AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 26 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA big emotional setback
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marvin Williams breaking his hand today is as much an emotional setback as it is a physical and logistical one for the Hawks. A jarring injury like this at the end of training camp hurts far more than the one Speedy Claxton suffered five weeks ago, before training camp began. Speedy had training camp to heal while Marvin will have to miss the first month of the season, if not more, before he can get back to business.
It’s beyond bad luck that these things keep happening to the Hawks. I’m starting to wonder if the dooms day crowd that talks about curses and bad karma might be on to something. How else to explain this spate of bad luck?
There is no silver lining here, either. I’ll be the first to admit that. Sure, Shelden Williams moves into a starting role and Josh Smith moves to small forward. One of the training camp invitees might stick around a bit longer (Cedric Bozeman and Matt Freije made the cut by the way, and not Andre Brown or Andreas Glyniadakis), at least to help fill out the playing rotation in Marvin’s absence.
Other than seeing what Shelden or the camper can do early, though, this remains a damaging blow for the Hawks. They certainly won’t be able to play as fast as they would have liked without Marvin and Josh on the floor together for long periods of time. And I expect Marvin to be fine once he heals. Guys suffer injuries all the time and return from them without issue. But the mental blow for this team early will have to be managed. But it changes the way you play not having him for the first month.
To his credit, Marvin’s spirits this afternoon were better than anyone’s. I think the shock of it all will hit him tonight, after he spends the night in Chapel Hill and wakes up tomorrow and realizes that he won’t be able to play in Friday night’s game at the Dean Dome – a game he’s been looking forward to for months.
But at least he’ll recover. I don’t know if I can say the same about the egos of both Brown and Glyniadakis, two guys who had to leave the premises Thursday knowing they played well enough to make this Hawks team. But sometimes, playing well enough (without a guaranteed contract) isn’t good enough to stay employed. It happens all the time in training camps around the league. But I’ve never seen it this bad, where the campers distanced themselves from several incumbents the way these guys did.
That’s just my opinion, of course. Perhaps the people making decisions felt differently (clearly they did). Maybe they saw some things that I did not. Or maybe they know it, too, but were hamstrung by the financial constraints we keep being told are not in place (clearly they, are if a team isn’t willing to eat a minimum contract or two in an effort to get better).
Comments
By Fan
October 26, 2006 04:11 PM | Link to this
All Billy Knight does is draft forwards, so we should be fine. And if we aren’t, it goes to show Billy doesn’t know what he’s doing.
By rian
October 26, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
GO SEKOU - someone needs to call this ownership group out and who better than you. Are these morons gonna tell me that neither of those two guys can do what Batista does. That is ridiculous. maybe Belkin should own the team.
By vdunkndunk
October 26, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
You never want injuries, but Marvin’s injury hurts extra bad.
He had so much momentum and confidence and conditioning going for him after this summer, and now he’ll have to sit out the first month.
I was hoping for him to make a big splash to open the season, and now we’ll all have to wait and see how it goes. What a major bummer.
By mavid
October 26, 2006 04:20 PM | Link to this
Man, i am bummed about losing marvin.
But SEKOU… and this is incredible cynical and pessimistic of me… but I do see perhaps one silver lining:
Getting completely owned this season and somehow lucking into the 1st pick next draft and getting ODEN… something that will make us better for YEARS to come
By mavid
October 26, 2006 04:26 PM | Link to this
without marvin we WILL be the worst team in the NBA for the first little bit
By Astro Joe
October 26, 2006 04:33 PM | Link to this
Wow, I’m VERY disapponted that we let the Big Greek go and decided to keep batista and his contract. I guess Gearon and crew didn’t find enough loose change in the seat cushions around the corporate offices.
I had another name to add to the list of Lamond Murray, Keith Van Horn and Toni Kukoc, Mr. Penny Hardaway. But if we can’t afford the Big Greek, then it sounds like Solomon likely makes the squad and we play with the inexpensive hand we have. Geez, this really is an emotional let down. It feels like we will not have nearly enough offense to compete and Shelden will be further ridiculed by being asked to contribute offensively from the start. Another long season ahead full of 3-pointers and turnovers. When does spring training start for the Braves? Welcome back Mike Hampton!
By mykhalc
October 26, 2006 04:35 PM | Link to this
SEKOU, your blog today says it all!!!!!
By Gutz
October 26, 2006 04:39 PM | Link to this
Sekou are you saying we should have kept all of those guys? I thought everyone wanted to keep Bozeman for sure. Meaning we would eat Ivey’s contract and send him to the NBDL. I can’t believe they didn’t keep the big Greek. Batista sucks!
By Ricardo
October 26, 2006 04:40 PM | Link to this
Does any one care anymore? I really want to be excited about the Hawks, their youth and potential, but these guys just can’t catch a break. Crappy owners who spend more time attacking each other than they do running the team, freak injuries, a GM who is fixated on proving he knows something the rest of the NBA world doesn’t, an unproven coach - the list goes on and on. This should be a GREAT town for bball, but it’s just pathetic. I’ve loved the Hawks since I was a little kid, but at this point it would be best to blow up the franchise - sell it, give it to Las Vegas or whatever.
There is an aura of negativity surrounding this team and only major changes will ever make that go away.
By macaroni Tony
October 26, 2006 04:42 PM | Link to this
This team will be fine, I can not believe that other teams have improved as much as they are saying. The Hawks are plagued yes, but will still have a player like SW that can play so just give him a chance to show what he can do, and we still got the veteran Lo that can give some good advice on and off the floor. I am not convinced that we going to be the worst team. I do care what any of ya’ll are say. I just don’t believe it. This team have showed me that they can and will play BBall. Go Hawks
By HUCK FROM MARIETTA
October 26, 2006 04:43 PM | Link to this
i guess our Hawks will just be known as the most snake-bitten team in the NBA of all time!!!
By JG
October 26, 2006 04:44 PM | Link to this
Mavid hit the nail on the head with the silver lining. There’s no substitute for winning but… The ‘07 draft pool is already being considered one of the best ever. If I’m not mistaken, our 1st round pick is top-3 protected. So we LOSE it to Phoenix unless we happen to be one of the 3 ping pong balls. #1 best case scenario… make the playoffs. #2 best case scenario… be as bad as you can be to try and secure a top-3 pick.
By Gutz
October 26, 2006 05:02 PM | Link to this
Sekou are you saying we should have kept all of those guys? I thought everyone wanted to keep Bozeman for sure. Meaning we would eat Ivey’s contract and send him to the NBDL. I can’t believe they didn’t keep the big Greek. Batista sucks!
By Scott
October 26, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this
Good job Sekou. I am on you when I feel you don’t come down on Billy like you should - AND YOU FINALLY DID IT!! Thanks, and don’t be afraid to call it like you see it.
By mavid
October 26, 2006 05:41 PM | Link to this
right on JG
By Kappy
October 26, 2006 05:59 PM | Link to this
Marvelous Marvin is hurt.
UGH
such a stomach punch.
By Tyger
October 26, 2006 06:51 PM | Link to this
Never before have I been so excited about cuts. This is clearly a sign of improvement when this many folks are concerned about who your 13th + 14th inactive players will be.
You cant underestimate ownership’s perspective on this: For example, why eat $1.5 - $2.5M when we’re bleeding out our buttholes when the 12/13/14 guy wont see the court anyway?
After the preseason, the rotation will probably be 8-9. So even if we may get a slightly better player, they wont get to play anyway???
Reality is we are a 25 win team under financial duress. $3M may not seem like much but considering the way BK squeezes every penny I dont see them splurging now on journeymen.
Truthfully, I think we welcome Bozeman and Glyniadakis and keep either Ivey or Batista. We probably can eat the smaller contract of the two if we cant find a last minute trade for them. Wrong
I’m afraid Freije and Brown are just caught up in the numbers like alot of guys.
**Well, I was close, at least Freije and Bozeman made the team. I’m sad to see Big G go too, we need his size. I guess the cost of eating a $750k and paying $350k to get better was too much.
Shame on the ATL Spirit
By Andy
October 26, 2006 07:04 PM | Link to this
I hate this team—hate this team—hate this team—why was I doomed by being born in Atlanta—hate this team—hate this team. I hate they let go of those two. I really had hope in the big greek and ….Why do we have faith in this…..F### it.
By Samuel
October 26, 2006 07:19 PM | Link to this
I really hate it for Marvin. I was real interested in seeing just how far he had come. You can’t tell by Summer leagues and pre-season. Hopefully, he won’t lose his confidence he gained the last few months. On the court, I don’t really think it will hurt us that much. Childress’ minutes will be upped along with Sheldon and Lo’s. We’re still gonna get pounded inside. Marvin or no Marvin.
I am extreemly disappointed(not surprised)that my Boy Big G was cut. I guess it just reaffirms what we all know anyways: The Hawks are broke as hell or BK has no clue neither one gives us anything to be proud of as Hawks fans.
Bring on Belkin.
By mykhalc
October 26, 2006 07:37 PM | Link to this
SAM, don’t give BELKIN a freakin’ pass!! he’s just as much a part of this broke-a* team as the rest of the SPIRIT. i had said earlier that i hope it did NOT come down to countin’ pennies, and it did!!
i have to give it to SPEEDY and ZEN. they are some brave and strong human beings to have signed up for this mess of an ownership group!!
SEKOU, do you know the numbers for the contracts of IVEY and BATISTA???
By GuyFromUruguay
October 26, 2006 07:44 PM | Link to this
Hey, come on! I’m as sorry as the next guy that the Big Greek left, I know he was doing better than Batista, but don’t give up on him (Batista), he’s really better than you give him credit for, and knows that he has to give everything (everything he has might not be enough for the NBA, I concede that).
Marvin breaking his hand, now that’s bad luck. At least, wasn’t the early schedule supposed to be good for the Hawks? Maybe he can recover in time for the hard games.
By Redrum
October 26, 2006 07:44 PM | Link to this
Hey Samuel, the Hawks are broke as hell, i heard that their is a little rumor going around down at philips about possible bankruptcy.
By Samuel
October 26, 2006 07:58 PM | Link to this
You call that Brave, A backup point guard signing a guaranteed 25 million dollar contract. Damn, if that’s brave, what i’m I.
Free pass or not. I’m ready for a Change. Either we’re gonna have a real Franchise or let’s just move the Club to Vagas and start over in a few years. New owner and all.
By Astro Joe
October 26, 2006 08:00 PM | Link to this
Well a half-full glass angle would speculate that BK will sign a veteran to fill in for Marvin and felt that there was no need to throw away Batista’s salary AND add more salary. So maybe, just maybe, the owners told BK that he could pick up someone from waivers or thru free agency but that he had to keep Batista. Hey, I’m just trying to recover from the bad news and looking for a way to spin keeping a 6’9” brute instead of a 7’1” brute.
By mykhalc
October 26, 2006 08:25 PM | Link to this
JOE, i need for you to keep spinnin’ it for me!!!LOL i’m still tryin’ to recover too!!!
By mykhalc
October 26, 2006 08:28 PM | Link to this
SAM, i ain’t gonna debate with you about SPEEDY today. i’m stressed out enough already!!LOL
By Lacsho
October 26, 2006 08:42 PM | Link to this
Hmmm I hate that we loss Marvin, but I still say we should play .500 ball. We loose Marvin for 8 weeks; I rather loose him now instead of the middle, or end of the season. I still have faith in JJ & Josh. Jchill will get more minutes, and Shelden will have to play ball now more than ever. Speedy will be the difference Maker. I think we will be fine. Marvin will definitely be missed no doubt;however, I fill we will still be ok. And when Marvin comes back in Decemeber it will be on. All we have to do is play .500 ball.The only thing I’m p** about is we didn’t keep the big Greek guy. That’s plain Bullsh*t no way Batista out plays the Glyniadakis. What the hell are they thinking about? Lol Wright is a banger, so why do we need Batista? We only have one 7 footer, but we have 500 forwards!!!
By ray
October 26, 2006 08:58 PM | Link to this
All I can say is I’m disappointed. This is going to put Marvin behind, but if all goes well, 6-8 weeks isn’t as bad as it could be. No need to panic. Childress and Shelden will get more minutes, which will help them in the end, more than likely. I still think we should have kept Glyniadakis. I don’t see Wright playing the starter’s minutes (or at least the bulk)at power forward simply because without Glyniadakis, we have no back-up for Zaza. I thought that was part of the purpose in signing Wright anyway. We don’t need Zaza playing herculean minutes at center again. He’ll get banged up and injured, then what? I sure hope that we sign somebody else. I like Freije, but he won’t be playing any center, more likely sf or pf.
So, this wasn’t the last round of cuts, was it? Someone better be keeping their eyes open on who’s available. Even Boston is smart enough to keep Olowakandi around to compensate for the injured Ratliff. Apparently we aren’t smart enough (which would be Billy’s fault), or there’s truly better plans (or gambling), or our ownership has once again hampered our ability to compete (to sum it up). Unless I see some good signings, I’ll be disappointed. I’m sick of the Spirit Group already, when can we get rid of them?
By michael m.
October 26, 2006 08:59 PM | Link to this
take a deep breath, guys. the extremes you fellas show with every little happening is a bit hyperbolic. marvin breaks his hand and we don’t keep a guy (the big greek) who apparently wouldn’t have seen much action, and you want to turn the team over to belkin and ship them to vegas…? show some spine. hearing about marvin this morning was definitely a punch in the stomach, but he will recover. you don’t just give up when something bad happens. you persevere and fight through it. that’s a winning attitude and spirit. it’s definitely the way i hope our squad is handling it. last year phx los stoudemire at this time for a much longer time, and they were hoping for a championship. did they give up? no, they still got the western finals. so while this definitely hurts, it’s not the end of the world. this hawks team is not going to win a championship this year, but they can still compete and hopefully play meaningful games all the way through to april. the playoffs are a longshot, but they are still a possibility in the east. shelden, chill and zen will just have to step up from the getgo like i said earlier. hopefully salim will get his shot together and deliver points in bunches when we need it. defense is going to have to be at a premium early in the season so that we don’t fall into another hole like last year. that type of effort and hustle can keep us in every game. and if the guys start to understand how important it is to play that way, they will hopefully keep it up once marvin gets back to provide additional offensive firepower. don’t give up, the nba is a league of runs. just because you get down in the first quarter, you don’t just quit caring or trying. sounds to me like both the hawks AND their fans need to work on their identity and attitude. i understand some of this may be a kneejerk reaction, but let’s be smart enough to see beyond just today.
By Lacsho
October 26, 2006 09:28 PM | Link to this
Micheal M if you read my post: You, Ray, and I are practically on the same accord. The reason I say we should have kept Glyniadakis is he could back up ZaZa and Lo Wright could split time with Shelden at the Power forward spot. To me that makes a lot of since. Maybe Solomon will get some more time now, but Glyniadakis has proven he can do the tangibles…
By reese
October 26, 2006 09:59 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe it but I’m agreeing with Michael M. I really don’t see the need to panic about losing Marvin Williams for a little while. However, that could be because I didn’t like having him starting with Josh Smith in the first place.
As far as the Greek guy goes, I never saw him play so I guess I will not miss him. I liked the fact that he was 7’1 and according to Sekou attempted to play both offense and defense.
However, I’ve asked Sekou the same question for over a year and he has never answered it. Does Mike Woodson want to start/play significant minute two players taller than 6’10”?
I didn’t see any preason games or scrimmages so I don’t know if he placed that combination on the floor and if he did, were they able to dominate against the smaller players.
I had predicted that there would be 4 players with some talent kept who were taller than 6’10. Apparently, Woodson and Knight do not like that concept.
As far as Batista goes, didn’t the NBA start broadcasting in Uruguay. I guess there is an agreement in place with the hawks to keep batista at least 1 more year. Batista is only making 664,000 a year. If you had cut him and paid the Greek guy 350k. Its only a little over 1 mil for a team that is well below the cap. GuyfromUruguay, no disrespect, but batista has not demonstrated to me that he deserves to be on this team. He does not provide any of the facets (shot blocking, rebounding, scoring, leadership, ball handling, ability to finish on the fast break) that this team needs to be competitive.
For the person looking for the salaries, go to hoopshype
By coolchris
October 26, 2006 10:09 PM | Link to this
J CHILLS TO THE RESCUE. Those of you who thought he should be traded will get a chance to see his value to this team.
By Redrum
October 26, 2006 10:26 PM | Link to this
Luke Jackson or Denham Brown anyone???….Worth picking up or trying out?
By Ken Strickland
October 26, 2006 10:45 PM | Link to this
Remember fans, Hawks ownership has to consider their priorities. They can retain desirable players, by eating guaranteed contracts, or pay their attorneys. Having enough money to effectively run the franchise isn’t the problem with ownership. But, having enough money to run the franchise and pay 2 teams of lawyers, court cost and all other unforseen costs, could be.
Watch and see, JChildress just might give us more than Marvin, if he starts. Marvin has more potential, but Chills has more experience, maturity and development, at this stage of his career. Until this team gets more experience playing together, those attributes will be more valuable than potential.
By mykhalc
October 26, 2006 10:58 PM | Link to this
REESE, thanks for the salary link.
By Clyde
October 26, 2006 11:00 PM | Link to this
Chris Paul sure does look good right about now.
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Lacsho
October 26, 2006 11:06 PM | Link to this
Good post Ken
By robdawg06
October 26, 2006 11:11 PM | Link to this
This Yahoo quote sums up the sorry Hawks :
“The loss of Marvin Williams is another blow to Atlanta’s rebuilding efforts. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999 — the second-longest drought in the NBA — and went 26-52 last season. Only New York and Portland won fewer games.”
By robdawg06
October 26, 2006 11:23 PM | Link to this
We see the great talent evaluation with BK & Woody with Boris Diaw. A no-name reserve with the Hawks and now a star with the Suns.
By Kappy
October 26, 2006 11:32 PM | Link to this
Settle down fellas. Settle down. Now granted nobody wanted to see Marvin go down, but ive had some time to think about it and i think we’ll be ok. Sekou mentioned the 3 candidates for increased playing time, but i think the one that makes most sense is shelden. we need childress’ scoring punch off the bench and the interior depth with lo when zaza is getting worked inside. shelden is ying to zaza’a yang. he’ll do all the dirty work, block shots on weakside, rebound better than zaza, he’ll do very well. there may be some growing pains but wouldnt there have been with marvin?
as far as the debate on 12-15 men, i can’t comment on any of the invitees, i havent seen a scrimmage or preseason yet live. all i can go on is the radio calls, boxscores, and what you all tell me. I will say for a team with financial concerns, not to consider the possibility that it would cost more to purchase the contracts of these invitees would be stupid. they’re a business and they’re losing money. i’d probably do the same thing if i was running it, and im a diehard. ok wouldnt go like this but you get my point.
and guy from uruguay, ive respected you and your quotes for many a moon now. you always have positive things to say and you throw in the occasional love for esteban. i loved how hard he played last year, it really meant something to a team with no passion from what i saw. but his talents are marginal, as im sure you are aware. he’s more of a poor man’s zaza with little-to-none of his offensive skills. really appreciate the guy’s service, and since i havent seen the invitees in person, i can only say it wouldnt of shocked me if esteban would have been gone. if mark cuban owned our team, we would just keep the best guy available. but since we’re not in that situation, we have to recognize and point the finger at our dispicable ownership situation.
By Volman145
October 27, 2006 01:08 AM | Link to this
Wow, reading the story on Marvin this morning was really tough for me… (as it was to all Hawks fans).. You just have some instinct inside where you want to go and waive a magic wand and try to make the whole situation.. with the franchise.. everything. Hopefully Childress can come in and provide a BIG SPARK that the Hawks need. We’re also going to need loads of production from SW and Lorenzo. I’m pretty happy they’re with us banging around down low, and not just having Zaza in there with a sad Batista backing him up.
I really want this to be a decent season for the Hawks. I want the players to see a lot of fans in the seats.. I want the ownership issue to be over… Maybe i’m dreaming too many things.. the playoffs aren’t even in my mind at the moment.. We need to see Speedy in action.
If by the grace of God next year we can land Oden, then I really think the Hawks could make a push for a decent playoff spot. The sad thing is, that’s the ONLY way that fans will go to games.. I hope to see you all at the home opener!
go Hawks.
By bootsybug
October 27, 2006 03:05 AM | Link to this
too bad about marvin, but he’s a good kid with a big heart and he will come back with something to prove. we have versatility to deal with these sorts of things (unless joe goes down).
as for the cuts go, i do not fault the team with not cutting a player under contract, as that’s admitting a big mistake and it’s a waste of money. here are a few things i cannot understand:
i do not like ivey and don’t see what he brings to this team. why resign such a marginal player and lose flexibility? he has no offense at all and his defense is way over-rated. he fouls too much, he’s not quick enough, he’s not that big - the only good thing is is that he doesn’t turn the ball over, but he really doesn’t help this team. this resigning set the chain of event for the rest of the cuts/keeps.
why on earth keep freije over big-glyn? yes, we should have kept batista i guess since he was signed, and batista is a good hustle/hack guy, but what is a bowdler/freije going to do for this team? he doesn’t rebound or defend the post, so what the heck? at least big-glyn can help shelden collect some of the back-due rent that we never collected last year.
it’s a shame we are now keeping both bozeman and ivey - go with one and let the other go — good grief.
i understand that he have a broke ownership group, and it’s evident at every turn of events. i’m actually surprised we are going to have a full roster last year. remember, last year we were the only team in the nba WITHOUT A FULL ROSTER — double good grief.
i have been giving billy knight the benefit of the doubt with every move. i like his talent evaulation, but i really question his business skills/team building/ability to do the business part of the job, which is very important. i think he would be better suited as an assistant gm who another gm could lean on for player evaluation, and then let the real gm do the negotiations/handle the media, etc.
with that said, i like the team we have in place and feel we are going in the right direction. all we need to do is turn the corner, get some good coaching/chemistry/luck, and we’ll be knocking on the door to the playoffs.
go hawks!
By Herrera80
October 27, 2006 03:08 AM | Link to this
Losing Marvin is a loss yes. But cmon this guy is not a one man team. He hasnt proven that much for this loss to be huge. We have many capable guys that can fill into he gets back. Im getting tired of these excuses oh no Marvin is hurt we are gonna start bad thats non sense. Marvin wasnt even the best player on this team and this isnt a one man show it’s a team game. Guys like Josh Smith , Chill, Zaza, and Shelden will have to step up to the plate. Injurys happen all the time you cant let them effect the play of the team.
By RAMON
October 27, 2006 03:52 AM | Link to this
Honestly, when i think about all of the different type of injuries that could’ve came down on Marvin (ala Stoudamire, Grant Hill, and etc..) im glad to see it was a broken hand…and in someways i think it is a blessing from God. Going into the season, Woodson was having problems trying to figure out what to do with the line up. If Marvin was still healthy, whatever unit he went with would’ve never gotten good chemistry b/c he would’ve had to keep ‘TRYING’ new things, to ease the mind of passenger seat drivers. Now with Marvin being injured, though its sad, its not tragic. Coach Woodson is now given the opportunity to see what one unit can do over a stretched period of time. And from a coaching position, it allows Woodson the chance to see how he can fit Marvin into the lineup (rather starting or off the bench). One thing we know about Sheldon, he can play defense better than Marvin, and a hell of alot better than Harrington. With a tempo pusher like Speedy, this will lead to more points in the transition. Hopefully by the time Marvin comes back, he will have an identified role, and Sheldon will have be and played out some of the rookie wrinkles, not to mention its right around the time when most rookies hit their first fatigue wall from a much longer season (not to mention more intense) than college. Please remember, Coach Woodson was a great coach before he came to the Hawks. And as great of a coach Larry Brown is said to be, if he couldnt make a winner out of the Knicks (way more talented than the Hawks have been in last few years), how could anyone expect Woodson to do the same. You cant make World Class Chili out of Swap Meat seasonings… If given a chance Woodson will do wonders with this team. And this injury gives him the perfect chance to relax. Because if you remember the entire seasons before at the beginning Woodson never knew who would be a Hawk by the time February came. Last year it was Harrington, year before it was Walker, and so on. Now he can get comfortable. Would much rather have Woodson, unless you guys would prefer to go and get Kruger again lol…
By GuyFromUruguay
October 27, 2006 06:08 AM | Link to this
reese: there’s an agreement to broadcast a couple Hawks games and some other NBA games on national TV, but it’s certainly chump change for the NBA (probably not even worth Batista’s contract)
Kappy: thanks for the comment.
Everyone: you could look to the bright side, from the play-by-plays and stat sheets (no broadcast games yet), I’d say that both Bozeman and Freije will contribute, and were the 2 best campers (they didn’t even play the Greek much the last 2 games).
While Marvin is a huge loss, as some said we’ll get to see whether Childress, Shelden and some others (Freije for instance) step up and what they can contribute.
And you forget that Speedy can score too, and he hasn’t played in the preseason games.
By mississippi
October 27, 2006 08:15 AM | Link to this
Alright folks, time to calm down. Yes this is a very disappointed situation, but it’s not the end of the season or anything close to that. We have other players that can step in and they will do fine. We have Joe Johnson. SS you’ve got to keep positive on here, you can totally set the tone. I think the players are probably in a better frame of mind than the fans are. He’ll be back in 4 weeks, no problem. And quit crying about the final two cuts, no it’s not what people expected but it’s not going to make the difference between playoffs and not. Next week we play for real and all this stuff is secondary.
By macaroni Tony
October 27, 2006 09:38 AM | Link to this
I agree with Mississippi, this is not going to be the same team (like last year) hands down. WE are not going to loose nine games in a row and we are not going to go 2-16. We do have to get a good chemistry going in to the season with Speedy coming back from his injury, but I do think that this is JJ’s team so respect the man and let him lead this team. I am tired of reading that we should have drafted C.Paul, which I don’t think he’s all that good of player. Don’t get me wrong he is good, but we have MW so lets go with our player in his time of need. We are going to win some games, more games than ya’ll think Go Hawks
By Astro Joe
October 27, 2006 09:59 AM | Link to this
I appreciate all of the “calm down” sentiments. Personally, I still believe we have a huge offensive problem with Marvin;s absence. But maybe with Shelden and possibly Solomon getting more PT, our defense might be a few points better and we won’t require as much scoring to stay competitive. If we can manage to win 40% of our first 40 games (16-24 record) and then go 20-20 with a fully healthy Marvin in the line-up after January, then we could still produce a 36 win season. But that first 30 game stretch will be very challenging (not to mention that when Shelden hits the rookie wall that ALL rookies face, will others be ready to pick up the pace).
I still want this team to sign an offensive weapon to fill the void. Another name came to me last night, someone controversial, someone with a history of problems but a guy who might give this team a little more toughness when facing adversity. Latrell Sprewell anyone? He and JJ would complement each other well. Spree played his best ball next to Alan Houston, a player with skills very similar to JJ’s.
So for the record, the names I am tossing out for consideration are: Latrell Sprewell, Penny Hardaway, Keith Van Horn, Lamond Murray and Tony Kukoc. All available (to my knowledge), all experienced and all flawed (or they wouldn’t be available). Thoughts?
By honest_abe
October 27, 2006 11:21 AM | Link to this
spre comes with too much baggage.. seems like hawks front office wants to keep guys with character issues away from this young and impressionable team. penny, lamond, and tony too old, over the hill and their contributions would be limited…… the only person out of that group that might make sense is keith van horn……but he’s probably a tad bit more than the hawks would be willing to spend…
aj.. marv in jan? i thought 6-8? speedy seemed to come back closer to 6 than 8. i was expecting him to be back by mid of december.
By St. Bernard
October 27, 2006 11:37 AM | Link to this
The best fit of that group with our offense would be Sprewell, in an uptempo style. But, no way do I want to bring him in to influence our baby Hawks. And JJ and Speedy probably don’t want to play with him.
By Astro Joe
October 27, 2006 11:53 AM | Link to this
Abe, I guess worse case is Marvin is back at the end of December (8 weeks). But I’m guessing it will take some time after that for him to get in the flow of the team (which is why I mentioned January). I counted that there are 29 games that he would miss if he is not back until 1/1/07.
One thought is that BK could offer one of those old men a 75 day window to prove they can still contribute. He could “promise” to either trade them to a contender or release them at or before the trade-deadline. So those guys would not have to stay with the team for the entire season, they would use their 30-35 games with the Hawks to show a true contender that they can contribute toward a playoff run.
As for younger guys, did Devin Brown or Donta Smith ever find homes?
By Clyde
October 27, 2006 12:00 PM | Link to this
That’s what I’m talking St.Benard. Let’s bring Sprewell in. He will get us up and down the floor plus he plays decent defense. Anything is better than Jchill. Plus he played for Alabama. ROLL TIDE.
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Clyde
October 27, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this
That’s what I’m talking St.Benard. Let’s bring Sprewell in. He will get us up and down the floor plus he plays decent defense. Anything is better than Jchill. Plus he played for Alabama. ROLL TIDE.
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By jhan
October 27, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this
I read somewhere that Donta was released by whichever team he was in camp with.
Ivey & Batista will both be cut next year when their contracts are over.
I’m still thinking that this team will be able to lure a quality free agent next year. We will be under the cap again, our youngsters will be better, and JJ is going to put on a show this year. The right veteran is going to think this team is ready to blossom.
It will ultimately depend on this whole ownership mess being straightened out though.
By cowa
October 27, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this
To comment on the possible FA’s next year, the best drawing card we could possibly have is to win the lottery and get Oden. Outside of that, I don’t think there is anyone that will come here that we want. The positions that still need starting bodies in are center (Milicic and Magloire are the best avaialable) and PG is Speedy doesn’t work out as a starter (Bibby and Ridenour are the best available). If Milicic has a good year, you are looking at Chandler/Dalembert/Curry money in the $10M/season range. Magloire we could get cheaper, as he doesn’t have a starting job this year, but I’m not sure that’s the direction the Hawks want to go. At PG, Bibby is currently making $12M/season, so that’s what you would be looking at. And without Oden, why come here? Ridenour is more realistic with Watson also out in Seattle, but he’s going to be looking for some coin as well. All the other “stars” of FA next year are at SG/SF basically, so no reason to go there.
Without getting a top 3 pick next year, I don’t see why any FA is going to be looking to come to Atlanta in a starting role (unfortunately).
By The Flash
October 27, 2006 01:28 PM | Link to this
We need to know the details of how these two strikingly similar injuries occurred. And, I do mean the details. Injuries in sports are a scurge. This to me smacks of attempting to amp up the defense. If so, smacks of a bobby-ball approach. You all know what I think of that. This is a GAME to be PLAYED. Not a WAR run by THE GENERAL!
By macaroni Tony
October 27, 2006 01:45 PM | Link to this
Man your faith is way to low for me. I still think that we are going to be just fine. We lost several (20) games by five points or less, so I do believe that we can watch tapes to see what happened and get in a winning mode. To come here and read these blogs about next year lottery is depressing. Can we give this young team a chance to win (also lay off Bastista). I do believe that he can play if we rally behind him. Are we fans are haters? Let them play the first 10 games then we can decide what kind of team that we have!
By michael m.
October 27, 2006 01:56 PM | Link to this
we’re not going to sign a sprewell or any of those guys. dude wasn’t even in the league last year and is past his prime. you really want to surround our young core by bringing in sprewell’s attitude. let’s see what chill, shelden, etc. can do. in terms of marvin getting back, if he makes as speedy a recovery as claxton, he will be back in 5 weeks. let’s not hit the panic button which is what signing an over-the-hill vet amounts to. you usually make good points astro, so i’m surprised to hear your talk of van horn and the like…
we need to see how our young guys develop together. everyone has been saying how we have better depth this season and are practically two deep at each position, but marvin goes down for 6 weeks and you want to sign someone else? let the current hawks build an identity without putting a temporary band-aid on the situation. doing what you suggest would only cut into the confidence that our first, second and third year guys are develop.
By mykhalc
October 27, 2006 02:28 PM | Link to this
i’m hoping that SOLOMON somehow ends up being the surprise that comes thru as a result of MARVIN’s injury. not sure if he was slated for the NBDL before the injury, but if healthy again, and it seems like he is according to SS’s reports, then maybe he sees the court and gets a chance to produce. not sure what he’s got on the offensive end, but seems like he’s got upside on the defensive side.
and maybe FREIJE gets more of a chance too. looks like he’s got some offense and at 6’10” hopefully he likes to mix it up down low too. his box scores have been good thus far.
but regardless, the cats are gonna have to step and produce some points in MARVIN’s absense. tonite’s game is gonna show a lot since it will be SPEEDY’s first game. and even tho he’ll have some rust, we’ll at least get to see what he brings to the court.
By Astro Joe
October 27, 2006 02:43 PM | Link to this
Michael M, true, we have depth but we do not have scoring depth. Smith is still a work-in-progress who prefers to shoot 3-pointers. How many teams’ primary scorers prefer to score from the perimeter? Seattle? They suck. The Nets? Vince and Jefferson attack the basket far more often than JJ and Smith do.
Marvin brought a very specific skill set to this team. A young guy with offensive skills that could eventually rival any SF in the league. A sweet jump shot, the ability to dribble his way to the rim and a developing low post game. I don’t think we can ignore the crucial issue that we traded away our second leading scorer and just lost his designated replacement for 25-30 games. More than developing our youth, I want our youth to experience winning. I’d much rather see them enjoy competing with a Keith Van Horn playing 28 minutes a night then have them get blown out every night while watching JJ get double-teamed on every possession (that’s how I would defend him, like he was Kobe with no other offensive weapons around him).
But alas, I’m sure my debate is moot as this ownership group made no efforts last year when a pivotal player was lost before the season’s start (Collier) and I see no reason to believe they will handle this non-tragic situation any differently.
By jhan
October 27, 2006 03:23 PM | Link to this
I have to think that Speedy will make teams pay for double-teaming JJ. He is so fast with the ball that if they double JJ, Speedy will get to the rim very easily. I’m one who also believes that Speedy is going to contribute much more than people think. I remember watching him on the Spurs when they won the title & thinking this guy is too fast for the other team to defend. Let’s hope it plays out that way.
By ray
October 27, 2006 11:25 PM | Link to this
Geez, where did all the calm down stuff come from? Who’s so amped up about Marvin’s injury? I agree with Joe that it can’t be ignored, but it shouldn’t be over-inflated either.