Hawks

By Jesse

September 19, 2005 04:37 PM | Link to this

Intersting questions about the center position. Personally, I think BK did the right thing in passing on Curry. Pachulia, Edwards and Batista are young and have some potential, so maybe we get a steal there — and without the monstrous risk that Curry posed.

If not, we still have plenty of money, another likely draft pick or two, and plenty of tradeable assets to find the longterm solution at center in the next season or two.

I particularly love the Pachulia signing: I think he may surprise some people as a starter, or at the very least will be a more than capable backup once we get our longterm solution. Plus, he came at bargain price.

The rest of the guys are low risk but offer a small chance of finding that diamond in the rough, so I like what BK has done. Curry wouldn’t have done much to improve this team this year anyway, plus he could have wrecked the team’s long term future if things didn’t work out. I’d rather take the long term approach and see what we have this season, then start adding the remaining pieces we need in the next season or two.

By Khao$

September 19, 2005 04:41 PM | Link to this

Boy! The pickings are slim. Too bad Curry is no longer an option. At this point, I’d have to say Zaza. Double his minutes and he’d average a double double. Plus, I read that the people in Milwaukee liked him coming off the bench. Maybe the bench is where he belongs! It looks like the Hawks will be soft as a twinkie filling at the center position this year as well. Collier? I wouldn’t consider him a 3rd option after the horrible play he and Drobijak (sp?) put in last year!

By Sekou K. Smith

September 19, 2005 05:01 PM | Link to this

I love this line: “Soft as a twinkie filling at the center position this yeear.” That is so funky. Wish it was mine.

By Khao$

September 19, 2005 05:13 PM | Link to this

You know how we do SS!

By A Real Fan

September 19, 2005 05:56 PM | Link to this

Maybe Collier worked out in the off season and can actually jump this year. I just want a center that can block shots. That way once the opponents get past the center, Josh Smith is there for the block or the rebound. Our players are tall enough to guard the perimeter but someone needs to be able to guard the lane and the basket.

By buddy@sundaysportstalk.com

September 19, 2005 07:23 PM | Link to this

Collier was soft as a baby’s bottom at Tech. He liked to float outside and shoot threes, even when he was guarded by a smaller player. The prospect of going into training camp with Collier as the only big man was scary. Edwards and Pachulia are young and could put up better numbers with more minutes available. But we need to keep stockpiling big men because really, we’ve got nobody at power forward.

So Sekou, who has the rights to Felipe Reyes and Jorge Garbajosa? What’s their contract status?

By Samuel

September 19, 2005 08:12 PM | Link to this

To me, being content with any one or all of these “Jabronies” shows that the Hawks are not too serious about winning more than 25 games max.

Again, i’m still hoping for a move to aquire a “real” starting center, but I am comming to realize not that it’s probably not going to happen. I still can’t see how Curry would be that big a risk, but what do I know.

There’s talk that the Lakers are considering Curry. What the heck we don’t need him any way. Yea Right!!

By ray

September 19, 2005 10:15 PM | Link to this

I’d go with Pachulia. Edwards should get some minutes and we’ll see what he can do and how large his learning curve is. I think this should be based on toughness, rebounding, defensive effort, and how foul prone each guys is. I did NOT like Collier’s post play, especially rebounding. Check last year’s stats. As I’ve mentioned before, your 2-guard should not be easily out-rebounding your center. Collier may be a veteran, but what is his use? Yeah, he can shoot. Now we have a load of guys who can shoot, so that’s not what is needed from the center position. Scoring should be an added bonus. Pachulia’s stats and reviews suggest that he will bang and rebound. That’s what we need. Edwards may do the same thing. I say let these two do their thing and if they’re absolutely awful, then let Collier play more minutes while hunting for another big man, one of better value.

By the way, Sam, you gotta know the Curry issue is gonna draw flames…heh heh heh..just can’t let it alone, can you? Hee Hee We’re gonna have to buy you season tickets if you’re right about Curry. Don’t hold me to it , though…

No, Andy, Sam was just kidding, don’t pull your hair out, you’re only 39, it won’t look too good.

By doc

September 19, 2005 11:23 PM | Link to this

when JJ fails he can go to the post, the last i looked his numbers were as good or better as curry on rebounds, blocks, and ppg. samuel, i hope curry goes to l.a. as jackson would be looking for a padded cell having to deal with curry, kobe and the other low achiever, just kidding bro.

i’m like jesse in that i want to see how zaza does though it wasnt a vote of confidence that milwaukee went for a college kid to play center.

By Aaron B

September 20, 2005 07:26 AM | Link to this

Hmmmn… Who will be the man in the middle is a tough one. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, when all you have is grapes. I think that Pachula will have to be the testing center piece for the Hawks. With a young athletic team like we have now I don’t know about haveing any huge hulking mass in the middle. But however Collier has his uses too. There are some hulking centers that don’t like playing Collier because of his tendacy to float out to the outside for jumpers. For example; every time Shaq was in town, Collier would rack up alot of points(like around 20). Now even though this was rare, it happened every time Shaq was here. So there maybe some use for Jason after all. But when it all comes down to it, we still need a shot blocking pressence in the middle. Josh Smith is a help-side defender and only is threatening while he is in the game. Both of which doesn’t always scare away the offense. They should try to train Pachula and Edwards to block shots and rebound I guess.

By EMS

September 20, 2005 09:15 AM | Link to this

With Harrington and one of the Josh’s at the forward spots, the Hawks needed to get a Center who can bang with the big guys and get defensive rebounds. Pechulia made sense as he was the closest thing to that the Hawks could get to come here. Hard to see how Collier fits—with him as the 3rd guy on the front line, the opponents will get too many shots each time down.

Edwards and Batista both apparently are big bodys. Can’t say I know much about either one, but I would have to guess the Hawks hope they can bang and get boards, too. If one of them can come off the bench and get some boards, the second unit should be ok. They should have the ability to get points off the bench with the two rookie draft picks.

Have to think Curry is too risky to commit to. Have to worry about whether is heart is healthy and, if so, if he will consistenly show any heart on the floor.

By Astro Joe

September 20, 2005 09:22 AM | Link to this

Zaza the Great will be the likely choice to start and the guy who gets the most PT may depend on how effective our low post scorers become. If Harrington’s knees allow him to be a legit low post threat, then we may want to give Collier more PT to hit shoots from the perimeter and allow Harrington freedom to room the paint. If his knees continue to act like their 65 years old, then let’s give Zaza 35 minutes a game. What this team truly needs from their center are rebounds and hard fouls. My guess is Zaza and Edwards are capable of doing that.

SS, thanks for a more relevant topic. Still don’t understand how soccer gets more real estate in the Sunday AJC than basketball, but life is full of mysteries.

By Khao$

September 20, 2005 04:13 PM | Link to this

I’m really surprised that Billy Knight didn’t pickup up any cheap veteren help (Ervin Johnson for example)to help school some of the younger pickups (Zaza and Bautista) on how to play rugged defense in the middle. I see why he’s going young. They’ll be around longer. But, why not bring in a talent to help groom the young guys playing the pivot? Zaza might surprise us…

By mountain_jim

September 21, 2005 08:49 AM | Link to this

Just a post to mention here’s another hopefull Hawk’s fan (of 30 years) reading here, appreciating the discussion and feedback and your contributions S.S., but also totally unimpressed with the amount of Hawks coverage the AJC is providing overall.

mj

By greg

September 21, 2005 09:59 AM | Link to this

The best scenario would probably be to start Collier, and then come off the bench early with either ZaZa or Edwards. Let Collier start each half and if he is hitting his jumpers and let his offensive production determine how much he plays in the game. Also another scenario, I would like to see the Hawks employ is a 3 forward lineup which would cause matchup problems. You could use Williams, Smith, and Harrington. They might be overmatched in the post, but their athleticism could cause potential problems.

By Ty Prather

September 21, 2005 10:35 AM | Link to this

Not to worry. Hawks wont be competing for a championship anytime soon. So if Shaq and Duncan run amoc for a season or two, who cares? Besides those two and Yao Ming, there arent any dominant centers in the league, so the Hawks will be able to compete with 95% of the other teams that are using PF types too. I’m excited that we have enough young healthy bodies to give teams different looks for a change. Dont count out John Edwards he is the antithesis of JSmoove. No style - but effective and 270.

By mark

September 21, 2005 11:00 AM | Link to this

let’s keep it real. there isn’t a whole lot of true centers in the nba.or ones that can play. i give bk credit for getting young guys with short contracts. in case they don’t workout. my understanding. zaza and edwards are agressive and play tough. so that’s a plus.edwards was a walk on in college. and an undrafted free agent. and made the pacers team. so maybe that say something about him being able to play let’s hope so. again the hawks are a work in progress. and they are going in the right direction.

By THL

September 21, 2005 01:12 PM | Link to this

I think the Hawks should put me in the middle. Sure, I’m only 6’1” but I’ll go in there and be ineffective and get dunked on for a whole lot cheaper that Collier and Drobjniak did last year.

By andy

September 21, 2005 02:34 PM | Link to this

Still feel like it would have been worthwhile to bring back Gugliotta, to help tutor the young forwards. He played well last season, as he was healthy. Not sure why they didn’t. Though I’ve said it before, Zaza, Edwards and Batista are the rough equivalent of taking three hard swings for the fences. If we connect solidly on any one of them and they develop into a starting quality big man, then we’re fortunate and on the right track.

From the spilt milk department though, I’m still a little unclear on why they didn’t use the second to the last pick in the draft for a big man. They thought enough of the immature and undeveloped skills of physically imposing Randolph Morris to invite him immediately to summer league, but not to retain his rights with a near worthless 59th overall pick? If they drafted him, they retain his rights throughout his remaining college eligibility, or put him in the D-league to grow up and realize where a little hard work can take him. I don’t know how many of you saw his nationally televised high school matchup with his buddy, Dwight Howard, but I did. He had like 29 points, 18 boards and 6 blocks, and consistently got his elbow to the rim when challenging shots. He may have made the immature mistake of approaching entering the draft with a sense of entitlement, since his peers Josh Smith and Howard are succeeding in the league, but he’s likely to come around and develop into a quality player. If he plays with a sense of urgency and heart this season at Kentucky, he could play his way into the top ten in next years’ weak draft. And we could have had him at 59. Tell me the likelihood that the Turkish PG we drafted has the same upside.

Additionally, we passed on the St. Joe’s center, Jones, who led the A-10 in rebounds the last three years and blocks last year. SS had mentioned to me around draft time that he heard the kid wasn’t really 6’11. But neither is Ben Wallace or Theo Ratliff. Yet Minnesota thought enough of him to sign him to a two-year guaranteed contract as a free agent this summer, so the upside as a rebounder/shot blocker (what this team desperately needs if anyone has forgotten) must have been fairly evident to the Timberwolves. So a team with no athletic option at the five passes on two distinct big men with both size and potential, to draft a Turkish point guard that no one has ever heard of, and who may never see terra firma of American soil. With so few big men out there, it’s just hard to figure why you don’t roll the dice at 59 on one of those two guys.

Sekou, would love to see you offer comment on the board to the other bloggers on this issue, since we touched on it via e-mail several months ago (specifically, have you ever had occassion to get BK’s opinion on taking the Turk over a raw, athletic big man).

By Sekou K. Smith

September 21, 2005 05:51 PM | Link to this

I’m torn between going with a journeyman in the middle and trying to get a pricey (and risky) prospect at center. Some of these big guys like Eddy Curry make your drool over what they “might” be able to do. But if you watch a guy play and find yourself always thinking “he should be doing more” and he doesn’t, there’s a good reason.

They should be doing more on a consistent basis.

I saw Jones (from St. Joe) at the pre-draft camp. People were buzzing about him but he apparently didn’t play as well as I thought, because people passed him up on draft night. Still, as Andy pointed out, the T’Wolves think he can play. I would have taken the best big man I could find at 59. He would have been as cheap as the guys the Hawks have signed, if not cheaper, and you’d have developed him rather than getting someone who’s already been around a bit.

Even before draft time the Hawks knew they were going after Zaza, whom you could argue is better than anyone you could have gotten at 59, so they decided to go with Akyol on draft night.

Many of you are correct when you point out that the center position outside of Shaq and a select few, is average at best. Still, Ben Wallace is a freak of nature so you can’t point to his size and talk about how he defies some stereotype. And Theo Ratliff is a lot closer to 7-feet than Big Ben. Wallace also has Rasheed Wallace to watch his back and one of the best backcourts on the planet carrying the scoring load. He has a pretty nice security blanket.

Thanks for the chatter and please stay with me people, training camp is around the corner.

By ray

September 21, 2005 05:57 PM | Link to this

Good point, Andy. I wondered about the PG pick myself, considering the S.Stoudamire selection as well as the likelihood of retaining Lue (which they did). If the current crop of big men doesn’t pan out, there’s the chance of acquiring one later, but that will probably cost a lot more via trade. Getting someone decent off of wavers or free agency is not looking good right now.

By Ben B

September 21, 2005 06:41 PM | Link to this

hoopshype lists chris wilcox as someone they would trade. He is another big, young guy that is intruiging. We would be a decent addition.

The other commnet that is relevant: Big men always develop more slowly than the other positions. Keep this in mind and that all of these big men are young and have limited experience. That can be a curse, but it may be a blessing if they blossom.
Looking forward to S.S’s upcoming coverage. Go Hawks.

By Billy

September 21, 2005 06:46 PM | Link to this

They got Akyol because BK wanted someone overseas he could leave there. Akyol is who BK’s overseas guy said they should draft, right?

It was still BK’s decision. I’m just saying I think he went with whoever was recommended in that situation.

By AaronB

September 22, 2005 07:27 AM | Link to this

Thank you Sekou for the up coming info. I can’t wait to see how the new Hawks are progressing. If just a small bit of this teams potential gets unleased this season, they will make a good run towards .500. Now I know that’s a stretch. But you have to consider their overwelming atheleticism. I remember last season every time the young Hawks got to a running game(much to the demise of Woodson) they looked potent. It wasn’t untill they lost confidence that things seemed to unravel. Plus if Josh Smith(mark my words) works on his ball handling skills along with continueing his wonderful practice of his jump shot, he will be the next superstar. There I said it! It may seem like a stretch, but you have to consider his upside. We should do fine with the centers we have. No-one expects to stop those Shaqs, and Duncans anyway. So why not just try to make up for it by matching them 1 for 1. Put an Al Harrington on them and see if they can head back down court before he does. He’s pretty quick for 6’9” 255lbs. Plus after reviewing the way Pheonix ran teams off the court, I think that our offense matches that playing style very well.

By doc

September 22, 2005 12:23 PM | Link to this

aaron you are right that the hawks could have a look similar to phoenix but it may be a year or two away and though i like jj and have been one of his advocates it is a press to expect him to do what nash does and he is what ultimately turned that team on.

By Andy

September 22, 2005 01:15 PM | Link to this

I have to say that while the athleticism of these young guys is impressive, saying could be alot like Phoenix offensively, just without Nash and Stoudemire, is alot like saying a girl looks alot like Pam Anderson except she’s bald and flat chested. Steve Nash, along with Jason Kidd, represents an ability to create tempo and make decisions, and deliver the ball with uncanny accuracy and appropriate timing, that is otherwise near no-existent in the league. As a counter point to those specific skills, Jason Terry is every bit as adept at speeding the ball up the court (at this stage in Kidd’s career, he’s much quicker in fact), but he has no idea what to do with it when he gets to the other end.

And regardless of the multitude of skills that JJ brings to this team, pushing the break at a Nash/Kidd level won’t be one of them. Similarly, there’s no comparitive Amare on the Hawks (though in transition, Josh Smith will continue to develop into one of the most spectacular finishers in the NBA). So once you pull up on the break and move into a half-court set, there’s not a single guy on this team who can establish low post position and beat his man on a regular basis. This is why, as much as I hope that Smith will develop better handle and a consistent jumper (which I think he gets too litte credit for already), his real value to this team would be to develop an array of post moves and emulate Amare’s approach: Catch the ball with your back to the basket inside of eight to ten feet, sense which side of the defender is lacking weakside help, take one drop step/power dribble and try to take the rim down everytime. If you watch Amare, he employs this approach, and once he’s up in the air, if the dunk is not there, he uses his hang time and length, of which Josh has both, to double clutch, wait out the defender, and softly flip the hanger to the rim. He leaves the other team with three likely outcomes everytime he gets the ball in close: dunk, soft flip, or foul.

But even if we’re not going to be the next Phoenix, this club needs to give it’s fans an exciting show to put tails in the seats. Give us dunks that make us gasp and we’ll forgive the litany of losses we know are forthcoming.

By doc

September 22, 2005 08:42 PM | Link to this

andy, you be jammin son. keep it up baby, it is inspiring.

i agree we look like phoenix in that we dont have obvious presence in the middle, but once jj left, phoenix dont look like phoenix anymore. they may have lost some silicone during the offseason.

By colin

September 23, 2005 01:44 AM | Link to this

Although I may be a bit biased, I believe that Zaza was a steal at the price. I watched him in Orlanda and Milwaukee, and he played with intensity, and hustle every game. He improved his jumper, and raised his free throw to percentage to 75%. He averaged 6.2 and 5.1 in under 20 minutes per game, and isn’t a total stiff on defense.

I believe, that given the time, Pachulia can average 12-10, and give the Hawks a center that can post up, battle for rebounds, bang inside, and bring intensity, including hard fouls.

Best of luck all, now to get ready for the Hurricane coming soon.

By AaronB

September 23, 2005 07:30 AM | Link to this

LOL Andy! Ok, maybe they aren’t quite Pheonix as far as Nash, and Amare are concerned. But I do believe we have something else… I think that we have more(maybe not better) transitional players than they did, and certainly now. That means where Pheonix had(in my humble opinion) a weaker bench to go to as far as athleticism, we seem to have the potential for so much more. They have Marion, but I think Marvin and Al are more than equal to one Marion. And Josh Smith may not be an Amare, but he has the potential to be much more. He is the only player that I can say is both explosive on the the defensive end, and equally explosive on the offensive end. Amare is great as far as power, but Josh makes uo for it with his “un-rivaled” athelticism and “un-canny” timing. Even though “J-smoove” is cool nickname, I liked the one that he mentioned in an inter view… “The Fifth Element”. Childress is tough to read, but he has stints of greatness. I think he’ll more than pass Quinton Richardson’s abilities. And Nash may be awsome, but maybe between JJ , Tyron Lue, and Saline S. we may be able to more than compensate. See Nash is a play maker, but those three can make their own plays. And we’re still not sure how JJ will do as point. He may become the next Penny Hardaway(before he got hurt), or T-Mac. And strangely we still have Tony Delk. LOL. He ain’t that bad soemtimes, when he’s on. Still mark my words…” Josh Smith will become a SUPERSTAR!”

By doc

September 23, 2005 09:16 AM | Link to this

delk’s body lol has let him down too many times to be dependable for a team like this. they should jettison him to a team that can risk his frailties so his name doesnt have to resurface. when was the last time he put in dependable minutes without visiting the dl?

By Jameyan

September 23, 2005 09:46 AM | Link to this

All I can tell you is that it is GOING DOWN IN THE A-TOWN. I agree with all of you guys about the Hawks this upcoming season. But the big question is at center. I thought we could have still gotten Eddy Curry for a steal but if Zaza, Edwards, and Batista bring rebounding, intensity, and excitement then the sky is the limit for the Atlanta Hawks. Who knows we might have another Ben Wallace on our team because before he go to Detroit and got with a good team. Who actually knew about Ben Wallace? Not saying that are centers are better than him but this season we could find our Diamond in the Rough like Detroit did. Oh! Yeah J-Smoove will become a A-Town legend and I will be the first to have his yellow jersey. J-Smoove,JJ,J-Chill,Marvin,Salim,Al,Lue,and Zaza the Hawks this season will bring it back from the mid 80’s to late 90’s Atlanta Hawks.

By Khao$

September 23, 2005 10:42 AM | Link to this

Man, I love the intensity the Hawks fans are showing on this blog! That just goes to show, ATL does have an contingency of fans that truly cares about this team. Before the Braves hit their stride, the Hawks used to be the best thing going in this town. I think that the city will respond if Billy Knight puts a compelling team on the floor. That said, we have to temper our enthusiasm just a tad for this season. This will be a season of growth,youthful mistakes, and chemistry developement. The second half of this coming season and the 2006-07 season will truly show if Billy Knight’s experiment is a success. By that time: 1) We’ll know if JJ can run the point or if we need a replacement 2) Chills and Josh Smith will have enough time under there belts to where they’ll have a decent understanding of the NBA game 3)Roles will be clearly defined 4) Marvin Williams will have gotten a taste of what the NBA is. 2006-07 should be the time where the Hawks say “we’ve rebuilt, now it’s time to win.”

By Jesse

September 23, 2005 02:29 PM | Link to this

Andy,

I’d like to respond to what you said earlier about the Cenk Akyol pick. True, Akyol is a little known foreign guard who won’t play in the NBA this season, but that alone is no reason to criticize the pick or to say we should have taken some marginally talented big men instead.

If the Spurs had listened to that kind of reasoning you might have prevented them from drafting Manu Ginobili — a little known foreign guard who they picked up with the 57th pick in the 1999 draft. They had to leave him in Europe for a couple seasons, but it’s worked out pretty well for them, wouldn’t you say?

Also, for those who are interested, do a search for Draft Express articles about Cenk Akyol. Apparently he’s been tearing it up lately against good competition and appears to be a very good prospect.

By Andy

September 23, 2005 05:39 PM | Link to this

Jesse,

That would be a wonderful outcome. My point is that Jones was not “marginally talented”, or Minnesota would not have signed him to a 2 year guaranteed contract as an undrafted free agent. He is an athletic rebounder/shot blocker that was projected to go near the end of the first round in most mock drafts. Neither is Morris “marginally talented”. Like your reference to the need for a couple of years of seasoning for a Manu or this young man, Morris will need the same. However, it is always easier to find talented guards than talented bigs. And with a clear lack of obvious answers at the five I think taking a shot at filling that need would have better served this franchise with that pick. Akyol’s development won’t impact our glaring need for a center no matter how good he is or becomes. So my opinion really had nothing to do with his ability at all. But I definitely appreciate the knowledge on what you’ve heard about his skill level. We need all the talent we can get.

By Andy

September 23, 2005 05:41 PM | Link to this

Oh yeah, as Jameyan pointed out, I think Ben Wallace would have fit your description of “marginally talented” big man coming into the league as well. You see how that’s turned out…………

By Samuel

September 23, 2005 11:36 PM | Link to this

Guys,

Let’s cool it a little,maaannn. Actually comparing the 5th worst team in the history of the NBA to a team with a .756 winning percentage. Come on now.

I know we’re all excited about this upcomming season but come on now.

Sekou, what have you done to these fans.

Andy, I like Josh too, but comparing him to Amare. You can’t be serious. He better put “a couple of bricks in his back pocket” if he’s talking about being on the level of an A. Stoudemire. I like how you described “scoring down low” in the NBA. Man that sounds easy. “IT’S IN THE GAME”, HUH.

First of all, .500 is a total “Pipe Dream”. I would say it is possible if we had upgraded our roster more. We are talking about a team with the 5th Worst Record in the History of the NBA and we added JJ, Za Za, and a couple of rookies. Hardly enough to win 20 more games.

I’m looking at the 05-06 schedule and I can’t see more than 25 wins and that’s generous.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan but I am realistic and I can see that the East has upgraded significantly. We play Toronto 4 times, Charlotte 3 times and NO/Oklohoma City twice. Every other win is an upset,so there you go.

By ray

September 24, 2005 12:08 AM | Link to this

Phoenix is obviously an example of offensive output that the Hawks would like to emulate. However, Atlanta should and may be implementing that which the Suns sorely are lacking: defense. The offensive capability is there, but as Phoenix learned, you must have the defense as a base. All it takes is one cold shooting night or some key injuries and you’re out of the game. Josh Smith won’t be quite like Amare Stoudamire. Why? because he will learn to shoot the midrange jumper well and will have a better handle. The other major reason? Once again, defense. Smith can develop into a more formidable defensive force than Stoudamire due to his natural instincts. His offense will follow. A few post moves would be great to add to his budding repertoire. There are no Nash comparisons, no one on this team is anywhere near his skill/experience level at the PG position. But they don’t have to be, whoever runs the point just needs to make his teammates better. Chances are, though, that the point person will also need to have decent scoring capability. Childress is a solid defender who will get better. He also showed he can score and rebound. Johnson can defend, too, as well as Lue. Royal Ivey is a defender first as well. This is why this team shouldn’t compare to phoenix. It needs to start with defense. Then will find their own identity on the offensive end. Good defense and rebounding will generate offense, especially the fast break, and now we have guys who will excel in the break. As far as how many wins the Hawks will get, they could surprise us. As long as the games are hard-fought and these guys keep their heads up, fans will likely be supportive. Well, not all of them…but you get the drift.

By ray

September 24, 2005 12:12 AM | Link to this

Positive attitude, guys, positive attitude. I don’t see a .500 record this season either, but then I didn’t see Chicago doing as well as they did last season, either. Instead of concentrating soley on wins, I look forward to exciting games and the developement of this team.

By Lamont

September 24, 2005 03:43 AM | Link to this

We must get rid of Collier asap. He can’t rebound,can’t block, can’t defend. I guess Zaza will start at center. I’ve heard good things about Edwards and Batista.I just think we should keep Al Harrington around. He’s got a lot of talent, has experience and is a very good player in the paint, with JJ his game should grow. I know J. Smith has plenty of upside, but guys, Marvim is the man we all are going to be pround of in a near future, take my words !

By BEN

September 24, 2005 09:23 PM | Link to this

Check out this interview of Josh Smith at hoopsworld.com. Kid comes across as VERY MATURE, great attitude and gives some insight into the coming season. Like this kid a lot. Go Hawks.

By ray

September 24, 2005 11:54 PM | Link to this

Well, Knight and Woodson both said they thought Marvin Williams has some things he brings to the game that the other guys on the team at his position don’t have. What those might be I would guess will manifest themselves this season, or at least give us a glimpse. But I don’t know if he’ll have a ROY type of season or not, it’s way too soon to tell. But I do look forward to seeing him do well. I think he’ll be very exciting to watch. Gotta look out for that rookie wall, though.

By KevinM

September 25, 2005 11:55 PM | Link to this

This blog shows that there are alot of passionate fans out there waiting for the Hawks to step it up! Now, not to bring anyone down, but the post players we have currently on the roster are all untested. There is not enough evidence that any of them could produce on a regular basis. My best WAG is that all will see time, and all will be put into different situations (in the preseason) to see if they in fact can match up against the Pistons, Heat and the Pacers. I personally don’t believe there is anything at the position to get excited about. We are still thin at shooting guard as we wait on Salim to mature and Tony possibly gives us enough to compete for now. We have the forwards to compete; now we must be able to match up against Garnett, Duncan, & the other big names. I don’t see a whole lot of improvement this year as we try to learn to play as a team. We will still need reinforcements for the post or we need to make a trade for a more qualified NBA center than what we have. Right now, it is going to be up to Josh to do the dirty work for this team but his star is much brighter as a go-to guy for us once his offense expands to the perimeter. We definitely have an All-star type player growing before our very eyes. But our weakness will be rebounding, interior defense (we couldn’t stop anyone with any skill last year!) and someone who will provide the grit to muscle up to the big boys. I am there to support the team; I just want to see someone finally provide good center play and prove that there is hope for this franchise to get into the playoffs in 06-07. I don’t want to keep waiting on guys to mature.

By AaronB

September 26, 2005 07:51 AM | Link to this

Well I read up on that new rookie we have Cenk Akyol. And he was right, cept for one thing… they said he was dominating the Euro tourney. So I guess that’s prob good news for us Hawks fans. One thing I’d like to point out to all those nay-sayers when it comes to the Hawks winning only 13 games last season;”you probably weren’t watching any of those games”. You see although they didn’t win alot of games there was a few factors that did have a great impact on our dismal performance. #1: We have a rookie coach, if you read up on rookie coaches you’ll see that none of them tend to do very well in their first season. #2: We had alot of rookies, this doesn’t help that forementioned learning curve any. #3 Quite a few of our games last season were close, even though we had a few “blow-outs” we also had more close games. #4 This team saw alot of injuries, alot of teams also feel this pinch but when it happens to a team with all of these other factors it adds up. #5 The whole organization was trying to find an identity, the whole organization was rebuilt and was trying to find something to base itself on.

Even though these things may happen to other franchises, they don’t usually happen all at once. Even though the Bobcats are a new franchise, in the greater scheme of things the Hawks were newer. At least they had a veteran coach. And btw Josh Smith has been working on his outside game. In the last game of the summer league, he went for 19 points, and they said NONE of them were dunks. He has worked hard to improve his outside threat, and I think that next year will be his handles. He will be an allstar, and if he keeps his good attitude up, I think he may be a budding superstar. If you read up on his background, you’ll see that he played on Dwight Howards team back in high school. In alot of those reports they had Josh, not Dwight as the allstar of the team. I think we got a serious deal when we drafted him.

By ray

September 26, 2005 05:39 PM | Link to this

Your comments are encouraging, Aaron. Like I said, positive attitude. Yeah, I’ve read from many sources that Josh Smith has been improving his shooting. Versatility is never a bad thing.

By lewis

September 27, 2005 07:37 PM | Link to this

fist time reader,happy to know iam not the only hawks fan. poor info in ajc on a nba team. if i must say hawks will be better if they can stop someone first but,they must have some kinda inside game. at 6’9” jsmith need to play power forward,while his weight is not there, he need to be able to get the ball on the inside and score..can we say karl molone..pick and role. jchill will be your next spippen and then some. we have no ideal what jjohnson or mwilliams will bring to this team but,in the end this team must be able to stop someone