AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February
February 2007
Star search!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oklahoma City - As if I don’t watch enough basketball (good, bad and ugly) on a daily basis, I had the nerve to spend my off night here doing exactly that. Without any appealing NBA games to watch, or the proper stations at the hotel here to do so, I was forced to suffer through a couple of college games that made me remember why I don’t go to games anymore unless I’m working.
I was having flashbacks of 1992 watching Michigan and Michigan State (and not just because of the Michigan uniforms that looked like they were snatched off the backs of the Fab Five minutes before opening tip). The pace of the game was throwback as well. The score finally crept into the 60s for the winners in the final two minutes. You needed some NoDoz by then just to keep watching.
The second game was slightly more entertaining, I said slightly, but only because there were so many “NBA prospects” on the floor (though I’m still looking for ‘em). The fans are as rabid as ever, which usually makes the games that much more entertaining. But the basketball is ugly. It hasn’t evolved. The college games still seems wildly over coached and depressingly plodding and slow.
Which leads me to Hump Day’s rant du jour. Who anointed this upcoming draft the deepest in years? Where are all the potential stars (not named Oden and Durant)? And what NBA team is crazy enough to roll the dice on one of these college guys being the savior of their franchise?
Florida has two guys that are supposed to be top15 locks in Joakim Noah and Al Horford, and I swear to you that if you turned that game on blind last night you wouldn’t have known who they were. All credit to Tennessee, but a powerhouse they are not (though, they do have a guard, Lofton is his name, that seemed like a Derek Fisher type, an under the radar player that will make a nice living in the NBA for years to come).
Back to my initial question. When did the best players in college basketball get so average? I had the same complaint during the NCAA Tournament last spring when I went to the Georgia Dome to get up close and personal looks at LaMarcus Aldridge, Shelden Williams and JJ Redick, Big Baby Davis and Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey. I studied them hard and came away with the feeling that none of them, save for Aldridge when he toughens up, was franchise-player material.
Maybe I’m like lots of other people who spend more time watching the pros than colleges. Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe what I consider dominant (I was reared on the game during its golden age of the 80s and early 90s, when my brother and I stayed up late to watch Big Monday and couldn’t stand to miss the Pac-10 games on Thursday and every team in the Big Ten had at least one sure-fire future pro on the roster) isn’t in sync with what passes for dominant in today’s game.
Outside of the top two picks in the June draft, I’m not convinced there will another potential superstar in this draft class. There seems to be a huge drop off after Oden and Durant. I was doing a little homework on recent draft and noticed that there are only 10 first rounders from a solid 2004 class that are regular starters on their respective teams. Same for the celebrated 2003 class headlined by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Last year’s class has netted just four first rounders that are starters. FOUR!
And we’re calling this upcoming class the “deepest” in years, based on what?
In defense of the college game and the game of basketball in general, I’m convinced there are more good players than ever before. You can go across the map and find quality players in nearly every league. I’m just not convinced there are as many potential superstars roaming the landscape.
I could be wrong. A night in sleepy Oklahoma City without Internet access in your own *$@#$! room (the wireless didn’t work so I had to whip this up in the business center) has a way of cracking the lenses in your rose colored glasses. This draft class, provided it includes both Oden and Durant, could turn out to be one of the best in years …
Me, I just don’t see it right now.
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It was all a dream …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DALLAS - If you cover your eyes during horror movies, this is the morning to skip the NBA highlights. Between the clip of Shaun Livingston’s devastating knee injury and the Dallas Mavericks shooting holes in the Hawks’ defense, it’s a slasher movie the likes of which haven’t been seen in a while.
As you know by now I’m a huge Livingston guy, so to see him go down with a dislocated knee cap for the second time in just three seasons … I hate to see injuries put the kibosh on any player’s season.
While Livingston’s injury was a freak accident, the Hawks’ inability to defend the Mavericks was something far more calculated. They tried to defend Dirk Nowitzki with smaller guys (is there any other way? Dirk is 7-1), which a scout sitting next to me last night said is the “best way to play him.” But when Dirk is nailing shots the way he was last night, there is no way to defend the guy. And Dirk made that clear by glaring at his bench after every made shot and howling, “they’re too little, they can’t guard me.”
It’s not trash talking when you’re spewing the truth.
The warnings about the month of February being the backbreaker for the Hawks were on target. I think we all understood that the season was going to made or broken by the performance during these 28 days. As crazy as it sounds, the Hawks are just 5-8 with a chance to salvage the month with a win Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, and perhaps another in Washington Friday (and winning in both places is not as far-fetched as it sounds when you consider where the Hawks have won in the past three months).
Time is quickly running out, though. There are only so many chances a team has to get into the playoff mix before they’re simply pushed aside by the “real” postseason contenders.
All the bluster about the Hawks being in that mix at all was probably a bit premature anyway. The Eastern Conference is so shaky right now that any team with 20-plus wins can dream a little dream.
But that’s all it is right now. A dream.
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A question about Solo?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re anything like me, you woke up this morning still trying to figure out if Amare Stoudemire is human (after his highlight show at Philips Arena last night I’m not so sure) and how a guy that plays just 15 minutes could leave such an impression? That’s right. (I’m not even getting on my Anthony Johnson-Jeff Foster for Al Harrington kick today. Even I’m tired of whipping that horse.)
I’m talking about young Solomon Jones, the Hawks’ plastic-man like 6-10, 230-pound rookie big man, who rarely plays.
His numbers this season are completely pedestrian (2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 blocks in 8.3 minutes), as should be expected from a guy who spends most of his time in games watching (he has 19 DNP-cd’s in 56 games). And that’s the question that’s bothered so many for so long. Why doesn’t he play more?
(I’ll admit I’m as guilty as anyone of not paying young fella much attention. I scanned past blogs to see how many times I even bothered to talk about him and realized he’s only made it into text three times prior to now. Flashback, flashback, flashback:
10-25-06 “Solomon Jones is back at practice and if you’re not careful, he’ll dunk on you, too. This has to be the longest human being this side of Dikembe Mutombo. I mean, he’s all arms and legs right now. But once he catches up to his body, look out. And did I mention that he’s a dunking machine?” 11-30-06 “I remember someone here saying Solomon Jones had a chance to make an impact this season. Did you catch young fella’s performance last night? He was good and active in the first half against the Bobcats, though not nearly as exciting as he was in defeat Saturday night in Orlando with his five blocks. What I like about him is that he’s shown no fear in mixing it up around the basket, despite being the slimmest man in the building most nights.”
1-29-07 “Some harsh realities would have to be acknowledged on my part. I’d have to admit to a few mistakes and rectify them immediately. I’d have to come to grips with the fact that no matter how much I want it to be, rookie big men like (Lorenzen Wright, Zaza Pachulia, Shelden Williams, Esteban Batista and Solomon Jones) aren’t going to be capable of playing over their heads on a nightly basis and competing at a high level against the likes of say Dwight Howard and Sam Dalembert, to name just two of the recent higher level big men my team has faced.”)
Jones makes jaw-dropping plays all the time in practice and has since he got healthy late in training camp. But there’s something (other than 25 pounds of muscle and a full understanding of how to play the game at the NBA level) that’s missing.
Quite a bit of what’s missing is the maturity, physical and otherwise, needed to be a part of anyone’s playing rotation. His line from Sunday night’s loss to the Suns is representative of that - as exciting as it was, Jones finished 1-for-3 from the floor with two points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, two blocks and four quick fouls.
No one can dispute that young fella brings excitement. He’s going to do that because that’s what he is right now. Unfortunately, that’s all he is right now. And that, I fear, is why there isn’t a bigger role for him. But with 25 games to play, I say throw him to the wolves. Put so much responsibility on him (playing time, pressure, whatever) that he has to either rise up to the challenge and prove to you that he’s capable or he goes back to the lab and figures it all out in time for the summer. Because he’s somewhat of a blank canvas right now with a chance to be whatever he’s willing to work hard to be.
It’s up to Solomon Jones.
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I blame myself!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That’s what I get for dreaming, for thinking fireworks are in order when nothing anywhere close to that ends up happening. The NBA trade deadline was a dud. The biggest deals came over a month earlier (both AI going to Denver and the eight-player deal between Indiana and Golden State).
I blame myself for the empty feeling I had when I woke up this morning. I was foolish to think that the just because I played with the trade machine (like many of you) and cooked up deals that worked financially and that made sense to me, that any of the NBA’s real decision makers would do the same.
I don’t know why more teams decided to hold off on making deals. The Eastern Conference is so wide open, I think that any major move that would have been made by any team would have resulted in a climb up the food chain.
The Hawks were far from alone in their relative inactivity (Anthony Johnson is a nice pickup but I remember singing a song about he and Jeff Foster for Al Harrington last summer that never materialized).
After talking with an NBA executive I respect, the rationale for some of the inactivity makes a bit more sense to me (in short, why would teams like New Jersey and Portland trade away guys with big contracts or expiring big contracts when they could just hold on and wait until the contract comes off the books and then have more flexibility in the summer and beyond?).
But we don’t live in a ‘wait until next time’ world. Everyone wants it now. At least fans want it now. And who can blame them? They’ve been conditioned to expect the impossible, the overnight success and the miracle cure.
It should be clear by now to most of us that we’re not going to get that this season. In the Hawks’ case, it’s certainly not going to happen. That playoff push that seemed to be within grasp probably disappeared Thursday at around 2:59 p.m.
The Hawks’ inability to make a deal reminded me of the one thing that I often forget to consider in the build up to the trade deadline. It always takes two teams (at least two) to consummate a deal. And if, for whatever reason, one of them decides to pass, it’s a wrap.
So I’ll say it again, I blame myself (and you all can blame me as well for stoking the trade conversation starting months ago). I blame myself for thinking big things could happen when the silence leading up the storm was telling me otherwise.
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Soft as puddin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even on their best days these Hawks are soft (soft as puddin’ - as I’ve been known to say out loud after watching their weaker efforts this season).
You know it. I know it. They know it. So let’s just say it loud (or write it), so there’s no more whispering about what we all know. They’re soft as a bag of warm gummy worms. Soft as that custard-filled ring around Charles Barkley’s waist. Soft as … well, you get the point.
Do they have moments when they stare the truth down and rise up the physical and mental challenge that another team or a situation presents? Sure. But more often than not, the Hawks’ true colors shine through.
Take Tuesday’s game in Chicago for example. Any team that’s within striking distance of a playoff spot, with a chance to make a real move and coming off of a four-day break, is supposed to show it’s teeth (especially against a foe that’s manhandled them repeatedly the past three years) on the first night of the new season.
The Hawks showed their bellies. They rolled over and played dead as the Running of the Bulls began after halftime at United Center. I don’t even equate being soft with quitting, which is often done in this context. That’s not the case.
But when you examine these Hawks against the teams in the NBA known for being rugged and tough - Chicago, Utah, Charlotte come to mind immediately - it’s easy to see why they’ve been routinely dominated.
What you want to see is one of these guys, any one of them, stand up not only for himself and his teammates, but stand up to himself and his teammates. I’m sure Hawks fans do more screaming at the TV than the Hawks do at each other when they’re playing listless and without any real drive.
Looking at them, though, it makes me wonder. Who do they think will rescue them on nights like that? Joe Johnson? Josh Smith? Josh Childress? Tyronn Lue? Mike Woodson? What happens if none of them can come to the rescue? (Um, let me see, 106-81 back-crackings happen.)
If these Hawks are waiting on someone else to save the day, they’ve already lost. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve always made it clear that I don’t like the idea of losing Salim Stoudamire in a trade (which could still happen with the trade deadline roughly 24 hours away). For whatever faults he might have as a player (in just his second year mind you), Salim remains the Hawks’ most overtly passionate player. That may manifest itself in strange ways sometimes. But his passion for winning and for the game is well documented here.
No successful team can have that. You can’t get your competitive edge and your fire from a guy who may or may not play every night. It’s not logical. And it’s not reasonable.
That’s why I’ve been writing for weeks here that the Hawks need a spark, someone to take the reigns on the floor and provide the direction a coach can’t when the players are between those lines. I’ve talked about Luke Ridnour (some people see the things I see in Ridnour while some others I respect do not) and Anthony Johnson (one of my favorite veteran point guards who, to the detriment of his own career sometimes, refuses to settle for a half-hearted effort from himself or any of his teammates). I’m still convinced that adding a player like either one of those guys (in addition to a nasty big as well) totally changes the complexion of these Hawks.
And what’s wrong with holding each other accountable? Why is that so taboo in today’s NBA? Why shouldn’t these guys expect each other to come out and play with a ferocity and recklessness that can only be put down by a more talented team with equal fervor?
I could go on and on about this, but I won’t. The trade deadline is coming. And like everyone else, I’m working the phones trying to see if there is anything shaking around Hawksville. There could be fireworks. Or Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline could come and go without so much as a blip. It’s up in the air now. But if there are any changes to be made, cosmetically or otherwise, I know where I’d begin.
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Image is everything!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHICAGO - No complaints from the Windy City people.
Sure, the Las Vegas airport was on severe OVERLOAD with Monday morning’s post All-Star Weekend traffic clogging more space than should be humanly possible.
But other than that, the shift from west to Midwest was an easy one. And to make things even better, the snowstorms that had this place and many others under siege a week ago, had blown over.
Me, I blew into town Monday afternoon, headed south of the city with a college friend to my brother’s house. I had a great dinner and visit with the fam (my retired parents were up visiting as well) before heading back to the city for some much needed rest.
So you can imagine my surprise Tuesday morning when I woke up to TV ads touting “Atlanta Hawks All-Star Joe Johnson and the resurgent Hawks” in town for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
In my nearly three years of following the Hawks, I’ve never heard them hyped in a visiting town on game day. Sure, they’ve been mentioned as the opponent (or the entrĂ©e on that night’s menu back during the 13-69 season). But never have they been considered part of the featured attraction.
Can a guy making the All-Star Game change a team’s perception that easily? I wrote about this last week when JJ was named to the All-Star Game (a little newsroom trick called spinning a story forward. Editors love it. Cats like me don’t always get it at the time, but I always see the wisdom later). The Hawks become less and less of a joke as they continue to gain respectability with their improved play and the accolades that come along with that.
I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal. But if you could have seen the ad. It was something I would expect to see in Atlanta (come to think of it, I rarely see ads like this in Atlanta. But that’s something for the Atlanta Spirit marketing folks to worry about). It began with all these highlight clips of JJ with a voiceover about the Hawks’ All-Star and then finished with a couple of Josh Smith dunk highlights and the specifics about tonight’s game.
Now, I’m not trying to tell you that one commercial means the Hawks have arrived. Not by any stretch. But just the slightest jump in the Hawks’ profile, even as an opponent, is progress to me. It’s interesting. That old saying about image being everything really rings true.
Well, at least until 7:30 p.m. After that, rebounds, assists and made shots is everything.
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Johnson 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.
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You say you want a revolution? Not here!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LAS VEGAS - Having been around long enough to know that my non-drinking, non-smoking, non-gambling stance doesn’t play big here in Sin City, I was fully expecting to be miserable on my first couple of nights here for All-Star Weekend.
But I’m glad to report that once again, I was wrong (yeah, it’s happened a time or two the past 30 years).
The truth is, there’s plenty to do here if you don’t want to indulge in those aforementioned activities. Mainly, you can people watch and laugh your tail off about all the hilarious people that make their way to events like these.
Take my flight from LA for example. As a frequent flyer, I can tell you that it’s rare to be on a plane where the people of color outnumber the non-people of color. But America West Flight 109 on Thursday from LAX to Vegas looked like Soul Plane. I’m joking, of course, but I’m serious. I fully expected Snoop Dogg to come walking out of the cockpit as we deplaned in Vegas. And I’m told that nearly every flight that made it to town the past 48 hours contained large portions of folks who look like me.
I decided that there are only two places a plane like this could have been headed, the city that’s hosting the NBA All-Star Weekend or a city on the African continent. Serious business. And since we all know that the flight wasn’t headed for Lagos … I would argue that for this weekend at least, Las Vegas has the largest black population of any major city in the country. Half of black Los Angeles is here (the rumor is that the freeway from LA had traffic backups 11 miles long on Friday as the driving traffic headed this way).
Barack Obama are you listening? If you want to rally the base, you should show up here and stage a voter registration rally.
Seriously, though, I can’t imagine that this is what Martin Luther King Jr. had in mind. The Million Man March this is not. It’s just hard to feel empowered or even energized when you realize that the majority of the people here are in town to show their backsides (some much more literally than others) in the name of nonsense. I guess if I were here on a similar mission, my outlook would be much better (what fool doesn’t like a good party?). But this is a working trip for me and the other media morons like myself who couldn’t find a way to out of this mess.
And now, let us move on to the (somewhat) sanctimonious-free portion of this address. The crowds here really are bananas. I mean, the taxi lines at the hotels remind me of rush hour traffic in Atlanta.
If the NBA is shooting for the pandemonium and circus-like vibe of the Super Bowl, mission accomplished. I walked down to the lobby of the MGM at 6:46 a.m. and it might as well have been 6:46 p.m. People were swarming the place, on the casino floor, drinks in hand and making as much noise as a gazillion human beings can in a confined space.
The highlights on TNT and ESPN that will make Vegas look like some pristine paradise will be figments of your imagination. Because like Mike Tyson used to say, this whole scene is just “ludicriss.”
Speaking of, how about Scottie Pippen crashing the media session Friday? Shameless. And then he had the stones to make what I believe is the most preposterous statement of all time.
Someone asked him if he still felt underappreciated and Pippen said, “If you ask people who understand the game, the GMs and the coaches, they’d rather have a Scottie than a Michael.”
Huh?
I thought the weekend was lost when the young lady sitting behind me on my flight was making babysitting arrangements after we touched ground in Vegas (I actually got that sinking feeling twice more 1) riding an elevator at the Palms Thursday with Suge Knight and his two lady friends, Mr. Knight turned out to be a most pleasant gentlemen despite stories that would indicate otherwise. And 2) when walking to the elevator from my room on the 15th floor of the MGM Friday night and seeing large drops of blood leading all the way down the hallway to one of the elevators. Talk about spoiling your night.
But Pippen topped everything by arguing for himself over Jordan, claiming that he is “an all-around player. I make the people around me better.” I couldn’t answer the mandatory eight-count after that one.
And last time I checked, Jordan made those Bulls teammates of his more than better. He made them champions.
At least we know the partygoers aren’t the only folks sipping the All-Star Weekend Kool-Aid.
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Like chips I’m in Vegas!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LAX … LAS VEGAS - While most of the Hawks rest for All-Star Weekend, Joe Johnson will take his place alongside the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars this weekend in Las Vegas (I started this at LAX and finished in Vegas, and it’s short because I have a bible study convention to attend while also trying fit in the All-Star events and stuff).☺
We made the case for Johnson’s inclusion weeks ago, so we’ll let that be. But what do you make of these suddenly resurgent Hawks? I know, we’ve all seen them rip off positive spurts like this in the past few months, only to fall back to earth when they have an opportunity to make what seems like a quantum leap towards respectability.
But I have a feeling this latest stretch, 3-1 on a Western Conference swing with a chance to make it 4-1 on the road the past five with a win in Chicago Tuesday night, is more than just a fluke.
The confidence in that locker room after Wednesday night’s win over the Clippers was percolating. Marvin Williams said it best when talking to Johnson’s comeback from that 15-point fourth quarter deficit:
“Last year, we’ve have been done. Those 15 points would have turned in to 30 and we’d have been out of there. We didn’t have the heart last year that we have now. That’s the difference.”
Well said young fella. But it also helps to have a 6-9, 235-pound Energizer Bunny named Josh Smith. He’s been the main difference between the pre-Christmas Hawks and the crew we’ve seen since then. His evolution has been amazing to see.
Now let’s see if he and the Hawks can keep it up.
The Waiting Game …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Welcome to my world Joe Johnson.
Most of my days are spent waiting for someone or something to either happen or finish before I can do my business. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game day or a practice day, I’m always waiting.
And now, the Hawks’ quiet captain is waiting on a couple of things. First is the official word on Jason Kidd’s status for Sunday’s All-Star game. The second thing he’s waiting on is a Valentine from NBA Commissioner David Stern, who will decide on the replacement for Kidd if one is needed.
At this point it’s hard to offer anything close to a prediction about what will happen if Kidd does opt out, as is being reported by the good folks at ESPN. I’m trying to come up with some competition for the (potential) open slot and I’m thinking it has to be a short list of JJ, Luol Deng and perhaps Ben Gordon (he’s my longshot). But I’m having a difficult time figuring out how JJ could be left off of the All-Star list twice.
After all, the Hawks have actually moved up the NBA food chain, ever so slightly, since the All-Star reserves were announced a couple of weeks ago. Still, I’m never convinced that anything close to appropriate will come from a league that, time after time, has made a point of by spitting in the face of what seems obvious to the rest of us (dress code, new ball, old ball, etc.).
JJ’s been a stand up dude through all of this, so I know he’s not making plans for Vegas prematurely. Still, I know he’s hoping it happens, as are his coaches and teammates. It would also be a nice reward for a guy who’s performed at an extremely high level the past year and a half without a whole lot of national recognition for what he’s done.
So now we play the waiting game.
Update: Johnson was added to the All-Star roster Wednesdsay after Kidd was ruled out.
On to a few 5 a.m. thoughts from the rooftop in LA:
Seeing two trades crawl across the bottom of the screen (Eric Williams goes to Charlotte while Spurs get Melvin Ely and Jake Tsakalidis moves to Houston while and Scott Padgett takes his locker stall in Memphis) left me scratching my head. Is this it? Where are the blockbuster trade deadline deals that have been swirling about for weeks now? I’m still holding out hope that the Hawks will get knee deep into a deal of some kind, but all is quiet on the rumor front right now. The next juicy one I hear about will make it’s way to ajc.com, in story form or here. But like most of you, I’m in need of some trade action in the worst way.
Unlike the rest of the city, I am not claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. Good gracious. I haven’t seen more useless wall-to-wall media coverage like this since the OJ trial. I’ve tried to refrain from cracking on any of this out of respect for a woman whose life ended suspiciously short of her 40th birthday. But the uproar that’s dominating the headlines and the news channels only shows why so many people have turned away from places that provide “real” news and information. Anna Nicole’s baby daddy has garnered more headlines than anything the past week. And it’s sad, just sad.
Speaking of non-stories, and I’ve stayed away from this one as well. But who in the world cares about John Amaechi? ESPN’s constant pumping of this story is down right shameless (you’ve probably already guessed who published his book). There’s this notion that the jock culture wouldn’t accept an openly gay man in the locker room. I’d argue that by not concerning themselves with it at all, they already have. Do you really think myopic multi-millionaires actually care about someone else’s sexual preferences? It’s hilarious that anyone would think that Amaechi’s story is some revelation. Complete and utter nonsense.
I’m dreading the All-Star Game festivities in Las Vegas, by the way. I know, I know. This is going to be the part of the millennium and all that good stuff. But this weekend is not about the game of basketball or anything remotely close to it. This is about glitz, glamour and the NBA’s undeniable passion to market a once-proud game into oblivion. They might as well turn the game into a celebrity contest and allow the players to rest up and recharge their batteries in anticipation of a furious playoff rally over the next two and a half months. (Good grief, am I really complaining about this? … Yup!)
On a positive note, I will get a chance to see one of my favorite young players in the league tonight. Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston remains one of the most intriguing young players in the league, to me. My pops and I saw him twice while he was in high school at the MKOX Shootout in St. Louis and couldn’t believe how much raw talent he had, particularly as a passer. So to see his game stifled by the Clippers (which should surprise no one, seeing as how they’ve made a point of wasting loads of lottery talent over the years) is particularly painful. If he’s allowed to push the pace tonight, the game could be one of the Hawks’ most entertaining contests of the year. If not, the 10:30 p.m. tip time back in Atlanta will be more than appropriate.
Step up or get beat down!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SALT LAKE CITY - There needs to be a sign above the door to the Energy Solutions Center (formerly known as the Delta Center during the Karl Malone-John Stockton era) that says simply, “Tip toe through these doors and you’ll end up on your backside.” - Hey, this is still a family friendly operation. I’m not going to press my luck.
But that message should be loud and clear for the Hawks, who thankfully don’t have to come back here for another year. Maybe by then they’ll have hit the weights long enough to gather the toughness needed to deal with a physical outfit like the Jazz.
Monday’s game wasn’t close after the first five minutes. It was clear what was going to take place - Rafael Araujo’s nose job on Marvin Williams was just a bonus for all you UFC fans out there.
But it’ll take more than moments of spirited action to compete at a high level. It takes discipline and a grit the Hawks, collectively, don’t currently have in large supply.
Now I realize that they were playing on the second half of a back-to-back, and that’s always a chore. But they didn’t last long trying to spar with the Jazz, a team no one in the Western Conference is going to want to mess with come late April.
Nit-pick the stat sheet if you want (52-32 on the rebounds and 24-10 on the assists says everything you need to know about what went on). But make no mistake about it, the Jazz won with their toughness first and foremost. And they’ll do it every night if you don’t stand up to them.
J-Smoove is growing up!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oakland - There are more than a few grains of truth to the theory that the true measure of a player can’t be taken until he’s completed three years in the NBA.
Josh Smith (J-Smooth or J-Smoove or whatever he wants to be called with the way he’s playing) is living proof.
The third-year Hawks forward is growing up (and breaking out) before our very eyes. Night after night he does things that keeps jaws dropping everywhere he goes - yeah, he should have called a timeout on that inbounds play Sunday night. (I dropped that word in the quote from Mike Woodson in the game story and genius that I am, I had my cell on vibrate and didn’t hear it buzzing or answer it when the office called to verify that a word had been dropped. My bad.) But he didn’t. And the Hawks were lucky that Stephen Jackson’s mistake was worse than theirs.
Smith was splendid in the Hawks’ win over Phoenix. But he was off the charts in the win over the Warriors Sunday night.
He dropped 29 points (on 10-for-14 shooting from the floor and 8-for-10 shooting from the free throw line), 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks on the Warriors and he did so barely playing in fourth quarter because of foul trouble.
It’s unreasonable to expect that type of performance out of the young fella (yes, 21 keeps him firmly entrenched in the young fella camp) every night. But if he can provide similar type performances regularly, the Hawks have found the potent No. 2 option to Joe Johnson that they’ve been searching for.
People love to engage in the draft debate about taking Josh Childress, Andre Iguodala or Luol Deng. But you could make a case that you’d rather have Smith over any of those guys, all of who are having stellar seasons, as well, in their third years.
I’m not one for the oddballs stats that some people to love to toss around, but dude is working on a stretch of scoring 20 or more points in five of his last six games. And he’s notched double doubles in seven of his past 11 games. And I think it demands mentioning that the Hawks are now 10-7 in the past 17 games with Johnson, Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams all playing together.
And don’t look now, but the Hawks are crawling towards respectability league-wide. They’re giving legitimate chase to that eighth playoff spot (they’re still a ways back but just chasing is an accomplishment for a crew that won 39 games the two seasons before this one).
If they ever figure out how to win at home (maybe they could wear their road red jerseys at home or stay at a hotel in Atlanta on game days and bus to the arena together, because they’re always better that way), they might really be on to something.
A quick, non-basketball related travel tip: For those of you making your way to the Bay Area anytime soon, check out a smooth spot called Farmer Brown. It’s an organic soul food spot in the Tenderloin area of downtown San Francisco that has great ambiance, some eclectic art on the walls, a live DJ spinning records while you eat and drink and some of the best food I’ve had on the road in a good while. My best friend lives in the Bay and he and his lady suggested we eat dinner there Saturday night. And they were on the money. We took a group of six (Smitty, our new road-dog S-Dub and the Mad VP all joined us, and Al Harrington popped I for a post meal visit as well) and everyone left satisfied. Now, I’m not the world’s healthiest eater, but I have a newfound respect for organic fare. You can eat good stuff (there was fried chicken, fried catfish, yams, mac and cheese, greens and cornbread and sweat tea all over the place) and wake up the next morning and without feeling like you need to run a marathon to make up for what you ate the night before. So when I get back to Atlanta, I’m going to be on the hunt for an organic spot that dishes it up like Farmer Brown.
No ordinary Joe!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PHOENIX - We talk about him incessantly around here. Even when we’re not talking about Joe Johnson by name, were referring to him or something he did. It’s hilarious and tragic all at once, for one guy to carry such a burden (I know, he’s got $70 million reasons to carry the load for the Hawks).
His effort in the Hawks’ 120-111 win over Phoenix Friday night, though, before a hostile crowd (One of the two ladies cheering like crazy in those Hawks jerseys at US Airways Center was Joe’s mom, who flew in from Little Rock for moral support) was truly a yeoman’s effort.
Dude played all 48 minutes, was harassed all night by the Suns sticky defensive specialist Raja Bell, led his team in assists (5) and took some of the biggest shots in a thrilling game defined by who would or would not make those shots. He had a game-high 32 points and dropped in 17 of those in the fourth quarter alone.
None of that is said to slight the effort of his teammates (they were great against the Suns and Johnson was quick to spread the love around to his teammates after their stellar performances). But much like his Suns counterpart who did not play Friday (Nash was out for the second straight game with a bad shoulder), the Hawks are going to soar this season only if JJ can take them there, provided he continues to get ample support from the young cast of role players surrounding him.
And for those of you who stayed up late back in Atlanta to watch the game, tell me if you didn’t enjoy that final 12 minutes. Guys were all over the floor chasing down loose balls. There were dunks, guys diving on the floor, big shots on both sides and good hard-nosed basketball.
You just have to wonder if and when this team, even as its presently constituted, will make the jump from the up and down crew we see now to a consistent team that contends for something other than prime real estate in the draft?
If they string together a few more performances like the one witnessed here Friday, maybe we can talk.
Wake Up!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The trip from Hades begins today, for both the Hawks and your boy Blog-Z (I’ve got 15 days on the road between now and the home game against San Antonio Feb. 21 at Philips Arena). But while I’ll only have travel snafus to worry about between now and the Feb. 20 game in Chicago to worry about, the Hawks have to worry about their season going down the tubes with a lousy showing on this road trip.
If there is anything that should make Hawks fans feel good about the next five games, it’s that they’re all on the road, where the Hawks seem to play 100 percent better than they do at home.
I know you all have looked at the potential potholes in the road already. We all have. And that’s why this trip, more than any other stretch of this season, will give us a true measure of this team’s mettle. We’ll see now, exactly what this (current) team is made of (even if a trade occurs between now and the Feb. 22 deadline, it won’t be done in time to impact this trip).
An optimist would predict that the Hawks will pull off a miracle or two and win two games on this trip (same way they did on their December foray west of the Rockies). I don’t have a clue. This team has left me so discombobulated lately, I don’t know what to expect. When you think they’re going to do something, they don’t. And when you think they’ve finally begun to understand each other and the sacrifices it takes to win tough games, they have a brain freeze (like they did late last night against the Nets).
So my days of prognosticating are over. Seriously, your guess is as good as mine as to what lies ahead. Your predictions are welcome. But I’d much rather someone explain to me what it’s going to take for this team to finally jump the broom. Their breakthrough opportunity has presented itself time and time again this season. And not once has this team pounced on said opportunity.
We’ve spent a lot of our time point fingers at owners, executives and coaches. But at some point the players (the same guys who are great one night and disastrous the next) have to step up and take hold of their own destiny. Watching them last night (I had the night off and watched the game at the house, so I got a chance to see it the way many of you do every night) I got the eerie feeling that each and every one of them was waiting for someone else to step up and do something. That never works. Never has, never will.
It’s time for the Hawks (the players) to stop looking over their shoulders to see who’s going to fix this problem or that other problem. They have to be the ones to create their own fortunes. It’s time for them to seize the moment themselves and stop waiting for the miracle cure (that may or may not be coming).
If they don’t wake up and do something … they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.
Where there’s a Rid(nour) there’s a way…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know I talked about easing up on my trade scenarios of a few weeks back, but with the trade deadline looming, and the Hawks still within theoretical striking distance, I’d be a fool to stick to that. So I’m back. And I’m sounding my familiar refrain about the Hawks needing to add a young point guard to their mix (does the name Luke Ridnour ring any bells?).
Don’t make me say it. I know that landing a quality big man that would fit he Hawks’ specific needs is a much tougher assignment. And to be honest, as bad as the Hawks have been in the paint this year, they could survive the rest of the year without a significant trade deadline upgrade there.
Where they can’t survive without immediate help is at the point. Tyronn Lue’s hamstring injury won’t heal to 100 percent before this season ends without him missing a huge chunk of time between now and mi-April (which would essentially bring an end to his season anyway). And the time it would take to get Speedy Claxton to the point where he can be most effective has already passed. He’d have to play above and beyond his means the rest of the way. And it’s obvious, that’s not going to happen this season.
So the need is clear and what needs to be done is even more obvious. The Hawks have to make at point guard if they want to give serious chase to that eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps even more important than that, if there is anything more important than taking advantage of the weakness of the Eastern Conference this year, is that the Hawks rectify past wrongs and get their hands on a young point guard that fits with their core group of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams. (You know I championed the cause for Marcus Williams prior to last June’s draft and I’ll continue to believe that he would have been an ideal fir with this team, no matter how long it took for them to work the holes out of his game).
All that leads me back to Seattle and one of my favorite young point guards, Luke Ridnour. If there is any way at all Seattle is willing to part with him, now is the time to dig in and find out, because he’s at the perfect stage of his career to be plucked from his current team. He’s a young guy who’s had a chance and proved he could lead a team (the Sonics won a division title with Ridnour running the show two years ago).
What it will take to make a deal I don’t know (it could be any combination of things that cements a deal, that’s what the negotiations are for). But my reasoning for making an immediate move is simple if the Hawks are indeed serious about the playoffs this season and not just saying it because it sounds good. If the league’s best teams are aggressive at the trade deadline (some contender always makes a splash this time of year), any team dreaming of making the jump from also-ran to playoff hopeful or contender, needs to be twice as aggressive.
All hail the “Ticket Stub”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You’ve read many times about Hawks guard Tyronn Lue and how vital he is to his team’s success, both on the court and in the locker room.
Never was that more obvious than Sunday afternoon at Continental Airlines Arena, where a one-legged Lue (his left hamstring is being held together by a shred of cartilage) came off the bench cold and delivered the Hawks’ first win at the Meadowlands since the Dominique Wilkins era (okay, it was just a six-year drought, but you get the point).
It was a fine finish for a guy who’s been under immense internal pressure ever since he came to the Hawks overt two years ago in a trade. And while no one has publicly stated that there is pressure on Lue to deliver, there is. As the only seasoned point guard on the roster, prior to Speedy Claxton’s arrival, Lue has had the unenviable task of taking the heat every time someone mentions Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Marcus Williams or any of the other point guards the hawks could have had.
All he’s done is rescue the Hawks when they needed it time and time again. During his first half season with the Hawks, after Antoine Walker was traded and Al Harrington went down late in the season with injuries, it was Lue that carried them down the stretch. It was Lue that saved them from infamy and helped them to late wins to keep the Hawks from an 11-win season (I know, 13 wins isn’t exactly the promised land but it’s better than 11).
He’s played every role asked of him, from super sub to starter to Robin to Joe Johnson’s Batman, and never complained (despite the fact that he’s in the second year of three-year deal that underpays him by at least $1 million per year. He ought to get an extra million for keeping the Hawks’ locker room in one piece during this age of ownership feuds and constant NDBL additions and subtractions).
I know it’s easy to knock the guy for what he can’t do - and Lue’s not as young, athletic or dynamic as any of those hotshots mentioned above. But he’s a steadying force on a team in desperate need of one (and perhaps a few others). And to top it off, he’s a guy who does it because it’s the professional thing to do and the right thing to do, not for any other reason. There are few players in professional sports without any ulterior motives (playing for a fat new contract, stats, status, etc). Lue is one of them. He has already been to the top, winning back-to-back titles with the Lakers early in his career. He’s played with the best (Shaq, Kobe and an aged Jordan in Washington), done it all and seen it all.
Now he’s on a team where he’s being asked to mentor young players while also helping to save a franchise from the depths of its own self-inflicted misery (thanks to an ownership feud that simply won’t go away). It’s a tough job, one any of us would do for all the money Lue makes. But it’s one few veterans in demand elsewhere (trust me when I tell you that there are several teams with designs on chasing NBA titles that have aggressively pursued Lue in trade talks but to no avail) would do if they didn’t embrace such a challenge.
Like him or not (and I hear from plenty of people who don’t think Lue is good enough and think he’s a washed up veteran who doesn’t measure up), it’s hard not to appreciate what Lue is doing. And when you factor in his personality, he’s easily the most hilarious person I’ve ever met and the best locker room comedian of his generation, it’s hard not to root for the self-proclaimed “Show.”
(One of his best jokes/stories this season was when he explained to anyone that would listen how he and his good friend Kevin Garnett came by their nicknames. Garnett, he said, is known as the “Big Ticket.” Lue claims he’s the “Ticket Stub.” And as he said, “people show up with the ticket but go home with the stub.”)
Now if he was only 6-3, 23 or 24, healthy and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound …
Too much complaining and moaning
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, it’s official. We’re barely over a month into this New Year and I’m sick of the sounds of my own voice (written and otherwise).
And before you start all the ‘U2?’ jokes, hear me out.
I’ve already worn myself out with my own complaining and moaning on a daily basis. I can’t believe anyone can complain about anything as much as I have the past few weeks.
Reading back over some these recent blogs forced me to realize just how easy it is to fall into my own myopic world of moaning and groaning without much of a care for anyone else.
But I can only relay what I see and hear, what I read and interpret. And while I’m far from a miserable person (life is good man, good friends, family and a job no one should ever complain about … well, sometimes). But in a world full of absurd things, what kind of host would I be if I didn’t share my true feelings about certain things?
Blog rules prohibit me from expressing full blown opinions on certain things (mostly all the things Hawks related, a rule that we all know I’ve tight-roped on occasion.) So in an effort to be a straighter arrow than normal, I’m going to steer clear of telling you what I think about delicate subjects today and share a few things that I know you’ll have strong opinions about (as always) and ask you to share your thoughts with the rest of the class.
But before I do that, I have to share one quick story to show you just how competitive Joe Johnson is (and how much he wanted that All-Star nod that never happened Thursday night). I shared this with my man Lang Whitaker last week in hopes of retelling it in the paper had Joe won a spot as an Eastern Conference reserve (me and my stupid plans).
About 90 minutes before the opening tip of the Orlando game last Friday, JJ was sitting on the Hawks’ bench. I walked over and sat next to him and we spoke candidly about his chances. He was far more optimistic than I was (I understood then and even more today that reputations mean more than almost anything else in the NBA, and that goes for teams, players and coaches).
I told him that the Hawks’ 3-13 December had probably put the kibosh on his chances. But he said he wasn’t going to count himself or his team out just yet.
Hedo Turkoglu happened to jog past us just then and I did my best Knute Lombardi impersonation and explained to both guys that Hedo was on my fantasy team and that I needed a big effort out of him that night because my squad, like the real life Hawks, had been decimated by injuries the previous month and had ground to make up.
Everyone laughed and went on about our business, though Joe stopped in mid giggle and said, “wait a minute, you need him to have a big night and I’m guarding him.” So, of course, after JJ torches the Magic and Hedo for a season-high 39 points, I walk into the Hawks’ locker room and the first thing JJ says to me is, “Did you get what you needed from your boy Hedo tonight?”
Ouch! He might be quiet but he’s got some of that cut-throat quality the great ones have to have.
Now, let’s share:
• The good folks at SI.com give us this preposterous premise - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jack_mccallum/01/30/suns.vs .showtime/index.html - for a comparison between the Showtime Lakers and the current, and rolling, Phoenix Suns. Lunacy. Complete lunacy. It’s not even fair (to the Suns) to make that kind of comparison.
• Magic Johnson suggested Thursday night on TNT that Eddy Curry’s omission from the Eastern Conference All-Star team is a result of some lingering harsh feelings towards Knicks coach Isiah Thomas because of the way Larry Brown was run out of his native New York. Uh, probably not. I’d bet it has more to do with the fact that my man is 7-feet and 290 pounds and doesn’t rank among the league’s top 40 in either rebounds or blocks. An All-Star? Get serious.
• I finally watched Monday’s episode of 24 (I’ve got to talk to someone at the NBA office about the Hawks not playing games on Mondays). I know it’s TV but how in the world is Jack Bauer’s pops 7-1 and Jack and his slimy brother barely cracking 5-8? There’s plenty of ridiculous stuff on my favorite show. But this is beyond ridiculous, unless Moms Bauer was a hobbit.
• Evil forces (my former barber in Indianapolis and my Colts-loving son among others) have been conspiring to try and force me to switch temporary Super Bowl allegiance from the Bears to the Fighting Peyton Mannings. Not going to happen. The more I hear people talk about this being Manning’s coronation ceremony, the more I’m convinced that the Bears are going to win this game.
• Finally, and totally off topic, I’m in need of a ya or nay recommendation on a movie. I’ve read reviews that savaged Smoking Aces. But I love my man Ari Gold from Entourage and Alicia Keys and Common are two of my favs. But I don’t want to waste my time if it’s nonsense. So if you’ve seen it, give me an honest assessment.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m waiting for word on Rafael Araujo’s suspension today. The NBA set the precedent, costing Kobe Bryant a game the other day for cracking Manu Ginobili in the jaw. Araujo, the seldom used Utah center jaw-jacked Tim Duncan last night and it didn’t even make SportsCenter.
Now someone please tell me how that works. Come on Stu Jackson. Come on now. Give me that explanation that’s supposed to make sense to everyone at the NBA office but to no one else on the planet.
This is my problem with the NBA’s subjective approach to things that are supposed to be universal. Kobe’s lick was passed in a game broadcast on national TV. Araujo’s blow came in a game that few watched outside of San Antonio and Salt Lake City (Lang Whitaker says it was on ESPN but I don’t know a soul who watched the game). But if you go by the explanation given for Kobe’s suspension, Araujo should be out for the next game. But I won’t hold my breath waiting for justice.
I know this might cost me my All-Star Game credential, but the league owes us all an explanation for this one. Seriously, this is why people question the integrity of the league’s game officials and punishment staff. They continually do things that make no sense to the general public and don’t want to be questioned about it.
(I was going to take a day off from my malicious attacks on the league’s atrocious officiating staff, but Robbie Robertson’s awful showing last night ruined any chance of that. And when I tell you Robertson was bad last night, I mean he was as bad as Sean Corbin on one of Corbin’s best nights.)
Rant over. Now let me move on to some other more Hawks-centric minutiae.
Discussed the selections for the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend. No Shelden Williams for the rookies and no Marvin Williams for the sophomores. It could be viewed as a dramatic slap in the face for the Hawks, who haven’t been represented on either team in the past three years (check ajc.com later or a newsy item on this topic). It is just more fuel for the Hawks’ second half fire. And believe me when I tell you that all of Joe Johnson’s teammates will be watching TNT tonight to see if he makes the All-Star team. They’re already upset that there’s even a question about Johnson’s worthiness.
The omission of both Shelden and Marvin, I think, has more to do with the Hawks’ poor reputation around the league than it has to do with anything tangible. The fact is, it’s easy to overlook and disrespect the Hawks because they’ve been such a non-factor for so long. A lot of people around the league simply don’t take the Hawks seriously as an organization.
I know that might seem harsh. But it’s true. How else to explain all the no-calls that accompany Joe Johnson drives to the basket? When you’ve been the punch line to NBA jokes for so long, it’s clear to me that there is just NO RESPECT for the boys from Hawksville.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m waiting for word on Rafael Araujo’s suspension today. The NBA set the precedent, costing Kobe Bryant a game the other day for cracking Manu Ginobili in the jaw. Araujo, the seldom used Utah center jaw-jacked Tim Duncan last night and it didn’t even make SportsCenter.
Now someone please tell me how that works. Come on Stu Jackson. Come on now. Give me that explanation that’s supposed to make sense to everyone at the NBA office but to no one else on the planet.
This is my problem with the NBA’s subjective approach to things that are supposed to be universal. Kobe’s lick was passed in a game broadcast on national TV. Araujo’s blow came in a game that few watched outside of San Antonio and Salt Lake City. But if you go by the explanation given for Kobe’s suspension, Araujo should be out for the next game. But I won’t hold my breath waiting for justice.
I know this might cost me my All-Star Game credential, but the league owes us all an explanation for this one. Seriously, this is why people question the integrity of the league’s game officials and punishment staff. They continually do things that make no sense to the general public and don’t want to be questioned about it.
(I was going to take a day off from my malicious attacks on the league’s atrocious officiating staff, but Robbie Robertson’s awful showing last night ruined any chance of that. And when I tell you Robertson was bad last night, I mean he was as bad as Sean Corbin on one of Corbin’s best nights.)
Rant over. Now let me move on to some other more Hawks-centric minutiae.
Discussed the selections for the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend. No Shelden Williams for the rookies and no Marvin Williams for the sophomores. It could be viewed as a dramatic slap in the face for the Hawks, who haven’t been represented on either team in the past three years (check ajc.com later or a newsy item on this topic). It is just more fuel for the Hawks’ second half fire. And believe me when I tell you that all of Joe Johnson’s teammates will be watching TNT tonight to see if he makes the All-Star team. They’re already upset that there’s even a question about Johnson’s worthiness.
The omission of both Shelden and Marvin, I think, has more to do with the Hawks’ poor reputation around the league than it has to do with anything tangible. The fact is, it’s easy to overlook and disrespect the Hawks because they’ve been such a non-factor for so long. A lot of people around the league simply don’t take the Hawks seriously as an organization.
I know that might seem harsh. But it’s true. How else to explain all the no-calls that accompany Joe Johnson drives to the basket? When you’ve been the punch line to NBA jokes for so long, it’s clear me that there is just NO RESPECT.
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