit quick” around the screen. I really felt like I was capturing something, but Mr. Forsman slid it back to me and said he thought we wanted to take on some weightier topics. I’ll be honest, it hurt my feelings because that was emotional for me. Iowa State did seem pretty good.
Miami: High Ground and Hostility
I thought about last year, at the play-in game against Miami that I went to. It was a bummer of a game. There were these guys behind us who were Miami fans. They had that "chest puffed out" vibe and were really happy about Miami taking it to us. There were kids around us, but they started using some really crude personal attacks and offensive language against Trae Young. The tone got really bad. Some guy sitting there with his kid said, “Hey man, tone it down a little bit,” and the Miami fan just did a "speak-to-the-hand" motion in the guy's face.
Lo and behold, the Hawks start making a comeback. George Niang—former Cyclone—is integral to the comeback. He hits a 3 that ties the game. I turn around and look up at these Miami fans. Anybody who knows about stadium fights knows you do need the high ground. I turn, stone sober, and I make crybaby “wah-wah” eyes at them. And then I point at each of them and I go “wah-wah.” And as the last “wah-wah” is happening, I think, what am I doing?
The George Niang Dilemma
The game is winding down. We’re down two or three. The ball swings to the corner to George Niang. No part of me thought, "hell yes." I thought either he makes the shot and I get tire-ironed in the parking lot, or he misses and I become the locus of all taunting and gloating from these fans behind me. It was a lose-lose for me.
Niang catches the ball, gives a little motion, and then he passes to Trae Young, who misses the shot. I think, thank God. I’m hearing that the Miami fans are saying things to me, and I know the only thing I absolutely cannot do is make eye contact with these fools. We turn. I hear some things, but I’m just like, got to walk fast, get out of the stadium. I think there was just a moment where I thought, maybe I’m not the loser here. Maybe it’s George Niang’s time to shine. And that little bit of hope, that little bit of “if only,” can be so crushing.
Top Story: Hawks can make a Giannis trade offer no team can match
What? A Soaring Down South column argues Atlanta could outbid the field for Giannis Antetokounmpo by centering an offer on the unprotected 2026 Pelicans first-round pick—described as the league’s top draft asset—plus young players and expiring salary. The piece is speculative and does not report an actual Hawks offer. SDS. Context: ESPN has highlighted Atlanta’s 2026 pick rights involving Pelicans/Bucks as a premier trade chip, while Giannis is currently sidelined 4–6 weeks with a calf strain. ESPN (assets), Reuters
So What? The takeaway isn’t that a deal is imminent—it’s that Atlanta’s control of the best of the Pelicans/Bucks 2026 pick gives the Hawks rare leverage in any Giannis sweepstakes or other superstar talks. If Milwaukee’s record dips while Giannis heals, that asset’s lottery odds—and Atlanta’s bargaining power—grow. ESPN (Giannis trade tiers)
Now What? Watch for credible reporting (Woj/Shams/ESPN/Reuters) of actual offers, not just hypotheticals; monitor Bucks’ posture through the Feb. 5 deadline and Giannis’ recovery timeline (late Feb–early March). Track the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ standings—both directly affect the value of Atlanta’s 2026 pick. ESPN, Reuters
