Hawks

By I.MUS WRITE

January 16, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this

Weather ????? Brett Farve???? Wisconsin ???

Itz snowing so i guess that means we are going to sweep the 6 game road trip????

Can we get some info on the team please!!!

By Ryder

January 16, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this

Sekou enjoy the fact that you cover basketball and not football! I heard the game Sunday will be -13 wind chill. I’ve been up there before and the worship those fans have would put Atlanta to shame.
I’m already preparing myself for the Favre love-fest during Super Bowl week, can’t imagine what it must be like up there. Can’t imagine the city of Atlanta ever….worshiping.. a…quarterback….oh never mind!

I do think the Hawks have played their best ball of the season. Gee no surprise considering they are in more rhythm than ever before. They are among the league leaders in points allowed (seventh I believe) and FG% allowed. No coincidence that they won big when JJ got off to a hot start.

We have to accept the fact that the Hawks are still learning how to win, as is Woodson. For the first time ever guys like the Joshes and Marvin are experiencing success and it’s going to take time for that to sink in. Again, I have to go back to the Washington game when they couldn’t get out of their own way, creating bad shots and turnovers. The team still gets tight in those stretches, hoping JJ will pull them out of it. Woodson should employ a low post offense with Horford to at least give the threat that they are willing to throw it in down low.

This way he can kick it out to JJ or Marvin, whose jumper has gotten better.

By Astro Joe

January 16, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this

I. MUS, you’re wrong.

He looks like a guy who has been told (and has read) that we need a pass-first PG. He looks like a guy who is trying to appease his coach. He looks like a square trying to fit into a perfect round hole. Not scared. Not timid. Just uncomfortable. Like his shoes are 2 sizes too small.

A good coach would have a more defined 2nd unit and ask Law to be a main offensive weapon with that unit. That would have helped with his transition. What I see is a guy who drives into the lane and instead of taking the easy shot, tries to make a more difficult pass. I see someone who is trying to think pass-first even though that may not be his initial instinct.

And the crazy thing about this, as I wrote several weeks ago, is that I have NO IDEA what a pass-first PG looks like. The world’s greatest PG ever, Chris Paul (according to so many folk around here), has as many or more FG attempts as anyone on the Hornets. Conley gets love for scoring 20 while Law seems to be avoid scoring. Other than Kidd & Calderon, every highly regarded PG scores around 18 or more. Yet it is clear that someone has neutered our young PG from being all that he can be and have instead asked him to be Brevin Knight. Now you can blame him, but I find fault elsewhere.

By Ryder

January 16, 2008 6:07 PM | Link to this

Joe the problem with Acie is just what you mentioned. He seems lost at times as to what he should be doing out there, which is a direct aspect of coaching. I do think that Woodson has given in to the fans’ complaining that Atlanta needs a “pass-first” PG. Heck even Stockton and Magic weren’t pass first PGs. They had balance between getting the offense set up and scoring when necessary.

Take Steve Nash, he could average 30 points a game if he wanted to. However he plays in an offense that requires him to do both scoring and distribution.

The problem with what Woodson is doing to Acie is that he isn’t allowing him to do more freelancing out on the court. Allow him to play as the situation dictates.

The PG position is the one spot in basketball that you can’t turn into an exact science. For example, you can instruct a center to stay down low on the blocks and hit the 8 foot jumper. Wing players stay out on the wing ready for a fast break. As for the PG, since they are the leaders on the floor they have to be coached differently. Woodson can’t coach scared when it comes to managing his point guards.

By Tyger

January 16, 2008 6:41 PM | Link to this

Strange Coincidence

Is it just me or do the Hawks play better when Woody actually uses his bench?

Solomon Jones has gotten P/T last two games = two good wins.

Why would we make trades when we havent even used the guys on the bench yet?

By Mike

January 16, 2008 7:38 PM | Link to this

Sekou, I still remember when the Falcons drafted Farve out of College. He had game then and he still has game now. This guy has taken his lumps like a man. Let the people of Wisconsin enjoy their day in the sunshine. Is that an oxymoron or what considering the weather up there?

Astro Joe, and Rider. I have notice the same thing. I think Woodson wants curtain guys playing the game his way. It’s his way or the benchway. That’s why we struggle at the end of games, cuz Woodson wants the guys to slow it down and protect the lead. It’s hard to understand why curtain players have the freedom to hoist shots up at anytime of the game from anywhere on court and Woodson is fine with that, while other players make one mistake and Woodson sit’em down and forget about them.

You can clearly see that Woodson has a tight chain on Acie. How many times have you seen Acie with an open shot with eight seconds or less on the clock and he forces a terrible shot trying to penetrate to the hole. This ain’t the kid we drafted with 7th pick in the draft. Woody is stifling this kid growth.

Anyone remember Chill first two years in the league. Everyone on this blog was dogging him talking about he was a big bust. He just needed playing time to find his rhythm and gain some confidence. What makes anyone think that Acie, Solomon, Sheldon, and Salim don’t need the same thing? Notice I said Salim last because he will never get a fair chance from Woody. AJ would have never got to be the starter, had TLue not got injured.

It’s a shame that two young guys that can really help the team with outside scoring don’t have the freedom to play their game. Everyone keeps talking about how they hurt you on defense when they’re on the floor. Look around the league there are guys their height and shorter starting and playing extensive minutes, that’s just a bunch of Crock. When JJ, Smoove, Marvin, and Chill are struggling with they’re shots, why not give these guys a chance and see what they can do. I mean a real chance, where they ain’t looking over their shoulder every time they take shot.

That’s why I have to ask myself how young PG’s like CPaul and DWilliams would have developed playing for Woodson? Would they be the Superstars they are today? Make Ya Go Hmmmmmmmmmm.

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

By JB

January 16, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this

It’s no coincidence that the bench plays more when the Hawks play better, but I think you’ve got your causality arrow pointing the wrong way: when we’re up by 20 in the first half, you’re gonna see the bench more because he can afford to use them more. Also, in at least one of the games, Woody is on record as saying that Jones was a better fit because of the other team’s personnel.

I’m sick of everybody ragging on Woody. Knight, you can criticize. If Knight had gotten more for Jason Terry and Shareef, or had given his coach a Chris Paul to run this team, I question whether we’d even be having this discussion. So until we’ve got at least one true center and a PG with some seasoning, Woody gets an incomplete on my scorecard. He may not be the second coming of Wooden, Auerbach and the Zenmaster, but he ain’t chopped liver either.

I don’t know many coaches in the league who could’ve held this nucleus together through the last two-three years. That’s evident in the unity you’ve seen this year, especially early when they were still losing.

Mainly, you can also see the evidence of solid coaching in our defense, which is incredibly solid for such a young team. Focusing on defense first will not score points with a bunch of youngsters, but his determination to stick with that focus has laid a foundation on which we can build.

Think of the Bad Boys of the 80s, Detroit and San Antonio over the past decade, even MJ’s dynasty in Chicago: built largely on defense. The Mavericks & Kings have had incredible offensive teams the last 6 to 8 years, yet have never gotten over the top. Why not? Less-than-stellar D. Why are Pat Riley’s teams always a chore to play, with or without a superstar? Because Riley only knows one way to spell “defense”:
in blood.

And we haven’t even begun. Our D is only gonna get better. We’re only starting to feel our oats offensively. Later, add that center, and we’re gonna be bad to the bone.

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 8:42 PM | Link to this

JOE, totally agree with you on ACIE. and like i said in previous posts, how does a cat go from showin’ his skills (end of pre-season to pre-injury) to lookin’ like he is lookin’ now??? we need look no further than WOODSON!! and i’ll include the ‘pre-players meeting only’ HAWKS!! ‘cause again, before that meetin’ ACIE was bein’ met with resistance from players like SMOOVE, for whatever reason. JS did not want to hear it from the rook, right or wrong. then ACIE gets injured and the team has a shift in togetherness!!

i’m 110% for the togetherness shift. great team ball was the result. but somewhere in all of this, ACIE was told to go about it a different way…IMHO. and that’s the F’ed up part in all of this. and again, i’m back to you know who!!!

Ryder, good post too bro!!!

By reese

January 16, 2008 9:34 PM | Link to this

I agree with you guys on the AC Law theme. However, I don’ think that was the case in the Denver game. Woodson made the adjustment and played AC at the shooting guard position next to T Lue.

AC took at least 2 wide open outside jumpers that looked like knuckle balls. In other words, there was not any rotation on the ball.

When he drives to the basket, it is obvious that he prefers to shoot with his right hand. Also, he is not above the rim so he has to rely on kissing the ball off the backboard or floaters in the lane.

As far as horford goes, Woodson did have him post up in the 4th quarter. He made a shot and had another shot blocked by JR Smith.

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 9:57 PM | Link to this

reese, i know you were at the game so i might be wrong but it looked like to me that ACIE was at the 1 and LUE at the 2. LUE seemed to be the one comin’ off the screens for shots. in fact, i posted that i DID NOT like that tandem. but regardless, you are right. they were on the court at the same time!!LOL

MARIO needs to be in there pressurin’ MIL’s backup PG. that cat is a TO waitin’ to happen!!

By Matt

January 16, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this

Smoove just keeps missing free throws. I’m telling you, no excuse.

By Matt

January 16, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this

And now Childress too! What the HELL is wrong with these guys?!?

By Najeh Davenpoop

January 16, 2008 10:18 PM | Link to this

Will someone PLEASE F*** BOX OUT???

Seriously it’s not that hard. When someone shoots, put your body between them and the basket.

18 offensive boards for Milwaukee so far, +12 rebounding margin for them.

Dennis Rodman is a free agent, right?

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 10:19 PM | Link to this

Matt, i think we determined it was fatigue, combined with a lack of focus and conditionin’, with the added inability to close out games!!!LOL

By Ryder

January 16, 2008 10:20 PM | Link to this

Tonight is a microcosm of when the inexperience kicks in. On the road you cannot, I repeat, CANNOT allow the other team to get open on 3s and miss free throws. Those are two things that the Hawks are doing with the Bucks and are now in trouble. They are being outhustled and beat on the boards, which is ridiculous.

If they can’t control the boards on a finesse team like the Bucks, I don’t even want to know what’s going to happen in Toronto.

By Najeh Davenpoop

January 16, 2008 10:22 PM | Link to this

A couple of observations:

Milwaukee is now +13 in rebounding.

Solomon Jones has played 0 minutes.

The Hawks are shooting 36% from the field, 20% from 3. They have not made a field goal in the 4th quarter.

Salim Stoudamire has played 0 minutes.

By new jersey faithful

January 16, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

WHY CANT WE EVER WIN ON BACK TO BACK NIGHTS????? WTF!!!!!!

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this

that last TO, NOBODY wanted the shot!!!

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this

SALIM is in street clothes….

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this

where was ZAZA tonite???

By curious

January 16, 2008 10:39 PM | Link to this

Why would Woodson not call a timeout when his team doesn’t score for 6 possesions late in the game? Then 13.7 seconds left in the game and he calls a timeout between the free throws. Does he not know you call the timeout after the free throw to advance the ball to the frontcourt? This guy is incredible. Is Shelden that bad that you feel the need to play Horford the whole 4th quarter with 4 fouls. Then you have to double and leave all their shooters wide open.

By mykhalc

January 16, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this

the HAWKS are in need of that ONE additional veteran that brings mental toughness and skills that will make THE difference. and as crazy as this might sound, it really does not matter what position he plays!!! at this point he just needs to be on the floor to show these cats the way!!!!

i did like MARVIN’s game, intensity, and attack tonite tho!!

damn, i’m startin’ to sound like REESE!!!LOL

By Najeh Davenpoop

January 16, 2008 11:53 PM | Link to this

The Hawks do need a mentally tough veteran, but I think it has to be a big man who has experience guarding 7-footers. Right now the Hawks are completely incapable of guarding anyone over 7 feet. Andrew Bogut is not a bad player, but letting him go for 21 and 10 with 4 offensive boards is not excusable.

By mykhalc

January 17, 2008 12:22 AM | Link to this

Najeh, no denyin’ the need for help in the paint. but think about it, the team was right there regardless of BOGUT doin’ his thing. what they missed in the end was the attitude and mindset that the KOBE’s, LEBRON’s, AI’s etc that have the will to win and the refusal to lose. it’s no doubt that JJ has the skills but he does not impose his will like those other cats do. that is desperately what this team is lackin’!!! no killer instinct!! currently nobody wants that role!!

By SQUAWKER

January 17, 2008 2:55 AM | Link to this

GEEZ, YOU KNUCKLEHEADS! SEKOU - ESPECIALLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. IT’S FAVRE. F-A-V-R-E. NOT “FARVE”. COME ON, GUYS. HAVEN’T YOU SUPPOSED “SPORTS GUYS” HEARD SOME SORT OF REFERENCE TO THE SPELLING? ANYONE EVER HEARD HIM REFERRED TO AS “FAV-RUH”? EVER WONDER WHY? WEAK, GUYS. WEAK.

By jamillion

January 17, 2008 7:02 AM | Link to this

MYKHLAC,RYDER good posts. i agree like i said my last post a good coach plays 2 his guys strengths woody exploits our weaknesses. and some1 finally after all dis jj’s a allstar posting has seen da light. he is no shape,form,or fashion a elite player. he is not on dat wade,kobe,lebron,ai spectrum if he’s da flagship we gone sink everytime in da clutch he creates to’s no killerinstinct.and dat pass1st pg stupid as lockdowncorner it’s yo job. run da o thru al getem in foultrouble then bombaway wit salim

By doc

January 17, 2008 7:26 AM | Link to this

plenty of questions … too few answers …. that haven’t been heard before.

By jamillion

January 17, 2008 7:31 AM | Link to this

Fire Woody ASAP!Start salim at point if u ain’t making no trades. start solo bring marv,mario,chills,off da bench wit good minutes. I’ve seen Salim go from 1 of da best collegeplayers 2 nothing,same wit sheldon and ac. and since yall wanna b da old pistons so bad tell woody 2COACH PLAYHISBIGS LET’EMFOUL.Same as mikes bulls dey had 1 good rebounder a grant, rodman& sum garbagecenters fouling no HOF’S. cartwright,wellington,longly,Hell we better than dat no hall of fame pg either F jj giveme kobe,

By jamillion

January 17, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this

ARENAS,WADE,LEBRON,PIERCE,CARTER,RIP,RAYALLEN,GORDON,RED,JAMALCRAWFORD,KOBE,AI,MAGGETTE,ROY,GAY,PRINCE,DURANT,AK47,GERALD WALLACE,CARONBUTLER,TMAC,GINOBLI,JOSHHOWARD,MELO,REAL ELITE G/SF’S I’LL TAKE B4 YO FRANCHISE PLAYER SO STOP RUNNING DA OFFENSE THRU HIM LIKE HE ELITE,TOP TIER,OR A LEADER,BECAUSE HE’S NOT HE’S A ROBIN NOT A BATMAN NOT A SPIDERMAN DARE 2 SAY SUPERMAN. SMOOVE INCONSISTENT YES HE’S 22 AND IS’NT YO FRANCHISE WHEN YO FRANCHISEPLAYER SHOWSUP ONCE A WEEK YOU GONE HAVE PROBLEMS& JJ&WOODY’S IT

By jamillion

January 17, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this

IS’NT ZAZA 7FT AND LOWRIGHT 6’11. I THOUGHT SO. IS’NT SALIM A QUICK PENETRATING GUARD WIT GREAT RANGE I THOUGHT SO. IS’NT SOLO A GOOD REBOUNDER WIT SHOT BLOCKING ABILITY AND ATHLETICISM MARIO.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this

Astro Joe- U are right Acie and Chills should be heading our second unit. Law should be allowed to ease into our system(whatever that is).

Some one got in his ear about passing and setting up the offesne, Okay thats what a point guard does, but as a pro no one has to tell you to shoot the ball if you are wide open. Last night when Law came off the bench he missed 3 wide open shots and traveled because he was hesitant to shoot once-

• GO TO THE PINE YOUNG FELLA- you have to be more heady and stop the turnovers -It was almost a relief to see Lue -but just as i thought he started slowing the game down and chucking up shots.

Set up the offense? 90% of our offense is JJ going 1 on 1- so then u have Acie and others watching the ball while Joe works- Thats also on the coach. We all know Woody is maybe the 27 best coach in the league.

Last comparison im going to make -Acie had 4 years of college coaching and Conley had 1, so Law should be more ready for the pro game.

I dont think so -They look almost the same but after watching Conley the last couple of weeks he is better than Acie right now.

Is it he is on a bad team and has more freedom, or is he a better ball player- I dont know but 12.5 pts and 6 assists is great for a rook. AC and AJ dont avaerage 12 points together… Its neither here nor there but Acie may be a product of the hype machine- Terrific shooter- Im still waiting

hope he proves me wrong at some point.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this

Astro Joe- U are right Acie and Chills should be heading our second unit. Law should be allowed to ease into our system(whatever that is).

Some one got in his ear about passing and setting up the offesne, Okay thats what a point guard does, but as a pro no one has to tell you to shoot the ball if you are wide open. Last night when Law came off the bench he missed 3 wide open shots and traveled because he was hesitant to shoot once-

• GO TO THE PINE YOUNG FELLA- you have to be more heady and stop the turnovers -It was almost a relief to see Lue -but just as i thought he started slowing the game down and chucking up shots.

Set up the offense? 90% of our offense is JJ going 1 on 1- so then u have Acie and others watching the ball while Joe works- Thats also on the coach. We all know Woody is maybe the 27 best coach in the league.

Last comparison im going to make -Acie had 4 years of college coaching and Conley had 1, so Law should be more ready for the pro game.

I dont think so -They look almost the same but after watching Conley the last couple of weeks he is better than Acie right now.

Is it he is on a bad team and has more freedom, or is he a better ball player- I dont know but 12.5 pts and 6 assists is great for a rook. AC and AJ dont avaerage 12 points together… Its neither here nor there but Acie may be a product of the hype machine- Terrific shooter- Im still waiting

hope he proves me wrong at some point.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this

Astro Joe- Jason Kidd and Derrick rose are pass first point guards

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

GThang -Where you at bro.- I guess you were right JJ is a good player not an all starr

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

GThang -Where you at bro.- I guess you were right JJ is a good player not an all starr

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

GThang -Where you at bro.- I guess you were right JJ is a good player not an all starr

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

Sorry for the double post. G THANG I guess you were right JJ is a really good player not an all star. Couple weeks ago i said “there were’nt 5 2 guards/sf i would take over JJ right now -upon further review GIVE ME: Ginobilli,Lebron,Wallace,Kobe,Butler

By Ryder

January 17, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this

I.MUS, here’s the thing. Years in college mean absolutely NOTHING when you get to the pros. If that’s the case Childress should be an absolute stud but he is inconsistent at the free throw line.

It’s the style of offense that matters. Mike made a great point yesterday about what would’ve happened if CP3 or Williams would’ve played for Woodson. This is why Acie may never put up the production that he is capable of playing for Woodson. Yes he is hesitant to shoot when he’s been fed a bunch of BS about not playing up to his greatest strength, which is going to the basket.

Remember in the preseason how he was hitting crunch time jumpers. Now after he comes back from injury he seems to be totally lost out there on offense and that is directly a product of coaching.

Since everyone thinks we need another banger in the low post, tell me who you think is available? Honestly I don’t think that Atlanta needs another big man as much as they need to stop playing so timid on the road. Woodson seems to get confused whenever the home team is making a run and the Hawks tighten up.

This leads me to another point. Would it be best if Atlanta didn’t make the playoffs this year? This way they could cut ties with Woodson and bring in a coach who knows how to utilize offensive talent. Or should they let him go if they get in the playoffs as an 8th seed (most probable outcome) and get whacked in the first round (since they can’t win on the road)?

By Steve

January 17, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this

Why does Woodson have the Hawsk play so slow? They are unstoppable when they run, especially off their defense (Which I give alot of credit to Woodson on. Our defense is great. Young team, very poised.)

We are unstoppable in the open court though. Law is the future at PG. Why do we only post up Joe Johnson? Why not go to Horford inside, and also Josh Smith inside? Why not run the pick and roll game, pick/pop with Marvin adn pick/roll with Horford and JChills…. also and ESPECIALLY pick/roll with J-Smoove, who would have an absolute dunkathon and basically be Amare x 10 on the roll (Marvin could roll too obviously with his size, athleticism and finishing. And Joe, AJ, and Acie could all run the pick/roll starting it).

We’re 18-18 without those 3 things, 18-18 playing at a slow tempo (AKA playing handcuffed). We owuld be unstoppable if we ran more uptempo, went to Horford in the post, went to J-smoove in the post, and ran more pick and roll.

Why doesnt Woody figure this out? Halfcourt at least run more pick and roll especially with J-Smoove, more pick and pop with JJ and Marvin, and go inside to J-Smoove and especially Horford in the post instead of only using JJ (Using those 2 along with obviously still going to JJ.)

But also RUN RUN RUN. That is just for the halfcourt that could be great for us. We are unstoppable in the open court, absolutely unstoppable. We are deep and so talented and explosive, we are a NIGHTMARE in the open floor and on the pick and roll. Plus we are great on defense so we can run off of that, plus run off of our rebounding (Especially now that we have our PG stable with AJ starting and Acie doing well as our backup PG).

We’re a very good team, I could list a million positives for this young team and our young leader/franchise player Joe Johnson (Who despite a few slumps has really stepped up as our leader and is a great young franchise player, definite allstar this year, period). We are well coached too, but why cant Woody figure out these few simple things? We’re good enough to be 18-18 playing handcuffed like this, we could be fighting Orlando for the division lead if we played the style to optimize our talent and personnel. We would be 5 games over .500 by now at least, I swear we would. If we play so slow we have GOT TO go inside to Horford and Josh as well as JJ, not just JJ. WOODY HAS TO FIGURE IT OUT, HE JUST HAS GOT TO.

We’re good enough to be 18-18 playing handcuffed like this, imagine how good we would be if we played a style that optimized our talent and personnel????

This is an honest question by the way, not just a gripe. Can someone PLEASE answer it for me?

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

RYDER- Years of college mean alot. thats 4 years of learning and playing in the tournament wars.

Just take Big Al vs. Josh Smioth- Woody said they had to teach JS everything from day one - Horford comes in and after two weeks and leaves jaws hang’n Horford was coached well down in Florida so he was able to adapt to the NBA game faster. College does’nt mean much when you have Lebron, D Howard ,Kobe Bryant type of ability.

“Chilldress is inconsistent at the free throw line”- maybe the last 2 games, but inconsistent is the wrong word for a guy shooting over 90% on the season from the charity stripe.

Pre seaon ??? Now that means absolutely nothing—

Well maybe a little sumthing…. guys are tryn to get in shape and the coach is evaluating newcomers `those games dont have the same type of intensity that a regular season game would or a playoff game.

By Mike

January 17, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this

Curious, I was thinking the same thing. I thought we needed a time out. The Bucks let us hang around the whole game.

We’ve seen this before on back to back games its tired legs. Guys can’t finish plays. This is a maturation issue for the coach. If you have you assistant tracking your team stats and performance, then should know that your starters struggle coming off back to back games. Woody reluctance to use his bench plays right into the hands of team we play coming off back to back games.

These are games where the bench is crucial. You have heard Nique mention in his post game comments how important the bench was when he played back to back games. This is not rocket science. That’s why all championship caliber teams have good bench play. It’s essential because an 85 games season will take a toll on any team. Then you still have to survive the play-off just to have chance to play for a championship. No way you do that without help from your bench.

What a dilemma, the Spirit and Bk have no plans to make any trades, and the Coach refuse to use all the players that he has on his team. You would think at point that the Coach would start to integrating these guys into his rotation to provide some relief for his regular players in his rotation.

I look for more of the same as long as Woody refuse to use his been. We could have used Solomon going down the stretch last night. Worst case scenario Solomon fouls Bogut and makes him go to the free throw line where he is Shaq like. You put a fresh body in the game that can get rebounds and block shots. They kill on the offensive glass.

IMUST, there are a lot of players that are All-Stars that can’t take over a game like Kobe, LB, or Wade. JJ was off last night. Of course he’s not on the level of the aforementioned Guys, but he’s still one helluva player. JJ always struggle coming off back to backs games, that’s something that he has to improve on if he ever wants to mention in that circle of guards. But in terms of what he means to this team, he is definitely an All-Star caliber guy. Blame the Cheap Assssssss Spirit and BK for not getting this guy some help.

Look at the Cavs, if LB don’t put up Superman numbers, they don’t win, what do that say about the rest of his team. Their situation is no better than ours, it’s a long season. You got to use your reserve players.

Woody has got to learn how to trust some of these other guys on the bench when the Hawks play back to back games. They are still learning how to win on a regular basis. Michael Reed didn’t deliver the dagger last night, it was Royal Ivey. Who’s to say Acie, Mario, Salim, Solomon, or Sheldon couldn’t do the same thing on a given night. Not every night, don’t get it twisted, I’m not saying they should be starting. You don’t expect these guys to come in and carry the team, just give some relief so the regulars can get a break. But if they never play any meaningful minutes how can you expect them to make a contribution in the clutch.

GO HAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Clyde

January 17, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this

Let last night be a lesson to all of yall. Last year yall kept saying Royal Ivey was not ready to play but he outplayed both of our point guards last night. This year yall are saying Solomon ain’t ready. I hope he doesn’t prove yall wrong with another team next year.

And yall can’t keep ignoring the play of Mike Conley as of late. Remember he is a true point guard and Acie is more of a combo guard. And yes I wanted Conley at 3.

FREE SOLOMON JONES

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By Steve

January 17, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this

If we’re gonna play slow we HAVE GOT TO go to Horford in the lowpost. Also to J-Smoove in the lowpost (AND keep going to JJ in the lowpost as well). We just HAVE TO.

AND WE HAVE GOT TO RUN PICK AND ROLL, we just have to. J-Smoove would be a monster on the pick/roll, especially with JJ running it. That would be deadly, J-smoove pick and roll would be Amare x 10. It would be a dunkathon. It would cause a switch at times too so he could post up opposing guards, that is awesome too. When he gets the roll open with his athleticism and quickness he will finish every single time. Also good options for it are Horford, Marvin (Also the pick and pop for Marvin could be even better), and even Chillz….. options for initianting it/running it would be Acie, AJ and JJ…….

We have to do it, just have to. Our defense is great, chemistry is great, rebounding, ball movement, good offensive players, great young talent, play poised and with confidence, and ARE ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE IN THE OPEN COURT WHEN WE RUN……. we need to run at every opportunity (Especially off of our defense and rebounding), and in our halfcourt offense run those pick/roll’s, go to the lowpost to Smith and especially Horford, and keep doing what we’re doing with JJ (Posting up, Iso’s, and add the pick/roll with him running it)……..

FIGURE IT OUT WOODY, PLEASE FIGURE IT OUT. OPTIMIZE OUR GREAT PERSONNEL AND YOUNG TALENT, WE’RE POISED, WE COMPETE 100%, WE PLAY VERY GOOD DEFENSE, REBOUND, DEPTH LED BY GREAT YOUNG TALENTED 6TH MAN CHILLZ, WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE UPTEMPO, HAVE A GREAT GO-TO GUY AND YOUNG LEADER IN JJ, PLUS 2/3 OPTIONS IN SMITH AND M WILLIAMS, GOOD INTERIOR OPTION IN HORFORD, WE CAN DO A TON OF THINGS.

WE ARE WELL COACHED, YOURE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB WOODY IN GETTING US SO DISCIPLINED AND PLAYING TOGETHER….. JUST THESE FEW THINGS FOR OUR HALFCOURT OFFENSE AND OUR PACE/TEMPO OF THE GAME WITH RUNNING IS THE LAST THING NEEDED (ESPEICALLY NOW THAT OUR PG SITUATION IS GOOD AND STABLE WITH AJ DOING SOLID STARTING PG AND OUR PG OF THE FUTURE ACIE DOING WELL AT BACKUP PG FOR 20 MINUTES A NIGHT), WE ARE READY TO WIN NOW YOU CAN SEE IT. WE CAN DO IT, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FIGURE THESE 4 OR 5 THINGS OUT WOODY, WE SHOULD BE PLAYING SIMILAR TO HOW PHX DOES WIHT BETTER DEFENSE…

-Pick/Roll game in halfcourt(JJ,ACIE, and AJ running it. Horford/Chillz on the roll, Marvin on the pop mostly and the roll, and ESPECIALLY J-Smoove on the roll)

-Lowpost offense to J-Smoove and especially Horford (Also still to JJ obviously and to Marv opportunisticaly)

-AND RUN RUN RUN especially off of our defense and rebounding opportunistically.

PLEASE PLLLLEEEEEEEEEASSSSEEEE FIGURE THAT OUT, PLEASE GOD LET WOODY FIGURE THAT OUT. (WE ARE SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH WHEN WE RUN. WE ARE A DEFENSES NIGHTMARE WHEN WE DO THE THINGS IM TALKING ABOUT, AS YOU SAW IN FIRST HALFS AGAINST CHICAGO AND DENVER, SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH.)

By hardy brown

January 17, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this

Why does everyone gets downs on Billy Knight for not drafting a point guard before this year? Royal Ivey showes last night that he did. His only bad thing that he did was hiring WOODSON,

By Steve

January 17, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

Acie is our PG of the future (Sooner than you think too)……. he is very good. Screw Mike Conley, go to the post more to Horford and let Acie play 20 minutes a night. He’s better than all of you think, just watch.

By Steve

January 17, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this

Woodson does a great job with our defense, our poise, our chemistry, our rebounding, our toughness, our effort, never-say-die attitude……. having the smarts to start 6-10 Horford at Center(Like Amare at PHX), he’s done a great job on a lot of things.

He just REALLY REALLY REALLY needs to figure out that our offense that we have to RUN at a faster pace where we are so effective. And to improve our halfcourt offense (Lowpost to Horford and Smoove as well as JJ and at times M Williams, and the pick/roll to almost everybody but especially J-Smoove)……… REALLY has to do that.

By Steve

January 17, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this

Our offensive rating is 108.8 when we are going uptempo (Which is great and would be top 10 in the NBA), and only 87.5 when we go at a slow pace (Which is terrible and would be bottom 5 in the NBA)…….. gotta figure it out Woody. (And we can be much more effective in our halfcourt offense too. We have plenty of offensive talent and weapons, and good ball movement… we just need to go to the lowpost on offense and run the pick/roll. That would raise out o-rating in that style up to AT LEAST 96 or 97.)

By Tyger

January 17, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

Marvin was robbed

Of at least 4 pts down the stretch -

1. a penetrating finger tip dunk on everybody; 2. a driving left hand layup that shouldve been AND1;

Refs have to accept Hawks’ uber-athleticism and not jump the gun on the whistle, those where perfectly good NBA drives and not travels.

Marvin can look a lil goofy at times, but that doesnt mean its automatically a travel. Those bogus calls hurt us bad.

By mykhalc

January 17, 2008 1:13 PM | Link to this

MARVIN killed me on that one slam where he’s holdin’ out his right hand, lookin’ at it like, ‘hand what cha think ‘bout that one?’ LMAO he showed up big last nite.

and how about JS, 7 blocks!!!!!

that TO at the end killed it!!! and IMHO the pass to AJ should NOT have even been made!!! whoever it was, JJ i think, should have gone to the rim. the defense was on its’ heels already and AJ was in no better position to score than the passer. like i said, NOBODY wanted the shot!!! tells you about the end of game/closeout mindset that exists. IT DOES NOT EXIST!!!

and for those that are sayin’ JJ was havin’ an off nite, that is true. but the true superstars will STILL step into that position REGARDLESS of the nite they might be havin’!! they want the ball in their hands!!! they want to make the play!!! they want to BE the difference…PERIOD!!!!

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this

Mike -Valid points, JJ is a great player especially for our team. I just want him to develope that thing that Kobe and Lebron have. That-im the man and you cant stop me thing.

That -theres no way we are going to lose this game because im going to hit 5 shots in a row-killer instinct

JJ disappears alot-12 pts, 14pts- Every team in the league plays back to back so is that really an excuse?

Steve- I hope Woody is reading this and takes your advice-but I dont think that will happen. Then again everybody was calling for Solomon Jones to get playing time and all of a sudden he cracks the lineup so keep it coming my man.

Seriously though we should definitely be running more pick and roll with JJ and Horford. Or just running period -we look really good pushing the ball, but we are’nt on the coaching staff so its sit back and wait for change- when we know its not going to come…. then take out our frustrations on the key board.

If Woody is here past June -Im going to get a shirt from Clyde make a sign, and show up to the draft -complaining in our region does’nt seem to be working so im going national with it…. Im getting carried away ,but thats how i feel.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this

I support our players because im a long time fan. I even support Acie Law,but I just want him to develope and play well-I may be a little impatient,but the season is almost halfway over.

So if Acie continues to hoist up bricks -looks lost and tunrs the ball over -how many people are going to give him a pass and overlook his play. Go ahead im not going to sugar coat anything-I know he’s a rook but dam the man is showing me no growth or jumper so -he almost becomes a liability. Coaching -AWWWWW stop -Is woody missing wide open shots-NO!-

Is woody traveling and throwing the ball away-NO!

These guys are professionals making alot of doe-so lets stop with the baby’n of Mr. Law

By Steve

January 17, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this

Mykhalc, we were down 3 on the road. JJ DID make the play, he passed it to AJ for a wide open 3 (about 30 seconds after AJ hit a 3), that was the right play and a great move to tie the game……… AJ stepped out of bounds. JJ did the right thing even though he had an off night, he deliverd to a capable open teammate to tie the game, its not his fault that AJ made a boneheaded play.

By Steve

January 17, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this

IMUS, we dont turn the ball over though.

We dont run pick and roll, we run at the slowest pace in the NBA (Which is the worst possible thing to do with our personnel), and we dont go to Horford and J-Smoove in the lowpost.

Those are valid complaints/gripes that would make a HUGE difference.

I give Woody credit for what he’s done well. Young teams almost never win in the NBA. We are an exception right now and Woody deserves alot of credit for that. We have a great young franchise player/leader in JJ, we have great ball movement on offense, we play with a ton of confidence and poise, we compete 100%, we rebound well, we play great defense, when we do run we are unstoppable, we have seen great growth in our 2nd/3rd options Marvin and J-Smoove, we have solid PG play and dont turn it over/make mistakes, we never give up, we have very good toughness, we have a solid bench led by 6th man Childress with great growth, and WE HAVE WELL DEFINED ROLES THAT ARE ACCEPTED AND THRIVED IN (Which is half the battle of a young team, playing defense and rebounding is another 1/3 of the battle).

Those are all things I praise Woody for, and give him credit for. He has done alot for this team, my complaints are legit: Our halfcourt offense needs alot of improvement (And we DEFINITELY have the personnel to do it), the halfcourt offense is where my complaint on the lack of pick/roll with our key guys and the lack of lowpost attack thru Horford especially but also J-Smoove….. and we need to run more because we are damn near unstoppable when we do.

So Im not just bashing Woody, I give alot of praise to Woody. We’re the youngest team in the league and its not just talent without results. We are 18-18 and Woody is a huge part of that, the thing is if he would improve our offense in the halfcourt and run more we could WIN THIS DIVISION. WE REALLY COULD, we have what it takes to do it. So I praise Woody but I also make a few legit complaints that I feel would be great for the team. We have an extremely bright future but we could also win right now, we’re ready you can see it and I can too.

We’re the youngest team in this conference and we’re damn good. Our offense is handcuffed and we’re 18-18, we are that good allaround. If we can do these things and optimize our talent/personnel just think of the great things this young team can do!!!!

(Not to mention as fans its damn fun to watch our guys uptempo, they are AMAZING at a high pace. Pick and Roll they do some unreal things too.)

By cp

January 17, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this

It is not even baffling anymore as to why Woodson doesn’t understand we are a better team when we run. This crap is flat out sad. Stevie Wonder can see we are a better team when we play uptempo. I called it about Solo. The guy has a good game and can barely find the court the next two games. Like it was mentioned Woodson has to trust the bench a lot more. I would love to bring Demarr Johnson in seeing how he is a pretty good outside threat but knowing Woodson the guy would be here on a 10 day contract and not see the court at all. I have always liked his game. I think that car accident really derailed what could have been a nice career. He wasn’t a top 10 pick but I think in the second half of his second year he really started to show he had game when he finally got consistent minutes. The guy was putting up 20 point plus games, rebounding well and blocking shots. It is a shame he got hurt but at least he is alive and still trying to play ball. I wanted Conley at 3 also but I think Horford was the right choice. I saw some of the Memphis game at work last week and Conley is a lil smaller than I thought he really was. They were playing the Lakers and Fisher was sagging off him all night daring him to shoot. He got to the hole with no problem but his jumper is very iffy. Once he learns to shoot Conley will be a good player. As far as Acie is concerned ,mykhalc and myself was talking about it on the other blog. The guy just seems to be playing not to make a mistake knowing Woodson will yank him. He is not allowing Law to play his game. Law can get to the hole at any point during the game. He was never considered a shooter coming out of school he was seen more of a scorer. Matter of fact one analyst was talking about how his shot gets no rotation and it might be a problem on the next level. He even talked about how Law senior year was his best year shooting the ball but before that he was not a good shooter. If we had a coach who had some type of offensive flow or gameplan then Law could easily be averaging at least 7 dimes a game. With the way he gets to the hoop we should have some type of motion so he could drop the ball off to guys like Horford and Smith but we have Woody so we can cancell that. One of the assistants realy needs to take over the offensive play calling or something because Woody still seems lost.

By randy

January 17, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this

That game just goes to show that even Royal Ivey (???) can be a decent player with a better coach/system. But hey why would we keep him when we got “Gimpy” Claxton adding much needed Gatorade support!?!

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this

Cp -“a coach with a game plan” we dont have that so now what?

Woodson does alot right ,but that does’nt make up for his incompetencey

He looks lost and dumbfounded on the sidelines-He should learn from Jim Mors Jr. -If your team likes you and consider you a buddy -then they go out and dont perform-then your azz is out of a job. I dont hate Woody -I just hope he is’nt here past june— If he is here -then grab a shirt from Clyde and a sign for draft night

By cp

January 17, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this

Lmao that is what I said. I said we don’t have a coach with a gameplan.

By Jonathan Goldberg

January 17, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this

Acie should be coming off the bench. Having missed a lot of games he’s still at the beginning of his first year. I agree we need to use our bench more. We struggle, like most teams do, on back-to-backs but, if you use your bench, you can weather the fatigue better. As for JJ being more like Kobe or LeBron just remember therer are not many in the history of the game that are that awesome.

By cp

January 17, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this

Yea Imus I was saying we dont have a coach with a gameplan. That was my point lmao

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

Gotcha CP my bad- for a minute i thought u were one of woody’s few supporters.

By randy

January 17, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this

It would be nice to have a veteran guy like Jason Kidd or Bibby here teaching Acie the ropes. I kinda doubt if Tlue or AJ have too much valuable information for him.

By curious

January 17, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this

I said in preseason that Woody wouldn’t play uptempo. He talks a great one until the season starts. If he can’t tell that running 90% of the offense throught JJ is dumb. Why is he still being allowed to coach? Everyone is on JS but JJ takes more bad shots on this team than anyone by far. Woody curses everyone else out or yanks them from the game but says nothing to JJ. I guess Zaza’s toe is still too bad to play. When is Salim going to play.

By Ryder

January 17, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this

Again, IMUS, you and CP don’t get it. Woodson does have a game plan, unfortunately he has the WRONG gameplan. Last night was a perfect example of that.

Any coach worth their salt would realize that if they are facing an opponent who has multiple big men like Milwaukee they would try to eliminate their presence by getting them into foul trouble.

If I have Horford I’m planning on throwing him the ball down low in the beginning to force Bogut, Yi, or Villanueva to foul him because he’s too quick. I’ve never heard of a coach setting up a half court offense yet not utilize your ONLY LOW POST OFFENSIVE THREAT!

I understand he wants to keep turnovers down and keep them rested on defense, but if you want to slow down the game then work an inside/ outside combo of Horford and JJ. Gee am I the only person who has thought this up? Also, throw more of your big men out there to at least help out on the offensive boards. Milwaukee KILLED the Hawks on the boards, and they were ranked 28th in the league going into last night, but they rebounded like the ‘92 Pistons.

Any smart coach would’ve made the proper adjustments. And you wonder why Atlanta always gets ate up in the 3rd quarter.

I’m not disagreeing with you guys, it’s just that I’m seeing things that any smart coach would’ve done to make sure his team would win. It’s as if Woodson is surprised whenever the Hawks get up to a big lead and he doesn’t know how to put the foot on the throat.

That’s no way to coach this team. IMUS, cp, I guarantee you the same thing will happen Friday because Woodson won’t make any adjustments for Chris “Youtube” Bosh!

As for Law, I honestly don’t think it would matter. Atlanta could’ve drafted Magic Johnson in his prime and Woodson would’ve slowed him down.

By Astro Joe

January 17, 2008 5:20 PM | Link to this

Ryder, I agree in principle with your suggested utilization of Horford last night. I’m just not sure that heis ready for that kind of assignment. I expect that he could become a Boozer/Al Jeff/Zach R. type low-post threat in time. But right now, I’m not sure he is ready to carry the offense for more than 1-2 possessions.

Sekou, I’m concerned about tomorrow’s game and the security detail around Horford. I’m expected those fans to be nothing short of blood-thristy toward the Hawks in general and Horford specifically. I kind of doubt that this will be comprable to a college atmosphere.

Let’s hope that the Broke Spirit have ante-upped some dough for some extra security tomorrow evening. Don’t rely solely on the Raptors org to handle their fans. Ya’ll stay safe up there. You know, they like to carry hockey sticks up and through that part of the world.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 17, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this

Ryder- I cant disagree with anything you just said.We all have solutions or ideas to make this team better,but I dont think BK,Woody and the ASG want to hear from the fans -I guess we know to much.

Thats alright KK is in full effect- KEYBOARD KARATE- Im gonna keep voicing my opinion and dislikes - maybe sum one will hear us.

MUS signing off…………………………………………….

By mykhalc

January 17, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this

Steve, obviously we see things differently. AJ was barely in play and he was tryin’ to get pass the defender that was collapsin’ on him. so the uncontested 3 was not there by the time AJ had the ball in his hands and him tryin’ to make a play. i understand what JJ was tryin’ to do. i just don’t think it was the right decision. i don’t think you expect AJ to hit 2 3’s in a row in that situation. not sayin’ it can’t be done…just would not place my bet on it. you think KOBE would’ve given the ball up??? no he would have made the play. it’s what cats do that REALLY WANT those situations!!!! like i said previously, to me, it’s about the mindset that this team has in tryin’ to close out games!! they are weak in the dept and it’s evident. the results tell the story!!!

By HB Ando

January 17, 2008 6:49 PM | Link to this

Well well well….where to begin?

Astro called me out on our fantasy hoops post, suggesting that my scarce presence was a result of my waiting for a brief losing streak, that would support my long-standing discontent with the state of this franchise.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Holiday’s caught me up, with about 10 days of travel. And, upon my return, I ended up hospitalized with diverticulitis, for 3 days. Wife is pregnant and business is taking most of my time.

And, there’s not much to discuss, on a daily basis, about a team that personifies mediocrity. This team is about where I expected. I still think 36 wins is a good prediction, as, after the all-star break, some of the better teams, which tend to pace themselves for the second-half run, and the need for healthy legs in the playoffs, will bring a more challenging game to these Hawks.

I’ve been saying for years that my biggest problem with this team is that it’s being built to consistently fight for one of the last few seeds in the East. And, if you haven’t perused the standings of both conferences, then you might not have noticed just how pathetic the Eastern Conference really is.

We may, or may not, capture the 8th seed (I’m going with missing it by a game or two). But where do we go from here? We have owners with no money, and an uncertain future, as it relates to its unresolved legal battle with Belkin. We have a coach who continues to draw the ire of you hard-care fans, who accurately micro-analyze his performance and find him wanting. We have a moron for a GM, who passed on the greatest young PG of the last decade, and younger clone of Joe Johnson, with a little less range, but more natural leadership skills, in Roy (not to mention Rudy Gay, who is what Marvin was supposed to be). We’re having just enough success to have the owners justify not making the necessary changes at the GM and coaching slots.

We are unlikely to make an impactful trade. We are a franchise who’s upper management will keep almost every viable, quality free agent from being directed here by their agents. We have no first round draft pick (though this is probably a good thing, given that DraftExpress.com has the Suns taking Tyler Hansbrough with the pick we’re giving them-can you imagine Billy taking a third, underwhelming, over-rated, forward from the ACC?!).

From my perspective, we’ve probably peaked with this roster and current front office/coaching staff. I’ve said, for the 3 and a half years this blog has existed, that I would rather follow a team that shoots for greatness, and fails, than builds for mediocrity and succeeds.

Yet that is exactly where we stand.

Joe, you suggest that Horford may develop the offensive skills of an Al Jefferson, but he’s only 18 months younger, and clearly farther away from that offensive skill set than a young man can grow in 18 months. He’s a rebounding machine, but I see PJ Brown as upside, rather than Al Jefferson.

It’s hard to evaluate Law, as he’s been nicked up all season, which makes for a very challenging rookie season. He hasn’t had a chance to develop any consistency.

Josh Smith’s continuing maturation is the best story of this first half. But I’ll believe ownership won’t screw up his re-signing when I see it.

Marvin is the tin-man. If there is a guy on this blog who still wants to argue that they’d still take Marvin over CP3, lay the crack pipe down. The funniest revision of history, regarding that unforgivable mistake, is that Williams was accepted as the obvious choice that year. That version neglects the reality that Williams was accurately predicted to by the second pick because the Hawks have a penchant for leaking their intent to the general press. It wasn’t that Williams was rated second, but, rather, that everyone knew Billy was going to take whichever player, Bogut or Williams, that fell to the Hawks. THAT is not the same as Williams being the consensus #2 prospect. Just like everyone accurately predicting that Shelden would be our #5 didn’t validate that he was worthy of that choice.

Chidress instead of Deng or Igoudala. Williams instead of Paul or Deron. Williams instead of Roy, Foye (injuries and all, you still couldn’t get Minny to trade him to you for Shelden right now) and Gay.

This team is mediocre because of Billy’s ridiculously bad draft decisions.

I’m not here as much because I don’t see a bright future until that man is fired. I’ve seen nothing to change that long-standing belief. .500 is fools’ gold. Given all the circumstances, related to the GM, coach and ownership, compounded by the lack of a first round draft pick, I can see no likely path to this roster being improved for next season.

Just calling like I see it……

By HB Ando

January 17, 2008 6:54 PM | Link to this

BTW, it should come as no surprise that I’m kicking the dog poop out of everyone in our Sekou’s Bloggers fantasy basketball league. Sam might actually beat me this week, as I have four injured players on my roster. But the long-term outlook is continued dominance.

No point in hatin’ on me. I can’t help it that I know more about basketball than everybody else….

By mykhalc

January 17, 2008 7:01 PM | Link to this

ANDO, good to know you are good, and the family!! classic ANDO last sentence in your post…love it man!!! stay well bro!!!

By Hawks fan

January 17, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this

HB Ando:

I have no problem with your assessment of the Williams duo. (Even my wife—whom I am slowly steadiliy converting as a fan—has noticed that Marvin seems downright clumsy when he drives to the well.)

But P.J. as an upside to Horford? Look up P.J.’s stats on nba.com. Top point production for a season:10.2; top rebounding years: 10.0, 9.7, and 9.6 (no other year over 9.0). Horford is likely to crack all but P.J.’s top rebounding year THIS YEAR. Please give Horford a little more credit! For once Billy absolutely made the right pick.

By Astro Joe

January 17, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this

Ando raises the age old question, is a player’s development tied to tenure in the NBA or simply age? I personally believe that it is tenure in the NBA. So while Horford may be the same age as Jefferson, he has only had about 35 games to practice and play against the elite, while Jefferson has had about 250 games (I’m guessing). Is Jefferson’s 250 games of NBA training eual or better to Horford’s 3 years of elite college ball? I think the answer is fairly obvious.

Horford = PJ Brown? The return of Ando’s hyperbole at it’s finest. Feel free to return to your extended hibernation, Boo-boo.

By The Flash

January 17, 2008 9:16 PM | Link to this

HoHA, when he brings it, it is stunning. I got no idea what that thing that laid you up is, Andoman, but it even sounds nasty. Hope you got rid of it, and everything is well. Ouch, even my computer keys is hot!

By Samuel

January 17, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this

Ando,

You better talk while you still can. Yea, you’ve come out smoke’n but we still got a long way to go.

Even went so far as to call me “The BK of Fantasy Leagues”. That was a low blow, but I’ll take it for now. Call me Zeke cause, “I think I can win a ring with my club”.

You been mighty trigger happy too. Now look at cha. Four players on your roster that may never see the floor again this year and 7 moves left. Talk to me in week 24.

And please no excuses

By Mike

January 17, 2008 10:37 PM | Link to this

ANDO, great to hear you made it through your ordeal. This blog help me get through a health crisis. Unfortunately as always your assessment of the Hawks talent is a bit over zealous, to say the lease.

I know you been out Bro, but unless you’ve been staying in cave, then you can go any major sports site and find out that the Hawks have some of the most coveted young forwards in the league. Granted the Hawks don’t have a marquee PG or Post player, but they ain’t chop liver either.

The Hawks definitely have the talent to be a top eight team in the East Conference, some night when they’re at the top of their game, they’re higher than that. These guys ain’t going away this season ANDO. You might as well hop on board Broooooooooooooooooo.

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

By Mike

January 17, 2008 10:38 PM | Link to this

ANDO, great to hear you made it through your ordeal. This blog help me get through a health crisis. Unfortunately as always your assessment of the Hawks talent is a bit over zealous, to say the lease.

I know you been out Bro, but unless you’ve been staying in cave, then you can go any major sports site and find out that the Hawks have some of the most coveted young forwards in the league. Granted the Hawks don’t have a marquee PG or Post player, but they ain’t chop liver either.

The Hawks definitely have the talent to be a top eight team in the East Conference, some night when they’re at the top of their game, they’re higher than that. These guys ain’t going away this season ANDO. You might as well hop on board Broooooooooooooooooo.

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

By reese

January 17, 2008 11:48 PM | Link to this

MyKhalc, my main point is that AC Law’s shot didn’t have any rotation on the ball and therefore went off the rim like a brick.

Also, it really shouldn’t matter who is playing the point when AC and Tlue are in the game. Both are capable of playing the 1 or 2 spot on the floor. Both should be capable to lead a break, both should be capable of taking the open shot. Both are capable of distributing the ball. There shouldn’t be any slow down in calling a play and whoever has the ball is the point at that time.

Woodson did play 11 men this game. Although, Solomon only played 34 seconds. Not 1 hawk player played more than 40 minutes. 4 reserves played more than 10 minutes. 5 different hawks players blocked shots and we had 12 blocks for the game. Even if the hawks had made all of their free throws, they still would have lost the game.

My main concern is that the power forward rotation consisted of Josh Smith, then marvin williams and then Josh Childress. Shelden played center alongside Marvin or Jchill. Horford played center alongside Josh Smith or Marvin. So even if we made a trade for a center and kept Marvin and Childress (Jsmith is a keeper know matter what). I don’t think that Woodson is going to play two real bigs together. I think that he is in love with the undersized lineup that BK envisions.

Also, I don’t really blame Woodson for slowing the ball down and not fast breaking. I blame Joe Johnson and Anthony Johnson. Joe does not consistently look to dribble down court and lead a fast break. He doesn’t consistently run down court to fill the lane. Anthony Johnson just isn’t fast or athletic enough to consistently push the ball down court.

Additionally, neither Josh Childress or Marvin want to dribble the ball long enough to lead a break. If they have the ball in the middle, they look to quickly get the ball out of their hands. If someone else has the ball on the side and they are in the middle, they should either expect to have the ball passed to them or they must rotate over to the sideline and let the man with the ball go to the middle.

Steve, the hawks can’t run the pick and roll because they don’t know how. Zaza, Marvin, Jsmith and Shelden turn their back to the ball after they set the screen. The guy setting the pick should never turn their back to the ball after the pick is set. This has been going on for 3 years.

Not one hawk dove for a loose ball last night. Josh Smith seemed to be the only hawk that wanted to put Royal Ivey in his place. But Josh can’t block every shot or grab every rebound.

Although, free throws were not the reason we lost, it doesn’t help when Jsmith, Jchill, Marvin and Joe each miss key free throws.

By cp

January 18, 2008 12:34 AM | Link to this

Ryder I honestly feel you but in my opinion having the wrong gameplan is basically having no gameplan because at the end of the day it is not working. This team still plays down to teams like the Bucks.Instead of forcing their style of play on them they play the opposing team’s style. Which is fine if we are playing an uptempo team but not when we play the halfcourt slow it down teams. I agree that we have to get Horford more touches in the paint the kid is way too talented not to get the ball in the low post. I dont see him being PJ Brown at all. You have to remember that Jefferson did not turn into the Jefferson he is not until he got a big man coach. That coach’s name is Clifford Ray. Look what he did with Dwight Howard. I think some people on here were saying that we needed to try and get him down here to work with our bigs. I think Clifford Ray would do wonders with Josh Smith, Horford, and Solo.

By ray

January 18, 2008 7:04 AM | Link to this

Some of y’all kill me. Ando shows up and does his thing and gets exactly the reactions he’s looking for from the usual suspects EVERY TIME. Especially from you, Joe. It’s hilarious. Oh, and he’s usually right. Only I do think that Horford will be better than PJ Brown, if properly utilized.

I.Mus, I figure a properly coached Acie Law is a more effective player. Period.

Mike, you’re right.

By randy

January 18, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this

Astro Joe “I’m concerned about tomorrow’s game and the security detail around Horford. I’m expected those fans to be nothing short of blood-thristy toward the Hawks in general and Horford specifically.”

HAHA, yea those blood thirsty Canadian fans!!! AHAHAHA! Besides I am sure they know it was not intentional.

By randy

January 18, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this

I would like to see more SOLOMAN!

Lorenzan Wright is pretty good on defense but we are basically play 4 vs 5 when we are on offense.

By doc

January 18, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this

well, i got my chuckle for the day as the king of revision shouts out his own tale of revision while shoutin out everyone else as one. so be it.

ando much respect for how you can in one fell swoop antagonize the universe and not really mean to. a combo of cosell and dangerfield …. tellin it like it is but gettin no respect. love ya bro. enjoy lookin on for the entertainment.

By Astro Joe

January 18, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

Anyone care to evaluate the Steve Smith for JR Rider trade while we discuss old history?

Randy, I think you will be surprised at the reaction of the Canadian fans this evening. Hey, I fully recognize that they are mostly laid back, unenthused basketball fans. But many of them do NOT think that Horford’s foul was unintentional and I do expect some passion to be displayed this evening. I just hope the Hawks can weather the storm both on and off the court.

By doc

January 18, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this

randy, i wouldnt say all of toronto hijacked this blog the day or two after the incident but there were a surprising number of neanderthal types wanting retribution. so a few gorillas with ill intent may show up to at least try to rattle the rook. the only way to put them out of their misery is for horford to shake it off and have a huge game himself.

By I.MUS WRITE

January 18, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

Ray - The key words in your statement are “properly coached” No need to even speak on that. Ivaroni is no Popovich so it basicly comes down to the talen and skill set of the two- Itz Conley right now -period. You cant argue with stats. Acie Law is a rumor/TO machine.

Ando- I hope you recover from your “thing” whatever that is. U really know how to get folk riled up-LOL 36 wins -would you care to place a small wager on that?

PJ Brown is no Al Horford- He was a good defender and rebounder -limited offensively. I’ve seen both those guys play, Al will be alot better with the skills that he brings

If I had to choose 1 its Horford all day.

By HB Ando

January 18, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this

Ray, it’s true, I haven’t lost my touch.

I like everyone’s defense of Horford. And my honest opinion is that he’ll be a good one for a long time. But he’s more Brown than Jefferson (Sam, can you get my back on this one?). It’s not an issue of time in the league, but, rather, the observation that he’s somewhat stiff and mechanical on the offensive end. Jefferson walked out of a Mississippi high school with better low post game, and that’s a fact. Maybe it is simply a matter of Horford getting used to scoring in traffic, playing against so many big, athletic guys. But my assessment is based on the way he moves, not the moves he lacks.

Sam, I am definitely riverboat gambling on the transaction limit. But I have a plan, and time will tell whether it works or not. I promise, no excuses.

Finally, Joe, I WOULD care to discuss Rider for Smith, IF Billy Knight was the GM who made the deal. I think the guy who made that deal got fired. Seems like an appropriate fate for Billy and his equally egregious failings (are you going to tell me that the gap between an aging Smith and a thuggish Rider was greater than the gap between Paul and Marvin?!).

Ohhhhh K……..

And I do hope security is tight for Horford’s visit to Toronto. You know how those Canadians like to travel strapped. Oh, wait, that’s Atlanta.

By Chatter Challenge

January 25, 2008 2:27 AM | Link to this

Too easy is it to lament poor Hawks trades throughout the history of this “franchise”. I challenge anyone reading this blog to open up some conversation regarding a GOOD Hawks trade (No, the draft day acquisition of D Wilkins from UTAH doesn’t count—way too easy) Good luck and Go Hawks!