Hawks

By Dee

February 23, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this

Billy K maybe working on a strategy that keeps all the players we have now,,getting a PG (AJ) that can make do for the remainder of the season,,,that will help us play good enough to lose,,,,keeping hope alive to getting a top 3 overall pick(oden/durant/or PG),,,,,with INDY’S pick still ours(Center or PG),,,,,,thus putting us in the position to trade away the leftover players remaining on the team that we dont need!!(Batista,Ivey,Lo Wright) GO BK (if that’s the case!)

By billy knight

February 23, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this

What’s a point guard?

By Brian L.

February 23, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this

I as most of you can tell already, try to be an optimist always and hate to ever hope that we lose. But Oden is shaping up to be exactly what our Birds need.

By Laved11

February 23, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this

The hardest part of not making a move is know that you to correct a mistake with an even bigger mistake.

I like Shleden Williams, but it would take a talent (or potential talent) like Marvin Williams to get players you could have taken in the draft. i.e. Marcus Williams and Randy Foye.

Billy Knight said he had a plan, but none of the decisions he’s made seem to be going in any kind of direction. Is this supposed to be a defensive team with all offensive players. Plus, if Woodson is not going to use Salim Stoudamire, why not get something for him. No doubt as soon as you trade him, he will prove to be the PG we were looking for to begin with.

By clint

February 23, 2007 11:38 AM | Link to this

I don’t really care the move, but I can’t believe the Hawks would give up a second round pick and the potential to have a salary slot of half a mil next year. They’re acutally going to pay a player 2.6 mil instead of a 2nd round pick. What happened to the kings of cap room?

Somebody please tell Marvin Williams to attack the rim more often, he could be a heckuva player. He and Shelden both run up the floor dragging their feet like my grandma.

By Dan

February 23, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

Sekou,

No need to apologize for hyping the trade talks. It is fun to speculate about. I, however, never thought a move would happen. In my mind, it is simple. The Hawks do not have anything to trade.

Obviously, Joe, Marvin, Chills, Zaza, and Smith are not going anywhere. Also, here is a news flash for some of you, no one wants Salim or Batista. Why would any team need a shooter that doesn’t shoot that well and a guy who can’t even get on the floor for the Hawks? Let me know when you think of an answer.

I actually think getting AJ was a decent move. I think Knight is finally coming to the realization that the Speedy move this summer was a total bust. I think Knight set this whole orgainization back years bringing Claxton here. Billy Knight needs to explain himself on that move at the end of the season.

By Denny

February 23, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this

Clearly Ridnour wasn’t available. What other PG’s were available? I can’t think of any better than Johnson. I am so happy that Chad Ford’s “Deals That Should Have Happened” didn’t go through … Telfair for Chilldress? Thats awful … rather wait for the draft, again.

By Ed W

February 23, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this

Having watched the NBA for 50+ years, it seems counter intuit to have a team of lean quick hungry greyhounds that play a slowdown game. The team is very suited to an quick up-tempo out-score’em game similar to Golden State or dare I say Phoenix. A philosophy change is needed which probably necessitates a coach that believes in “up tempo” a la Don Nelson or Paul Westhead.

By Tyger

February 23, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this

All is not lost. AJ is an immediate upgrade over Speedy/Ivey and TLue ought to return now that the trade winds have blown over. I too, hoped for more - a tough BIG or any BIG - but reality is sobering.

The GMs are right, there’s no need to rush into anything that doesnt make sense in the long run. And who’s lining up to help you and hurt themselves??

AJ will bring solid play at the PG position. He’s a tough 10 year vet that can defend and knock down open shots, something we sorely need.

Teams collapse on JJ and Speedy cant make them pay, AJ will. In fact, he will make everyone better, like TLue does, when he’s healthy enough to play.

And that really is the sum of it, if TLue werent hurt, we’d have a much better record. Speedy is a bum and Ivey is out. While Solomon rots.

By WR

February 23, 2007 12:20 PM | Link to this

I told you before and I’ll tell you again. “SOMETHINGS GO TOGETHER, BACON AND EGGS, PEANUT BUTTER AND JEFFY, CARTOON NETWORK AND THE ATLANTA HAWKS.

Same old story. New owners get better press than the team.

By scribe

February 23, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this

I still can’t believe we didn’t draft Chris Paul….sigh….

By honest_abe

February 23, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this

i used to be pro telfair… but he’s basically another speedy minus the defense… so good thing bk didnt’ get him..

aj isn’t goign to take this team to the playoffs. but he is an improvement over what we currently have.

i know everyone already knows this but this team can’t rebound in the 4th quarter. i mean they usually can’t rebound period but especially so in the 4th quarter. how many 2nd chances did the spurs get the other night?…..

as for dragging their feet. giving up with a little under a minute left to play was pathetic.. this sorry team should be fighting until the buzzer. they were only down like 6 with about 50 seconds left and they just laid down and quit. that kind of attitude is what p** me off about this team! when the hawks have a 6 point lead with a little under a minute left i have yet to see a team just quit.

the hawks attitude and mentality is that of a five year old. they are weak. they say teams take on the characteristics of the head coach. this is why the hawks often look clueless and make really dumb decisions … just like good ol woody with his hand next to his chin. moron. the guy doesn’t even complain to the officials right.

By Anakin Joe

February 23, 2007 12:30 PM | Link to this

Ray got the point, short and sweet (at least for the next few days).

Heard Bernie Mullen say that the AJ deal originally involved 3 teams but the 3rd one backed out at the last minute. He didn’t say if there were more assets heading to Atlanta if the deal remained in tact. Just validates what Sekou said above, it takes several willing partners to consummate a deal. He also acknowledged that they will attempt to address the C position in the off-season and that AJ is not considered a long-term fix at PG. Speedy’s health will factor into what they do at PG in off-season.

By Coach B

February 23, 2007 12:44 PM | Link to this

Coach Mike Woodson Can we talk?

When are you going to stop making excuses for your team. “We played hard last night.” We didn’t show up from the beginning last night. We didn’t have all of our players.” “We had too many turnovers.” “We didn’t drive the ball to the basket.” “We didn’t make our free throws.” “We didn’t play any defense.” “Well we are going back to practice tomorrow to see if we can win at home.”

OK, I get it you don’t have a clue. You have too many players trying to do things they can’t do. It would be nice to see some defense. Why do your players fail to stop the ball when they are right in front of the man with the ball? Why can’t they guard their man and forget about this help defense that are leaving players open for easy shots? We are they always dropping back in the lane to help.

Zaza is a jump shot shooter this year, why?

Shelton Williams didn’t know what a jump shot was at Duke. Coach W why is he not down on the block?

J Smith is tough around the basket. Coach why do you have him standing outside the three point line most of the time?

Salim is not a point guard and his shot is off this year. Why is he in the game?

L Wright can’t get off the floor any more. Why is Soleman Jones stuck on the bench?

Well, I guess with the A. Johnson trade you finally realize that R. Ivey can’t run the team. Chris Duhon was still available when we made this pick.

Joe, I feel for you. Keep up the good work.

12 mins without a field goal. Coach the jump shot has to go when you can’t throw it in the lake. You have to try some of the other players to find a spark. When we are down twenty at the end of the game put some of the other players out there and see if they will step up.

I saw guys trying to pad their numbers in Chicago. This one on one stuff equal a loss. It’s time for these guys to step it up.

Run, Run, Run and pass, pass, pass. Stop standing around watching Joe, move to the open spots.

Hawks the time is NOW.

By mykhalc

February 23, 2007 01:12 PM | Link to this

this kinda sums it up for me…i’m not a BK hater. i’ve liked some of his moves and not liked others. the AJ trade is an upgrade to the position as it currently stands. tho personally, i would not have given up a 2nd to make the trade. but that’s neither here nor there now. the trade will make a lot more sense, to me at least, when we see who’s actually on the roster next year at the position. (i think that was one of RAY’s earlier points) ya gotta figure IVEY is out. and ya gotta figure only 2 outta 3 (AJ, SPEEDY, LUE) will remain.

i REALLY do hope they shut SPEEDY down for the remainin’ games. let him get healthy, if he can, and see how things show themselves after that. if he’s healthy, then hopefully they can move him. cause again, personally, i DO NOT like how he runs the offense!!!

that leads me to ‘not-ready-for-primetime’ WOODSON, again!! i don’t hope any person loses employment, but let’s just say i hope he finds employment elsewhere next season!!! ‘cause clearly that position needs an upgrade too!!! probably more so than ANY OTHER POSITION on the bench!!!

but now it’s time to get ready for COURT ROOM TV!!! i CAN NOT WAIT to see the next episode of this STOOGES MARATHON!!!!

By Anakin Joe

February 23, 2007 01:16 PM | Link to this

Abe, I may be wrong but I think the refs discovered that there was a leak from the roof (or somewhere) and basically asked the coaches if they wanted to continue with the wet spot on the floor. I think Woody conceded the last few seconds to avoid a player injury. Rathburn said the ref discovered the wet spot. Rathburn said the refs huddled the coaches and asked if they wanted to finish the game (or ostensibly wait forever for the maintenance crew to repair the source of the leak). And the next thing we saw, the Hawks stopped fouling and allowed the clock to run out. I interpretted that as “instead of trying for a miracle and having JJ or Duncan break their leg, let’s just get off the court and live to fight another day”. I recall the details because I was thinking to myself that I have never seen an arena with more problems from game-to-game. Usually, it is electrical malfunctions (which must irk the good folk at the Philips Electronics company), but that it was now a roofing issue.

By honest_abe

February 23, 2007 01:38 PM | Link to this

ya you’re right. i saw that too. i just thought they had quit before that timeout. and i somehow thought it wasn’t that serious. but i’m probably wrong. i was just crying because i’m a fan and i wanted to see a miracle..heh

By ConyersDawg

February 23, 2007 01:38 PM | Link to this

Sekuo, why isn’t Solomon in the nbdl? At least he could be getting some time to develop. I love his length and abilty to alter shots but he is not going to get better sitting on the bench.

By doc

February 23, 2007 01:56 PM | Link to this

well ando it may be that your boy dirk put the other boy of yours that “oppossum” back to sleep last night, 31/11 to 17/8.

funny but the injury to wade may be a situation where the hawks can actually ( or foolishly think they can) make up some distance and have again an outside shot at a playoff as the heat might be very sluggish without there main star. wade may be undergoing the knife and be finished for the season.

i personnally am not too impressed with what aj has done in his career but i have to take sekou’s word for it and assume the guy brings more than the numbers. also note our own aj’s suggested look to the past last year might bring promise when he filled in and helped the pacers down the stretch. one thing that johnson has that lue and speedy dont have is a bit of size so maybe we wont be pushed around so much by the more physical points. though 6’3” and 200 isnt huge for a guard it is a bit better than the 5’11” in heels and 160 that the smaller guys that we have bring.

By Dan

February 23, 2007 02:09 PM | Link to this

ConyersDawg,

Billy Knight told us (season ticket holders) that Soloman is not in the NBDL because it is such a guard oriented league. He said that big men do not develop much down there, since guards dominate the ball. He said Soloman would be better off practicing with the Hawks.

Makes sense to me. When was the last time a big man produced after an NBDL stint? I can’t think of one…

By egatsby

February 23, 2007 02:31 PM | Link to this

I just wanted to say again Royal Ivey SUCKS!!!!!

By Dan

February 23, 2007 03:09 PM | Link to this

egatsby,

Why are you even bothering to rip Royal Ivey? Even though he is a starter (at least for now), he hardly plays. I think you would be better served to direct your anger at Speedy Claxton. Claxton deserves to be ripped way more than Royal Ivey.

By Clyde

February 23, 2007 03:24 PM | Link to this

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By bob

February 23, 2007 03:37 PM | Link to this

Billy Knight is going to look really good when the Hawks have to give the Suns their first pick and then they do not have a pick in the entire draft. Billy Knight must have a vacation the week of the draft that is more important then having a good basketball team.

By P Dub Braves fan

February 23, 2007 04:23 PM | Link to this

bob, we have indy’s first round pick from the Harrington deal, so we are completely shut out.

By mykhalc

February 23, 2007 04:26 PM | Link to this

SEKOU, we can also blame ourselves when we choose to think ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE can happen given this ownership mess!! the HAWKS truly are a team of firsts or of cursed!!???!!! the first franchise (to my limited knowledge) with ownership, in which ownership does not have REAL/FULL OWNERSHIP RIGHTS!!!???!!! HUH!!????!!! (there’s that profound HAWKS statement again)

and despite it all, most of us choose to come here consistently to express our (mostly) unconditional support (whether one agrees with mgmt or not)of a team with WAAAAAYYYY more questions than answers!!!! you guessed it….HUH???????????? yep…what it is to be a HAWKS fan….

By honest_abe

February 23, 2007 04:38 PM | Link to this

check out big sekou on 680 the fan.. heh

By Anakin Joe

February 23, 2007 05:17 PM | Link to this

WOW! Abe, I didn’t know they talked about the Hawks on 680, other than Breakfast with Bernie. I assume that Kincade is ripping the team, as he only has love for the Philly Eagles and the Thrashers. What is Sekou saying?

By egatsby

February 23, 2007 05:48 PM | Link to this

Dan I ripp Royal Ivey because he starts the game and the 2nd half. I curse the TV out every night when i see this. He takes minutes away from Salim. If they let Salim play more he would get buckets. Why is every play for Joe Johnson why cant we run plays for other people. I like to end by saying Royal Ivey SUCKS!!!!

By honest_abe

February 23, 2007 05:49 PM | Link to this

nothing that we haven’t already talked about gone over in here…. same stuff.. kincade’s stupid a** was ranting earlier about how aj wasn’t in town for tonight’s game. understandable to a point.. but it’s rare that a player that gets traded comes in and plays in the first game for his new team.

sekou just laid it out there basically.. this team needs help at the 1 and 5. need a legitimate big that can board and alter some shots and a viable point that can push and distribute…

they also brushed on bk.. about how ss thought we should have drafted marcus williams but of course we drafted another williams instead. heh

ya they usually don’t talk about the hawks… but seriously who does?

By doc

February 23, 2007 05:51 PM | Link to this

heard the interview with sekou. nice job, i guess we have finally arrived in the big a when kincade and buck are willing to devote a bit of time to sekou, the blog and the hawks. buck does quote from him a bit but i hadnt heard sekou live until today though i have heard other beat guys talking about the other teams they represent. of course kincade doesnt talk to the beat guy about the thrashers as he knows that game as well as most, just ask him.

way to lay it out there k man. took off the gloves and called it like it is.

By egatsby

February 23, 2007 05:53 PM | Link to this

Oh and Sheldon Williams will never amount to anything. But on a positive not i get tired of people ripping this team. Everyone thought we would win about 35 games this year and thats what will do. If Josh smith didnt get hurt we would be right in the play off. This is still a very young team(youngest in the league) be patience fellas. Now if we let all the young talent go like the Clippers do then we should storm Phillips ourselves overthrow Billie Knight and stone him on Peachtree.

By firehawk

February 23, 2007 06:42 PM | Link to this

You know whats funny is that by the time the Hawks get around to finding a point guard and bigman, JoeJ will be a free agent and running as fast as he can in the opposite direction. Billy Knight, Don Waddell, and the owners = biggest mess in sports history.

By Mike

February 23, 2007 06:44 PM | Link to this

Sekou You seem like a pretty smart guy, your also one of few good sports journalist the AJC has. If everyone would remember how nasty things were with Belkin, and the rest of Atlantaspirit leading up to Joe trade, then you shouldn’t be surprise that BK couldn’t make any meaningful deals. That doesn’t excuse the draft selection BK has made. I’m not BK’s defender. My boy was Jason Terry. I didn’t agree with the trade, but I still support the Hawks. He took a gamble on Speedy and got burned for 25mil. The Hawks have enough young players. They are the youngest team in the league. Considering the cloud BK is working under Anthony Johnson is the safest move to make, and they may have needed Belkin to sign off on that deal. Do not expect any major impact moves until this court mess is clean up. They need veteran help. If you’re the Hawks and you’re fortunate enough to get Greg Ogden or Kevin Durant , then ya you take does guys in a heart beat. Other than that, they need to blend some more veteran guys. What exasperate the current situation is that Woodson is better suited for a more veteran team. The system he runs does not take advantage of the players skill set. The Hawks would thrive in system like Toronto’s.

By Deano

February 23, 2007 06:53 PM | Link to this

They should have dangled JJ out there just to see what kind of offers they could get. JJ is a good player, but not a FRANCHISE player. Obviously, they need to change something major to get this thing turned the other way. KG is always mentioned on the trading block. Maybe KG for JJ and Claxton. Now, that would shake the trees.

By Neil

February 23, 2007 07:03 PM | Link to this

Billy King is an idiot.The Hawks have been the detroit lions of the NBA because of him time and time again.When we needed a point guard (chris paul actually wanted to become a hawk!) he drafted a forward.When we needed another guard instead of drafting the likes of (foye or gay) we give big money to speedy claxton.Now in a LOADED 2007 draft we may not even have ONE SINGLE DRAFT PICK.The Hawks will continue to be the worst team in the NBA (not record-wise) but hope-wise as long as he is running the show.I mean what the hell does anthony johnson bring to the table other than giving away our ONE guaranteed pick in this years draft.Billy King you are the dumbest personal decision maker in any professional sport (including matt milan!) if u really want to do better for this team QUIT! No one NO ONE will miss you.

By Chris

February 23, 2007 07:38 PM | Link to this

What Bill Simmons on ESPN had to say about us in his Trade Deadline NBA grades: 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.

Nuff said.

By Harry Hawk

February 23, 2007 07:53 PM | Link to this

Simmons even forgot about Deron Williams and Brandon Roy. It just looks better and better, doesn’t it? Of course, the Hawks will get the Pacers’ first-rounder this year. The Pacers aren’t going to miss the playoffs. At least Knight will have a pick to screw up. Anthony Johnson certainly wasn’t worth a high second-round pick, but we have to weigh that with Knight’s drafting ineptitude. Which travesty is worse? No matter what, we do know Knight is an idiot. In fact, here’s a make-believe quote from the man himself:

Billy Knight: “I think NBA observers understand what we’re doing. We got an F-minus-minus-minus-minus from The Sports Guy. We could have gotten a Z-infinity-minus like the Cavs. We’re making progress.”

By honest_abe

February 23, 2007 08:44 PM | Link to this

nice 1st half!

the enigma that is josh smith. marvelous one moment and utterly horrific two seconds later… eek.

speedy actually made a couple of outside shots..heh

By GLid

February 23, 2007 09:17 PM | Link to this

You see?

I said fire Billy before the draft so he doesn’t screw up the 2nd round pick. Once again he doesn’t fail to surprise and now we don’t even have that for an aging point guard 3.6 points and 1.8 assists. In case you were wondering Speedy’s averaging 5.7 and 4.6.

I can’t take it any more. Only 36 days until Opening Day.

By CJ

February 23, 2007 09:54 PM | Link to this

How about we just cut out Billy Knight’s sallary and save some money. Give the job to the ball boy who could do a better job throwing darts at a board. AJ is not an upgrade, he is a re-aquired “asset”. A temp stop gag…BK essentially gave that pick away. Claxton’s contract should be torn immediately…he’s not ever going to be a consistent starter. How many times is BK and the UnSpirit going to shoot this team in the foot!

By Omnihawk

February 23, 2007 10:29 PM | Link to this

Great win hawks, but will someone tell J-Smith to attack the rim, and stop settling for jumpers. Please? It is a shame when our best play is an airball-assist to Chill.

By billy knight

February 23, 2007 10:33 PM | Link to this

im a gay little butter fly who wants the hawks to lose and im an old ahole

By Mike

February 23, 2007 11:16 PM | Link to this

Sekou Don’t end up being like most of these bloggers, stuck with a bunch of crow in your mouth when the Hawks season is over with. Everyone feels the season will be a failure if the Hawks don’t make the playoff. My what a difference two season make. The fact that people are disappointed if the Hawks don’t make the playoff tells me that the Eastern conference is pretty bad, or the Hawks are no worst than other teams in the Eastern conference. So why in the H are people so disillusion on these blogs. If BK is the worst GM in the league, what do that say for the rest of the GM’s in the Eastern Conference that have old aging players, and no salary cap room. My point is these young guys deserve better support from this city.

By ray

February 24, 2007 12:32 AM | Link to this

Mike, you don’t get it. It’s not that most of us here don’t support they players. We do. The only time we’re p*ed with them is when they aren’t giving the effort they should. It’s the decision-making members of the organization, namely the owners and gm, that we are railing against.

Anakin Joe,

You’re right. Unless we somehow are rewarded with a high pick that allows us to acquire a top player in the draft, we don’t need to get any younger. But now we may not even be active in the draft. I’m about done with all this. I’m ready to see the end of the court stuff for one thing.

By Wedgie Evans

February 24, 2007 05:20 AM | Link to this

Mike, the reason a lot of people are disappointed that the Hawks are not looking playoff-bound this year is because when Billy Knight traded away this year’s first round pick without any lottery protection, he sent a message that he expected this team to be a playoff team by now. Billy’s idea was that Joe Johnson and the young players would have gelled together and would have the playoffs in their sights so that the pick the Hawks send to Phoenix would be a mid to late first rounder, instead of a lottery pick. Unfortunately, unless the Hawks can go on a 10-game winning streak some time soon, that doesn’t look to be the case.

By JB

February 24, 2007 06:22 AM | Link to this

Nice win last night. Hope begins to bloom again. I’ve tried to beat it down a few times—don’t wanna get hurt again—but it keeps peeking its head back up, like a stubborn little dandelion poking through the asphalt in the middle of Peachtree.

Actually, the Hawks have done enough to beat down my hope in the past, but what can I say? A well-rounded win like that (double-doubles from Josh & Chills; another Rocky Balboa performance from Zaza; nice offensive game from Marvin) will perk you up.

On another note: I’m not a huge Terence Moore fan, but a very nice column from him on Deke today. If you read him much, you knew he would find a way to use the term “knuckleheads”. You just didn’t realize he’d be able to do it in a column where he also mentions the Oval Office.

Cheers, everybody. Playoffs in sight.

By ladbaby

February 24, 2007 09:39 AM | Link to this

Ladbaby thinks Salim can play the point better than anybody we’ve got. Lack of shots and the ball change are all he has wrong with him. Woody is trying to feed Joe and prove that trade wasn’t a mistake. That is our play and when J Smoove shows up every fifth game we win.

By Ken Strickland

February 24, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this

Has anyone noticed how the Hawks play very well against West Coast teams, especially on the road, as opposed to East Coast teams? In a span of 3 gms in 4days, we get embarrassed by the Bulls, lose a winnable gm to the Spurs, then defeat the Rockets. Our OFF also seems to pickup against WC teams as well. Sometimes a person is so married to a particular system, they blame everything and everyone else, but the system itself, for the teams failures. Woodson seems to be trying to force greyhounds to run a marathon.

So far, teams, especially EC teams, have been able to outplay the Hawks, but no team has been able to outrun them. It goes without saying that we could use an OFF/DEF inside presence. However, if we consistantly played a fast breaking uptempo style, some of our OFF/DEF issues would become less of a factor. The Hawks actually have as much, if not more, overall talent than the Suns. We just don’t have a Nash or a Staudemire.

Woodson cut his coaching teeth under LBrown with the Pistons. His comfort level seems to be exceded when asked to consistently play an uptempo style. Otherwise, how do you explain his insistence of playing half court BB, when we’re so obviouly more successful and competitive playing open court BB. Therefore, he and the Hawks players, are perpetually trying to fit that square peg into the round hole.

By Neil

February 24, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this

Has anyone been following Luke Schenscher from GaTech? I know he is in the D-league but the few games ive seen box scores of he has been doing pretty good. Why don’t we at least go to the NBDL for help at center on someone like Schenscher or i’m sure there are others that could at least be given a chance with a 10-day contract

By Mike

February 24, 2007 01:53 PM | Link to this

Guys I appreciate the response, and you make a valid point about the organization. I like said I’m not BK’s defender, but let’s not forget how bad things were when BK took over. After he blew the team I was happy, then over the summer when I learned he had traded JT to Dallas, I couldn’t believe it. I said he’d live to regret that trade, and has. So don’t get it twisted I’m not in love with everything BK does. But I’m a true fan, I support team. There are nights when I’ve wonder how BK ever could had become a GM. But unless you’ve been in that position it’s no way to know. I think it’s fair to say that had we not had the major injuries at the start of season, the guys would have gel sooner. Than other nights Woodson just get out coached. Nights when we’re playing a team with dominate post player, you gotta get in Solomon in the game, if for nothing else to use his five fouls and keeps some others guys out foul trouble. I’m one that thinks that had Solomon been given the same amount of playing that Sheldon had, he be making a real contribution to the team. You heard this from me once Salim goes to a team that he can get some consistence playing, he’ll be the next Ben Gordon. I got issues with the Spirit, BK, and Woodson, but I’m still a Hawks fan. So I’m going support my guys on their good days and bad.
On the Joe Johnson trade. Don’t forget nobody wanted to come to the Hawks before the Phoenix trade. If BK had waited to free agency to get Joe, we wouldn’t have had a chance. Not one person in the league thought that Boris Dio would step his game up the way he has in Phoenix at the time of that trade. It’s not a perfect science, you can’t hit a home run on every move you make. My point is these young guys are really starting to play some good basketball and they deserve our support on good nights and bad.

By i miss j terry

February 24, 2007 02:14 PM | Link to this

Don’t look now but Miami might slip all the way out of playoff contention. Shaq cannot and never could carry a team by himself, obviously he needs a Kobe or Wade to control the ball and draw the double team. The Magic have been slippin’ bigtime. But at 4.5 games back with the Bobcats, we need a run and we need it now.

By now everyone agrees that we get dominated in the paint by big, physical teams, right? When I watch Magic highlights a lot of times you see Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic both in the game at the same time. That’s 2 seven footers, and although it doesn’t lend itself to the fast break they wreak havoc down low.

Could the Hawks go bigger in the fourth quarter? Once the game has slowed down and we’re forced to play a half-court, slowdown game? (And Shelden Williams doesn’t count as a big man, he plays like a small forward, and should not ever be taking mid-range jump shots.) I don’t know much about Solomon and Medvedenko…maybe Zen (shudder) could play C and Zaza PF, with JS, JJ, and Chills at the point. That would be a pretty tough lineup to drive on, no?

I might be wrong, but when we lost that second game to NJ at the buzzer, I don’t think Zaza was even on the floor, and Carter just walked into the lane for a layup…what’s that about?

By Ken Strickland

February 24, 2007 02:49 PM | Link to this

MIKE, excellent comments, and perspective. I personally don’t have an issue with BK, nor the talent he’s assembled. I do have an issue with how that talent is being mishandled and/or underutilized. We immediately go out and sign the best replacement available/affordable when a key players is injured. Then all we see, in the box score, next to his name is DNP. Look at all of the trouble we went through to sign Medvedenko, only to see that dreaded DNP next to his name in the box score. He is quicker and faster than Zaza and he has more range on his jumper. He could be a very valuable asset in an open court fast breaking style.

When teams like the Bulls get physical, we could have a frontline of Medvedenko, Zaza and JSmith to counter. We certainly wouldn’t be sacrificing any OFF, and it might even be an improvement. When you have big men that can shoot, it takes the opposing teams bigs away from the basket. That makes double teaming more difficult, and makes it much easier for our slashers to go the the basket(Childress, JJ, Salim, Speedy, and now AJohnson). Woodson’s shown game to game adjustments ability, but not sufficent half to half adjustment ability. This seems especially true when it comes to player utilization.

Otherwise, I love the Hawks, and where they are headed. I believe it is a matter of when we will arrive, not if.

By ToeKnee

February 24, 2007 04:31 PM | Link to this

HA! You really think Slava Medvedenko is the solution??? are you kidding me? WOODY has done a nice job so far, he can’t help it that salim’s shot hasnt been falling, and he still hasnt realized how to be a point guard. thats not woodys fault!! i like salim, and think hes still developing, but for right now, he’s really not going to help us win. a guy like t.lue or anthony johnson fills that role perfectly! I like the trade because it seems we have finally realized that we have talent to work with and win!! ENOUGH REBUILDING THROUGH THE DRAFT ALREADY!! Yes, I know this draft looks great…on paper. But it’s never a sure thing. I like where we’re headed. Sekou is right, when we play tough, we play good, its that simple. Zaza, Wright, they really are capable centers when you compare them to most teams. not everybody has a dwight howard, ya know? with a guy like josh smith you dont really need an overpowering center. like we all already know, we could just use another big body down there. hey, who knows, maybe shelden will become that sort of guy we were hoping he would be when we drafted him, he’s looked slightly better lately. I just wish we could have snagged that Alexander Johnson guy instead of Solomon. Now there’s a perfect fit of what we need! and i think it will be addressed in free agency this year. But we’re on the right path, we really are, and a shake-up at coach or gm is the last thing this team needs. they need to grow up a little, TOUGHEN UP, which to their credit they did last night in Houston, and just help Joe put points on the board. Which is exactly what Anthony Johnson, HOPEFULLY, can bring to the hawks. Go Hawks! and GO WOODY!! I feel he deserves some credit. he may not be coach of the year, but I feel he’s hardly done a BAD job. There haven’t been more than 1 or 2 games where I could really relate any direct decisions by him to a Hawks loss. Let’s get that eight spot baby! Does anyone really want to see the Heat or Magic or even New Jersey in the playoffs?? No. they’ve all been dissappointments. The Hawks on the other hand, have been improving, unlike a lot of other “bubble” playoff teams in the NBA.

By Ken Strickland

February 24, 2007 04:58 PM | Link to this

TOEKNEE, you made some good points. You also got carried away and took my comments out of context. Nowhere did I state, or imply, that Medvedenko was the answer. My point was that his talents could be better utilized on the court, helping the team, instead of on the bench accumulating DNP’s next to his name.

I will also stick by my assessment of Woodson trying to get young, fast, atheletic greyhounds to run a marathon. His system doesn’t fit the talent he’s been given, or vice versa.

By jterryfan

February 24, 2007 05:11 PM | Link to this

hey ken he was responding to me, and i’m sure if medvedenko never sees the court its because he sucks…i just want to see them go bigger late in games, and i understand we don’t have a howard but c’mon, zaza can’t hold down the paint by himself even with josh smith flying around blocking shots

By mavid

February 24, 2007 06:29 PM | Link to this

ok, so, i have been gone the last few days, and missed all the trade deadline excitement. BUT, here is where i see us now:

this trade wasnt as bad as a lot of people are saying, nor was it all that good.

while we would have had a high pick in the 2nd round, the 2nd round is kind of a crap-shoot anyways. anthony johnson IS probably better than anything we would get in the 2nd round (and honestly, do we really need more young players at this point).

MY PREDICTION:

We get the 8th pick in the draft. It goes to Phoenix. so, whatever, that pick is gone. get over it

we will have a pick in the 16-22 range. BUT, because we dont have a 2nd rounder now, i think we need to take a risk and go for Sean Williams. dude is pretty much what we need, and if he fixes his behavioral problems, could really work out. also, no one else will draft him that high, because he is a risk. HOWEVER, he is a top-10 talent. we really have no choice except to take that risk, because:

there are NO bigs out there in free agency for us. we basically need to get one in the draft, and then sign randolph morris, and hope for the best (or maybe a trade could somehow bring someone in).

there are some PGs in FA, monta ellis and mo williams are the 2 i would want to go after… however, both will be highly sought after. but, both would work here in the ATL.

at some point tho, we WILL need to trade chill or marvin.

By Ken Strickland

February 24, 2007 06:59 PM | Link to this

JTERRYFAN, thanks for setting me straight. TOEKNEE, seems I owe you an apology. No hard feelings I hope.

By mavid

February 24, 2007 07:13 PM | Link to this

also, both mo williams and monta ellis are from Mississippi (isn’t sekou as well?)

they might be more willing to sign with atlanta than most because of their southern roots.

mo williams is probably more realistic too (would GS really let monta go?), but he will also cost more

By mavid

February 24, 2007 07:39 PM | Link to this

and, i know what yall are thinking, what about the fact we already have 4 pgs.. well:

ivey is gone after this season

unless he really breaks out in this last half of the season, speedy is pretty much untradeable… so i see him as our 2nd string PG

lue has one more year on his contract (i think), so trade him to a contender that could use a veteran pg (get back a 2nd round pick or something, etc… or maybe he can even be packaged with salim)

AJ is our 3rd string pg of the future! (unless he can be traded)

then, go after mo williams or monta

mo williams/speedy/AJ would finally be a decent pg set

By Semi

February 24, 2007 10:26 PM | Link to this

In the offseason- dangle JJ for KG. Grow some balls BK. We have to change something pretty major.

By ray

February 24, 2007 10:34 PM | Link to this

Ken,

I agree. It doesn’t seem to get anymore obvious that Woodson is married to one style of ball, and the players just don’t/can’t play it. That’s one reason why we get beat down so badly in the middle. Size really matters in the paint when you play half-court ball. There has to be a change. We probably aren’t going to acquire the kind of pf/c that allows us to play that kind of game, so the style has to be changed. In the end, if this doesn’t happen, then the coach has to be changed out. But as long as Billy’s gm, I don’t see Woodson going anywhere. But what do I know.

Y’all better quit talkin’ about the draft before Ando comes in here and shuts you down. Heh…

By Taurus

February 25, 2007 12:26 AM | Link to this

We should have made a play for Gasol/Memphis. I think JJ, and J. Smith are the future, but Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, and Shelden Williams would have definitely been bait that I believe Memphis would have taken. If you are starting the year with JJ, J.Smith, Gasol, and Zaza, all you needs is a decent point guard and you could make the playoffs.

By Ken Strickland

February 25, 2007 01:50 AM | Link to this

The Bulls are already a good DEF team, and the Hawks aren’t. With Big Ben, the Bulls could afford to absorb a one dimentional player(OFF)like Gasol. Gasol would certainly help the Hawks OFF, but he wouldn’t address our porous interior DEF. And would his OFF compensate sufficiently for what we would have given up to acquire him.

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 02:55 AM | Link to this

KEN, can’t agree with ya on GASOL. he’s averagin’ over 2 blks/game and over 9 reb/game. i’d say, if we coulda combined that with JS blocks, then we woulda been lookin’ at a BIG improvement in the offense and defense. but we had/have no chance to land GASOL!!! nice dream tho!!

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 03:58 AM | Link to this

man, the more i check out where SPEEDY is comin’ from, the more i ain’t diggin’ his attitude or game!!

first, he complained about havin’ to play thru the pain. ok, i get that. and you could tell that he and WOODSON were not on the same page when SPEEDY decided he HAD to shut it down. but he did what he felt like he needed to do for his body and his injury. ok…got it.

then WOODSON moves forward incorporatin’ IVEY and JC at PG (with a little bit of LUE thrown it when healthy). meanwhile, SPEEDY’s given the time he needs for some recovery and healin’. and at the same time, the team is developin’ a pretty good/decent chemistry with the CORE 4 and ZAZA.

NOW, SPEEDY is talkin’ about how comin’ off the bench is affectin’ his flow and how he wasn’t comfortable comin’ off the bench!!!???!!!! hasn’t this cat come off the bench his entire career??? is it about him or the team???? so WOODSON is now puttin’ him back in the startin’ lineup??!! HOW LONG WILL THAT LAST??? next thing you know, he’s got to shut it down AGAIN because of his ongoing injury!!!??!!!

i DO NOT get WOODSON makin’ the move nor SPEEDY makin’ it about HIM!! great team attitude on his part!!! WOODSON shoulda gone with the lineup of JC, JJ, JS, MW, LW to start the game with SPEEDY, AJ, SHELDEN, ZAZA available to come off the bench. the addition of AJ allows him to sub at the 1 or 2. and it allows JC to slide over to the 2 or 3 to give JJ or MW some rest. (and yes i realize startin JC weakens the bench. but AJ will bring scorin’ from the bench now. and i’m about REWARDING the players that deserve rewarding. PLUS there’s no arguing that to date, that the CORE 4 and ZAZA present the BEST lineup)

bottom line…i ain’t feelin’ SPEEDY’s way of runnin’ the offense and not his attitude. so NOW his excuse is he ain’t feelin’ the bench!!! we got a prima donna PG that ain’t done jack all year and got the ball$ to make some demands!!??!!! GIMME A FREAKIN’ BREAK!!!

By Ken Strickland

February 25, 2007 04:19 AM | Link to this

MYKHALC, I see you can’t sleep either. Acquiring Gasol would’ve required a gutting of our talent base. West wouldn’t accept what the Bulls were offering, so how much more would we have to come up with. We’d have the Big we coveted, but what would we have left to go with him. And just as important, what would we do for a bench?

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 04:29 AM | Link to this

KEN, hey bro. SF clock for me!!LOL

totally agree with you on it would have cost tooooooo much, IF it coulda been done. i was just sayin’ that he woulda been a NEEDED presence on the defensive end too!!

i woulda dangled MW and future picks to see if that woulda start any kinda conversation. but you’re right, it probably woulda been just too costly.

By Volman

February 25, 2007 04:06 PM | Link to this

Does anyone want to see if Slava can get some playing time? The guy can shoot from the outside pretty well (not three, but where Zaza shoots).. I remember SOMEONE saying the same thing I’ve been thinking…

It’s better than him just sitting on the bench all the time.. I would like to see him out there in the 4 position and stretch the defense with his outside shooting ability.

What do you guys think? I know this has been brought up before… but I just wanted to back whoever was saying it earlier.

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 08:03 PM | Link to this

is there TRULY a SJONES sightin’???!!! lord have mercy!!!!

By D-Row

February 25, 2007 08:32 PM | Link to this

even though we losed that was one hellovagame right there. Anthony Johnson is exactly what we need here at atlanta, a person who can make the open jumpshot, can create for himself, and can run this atlanta offense. Also, i hope this game proves to woody that S Jones needs to start playing alot more.

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 08:57 PM | Link to this

well the BOXSCORE KING in the BAY has observed that ‘starter’ CLAXTON numbers look suspiciously like ‘sub’ CLAXTON numbers!!! but wait…he only needs 14 of the remainin’ 27? games to get HIS flow back!!!???!!! ok…i get it!!! and to think i was one of the ones that thought his was a good signin’!!!??? what was i on?????

sorry to see we took a loss but AJ stepped in like a true vet/pro should do!! NICE!!!

could somebody break down the game for me PLEASE!!!!!???? VOLMAN, where you at???LOL

By Ken Strickland

February 25, 2007 09:08 PM | Link to this

I didn’t see the game, but I can tell by the box score we played a good game. It’s amazing, AJohnson doesn’t know the plays, or players, yet he contributes more in one gm then Speedy has in the last 4-5. JJ is consistent, but we can’t seem to get JSmith and MWilliams going in the same gm. Hopefully, AJ can get them both involved during the same gm, while letting JJ do his thing. I can only hope.

By Volman

February 25, 2007 10:29 PM | Link to this

Mykhalc, this was the MOST ENTERTAINING game of the year, win or lose.

As far as X’s and O’s.. We could NOT stop the pick and roll all night, and for some reason that was ALL the Suns did. Amare was a MONSTER all night.. he had like 25-27 points at half time? It was ridiculous.

Another thing I noticed.. the Hawks would be all excited that they scored, and the Suns would inbound the ball and get a fast break and the Hawks would foul… The Hawks got into TERRIBLE foul trouble at the beginning…There were some TOUGH foul calls on Lorenzen Wright at the beginning of the game that put him out.. and Zaza had early foul trouble..as well as Josh Smith. SO, Your boy, Solomon, got to get in.. He looked SCARED! ha, not really.. he seemed really anxious to get out there and compete… Worked REALLY hard out there.. If he can gain some weight and experience, he’ll be good off the bench..

As far as our team goes, Joe was Joe.. He didn’t do too much in the first half, and only had about 10 points… Marvin picked up the slack BIG TIME in the first half.. He was knocking down a LOT of jumpers and kept us alive (17 points at half, I think?)..

The suns made their runs, and were up by about 14 I think at one point in the first half, but the Hawks kept plugging away… again though, the Suns went to Stoudamire and he dominated inside from the pick and roll. He DID have to change his shot SO MANY TIMES! Josh Smith had some UNBELIEVABLE blocks that made the crowd go crazy (great crowd tonight, by the way).

Marion didn’t really do too much to us… but whenever we’d make a run the Suns would come down and make a three or get fouled.. a lot of the Hawks’ momentum would be destroyed by a three or one of those fouls on Amare.

Let me tell you, Anthony Johnson can play. I am glad we gave up that 2nd rounder for him… He came in and made some BIG shots and ran the offense.. He looked REALLY comfortable out there…at one time we actually had Speedy AND A.J. out there.. kind of iinteresting. Speedy played well in the first half but pretty much disappeared with AJ’s great play in the second half.

As far as the game being entertaining, Amare dunked on Josh Smith (who was not trying to block the shot, but take a charge because the referees were calling SO many fouls when Amare took it to the hole) and that will be on Sport’s Center. Josh came back on a fast break and cocked one back and THREW IT DOWN. The energy in this game was incredible… LOTS of blocks by Josh Smith… great hustle by both teams… The Hawks really competed… This game was not a “lets try and compete and see if we can steal one”.. it as a “we know we can play with these guys, let’s go out there and win”.

The Hawks looked worn down to the point where they couldn’t make the big shots in the end (they were actually up 93-92 in the 4th but Barbosa made a 3 that made it 95-93 Suns..and they went on a crazy run to make the game out of reach pretty much).

Give this team an ATHLETIC big like Amare is to the Suns, and I can see this team in the playoffs next year…

I was totally rambling…this post didn’t have any structure to it, so sorry guys. I hope this gives a good account of this game.. It was seriously VERY entertaining to watch, and I don’t think anyone denies that this Hawks team can play with the big boys.

By Volman

February 25, 2007 10:30 PM | Link to this

The only reason Josh Smith didn’t score much was because he was in foul trouble and played about 9 minutes the first half… Sad story… The Suns got a LOT of foul shots the first half.

By mykhalc

February 25, 2007 10:42 PM | Link to this

VOLMAN, great recap for me bro!! thanks man!!! really hate NOBODY on national TV shows ‘em!! oh well, life as a HAWKS fan!! but again, really do appreciate the recap.

and i know you sharin’ the JC at PG vibe!!!LOL but i won’t tell!!LOL

my prayer tonite is the WOODSON sees the light!! any kinda light!!!! sit SPEEDY, play SJONES!!! IT IS THE LIGHT!!!

By Steve T

February 25, 2007 10:45 PM | Link to this

Ken I like your post, but Josh Smith played well. He shot 50%. grabbed 5 rebs, had 4 assits, and 4 blocks.

I would like to say to everyone on the board, how do you like Marvin now. The guy is a baller. He just need to play some games. He will be much improved next season.

Thing are starting to fall in place for the hawks. They had some guys to build around. JJ. Smith, Marvin, and Josh C. The hawks needs a very good big men. Zaza can be the back.

Speedy is going to be OK. I think we have a good PG situation. AJ can score some points and do other things. Speedy can push the ball. Ty Lue needs to get ready.

By rob

February 25, 2007 11:18 PM | Link to this

I have to respond to the comment that J Smith played well…He played well in the fact that he had some highlight dunks and blocks, but outside of that I was very dissapointed in him tonight. I was not happy when Woody pulled S Jones while we were on a run and put Josh in, and I was vindicated when our run came to an abrupt halt. He just seemed to lack intensity especially down the stretch, not too mention he continues to launch and brick 3’s and long 2’s. That wasn’t half as bad as when Childress came in at the end of the first half (I thought surely for Speedy) but instead Joe was pulled. This was with just over 2 min to play in the first half and I believe the game was either tied or we were down 2 or so and left us with Speedy, AJ, Chil, Marv and Solomon on the court. Now call me crazy but that is NOT a lineup built for success. Needless to say we got blitzed and the Suns went up 60-50 in just over a minute and a half. At that point Woody realized his error and put Joe back in for Speedy giving us the sub we should have had BEFORE the Suns went on a 10-0 run. Anyways, sorry for the rant but I was just frustrated because we played so well, Especially AJ and Marvin, and I felt the win was squandered with a few bad moves. Not to mention I couldn’t stand all of the Sun’s fans taunting us in the final minute. If you love the Suns so much then why aren’t you living THERE! Hopefully we’ll get another great effort tomorrow and pick off Dallas. Great Game tonight though!

By mavid

February 25, 2007 11:40 PM | Link to this

AJ trade not lookin so bad anymore

By ray

February 26, 2007 12:14 AM | Link to this

If anybody had any doubts about Amare, see the game against our Hawks.

I’ll say this: Josh Smith, as great a dunker as he is, could take a page from Amare Stoudamire. Why? Because Stoudamire showed him how it’s done IN TRAFFIC. That is one thing that will make Josh better. Take it to the hole strong and have that Dominique Wilkins mentality: “Either I’m going to dunk on you, or you’re going to get your arm broken trying to stop me…and I’ll draw the foul.”

Well now, Mr. Marvin Williams. Finally figured out how to grab a few boards, did ya? Nice game.

You know why Marvin and Josh just can’t seem to get it going at the same time in the game? BECAUSE THEY PLAY THE SAME POSITION. No, I won’t take credit for this one, some people said it long before this…

Who’s in favor of starting AJ over Speedy? Me, me, me, me…What’s that, Speedy can’t get in his groove? Woody’s messin’ up his flow? What flow? Man please…the only flow involving him is some blood flow to those bum-a$$ knees. Gimme a break, Speedy. Yeah, you showed some good play here and there. I just can’t seem to remember when that was…

By Volman

February 26, 2007 12:24 AM | Link to this

mykhalc, I like having JC where he can come in for the 2/3 position.. he came in a good amount for Marvin and it seemed to work out well… He was good for us at the point, but we need him down low to finish from the baseline! (he had a really good dunk/finish tonight)

By Paul

February 26, 2007 12:43 AM | Link to this

I would have liked to see that game with a few less calls going against the Hawks? Was that really a home game? I thought for a second Amare was really Larry Bird and the game was being played in Boston.

By mykhalc

February 26, 2007 12:45 AM | Link to this

RAY, what you said and what i said!!LOL

so AJ can come in here, not know the other players’ game, nor the plays and contribute waaaaaaaayyyy more than SPEEDY has in ANY game this year!!!???!! (KEN made the point earlier too)

listen, i’m no SPEEDY hater!! i just want WOODSON to do what is best for the team. SPEEDY, at whatever percent he is operatin’ at, is NOT better than a healthy JC at the 1 or, now, a healthy AJ!! and it’s time for WOODSON to reward people’s PLAY!!! PERIOD!!! and it says a lot to witness that until tonite, WOODSON finished games with the CORE4 and ZAZA on the floor, not SPEEDY. BTW, glad to see MW have an all-around good game!!!

and what have myself and others been beggin’ for weeks now…PT for SJONES!!!! and lo and behold, he gets PT and produces!!!

i realize that the HAWKS have a BIG financial committment to SPEEDY!! but that committment should not be worth sacrificin’ the betterment and chemistry of the team!!!

if WOODSON is hell-bent on startin’ SPEEDY then i hope he gets no more than IVEY got until he PROVES he’s READY AND ABLE!!!! yeah like…how ‘bout next season!!!!!???

By mykhalc

February 26, 2007 01:03 AM | Link to this

VOLMAN, definitely appreciate you breakin’ things down as you see them!!no doubt!!

i realize that the couple of times i’ve been able to catch the team on TV, to witness the CORE4 and ZAZA, with JC at the 1, might NOT be the nite-in nite-out production of that unit. but none-the-less, i WAS impressed with their chemistry and ball movement!!! the better ball movement, the less one has a PG poundin’ the ball WAITIN’ for something to happen or show itself. UNLESS that PG happens to be named NASH, of course!!

i just DO NOT believe it is a coincidence that AJ could come in here and DELIVER in GAME 1, whereas SPEEDY is STILL tryin’ to find his flow after half a season!!!???!!! i know…he’s injured and doesn’t like comin’ off the bench!! well, SPEEDY you might learn a thing or two from JCHILLS who produces NO MATTER what is asked of him…bench, start…1,2, or 3!! DON’T MATTER!! he just plays good smart, TEAM ball!!! or maybe you’d rather see it from AJ!! afterall, he is more seasoned!! maybe that’s his excuse on how he was able to get his flow goin’ sooooo NICELY in GAME 1!!!!!!

WOODSON DO THE SMART THING!!!! DAMN IT!!! sit SPEEDY, play SJONES!!!

By Volman

February 26, 2007 01:14 AM | Link to this

Speedy is doing SOME good things out there.. I mean, he’s trying really hard (on defense, and he’s diving for loose balls-something I never seey Joe Johnson do?)

I haven’t seen the Hawks’ offense be so well run this season like when AJ was in.. the guys REALLY worked the ball around when AJ was in there.. I like him….a LOT.

I would LOVE to see Solomon get some more PT.. he had a good block on Nash in the game, and played Amare well (the guy’s a beast though)

By ConyersDawg

February 26, 2007 01:29 AM | Link to this

Thank you Dan for answering my question.

We may have lost another today but man our young hawks our starting to look better and better to me.

I love young Solomon and I wish they would play him more. Zaza has to be more consistent.

Once T-Lue get’s healthy watch out! Hawks will be more dangerous then ever.

Gata Marvin! Keep it up!

By newkid

February 26, 2007 08:59 AM | Link to this

mykhalc, a few observations for you from last night’s game.

First, our Hawks were in love with their jump shots, while the Suns incessantly took the ball to the rack and got buckets and/or foul shots. Nash and Amare ran the pick and roll to perfection, always ending (it seemed) with Amare AT THE RACK for each buckets. Both Zaza and Lo had 2 fouls before the end of the 1st quarter because Amare was taking it strong to the rack.

Second, Woody made a niece defensive adjustment at the beginning of the 2nd quarter to stop what seemed like a 14 - 0 Suns run at the end of the 1st quarter. Without that adjustment, the Suns were on pace to score 140 points.

Third, last night Speedy didn’t demonstrate particular skill at being a floor general, but AJ was superb directing guys to where their proper positions. AJ seemed intent on pointing our assignments on offense and defense and the guys appeared to ‘want’ that sort of instruction. It seems point guards need to be floor generals to be effective (especially with such a young team); looks like we finally have a player who fills that bill.

Fourth, seems JJ has had to carry so much of the offensive load this year that he has fallen in love with dribbling the ball for 12-14 seconds (of the shot clock) while the other guys stand around and watch him dance before lofting a jumper. Last night those jumpers weren’t falling.

Fifth, it’s a shame Solomon doesn’t get more PT.

Sixth, finally saw a REAL effort by the Hawks (through AJ) to post up opposing teams’ smaller guards. AJ gave Nash fits down low on the 3-4 post up plays Woody called for him. Can’t imagine why JJ isn’t used MUCH MORE in this fashion.

Seventh, Marvin’s soft and doesn’t relish the contact associated with taking the ball strong to the rack. For such a consistently good foul shooter, he’s really hurting the team by not being more aggressive - to the rack - on the offensive end. Also, he’s a streaky shooter whose confidence zooms when his jumper gets off to a good 1st quarter start. BTW, he and Woody appear to bicker quite a bit.

Lastly, this will be an incredibly exciting team to watch if/when they add a reasonably good post player to the AJ (or comparable), JJ, MW, JS, Chilz nucleus.

By ajw

February 26, 2007 09:11 AM | Link to this

Even though we lost last night, it was still a great game. We were just overmatched like a lot of teams are against Amare Stoudemire. Amare is just plain sick. I believe Josh Smith is right behind him though. It isn’t going to be long before Smith can dominate like Amare in the middle. Josh Smith is our franchise player. Please don’t ever trade him. The 80s unis look so much better than todays unis. Why can’t we just wear those. The pac man hawk logo is probably the best in the NBA. Its just cool!

By William

February 26, 2007 09:49 AM | Link to this

I am starting to get disgruntled. Not with the players because they are playing well….its Woodson.

Now he did some of his best coaching last night…I will give him that, but A: Most of the runs in the game came with Solomon jones in. Why? Because he was long and athletic. When he didn’t get rebounds he made the rebounds tough for the suns, got alot of tips that led to rebounds, something Zaza and Lo don’t have the Height or athletisim to do against a team like the suns. B: He was another guy in the middle. After Josh Smith kept abusing the suns in the middle they started running the court even more stretched than usual to keep him away from the paint. With Solomon in, he was a second line. And when he didn’t block shots, he challenged everything that went up.

The guy needs more PT. For the people that say he looks lost on Offense, how can he contribute less on offense than Lo-wright?

The biggest blunder of the night, EVERYTIME they posted up AJ on Nash or Childress on Barbosa, it lead to easy points. EVERY SINGLE time. That is not an exaggeration. I don’t think I saw a single time LITERALLY where they posted up the smaller guards, spread the floor and it didn’t lead to points. But after it work 3 plays in a row, they never went to it again. Thats just not good.

I will say that I liked this AJ trade when they made it and I like it now. And you know why? AJ ignored woody. At least on 4-5 occasions in the game, woody was telling him to pull it up, and AJ kept pushing it. That is what speedy has been doing. listening to Woody. I am sure most other people can see this team is not built for half court offense as much as a transition game, which, as the Wizards would tell you, will get you wins in the East. But woody slows it down with out a real scorer on the block.

It was still a fun game to watch, Josh, Marvin, Joe, Aj, Solomon and Chill all had good games. Pachulia also was on his way to a pretty good game, but Woodson should have pulled him when he got his third in the third so he wouldn’t be without a big in the 4th.

I really do look forward to the rest of this year and the next. I have been a suns fan since 86 and a hawks fan since 88. Its always fun to watch when they play each other and me root for them both.

By BeFrank

February 26, 2007 10:14 AM | Link to this

Good observations William! Great post. Sounds like a true fan.

By The Doctor

February 26, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this

All you folks that like AJ- that’s great, he’s an improvement. But really- what is the point of obtaining a guy his age when your team is nowhere close to contending? He won’t be around if it ever happens…

By Anakin Joe

February 26, 2007 10:47 AM | Link to this

Guys, thanks for all of the recaps of the game. Sounds like AJ is exactly what I expected him to be. A tough, veteran leader. If/when Speedy ever gets himself together, they may make a very nice tandem. They have complementary skills.

I’m thrilled that Solomon got some time. Did Solomon and Smith play togeher? I’d like to see more of that.

From a purely “box score observation” it looks like we came up short defensively. Every other stat looked good, we shot the ball well, not too many turnovers and strong rebounding. A split in the next 2 games gets us to a 6-8 February, which is actually better than I expected given the horrific schedule.

By Anakin Joe

February 26, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this

The Doctor, so are you suggesting that we can’t be excited about this team until every piece is in place and they are all less than 28 years old?

I swear, I do not understand fans that can’t get excited about winning or competing in games NOW. No one is delusional enough to think we are taking this roster to the Finals. A real fan doesn’t wait until the road is perfectly paved to jump on the band wagon.

By mykhalc

February 26, 2007 01:00 PM | Link to this

NEWKID, thanks for the recap. good post, points and observations!! good call by you and WILLIAM on AJ postin’ up the smaller guards.

WILLIAM, nice post too!! many of us here have called for PT for SJ for some time now. nice to see him FINALLY get on the court and PRODUCE!!!

WOODSON HAS TO come to the realiztion of what BEST suits this team in terms of style of play!!!! again i’ll say, we ain’t PISTONS-like!!! we are more SUNS-like!! EVERYBODY KNOWS IT…ESPECIALLY THE PLAYERS!!! hopefully with a more competent floor general in AJ, WOODSON will allow him to run the more uptempo offense that the team is built for!!! but reality says…we are dealin’ with WOODSON, aren’t we???!!!! but as a fan, i’ll continue to hope!!!!

By The Doctor

February 26, 2007 03:40 PM | Link to this

No Joe, by all means enjoy the modicum of temporary improvement provided by this trade. Hey, it’s not like Billy would have used that pick wisely anyway…