AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USJohnson plans second-half push
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Las Vegas — Joe Johnson shut down his All-Star partying after just one night. That’s right, one night. He soaked the parties and atmosphere of Sin City for less than 24 hours before deciding that resting up for a second-half push with the Hawks was more important than blowing out the weekend of his first visit to the All-Star Game.
Gym rats, they’re so predictable.
Give Johnson credit, though. Because seconds (33 to be exact, I counted on my digital recorder) after Sunday night’s All-Star affair (I refuse to call it a game again after the way the Eastern Conference was slapped around) he was talking about what the Hawks needed to do right their season in these last 30 games.
“We’re going back to practice [Monday], back to work,” he said. “If we’re going to do anything, we have to try and start it off right. We went 4-1 to star the season and need to try and do that again. So I hope the guys used this four days we had to rest properly and come back ready to get after it, both mentally and physically.”
The challenge facing the Hawks couldn’t be much greater, with the Chicago Bulls up Tuesday night and home games against San Antonio, Houston and Phoenix after that.
But you try telling Johnson that it’s not possible. Dude is still on a high, even if he doesn’t wear it, from his first taste of the NBA high life. He’s still a believer in what might be (even if most of us know better, or at least think we know better).
My preseason prediction for wins for the Hawks was 30 games. With 21 already in the bag, they appear to be on a pace to smash that. Or at least surpass it with a cushion.
They’ll need to play .500 basketball the rest of the way to achieve their own goals. But that’s a tall task, even for a group full of spunk after their 3-1 Western Conference road trip.
Any guesses as to how they’ll do?
Now, for some quick All-Star Game tidbits:
If my man Dwight Howard isn’t the second coming of Shaq (20 and 10 and 0-for-5 from the foul line) my name isn’t Blog-Z.
Someone mentioned a scary analogy to me about Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant, suggesting that LBJ and Vince Carter have a similar trait in that neither ever seems to really want to exert his obvious physical dominance over everyone else. “Don’t you watch them both thinking the entire time that they should be the most dominant cat on the floor?” my boy said. He has a good point.
My baby Beyonce was sitting courtside with some other (Jay-)Z, but she knew I was in the stands. I got into another argument with someone about her and I realize now that I might be a bit biased, but if you get a good look of her in person, you would understand why. (She had some pretty lady company Sunday night from quite a few ladies, most notably Gabrielle Union, Victoria Rowell and assorted others).
Five best jobs in Las Vegas 1) Botox shot giver 2) Wayne Newton’s barber 3) Plastic surgeon to the stars 4) Beyonce’s limo driver 5) Mayor. Dude goes everywhere with two showgirls.
Agent 0 is an absolute clown, in a good way. Dude dunked off a trampoline during a timeout late in the game after Shaq told him he’d make a donation to his charity if he did it. “Hopefully, I won’t get in trouble for this one,” he said after the game. “It’s worth it. It was for a good cause.”
Classiest move of Sunday night. Several of the veteran Western Conference All-Stars told coach Mike D’Antoni to play the young guys. He didn’t tell anyone whom it was, but it was easy to figure out (Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan).
Whatever Amare Stoudemire did to get over his microfracture surgery should be prescribed for everyone.
I’m passing on the next All-Star Game here, though. Too much traffic, on foot in the casinos and on the streets otherwise. I’ve had enough.
Shaq’s my age and is now officially old. But I still love his personality. I hope he plays another four years just so we can all enjoy his sense of humor.
My flight to Chicago leaves at 9:20 a.m. I was told to leave the MGM (media hotel) by 6 a.m. if I want to make it. Get ready for some serious complaining on the next update from Chi-town.
Comments
By tim
February 19, 2007 01:14 AM | Link to this
looking at the schedule here are my thoughts. with the hawks’ propensity for pulling a few upsets here and there and at the same time losing games that we here in sekouville think they should win, i’d say 36-46 is a reasonable expectation for the rest of the season. that’s with the current roster, barring injuries or a positive trade of some sort. regrettably that take the birds out of the running for the top three lottery spots, so the draft doesn’t seem to provide any immediate upgrades. hopefully the ownership situation gets resolved and this team can build on the progress they’ve shown in the last two seasons, rather taking more steps backwards. btw. sekou kicks a** with this blog and those of us who remain faithful to the hawks should be grateful. i know i am.
By Braves fan 202
February 19, 2007 01:18 AM | Link to this
I dont know, these hawks are beginning to play together and after reading this i am a huge believer in joe johnson. Maybe they can make a pus and be a contender next season.
By greg
February 19, 2007 02:01 AM | Link to this
What ever Joe said is a great attitude, but we sill need a Big man in the paint. someone who can give at least 15 and 12rb with 2or 3blks.Hawks,when will you realize, a team needs at least 2 stars on the floor to win championships.
By Wedgie Evans
February 19, 2007 07:26 AM | Link to this
So the Luke Ridnour trade that Sekou’s been talking about for about a month finally got talked about somewhere else… any truth to it? I still think they should be trying to trade for a post player, not a point guard.
Way to go Joe… only 2 players scored more points than him for the East squad, pretty impressive for a guy who wasn’t even supposed to be on the team.
By doc
February 19, 2007 08:23 AM | Link to this
said 36 wins if no injuries and reconsidered when they had so many then said 32 to 34. just think that .500 is over their heads for the rest of the way but still feel they could end up with 32 to 34 without pushing it too hard. 13 and 17 to end the season would take them into the area of .450 ball, an improvement over the standard they set last year at the end of .333. i can take improvement if they continue to bolster the roster with some real needs to be competitive in the off season.
if they really get luke as rumored then he will help grow us into a star wars type team with light sabers and all to compiment our own blogboy tag team of anakin joe and darth andro. if he can get the ball to joe where he wants it as well as feed into the middle when zaza and sheldon are in there or lead smash into the middle to dump it off then this team might go beyond the 36 expected even with the injuries.
come on billy pull off the trade and make it hard for belkins to fire you and maybe force him to drop his own ego after consulting with a few folks and realize how awful it has been working for a three headed monster, the spirit, the lawyers and cpa’s as well as you. the worst case scenario is to see the team really begin to gel and have stevie boy feel a need to place his own stamp on the team after he wins the court battle and bust up everything and place this team right back to square one as he brings in his own man. that is the possible perfect storm i wrote about last year and still see as a realistic outcome of this nasty divorce.
By Matt from Hotlanta Hawks
February 19, 2007 08:49 AM | Link to this
I think the Hawks should have 2 goals for the rest of the season:
By critic
February 19, 2007 08:51 AM | Link to this
Hawks finally get a player in the All Star game, have a shot at making the playoffs and not one peep out of Shultz, Bradley, or Moore. What a bunch of idiots.
By doc
February 19, 2007 08:52 AM | Link to this
ray, i read your comments about the potential trade in the previous blog. what is lost there is the fact that of all the guards desired to play point including ai who isnt a true point the guy that coach brown of the hawks (larry’s brother) wanted, when asked specifically about ai, earl watson as the better point and the best of the bunch out there available after the season last year. interesting that his reason was that watson was the one point out there who could score on his own if he had to; that seems to be the failing of speedy, his shot isnt there. it is funny how when speedy came into the league he was about a .450 guy but he is down to about.333 now with no potential ever in the three point circle as he falls into the sub-.200 range for his career. the other thing is it seems to have affected his free throw shooting as for most of his career he has shot in the .750 to .800 range; adequate for a guy who goes into the lane to pick up fouls. he just isnt there now. if we get luke then hopefully they have looked closely to make sure he can do better in these areas and we just dont recreate an apparant mistake if speedy truly cant revert back to his old self.
By roan st
February 19, 2007 09:31 AM | Link to this
Seattle wants a #1 for ridnour. I went to the tacoma news tribune and read the article about the hawks inquiring about luke. No way I would give up our Indiana pick for ridnour. Don’t think he alone would make us a playoff team. With a deep draft and the possibility of the pacers falling down into the 12-13 range that would seem to much for ridnour. We need to keep that pick unless we can get something better in return.
By Russell
February 19, 2007 09:38 AM | Link to this
Kevin Garnett should be ashamed for blocking a shot and playing Defense in the all-star game. He stood out like a sour note for actually getting in the lane. The NBA- what a joke, I’d rather watched the old timers in their 50’s get after it, at least they still would.
By RA
February 19, 2007 10:27 AM | Link to this
I’m about as big a Hawks fan as you’re going to find, but I just don’t see the playoffs this year. If it hadn’t been for that disastrous December stretch, the Hawks would be in the thick of it, but when you look at the teams that they’re chasing, Orlando, Miami… I just don’t know if they’re deep enough to make that kind of a run. Don’t get me wrong, I think 500 gets you in as an eigth seed (maybe a sixth or seventh seed in this conference), but I think that in addition to Atlanta playing well, someone else would have to stumble and stumble badly for the playoffs to be a reality. Now, as for Ridnour, if he’s as good as Sekou says, and I’ve never had any reason to doubt him, he might be worth a 12th or 13th pick this year. God knows, we need a talented young point man. Still, sometimes the best deals are the ones that you don’t make. Everybody says that this is going to be a deep draft, particularly in guards, but then again, aren’t they all? Anyway, Billy Knight is going to be criticized either way so he may as well just do what he thinks is best…
By Volman
February 19, 2007 10:34 AM | Link to this
It looked like Joe was pretty serious in that game yesterday. He was trying to fight through screens, and played some pretty good defense.
I would LOVE to see how many points he could have gotten if he shot as many times as Lebron (sheesh). Give the ball up LBJ!
I would like Ridnour, but not for the 1st rounder (like others have said).
I would just take a risk in the draft for a point guard (people have said Law from A&M), or else try to throw some money at CHAUNCEY BILLUPS…
What big man free agents are out there next season? Who could we even try to trade for if needed in the summer? What do you all think?
By roan st
February 19, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this
Ridnour is quite possibly the worst defensive guard in the entire league. He can’t keep his man in front of him and that is why I would never give up a #1 for him. He would only exacerbate the glaring weaknesses we already have in the paint. Knight has already had many chances to address the point guard position and at this point I would not give up a pick that might get us a decent big in next years draft. Decent point guards are a lot easier to come by than decent bigs.
By Ryder
February 19, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this
I stated Atlanta would win 35 games this year and unless something extraordinary happens, I can’t see this team going beyond that the way this roster is constructed. The only bad part about that is that if they ever did decide to resolve this ownership mess (not holding my breath on that) they will see that as a sign not to add any other players. Josh Smith has matured before our eyes and JJ has proven he is an All-Star to build around, however the rest of this team would be benchwarmers (save Childress and maybe Marvin on his best day). Woodson won’t have any other choice but to wear his two best guys down and they’ll be worn out during the stretch run.
Stop dreaming about trades because they won’t happen unless BK can trade for NBDL talent.
By JJ#1fan
February 19, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this
SS, why do you say the word “dude” every five seconds? Come on *dude * you are a proffesional writer!
By ray
February 19, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this
Doc,
Again, good points. Speedy is indeed struggling from the field, but I have to attribute some of that to his injuries ( have no idea what he works on in practice or his own time, it must not be his shooting), which have kept him from playing consistently and getting into any kind of groove. The thing is, he’s alwas been a penetrator, meaning he can get higher percentage shots. But when he doesn’t have his legs under him, that doesn’t happen. The whole idea (or at least I thought so) was for him to do just that, causing the defense to sag on him and giving him better opportunities for timely ball distribution. Now, he just hovers around and is ineffective. You have to be SOME kind of threat for the defense not to collapse on your shooters/scorers like Joe, Josh, and Marvin. Salim too. When Speedy’s on and healthy (WHEN), he can do this, then we need not worry about how he shoots from 23-25 as much. We need the penetration.
If Ridnour can provide that, and we don’t have to give up our #1, then maybe it’s not a bad idea. I DO have problems with giving up the #1 pick in spite of my lack of confidence in Billy making a good selection in the draft (I know, makes me out to be an oxymoronic hypocrite).
The question is what could we have at that slot and would it benefit us better in the long run. And there’s simply no easy answer because no one can really know that. Not only do we not know what our position will be in the draft, but we don’t know who will be available at said selection. Even though the whole draft situation is a gamble, that’s how you build for the future. And I think that by now we know that unless the team really falls apart of falls on hard times, the season is not going to be tanked and we won’t have the worst record in the league, so probably no top three pick. And yet, playoffs is still a long hard stretch. What a quandary. Like I said, if the deal for Ridnour is agreeable, it may be worth the effort. We just can’t give up too much.
Don’t know the answers, but one way or another we need a better point guard. Speedy isn’t cutting it due primarily to health issues. Not condemning him, but I’m not holding out hope that he’ll “come back strong” next season. We’ve got to plan differently, and that means getting someone else, rather than trying to play Lue for 35min a night only to watch him succumb to the injury bug. Royal is a great teammate, but he’s not the answer either. I don’t know what we could get Boston to go along with, but they have three young guys who play that position. Looks like Rondo just recently took it from Telfair. If all avenues are truly being looked into, then this is one that should be looked into.
By jhan
February 19, 2007 01:18 PM | Link to this
I believe they should use all assets (players & picks) to land a quality big man for next year. PG is an obvious concern for this team, but the big man is more crucial. Speedy & Lue will be fine for another year. ZaZa being the only legit big man will not be fine for another year.
By mykhalc
February 19, 2007 01:18 PM | Link to this
VOLMAN, i’m with you on LEBRON. ever since seein’ him on the USA team thru the ALL-STAR game last nite, i have to admit i’m becomin’ LESS of a fan of his. i almost feel he and KOBE are goin’ in opposite directions in knowin’ how to play team ball. and i AIN’T no KOBE fan AT ALL!!! but i will give props when they’re due!!
on the RIDNOUR trade, the more i think about it, the more i’m against givin’ up a #1. like i said, i DO NOT know his game other than his numbers and what others have shared on the BLOG. but the team’s most glarin’ need is in the paint, the 5!! i think if a #1 has to be given up, it would be for help there!!
By pablo bosque
February 19, 2007 01:18 PM | Link to this
definitely look into acquiring a young pg from boston, rondo or more likely telfair. and don’t forget that next year they’ll probably be starting tony allen, who right before he got hurt for the season was scoring 20+ a game. also, and ridnour might not necessarily be the right guy, but if we did trade a mid-range #1 pick for the right player, whose to say we wouldn’t simply be saving ourselves a couple years of development with a prospect? we need a big, but there might not be a good pick at 15-20, and if we’re looking for a pg to step in and START, a couple years NBA experience has gotta be worth something. what would be nice is if we could get a real legitimate pg AND big for a benchwarmer(s) (or speedy, lorenzen, shelden, etc.) and our #1 pick, but that is just wishful thinking on all levels…
By doc
February 19, 2007 02:14 PM | Link to this
by the numbers neither rondo or telfair bring more than sppedy as they are both undersized and offensive liabilities. seems rondo got a few starts and had a big night with assists one night and another in points. looking at the numbers offensively that all three guys including luke put up, i dont see a significant benefit to the trade for any of the three, especially for a number one. if we trade speedy and salim for luke then fine as a two for one then maybe, but not a no.1 as we have few unless we are getting legit no.1 quality back. rondo went late third, luke went 14 and tellfair has been a wash out for his second team in dire need of a point. rondo might be the guy as he is probably better than speedy on defense which is speedy’s strong suit.
By Volman
February 19, 2007 02:17 PM | Link to this
mykhalc, I think we ALL know who you want to run the point for this team!!! hah
By mykhalc
February 19, 2007 02:53 PM | Link to this
VOLMAN, LOL!! and we don’t have to give up #1 either!!! hell, we don’t even have to go lookin’ AT ALL!!!LOL
By Volman
February 19, 2007 02:54 PM | Link to this
Just a little snippet from Gilbert Arenas’ All-Star blog from nba.com…looked pretty interesting:
“I Told Coach to Keep Joe In When I came out I told Eddie, “Don’t worry about me, go ahead and keep Joe Johnson in.”
I know how it feels being the odd man out, so I told Eddie to keep him in and let him enjoy himself.
Plus, we still have to play the Hawks about three more times, so I didn’t want him building a vendetta against Eddie and us.
I didn’t want him thinking in the timeouts during the game, “Oh man, I can’t wait till they come to town,” and then when we play them he’ll be running a bunch of iso’s.
I know how that feels because I did it last year. “
I guess Joe WAS the odd man out for this all-star game.
By RDM
February 19, 2007 05:24 PM | Link to this
Heck, FOrget the big man> Good, solid, ball distributing point guard first. Zaza may not be a superstar, but he’s solid enough to hold down the fort. If we could even get a Mugsy BOuges clone, I would be happy.
By Anakin Joe
February 19, 2007 07:48 PM | Link to this
I agree, Shaq looked like Artis Gilmore out there last night… the current version of Artis Gilmore. Unless he finds the disciine to workout in the off-season, he’s done. (How many dunks did he miss in the game because he couldn’t ge that big body off the floor?)
I’m predicting Hakws do nothing before the deadline. If I’m te Spirit, a $2-3M investment in the Thrashers will be a much better use of limited funds than spending some cap room on the Hawks. I didn’t realize until yesterday that the Thrashers were barely holding on the a playoff birth. Obviously, it makes more sense to invest in the team that has a better shot at earning revenue beyond the regular season. But its a nice smoke screen to suggest that this team is truly active in the trade market. Personally, I’m not buying it.
By infamouskrs
February 19, 2007 08:11 PM | Link to this
Dear Speedy,
I’d love to suggest a few things to better yourself…and your career.
a)your first and only reaction, when in control of the basketball,should always be to PASS THE BALL ! ASSISTS are what this team needs. DEFENSE is what this team needs. become that ultimate “distributor”, as Ray said. Penetrate+dish….don’t worry about the scoring. Your boys will get that done!
b)Play summer ball with JJ, get to know the guy and his work-ethic! He wants to win, and he wants this team to succeed.
c)become a vocal leader. this team needs that veteran-voice, more than you know.
PS
Take up some Yoga, or maybe alittle Karate..something to get your body at 1 with the universe (again). Remember, this team gave you your starter shot, don’t let us all down.
Sincerly, Over-due Fan Base
By RA
February 19, 2007 08:42 PM | Link to this
Question: Why after riding the Hawks all year for not playing well have most of the AJC’s sports columnists ignored them altogether? They’ve won six out of their last ten games! When was the last time that happened? They just won three out of four out west. And why have Moore, Bradley, and Schultz been silent on the birds amd the NBA altogether for that matter?Because, as of this second, they have nothing bad to say without saying something good! Pathetic!
By Volman
February 19, 2007 09:51 PM | Link to this
Exactly, RA.
I don’t think anyone on these blogs care about what the “other guys” have to say about our Hawks or the NBA for that matter. We flock to SEkou, and only Sekou! haha.
What are “the other guys” names anyway?
By Wedgie Evans
February 19, 2007 10:21 PM | Link to this
Ridnour would help the Hawks’ offense, but he would also singlehandedly contribute 1-2 more fouls to Josh Smith’s per-game total by allowing his man to get past him into the lane. In what may be the deepest draft since 2003, trading the Indiana pick for Ridnour isn’t worth it, especially when this team’s biggest problem is in the post, not at point guard.
By michael m.
February 19, 2007 10:51 PM | Link to this
dont trade the indy pick, trade lue to miami for their #1, and then trade the worse of the two picks to seattle in exchange for ridnour.
By j-rock
February 20, 2007 01:20 AM | Link to this
Thats right Wedgie Evans because t-lue and speedy claxton play such great defense.It comes down to ridnour or Acie Law,Dominic James,Mike Singletary or maybe Javarais Crittenton.As hawks fans we have to ask ourselves do we go for it now or give billy knight another chance to draft sheldon williams or marvin williams? Just because the draft has great players doesn’t mean he will draft the right player.
By Rev. M.M
February 20, 2007 06:17 AM | Link to this
The Hawks will make the playoffs with the current team that they have. All the guys have something to prove and they are going to prove it!! We also need to embrace Speedy. His frist half was rough, but now he knows his teammates and their style of play. He will come in big the second half. Go Hawks!!!!!!
By Dee
February 20, 2007 09:51 AM | Link to this
After looking at the line up on nbadraft.com, I dont see no one that could help us with the INdy pick. Only 1 good center worth getting and that’s Oden which will not happen for us. And there is Acie Law at #17. The rest are SF & PF which we dont need anymore of. So I say let’s give up our INdy pick for Ridnour. We need a PG as well as a BIG but there is none in the draft this year. Nothing but 6-7 to 6-10 forwards. There are only 4 centers in the first round. The first 2 we can go ahead and say they are gone, and the last 2 are no better than ZAZA..Get Ridnour!
By honest_abe
February 20, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this
hoyt!
not really looking forward to this game. bulls play defense and will force the hawks to execute in the half court.
hopefully woody will get his pea sized brain functioning tonight and he’ll order his troops to foul ben wallace anytime he gets close to the basket. the last time the hawks played the bulls i think ben wallace was like 5 for 5 in the first quarter!!!!!!!!! that’s not bad coaching. that pure incompetence!
By Ryder
February 20, 2007 11:13 AM | Link to this
Don’t hold your breath on that one abe. The minute Chicago forces Atlanta into the half court Woodson will panic and force the offense to go strictly through JJ.
I can’t wait for 3:01pm on Thursday so everyone can shut up about Ridnour and any other of these ridiculous trade ideas. This is the team we’re stuck with , so unless any other NBDL players are coming through spare us all of the drama please.
Finally, don’t hold your breath on Speedy picking up his game. Thanks to guaranteed contracts motivation is unnecessary in the NBA. While they’re probably are some players who actually care about winning a title, once they get that big contract they could care less about coming back from injury. Don’t believe me? When’s the last time anyone’s mentioned Boris Diaw this year? Thought so!
Perhaps that’s why Josh Smith is playing so well, once he gets that guaranteed contract as well he’ll stop caring.
By honest_abe
February 20, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this
ryder.. it’s a sad reality about todays game. but it’s the truth. guaranteed contracts have absolutely killed the game. take away the players that want to be the best and everyone else is just playing for the big pay day. i’m all for athletes making as much money as they can but when it drastically reduces the quality of play, fans begin to notice and interest will gradually decline.
my buddy and i were talkin the other day. and we were like where’s the hate these days? that’s what made bball fun, rivalries! teams that couldn’t stand each other. now everybody makes a boat load of guaranteed money and so everybody loves everybody. losses don’t hurt as much. that same buddy used to be a huge nba fan. but now he’s in his late 20’s and he can’t watch a game. i still got the love but unfortunately i think there are alot of people that have become jaded with the nba.
By Anakin Joe
February 20, 2007 11:57 AM | Link to this
I’m glad espn.com’s John Hollinger (who lives in Atlanta), gave this some national attention. As I mentioned the day Sekou’s article was posted, this was truly a pathetic way to treat your All Star.
Kyle (Atlanta): Do you think the Hawks will go after Bibby before the deadline to maybe make a playoff push? Or do you see the season mostly over for them?
John Hollinger: (11:47 AM ET ) Atlanta isn’t going to take on a contract like that until the ownership deal is settled. For crying out loud, they put Joe Johnson on a commercial flight to get him to the All-Star Game …. only thing Atlanta has done has been the “we’ll give you our garbage for Luke Ridnour” proposal with Seattle, which predictably went nowhere.
By ray
February 20, 2007 12:22 PM | Link to this
Based on what I read in the article by Curtis Bunn, where “Speedy is the deciding factor in our playoff hopes” I have no expectation for a trade, let alone a good one, to happen. I mean, one of the owners is practically saying that Speedys is the answer. Right near that is Woody saying that they need Speedy near 80-90 percent and he’s nowhere near that. Now what does that tell you?
Ando, if you thought that Billy was clueless, take a look at this article. But drink a few glasses of Cognac before you do, please. And keep some baby aspiring handy, ‘cause your blood pressure is going higher than Honda stock.
By doc
February 20, 2007 12:39 PM | Link to this
ray, now all together please ….IT’S ABOUT THE OWNERS!
By Dustin from Dville
February 20, 2007 01:24 PM | Link to this
i grew up a hawks fan but resented them since they traded away my favorite player of all time Dominique into obscurity. (the freakin clippers). Go Rockets!….now thats a team built right, got 2 good bigs in mutombo and ming ,and a true superstar in Mcgrady…and 3 point shooters surrounding them. Mcgrady by the way is alot better than labrons overhyped butt.
As far as the hawks go this team is no more ready to make a playoff run than the knicks or grizzles. If the hawks wanted to be true competitors in the next 2 or 3 years (and not just first round playoff exits at best!) then thed sit joe johnson on the bench and tank this season and get Durant or Oden! right now the hawks have one all star and a bunch of role players….and no dominant big man. with every hawks victory any true fan should cringe because its meaningless and only hurting the team for years to come!
By Dee
February 20, 2007 01:38 PM | Link to this
THAT”S CRAZY!! That’s not how you build a team by tanking the season. You play hard NO MATTER WHAT! HACK, for that matter, we have been tanking seasons after seasons and still havent ended up with a #1 overall pick!! So why do that now. Let’s just play to win at all times and if we win, than maybe we dont need another young rookie to get this team winning. And if we lose, than we will still be able to get a decent pick…The way I look at it is if it’s for us, than it’s for us, win or lose
By doc
February 20, 2007 02:14 PM | Link to this
well this is about sports though it isnt about bball. i am shaking my head at this one.
i read the article about the coach weiss case getting dismissed as a mistrail. seems one of the jurors fell over and tried to die in the court room and the two docs on trial rushed to his aid. unfortunately, the other jurors saw the interaction of the docs to provide aid as they have been trained to do and how to react in emergencies. the docs have changed their schedules to fit the mighty coach of the irish instead of the usual way where you go when it comes up. now they have to deal with another date for the trail.
this is all for a guy who couldnt get hold of his life and figure a way to grapple with his eating disorder and felt he was being conspired against in interviews to be a head coach. it was a tough recovery but one where he did recover tough he was close to death. instead of blaming himself for the situation he chooses to blame the surgeons who ultimately got him better for an accepted risk of this operation, much less all operations … bleeding post-op. the operation he underwent has the highest mortality risk for any operation and a 25% complication rate big and small. with that knowledge he still blames the docs and i would say someone as smart as he on the football field he was just as prepared with the info before the operation.
now the kicker for me is one of the two was one of my best teachers of surgery and sticklers for details who was as tough on those around him as he was on himself; to do it right no matter the politics or money concerned. he ended up at the great mass general and introduced the world of tv surgery to them there and built a huge practice doing the toughest surgery around. my money is he did it by the book and is in the situation that many docs are in where someone ether cant accept their own cause for their illness or smell the money and go after someone for an accepted risk of surgery. for charley weiss it proably was the former as he is hugely rewarded now as a head coach. i fortuantely didnt ever have to go through it from the end of being the sued doc but saw one of my closest colleagues have to do it and he never was the same. this is what is costing us all more in the health care profession as unfortunately the good guys say they dont need the harrassment leaving behind the guys you dont want to see and many tests are now ordered to avoid the frivilous lawsuit that might come your way.
By Anakin Joe
February 20, 2007 02:58 PM | Link to this
Doc I read that article and it sounded like someting from a bad TV show. Give Weiss (and others) a break. Not too many of us are willing to accept blame for our own sins. And I for one would feel a little better about healthcare if I could spend more than 2 minutes with my doctor during a visit and if the billions spent on finding cures for various diseases actually delivered one cure. Not that I am a reader of any AMA periodicals, but has anything been cured (not treated) in the past 25 years?
By doc
February 20, 2007 04:10 PM | Link to this
i assure you aj i know of the sins of the system as well as the sins of the patient and i come from both sides.
you have said it before bud … what is it now? … all sing in the chorus … follow the money.
my point was this doc who i trained with was not the guy to follow the money. he stressed it, taught and practiced that it wasnt about making money, doing great cases for yourself, nor about pleasing the other docs to make money for them or keep the steady stream of patients coming as you agree with their stupid diagnoses but it was about doing the right thing for the patient at the right time. nobody wants a suture line to bleed but the fact is they do and it is not always about whether the doc did the right thing as much as the equipment failing to do what it does most of the time. nothing is 100% successful because the thickness of the stomach varies from individual to individual and there is no way to measure it accurately.
having operated on many chemical engineers myself it was hard to get the point across i didnt control any of the variables, though they as a group, controlled everything in the process from substrate to temperature to get the result they wanted. every individual is different all trying to meet the standard equipment to do the job. it even happens in the medications you take same dose for all whether you are 85 or 14 weigh 90 lbs or 400 and you expect cure? doesnt make sense does it and you wonder why there are so many adverse reactions to meds and medical care is one of the highest causes of mortality in the u.s.?
ultimately, it really isnt about cures but about healing which is what docs dont do and patients (you and i) are willing to see that as the real effort of care or should be so we dont overindulge to take care of our stubborn deeply held issues that drive us to the brink as it did coach charley. he still doesnt get it is my thought, that it is up to him to heal whatever and this legal case isnt going to do it. no the ama doesnt talk about healing but the chance of cure, unfortunately they have got it wrong and fortunately some policy makers are begginning to hear it. unfortunately …ok chorus … follow the money .. is hard to defeat in big medicine or in the pharmacomafia.
since you responded aj, just telling it like it is, not trying to be tough on you or anybody else myself included. you probably already are aware at some level of all this as you talk of two minute visits. there are some really cool things that have been done to cure people of acute traumas care for people and even cancers but for the mainstream ailment that are chronic they are usually stress related in over 85% of the cases. the touted benefits of the drugs to treat them that are given on the television screen dont stress that real issue. not my bias but the info from our surgeon general as it hits on deaf ears because he too has to deal with the issue of …. follow the money … to change policy.
By ray
February 20, 2007 11:22 PM | Link to this
uh, okay.
By Dustin from Dville
February 20, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
i grew up a hawks fan but resented them since they traded away my favorite player of all time Dominique into obscurity. (the freakin clippers). Go Rockets!….now thats a team built right, got 2 good bigs in mutombo and ming ,and a true superstar in Mcgrady…and 3 point shooters surrounding them. Mcgrady by the way is alot better than labrons overhyped butt. As far as the hawks go this team is no more ready to make a playoff run than the knicks or grizzles. If the hawks wanted to be true competitors in the next 2 or 3 years (and not just first round playoff exits at best!) then thed sit joe johnson on the bench and tank this season and get Durant or Oden! right now the hawks have one all star and a bunch of role players….and no dominant big man. with every hawks victory any true fan should cringe because its meaningless and only hurting the team for years to come!
By I hate Billy Knight
February 24, 2007 08:34 AM | Link to this
What does Billy Knight have to do to get fired? I think anyone on this board can do a better job being the GM of the Hawks than him. I really do. And if you don’t believe me…
From ESPN’s Sports Guy: “ATLANTA: F-minus-minus-minus-minus Already earmarked for an “F” before giving away its high No. 2 pick (an asset in a loaded draft) for Anthony Johnson, who’s bounced around the league more than Karrine Steffans and only knocks them further away from Oden/Durant. Hey, do you realize the Hawks passed on Chris Paul and Randy Foye in the past two drafts, they’re paying $13 million combined for Ty Lue, Speedy Claxton and Anthony Johnson, and there’s a decent chance they won’t own a single pick in the 2007 draft? It’s true. I might have to hold the “Atrocious GM Summit II” just to pay homage to Billy Knight’s anti-brilliance.”