Hawks

By Ben

October 18, 2005 05:06 PM | Link to this

Filling the physical roster spot left is one thing, filling the spirit of that spot is a very different thing.

There has been talk of trading Al Harrington, but given the fragile nature of the team now, I don’t see how they could trade him. He is one of the mature leaders that will shoulder much of the burden as they move on.

God’s speed to Jason’s family and the team. Peace.

By ray

October 18, 2005 10:46 PM | Link to this

I guess, then that it’s no good speculating who that might be. You know, I was just thinking: where’s Lee Nailon?

By jeremy

October 19, 2005 02:13 AM | Link to this

well, personally…i think we have a pretty darn good team like we are..except for the fact that we would use another center in the rotation now with the very, very, very sad news of Jason passing away (I went out, too, to the practice and was shocked. My aunt just passed away, so it kinda hit home even further). anyhow, i think just about every single blogger ive read has put al out for trade bait while i am of the belief that he is the person we need to keep the most. why? basketball smarts. leadership. brings it every night. his bball IQ is way up there…some of it you cant even teach. His high arching fadeaway in the paint (like wayman tisdale and barkley used to do or kevin mchale), his ability to wisely use his backside when posting or when creating space for passes from the elbow, his ability to keep the flow of the team smooth and in synch with coach. also, i think people diss lue way to much. is he a first rate starter potential guy? no. is he one of the best back up point guards in the league (as he self proclaims)…absolutely. sure he is short, but he has been a wonderful pest on many a guards, he does a nice pick and roll, he can stick the j in a half court set and even better in a mild fast break pull up shot, and he can bring the ball up quick. yeah he is exposed by some of the bigger guards of the east, but that is okay. i think batista is gonna suprise some folks…kind of like that white dude who was with the lakers at power forward and is not with the wolves. mark madsen. goofy, almost out of control, but he is like eduardo najera in that he brings it every single freakin night. batista is that in the future. zaza is legit. yes, folks like marcus camby, dalembert, shaq, and others might abuse him sometimes b/c of their weight and arm length to shot in close hook shots and such..but i think he is gonna put a lot of those guys in foul trouble with his cuts to the basket…especially when they have to respect his outside j that he can VERY obviously and consistently put down. he doesnt mind bangin either. of course, i agree with most that salim is another steal and we REALLY needed another 3 point threat to spread the opposing D so all our 6’8’ to 6’10 slashers can get easy baskets or create fouls near the hoop when driving. and marvin…i like this dude. he is still raw to some degree but i think he is tougher than most people thing (watching his old high school and college film). he is skinny up top but man oh man can he slip and slither around the basket…like antwan jamison, dalembert, webber back in the day, and the tall, skinny mvp out in minnesota. im a huge j smith fan and his jumper hasnt improved so much per se..i just think it is getting back to where it was back in college. j chill is for real. slinky, slippery, longggg arms, knows how to jump from way out, get airborne and get the contact when going to the hoop (like grant hill)…im just worried that his shot (that he shoots soooo low) will always be his problem (but like at matrix out at phoenix…and he has flourished…so you never know.).

i say hawks hit 30 to 35 wins this year. washington and orlando and charlotte are all beatable any night. miami is another story. i just hope we can get another center to rotate in and bang …so that we can get a little respect in the middle.

peace out.

By tb

October 19, 2005 04:34 AM | Link to this

I think that the Hawks are pretty much set. They are going to have to bring in another big, maybe two.

Edwards might go to Little Rock.

I would be surprised though if they bring in someone that would be more than a low minute back-up.

It is almost a good thing that Lue and Smoove are side-lined. Salim, Williams and JJ are getting big minutes. It will serve all three of them well. Smoove and especially Lue won’t miss the time.

Pachulia and Batista are looking very good. I have a feeling that it will get more difficult inside very soon.

By jeremy

October 19, 2005 06:07 AM | Link to this

I agree. Pach and Batista are looking good..especially Pach. Also, I agree that Smoove nad Lue won’t miss the time and it has been a blessing in disguise since it has allowed Marvin and Stoudamire more time out there in preseason. Go Hawks.

By AaronB

October 19, 2005 07:52 AM | Link to this

Well, I agree that this has been a blessing for the rookies, since Lue, and Smith are sidelined, but I miss hearing about Smiths highlights. So I wish them both back on soon. As for Paculia and Batista, I like them both alot. We got a serious bargin for those two. They are severely under rated, and that will be a bonus for us. And just wait till SS gets his jitters out, and starts to play. He will be a good canidate for 6th man this year, like Ben Gorden was last year. JJ is coming along fine as the starting point guard, so I honestly think people should relax and give him time to come to his own. He needs to learn that position right now, while it doesn’t count.

Harrington should stay, because it’ always nice to have an athletic power forward who can give you 20 in a given night. But I think Woodson should limit his “taking over” the offense too much, since he does take alot of shots. He should be banging with Batista and Pachulia for rebounds.

By Nookah

October 19, 2005 10:27 AM | Link to this

My sympathies to Jason’s family. My prayers are with them.

I agree with most that has been said. Zaza & Esteban will give us more than we thought we had. I like the intensity but I agree we do need 1 more big man. I like Jeremy’s suggestion about Madsen. You won’t get scoring but you will get intensity and that can be contagious and will add a whole lot to our defense. I think we will be all right. I am looking forward to our game against Miami. Even though it’s preseason it will be nice to see how we perform against them.

As I have said before in another blog, I think our major problem is protecting the ball. TO’s have been our achilles heel. If we can solve this problem we will be all right. Last night was a big improvement on the previous night. We had 16 TO’s and 30 assists. That is pretty good. Hopefully we can sustain that against the better teams.

Nuff respect!!!

By HB Ando

October 19, 2005 02:26 PM | Link to this

Now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming (had to wander off and take shots at Mark Bradley regarding his Chan Gailey article).

I’m going to have to agree with Ben, that for the time being, the idea of trading Al Harrington would be counterproductive to this young teams’ psyche. While Johnson will likely assume the mantel of team leader for this team, Al is the senior statesman right now, and this team will be better served with some collective stablility, than with a desperate, drastic move to address the further weakened front line.

Don’t fire sale Al or Childress (the two many of us have maintained would be the most likely candidates to move in exchange for a quality big man) just to pacify the fans (or critics). If there is a deal that makes sense over the next few months, make it. But again, that which ills the Hawks will not be healed overnight. The untimely loss of Jason Collier further hightens the sense that this is a young team on the edge. Keeping Harrington through the all-star break (and quite possibly for years to come) is the best way to ensure a level of stability, both emotional and performance-wise, for this Hawks team.

Put Zaza and Batista on the floor. Emphasize to all players in the rotation that they must rebound as a team. Send five to the boards on every defensive possession. Harrington, Smith, Childress and Johnson will have to get their hands dirty every night.

If there is a healthy, free agent big man available, that could come in and contribute right away, I’d like to know his name. If he’s got a name and some game, sign him. But this roster has not had any time to gel, and a quick trigger on a Harrington deal, unless the upside in undeniable, would likely lead to some fairly ugly outcomes this season.

By jeremy

October 19, 2005 03:49 PM | Link to this

great comments by everyone. i would like to get scott pollard. he is a banger, gets garbage points, and is not an offensive threat, therefore being more than open to set high screens at the elbow or pass from there to our cutting phenom athletes. shoot, id take eduardo najera right now if possible. not tall, but brings the energy and the dirty work mentality.

will be interesting to see how things go this year. looks like woodson wants to speed up things, take off with the ball of rebounds or inbounds plays..especially now that we have more weapons and 3 pt shooters to spread the defense and passing lanes. will be interesting to see how that goes with…or doesnt go with…his defensive minded philosophy. i remember last year seeing antoine walker trying to run the break (bad idea) or just end up having set plays to al and antoine in the block…plays that didnt encourage a cent of movement, cutting, or team play. this year is going to be totally different, as evident in the preseason games thus far.

go hawks! (and someone hook me up with a good ticket!).

By ray

October 19, 2005 04:03 PM | Link to this

Al is definitely the veteran here, but I think his leadership will be more complete when he significantly raises his defensive intensity along with crashing the boards. When the offense has trouble igniting, toughening up on defense will get you back in the game, and you need that from your leaders. To me, the heart is in your defense more so than in your offense. I definitely wouldn’t want to trade him before the February deadline, and even then only if one of the younger guys playing that position stepped up to the point of where they could take Al’s minutes and a good trade is available. I think the only reason he’s seen as such trade bait is because he’s a young veteran with skills. But that’s a value on any team, especially ours. As far as Zaza goes, the Cambys, Dalemberts, and whoever else will only abuse him for a short time. Look for his game to grow and solidify. Then he’ll give as good as he gets, or even more so. And Batista seems like he’ll develop into a good enforcer.

By HB Ando

October 19, 2005 06:55 PM | Link to this

Jeremy, the Pollard idea is great. He’s just the type of player this team could use. Physical and aggressive, but also able to run the floor, which will be important given that the Hawks want to play up tempo. Najera would also be a sound option. Problem is that neither of those guys is worth an Al Harrington or Josh Childress, and not likely available for a Tony Delk. So my question is where is a plausible deal that makes sense for both teams?

By jhan

October 19, 2005 07:28 PM | Link to this

Trading Al right now would be a mistake. This team needs some kind of veteran leadership. Hard to believe someone who has only started one year in the NBA is our leader. Let’s wait until we get closer to the deadline and see what’s happening with the team.

By ben

October 19, 2005 08:58 PM | Link to this

ANY CHANCE THAT DAVID ANDERSON COULD BE BROUGHT OVER TO JOIN THE ROSTER?

By jeremy

October 19, 2005 09:51 PM | Link to this

HB Ando—good question. Im going to have to think about that and get back to you. It would be so nice to just be able to use some of our salary cap space to get one of those cats, but as someone mentioned before…teams like the pacers, prepping for a title run, are not going to easily dispense of folks like pollard. i do have to give props to pollard for his many hairdo’s and facial hair/beards. eduardo would be great here in atlanta, i agree, especially with the up and coming latino population atlanta now has.