AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > April > 07 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USNBA surfin’ with Sekou
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a good thing I’ve already got a lady. Because with my TV viewing habits on an off night (everything from ESPN to TNT’s Thursday night NBA hoops to reruns of “Martin” — the man is a genius), it’s a wonder I can get my lady to even speak to me. And I didn’t even mention that the TV and computer are all located in the Sanctuary (family room), a space I don’t leave for anything other than a cold beverage (Coke Zero, baby — relax) and the occasional retreat to the Palace (the gentleman’s parlor).
I did fire up the grill long enough to make some burgers, sausage and steaks. But I can’t lie; the night was spent mostly on the frivolous.
So while I was flicking channels and reading and sending emails, I had a few revelations about my favorite subject these days (other than Michigan football, of course): NBA hoops.
A few notes, quotes and an opinion or two (some information contributed from fellow NBA writers from around the league):
— Tony Delk’s time with the Hawks this season is one of the all-time great injustices in pro basketball. Tony Buckets (as he was nicknamed earlier this season for his ability to score rapidly when actually on the floor) did some nice work in the Pistons’ win over Miami.
— The most hilarious thing I’ve heard this week had to be from Nets center Jason Collins, when one of the Jersey writers asked him if he’d ever heard of Donta Smith before Ta went for a career-high 13 against them Tuesday night. “Donta Smith isn’t even on our scouting report! Look, find him here,” Collins said, picking up the scouting report and shaking it in the writer’s face. “You tell me - where’s his name? It’s not here.”
— Fine, we were all wrong about Darko Milicic being a total bust. He has blocked 50 shots since arriving in a trade with the Detroit Pistons, who face the Magic tonight at TD Waterhouse Centre. His 2.38 blocks per game would put him seventh in the league in blocked shots, but Milicic hasn’t played enough games to qualify.
— The Ron Artest love affair never ends, at least not where his peers are concerned. Veteran Clippers guard Sam Cassell is driving the bandwagon these days. “Man, we needed that guy,” Cassell said. “He’s a beast. I’m really good friends with Ron. I was a counselor with the NBA rookie transition team the year he came into the league. And I’d seen what he did at St. John’s. People think you just get defense from him, but not hardly. Ron, he just knows how to play, and there’s a whole lot to that people don’t understand. Everybody in the NBA doesn’t know how to do that, I mean, play with other people. He’s definitely a gift for anyone’s team.” Cassell said Artest brings a winning attitude.”Those are the kinds of players you want on your team,” said Cassell, who won NBA championships with Houston during his first two seasons, 1994 and 1995. “Ron is one of the top 20 players in the world, you hear me? In the world!”
— Did you really think Rasheed Wallace was going to let Pat Riley and Shaq smash on Stu Jackson without saying something? Of course not. “That goes to show you who’s running the league,” Wallace said. “That goes to show you, that’s crazy. Let me say something like that, he’d probably try to blackball me out of the league again, if I said that. It just makes them look bad, though. They always say the league is supposed to be ‘our league”’” - Sheed used the quote fingers - ” ‘our league together.’ But it ain’t. And they have their favorites, and it just so happens that me and the Pistons aren’t one of them.”
— I don’t know how anyone can make up Carmelo Anthony’s All-Star Game slight to him, but something needs to be done. Because the reigning Western Conference Player of the Month is playing as well as any single player in the league right now. He gets buckets on anyone and is one of the few players in the league, to me, who is virtually unstoppable (basically he’s the Western Conference version of Paul Pierce). But I can’t wait to see what he does in the playoffs if they get the Spurs in the second round.
— Did I mention that Martin Lawrence is a comedic genius? Seriously, tune in to the reruns and tell me if you aren’t laughing crazy. The man has issues. His sitcom was like “Sanford and Son” revisited for me. I loved Fred G. as well.
I promise, this weekend I’ll try and so something more culturally enriching. Or not!
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Samuel
April 7, 2006 01:32 PM | Link to this
Yea Cuz,
Martin is a straight up Fool. Must be nice to get paid millions to act a nut,huh. The Pistons /Heat was good. It really looks like they(Pistons) are on a serious mission and I don’t see anyone stopping them, Spurs included. I think Delk may have put them over the hump. Also, Cato will return come playoff time and give them some minutes too. The Tupelo Hustle is practically Motown South anyway. Looks like me and the Doctor are headed for a showdown. I just hope both rosters are at full strength. Next year we need to got to a Custom league. Ando, I know this was your first time so we’ll excuse you this year. Next year, no excuses, Dude.
My boy Sheed is absolutely right. Shaq is my boy too but he and DWade need to stop crying and play ball if they are going to compete with the Pistons.
That Tony Delk fiasco is a trip isn’t it. Did you hear Fred V. and his quote TD made to him. I think it summed the situation up nicely.
On Darko, I believe Ando and a couple of others are big Darko fans so I guess they need to get some props.
Gotta go. I think I’m going out and catch another “Mess” of Bream. Yall know anything about that.
By HB Ando
April 7, 2006 02:12 PM | Link to this
Sam, yeah, we could have used a little shot blocking from old Darko. But Woody doesn’t like him, so he must not be any good.
Missing the first 8 picks of our live draft put me behind the eight ball in fantasy hoops. And I’ll win an ESPN league for the 8th straight year. But no excuses. I was thoroughly whooped by near everyone and I’ll have to bring my A game next year to keep up with the talent at the top. Count me in for a rematch.
Martin is a pretty funny dude, but for brothers who combine wicked lines with social and political insight that’s always dead on, I’ve got to go with Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. They carry the Richard Pryor torch (not the one he caught himself on fire freebasing) with pride. And I don’t know anybody whose got a delivery as smooth as Bernie Mac.
By Young Jeezy
April 7, 2006 02:28 PM | Link to this
Darko’s like the perfect Billy Knight inside player — long, athletic, blocks shots, etc. Kinda like Pau Gasol. I’m surprised Knight didn’t bring him here. Even in the 30 seconds a game he got in Detroit, he may not have been that great offensively but he would always block or alter a shot. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Why Billy couldn’t trade Delk for Darko, or a draft pick, or anything really, I have no idea. Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Pierce passes and defends better than Melo. Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.
By sultan
April 7, 2006 03:40 PM | Link to this
man my wifes side of the family live by Bream…..smh…..can’t stand them myself…..I’ll stick with trout, flounder, grouper etc……Melo is a beast…..I’m still not convincd about Darko…..and Martin is the man……but really it was the cast who made that show great….Pam, Tommy and Cole just play off Martin and his characters so well…..”PEEEEEEEEAAACE!” Martin style
By Jake
April 7, 2006 03:53 PM | Link to this
Shaq and Wade aren’t getting much help from Walker, GP and others on the Heat squad. They are about as consistent as a constipated horse. If they think playing light during the season will save their tired legs for the playoffs, then someone needs to wake them out of that dream.
Melo didn’t make the All-Star team, but it may be the last one he misses in his career. Word to my Charm-city homeboy “ya need a better PR rep”.
Coke-Zero Sekou???? Man grab that Pineapple or Peach Fanta and experience the flavor.
Sheed needs to go talk to his GM. The League’s dislike of the Pistons didn’t start when he arived in the Motor City. There was no love affair when the Pistons dressed Rodman, Laimbeer, and Mahorn on those back-to-back championship teams.
The best thing about the Martin show is he put a lot of people to work.
By Harry Hawk
April 7, 2006 04:21 PM | Link to this
This is from ESPN Insider Chris Sheridan’s Top 25 NBA Free Agents at ESPN.com:
*3. Jason Terry, Mavericks
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Mavs have a point guard who might command more money on the open market than owner Mark Cuban is willing to pay, and that point guard could turn to his former team, which is desperate for a playmaker. But in this case, we’re talking about Terry and the Hawks, not Steve Nash and the Suns.*
Would it make sense for the Hawks to bring JT back?
Just figured I’d throw it out there.
By Harry Hawk
April 7, 2006 04:21 PM | Link to this
Italicize this, AJC!
By Stevie Expat
April 7, 2006 04:38 PM | Link to this
About JT, I remember when he played for the Hawks, and the knock on him was that he wasn’t making us any better when he was on the floor. “Too much of a scorer” we all said. Wasn’t he the first one to go when the Hawks decided to ‘rebuild’ again? He’s a pretty good player, but I’d rate him as a plan B, or plan C PG in Free Agency. On the other hand…
Did anybody catch a look at Marcus Banks in the Timberwolves game the other night? I wasn’t able to watch it, but it sounds like he’s gotten some glowing reviews. Unless I’m mistaken (and correct me if I’m wrong), it would’ve been Billy Knight who drafted him to the Grizzlies and promptly traded him to the Celtics. He’s a young guy with some apparent upside, a little bit of size, and a whole lot of quickness. How about showing him a little bit of love in Free Agency?
By J. Shuttlesworth
April 7, 2006 04:41 PM | Link to this
First, a team of JT, JJ, Smoove, Marvin and J.Noah would be fun as crap to watch. I don’t know if they’d bring a championship home, but it’d be fun.
Second, guys like Tony Delk, Darko, Diaw, and Donta just go to show that anyone who can make it into the league is really good at playing basketball. It’s all about putting the right pieces in the right places.
Aight, I gotta go drop a Darko.
OUT
By Clyde
April 7, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this
The best episode of Martin has to be the one with the midgets and Dragon Fly Jones. That junk had me rollin’ on the flo.
I don’t understand why Dumars coudn’t give us Darko. We gave them Rasheed. Without Billy’s gift to the Pistons Detriot doesn’t win a championship. That’s why I say FIRE BILLY all the time cause he helped another team win championship. FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Steve B.
April 7, 2006 04:54 PM | Link to this
Not pulling the trigger on the rumored Darko/Carlos for Al trade is one of the moves I wished Billy had made but to late to look back now. If Darko turns out to be a top 5 center Larry Brown will shoot himself. If the Knicks don’t drive him to it before then. Sheed knows full well in the NBA guys with the good guy pub(Wade,Duncan,James,Nash) are going to get away with saying A lot more than himself or Iverson. Ron is a great player IF you can control him, key word IF. D.Smith has done nothing between the NBA and NBDL to be on the souting report. I like Melo but the fact that his game dosn’t have a lot of flash or he dosn’t do a lot of self promoting hurts him with the casual fan(great comercials don’t always do the trick). It also hurts him that he plays the same Small forward spot and came out in the great Lebron James draft. He’ll be in his late 20’s before most people relize how good he is. Your right SS the original host Def Comedy Jam is a comedic genius. You gotta get the Def Comedy Jam dvd’s to see how funny he realy is in stand up.
By Steve B.
April 7, 2006 05:08 PM | Link to this
I am one of the guys who couldn’t wait to get Jason out of hear the first time. But I have watched him the last two seasons in Dallas, the has matured, plays better defense, and is more willing to share the ball. If the Hawks are able to go big with their first pick he and Joe could work as the starting back court. On my list he’d still be option 4 depending on if we could get Ridnour,Ford,or Telfair in a trade. I don’t think these guys are better than Jason right now but they could be a lot better than him in 2 or 3 years.
By Basketball Princess
April 7, 2006 05:11 PM | Link to this
Hey Ando, Like NIKE says, “Just do IT” I got cha back
Hey Harry Hawk kinda late with the Bring JT parade we already touched on that the other day and it didn’t get no love. (well just a lil)
Young Jeezy, welcome to the crew if it’s really you, but please fall back off the YEAAAAHHHHHH, and AAAAAAAAAAAY. We hear it enough. we don’t want to hear it through the cyber waves too.
Sekou, There’s a Coke ZERO commercial where the couple comes out to witness their car getting ready to be towed. Immediately the girlfriend starts reacting looking to grill the her boyfriend for parking in the wrong spot. The clever thing about it is that instead of them arguing using words they counted from 10…9….8….7. The girlfriend starts with 10..9, and he’d argue back with 8…7 and her back with 6….5, him with 4…3, she’d say 2 and them him one. As soon as he said one he pressed the button to turn off the Alarm on the car, and the camera pans across the street to their actual car which just so happened to be the same make and model of the one that was being towed.
So basically the message behind this commercial was that some times people react to things that are not as big or detrimental as they seem, and if we THINK 1st before we react we would realize that the situation is small or nothing at all.
Love Martin showes and they are funny, but I’m a 227, and AMEN fan. Now those are funny!
By Harry Hawk
April 7, 2006 05:29 PM | Link to this
Sekou, Martin Lawrence’s stand-up shows from the early 90’s are pretty funny, but even a “Martin”-lover has to admit that “Martin” has one of the worst TV theme songs of all-time.
I am now pounding my head against my desk. Make it stop. Please. I beg of you.
As for being late to the “Bring Back JT” parade, oh well. It’s not the first time I’ve missed something on here. After all, there are very few free agents that could play PG, PF or C that we haven’t bounced around on this blog. To me, it would seem to make more sense to acquire a starting PG through free agency or via the (God, we hope so) inevitable sign-and-trade of Al Harrington because of the apparent dearth of top-quality point guards in the draft (unless you think Marcus Williams makes sense in the top four or five picks of the draft).
By buddy
April 7, 2006 05:30 PM | Link to this
Word has it the Hawks were part of discussions with Detroit on the Darko trade but we couldn’t give them a first rounder, which they got from Orlando. AH’s salary would have matched up with Darko and Arroyo’s. But since we shipped out our picks in the JJ trade, there’s a league rule about how many picks you can trade.
By doc
April 7, 2006 05:45 PM | Link to this
sam some of my best days were during a soft rain on a farm pond sittin over a bed of bream. i think they may be ripe for the pickin about now. another beauty is a red belly from the ogeechee river. now is the fish fry is scheduled for next tax monday as you ascend the throne after whippin me next week if i get by the sixers? we will all be invited right, including your cuz, i hope? you are looking mighty tough now my friend, held my own with you during the season but you havent rested. good job and it has been fun and gotten me more involved with more of the league than in years past.
interesting last week on the blog, couldnt write just read. wonderful time with some pretty daughters in fla.
sekou couldnt believe you downplayed your expertise on pointing out that you had noted the bigs from u of fla before most of us got on the bandwagon. dont feel too bad about putting your eggs into the ucla team basket after the way you outed the prowess of big noah. the kid is a stud.
my boy, big baby, turned into tiny tim against ucla or at least as significant. the whole team looked tight as though they couldnt keep up in that atmosphere and ucla did an impression of them for the title game, breathin hard. big baby looked like he was playing in denver the way he was sucking air. the nerves can get you that way, the boy will be back but was a disappointment, but a reminder that these guys are very young and none of them will be able to compete every night in the nba with the big boys. 30 games vs 82 is a whole nother game. chris paul is the exception as he is having one of the greatest rookie seasons ever stat wise. man a couple of triple doubles last week.
sekou, i am glad you pointed out the inconsistency within the league especially after the league made an example of our coach and josh earlier this year. i thought i had missed the fine or something as i was interested to see how the league handled it as it was much more personal and derogatory of the league what shaq said. it wouldnt surprise me to see sheed’s pocket picked though now.
well you guys can talk all you want about the draft, how about us manifesting a single unified ownership then the good draft and two vets and we will be alright.
sekou i thought you might have gotten a buit schizzy on us last week as you wanted us to break up the team saying three to five players had to go, i assume that was of the guys that got time to play, and then had to turn around and say this team was laughable in a positive sense. what are you a gemini?
while we are manifesting something with the collective conscious we need to find a way to get the first ball to fall our way before the draft. do you support me and hear me on that one flash? it is going to be very interseting to see who is “interviewed” by the hawks this year. we might have more credibility if we could wait for our mock until the teams sort of go through this as well as the players declare.
btw, no one could make a white boy more uncomfortable sittin on the first row of his concert than richard pryor.
im out like his flame. good weekend all.
By buddy
April 7, 2006 05:51 PM | Link to this
Stevie, I was in the same boat with you… even though JT was our best draft pick in about 20 years, I wasn’t sad to see him go because I saw him as just another shoot-first point. He’s really elevated his game in Dallas, but perhaps too much so for the Hawks to be in the market for him now. We’ve already got one guard under contract for $70m. If we bust our cap on guards, that’s going to hurt our chances of getting the big men we need (notice I didn’t say “bigs” - what an overused term).
That being said, if JT wanted to come back to Atlanta and would sign for a reasonable amount, he’d be the perfect compliment to JJ. Nobody can stop JT from bringing the ball up and the double teams JJ is going to command next year would give JT alot of open looks.
By A Thinking Fan
April 7, 2006 06:14 PM | Link to this
Heat need Zo back bad…
By The Flash
April 7, 2006 06:14 PM | Link to this
If you’re saying that the chiefs have got to find a way to speak with one sane voice on these important matters while duking out what they must, amen, to that, my friend.
Hey, was wondering where you were; figured maybe you got caught up with more than sticking pins at that conference you went to; just knew pretty ladies somehow had to have been involved, but was thinking something more, well, exotic. Welcome back, and have a great one!
By doc
April 7, 2006 06:35 PM | Link to this
flash, thinking specifically in terms of getting the ball to fall our way but the other is vital as well.
one day conference, mere formalities without connection. safe.
cool stuff though.
time for kriya.
By Kappy
April 7, 2006 06:40 PM | Link to this
Anyone else miss Salim?
By buddy
April 7, 2006 06:53 PM | Link to this
I was just reading some comments from Telfair in an article I found linked on hoopshpye. He basically came right out and said that one of their point guards has to go this offseason… that splitting point guard minutes among Blake, Jarett Jack and himself was not going to work for another season.
Now, getting Jason Terry might be too pricey to think about. But the Blazers are the worst team in the NBA and they need help at every position but PG. Jack is somebody that BK tried to go after but couldn’t snag (luckily we got Salim with our second pick). I think maybe Jarett is the guy we should go after in a sign and trade for AH.
Whereas Joe Johnson is known to be more of a silent leader who leads by example and Marvin Williams is also known to be a very low-key person, Jarett Jack is a born leader. I think he’s exactly what this team needs at PG, and he could be had for a far more reasonable price than what JT is going to command as one of the top free agents this offseason.
By Samuel
April 7, 2006 07:02 PM | Link to this
Martin’s Old Stuff is good but since his mental lapse he just don’t move me no more. My all time favorite stand up routine is Eddie Murphy , “Raw”. He also has gotten pretty boring lately though. Of the new cats, I love Chris Rock, Jamie Fox and Damon Wayans. Chappell is overrated to me. He’s just too stupid. Not at all funny to me but maybe thats because I stopped drinking and smoking 10 years ago.
Doc, actually I’d rather have a few yearling bass or a couple of slab crappie but I don’t have a boat so I got to get them bream right now. But you’re right about that rain though. Get under a tree with a basket full of crickets and have a ball. I bet I caught 400 last summer.
On JT. I like his game but I’d rather have TJ Ford or A Miller. They can give you more on Defense. I think we’ve found our backup of the future in Grundy. I agree with Cuz in that we can afford to move 3-5 players to pick up 2. We can afford to move Al, Lue, Ivey, Edwards, and even Marvin. Sign a FA point and draft another Big. We will then be set for a run at the 8 slot next year.
By buddy
April 7, 2006 07:03 PM | Link to this
And that reminds me, the biggest reason why I underestimated Chris Paul was because I saw Jarett outplay him a year ago when they were both playing in the ACC. At the time I thought that indicated that CP was overrated. But looking back, and given the fact that Jarett has played well in limited minutes for Portland this year, maybe it indicates that Jarett is UNDERRATED. He’s certainly had to fight for minutes this year, so it’s really hard to say how good he can be in this league.
By reese
April 7, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this
I must have missed the bring back JT campaign, I definitely would love to have JT back on the Hawks. The current team of players compliment him better than the shareef’s and big dogs he played alongside previously. Plus, JJ can help share the ball handling responsibilities. JT’s defense is not any worse than JJ. Both need a tall lanky shot blocker along with Josh Smith to have their back.
I even like the possibility of bringing Darius Miles to the ATL. But, he is just another 6’7 to 6’9” player and we have a lot of those. Plus, I don’t see any evidence that woody wants to coach an uptempo team. With both Miles and JT, the team would need to be an uptempo team.
As far as jarrett jack, brevin knight, telfair, darko and luke ridenour, let someone else keep those players. We have enough young guns. Lets bring in Antonio Davis for the rest of the year. Lets think about veterans for the offseason.
The best Martin Lawrence episode has to be when he fought with Thomas Hitman Hearns. He started trash talking in the charity fight and said a little too much. The hitman punched Martin and he went flying out of the ring. Then, they showed him at home with Gina and then the camera panned to his face. I couldn’t stop laughing when they showed Martins swollen face. His pal Will Smith even used the swollen face bit in the movie Hitch. Don’t leave out Atlanta’s own Chris Tucker and Michael epps as up comming comedians in movies.
By The Flash
April 7, 2006 07:53 PM | Link to this
Ping pong balls. Yeah, it’s more than about time that we hit the jackpot. Maybe they should pick one of you old time bloggers and true bluers to do the picking. I could see you or Ando, dare I say it Thinking Man, sitting up there with all these big money men, and then speachifying on national TV; now that would be reality TV. Now that I think about it, its gotsta be the Princess. I love to see Stern handle that. He’d look like a little boy. Way out of his league. I say we start a petition. Sekou, lead the way!
By Dennis
April 7, 2006 08:02 PM | Link to this
Problem with Melo is he’s in Denver, small city. Nuggets didn’t get no love when they were scoring all those points year ago with Doug Moe, they were thought of as a 3 ring circus rather than being taken seriously. Plain and simple, Melo can ball on anybody and might be better in the low post than Pierce, though I am a Celts fan from waaaayy back.
On Marcus Banks and Boris Diaw, and even JJohnson, whom Rick Pitino drafted - any truth to the idea that guys that get drafted by teams with screamers as coaches are so happy to get out of that situation that the next one they get in, especially if the coach is more laid back, really get it done? Seen it happen with Marcus Banks, Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw and I’m sure there are others. Some guys thrive with the screamers and some don’t.
By mountain_jim
April 7, 2006 08:29 PM | Link to this
I agree with Buddy - Jarett Jack
mj
By doc
April 7, 2006 09:30 PM | Link to this
just caught up on the day.
first there was elvis the king, then there was the king arnie, now there is THE KING ANDO. bp just made my day.
folks, the scouting reports from the nba big boys suggest that jack is a second string guy only, for his career; he wont be anyone’s long term starter at point. though he gets time now they still say telfair is the guy for portland.
i would like to see a quick small guard to play along jj who can put the clamps on all the guys that sam likes that runs around and through us or a quick stud that can play tough defense and has the pass first mentality. the best suggested scenario thus far was the one that brought us a boatload of refugees from the sinking ship LARRY BROWN including the small guy that is the reincarnation of spud though 5 inches taller, brother nate. that would be a great sign and trade and allow sam to enjoy al some more probably be the missing ingrediant, right sam. as sam would say, well heck yeah, to getting nate down south. bet we could find the boy some yearling bass, too.
stat of the day has al doing something as well as shaq and leading the league; average fouls per game at four. that is a tremendous distinction.
wish list for me is noah in the first and brandon roy in the second. i know, but it is about as realistic as some of those thrown out here. i have refrained from the delusional, long enough.
pong ball go our way.
im down, like the crown baby.
By vdunkndunk
April 7, 2006 09:53 PM | Link to this
Josh Smith is playing incredible. I just can’t understand how he got so good so fast.
And I’m on the bring back JT bandwagon myself, just because he and Joe Johnson would compliment eachother very well and make a deadly back court combo.
By Clyde
April 8, 2006 12:12 AM | Link to this
Al Harrington had a block tonight! That brings his grand total of blocks this year to 12. 50 dollars says he doesn’t get to 15. FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Dr. Alphonse Mephisto
April 8, 2006 02:06 AM | Link to this
JT’s succeeding on the Mavs because the offense still runs through Dirk. His role on the team is to penetrate defenses and score, not to set teammates up. In Atlanta he would still have to set up teammates, which is still not what he’s best at doing. Probably not a great fit.
Banks would be nice, but the whole reason Knight passed on Paul is because he is undersized. Banks is pretty undersized too from what I have seen. I think Knight drafted Banks knowing that Ainge wanted him in a trade, not to keep for himself. The trade was done on draft night after all.
I would love to see the Hawks getting Jarrett Jack. Portland has one too many point guards anyway, Jack is the kind of big point guard Knight likes, and his tough defense would be a perfect fit in this system. If the Hawks could sign-and-trade Al for Jack and a pick, or maybe Jack and Przybilla, that would be perfect.
By Munzieman
April 8, 2006 04:12 AM | Link to this
Hey Sekou I can’t believe that you guys haven’t got more on the Hawks’ case about their appalling free throw shooting! I think it was three games ago that they lose by a point of two and they only made half their FTs whereas the opponent made 13 of 15 or thereabouts! I mean, when you look at how many games they have lost by a small margin then you think that the team could have done a lot better this year (even without the big man and PG that we know we want) by just more focus on one of the basics. Hey then we would have us a mean team if we could get that C and PG.
By Steve B
April 8, 2006 04:13 AM | Link to this
At least 3 of us(my self included) have talked about the fact that J.Jack handled C.Paul in GT/Wake games. So that’s nothing new. BUDDY I listed JT as the 4th option on my list at pg. Joe’s 70 million contract won’t come into the J.T. contract issue because Joe got 20 million in the first year. This was one of Billy’s good moves, front load the contract so it dosn’t hurt as bad down the road. To be honest it seems A lot more likley Portland would trade Telfair over Jack. With all the attitude issues they have had in Portland they would keep Jack for his good attitude. Telfair would also fit the HAWKS offense better, he’s quicker, more athletic, and very creative with his passes.Jack is more of a throw back at point, he’d be raely good on a vet team that plys station to station. The way the Jazz and Celtics used to play. J.Smith and Marvin will be stars but right now they need some one that can create for them , Telfair can do that. If I brought in Telair I’d also open my wallet and over pay in a two year deal fo a guy like Sam Cassel. He could mold Tefair and over paying is the only way we could get Sam. Besides we are millions under the cap. Al wouldn’t go to Portland it would have to be a 3 team trade with the Knicks,Nets,Pacers or Bulls. From every thing I have heard those are the teams he wants to play for. Ridnour,Ford,Telfair,Jack,Cassel or Terry are better than what we have. I’ll argue every day that untill we stop teams form driving the lane and rebound every night( the need for a big man or two) we will be loosers but adding one of these guys would be a step in the right direction.
By Billy
April 8, 2006 07:58 AM | Link to this
So Noah is returning for his junior season.
No Noah for us this year.
So if we get the #1 or 2 who do we take?
Aldridge or Thomas?
Or trade down to pick up Marcus Williams?
Ideas now that Noah is (pretty much) officially out?
By doc
April 8, 2006 08:44 AM | Link to this
billy, we are playing well enough to not get too many chances as the hawks now are fluttering about with the fourth or fifth best record in the league. guess it still could fall our way but chances growing slimmer. we may be looking at four or five rather than one or two. guess we will know around april 20 when the regular season ends.
you can talk all you want about how it was a heist for the suns when the hawks got jj but can you think how the knicks fans feel after putting up big salary for a 25 minute a night center in his fifth year with a heart condition and gave up what could be the best positon in the lottery. da bulls made out like bandits, didnt they sam?
By Samuel
April 8, 2006 09:22 AM | Link to this
We definately don’t need Telfair here. We need a leader and a PG who can and will play defense. Sam I am, heck yea. In a heartbeat. We get Sam, a Big and we’re talking playoffs. Everywhere he goes he wins.
Ando, actually lil Nate is nowhere near the 5’9” they list him at. If you saw the slam dunk. He and Spud were standing right next to each other and Spud had him by an inch. I still would take he and Jackie Butler for Al or Francis for Al straight up.
Jack is tough and solid and will probably start for somebody in this league one day. Handling CP. I don’t know about that but he’s tough and plays good defense. He wouldn’t need to score a lot just be able to run the team, play good defense and knock down an occassional spot up jumper. I think he would be a nice pickup along with a Travis Outlaw, who is a good shot blocker for Al. If we get Jack, we should keep Lue. If we get a vet PG, we could ship Lue and keep Grundy.
By HB Ando
April 8, 2006 09:26 AM | Link to this
Word out of Chicago is that Thomas is their guy if they get the first pick (Knicks). Can’t say much else, ‘cause we’re going to be having us a little contest about this draft……..
Buddy, I remember specifically that Billy DID NOT go after Jack because the price would have been the Lakers pick that we gave away in the Johnson deal a short time after the draft. He was quoted in the paper (I think by Sekou, because we traded e-mails after I read it and got upset) as saying he didn’t think a pick that could go as high as 11th in the ‘06 draft was worth trading for a guy who went 22nd. As every pick went by and Jack wasn’t taken, I was yelling at the screen at the ESPN zone “trade that pick for Jack (I kid you not)”. I’ve got my first e-mails to Sekou, about a month before the draft, where I was saying that Jack was my sleeper pick. I always thought that he was underrated, relative to Paul’s talent. I started talking him up back when he was projected to go in the late 20’s. All the sudden there was talk he could go as early as 13, and then he fell to 22, near where we should have traded that Lakers’ pick to get him. I’ve always said that the only reason Phoenix asked for it was because we had it to give. I still believe that if we had traded it for Jack’s rights, the price for Johnson would have been a protected first and Diaw, not two picks. Now here we are rehashing my frustrations from 9 months ago. Jeesh.
By Steve B.
April 8, 2006 12:45 PM | Link to this
Ando I lkie Jack’s game to, and he did play great defense on Chris Paul every time Wake and GT played. But as you and I know sometimes a player just has your number, it dosn’t mean he’s as good as you he just has your number. Jack has Paul’s # but they are not in the same talent pool. Looking back you may be right he maybee should have given up that pick for Jack when you look at how weak this draft is(not saying we would have gotten Joe for less than Boris and two picks) just it didn’t have to be that pick. Looking forward we may be able to get Jack or Telfair away from Portland for less then that pick. As always it’s a double edged sword.
By Steve B.
April 8, 2006 01:10 PM | Link to this
Samuel it seems your a little upset with Telfair. The kid has talent and can lead. It all depends on how BK and Woody want to run this team. If they want the offense to remain the way it is walking the ball up the court,with Joe being the main playmaker, and improve on defense right away J.Jack is the better pg. If they want to push the ball up court,have some quick drive and kick plays, a moving high scoring offense, and take advantage of their athletes on the team Telfair is your guy. I brought up bringing in Sam to bridge the gap for two years. Theirs no way you depend on a 36 year old(37 in Nov)pg to be my guy.You have got to bring in a young guy with him. Telfair or Jack I’d be happy with either one of them it would give a huge clue into the direction this team is headed in, as far as style of play.
By Jake
April 8, 2006 02:29 PM | Link to this
It would be unwise at this point to bring in a point guard in just his first or second year. Finding a 4-5 year veteran (see Chauncey Billups) on the verge of a breakout year is the way to go. Many teams passed on Billups and now his name is being spoken of in MVP terms.
At this point in the team’s development BK is looking more for a guy that can step in to the system. Meaning play hard at both ends of the court without causing dissension in the clubhouse. A move at the point is not as critical as finding a tough shot blocker to lock down the middle. Many of the games the Hawks loss this season were due to a porous middle.
Remember the Hawks have 8 wins over playoff teams including one each over the previous two League champions. BK just needs to tweak the team. All of the young guys are getting better but the team is short on depth. If the Hawks can add a big time 5 this off season a playoff berth is reachable next season. The 2007 draft will bring more opportunities to make a trade for a quality point.
By andos ego
April 8, 2006 02:32 PM | Link to this
im the smartest man alive. oh yes i am.
By Samuel
April 8, 2006 02:37 PM | Link to this
Yea,
It’s pretty obvious that he(Telfair) has talent. Just not the type that I would want as a leader of my team. Too much And1 stuff. His leadership is questionable as he was handed the starting job in Portland this year and has not led them very far. Plus I don’t think he or Sam will be happy getting traded and still being a backup.
If we bring in Sam we still have Grundy, JJ and Salim as backup PGs. We then could possibly draft another PG and see who pans out as our PG of the future. As much as I like Sam, I would rather go after an A. Miller or S. Francis. But I could live with Jack as a starter.
By doc
April 9, 2006 09:25 AM | Link to this
for pot shot ae.
at least your ego is a stand up guy, which cant be said for you.
if you cant bring it with your usual handle stay in the shadows where you live and may belong.
get some character, instead of trying to be one.
just aint cool brutha.
By Dennis
April 9, 2006 08:33 PM | Link to this
I can’t understand all the love Joakim Noah is getting…the guy has no game offensive game. Kevin Loughery was on the Monsters of the Midday with Chuck Smith & Matt Chernoff and he said he liked the kid, but he can’t score the ball, and he needs to fill out. Good thing he’s staying in school. Can’t let our emotions get the best of us when we pick, whoever we pick. Jjack doesn’t have the quickness of a Chris Paul which is why Paul is so much better in the NBA. Lack of quickness can get masked in college, not in the NBA. Not to say the guy can’t play but he’s not Paul’s caliber, or Telfair’s for that matter. He’s a smart player, gives up his body but his one on one skills are lacking, Telfair & Paul are WAAY better. We got to look at who we get for point objectively, not ‘cause we like the guy. I liked Alan Henderson when he was with us, but the speed dial on his phone was S-L-O-W. Just doesnt work at this level. C’ya.
By Dennis
April 9, 2006 08:34 PM | Link to this
Last comment was not about Hendu as a PG but about being slow in general. Got to have the quicks to get it done in the NBA, ESPECIALLY at the point. Got to be able to break down the defense and Telfair can do that.
By Dennis
April 9, 2006 08:38 PM | Link to this
One last point about Telfair and him supposedly being a head case. I think the fact that Josh Smith has gone through a learning curve with Woody could serve to help Telfair also make that transition. I’m sure they knew each other from All-star games, etc. Telfair’s an NYC guy anyway, so I’m sure he’s had his share of screamers but being around young guys who are getting it done - Josh Smith, Childress and Marvin, going forward, can only make him better. Plus, T-Lue is a good guy and would help him keep his head on straight. You can tell there’s some love in the lockerroom between these guys and they’re a team, Telfair could benefit from that and not the circus atmosphere that Portland’s been for a while.
By buddy
April 10, 2006 07:06 AM | Link to this
“can you think how the knicks fans feel after putting up big salary for a 25 minute a night center in his fifth year with a heart condition and gave up what could be the best positon in the lottery…”
I shudder to think what it must be like being a Knicks fan. We lucked out by not getting Curry or Chandler… talk about a couple of overrated big men. One thing that gives me hope for the Hawks is that we have no bad contracts. All our guys are productive, we’re just missing pieces to the overall puzzle.
“Now here we are rehashing my frustrations from 9 months ago. Jeesh.”
Hehe didn’t mean to reopen old wounds there Ando.
By Astro Joe
April 10, 2006 09:17 AM | Link to this
Check out draftexpress.com for information about the Portsmith Camp. Evidently, Juan Carlos Barrera emerged as the top player. He is about an inch or two short of 6 feet but he set the record for the most assists in one game and overall had a ton of assists and very few turnovers over the 4-5 games. Supposedly, when he faced Chris Paul a few years back in the World Championship Games (Barrera played for Puerto Rico), he played very well against the more highly touted Wake star. I’m not saying that he is Chris Paul. But there are several PGs that will be available after the 25th pick that could help our team. Barrera, Everett & Blaylock to name a few. Big men like Nicholson, J. Williams and Hollins will also likely fall there.
I’m still hoping that we can acquire some veteran players at the PG and big slots and supplement our bench with draft picks. I’d rather have Speedy Claxton than Marcus Williams. I’m also wondering if the Clips resign Cassell, would they be willing to trade Livingston & change for Marvin & Lue.
Lastly on Jack, I was never sold on him as a great talent. I like his work ethic and his defensive desire. He would be a good stop-gap for a few years. But I too would not trade a 12-18 draft pick on Jack. I don’t see his game or upside as significantly better than the undrafted Steve Blake from Maryland (or Chris Duhon for that matter).
By Astro Joe
April 10, 2006 11:07 AM | Link to this
ESPN is reporting that Aldridge will enter the draft. Whether we get a crack at him or not, we need another 1-2 underclassmen to declare to improve the value of our pick if we choose to move it. I’m hoping Gay declares and has some great workouts. If there are 5 very good picks (Thomas, Aldridge, Morrison, Gay & Roy) in the draft, then it will practically guarantee that the Hawks pick will be of value to some team in the league.
By the way, is Chris Wilcox really this good or did he wake up and realize that he is playing for a paycheck and he is doing his best Chris Bosh imitation now but may go the Stromile Swift route after signing a lucrative deal next season? If Seattle wants to get a new arena, no way can they let him get away.
By HB Ando
April 10, 2006 12:14 PM | Link to this
Joe, no doubt on Wilcox. I was going to post over the weekend after he put up 26 and 24 (that’s 24! rebounds) on Yao the other night. For the four games this month he’s averaging 21.8 and 14.6. Seems like the word is that if you keep things simple for him and let him go out, run and jump, he’s a monster. If you expect him to play cerebrally, you’ll detract from his strengths. With Joe and a point guard making the decisions next year, and our team already athletic enough to push the ball, Wilcox would seemingly be a tremendous option, and I would dare say comfortably, better than Nene by far. Of course we were talking about Wilcox long before the deadline, as one of the few young big men that we should look to obtain. I still think we could have gotten him and a replacement 1st rounder for Al prior to the all-star break, because the Clips were on a good playoff run and Maggette’s return was seriously in doubt at the time. We stood pat, just like we did with Magloire, and we’re still talking about what we should do, with limited hopes of seeing the franchise actually make a decisive move.
BTW, I thought somebody’s post, appropriating my ego, was pretty funny. Better to despised than ignored. Glad guys like doc and Flash have my back, as we have our own team here on the blog. My guess would go to TB, who has been noticably absent from this series of posts after weakly attacking me in the previous one. The actual author should speak up and take credit. Got a good chuckle out of it, though. Keep ‘em coming.
By Astro Joe
April 10, 2006 01:15 PM | Link to this
Ando, I was all for bringing Wilcox in here last year and again earlier this year. But I was very disappointed in his lack of development (every other Clipper seemed to be having a good season except Wilcox). But if you’re point is right, and he needs to be in a more free-flowing offense, I’m not sure he fits with the Hawks. After almost 2 seasons, I still do not know what type of offensive philosophy this team has. We clearly are not a running team and we certainly do not run nearly enough pick and roll sets considering the jump-shooting talents of JJ, Salim, Lue, Marvin and Al. I’m not sure where these stats are tracked, but I would bet the Hawks are among the bottom three teams in the league in fast-break points this season. I am also disappointed that Wilcox is not blocking more shots with his increase in playing time. I guess I am pessimistic about him. While I recognize that he would have never received this amount of PT on a team with Elton Brand, I can’t help but feel that this Amare-like offensive production is a mirage.