Hawks

By jj

March 23, 2007 1:04 PM | Link to this

Sekou i have lost faith in you completely. Josh McRoberts is a piece of crap. he won’t be anything in the NBA.think about it KG,Duncan,Amare,Gasol. Josh McRoberts is another overhyped dukie. just look at sheldon williams. if you have any basketball sense you know that Josh McRoberts is a joke.

By jj

March 23, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this

don’t even give billy knight the idea of thinking he is good. Duke players suck in the NBA unless your name is elton brand or grant hill.

By Dan

March 23, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this

Kobe is the best player in the league. Lue is right. The whole MVP race does not really do anything for me, though. I will not get too fired up if Kobe doesn’t win it this year. I won’t get too fired up if he does. I might feel different if Joe Johnson were up for the award.

If you want to see some more future pros, be sure to watch Georgetown tonight. I got to watch them twice last week, in person. They have four guys on their team that I think can play in the league (Sapp, Hibbert, Coles, Green). The Hoyas are a fun team to watch. I hope we get to see the UNC/Georgetown game in the elite 8.

By Dan

March 23, 2007 1:09 PM | Link to this

JJ

I couldn’t agree with you more. I left McRoberts out of my last post. It is not even worth going into. He sucks.

By honest_abe

March 23, 2007 1:26 PM | Link to this

jj… i think carlos boozer and shane battier have turned out ok as well.

look i’m not speaking for sekou… but you’re the moron here. if you read his post in context you would’ve had understood that he was trying to say they could have elevated their draft status by coming out last year. also, he never said they were the 2nd coming of tim duncan. he said the had size and “potential” which is exactly what mcroberts has. size and some skill. will he turn out to be a dud? possibly.. but read before you spout.

as for kobe… at the moment, he’s the best player in the league. period. but that just brings up the age old argument what defines the mvp? nobody has ever been able to answer that question with complete certainty. its a subjective award. every voter has their own little defintion. so is kobe the best player right now? yes. is he the mvp? not necessarily as the voters take into account the performance of the team as well. give the laker 10 more wins and there’s no discussion right now.

as for the tourney. i haven’t been overly impressed with acie law so far. people praise him all day long. but i’ve yet to see him step up. (i missed all his late game heroics during the reg season) i’m telling you mike conley jr. is smoother than the other side of the pillow (or is it cooler?) heh

i think hansborough is in the same category as a christain laettner… dominate the college scene but his game won’t translate in the nba. but if you can’t respect his hard work and determination you’re not a true hoops fan.

if anyone thinks greg oden is going to come in and have the impact of someone like a lebron james in his first year.. you’re out of your mind .. oden is the truth and will be great but he ain’t close to being a finished product. at all.

By mcw

March 23, 2007 1:29 PM | Link to this

It’s actually better for McRoberts to come out this year. He needs to be a role player on a good team, not a lotto pick who is expected to carry much of the load. Speaking of loads, if Big Baby can stay under 300 lbs, watch out.

By Anakin Joe

March 23, 2007 1:44 PM | Link to this

Corey Maggette isn’t awful either. And guys, check out the stats of Christian Lattner. Sure, he was overhyped coming out of college and was supposedly one of the biggest jerks in recent history. But when you average something like 18/10 over 6-7 years, I don’t see how those are pathetic numbers. The way he is talked about, you’d swear he was Tom Tolbert or Scott Hastings.

I heard Bernie Mullen say that Speedy may benefit from some “core strengthening” exercises that helped the Thrashers goalie this past off-season. The thinking is that if Speedy can strengthen the muscles around his knee, that he should be able to go full tilt next season. The guy who called tried to equate Speedy’s injury to Terrell Brandon. But Bernie suggested that is not the case. He did confirm that Speedy is done for the remainder of this season. (If he commented about JJ, I missed it).

By jj

March 23, 2007 1:46 PM | Link to this

honest_abe watch who you call a moron. becuz billy knight would take him if we got a top 3 pick. so he does not deserve any kind of praise. whatsoever. his name should not be spoken in the same sentence with NBA. I am just trying to make sure we don’t have another sheldon williams debacle, or have you forgot about that. the only thing sheldon has going for his is candace parker.

By jj

March 23, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this

Sekou i think you are really scared of telling the truth about this team. I not sayin you are a punk but I mean i have watched this team suck for roughly 10 years so i am a little worked up. Mike woodson is an idiot coach who needs to be told he is not good. but i can’t do that only people like u,sekou, can do that. Billy knight is a jerk who is arrogant and dumb enough to sign speedy “injury prone” claxton for all that money when everybody knew he was injured. told everybody u were drafting sheldon way before the draft,the chris paul thing, and i do not want to even want to go into the reason you think this team can suceed without a pg or a center. I’m done. man that felt good.

By honest_abe

March 23, 2007 1:53 PM | Link to this

i heard that too jj.. getting a healthy speedy doesn’t negate the fact that the guy can’t shoot worth a lick.

was he always that bad a shooter? i did my own research and saw he’s at least a decent (not good) decent 40% shooter for most of his career. maybe his knees really did affect him this season. either way i’m looking forward to seeing what a 100% healthy craig claxton can do.

By Clyde

March 23, 2007 1:54 PM | Link to this

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By honest_abe

March 23, 2007 2:21 PM | Link to this

i heard that too aj

By Pete Babcock

March 23, 2007 2:22 PM | Link to this

I wasn’t so bad after all… Pete Babcock

By Pete Babcock

March 23, 2007 2:23 PM | Link to this

I wasn’t so bad after all… Pete Babcock

By Clyde

March 23, 2007 2:26 PM | Link to this

JJ LETS NOT FORGET THE LITTLE STUNT BILLY PULLED WITH JASON TERRY. HE TOLD HIM HE WANTED HIM TO BE AROUND DURING THE REBUILDING PROCESS ONE YEAR AND THEN TRADED HIM THE NEXT.

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By Anakin Joe

March 23, 2007 2:38 PM | Link to this

Abe, I’m assuming that the knees do affect Craig’s 2-point shooting (he’s never been good behind the arc). During those 2 games when he was healthy, you could clearly see what he could bring to this team. But if it looks like he can only provide 15 minutes/game over 45 games a season, then he needs to be bought out of his contract. Now we all know that won’t happen.

Sekou, did I miss your commentary on Amaker getting the boot? Any truth that Lloyd Carr is lobbying to be the first football/basketball coach in D-I history?

jj, who’s the dummy here? If you’re looking for editorial commentary, don’t expect that from the beat writers. Show me where Wyche has ripped the Falcons or where DOB questioned the wisdom of the Braves hierarchy when they trotted out that Dollar Tree bullpen last year. I’d love for Sekou to tell us all of the behind the scenes “bloopers” but I also realize that it is not possible if he is to continue his role as beat writer. Sekou has repeatedly called for a big and PG. But he also has acknowledged the ownership fiasco plays a role in this team’s inability to significantly increase salaries. Dude, if you’re truly expecting Blog Z (the pseudo name Sekou uses when he pushes the envelope) to call Woodson incompetent or BK an idiot, then you obviously do not have the slightest idea about the role of the beat writer vs. the editorial columnist.

By jj

March 23, 2007 2:53 PM | Link to this

Anakin skywalker, i don’t care if he writes about zoo animals.I’m not hating on sekou but it’s just, I’m completely fed up with this team. Heres how to run a business: 1)u have a product 2)u try try to sell that product to an audience. 3)”If you build it they will come”. Turn on a hawks game and you will an arena more empty than than a bucket of chicken at ruben studdards house. This is a sign that the fans do not support whats going on. 4)Listen to your consumers. Instead Billy Knight says he doesn’t care what other people think. 5)Hire somebody to be a good conductor. If you see they are not doing a good job FIRE THEM(Mike Woodson). 6)Attract people to endorse your product.(Free Agency)no one wants to come here and (let me borrow a quote from jason terry)”get used to losing” 7)The most important thing never have a GROUP OF MORE THAN 3 PEOPLE BE OWNERS. It gets messy eventually.

and i’m out

By Anakin Joe

March 23, 2007 3:19 PM | Link to this

jj*, I appreciate the frustration.

Question for you, if you were the GM of the Hawks (or any other professional sports franchise), would you react to the wishs of your fans? If so, you’d be making multiple trades a day based on people who don’t have access to practice sessions, film nor a scouting department. I agree that BK has made many stupid mistakes. But if his bosses continue to give him a paycheck, I see no value in reviewing his past errors. If the guys who are looking at the profit/loss of the business are satisfied with a perennial lower, then I refuse to get too angry at the GM or Head Coach (or Beat Writer). I don’t expect the CEO of Delta to change flight times or in-flight meals based on my opinion. But if his airline is sucking wind, then I do expect that he will do something to fix it. If the Hawks stink (and they have for each of the year’s since the Spirit took over), then I expect the owners to do something substantial to change the team. And I won’t blame Sekou if they choose to do absolutely nothing to improve this product.

By An Inquiring Mind

March 23, 2007 3:20 PM | Link to this

What does Lue know about basketball?

Also, as a former teammate of K. Bryant, don’t you think he may just a TEENSY bit biased in his assessment?

By honest_abe

March 23, 2007 3:33 PM | Link to this

huh? biased? what the hell? if you can’t see that kobe is clearly the most unstoppable player in the game today. then you’re either blind or just a kobe hater.

By Harry Hawk

March 23, 2007 3:46 PM | Link to this

If Kobe is the most unstoppable player in the game today, where does Mr. Claxton rank on the “most stoppable” list?

By vdunkndunk

March 23, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

Sekou, the MVP award should be about honoring the best player in the league. I agree with you there.

But shouldn’t the best player in the league be the player who gives his team the best chance to win? And personally, I don’t think Kobe is that guy, and neither is Nash.

To me, there have been some great players in this league over the last decade, but it’s really a joke that anyone other than Duncan or Shaq has won the award in the last seven or eight years. Those are the guys who virtually guarantee their teams a chance to compete for a title…those are the guys who no one can deal with when the playoffs come around.

Supporting casts have changed, but Shaq and Duncan do nothing but win championships year after year…4 for Shaq, 3 for Duncan, plus a host of Eastern and Western Conference championships and some additional appearances in the NBA Finals.

Look at Shaq, for instance. The Lakers won 3 championships and went to the NBA finals the year before they before they traded him away. They swap him out for two all-stars, Lamar Odom and Coran Butler, and these guys combine with a third all-star, the “best” player in the league, Kobe Bryant, and they can’t even make the playoffs together.

Meanwhile, Shaq is in Miami and they go straight to the Conference Finals in one year (which they couldn’t do even with Dwayne Wade, Lamar Odom, and Coran Butler all playing together), and a year later, by some strange coincidence, Miami wins its first championship. I mean, Shaq has won 4 rings with 3 different SG buddies, none of whom have ever won a thing without him.

So Shaq has taken 3 different franchises to the Finals and won 4 rings. Nash has never been once, even though he’s played with Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Amare Stoudamire, Sean Marion and Joe Johnson.

I mean, if you try and tell me that the Suns wouldn’t have won numerous championships with Shaq, Amare Stoudamire, Sean Marion, Joe Johnson, and ANYONE at PG, you’re crazy. That’s a guaranteed championship right there, but Nash couldn’t even lead them out of the West, much less to a championship, and he’s the 2-time and maybe 3-time MVP?

This year, obviously, Shaq is not an MVP candidate, and no one will vote for Duncan, either. But if Wade comes back healthy, there’s a very good chance that Nash and Kobe and Dirk and everyone else will be at home watching Shaq and Duncan duke it out yet again for an NBA title.

Conclusion: The MVP should be the guy who helps his team win, not the guy who can score the most points or “make his teammates better.” Follow the rings and you’ll find the real MVP.

By Wedgie Evans

March 23, 2007 4:00 PM | Link to this

Big Baby Davis and Josh McRoberts are at best good 6th men in the NBA. I’d hate to have either one starting on my team. And yeah, much like Joakim Noah, they should have entered last year’s draft, they would have made a lot more money that way.

Kobe’s the best player in the league, but is he more valuable to his team than Steve Nash or Dirk Nowitzki? I don’t think so. As amazing as Kobe has been individually in the last 3 games, their team has barely managed to beat 3 crappy teams in that span. If the Lakers want to be serious contenders, they should be pummeling the likes of Portland, Minnesota, and Memphis. Yeah, the MVP is a subjective award, but if you try to interpret it based on its definition (the player who is most valuable), I don’t think Kobe should win the MVP. Individually he’s the best player in the league, but he doesn’t have the same impact on a team that Nash and Dirk have.

By Greg

March 23, 2007 4:58 PM | Link to this

take dirk off the mavs and you still have a playoff team.

take kobe away from the lakers and they are last in the division.

only out of frustration has phil taken the leash off kobe. now we all get to see him devastate teams. the lakers needed all 60 to beat the worst team in the west… you think the mavs need dirk to beat memphis?

By Tyger

March 23, 2007 5:42 PM | Link to this

HAWKS PITIFUL!!

Randolph Morris signed with the NYKnicks for a measley $1.6 over 2 years. If we couldnt match that for the 3rd best big in this years draft then mgt. must be in dire straits.

By Harry Hawk

March 23, 2007 5:44 PM | Link to this

Nice to see that the Hawks missed out on a big man who might be able to help a little. According to ESPN, the Knicks apparently have signed Randolph Morris to a two-year, $1.6 million contract. Oh well. There goes that idea.

By Sekou K. Smith

March 23, 2007 5:51 PM | Link to this

Where is the love on a Friday JJ? Now I’m a punk for not telling you what you already think? Come on now. You are entitled to whatever opinions about the Hawks (players, coaches, the GM, owners and whoever else) and free to yap about them here. But you can’t taunt me in to saying something I either don’t want to say or don’t agree with. But a punk? Wow. As they say in the country, “them’s fightin’ words.” And to think I tried to come in peace today. Stupid me.

By Sekou K. Smith

March 23, 2007 6:14 PM | Link to this

Randolph Morris was never coming home to this fishbowl to play. Wasn’t going to happen. Great pick up for the Knicks. They got a big basically for free.

By Clyde

March 23, 2007 6:14 PM | Link to this

HA HA HA. DON’T GET TO SHOOTIN’ UP IN HERE SEKOU. HA HA HA

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By jp

March 23, 2007 6:26 PM | Link to this

hey sekou, let’s get into the Hawks for just a second, not too long since there’s not much besides smoove to talk about. But what do you think the Hawks draft with the Pacers pick. Pacers will more than likely make the playoffs so I’m suggesting either Roy Hibbert or Acie Law if they’re available. Aaron Gray and Brandon Rush could be possibilities also.

By OddJob

March 23, 2007 6:32 PM | Link to this

ip I just don’t see an upgrade in that group.

By The Flash

March 23, 2007 6:52 PM | Link to this

Hibbert would be great but he ain’t coming out. I like Law. Gray is a bust. I would go with Law or any of a number of potentially terrific points.

I think the bigs, besides Oden and Durant, are overrated. Hibbert is going to score the ball in the pros, and for a long time, but you’ll have to wait a year for him.

BTW, for any of those teams that use Princeton principles, Green is gonna kill some people if one of them gets him, I mean kill. Terrific lower body strength, runs great, and is a brilliant front court player as in thinking and putting thoughts immediately into play.

The pick has to be a point.

By fifty1

March 23, 2007 6:58 PM | Link to this

Kobe is the most valuable player on his team and it’s clear. Without him they could’t beat a college team. Is he the best player in the league??!! That’s a silly question. He may be the best player HISTORY skill-wise.

By fifty1

March 23, 2007 6:58 PM | Link to this

Kobe is the most valuable player on his team and it’s clear. Without him they could’t beat a college team. Is he the best player in the league??!! That’s a silly question. He may be the best player HISTORY skill-wise.

By Volman

March 23, 2007 7:07 PM | Link to this

Sekou, we love you posting your blogs on a daily basis… I really would enjoy if you could get in with some of the “extra” talk that goes on after your blogs. It’s fun!

By mavid

March 23, 2007 7:08 PM | Link to this

Sekou

2 Things:

1) Why wouldn’t Morris have ever come here?? It seemed to make sense from both sides. As the main Hawks writer, I would love if you gave us some insight into this. Couldn’t Morris give us help immediately if we really thought we could make a real push for the 8th seed?

2) Ive been hypin Chalmers for awhile. The kid needs a lot of work still, but that quickness and defensive ability is truly a gift.

By Chris

March 23, 2007 7:27 PM | Link to this

JJ, you said, “Duke players suck in the NBA unless your name is elton brand or grant hill.”

Regardless of the fact that the Shift key seems to be just a bit too far out of your reach, I thought I would try to correct you here:

Corey Magette ‘07: 15.8 ppg career: 15.1 Carlos Boozer ‘07: 20.9, 11.7 career: 15.6, 9.7 Luol Deng ‘07: 18.7, 7.0 career 15.0, 6.4

Those are just a couple current players.

As of Feb. 2006, Duke (13) was second only to UConn (14) in active players.

Duke players really must suck if they make up more of the NBA than all but 1 other school…

…idiot.

By Mike

March 23, 2007 7:29 PM | Link to this

JJ, can we all get alone. Man Sekou is the best thing we got. You gotta right to blow off some steam, but point it in the right direction. Why should Sekou stoop to level of the other AJC sport journalist? You made some valid points, but like we all know opinion are like A holes, we all got’em. I like the comment you about McRoberts, you had me laughing.

Abe is right, Sekou was just stating if these guys were going to leave school early their draft stock would have been higher last year. He was also piggyback on a blog about should kids stay in college to hone their skills before going pro. In these two guys case I don’t think so. Neither guy will be able to get no where near the money Tyrus Thomas got from Chicago.

On the MVP, I think vdunkndunk makes compelling argument. As far as pure basketball athlete, yeah Kobe. But MVP I’m ride with my man vdunkndunk on that one.

Not taking credit guys, but on the first blog we had about March Madness I said Kansas was my team to watch.

Abe cut my boy Acie Law some slack. He should have pulled that ball back out last night, instead trying to make a difficult lay-up with a one point lead and about 20 seconds on the clock. He was going for the knock out punch. I know he’ll remember that play for a lone time. He’s still the real deal. But I think his stock may have slide a little. I know we could still use him.

I think the basketball gods are going bring some great games to Atlanta for the Final Four. Have you ever seen the kind of match we have going into the Final Eight it sick. This city will be a mad house for the Final Four.

GO JAYHAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By martay

March 23, 2007 7:52 PM | Link to this

Kobe is the most MVP. how can you give steve nash the MVP 3 years in a row when he dont even play Defense. and anytime you have another player on your team that can go for 42 like Amare. or 30 like Barbosa or Marion you dont need to be an MVP cause anyone of them can get it, Dirk has another alstar with him too, kobe does not even have a potential alstar, i dont know if you just dont like kobe say it but he is the best player maybe next to Jordan than the world has ever seen

By OddJob

March 23, 2007 7:55 PM | Link to this

Flash Law is a good looking guard,but I just don’t see him being an upgrade to what we have.That is the problem with most of these guys.If we were starting a team fron scratch it would be alot easier to find a player who could contribute.The good news is we have some of the best young players in the game,the bad news is we don’t have a team yet.That’s why I think the best approach might be to trade out of the draft for a vet or for a pick next year and go after Billups this sommer.I think he would give instant return to the effect of fifteen or so games next season.

By OddJob

March 23, 2007 7:59 PM | Link to this

Mike it’s not like Kansas was a reach(1 seed) and half the experts predicting they would win.But more importantly I’m a Heels fan.GO HEELS!!!

By Sekou K. Smith

March 23, 2007 8:11 PM | Link to this

I’m supposed to be working right now, but between trying to watch the Hawks, the NCAA Tournament games and the A-Town Dancers (sike), I wanted to drop in one more time.

on Randolph Morris, the Hawks never called Morris. They weren’t interested during the draft and apparently still weren’t interested. I can’t make a story where there is none.

I don’t know what he looks like on TV, but in person LaMarcus Aldridge is a man. He gets off the floor faster than just about any 7-footer in the league. He and Solomon Jones are currently putting on a nice show for two skinny rookies.

If Indy’s pick fell my way and was anywhere in the 11-18 range, I’d snatch the best point guard out there. Roy Hibbert would be an option (Gray doesn’t excite me at all), but I’d rather have a PG if possible with that pick (hypothetically speaking of course).

By Wedgie Evans

March 23, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this

Sekou, what exactly do you see in Roy Hibbert that you don’t see in Aaron Gray? Both have great size, decent post moves, below-average athleticism, and are pretty soft. Both of them will be decent role players in the NBA, but neither one really looks like a difference maker.

Randolph Morris may have been an inconsistent college player, but he’s definitely more athletic than Hibbert or Gray, and he would have given the Hawks a much better value for his 2nd-round contract than Hibbert or Gray might for their 1st-round contracts.

The Hawks should definitely target a point guard with their pick… unfortunately, unless Darren Collison or Ty Lawson decide to enter the draft early, Acie Law’s the only point guard worth taking in the first round. Dominic James may be worth a late first-rounder, but that’s about it. Law’s a solid player, but if he’s off the board, there’s really no point guard or big man worth taking with a mid-first rounder in my opinion.

By reese

March 23, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this

Lacsho, I haven’t seen Randolph Morris play much. However, the times that I did see him play I observed the following.

Positives: Good jumber, challenges shots, decent low post moves, can finish strong at the basket. Shows some agression on the offensive end. True center that would compliment zaza and solomon jones.

Negatives: Doesn’t always seem to hustle, slow getting down court, not as intense as I would like.

But it really doesn’t matter now because he has signed with the knicks.

I would love to have a conversation with Josh Smith to get the real story about why Randolph Morris chose New York over the hawks.

However, I really lost hope for acquiring Morris when we signed 15 players to our roster. I just didn’t see Billy Knight paying 16 people for 15 slots.

It just would have been nice to see the hawks commit to a talented big man this season who would allow them to consistently play a taller lineup.

A big man with size both height wise (6’10” and above) and muscle wise.

A big man who has shown some ability on both the offensive and defensive side. You know gets a rebound in the lane and takes it up strong. Sees another teams player driving into the lane and jumps to challenge the shot instead of just hacking the player.

A big man who is a friend with our all around best player and would try to play hard based upon his recommendation.

A big man coming to a team who needs big men instead of to a team that has plenty of big men.

An admission by Billy Knight that he understands what we need, would be accepted by the fans and then goes out and gets it. You using that surplus of salary cap money and beating out the likes of Isaiah Thomas. (although he may have tried and Randolph was more impressed with Isaiah Thomas than Billy knight). I only say this last statement based upon the statement by Sekou about Randolph Morris never coming to the fishbowl in atlanta. Give us a little more insight if you can Sekou.

By reese

March 23, 2007 8:44 PM | Link to this

Since the coaches won’t teach how to utilize the pick and roll, I’ll state the basics to any hawks player that reads the blogs.

When you set the pick and you begin to roll, never turn your back to the ball. The purpose of the roll is to be in a position to catch the ball. You can’t do that with your back to the ball.

Solomon, when attempting to challenge shots, you are committing fouls because you are jumping at the player instead of up in the air. You are tall enough and quick enough to blog guards shots after they shoot. But hey, stay agressive young guy. We enjoy watching you play.

By Sekou K. Smith

March 23, 2007 8:46 PM | Link to this

My man, I didn’t say I didn’t like Morris. I said the Hawks didn’t call him. Don’t confuse what I would do with what the Hawks would do. As for Hibbert and Gray, can’t I just like one and not the other? (And HIbbert doesn’t strike me as soft at all.) Some of the analysis around here is so precise I’d start buying it if I didn’t realize that none of us (myself included) has spent any quality time studying these kids in person. Sure, we watch them and read about them and form opinions. But that’s about it.

By mavid

March 23, 2007 8:52 PM | Link to this

sekou, as always, thanks for the info. personally, I would have made a serious offer to Morris, but I guess BK saw it another way (or was hampered by ownership constraints?)

for a young big with obvious talent, giving him a contract (2 years, 1.6 million is what I heard) is a low-risk, high potential reward situation. If he does pan out, Thomas is gonna look like a genius (wait, is that still possible?)

anyways, j-chill and solomon are looking good tonight. Need Marvin and J-smoove to get involved.

By mavid

March 23, 2007 8:57 PM | Link to this

and if Morris does pan out, this may be something we talk about for years to come

By reese

March 23, 2007 9:01 PM | Link to this

Sekou, I must have been posting when you were writing. I don’t think that I said that you didn’t like Morris. However, I do appreciate the insight about the Hawks never calling Morris.

He must be too tall and talented for billy’s liking. But only Billy knight can answer that question. Hopefully, someone will ask him one day and he’ll answer.

Its amazing that Josh Smith your best all around player has been asking for the hawks to acquire morris and management ignores him.

Especially when CHildress recommends salim, lue and zaza recommend Slava and dominique recommends marvin. I guess Billy is tired of recommendations. Boy what a time start ignoring his players.

By ray

March 23, 2007 9:29 PM | Link to this

Honest Abe, I agree with you on Oden. He has the potential and probably will be quite dominant in the NBA. But I still feel like it won’t happen the first year, unless he really comes out with some serious fire. I mean, he just doesn’t get the chance to prove his dominating potential in games. He’s not even the 2nd option on offense for Ohio State. So if he doesn’t get to do it on the college level, it will take a bit of time on the pro level. Especially when there’s guys in the pros at 6’8”-6’10” who will punish you down low if you don’t come strong.

Of course, I made comments alluding to these opinions before, and ANDRO jumped all over my case. We’ll see what happens if Oden comes out this year. I still see effective, even good, but not dominating in his first year. Not without some serious fire and hard work.

JJ, cool man, cool. Believe me, you have found probably the most frustrated group of Hawks fans on the planet right here. But Sekou has a tough job. Write about the team without laying blame where it is rightfully deserved (in my opinion anyway).

Lascho, don’t get me wrong. We don’t need to get any younger…at certain positions. We have a capable veteran in Anthony Johnson at the pg position. But we need a young fella with talent/capability/potential that we can groom and use in the future. And then we could seek help in the post with a veteran. Problem is, right now we still have the same old problems: broke owners, a crazy gm, and a clueless coach. So just what hope is there in free agency? Just a rhetorical question…

By ray

March 23, 2007 9:37 PM | Link to this

Lascho,

Thinking further on it, we probably would be best served drafting for need on one position and pursuing a serious upgrade in the other through trade/free agency. Perhaps it should be draft a pg and trade for a big. Perhaps it should be the other way around. I’m not totally sure. But if we still have draft picks in June, that decision can be helped depending on who’s available at whatever pick we have. Hey wait a minute, I thought I didn’t want to talk about draft picks…

You know, I have been beating the devil out of Woody on this blog. He deserves it, though. However, if there is any glimmer of hope for him at all, it’s developing here in these games where JJ is not available. I’ve seen better games from Solomon Jones and Shelden Williams than they’ve had a chance to produce in some time. Shelden is finally looking a bit more comfortable out there. Solomon is quite the hustler. He’s doing things that show he can be a regular contributor if he really works hard this summer and continues to make progress.

All Woody had to do was let these guys play more. If he can change his style of coaching and let these players teach HIM to coach differently while teaching them fundamentals, it could work. But then, he still doesn’t know how to recognize or exploit matchups. Hmmmm. Maybe not.

Who wants to trade Chill now?

By curious

March 23, 2007 9:54 PM | Link to this

SS in on fire. He scores 10 of your last 12 points and you run 3 straight iso for JChill. Woodson is a fool.

By reese

March 23, 2007 10:06 PM | Link to this

Zaza stops know one on defense, doesn’t challenge any shots, doesn’t step out on screens, doesn’t rebound and is a decoy on offense late in the game. Why won’t Woodson put solomon back in the game. He has to learn how to play in these situations. You can switch them out on the offensive end by using the timeout from both teams. We’re lucky salim is hot.

Yes, woodson does not know how to make late game adjustments.

By Clyde

March 23, 2007 10:17 PM | Link to this

We lost the game when Solomon Jones went to the bench. We needed him down low late in the game. I’ll take Solomon’s 5 blocks over Lorenzen’s 6 fouls anyday.

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By Mike

March 23, 2007 10:24 PM | Link to this

Guys before you start dogging my boy Salim for those last two shots, he was pressing to hard. Remember he’s a winner. It’s good to see Woody start to dial his number up. The thing about he’s not afraid to take the big shot with the game on the line.

By jp

March 23, 2007 10:40 PM | Link to this

only billy knight could ruin our chances of landing durant or oden. Why would u make a trade for AJ when you have no plans to sign him. We have to get rid of either Speedy or AJ this summer. Neither can run a team.

So on to my point, can we possibly trade for Devin Harris from Dallas. He only has two more years left on his contract and Dallas has JT locked up till 2011. I mean I’m not sure if he’s that good but he couldn’t be that bad if he’s averaging 26 minutes for Dallas right?

I would propose a trade of Devin Harris for Shelden and Marvin Williams. Then in the offseason go after free agent power forward. Does this make sense to anyone or is this beyond to Billy Knight’s reasoning ability.

By Mike

March 23, 2007 10:42 PM | Link to this

Sekou This game reminds all of us we needs Bigs. When ever we play teams with Bigs we struggle mightily. Aldridge and Maglore man handled us. Most of that is because Zaza is soft as powder. I would willing to trading for Jamal Maglore or Jarret Jack.

By jp

March 23, 2007 10:50 PM | Link to this

i hear Gasol’s brother is a center that’s gonna be a mid first rounder and also the chinese guy who’s suppose to be a lottery pick but we can hope that he falls some how right?

By James Adams

March 23, 2007 10:59 PM | Link to this

Kobe Bryant is a classless joke of a human being.He could score 70 a game, but he should NEVER be MVP of anything. Josh McRoberts will be a broke man’s Mike Gminski. PeeEwwww!!!

By Mike

March 23, 2007 11:08 PM | Link to this

JP, Do you really want someone to respond to that, or is this your first time blogging. I’m going to cut you some slack this time. I’ll let one of the low foyers like Clyde handle this one.

By reese

March 23, 2007 11:40 PM | Link to this

JP, Devin Harris is a compliment to Jason Terry. He is a better ball handler than JT. Additionally, they have Josh Howard who plays Marvin’s position and they have Dirk Nowitski who plays Sheldon’s position.

I watched Paul Gasol’s brother play in the olympic qualifiers and he is no way near as good as Paul. He will not be an elite NBA player.

Never seen the chinese guy play so I can’t comment on his game. But, I’m not hearing the same praise that preceded Yao Ming before he came to the U.S.

By Sac central

March 23, 2007 11:47 PM | Link to this

I find it amusing that many people out there still questions Kobe’s skills and place in basketball history, present and future. I am not a Laker fan, i am a Kings fan and have as nuch reason to dislike the lakers and Kobe as anyone. But if people are truly basketball fans that cannot deny what this guy does and brings to the game. He is in a no win situation. If he doesnt shoot enough he is critisized, if he shoots to much he is critisized. He cant win. Name another player who is doing what he is doing. There are great players in the game but none of them are of his caliber. You want proof, ask NBA players and they will tell you, yet there are so called basketball fans and sport writers that will cut Kobe up every chance they get. As far s MVP, most valuable to your team, how could it be Nash or Dirk. Take those guys away from their teams and the teams still make the playoffs, without question. Take Kobe away and the team is in the sellar. I just find it amazing that all of these so called fans of the game cant see the game itself. We are seeing history and more people should appreciate it, and this is coming from a Kings fan, grow up people…

By reese

March 23, 2007 11:58 PM | Link to this

I hated Larry Bird, I hated Magic Johnson, I hated kevin mchale and danny ainge. I basically hated the celtics and lakers because they would beat Dr J and the sixers.

However, I knew that they were talented teams and I would never deny that fact.

I ditto sac central and advise you haters to appreciate what Kobe brings to the game. He is by far the best in the game today. He deserves to be the MVP. He brings the intensity and is skillful on both the offensive and defensive ends.

By Chris (Dallas)

March 24, 2007 12:45 AM | Link to this

I have respect for the people that just come out and say…”Hey, I can’t stand the Lakers or Kobe, but Kobe is definitely the best player in the game and should be the MVP”. However, the “haters” try to give all these tired reasons why Kobe shouldn’t be the MVP, and basically make fools out of themselves because their logic sounds pathetic.

Listen up folks…in case you don’t get it, marinate on this: As of writing this, Kobe has 4 straight 50-plus point games. I could go on and on about his statistics. Kobe is one of those special players that only come along once every generation or so. What he has accomplished at his young age (28) is unbelievable.

Remember that Wilt was a giant among players that were much shorter, and not nearly as athletic or strong as the players of today that Kobe plays against. Wilt was 7’1”, Kobe is a 6’6” guard. Kobe isn’t getting a lot of dunks and layups under the basket, he’s scoring while being double/triple teamed 25 feet out almost every night.

Dirk and Nash both have multiple past & present All-Stars around them, Kobe has none. Again, if you take Dirk & Nash away from their teams, Dallas and Phoenix are still playoff teams. The Lakers would be a definite lottery team without Kobe. What possibly can the sports writers be thinking when voting for Nash and Dirk for MVP?? No matter what kind of spin the media tries to put on not voting for Kobe, I don’t get it.

For the person that posted above and said that Shaq was traded for All-Stars Coron Butler & Lamar Odom…Coron has only become an All-Star this season, and Lamar has never been an All-Star so get your facts right. And Shaq didn’t win 4 championships with 3 different # 2 (shooting guards). Remember that Penny Hardaway was more of a point guard, and Shaq didn’t win a championship with the Magic.

Kobe-haters need to get their facts straight before they sound like clowns on here.

By Clyde

March 24, 2007 1:03 AM | Link to this

WITH 5 BLOCKS TONIGHT AND MARCUS CAMBY SITTING OUT WITH BACK SPASMS, JOSH SMITH IS ONLY 2 BLOCKS AWAY FROM LEADING THE LEAGUE IN BLOCKS.

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By CJ

March 24, 2007 1:11 AM | Link to this

Josh McRoberts…that is a name destined to be plastered on a discarded rookie card at the bottom of someone’s box. A slight blip of 2pts per game for a few months before his name appears as a waiver on CNNSI.com.

By CJ

March 24, 2007 1:24 AM | Link to this

To Sekou’s credit a few weeks ago he pretty much laid out the issues with the team, which are pretty obvious anyway. I had the same opinion that the AJC was generally “soft” on the management of a long suffering team. But that opinion has eased.

But, overall I think the citizens of ATL are somewhat nonchalant to the fact ,unlike larger markets who have more demanding audiences. But then again..look at the Celtics.

By sam

March 24, 2007 1:26 AM | Link to this

please hawks no more #1 acc draft picks….mcleod,m.williams and s.williams..how ould jt look in the hawks lineup now!~!!!!!!!!!!1

By Harry Hawk

March 24, 2007 1:29 AM | Link to this

Kobe gets screens and picks all night from his teammates. Phil Jackson is a damn fool for letting that go on. You have to have a team to win, not one guy. Get everyone involved. Do your job, Zen Master. Sheesh. Kobe’s the best offensive player in the league, but he’s not the MVP. Chris (Dallas), by the way, the Lakers aren’t far from being a lottery team right now with Kobe dropping nickels on peeps from coast to coast. No way is that guy the MVP of the league. He’s just an all-time great scorer. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

By sam

March 24, 2007 1:33 AM | Link to this

oh i forgot about ‘nother great acc#1 pick..dion golver..did he suck or what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By sam

March 24, 2007 1:36 AM | Link to this

oop i mean dion glover!!how bout we go back a fed decades…another #1 unc stiff..al wood

By OddJob

March 24, 2007 1:46 AM | Link to this

I’m a Tar Heel fan in nc,but Lawson doesn’t look to have better talent than the guards the Hawks have now.In fact I don’t see a really big time point guard in college right now.The team needs to be carefull not to draft dead weight that eats up cap money.I’ll say again trading away the draft picks for a good vet or picks in another year and go after Billups who will make the team fifteen games better from day one could be the smart move.

By mountain_jim

March 24, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this

Watching Roy put up all those points while Sheldon rarely plays or scores, it’s time the AJC interviews Billy and asks him again why he drafted Sheldon that high. If it was who Woody wanted, Fire Woody. If BK thought he was that good, then he really should be forced to explain himself, if not lose his job. And if Sheldon has been mis-developed by Woody, then that’s one more mark against him. What a wasted high pick.

By Chris D'

March 24, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this

Congrats to the Knicks for getting Atlanta native Randolph Morris. Not sure how a team $100 Million over the salary cap is allowed to go out and sign a player in the middle of the season. If the Hawks don’t get a draft pick next year Mr Morris would have been a good alternative. He will be making a good bit less than Wright next year. Which investment would you prefer to see the Hawks make?

By newkid

March 24, 2007 9:32 AM | Link to this

Sekou says the Hawks didn’t talk to Morris, and I suppose his sources for this info are unimpeachable. When I read about the signing, it occurred to me that there were reports in February that the Knicks were quite interested in Salim near the trade deadline, but for some reason the trade trigger didn’t get pulled. It also occurred to me that that Knicks have Curry and the other big cat signed for another several years, making for a fairly crowded front court. And finally, I’d also read that many of the ‘trade talks’ that didn’t result in ‘deadline deals’ might come to fruition after the season. So the optimist in me wants to believe that the Knicks signing of Morris is but a percursor to a spring/summer deal that’ll send Salim (and perhaps another Hawk) to the Knicks for Morris (and perhaps another Knick).

So Sekou, could it be that the Knicks’ signing of Morris is an arranged temporary ‘marriage’ that’ll culminate in Morris being shipped to Atlanta in a couple of months for other considerations? Could it be this ‘arrangement’ is to avoid the Hawks having to ‘add’ all of the $1.6M salary without simultaneously shipping some salary away? Is there possibly a larger ‘story’ behind this story?

By brandon

March 24, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this

the best thing that billy knight ever did here was drafting josh smith

By brandon

March 24, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this

OMG Sheldon William sucks how was he a #5 draft pick this is why the hawks suck they can’t draft and don’t let me get started on speedy claxton that punk never plays he is just straight robbin the Hawks

By al

March 24, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

what the hell were the hawks thinking letting zaza take the game winning shot salim was on fire the whole game and josh smith was wide open fire woody

By reese

March 24, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this

I can’t get upset with the any player on the floor taking the potential game winning shot. If they are on the floor then they need to be prepared to shoot.

However, I will question why childress played 53 minutes. He scored 22pts and had 12 rebounds. Great numbers for a game. However, he was dead tired by the 4th quarter and useless in the overtime. He could not stop any of the players on defense. He grabbed 1 rebound and had 2 points combined in the 4th qtr and OT. He played hard and well (20 pnts, 11 rbs) in 3 quarters.

Josh Smith was in foul trouble and was not as aggressive on the defensive end. Solomon Jones was sitting on the bench. Salim stoudemire was shooting the lights out and we’re running plays for the tired childress in the 4th qtr.

Additionally, Portland’s big men are grabbing every offensive and defensive rebound or tipping the ball back out to their guards.

This is what I mean when I say that woodson does not know how to make late game changes and that he is too intent on playing childress too much. The guys body is not built to excel with major minutes. Especially, when you are rotating him among the shooting guard, small forward and power forward positions.

Again, why did we sign slava, draft sheldon, draft solomon, sign lorenzen and sign batista if woodson is going to play josh childress in the power forward position.

You have got to trust and utilize your bench through out the game so that your goto guys will have something left.

By James Adams

March 24, 2007 12:38 PM | Link to this

Sure Kobe Can score. Can you tell me of one clutch shot he’s hit in a playoff game? I remember Shaq and Robert Horry doing it, but not Kobe. Plus, if you think those elbows WEREN’T intentional, then you are a jock-sniffer.

By reese

March 24, 2007 1:03 PM | Link to this

James Adams, yes, the elbows were on purpose and he was suspended for doing so.

Kobe played at the end of an era of basketball where the pistons mugged players going through the lane. Karl Malone and Dikembe mutombo knocked players out by swinging their elbows. Reggie Miller kicked his legs and arms out on almost every shot. Michael Jordan and every other superstar who tried to play defense were allowed to push and bump you. Yet, those same superstars will get the benefit of a call if you ran too close to them while they were shooting. Superstars Worthy, Magic, Jordan and others were having extramarital affairs.

Regardless of everything, kobe can score. The guy can play in your face defense. The guy is willing to take and make his fair share of big shots. Did you see Jordan’s last all star game where he and kobe were going at it at the end. Neither player missing a shot. Jordan’s only problem was that Kobe had the last shot and nailed it. That my friend is killer instinct in the face of emotion. Everyone in the crowd and myself was rooting for Jordan. But at the moment, the superstar torch had already been passed to Kobe and he wasn’t about to give it back.

Moments like that are legendary and are branded into the brains of us fans who appreciate watching truly gifted players.

Again, my advice is to go ahead and hate the player; hate the results if he beats your team; hate what he does in his personal life; but don’t hate the fact that he is performing feats that have only been matched by superstars of the past such as Michael Jordan, Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.

And if I’m not mistaken, all of those players became MVPs by doing the same as Kobe.

By Ed W.

March 24, 2007 1:12 PM | Link to this

I agree with Reese, playing Childress the entire game was assinine. His game is built on running the floor, moving without the ball, and crashing the boards, none of which players do especially well when worn out. Shockingly, he wasn’t effective in teh 2nd half and was easily lost by Roy for open 3s twice late in regulation. And they were up comfortably most of the 1st half. I can’t begin to think of what made Woody decide that they couldn’t take him out. Just a terrible coaching decision. Let’s hope we don’t lose the Pacers pick this year because Portland passes them for the 10th worst record.

By OddJob

March 24, 2007 1:58 PM | Link to this

The Hawks are good in space,but they can’t use the front court players.Why is it that Pachulia is regressing in production? With Williams,Wright and Pachulia this team should be able to build a solid if not top tier rotation of low post performers.On many losing nba programs a player driven culture evolves that doesn’t allow for the team to develope fully.If this team has evolved into a backcourt centric team as it appears to me somebody will have to shake this out of the system.

By ray

March 24, 2007 6:18 PM | Link to this

Kobe’s more than a great player. The Lakers need to surround him with what it takes to win it all again. He had that with Shaq (but it was Shaq’s heyday still) but now Shaq’s gone. And now Kobe is better than he was then. If he has the right coach (not saying that Phil isn’t the right guy) and the right supporting cast, along with the complimentary sidekick, the NBA’s most masterful assassin will add to his repertoire a few more times. But they better do it before age and injuries take their normal course.

Jordan had Pippen. Shaq had Kobe (however you want to look at it). Now Kobe needs somebody. Either Lamar Odom becomes that guy, somebody else on the team steps up (come on, Andrew Bynum) or they get somebody who can fill the position. Then it’s on like steaks and a grill.

Speaking of it being on: Western Conference, you’ve been warned. The Blazers are a different crew. No, they’re not world beaters yet, but look at last night’s lineup (albeit against our mismatched Hawks). Udoka, Jack, Roy, Aldridge, and the veteran Magloire. You could even substitute Webster for Udoka and have a slightly different look (Webster can shoot, man!). All that with Randolph, Miles, Pryzbilla, and LaFrentz out of action. And Rodriguez, Outlaw, Dickau, and Jones playing few minutes.

Scary? Definitely. These guys will rival the Portland teams that routinely came out of the west several years ago. The only thing stopping them was what stopped the rest of the NBA: Jordan. While not bashing our guys, we got to see what a better balanced squad looks like, youth and all. Jones and Magloire were the only “true” vets on the floor, weren’t they? Every bit as young as our team. But look at the roster and you see so many options. So many guys who can play, who can start, who can be a sixth man. And also who make useful (and in some cases very covetous) trade bait. And just think: all this was done in the last two or three drafts and subsequently the last two or three years. Nash may not be an absolute genius, but people will be calling him exactly that in a few years. Maybe sooner than we think.

Man, how DID we lose to the Blazers last night? We HAD those guys!

Reese, you said it all. Woody made bad decisions AGAIN, especially toward the end. How do you NOT play Salim when he absolutely lives for clutch shooting and last shots? And like you said, he was killin’ ‘em out there.

JOE, a shout out to your boy Stoudamire. We’re finally getting to see more consistently what he can do now that Woody plays him some. Still, one game doesn’t constitute a consistent performance. But instead of blaming Salim, I’ll take the more scenic route and blame Woody again for not playing him in the right situations or giving him enough PT to be effective. Easy enough, right? Heh…

I’m liking Solomon more and more. While stats aren’t the end-all be-all, 5 blocked shots are nothing to sniff at. Besides, the kid hustled like crazy. If he were heavier/stronger he would have had twice as many boards at least.

That’s just like Woody to lean to hard on a player. He burned Childress right down to the wick. Seems like he would’ve learned that lesson with Joe. But nooooo…

Either Shelden just isn’t getting it done or Woody’s screwing him again. I’m not even sure which it is. He looks ok at times, then he doesn’t. And how do you justify 5 or 6 minutes when Chill needed a rest? No they don’t play the same position, but geez, put him in along with Salim and work the matchups. Especially with Marvin and Zaza being less effective than usual. Sheesh…

Does Slava still play for this team? Just asking…

By ray

March 24, 2007 6:23 PM | Link to this

Newkid,

Your comments are always thoughtful and in this case, quite intriguing. I don’t know if you’re reaching or not, but that is an interesting idea. The only thing holding it off really is what’s holding everything else in Hawksville off: the ownership court finale and whether or not Billy remains here. Until then, I don’t know if any such deals are even possible. And forget trying to penetrate the mighty AFRO and trying to get a hint of an answer. After all, talking about deals is….”counterproductive”…

By hawks are cursed for trading Nique.

March 24, 2007 7:49 PM | Link to this

Anyone else see yet ANOTHER good center shut down by Oden?? Man what a difference hed make on the hawks. 2 bad we were dumb enough to get all these meaningless wins….gee thank God im a Rockets fan. How about Mutombo huh..thats my man!!! and all this talk about Kobe on here. Heres the top 5 players in the nba right now. Duncan, Kobe, Mcgrady, Nash and Garnett. I love Iverson 2.

By hawks are cursed for trading Nique.

March 24, 2007 8:04 PM | Link to this

Playoffs?… u talkin about Playoffs?! Real teams compete for championships!…….the only thing this team competes for is bigger contracts. Anyone really think this team (even if everyone was in there prime and having carrer years..with joe johnson) could compete with Detroit, Miami, Dallas, SanAntonio, in a 7 game series?? Everyone talks about “o this team need to grow together” no…this team needs a true point guard and a true DOMINANT big man!! Zaza getting older isnt going to make him grow a few more inches or able to jump higher to block shots.

By reese

March 24, 2007 8:24 PM | Link to this

Ray, the only thing that I like about woodson’s coaching last night was the fact that he put Marvin Williams on the bench.

The same blocked shots that Solomon Jones was getting was there for Marvin. He just doesn’t consistently try to block shots or help out his fellow teammates. He just stands and watches as players go to the rim.

Example, Dan Dickau gets by our guards and goes to the basket. My lips would have been salivating as I would have rotated over and blocked his shot. But Marvin just stood there and let him make a layup.

Sometimes Marvin just looks like an old man on the floor. He talks about wanting to be a leader. He challenges the coaches perception when he is told he didn’t play well. Yet, he repeatedly allows other players to coast into the lane and make uncontested shots.

Do the hawks players not notice how other teams pack the lane when playing against the hawks. The are giving hawks players wide open shots.

However, it was still a good game. Like Ray, I enjoyed watching Solomon block those shots in the first half. I liked the fact that we had 2 players with more than 20 points and another with 17. Our 10 blocked shots were impressive. However, only 2 players blocked shots and Solomon only played 18 minutes.

Newkid, why would we go such a round about way of acquiring a player (Morris). There are too many factors that could go wrong with taking the route you suggest.

By Clyde

March 24, 2007 9:17 PM | Link to this

Reese I’m wit you. Its seems to me that all Marvin wants to do is shoot jumpers. I too got mad when he just stood flat footed and watched Dan Dickau walk down the lane for an uncontested layup. Our two highest lottery picks in the past two years are worth nothing. Our second round picks are out playing them.

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By reese

March 24, 2007 10:21 PM | Link to this

Clyde, a decision has to be made at some point about balancing out this roster. I just don’t see the combination of Josh Smith and Marvin Williams as our forward combination to lead us to the next tier (a.k.a. playoffs).

I’m not saying that Marvin won’t be a good player in this league, but he just does not excite me.

The next problem we have is that neither Josh Childress or Salim can handle the ball well enough to lead this team. That means that either TLue or Anthony Johnson have to be on the floor. Now, we have to move Jchill to the 3 spot, which means that JSmith moves to the 4 spot. Now, we have have to choose between Zaza and Solomon. Solomon is not strong enough to cover centers.

You would think that woodson would change the rotation at the end of games based upon who is hot, whether we have a lead or whether we are behind. What I mean is that he would place zaza and solomon in the game with Jsmith when Salim is hot. Anthony Johnson can be the point, but he has got to be able to score.

If we are down, then he can have Jchill, johnson or lue and salim if his shooting is hot. Matters get more complicated when JJ is back. However, if jj plays point with salim. It eases the problem a little.

Oh what a tangled web he weaves when woodson basis playing time on practice play that he percieves.

By OddJob

March 24, 2007 10:40 PM | Link to this

Reese I don’t agree that Williams and Smith are not good enough.What they are is young,that’s why I say the team should look at trading out of the draft either for a pick next year or for a vet that could give this team some maturity.But what I really would like to see is to hold the money till this sommer and go after Billups.He could make the team better from day one,they might win 15 more next year just by adding him.

By OddJob

March 24, 2007 10:52 PM | Link to this

The problem with Marvin Williams is he’s a kis.I live in NC and was surprized he came out last year and was surprized again that he was picked so early.Anybody who watched him at UNC should have known he was very,very raw.I saw where the so called experts raved about his skills and wondered if we were watching the same player.But the fault is with the team,as I said the guy is a teanager and teams who get greedy looking at a players potencial deserve to waste the time and money putting him through school.

By Mike

March 24, 2007 10:53 PM | Link to this

Guys I’ve already blog about the TrailBlazer game, nothing new. We play a team with Bigs, we struggle.

As a true basketball fan you gotta love Kobe. He’s the total package. His name has just as much right to be mention as a MVP as the rest of those guys. He’s made a conscious effort to try to get his team mate involved in the offense this year. We seen it when they played the Hawks. If Phil wants him to score a lot of points, he shouldn’t be criticize for that. I don’t hear anyone ripping Gilbert Arenas when he put gaudy numbers like that.

Back to my Hawks. I think if we put the right package together, we might be able to get Andrew Bynum from the Lakers. He’s not getting that much playing time with the Lakers. We make the right offer they might bite. “Right”, just thought I ‘d throw that in there.

I was bragging on the JayHawks and they got eliminated by the Bruins tonight. I should be upset, but I’m not because UCLA was the better team tonight. I watch Oden play and who ever gets him in the draft will be truly blessed. If Georgetown wins tomorrow we’ll finally get a chance to see how Hiebert stacks up against another dominate Big. I would love to see Hiebert and Oden go head to head. If Florida wins it’ll be a rematch of last year championship game. It doesn’t get any better than that for potential Final Four Match Ups. This city will be Buzzing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By reese

March 25, 2007 12:05 AM | Link to this

oddjobs, what I’m saying is that I don’t want Marvin and Josh to be are starting forward tandem. I prefer a bigger lineup.

Marvin will be a good 6 or 7th man off the bench for the hawks. The problem is that Jchill, JJ, Marvin and Josh can all play the small forward slot. Neither, Marvin, Jchill or Jsmoove have the handles to play at the 2 spot, nor the size to consistently play the power forward position against all of the teams in the league.

Yet, woodson continues to try and place that square peg into the round hole by playing either Jchill, Marvin or Jsmith in the power forward position during crunch time against bigger teams.

It can work sometimes, but I just don’t want it to be our mainstay.

My fear is that even if we do get a bigger player, woodson will not play them in combination with other big players because there seems to be some organizational mandate to keep the core 4 on the floor together, no matter how ugly it looks or no matter how out matched they seem to be.

By William

March 25, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

Wow, alot of stuff being talked about here.

1. Kobe is not the MVP. Sorry, but playing great on a team fighting for the 6th spot does not warrent MVP consideration. Yes. The Lakers would be a lottery team without Kobe, but that can be said for roughly 10-15 other players in the league. As of right now, Kobe is taking what would be a horrible team and making them mediocre. Once again. Alot of guys doing that. MVP is the guys taking teams that would bad or Mediore and making them great. Simply put, Kobe is the best scorer in the game (I am not going to say best player because seroiusly…he couldn’t defend me) and can score at will, but at the end of the day, the Lakers are mediocre and leaders OKAY teams don’t win the MVP.

2: Why is it that Marvin WIlliams can play 10 good games in a row but he has one off one and he is a bust. Again, he is in his second year. He is 20. He is putting up good numbers. He had a bad game. It happens.

3: Its time for some people to stop complaining and look at the true make up of this team. Here is the truth. The starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks should be Salim Stoudimire.

Now you might say this is reactionary because he had a big night, but no. I have been saying this for a while. The Hawks DON’T need a playmaker at the point guard position. It may seem like blasphemy to compare but this is like a 90’s bulls team. The team NEEDED the ball in Jordans or Pippens hands 90% of the time. If you took it out you two best players hands, you are giving an advantage to the defense. Same here. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are both good playmakers and need the ball to be effective. You don’t need a point dominating the ball (something both Tyronne Lue and Speedy Claxton are guilty of).

What you need is a pest defender(Salim is great at that. What he isn’t great at is getting around picks, but hey…that can be taught), A good mid to longe range shooter for kickouts(check, can run lead on the break(he is great in the open court)and eventually a guy that makes teams think twice about leaving open to double Joe or Josh(check). The Hawks flaw is that they keep looking for a traditional point, when this team isanything but traditional.

Another thing is the leadership qualities. Yeah, Salim does whine face alot. But do you ever look at him with his other teammates? Example. Late in the last game, Zaza had the ball stolen by Roy on a bad entry pass from Salim. The camera was way to close on the timeout and you got to hear Woodson LITERALLY call Zaza a py for not getting the ball on that play and he has to go and get the fing ball or get the f**k out the paint(His words…not mine). The camera pulled back but you can see he was STILL yelling at him. They come back out on the court and you see salim run over, call Zaza about 4 times until he got his attention and said “Don’t worry about him, that was my fault”.

As a player, thats what you need from teammates sometimes. You need to hear them take your side when coach is ripping on you. You need to hear “I would rather score no points and win.” These are the leadership qualities from a guy that was a leader in college. That is what you need on the court.

Of course he will probably get a DNP next game.

By doc

March 25, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this

william, flash may appreciate this and it also backs up your contention that salim should be a point more in this offense as it depends so much on quickness and flow for the players in hand. it stalls when it has to set up because there is no point to keep the other teams honest since our points dont shoot well from the outside. we depend on jj to create his own shot as well as others, not much of an offense but one that would benefit from an outside threat to keep teams from clogging the middle with bigs.

where salim might excel, here you go flash, is in a princeton or triangle offense. he would be a wonderful compliment to kobe for example and much better than smush. i feel salim has been neutered by this coach and may explain a bit to what happened to diaw while he was here. woody wants players, no matter their strengths, to match his game rather than be the coach that can utilize the talents that each player has to his best talents.

By hawks r cursed for trading nique

March 25, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this

yea the hawks really improved this season didnt they…man were on the way to the top. maybe even next year we can look forward to getting swept out of the first round of the playoffs!! wow i cant wait!! heres what we missed out on by getting meaningless wins this year:

On Friday, Memphis center Joey Dorsey said he looked forward to going against Ohio State’s freshman sensation, calling himself “underrated” and Oden “overrated.” Then he projected he’d get 15 points and 20 rebounds against the guy most predict will be the No. 1 player chosen in June’s NBA draft.

The finally tally, in case you missed it:

Oden: 17 points, nine rebounds.

Dorsey: zero points, three rebounds

(and Oden barely played in the first half because of foul trouble).

By billy knight

March 25, 2007 1:15 PM | Link to this

thank God the hawks are trying to promote racial equality in managnment or i probably wouldnt have a job right now! wow thank God im not a white guy cuz im definitly underqualified for dis job.
Dont worry fans…i know we missed out on the best center to come out since shaq but i have a plan! Im gonna sign Wright to a extanded contract and bring michael olawakandi in here for abour $20 million a year! And who needs a true point guard?? ill just sign another backup off another team! And who needs draft pics…no one ever comes in good from the draft…..haha….

By Chris

March 25, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this

Speaking of point guards, big men and draft picks, I posted this in the fan blog about what direction I feel the Hawks should take in the offseason. Indulge me if you will:

We only get our 1st-round pick if it falls in the top 3, correct? The Hawks currently have the 7th-worst record in the league. Last year, the Celtics and T-wolves were tied with the 6th-worst records in the league at season’s end. Both teams stood a 5.3% chance at landing the #1 pick in the lottery, 6.02% chance at #2, and 6.96% chance at the #3 pick.

That being said, unless they start tanking, or trading, the Hawks will most likely not be drafting in the 1st round this year. So the talk about Oden (which would be awesome), Noah, and any of these other NBA-bound college guys may be moot.

Instead, the Hawks will most likely have to make something work through free agency or trades.

That being said, I would have to say that the free agent who would help the Hawks (who have TONS of cap space, but would have more were it not for the awful Speedy deal) the most is CHAUNCEY BILLUPS. He is a proven producer, has playoff (championship) experience, and could be an instant leader and stabilizing factor on this young team. The Hawks will probably have to overspend for any free agent, but loading up JJ’s contract with money on the front end helps the Hawks the next few seasons. We could give Chauncey $10mil and still be OK.

As far as a big man (I like Zaza, but we need more defense down low), the list isn’t great, but there are quite a few guys in the $5-6mil range that would complement Zaza very well. DARKO is putting up 8.2 points, 5.6 boards and (most importantly) 1.8 blocks in only 24.5 minutes a game. Those 2 in a tandem would work well together, I believe.

Also, though a bit undersized (6-9 might do in a limited role in the Easter Conference) and still raw, Travis Outlaw is putting up over a block a game in only 21 minutes (playing against the West’s big men, mind you). He might be able to start a couple fast breaks with his down-low play.

Not flashy choices, mind you, but serviceable guys that I think would help the Hawks a lot. I think we now know that Josh Smith is ready to step up, and he and JJ will be a formidable duo. Put the other pieces around them to stabilize the team, and I like our chances of at least making the playoffs in the East next year.

By reese

March 25, 2007 2:47 PM | Link to this

what a bad joke, if someone had told me that the hawks game against Dallas, one of the elite teams of the NBA, would not be on TV. I would have thought that it was a Bad Joke.

Guess what?

By Chris

March 25, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this

Yeah, that’s pretty weak right there.

By hawks are cursed for trading Nique.

March 25, 2007 3:14 PM | Link to this

were not that far from the 3rd worst record….if we just try hard enough i believe we can do it! go hawks…loose loose loose…

By reese

March 25, 2007 3:57 PM | Link to this

Well William, you must be better than Joe Johnson. I was at the laker game and late in the 4th qtr, Kobe covered Joe and was in his jock strap. Joe couldn’t accomplish anything against kobe. I’ve seen kobe do this plenty of times against elite players in the nba over the years. Additionally, Kobe has had the benefit of having shot blockers in his career and doesn’t need to always stop his defender, but can lead them to the shot blocker.

Solomon Jones gets 5 blocks on friday and doesn’t see the court today. I guess he had a bad practice day on Saturday.

Lorenzen wright plays and has no rebs, no blocks and 3 fouls. But hey, he did have 2 points and 1 assist.

Salim scores 37 points on friday and plays 16 mins.

But hey, the corporate mandate was met. Josh childress 46 mins, Josh Smith 42 mins, Marvin Williams 36 mins.

49 foul shots taken and 40 made by the hawks. This must have been an ugly game.

By roan st

March 25, 2007 4:30 PM | Link to this

William, please show me a sequence in which marvin williams has played 10 good games in a row. Time to get your head out of your a* and face the reality that marvin will only be an average player in this league. In fact I think we should try and deal him for a first round draft pick this year or next so we can balance out the roster. The two joshes are the keepers at the wing positions.

By OddJob

March 25, 2007 4:46 PM | Link to this

The problem I have with the draft is once you get past the top 7 or so I don’t see anybody better at any position than what we have.Yes there are some intriguing big guys but do we really want to babysit another raw kid for years?My idea is trade out for a vet or a future and go after Billups this summer.He would make the team better from day one and he’s a guy who will get Pachulia and Williams the ball in the paint.My guess is Billups will win 15 games for us first year.

By shoulda got CJ.

March 25, 2007 5:48 PM | Link to this

yea the hawks should definitly trade williams while we can still get something for him! actually….trade everyone except josh smith and joe johnson. and i like salim coming off the bench as a specialist when we need a 3.

By roan st

March 25, 2007 6:56 PM | Link to this

To the folks who think the hawks should go after billups be aware that this guy is seeking max contract type money. I like billups and think he is a very good player but in no way should he get max contract dollars. Even if Billy were dumb enough to give it to him our cheap owners could never afford that kind of dough. Billups will get a nice contract it just want be from the hawks.

By OddJob

March 25, 2007 8:09 PM | Link to this

roan I think you under-value Billups,this team needs veteran leadership and Billups could teach the coaches something about using Pachulia and Williams in the low post.

By JJ

March 25, 2007 8:20 PM | Link to this

man fck the hawks. there is no excuse for letting a team score 39 points in a quarter I dont care how good you are. this team is pathetic and they should be embarrassed every time they step on the floor.You can’t use any excuses for them anymore. there terrible. and don’t let me hear anyone say there is still a chance for the playoffs cuz there is no chance. forget this fckin team.this team is a disgrace to basketball. I hope they lose every game from now on. From now on there name is the atlanta losers.

LOSERS

By Melvin

March 25, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this

Where are all the Roy Hibbert bashers at now…. That kid just solidified himself as a top 5 pick. He may be a top 3 pick after Oden and Durant if they declare for the draft.

By mavid

March 25, 2007 8:36 PM | Link to this

roan, i respect most of what you write, but saying Billups doesnt deserve max is ludicrous to me. So many guys get max contracts solely on potential (Nene, Curry). Others get big contracts that they dont deserve.

With Chauncey, you know EXACTLY what you’re getting. A top 5 PG for the next 3-5 years. The best defensive PG in the league. A clutch shooter. A real floor general and leaser. A great 3 point shooter. An awesome penetrator and passer. A likeable guy. A great teammate. Etc Etc Etc

Put it like this: Chauncey is 30. Nash signed with Phoenix when he was 30, and the last few seasons have been the prime of his career (2 MVPs with a 3rd likely on its way).

So yes, for a number of reasons, Chauncey should get max from someone, and I would LOVE for it to be us.

It’s rare that you can give that type of contract to someone who is guaranteed to deserve it.

By hawks r cursed for trading nique

March 25, 2007 8:41 PM | Link to this

Why is everyone wanting billips so bad??
sure he might make the hawks reach the first round of the playoffs….but hell tie up $ we need for a REAL top Level player (a Duncan, or Garnett). Giving billips top $ would be a mistake! Plus do you really wanna guy whos $ hungry enough to go from a top team to a bottom feeder? dosent sound like a winner to me…and the hawks need winners!! I still believe the only way this team is gonna be anything but a first round playoff exit at best is THRU the DRAFT!! maybe we should pray we suck next year and Oden or Durant stays another year.

By William

March 25, 2007 9:18 PM | Link to this

Actually, my head isn’t in my a**

From February 12 through March 21 Marvin Williams played great except when he got hurt early in Miami and didn’t play the next night. So that is 17 straight games. Unless you want to count the miami game when he got hurt and the one after, but thats still 10 games in a row.

He averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field over that period.

Maybe the view of reality is better from my a** than yours, but that is very solid numbers. So to repeat Marvin had played great for the Hawks and toss up a bad game after 15 in a row and people pretend as though he is horrible.

By Richie Rich

March 25, 2007 9:19 PM | Link to this

Melvin, put down the DRO!

By ray

March 25, 2007 9:55 PM | Link to this

It’s kind of funny. All we really get to do around here is beat dead horses. It’s not OUR fault, but that’s what we get to do. So, why not rotate the equestrian corpses in and out?

The current dead horse to be beaten: the forward positions.

I gotta go with my man REESE on this one. While it has been discussed many times by many people, such as the illustrious Ando, the tandem of Smith and Williams just isn’t going to work. Why?

Let’s start with Woody. OH yeah, him. His style of coaching does not take advantage of two small forward “types” that can run the floor, drive, and shoot. Look at the other positions. This team on paper looks built to run. But instead, Woody coaches half court sets. Where does he think he is, San Antonio? The man has to work mismatches, he’s got to. And Marvin playing with Josh is a mismatch. But the sword has a second edge…

A team with tough bigs is always gonna kill us. This is not when you play Marvin and Josh together. At least Josh has the will to get in there, along with improved strenth and herculean leaping ability. Let’s just say Marvin doesn’t have the will and leave it at that. So, you just lost any advantage by running the half court set. Both guys will get pushed around. Josh especially because he’ll be forced to matchup with a true power forward type.

Really, there’s no need to go further. If the coaching style doesn’t change, the personnel has to. Phoenix is one of the only teams that runs with smaller guys. And even they have Stoudamire. No, he’s not what I’d call a true center, but he’s big and strong enough to get the job done most nights. The key is, D’Antoni knows which offense to run. And it works. It wouldn’t be nearly as effective without Nash at the helm, but without him, they still have the personnel to make it work and be competitive.

And now for a word or two (or two hundred) on Marvin and Josh. Even if the style of play changed, there would still be a need for a big that could get the tough, dirty things done down low. Zaza is not the answer. We know that. Josh Smith has and is turning into one heck of a defender. He has good anticipation, instincts, and most of the time…patience. He moves his feet well and gets off the ground quickly. But making him THE defender on the team is like asking Andrei Kirilenko to man the post. He’s not nearly as effective without Boozer and Okur down there to help out. Or Milsap for that matter.

Josh is not just a good defender, he’s a decent-to-good scorer. He’s finding ways to get it done and finish when he’s fouled. He just needs to bring his free throw percentage up some.

Marvin is not a good defender. It’s like he can turn it on here and there, but definitely not for the whole quarter, much less the whole game. I’m assuming it’s lack of concentration. On the offensive side, he’s got a sweet stroke. And when he’s on, he can really hit it. I don’t know what his problem is with his rhythm. But he just can’t seem to keep it. And then he gets lost on both ends and is ineffective altogether. I seem to remeber someone saying he has ten good games in a row and then has one bad game and we jump on him. Uhhhh…no. If he had that many good games in a row I sure missed it. He has two or three at the most. And then he disappears entirely.

Remember the game Josh Smith nearly had the triple double? His value and the excitement of his performance weren’t driven by how many points he scored: he only had 9. But the blocks, assists, rebounds…wow. Contributions everywhere he could make contributions. When Marvin has a subpar game, he doesn’t get much of anything done. On occasion he’ll get a handful of rebounds when he’s getting nothing else.

The point of all this? Not to bash Marvin. But claiming it’s youth is a false excuse. If that was the case, how do you explain what Smith and Childress are doing? I realize they’re a year ahead, but the differences I see aren’t talent and experience. They’re desire, will, effort. I always thought Marvin was drafted to start, not sub. Huh. Well…

Fact is (as I lay another lash to the dead horsey) one will probably go sooner or later. Performance and tendencies alone separate them. The question is, what kind of team will this be? The running kind (which means a guy like Marvin stays and flourishes) with no real dominant big, or the truly balanced kind (you gotta pick a small forward who’s the starter)?

By ray

March 25, 2007 10:14 PM | Link to this

William,

I can’t speak for anybody else, but I’m not saying Marvin is horrible or anything like that. He’s a good player. He’s been given the starts and the PT when he’s been healthy. What this really is about is a balanced team/roster. I see your point about him playing well for the stretch of 17 games or so. I didn’t really look at it too closely at first.

The problem lies in that the two Joshes, who both play roughly the same position (childress also plays guard) are both better performers. All the way around. In fact, statistically Marvin is only superior to the other two in one category: free throw percentage. What really doesn’t seem right is how he has a lower field goal percentage than either of the Joshes when he has the sweetest, most natural jump shot of the the three. And then it hits you: he doesn’t take it to the hole and finish as much as they do. He shoots outside more.

Marvin is the third best SF on the team. You couldn’t tell me otherwise. Not right now. Maybe next year would be different. But Marvin would really have to put in some work to change that status. Here’s to hoping he does. Overall, he’s not consistently a better scorer, rebounder, or defender than either Childress or Smith right now. He talked about a breakout year. He got injured, I know. But he did not become the second scoring option we hoped he’d be. And with Joe out, he still hasn’t. He’s still third, and that’s when Zaza isn’t getting it done.

Like I said, it’s not bashing him. It’s just putting things in perspective. The guy isn’t horrible by a long stretch. But he’s not wowing anybody either. Not by a long stretch.

By Clyde

March 25, 2007 10:55 PM | Link to this

I am officially tired of the Hawks. Its the same ole thing night after night. Why didn’t Solomon Jones get to play today after having a strong defensive game Friday? Woody just doesn’t get it.

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By James Adams

March 26, 2007 2:11 AM | Link to this

One more Kobe thought. Everyone who sniffs at his jock never mentions how he disappeared the last three games against the Suns last year in the Playoffs, and how Nash turned up his level of play 100%. Much like I think Vick takes too much heat for the color of his skin, so does Nash.

By Chris

March 26, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this

HAWKS R CURSED, you said, “[D]o you really wanna guy whos $ hungry enough to go from a top team to a bottom feeder?”

Steve Nash went to Phoenix following the 2003-04 season, in which Phoenix went 29-53. The following season, the Suns’ record was 62-20.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but people may say Nash was “$ hungry” to leave Dallas for Phoenix. Well, I think that worked out well for everyone involved, right?

Here’s a secret: no one is coming to the Hawks because of the team’s championship potential. Anyone coming here will most likely be trying to get paid, and that is the same with roughly half of the teams in the NBA, as there are only a handful of realistic championship contenders.

If the NBA and free agency worked the way you would like for it too, the only teams that ever would’ve had a good roster are the Lakers, Celtics and Bulls.

Try paying attention once in a while. JJ came here for the loot, and are you mad at him for it? Would you like to send him back?

Didn’t think so.

By Mike

March 26, 2007 2:27 PM | Link to this

Guys we were having the same conversation about J-Chill last year. Nobody thought he even deserved to be drafted in the first round. At the time he was drafted he was projected as a starter, so that’s not the issue. Marvin does have a tendency to disappear in games, and most of his moves to the goal are not well conceived, so he gets them rejected a lot. But he has continued to improve every season. Why it is that guys get so upset when you say these young players will need time to develop before they find their niche and reach their full potential. That’s what baffling. Look around the league and name and player that played the game that didn’t need time to develop. Marvin is no different. It just depends on what teams these guys get drafted by. Some teams already have system in place, some have experience players, and others have experience coaches. All of these kids had neither. That’s why this dead horse is being beat so many times.

I love Billips and I think he would be a great pick-up for any young team, but we don’t have all pieces yet. Even if we get Billips we’re still lucky if we get past the first round in the playoff. Detroit didn’t become an elite team until they got Rasheed Wallace. They already had everything else, the same with Miami. Billips wants maximum dollars and he’s deserves it, so nobodies trying to undermine what having Billips can do for the team, but then you still gotta go out and get some Bigs. You can’t do that without cap space. Like Abe said we are probably the most frustrated fans in the universe, but this ain’t a sample of what’s it like for a real GM. So JJ you think you’re upset, image how the guys that are real GM feel.

Once this fiasco with the owners is settled, no matter who’s the GM or Coach we have some tradable talent to pursue Bigs via draft or free agency. Till then we need to hold on to our cap space, and see how this year draft picks unfolds. If we get no picks life will go on. Zaza will never be a starter at the PF in the NBA, because he simply is too weak on defense. He has neither the heart nor the desire to man up against physical post players. So our greatest need is Bigs. That why the Eastern Conference teams are so weak. There are a greater percentage of teams without quality bigs in the East.

I think we all agree that Woodson needs to do a better job of utilizing the talent on this team that alone would help in the immediate future.