AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November
November 2007
Our so-called lives …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My plan was to forget about the Hawks today, even if it was for just a few hours.
Wednesday was supposed to be a Buzzard-free zone. And after the stinker they played against the mighty Chicago Bulls Tuesday night at United Center (my eyes are still burning from that one), who could blame anyone for wanting a few hours away from the on-court entropy that we’ve all seen?
Never happened. Like a bunch of you, I was front and center Wednesday night for the Hawks-Bucks game - only not in my usual courtside seat.
You’re not wrong to expect more from this team by now. Everyone expected a more polished looking product, a more consistent product and a much more sound outfit based on the progress made last year.
I’m as stunned by the periodic lethargy as you are. The lack of execution on a regular basis perplexes me, too. Not even a solid first half against the Bucks was enough to convince me that the Hawks are playing with the fire necessary for a team in their position.
I’m as baffled as you are that the Hawks refuse to play to their strengths (yeah, run a little why don’t you) at every opportunity. They have some of the best finishers in the league but don’t allow them to maximize those skills because they’re always playing in half court sets that don’t cater to their personnel.
That’s just one of the many things about this Hawks team that has to drive you crazy right about now (win or lose against the Bucks, the warts I see remain the same). A few others:
Josh Smith shooting jumpers, usually uncontested for a reason, instead of finishing plays at the rim. His shooting percentage is in the tank and the kid just refuses to do what will obviously end in success (either a made dunk or layup or a trip to the free throw line). And yes, too many offensive possessions end with Smith with the ball in his hands and the shot clock winding down, but he has to recognize where he is and be ready to make a move to the basket instead of always settling for jump shots. His teammates need to stage an intervention, immediately, and try as save this cat from himself. Let the guys who make jump shots for a living handle that stuff and just do what you do (fill the stat sheet up, Kirilenko style).
He’s not alone. Zaza Pachulia has drawn my fire as well for his refusal to play like the scrappy joker that showed up here two years ago with something to prove to the world. Why he’s struggling the way he is remains a true mystery to me - the only guy with more plays called for him on the team is Joe Johnson. Zaza looks fine when he’s being patient, works his face-up game and finishes like the 6-11, 280-pound lug that he is. When he’s out there tap dancing and trying to finger roll layups when he should be dunking, that’s when the catastrophe theatre begins. He was good enough against the Bucks, but he’s striving for the same things most all of these guys are and that’s being consistently productive. If and when he does that, he’ll have regained the form that made him such a free agent steal two years ago.
… Game’s over, a 96-80 Hawks’ rout. I’ll let the rest of you vent or argue my points and come back here after watching the Hawks Live post game show.
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How’s about now-ish?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m borrowing from my man Dave Chappelle here today, but his sentiment (from one of his many hilarious Chapelle’s Show skits, think of Silky Johnson and the Time Travelers for those of you who are devoted fans) was the perfect answer to a locker room question Josh Smith asked rhetorically regarding the Hawks’ ability to climb the ladder in an Eastern Conference still in flux.
Why wait? Aside from Boston (11-1) and Orlando (12-3), no other team has distinguished itself from the pack. Even with their recent bout of disarray, the Hawks remain in the thick of the mess in the playoff chase (everyone does when you’re still a couple days away from the end of the first month).
But there’s no sense in saving your energy for later. If nothing else, the Celtics and Magic have made that clear. They’re both playing with a sense of urgency perennial playoff outfits wouldn’t dare approach - that whole save it for the playoff stuff.
But when you haven’t tasted the postseason in nearly a decade, why hold back?
I know back-to-back road wins for the first time since Michigan was a football powerhouse is not cause for a parade. But it’s progress for the Hawks. Major progress.
The Hawks are still trying to develop a winning culture in their own locker room. So every little bit helps. And they’re doing it right now without the services of several guys (mainly Acie Law IV and a sound-minded Zaza Pachulia) who will figure prominently into their future plans this season, winning without any main players is always a positive thing.
For josh Smith to even be thinking about it after 12 games is an excellent sign. You want your best players thinking about how they can scrap their way to the top (or at least to the top eight in the East). You want them wrapped up in this thing now as opposed to any of the alternatives.
Three years ago the Chicago team the Hawks will face Tuesday night bounced back from a 0-9 start to make the playoffs. I don’t know that a similar turnaround will be feasible for any team that’s nine games in the hole right now. Could be. But why play that game if you don’t have to?
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Watch, listen and learn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s more to a night with the San Antonio Spurs than just precision timing on back cuts and the obligatory Gregg Popovich snarl at Joey Crawford.
It’s a chance to see a machine run the way it was intended to run. It’s an opportunity to view masters of their craft show the rest of us how a team is supposed to operate. It’s NBA basketball at its finest (I don’t care that the ratings are always awful when the Spurs are in the NBA Finals).
And if you’re not careful, you might sit back, watch these masters of the game, listen to the sound that their clockwork makes and learn a little something about how to win.
I wonder if the Hawks took notes while they were being schooled Tuesday night. Really, I do. Because it’s hard to tell what they’re doing these days other than turning a little early season promise into hot garbage.
Tim Duncan and Al Horford were chatting under the basket in front of the Spurs’ bench during one lull in the action and they were both smiling like they knew something most of the other people in the building didn’t. Guess it was a championship thing.
But you must know that they’ve experienced some things, as multiple title winners, that very few people have. The beauty of what the Spurs do lies in the fact that they do it every night. They play the same way on Tuesday night in November as they do on a Tuesday night in May or June. It’s just the way they’ve been built and the way they run things.
You wonder if the Hawks have any better understanding of that after being smacked around by this team, or if they knew as much before the game and just couldn’t do anything to stop it.
I’m not sure. Just when you think they start to understand how this whole thing works (why the winners consistently win and why the others do not), they show up with one of these listless, glass-eyed outings that takes us all back to the 13-69 stinker the Hawks put forth a couple years back.
Take for example the Spurs’ attitude about Tuesday’s game. They didn’t treat the Hawks like the 3-7 punching bag they’re on their way to becoming. They treated them like the dangerous, athletic, high-flying outfit that punished both Dallas and Phoenix on the same floor this season.
“We wanted to come in here and respect them,” Popovich said when it was over.
Indeed.
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Check the mirror first
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now is the time that the confidence sags, the gusto wanes and the belief in self starts crumbling at the edges.
And no, I’m not talking about the Wolverine Nation worrying about what life A.L.C. will be like compared to a life filled with mediocrity.
I’m talking about the growing sense of unrest in Hawksville, where players play their guts out (well, most of them at least) every night but don’t see the fruits of that labor on the scoreboard.
I’m talking about the lingering sense of desperation while a team is just nine games (3-6) into a season that has barely begun.
I’m talking about the readiness of a small but rabid base of fans (at least around these parts) that is clamoring for something to believe in, where their team is concerned, even if that means venturing into the dangerous waters of a new regime in the midst of what still could be a franchise-turning season.
I’m talking about the Hawks baby, so you know we’re going to go way beyond the obvious (and yes, it is Christmas in November for guys like me but I’ll have to wait until LSU finishes it’s title run to unwrap my gift).
The urge to panic and want to toss out everybody from the owners to the ball boys is an expected one, and certainly not one I’m willing to wade into at this time. Normally I would caution against making any sort of irrational assumptions or decisions about the direction of this team.
But it’s clear to me that until people are willing to look themselves in the mirror, that’s right, check the mirror first, all this uncertainty and simmering unrest will continue to erode the fabric and chemistry of this team. So I totally understand that urge and won’t talk any of you out of feeling that way (you think you’ve had it bad not making the playoffs last season, try going from a national championship-caliber program to being a punch-line for App. State jokes the world over and ask me if I know your pain).
Who couldn’t be doing more? Who could possibly think that what they’ve done already is good enough? Any coach, player, executive or owner that thinks so is obviously drinking two or three shots of what we all need. Because there is still so much work to be done where these Hawks are concerned.
That’s not disrespect to the efforts being put forth by many. They have to ask themselves, though, is what I’m doing enough?
I know Dr. Phil has cornered the market on giving advice (solicited and otherwise). So I won’t pretend to have all the answers. But as I’ve stated here many times before (so another one shouldn’t shock anyone), the team that doesn’t play for each other ultimately destroys each other.
And I don’t know that these cats, as much as they may like each other and like playing together on the floor sometimes, truly understand the difference between playing as a team and playing for the team.
Their raging inconsistency from night to night is what has led me to this conclusion. I watched them Saturday night in Milwaukee from just inches away on the end of the bench (along with a slew of scouts from other teams that saw many of the same things I saw).
I saw the camaraderie and noticed the way Josh Smith’s teammates rallied behind his pedal-to-the-floor showing in that loss. But the vibe in the locker room after that game was as awkward as any I’ve observed since coming here to cover this team.
Until these cats come together, and I mean really understand the notion of playing for each other and nothing else, they’ll continue to struggle - as much as 3-6 with 73 games to play constitutes a struggle.
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Don’t believe the hype
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not about the Hawks’ mini-resurgence, that may very well be in the works now that they’ve gotten over their Wizards slump. I’m talking about the foolish hype about the demise of Blog Z (Sekou’s still in a Claritin-induced haze).
He might have been down the past few days. But banished from these parts for inactivity? Never. With two columnists (and two extremely interesting sets of opinions on basically the same subject - Hawks coach Mike Woodson) out in the same week on the Hawks, Blog Z was simply trying to let this space breathe a little bit (and no you haters, I didn’t go underground for Ohio State week either).
Well, time’s up.
It’s time to get back to the grind here. First up in the injury update for both Josh Smith (he’ll be back sooner rather than later) and Acie Law IV (probably a little bit later than Smith rather than sooner).
Smith’s injury was a freak thing. And since he recovers from injuries like one of those characters on Heroes, there’s no need to worry. Acie’s injury, which never should have happened (as so many have pointed out), is bit tricky. Ankle sprains usually turn out to be tougher to return from than people think.
Just look at Zaza Pachulia’s recovery time from his Oct. 18 spill. It took him almost an entire month to get back to normal. So we’ll just have to wait and see.
Acie’s absence will likely give us a glimpse into the true depth of the Hawks’ point guard situation. Anthony Johnson, the one time starter, will most certainly have to see some action now. And that’s probably a good thing, considering he’ll have fresh legs and a couple weeks worth of stored notes from watching his teammates play.
I won’t beat the up-tempo drum anymore (I think the results show my case to be rock solid). And I’ll stop griping about Salim Stoudamire needing more playing time (since he’s finally seemed to find his niche in the rotation). My focus is shifting away from those issues to take a much closer look at the Hawks’ going forward.
The first nine games were going to be my gauge for what this team really is capable of in the long run, and I think we’ve seen their yin and yang thus far. The yin being not only the three wins but also the telling showing in Detroit (a game the Hawks had every chance to win). The yang was no doubt Sunday’s throwback loss to Washington, a dark side that’s always one lackluster performance away.
This Seattle game serves as another mirage for these Hawks - on paper the Sonics are an awful team but in reality they’ve played very competitive basketball so far and could pop a team silly enough to believe that they can win just by showing up. Sleep on ‘em and Chris Wilcox, Damien Wilkins, Kevin Durant and the boys will ruin your weekend Hawks fans.
Home sick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DA BASEMENT - Since my faculties aren’t in order today (the Hawks weren’t the only thing whipped in Boston, my sinuses took a beating, too) I’m watching the game from the lair here.
My main man Stan Awtrey is handling business for me today, much thanks to him for doing the honors.
That leaves me with a bowl of soup, the flat screen, League Pass and a whole lot of time to run my yapper with you cats.
And we’re just minutes into this game and already my eyes are playing tricks on me:
Josh Smith just picked up two quick fouls on plays where the only foul was the official raising a hand to stop play and blow the whistle.
Brendan Russell … er, I Mean Haywood is beastin’ kids out there (season-high 11 points with two minutes to play in the first quarter). The Hawks sure could use Zaza Pachulia out there. And what do you know; there he is, getting his shot blocked. Never mind.
Anyone seen Tyronn Lue’s hair?
26-23 Wiz after the first. This could be interesting.
I’ll be here all game long.
Making some noise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here we are four games deep into this season and the Hawks are making noise again. They did it last year, too. You remember that 4-1 record to start the season. People were going nuts, talking about playoff runs and winning the division (we all know how that turned out).
But it’s a different feeling this time around. People aren’t as skeptical. Folks in Detroit and New Jersey weren’t skeptical at all after the Hawks left on the wrong side of close losses in both places.
People were marveling at the Hawks’ collection of athletic young talent, wondering how it all will fit together over the course of the season and beyond. Mostly people [are] wondering how in the world they’re going to deal with this crew on their good nights, kind of like the one they had last night in their win over Phoenix at Philips Arena.
As much as I’d love to rehash so much of the stuff we saw last night (I will get to that eventually), I can’t help but think about what kind of game we’ll see Friday night in Boston. KG and Co. are going to be riding high from their impressive start. And they don’t appear to be interested in waiting until April to start playing playoff basketball (whether that’s a good thing or not I don’t know, talk to me in early May).
But there are some intriguing individual battles to be waged Friday night. Ray Allen vs. Joe Johnson. Marvin Williams vs. Paul Pierce. And Kevin Garnett vs. Josh Smith. Those three alone are worth the price of a ticket.
The Celtics are playing with KG’s spirit right now, which is tough to match. So I’ll be interested to see how these Hawks respond with the spotlight cranked up even more than it has been against Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix (sorry New Jersey but the Izod Center atmosphere leaves a bit to be desired).
As for last night’s showing, impressive stuff from the Hawks - and I don’t care that Amare Stoudemire didn’t play. Wins and losses don’t come with asterisks in the NBA or any other league. You win or you lose, the circumstances are what they are.
I wrote down five things that stuck out to me during the game that I wanted to share:
I can’t remember seeing a player (rookie or not) go after rebounds the way Al Horford did last night. He was more than relentless. He was surgical (don’t know if that’s the right word or not) in the way he diagnosed his pursuit of the ball. To get 15 against anyone is something, especially for a guy playing his fourth NBA game. Marvin Williams articulated it better than anyone else could after the game when he said, “Al Horford is a beast. We’ve all said that before, but for a rookie to come in and get 15 boards like that is unbelievable.” I don’t know how you sit this kid down with Zaza Pachulia returning to action Friday night. I just can’t see it being a good thing, Horford going to the bench. I can’t see it.
In the weeks before the start of training camp I had a conversation with Hawks coach Mike Woodson and we talked about what it would take for this team to make a jump from also ran to playoff contender and the first thing out of his mouth was “At least two of them, between Marvin, Josh and Josh, have to play big for us every night. If they do that we’ll have a chance to win every night.” Months later it’s clear that he was absolutely right. If those three guys can find a way to play well consistently, the Hawks become a matchup nightmare for most teams. They were off the charts good against the Suns. All three of them were fantastic.
[I told you] Salim Stoudamire has a place on this team. It might not be every night. It might only be against certain teams in certain situations. But I can’t overstate how valuable a player like Salim can be to a team. Any guy that can generate instant offense the way he can without the benefit of a designed set is worth however much you’re paying him (and in Stoudamire’s case that isn’t much by NBA standards). Without his two long 3’s in the third quarter the Hawks could have very well fallen to pieces as Phoenix continued their rally. Instead, he jabs them with two stiff lefts and the Hawks remained in control the action.
When did Philips Arena turn into a home court advantage? The late-arriving crowds have become a running joke around the league - if you only knew how many tired jokes I’ve heard about nobody wanting to come out and watch the Hawks play you’d buy me a new set of earplugs. But I’ve got to give up to the faithful (three of our founding members - Ando, Doc and Jhan - all showed up Wednesday night as part of the sellout crowd). I’m not one of these people that buys this idea that the home crowd makes you play better. But it’s hard to argue what a more electric atmosphere can do for the feel of a game. It just feels big time when the stands are full and the crowd noise doesn’t have to be piped in. This early season schedule doesn’t hurt, having these league titans coming in every night. I’ll be curious to see if these crowds hold up over the course of the season, depending on the Hawks’ fortunes the rest of the way.
I’ve always compared Josh Smith’s ability to fill a stat sheet to that of Shawn Marion and Andrei Kirilenko but I’m not so sure that Smith isn’t the better option of the three going forward - and hear me out on this one before you start going crazy. I know he has a penchant for the maddening pass or shot attempt that causes you to jump out of your chair screaming that he needs to slow down or pass the ball. But he’s taller than Marion, thicker than Kirilenko and younger than both of those guys. He’s also a much better ballhandler (even with his turnovers) than Marion and basically on par with Kirilenko in that department. And I’m talking specifically about these guys’ individual talents and not necessarily their fit on their respective teams, because I think all three fit perfectly where they are right now. But if I had to wonder which of the three would produce the same results on a different team, I’d have to go with Smith.
That’s just some stuff that was rattling around my brain late last night. Do with it what you will (be kind, though, we’re ushering in a new, kinder and gentler era around here now - or at least we’re trying).
Five things (and then some)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DETROIT - Welcome to the first regular season installment of the Five Things (I use it as therapy really).
The Hawks actually produced 21 things I know they hated in last night’s loss to Detroit, a completely avoidable outcome if the Hawks had simply cranked up their pace (and played fearlessly instead of playing not to screw things up).
We’ve seen them do it so many times before, trying to manage leads only to watch them slip away in a flurry of their own mistakes. Unlike some people (uh, basically 99.9 percent of the coaches in every sport) who subscribe to this theory that slowing things down allows a team to better control their actions, I think that’s the best way for a team like the Hawks to lose the way they did to the Pistons.
Joe Johnson said it best, “They scored every time we turned it over. Even when we were up we still needed to be in attack mode. But we were playing too cautious and trying to protect the lead instead of pushing it out there further.”
When the Hawks slow down and try to run their half court sets they seem to pile up the useless turnovers and their shot selection goes haywire. Everyone’s talking about their turnovers and that shaky late foul call on Marvin Williams (calling it shaky doesn’t do that horrible call justice) but the real culprit, in these eyes, was the Hawks’ inability to keep the ball moving on the offensive end when they had that nine-point cushion.
They had just four second half assists and finished with 15 for the night to Detroit’s 26. And the first thing to go wrong when you’re not moving the ball is the shot selection of players who should be catching the ball in the best possible positions to convert easy baskets (yes, I’m talking mainly about Josh Smith, who is being roasted for his dismal shot selection against the Pistons). But for every ill-advised shot attempt he took of his own making, he tossed up a desperation heave that was the result of him getting the ball in a no-win position with the shot-clock winding down. Why the Hawks don’t post him up on the low block all night is a mystery to me (I’ll address this more below).
Enough yapping - and I’ll spare you the details of my Saturday trip to East Lansing for Michigan’s splendid 28-24 win over Michigan State - let me get back to the five things still on my brain as I wait for my flight outta here (and I apologize in advance for any drifting, I’m working on very little sleep and no morning caffeine):
Acie Law with the ball in his hands and on defense and in transition and just doing whatever it is this confident rookie can do when given the opportunity. So he had five turnovers. He had to brutal, open floor giveaways that were the result of carelessness. But he was pushing the pace the way he was supposed to and trying to create for others. He also had two steals, played solid defense on Chauncey Billups and also Tayshaun Prince when he was switched on to him. Young fella has to be allowed to play through his mistakes if he’s going to be ready to lead this team by Thanksgiving. It’s a must.
The Hawks are supposed to be the up-tempo team, yet they were 20-8 in fast break points by the supposedly aging Pistons. It makes no sense for the Hawks to avoid their strengths - even the Pistons commented after the game on the Hawks’ length and athleticism bothering them throughout the game). I don’t think the Hawks trust themselves enough to commit fully to playing the style that so obviously suits them best. And this isn’t just me talking, listen to what Detroit coach Flip Saunders had to say, “I think we were so discombobulated offensively at times [because] we were chasing so much. Once we settled down offensively, it helped us defensively. And we threw some zone in there. We ran zone about three or four times, I think it helped us take away a little bit of their tempo, how they were playing.
Back to Josh Smith and his 4-for-17 shooting effort, which included just two 3-point attempts. He made some awful choices last night. Just awful. But what those numbers also tell me is that he continues to languish in no-man’s land on offense. He not being used in space the way a man with his talents should be - I’ve seen no sets posting him up to take advantage of his quickness against the bigger and slower defenders he’s being matched up against. Now he has to be willing to take direction from his point guard (whichever one is on the floor at the time). He also has to be willing to forget about negative plays and move on to the next one and not let them do a number on his psyche. Because when he operates within the framework of what the Hawks are trying to do offensively, he can take this team over the top with the other elements (namely the game-changing blocks) he brings. But he has to be forced (peer pressure works best) to mesh with what the Hawks are trying to do, even when they’re not getting up and down the floor.
Who kidnapped Josh Childress? The guy that was flying around during the exhibition season hasn’t been spotted since the week before the regular season began. Another victim of the Hawks’ penchant for slowing things down rather than speeding them up, Childress has looked tentative and bit unsure of his role. The Hawks need much, much, much more out of Childress if they’re going to have success this season.
The Hawks’ collective improvement should be obvious to you all by now. It certainly is to everyone else. People were stopping me in my tracks after Sunday’s game to comment. Nearly everyone I bumped into at the Palace showered the Hawks with praise, several people even commented that they felt the Hawks were the most improved team in the league. “That’s the most athletic team I’ve seen the past couple of years,” one writer friend said. “They’re ridiculous. And they’re getting better.” Saunders offered up another telling statement, via the Detroit Free Press, when he said the Hawks “have always been athletic, spectacular. Now they’re getting mature.”
Reality used to be a friend of mine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Shouts out to my boys from PM Dawn)
That was before I started coming here for my daily beatings. Before I allowed my sensible side to show around here. Before I decided to ditch my argumentative, divisive-for-the-sake-of-a-good-shouting match philosophy for a more measured approach.
Foolish me.
Rather than responding specifically to all of your pointed criticisms of my cell phone etiquette, timing and equestrian skills (I don’t ride horses, high or low), let me make a few points that will hopefully hit you where they need to so we can conclude this perplexing week of our oft-times tumultuous relationship:
Was I yapping on my cell at Panera Bread? Of course. Was I speaking into the phone and not the sap in front of me? Right again. Did I solicit his input? Nope. So I can say whatever the Sam Houston I want on my own phone conversation. If he wanted to spend some time in his day telling someone what I said, cool. But he chose to dip in a conversation without being invited. It’s just bad manners any way you swing it. That scenario in no way relates to me overhearing a conversation about Josh Smith and then relaying it here. One has nothing to do with the other, for all you deputized members of the Hypocrite Police (look up the word hypocritical and holler back KY, since you were the first officer to show up on the crime scene with your clown hat on).
In regards to the Hawks preview story on Joe Johnson, if you’re more concerned about the timing than you are with the 100-percent legitimate concerns he raised about this team (which remains a promising work in progress and a sure-fire potential playoff contender but far from a shoe-in for postseason play), then all is already lost. And speaking of hypocrites. I seem to remember countless times ‘round these parts and others where people have called for Joe to show some leadership and be more vocal. Now, when he’s willing to say what anyone with any sense that has watched this team the past three years knows is true, he’s some how the villain for saying it out loud. As my favorite 5-year-old cat on the planet likes to say, “I don’t get that.” If you’re worried about the timing of the message and not what (he was saying) … like I said, all is already lost. And when is the right time to say what needs to be said? Just curious.
Two more quick point about what the captain, All-Star and face of the franchise had to say: 1) He didn’t knock a single one of his teammates. He’s always done nothing but praise them for the work they’ve put in and the progress they’ve made. If anything, he’s been far more gracious during some of their growing pains than star players on many other teams would ever be. That shows me some leadership in itself. And 2) Joe saying that the Hawks needs to be vigilant about continuing to explore all avenues to improve the team is just sound business in a league that can change complexion with one quick move by an aggressive team looking to alter the course of its destiny. I didn’t think he was throwing anyone under the bus (well, not anyone that didn’t need to be, and those people know who they are, at this time). That’s just real talk.
Now that the rollover issues from the previous blog have invaded today’s space, I feel like we’ve wasted an opportunity to discuss some of the things we’ve seen in the first three days of this NBA season.
Things like:
Kevin Durant is going to get major buckets this year. MAJOR BUCKETS. I’ve heard all the comparisons and rhetoric about him and what type of player he’ll become. But after watching him closely on back-to-back nights, I see him as an even better version of T-Mac some day. From an offensive standpoint he’s got the total package. He’s going to hit somebody for 50 this season before his body gives out (and unless they get young fella some protein shakes, he’s going to crash shortly before or after the All-Star game as hard as he’s going to have to go for Seattle to have any shot and winning games). But I do like what he’s doing so far.
The league Big Dogs (San Antonio, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, etc.) don’t look like they’re going to coast through the first few weeks of the season in an effort to pace themselves for the playoffs. I don’t know that they’ll be allowed to with hungry young teams all over the league trying to muscle their way into the upper tier of their respective divisions and conferences. That’s the best news of all for the fans of the league. The level of play will be extremely high on a nightly basis, which always makes for interesting game watching.
After watching the Spurs, Pistons, Heat, Suns and Mavericks this week doesn’t it make you wonder how long they all have before the pack catches up to them? Miami is already with the pack and in danger of losing even more ground without D. Wade in the lineup. But them seemed prime to maintain their positions in the league pecking order. It has to be a bit disheartening for all the teams that are working to get on their level. There’s a lot more work to do for the wanna-be powers.
There is a game tonight, ha. So I’ll be back for some live back-and-forth before, during and after the game.
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