AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 21
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Look at all these rumors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sacramento is one of my favorite places to visit on the road. And I’ll get my chance to check it out this season when the Hawks are out that way for one of their Western Conference swings. Flattering as it sounds, there is no truth whatsoever to the rumor that I’m departing these parts for Sacramento.
The reason I am posting in the “wee hours” is because I am and always have been a raging insomniac (I snore like a bear, too, and I’m not exactly a morning person either). And while I usually spend my late night hours reading or listening to music, lately I’ve decided to put on my Blog Z cape to entertain myself in the wee hours.
I love rumors, especially the crazy ones (that ultimately aren’t true).
Now, on to a few more house cleaning items (and cut me some slack for going off topic for the first time since training camp started):
mykhalc, I didn’t mean to confuse you on the starters in Sunday’s article. Zaza and Speedy are both out right now. And that includes practices my man. And both Al Horford, Mario West and Acie Law IV have done time on both the Blue and White teams in practice. When the Hawks are at full health, all three of those men are on the White team.
You know I’m always engaged in some sort of discussion with one of my boys. Our latest has been arguing over which is more useful in sports, a philosopher coach or a strategist coach. Follow me now. We were talking specifically about NBA coaches, but it’s really something that extends to all competitive sports. It’s my belief that few guys at the pro level are going to outsmart someone else 82 nights a year. Talent trumps this other stuff anyway. So a coach with a tried and true philosophy makes much more sense to me (a guy who can weave them both together with equal precision and impact comes along once every 100 years - think John Wooden, who also had a robust amount of talent during his tenure at UCLA) than some cat who thinks the spread offense will be his salvation. Of course, I’m skipping from sport to sport here. But my point is this, for all his Evil Coaching genius, Steve Spurrier couldn’t outsmart anyone at the NFL level. The same way all these college coaches that have tried their routines at the NBA level have found out over the years. Can you help me settle this argument (feel free to agree, or not)?
This water crisis has me worried. But it doesn’t appear to mean a thing to restaurants in my hood (currently that’s Smyrna). I was at three different spots over the weekend, more on them in a second, and they weren’t in conservation mode. Water was flowing like crazy and there was ice all up in my sweet tea glass. I’m no environmentalist but I did feel the need to speak up at the Taco Mac on the East West Connector Saturday night. My waitress just laughed when I told her that I didn’t want to waste the glass of water she brought for me (unsolicited). I’m seriously planning on doing my part. One shower a week until we get some rain (uh, that’s a bad joke). Actually, I made sure there is going to be rain soon by paying $20 bucks to get the whip cleaned inside and out (too lazy to do it myself this weekend). Dating back to 1997, any time I wash a car or get one washed, rain shows up within 48 hours. So someone call the Governor and tell him to ease up on Bush, Blog Z took care of things.
Speaking of Saturday night I can’t help but bring up my boys just this one time. I’m not ready to forgive or forget Lloyd Carr for the first two weeks of the college football season but it’s something to see a team come back from the brink of complete disaster to win six straight games. I just hope they can keep it going (and maybe help me win back some of the swagger and petty cash I lost the first two weeks of the season).
Back to my weekend of workouts (the Hawks and my early morning strolls on the Silver Comet Trail, I do 45 minutes to an hour of brisk walking every morning. Gotta get back to my fighting weight baby) and ruining those workouts by restaurant testing in the new hood. I remain a true barbecue specialist, having stuffed my belly full of it from coast to coast and even across the Canadian border. And while I’ve been somewhat under whelmed by Atlanta’s offerings, I did discover a little bright spot on the East West Connector and South Cobb Drive. I wasn’t terribly excited about this spot, Atlanta Ribs, going in but they won me over (though they could sweeten up the sweat tea a bit). Their beef brisket is the best I’ve tasted around here. And like the Governator said, “I’ll be baaack.” Any suggestions around town? I’m willing to fight our brutal traffic for good food.
Quick crossover back to basketball. The Southeast Division is already on injury overload, especially in Charlotte. First Sean May gone for the season with microfracture and now it appears that Adam Morrison is done with a knee injury, too. If they win 30-plus games again this year, with a new coach in charge, Bernie Bickerstaff should get some love for Executive of the Year.
We’re down to the final 10 days of possible negotiations for contract extensions for the draft class of 2004. And I’m hearing nothing but crickets for the Hawks duo of Josh Smith and Josh Childress. I’ll keep working it up until the Halloween deadline. It’ll be interesting to see if someone buckles before the deadline in an effort to get a deal done. Stay tuned.
If you’re not convinced that Al Horford is a legitimate candidate for Rookie of the Year, take the word of a good friend and NBA scout who has seen the major contenders already this preseason: “He’s by far the best rookie that I’ve seen. Kevin Durant can score the ball and he’s going to be special. But this guy [Horford] is just a winner. He makes winning plays on both ends of the floor and he does all the little things to make his team better. There’s a reason why everyone from the third pick on down wanted to get their hands on him.”
Since you know I haven’t been getting my rest lately, I should probably vacate these premises for a few hours and let you all have at it … until I wake up at 3 a.m. and get back to yapping.
