Hawks

By William

March 20, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this

I didn’t notice that he was so close to a Triple double until I was wondering why is he still in the game and looked up at the stat board. Then right afterwards, he fouled Garcia I think and had to grab the rim to avoid falling HARD. I wanted him out the game RIGHT then. Its good that he didn’t stress over it and seemed to be laughing about it when Woodson pulled him.

Good win for the Hawks. The ball movement was great for the most part, but I am noticing something. Is it just me or does the offense come to a screeching halt anytime Tyronne Lue is in the game? I mean it seems he really just pounds the ball and starts the offense with like 6 seconds on the shot clock.

Salim Stoudimire played great in my eyes. His shooting touch isn’t completely back, but the guy can really push the ball, he has active feet on defense (he is really underrated in that aspect) and his short penetrations and kicks created alot of spacing.

Zaza played great mostly because he was going straight up with shots and not leaning to create contact. I really do wonder what goes on in his head that he will try to go back to contact creating the next game after seeing that aggressive play and going straight up is more successful.

Sheldon looked alright in limited minutes. He looks lost offensively but the guy can really really rebound. I am still convinced he could be a legit 10+ rebound guy given time and experience.

By RotoRob

March 20, 2007 1:14 PM | Link to this

Childress was on fire in that third quarter. Impressive performance.

(http://www.rotorob.com/basketball/nba-daily-dose-childress-crowns-kings/)

By Barry

March 20, 2007 1:35 PM | Link to this

Hey Y’all:

Thes Hawks are for real. Sure they are going to have some off nights in their continued development toward greatness, but these off nights will continue to decrease with there now maturity. They already know they can’t let these let downs happen. Theyare changing to mature ,aggressive, experienced players before our eyes. We should cherish this development because there will be a day, in this immediate future, that you will say “Remember when…..”. This will occur after the Hawks have all types of championships in their hand. Right here in Atlanta, Georgia. So enjoy the ride and watch these tallented young Hawks fly. If you can’t stand the hieght they are going to go, then you need to get off their flight tail NOW. I know I am enjoying this ride.

SSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! This is a SECRET from us HAWKS fans. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ringold

By Dan

March 20, 2007 2:32 PM | Link to this

This has to be a team game, first and foremost. I’m glad Woodson saw fit to pull Josh when he felt the game was in hand, rather than leave him in to fill a stat sheet. Like Chills said, this is not the last time Smith will be in the running for a triple double. Smith is going to be a great one.

I love the way the team is playing, not counting the blowouts at Boston and at Indy. Just hope it carries over to next season. If it does, and Billy Knight adds quality pieces, than this team will make the playoffs.

Good to see that there are no more “Trade Joe Johnson posts”. If I never see another one of those again, it will be too soon.

By Dan

March 20, 2007 2:38 PM | Link to this

one more thing…

All you guys singing the praises of Salim were right on. That guy has grown on me a ton. I think I was wrong in saying that he was a nonfactor for this team. I now, after seeing him get more minutes, belive he can be.

I still think his shot is a little overrated. He never makes 3-pointers these days. If the shot is a 2-point shot, however, the guy never misses.

Anyway, kudoos to all you Salim lovers. Good call..

By Samuel

March 20, 2007 2:50 PM | Link to this

Yall actually believe Josh Smith would be as good as he is now if he had spent the last 3 years in college against those clowns?

Back to that hypocracy thing we talked about. Fines against the Celtics and Bobcats for saying and doing what everybody in the world already knows. Durant is already a pro. Probably has been for some time now.

Why go through the motions and make he, his family, Jordan and Ainge out to be criminals.

By vdunkndunk

March 20, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this

One day, at some point in his career, I think Josh Smith has a chance for a quadruple…points, rebounds, assists, and blocks. He’s already gotten to double digits in all four of those categories before, and a double-double in pionts and rebounds isn’t even rare for him anymore. He could even have a 10 steal game on of these days, too. He’s putting up massive numbers.

By Wedgie Evans

March 20, 2007 3:03 PM | Link to this

Salim’s improved on defense, but his biggest problem is still that he has no clue how to get around picks. Every time his man is running off a pick-and-roll, Salim runs into the picker like it’s a brick wall. He’s still a below-average passer and he has serious problems getting around picks, which is why he’s still not much more than a situational player. But it’s definitely a nice luxury to have a scorer like that come off the bench whenever the team is having problems putting points on the board.

By MrH

March 20, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this

Sekou,

Any chance you’re considering a piece on Randolph Morris coming back to his hometown to play pro ball?

Surely, the Hawks would be interested in his size…

By curious

March 20, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this

Sekou- People are upset. They just don’t bother to say it to you. Because you won’t call Woody out. He left JJ in against Charlotte to get his TD game. He plays JS 44 min in games when they are losing by double figures. Now when he has a chance to get a triple-double he is concerned about him being hurt. It has never bothered him before about leaving him in a game so why would he do it now. PLEASE once write about how unprofessional Woodson is about complaining about his young players to you but never saying a word about his veterans who SUCK. I would love to read your response.

By jj

March 20, 2007 4:52 PM | Link to this

we can sign Randolph Morris right now. just in case u want to know.

By smartguy

March 20, 2007 4:54 PM | Link to this

winning games is the worst possible thing that the hawks could do right now. the season died for the tenth time when we lost back to back to boston and indy. if we’re going to get a good draft pick, then we can’t win any more games. and if we want a chance to be good next year, we need a new coach.

By Jay

March 20, 2007 5:55 PM | Link to this

Ahem

5-2 without JJ. Just sayin…

By Mike

March 20, 2007 5:58 PM | Link to this

Great call Sekou, I thought J-Smoove handle the situation very professionally. He’s such a gifted athlete, he’s just scratching the surface of the wealth of talent he posses. What’s exciting is we have three other young players whose game could explode like J-Smoove did if they continue to develop. J-Chill, Marvin, and Salim also posses a wealth a talent, they just need time to harness they’re skills. You know I watched Shelden and he could really help the team if he got a personal trainer and added some quickness and speed to his game. He’s a ferocious rebounder, but got lead stuck in his legs. Shelden and Solomon really need to make real commitment to working with a strength and conditioning coach this summer. One needs bulk, and other needs quickness and speed. Solomon continues to impress every time he’s in the game.

Guys if you didn’t see Salim play at Arizona don’t try to critique his game. First of all he had to adjust to coming off the bench, then he had to pick up his defensive intensity so Woody would play him. But as far as his offense goes he lacks nothing but consistence playing time. He’s a streaky shooter like Ben Gordon. Once he gets it going he can erupt for 20 in a quarter, and it doesn’t matter who’s guarding him. The problem is most of the time he’s the third or fourth on the play. If Woodson would make a conscious effort to dial-up Salim as the first or second option when he’s on the floor, he could shoot in realm and kill’em. Usually he’s on the floor with TLue, and that’s never good. TLue is shoot first pass second, and if nobody’s open shoot anyway. When he’s hot, that works, but when he’s not, it can change the whole momentum of the game. Salim plays better when he’s match up with AJ or JChill. Both of guys are always looking for the open three point shooter. The reason we bloggers talk about Salim is because we know what he’s capable of. Steve Smith calls him the Assassin because his aim is deadly.

Hats off to Woodson for maintaining the integrity of the game. He showed a lot of class pulling Josh out of the game. I thought his post game comments was right point. Given the fact we lost JJ for the season, and the young Hawks are still fighting down the stretch. You gotta give Woodson some credit. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By mavid

March 20, 2007 6:38 PM | Link to this

anakin joe

about last blog. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think an undrafted FA can sign for that much. It wouldnt make sense. If you could do that, wouldnt some players just by-pass the draft altogether, pick the team they actually want to play for, and then get paid more than they would otherwise.

If there was no rule, what stops Greg Oden from bypassing the draft, getting the same (or larger) contract, and playing for THE team he actually wants to.

Im guessing that Randolph Morris could only get a 2nd-rounder type contract. I’ve seen enough from him to make me willing to take that risk.

By MannyT

March 20, 2007 6:49 PM | Link to this

Last night was the good side of the inconsistency that is the Hawks. It was great to see them play so well.

I would rather see them get used to winning at the end of this season than lose a few to get more ping pong balls for the draft.

I would love to see them continue to win especially at home even though the place was quite empty last night. At one point during the game I think there were FIVE people in section 112.

Let’s get some support on the hoops side of birdland!

By MannyT

March 20, 2007 7:01 PM | Link to this

Regarding free agent - R. Morris. I think you can get whatever the market will bear once you have been through the draft process and not chosen. The catch is that he went through the process. So a good agent should get him a better deal than he would probably get via draft because he can play interested teams off each other prior to 2007 draft.

If someone really wants him, they should make a push for him now, before the end of the tournament. I don’t think the Hawks should, but a team that’s at the bottom of the playoff ladder might get him excited enough to sign and sit on the bench now, instead of waiting for more $$$ at the end of the season.

By MannyT

March 20, 2007 7:05 PM | Link to this

PS Oden/Durant did not go through the draft process so they cannot get a free agent situation direct from college.

Morris has the unique position of being unwanted early. To get a similar situation I think you would need to be a decent, not great freshman who applied for draft. Go unpicked, then if you develop by your Sr year, you have opportunity. Ideal examples might be D. Wade, S. Pippen. Were they on NBA radar after frosh year?

By Chris D'

March 20, 2007 7:14 PM | Link to this

vdunkndunk,

I concur J Smoove has the chance to blow up any night in a multitude of statistical categories. A triple double would have been nice but he had 13 attempts to get that triple double and couldn’t pull it off it was time to give it up.

Who wins in the NBA on a nightly basis really is starting to make no damn sense. We get blown out by the Pacers, we blow out the Sixers are really hot and we blow out the Kings. There is no logic here. Kids don’t bet on NBA games…it don’t make no senses!!!

By ray

March 20, 2007 7:28 PM | Link to this

Josh Smith is becoming nearly everything (and maybe more) that Philadelphia expects out of Andre Iguodala. Good news for Hawks fans.

As to the topic a couple of blogs ago: it would seem to me that EVERY team uses film to show what went wrong. After all, hindsight is 20/20, right? So what makes this something new? By the way, where’s the film Woody can watch to see where HE’S been messing up? Uh-huh….

Well, Durant and his team are out, huh? So, will he stay or will he go? I’m betting part of that decision has to do with what his team might be shaping up to look like. And, how recruiting goes…and oh yeah, there’s that little thing called GUARANTEED CONTRACT.

If Ohio State doesn’t come up with an alternate gameplan (i.e. change it to throw it in to Oden) then someones’s gonna figure out how to shut them down. Period. They haven’t exacttly been clearly dominant in the tournament thus far. We’ll see. Speaking of which, that makes Oden somewhat raw as well. Still, his kind of raw is better than so many others. He just needs to bust it out there. ‘Cause the slightly unmotivated play I’ve seen from him won’t cut it in the NBA. Of course, given the chance, I’d take him any dang way.

Although this team has a way of showing up big at times (particularly when not expected), this Miami team is highly motivated, and as ABE put it, playing excellent defense. It could be ugly, but if I’m home, I’ll watch it anyway.

By ray

March 20, 2007 7:39 PM | Link to this

So Marvin had the “kahones” to call Woodson on his remarks, eh? Well good, somebody needed to. Nobody but this blog has been taking Woodson to task. Sure, he’s got a bunch of young players. But what’s his point? Were they lacking in effort or talent? You really have to look closely at that.

For the upteenth time, change your damn gameplans. Exploit the mismatches. It’s not ALWAYS the players’ fault. The fact that the “young” players are being counted on to get it all done shows you precisely the condition this team is in. So what happened to the veterans? Where do they come in? Ahh, never mind.

By roan st

March 20, 2007 7:42 PM | Link to this

Everybody in hawks land needs to chill because things are certainly looking up. Below is an excerpt from real GM in which our wonderous billy knight was ranked only the third worst gm in basketball. And to think some of you guys said billy was the worst gm in basketball. I think some of you fellows owe billy an apology and I think we should all feel lucky to have him.
3. Billy Knight – Atlanta Hawks (2002-present)

Knight has the daunting task of turning around a futile organization. The problem is, the organization has actually gotten worse since his hiring. In the 3 seasons prior to the Knight-era, the Hawks were 86-160, good for a .350 win percentage. In the 4+ years since, they have been 124-264, for a .320 win percentage. Usually rebuilding involves some improvement, however the 2004-2005 Hawks had the most losses in a single season in franchise history (69).

To Knight’s credit, he has drafted some nice players. The problem is they all play the same position. True, you are not supposed to draft according to position, but draft the best player available. However he doesn’t even do that. He received a tremendous amount of criticism after the 2005 Draft for passing on Rookie of the Year Chris Paul. Most “experts” agreed that he was a prospect ready to jump in and contribute right away, and he played a position that the Hawks really needed to fill: point guard. After selecting 2 very solid swingmen in the 2004 Draft (Josh Smith and Josh Childress) and one in the 2003 Draft that didn’t fit in (Boris Diaw), Knight instead elected to bank on the potential of tweener forward Marvin Williams out of North Carolina. Not to dispute Marvin’s talents, he could be a very fine pro one day, but Paul came in and asserted himself as one of the best pure point guards in the league in his rookie season. He would have looked even better passing to the likes of Smith, Childress and newly-acquired-via-sign-and-trade Joe Johnson (another swingman). He could have even selected Deron Williams or Raymond Felton and probably have been better off.

So Knight heeded the criticism and maybe took it too seriously. With the 5th pick in the 2006 Draft, it was rumoured he made a promise to select power forward Shelden Williams out of Duke. Well at least he wasn’t drafting another swingman, right? But come on, a promise for a guy who wasn’t even being worked out by the teams drafting ahead of them? And Shelden could turn out to be a decent pro, rebounders always have long careers. But he again passed on a few players who could have manned the point for him in Randy Foye and Brandon Roy, two players that are better players than Shelden regardless of position.

By doc

March 20, 2007 8:57 PM | Link to this

cant disagree with too much in this last post. i do think it sounds very similar to what our own andro has been saying for the last 20 months. do you think he is now writing for realgm as it in frighteningly similar to what he has written, down to the punctuation marks.

really still too soon to call on marvin. he shows an ability to score at a very young age for someone playing his position. still see some bosh type numbers and learning curve for him but whether he will eclipse paul in his career is in doubt though that might be said for all draftees that year. really should we make him carry that burden while he is here? i dont think he should but others are only too quick to remind us of the fact though he plays a different position and has different talents, comparing apples and oranges. too bad, we might miss out on enjoying him for what he is and does.

By OddJob

March 20, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this

roan st I agree the team has some good players but they just don’t form a team yet.I’ve looked at who we could pick up at 15 in the draft and I’m not sure there is a player who could really improve the team.My thinking is to either trade up or trade out.Trading out looks like it might be the best move, then go into the free agent pool and try to sign Billups and have two picks in the first round next year to bargain with.

By Mike

March 21, 2007 12:52 AM | Link to this

Roan st, I can’t disagree you, especially the last draft. He could have traded out of the 5 spot, took a PG and still ended up with a Big. I like the kid Alexander out Florida St, he ate Shelden for lunch in head to head match-ups with Duke. I felt like BK missed a golden opportunity to get a PG and a Big at the Post. Most GM had Shelden in the lower tier of the first round. Well it all back fired, because obviously he had already plan on bringing a veteran in at the PG…AKA Speedy. I think we just gotta chalk that 25 mil up as a lost and move on. At lease we didn’t spend 50 mil like Chicago.

As good as CPaul and DWilliams are, one thing we know in the NBA there will be more PG’s. The kid Acie Law of the Aggies is a good example. Some of the bloggers mention him in a previous blog. I seen’em play against Texas and Kansas, he’s the real deal. There some great freshmen PG’s out there too. Paul Hewitt is so afraid Javaris Crittenton will declare for the draft he’s begging him to stay in the AJC. Depending on who declares and where we pick in the draft. BK could get a second chance to get it right. Out of all of BK recent moves, gambling that Speedy would fill the void at PG and not trading out the 5th spot in last year draft was the worst, because he could have traded down got PG, and Shelden may have still been there. Plus save 25mil. If Shelden is not there we still get Solomon. But hind sight is always 20 20.

Marvin had an injury to his foot or ankle the year we drafted him, I’m not really sure which, then he had the hand injury starting this season. It will be interesting to see how he plays next season, barring any more injuries. At UNC he could finish strong with the dunk, block shots, and shoot the sweet jumper. It’ll be interesting to see if get all that back next season. If he does and I think he will, because he’s starting show flashes of that going down the stretch of this season. We’ll be glad be BK drafted him. I think when you look at the success CPaul and DWilliams are having it easy to over look Marvin. But he’s defending the 3 and the 4 spot and still putting up 15 or 20 points some games. Night in and night out J-Smoove and Marvin are matched up against the top players in the league. So Marvin may never out shine CPaul and DWilliams, but neither will Andrew Bogut and he was the 1st pick in that draft. Most people forget BK wanted Bogut that year. I’m glad we ended up with Marvin.

I love the Hawks, I love these young kids. They could have easily folded the season in when JJ went down, but they didn’t. They kept fighting, ya gotta respect that. I been with ‘em all season lone. I’m as frustrated as every body else when they loose to teams like Boston and Indiana, but you got to expect that with young teams. I with ‘em on they’re good days and bad.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

By Peter

March 21, 2007 7:42 AM | Link to this

Go Hawks!!!! Win as many as you can draft picks aren’t guaranteed success!!!!! Keep winning to save the teams’ moral!

By destin

March 21, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this

Could someone help me with a question on the draft lottery? I know that they say our #1 pick is protected only if it is a top 3 pick. The question is: are the number of balls (or percentage of winning) based on our record or Phoenix’s record. I thought the NBA tweaked the lottery to make it more difficult for good teams who have a lottery pick via trade to land a top pick. Of course, if we had to go with Phoenix’s record, we would have the worst chance of the 14 teams to land Oden(1/2 of 1%). All I care about is the chance to get Oden.

By The ORIGINAL Aristotle

March 21, 2007 9:51 AM | Link to this

I’m not trying to pick on you, Mike, but why should we respect the Hawks for not folding their tents?

I mean, these guys are professionals. They play basketball for a living. It’s not like they have to get up at 5 a.m. and go to work at A REAL JOB.

Don’t you think the suckers … oops, I meant, the fans … who pay the salaries of the players deserve a 100 percent effort every night, no matter what the team’s record is?

I don’t want to turn this into a philosophical debate, but I think the fact that so many people excuse professional athletes who give a half-azzed effort when things aren’t going their way is just another sign of our country’s decline.

Sorry for the threadjack. You may now return to the delusional talk of how the Hawks are headed in the right direction.

By Anakin Joe

March 21, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this

Mavid, Randolph Morris declared himself eligible for the draft and went undrafted in 2005. That made him a free agent. He can sign with any team at any time for whatever amount is negotiated between the team and player’s agent. The key is that he was eligible for the draft and went undrafted. Essentially, he is in the same category as someone like Will Bynum, Cedric Bozeman or Luke Schenser (the GA Tech center, whose name I’m pretty sure I misspelled). The NBA system requires that players make themselves eligible for the draft, they simply can’t “choose their teams” by by-passing the draft. So Morris is not restricted to a “cheap” contract and is free to play for whomever he negotiates a deal with. And Oden cannot simply choose which team he wants to play for (unless he declares for the draft and goes undrafted).

Destin, the number of ping pong balls will be based on the Hawks record (similarly, the Pacers record will determine the number of their ping pong balls if they miss the playoffs). If the Hawks end up with a pick outside of 1-3, that goes to the Suns. If the Pacers end up with a pick outside of 1-10, that goes to the Hawks. But the number of balls is based on the original team’s records. Also, if the Hawks do get pick 1-3 this season, then the Suns get our ‘08 pick, even if it is the #1 pick in the ‘08 draft.

Does anyone know if the lottery teams are the clubs with the 14 worse records or are they the teams that missed the playoffs? I think it is the latter. In theory, an Eastern conference team could get the 8th seed in that conference with a worse record than a Western conference team that missed the playoffs. But I think the Western conference team gets into the lottery because the purpose of the lottery is to help teams make the playoffs. Is that right?

By the way, Pacers currently own the 12th worse record in the NBA and are in the 9th slot in the conference.

By clint

March 21, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this

I think we ought to look at Randolph Morris. Sign him and play him in the summer league. Can someone tell me the contract status of jsmoove and chills? I can’t remember if they are up for extensions after their third or fourth years. I think we should extend them both before waiting and costing more down the road.

By jhan

March 21, 2007 12:04 PM | Link to this

Good question about the lottery seeding. You would have to think the playoff teams would not be included in the lottery, but I’m not sure. Sekou any answers?

By Chris D'

March 21, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this

jsmoove and chills will be restricted free-agents after next season. We could offer them extensions but neither is worthy of a max deal like Lebron, Dwade, Carmelo got last off season. If jsmoove averages 20 pts 10+ rebounds and 3+ blocks next year he will be looking for some crazy loot and it will be justified. Having an improving team makes Atlanta a more desirable location for our free agents to stay along with new players potentially coming in.

If you are thinking the Hawks are in playoff contention the wins look good but their loss total puts them pretty far out of contention. The best I am hoping for is we pass INDY and get a 11 pick from them and Phoenix gets our 13. Not likely but after the last few seasons it is something…

By Mike

March 21, 2007 12:30 PM | Link to this

The ORIGINAL Aristotle, this is not a political debate it’s basketball. For these guys it is a job. If everybody could do what these professional athlete do we’d all be pros. It’s not fair to cast a shadow over the whole league because of a few bad players. I agree with the point that you made that they’re professional athletes that should be motivated to play hard every time they step on the floor. But I also understand that when you have team with a bunch of young players, there is always a learning curve to over come. That’s why I’m proud of their effort. Now they may get ran off the court again tonight against the Heat, especially after Zaza called out Shaq. He better step are we’ll see him on ESPN.

Me, I’m a Hawks fan, I’ve been a Hawks. I come to blogs to support my team. I’m not out to change the world, just the opinion about my young Hawks. I’ve suffered through the good times and the bad times with this team. I think the good times are on the way back. But I could be wrong, that’s why we blog. But if you don’t keep up with the game, and your blogs are weak, somebody gonna let you have it. That goes for you and me. It’s called Blog Edicate.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!