AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February
February 2008
Still going and going and going …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite all the rumors about my demise, I’m still here.
Still snooping. Still poking. And still doing my best to make sense of all the craziness that goes on (and has gone on the past 26 hours, and counting) in Hawksville.
Let me make it clear this one time, and this one time only. I stand by every word written in the story as it reads now, read yesterday and every other time you might have seen it.
There are no minced words in there and none of the read-between-the-lines passages like the ones I love to spin around here. That was a straight news story.
Digest it however you like.
Down to 10
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hawks will be without starting small forward Marvin Williams for tonight’s game against Sacramento at Philips Arena. Williams left the arena more than an hour before tip-off with flu-like symptoms.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he would insert Zaza Pachulia into the starting lineup and shift both Al Horford and Josh Smith over, from center and power forward, respectively, with Williams unavailable.
Without Williams the Hawks had just 10 players available for the game. Rookie point guard Acie Law IV missed his third straight game with a sprained right wrist. Law said Wednesday that he was scheduled to have another MRI exam on Thursday but was hopeful that he’d get a chance to play Friday, when the Hawks face the New York Knicks at Philips Arena.
Shame on us all!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - That’s right, shame on us all for still being here and still expecting anything other than what we see from these Hawks on a nightly basis.
That’s right, it’s our fault. It’s our fault for thinking anything would change with this little actual change, going on four years now.
That’s right, I’m pointing the finger right back at us (particularly at the cat in the mirror) for listening to anyone’s half-hearted speeches about what could make this thing work when it’s clear that it just doesn’t.
Even when the Hawks do things that make absolute sense [trading for Mike Bibby] it does nothing to change their fate.
When guys like Greg Anthony and Tim Legler [good guys and well intentioned dudes no doubt] proclaim the Hawks a playoff team, it’s clear that those proclamations are coming from guys that don’t watch this team on a nightly basis.
I mean, how in the world could a team that continues to lose games from ahead [they had the Spurs in a world of hurt early and I told anyone who asked at halftime that I knew they were going to lose the game].
You couldn’t explain this phenomenon to someone even if you tried. You’d simply have to show the game tape for them to comprehend how this is even possible to continue like this in such a futile manner.
Any win [like the one over Golden State] sprinkled in with all this losing is the equivalent of spraying Lysol on pile of trash. The vapors improve for a second or two and then it all starts to stink again.
If that sounds harsh, it should because that’s how it was intended to sound.
Hopefully it’s as brutal as the inconsistent mess folks have seen from this team these past three and a half years, and counting.
Everyone deserves a share of the blame. That goes for owners [whose ongoing feud continues to define this entire mess, regardless of what is said publicly], the front office crew [whose draft and player acquisition mistakes haven’t always been corrected in a timely enough fashion to offset the initial blunder], the coaching staff [for its refusal to adapt to the personnel, however incomplete it’s been at times, it has], the players [to a somewhat lesser extent since they’re often the pawns in this game but haven’t pushed themselves to the limits as often as I think they could or should have] and even us. Yes, even us, the seemingly innocent bystanders and supposedly impartial observers who have continued to drink the laced Kool-Aid that’s been served all this time.
Knowing how much serendipity is involved with success at a high level in any endeavor, I can forgive the occasional draft gaffe or late-game collapse that any organization deals with. No one’s perfect.
But the lack of institutional control [had to borrow that one from my previous days on the colleges beat] that’s gone with these Hawks is unconscionable.
Even if the Hawks make the playoffs, which miraculously remains a possibility, the damage has been done. Fixing it all, is an undertaking that’s going to require heavier lifting than has gone on around here to date.
Oh, and I still haven’t heard any word on the extent of Acie Law’s wrist injury but I will have some by shootaround for Wednesday’s game against Sacramento - I’m guessing he doesn’t play against the King or Knick Friday, based on the way he said he was feeling the last time I saw him. But I’ll have something official here before game time.
Oomgowaye!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SAN ANTONIO - You probably don’t recognize that word, Oomgowaye. Five weeks ago I’d never heard of it either.
But I kept hearing Steve Smith talk about it, before games, during games, after games, on the road during dinner and just about everywhere in between.
“Gotta have an Oomgowaye,” he would say after an opposing player shoved a Hawks player aside on his way to the basket or after an opposing player hard fouled a Hawks player on his way to the basket.
When pressed on it’s meaning, he offered up a relatively simple and reasonable explanation.
An Oomgowaye (um-gow-wah, hey since this is the first time it’s being written, I can do it how I see fit) is quite simply a guy who plays with a force that overpowers all others on the floor and therefore gives his team a physical edge that can’t be matched by the opposition.
It’s true, the Hawks don’t have such a player on their current roster, though there are several floating around the waiver wire now that the trade deadline has passed.
The Hawks have run into a few the past few weeks or so, none who fit the description better than Sacramento’s Ron Artest.
When faced with the Hawks’ impressive assortment of athletically gifted and graceful young players Artest resorted to what I like to call the Truck Robinson approach (for all you youngsters out there, Leonard “Truck” Robinson was basically the Artest of the 1970s and 80s, a physical monster with the ability and skill to play inside out and basically dominate opponents with sheer physicality. I used to hear my pops talk about him all the time and along with my older brother have always used him as a baseline for tough as nails players like that).
Artest, who is far bigger than Robinson ever was (6-7, 260 compared to 6-7, 225) manhandled the poor Hawks Wednesday night at Arco Arena. He was pushing everybody around, doing it all while playing with a controlled aggression that can eliminate the opposition’s chances of ever taking control of the game when he’s on the floor because they have no way of matching his pure physical prowess.
Having known Artest for years now, it was a treat to watch him work again (we both did time in Indiana earlier this decade when the Pacers were among the league’s elite teams). After the game I bumped into him at a local restaurant in Sacramento and we talked about all things basketball, including the way he dominates opponents like the Hawks.
He admitted that it was strictly a physical thing. He overpowered the Hawks inside and out, dictating to the Hawks how he wanted the game to be played. He loves the athleticism and grit of guys like Josh Smith and Al Horford, but he knew they couldn’t match him. He knew there was no one in a Hawks uniform that night that could match him (we talked about quite a few other things but none of that will be repeated here, sorry).
That night Artest was the Oomgowaye Smitty is always talking about.
Without an Oomgowaye of their own, it’s hard to see these Hawks making the playoffs this season.
Sure, it’s still a very real possibility that they get there - if you haven’t been energized by the addition of Mike Bibby and all that he brings as a point guard and deadly outside shooter than there is no helping you.
But again, without a physical force added, do you see this Hawks team marching into the playoffs?
Redemption’s Song
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OAKLAND - He wasn’t even supposed to be on the roster, the trade that would have moved him to Denver at Thursday’s trade deadline never materialized.
So there was Salim Stoudamire Friday night, defending like a madman, shooting that sweet stroke that’s been on ice most of this season and helping propel the Hawks to a 117-110 win over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Stoudamire could have pouted his way through the rest of this season, wishing he were somewhere else.
But he chose a different path. He chose redemption Friday, and the Hawks were the primary beneficiaries of Stoudamire’s undeniable professionalism.
“The cream always rises to the top,” Stoudamire said after his 18-point showing off the bench, he made six of his 11 shots from the floor. “My main thing today was to come in and not focus so much on offense and making sure I made an impact on the game. I came in basically trying to defend because I know my offense will take care of itself. I just have to be on the floor an extended amount of time.”
That’s beene the toughest part Stoudamire, who credited Hawks assistant video coordinator John Beckett for helping keep him in shape with their furious one-on-one games after practices and before home games.
Stoudamire’s will to be factor Friday, though, resonated not only with his teammates but also his coaches.
“He was huge,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “He was obviously hungry to play. When he got in there he made plays. And he made shots and that’s the key to him being on the floor. And defensively, when they had mismatches against us, he was doing whatever it took to battle his way to an advantage. Again, he gave us a huge lift off the bench.”
Combine Stoudamire’s effort with the superior shot-making ability of both Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, and it’s no wonder the Hawks led the Warriors from wire-to-wire for the win, never allowing the Warriors to get closer than five points in the second half.
The work Stoudamire, Josh Childress and Jeremy Richardson (who hit a huge 3-pointer after the Warriors cut that lead to five) did was as crucial as anything done by anyone else the entire night.
“We had to pull Salim out of the deep freeze,” Johnson said smiling. “But he came in and played big for us. That’s how he has to play. He came in and made the defense stay honest and that opened things up for everybody else. It’s the same effect Mike has on the game in some ways. Shooters make defenses stay honest and when they start cheating one way it makes life a lot easier or everybody else because they stop helping.”
Stoudamire helped himself with his performance Friday. No one can justify keeping him off the floor, not when he’s doing damage the way he did against the Warriors.
“It’s a lot different when you know you’re going to play,” Stoudamire said. “You don’t put so much pressure on yourself to perform.”
It’s not broken
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SACRAMENTO - Acie Law IV said it before I could even ask.
“It’s not broken,” he said, holding up his right wrist, which was stuffed into a black brace like one of those chili dogs from the Varsity stuffed in a bun. “It was killing me last night, though. I could barely sleep. But I’m going to be fine. I’ll rest and then see how I feel [Friday] and kind of go from there.”
Law gave the Hawks a major scare Wednesday night when he hit the floor hard on a drive to the basket and came up clutching his wrist. He played a few more minutes, and even made plays, before giving way to Mike Bibby (whose bruised heel kept him on the sideline at practice Thursday, too) and heading to the locker room to let the doctors take a look.
But he insists that he will play again on this trip, which still has pit stops at Golden State (Friday), Utah (Saturday) and San Antonio (Monday).
How the Hawks are supposed to get by during this stretch with just one point guard is a mystery to me. Hawks coach Mike Woodson surveyed the bodies on the practice floor Thursday and probably wondered the same thing.
And while we were there, GMs around the league were busy working the phone lines trying to squeeze every last drop they could out of each other before the league’s trade deadline.
The Hawks were still working the phones as well. There were some rumblings that they might be involved in another minor deal, but I’ve had no confirmation that they were able to get it done. So stay tuned and I’ll update you later.
Don’t look now …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SACRAMENTO - When Acie Law IV walked across the floor in street clothes at the end of the Hawks’ 119-107 loss to the Kings, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He’d already scooted off to the locker room after injuring his right wrist late in the third quarter. But I figured he might have just tweaked it and needed a pack of ice or something.
It turns out things could be much dire than that. Law was headed off-site to get an MRI exam on that wrist, the same one that cost him time earlier this season and the same one that he’s had trouble with throughout his career (fearless as he is going to the basket, Law hasn’t figured out a way to brace himself on his falls back to earth and seems to always use that hand).
Hawks coach Mike Woodson insisted that anything said before the results are delivered Thursday afternoon would be nothing but speculation.
And with Mike Bibby nursing a bad heel, Speedy Claxton in Atlanta with a surgically repaired knee and now Law with the wrist, the Hawks’ point guard situation is back in the crosshairs - this four days after the trade for Bibby was supposed to solve all these problems.
“We’ve just got to wait and see,” Woodson said when I asked him if they were worried that Law broke his wrist. “It could be. It’s a possibility We’ll just have to see how the results come out.”
If that’s the case, the Hawks will have to scramble to find depth at the position.
“We don’t know, we’re going to have to go out and find someone, maybe in the D-League,” Woodson said, again playing the speculation game. “Right now we just don’t know. We’re just speculating until the results come out.”
Bibby says he’s playing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SACRAMENTO - Despite being listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game against his former team, Hawks point guard Mike Bibby said he will play tonight when the Hawks and Kings tip it up at Arco Arena.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson wasn’t as confident before the Hawks’ morning shootaround. But Bibby put any worries to rest afterwards.
“I’ll be ready to go,” he said as a swarm of local media surrounded him on his first trip back here since being traded to the Hawks Saturday.
Bibby hurt his right heel in third quarter against the Lakers and did not return to the game. He was on the floor during shootaround, but going half speed and wearing warm ups and a t-shirt instead of his practice gear.
Woodson said that if Bibby wasn’t able to play that rookie Acie Law IV would get the starting nod (a moot point now).
Law was actually one of the few bright spots for the Hawks Tuesday, scoring a career-high 16 points in 32 minutes of relief action.
In fact, the Hawks’ bench helped make things somewhat respectable with their second half effort against the Lakers. Josh Childress piled up 16 points and Zaza Pachulia 12 and 12 rebounds. Jeremy Richardson added eight, including making both of his 3-point shot attempts.
I know it may be tough for people to grasp this concept, but the Hawks have to lean on these cats now more than ever. They not only have to play a huge role, they have to play increased and consistent minutes to develop any sort of chemistry as a unit.
Without them playing at their helter-skelter best, it’s going to be a monumental task trying dig back into the playoff mix for the remainder of this season.
And doing that requires Woodson putting trust and some serious faith in his reserves to do the jobs they’re being paid for.
WIPE OUT!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Close your eyes and pretend you’re somewhere else for the next two hours and than you’ll know how the Hawks felt Tuesday night.
The complete and total wipe out that was their 122-93 loss to the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers (fine, it wasn’t Showtime but it felt like it at times) at STAPLES Center ruined Mike Bibby’s Hawks debut.
It did make for a perfect night of celeb watching at the one arena that houses more of them than any other. But even the stars felt sorry for the Hawks, who got caught with a few left hooks early and went the canvas shortly thereafter.
The only reason no one stopped this thing before it got out of hand is because it was out of hand from the start.
Bibby even bruised his right heel in the third quarter, making all the fuss about his arrival as the Hawks’ true point guard, seem like nothing but hype.
Granted, it’s not fair to judge Bibby after just 24 hours with his new team. And honest to goodness, you couldn’t have asked for a more pressure packed situation to go into - being traded over All-Star Weekend and then having to battle the Lakers in their first home game after an extended road trip.
Bibby’s listed as day-to-day, but it’ll take an act of congress to keep him off the floor at Arco Arena for the Hawks-Sacramento Kings game (also known as Tradegate).
“It’s tough,” Bibby said after the game, his right foot drowning in a bucket of ice. “We’ve been together for about 24 hours. It’s my second day with the guys. It’ll come. The good thing is we get to get it back [Wednesday].”
Had I been barking orders at the Hawks, they’d have had to get it back Tuesday night. You can’t let anyone push you around the way the Lakers did and not expect everyone else that’s going to see you on this five-game road trip to try and do you the same way.
The Kings want a piece of you. So do the Warriors, Jazz and Spurs. Everybody is going to attack the Hawks the same way, with pressure, physical play and relentlessly.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said his team didn’t compete in the first half. Ya think? I don’t ever remember a team being down 41 points in the first half of game that didn’t involve the Washington Generals.
It was as stunning as anything I’ve ever seen.
That’s why it’s hard for me to pin too much of this on Bibby.
“In fairness to Mike,” Woodson said, “it’s going to take him some time. And unfortunately, we don’t have time. The clock is ticking on us staying in the [Eastern Conference playoff] hunt.”
The one worry I had about the move to get Bibby, and there was only concern I had, is if came too late. The Hawks needed a change a month ago, three weeks ago, a West Coast road trip ago.
It didn’t happen. And the Hawks might be kicking themselves for not acting sooner come mid-April.
In the meantime, the Hawks have to pop their chemistry in a microwave safe dish and cook it on high for 10 minutes. And don’t even bother letting it cool. They have to learn each other on the fly or surrender their playoff dreams to the scrap heap that is the Hawks’ recent past.
That said, one game with the new crew might be too soon to make lasting judgments (and I’d have said the same thing had the Hawks won Tuesday).
And this is most certainly a new crew. “Not just because of Mike,” Josh Smith said. “We’ve got guys who have been here who haven’t played and are in new roles now, so everybody has to make an adjustment when you are a new team. And when your name is called you have to respond.”
Again, one game is too soon to tell.
“One game is not enough,” Josh Childress said. “As this trip goes on, we’ll see how good this team can be. But we need more than one practice and one game to get it all together.”
No, we’re not related
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Normally, I’d spend a few minutes bragging on LA, my favorite city on the planet outside of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Smyrna, but I’m going to spare you all this time.
Rest assured that LA, the city and it’s fine people, is fine as ever. Like I always say when I’m here, 18,000 people can’t possibly be wrong about a place.
But instead of one of my usual, meandering deals about life on the road in the NBA, I’m going to yap basketball for the umpteenth day in a row (sooner or later we’re going to stray off topic, for real).
So, I had a funny phone exchange after practice yesterday.
“You and Dale Davis must be cousins after what you wrote [Monday],” the cat on the other end of the phone said to me, he was joking, of course.
I had to laugh myself.
No, we’re not related. But Dale is one of my favorite dudes out there, active or not. And more importantly, he represents the type of player this Hawks team so desperately needs to complete what started over the weekend with the Mike Bibby trade.
After watching these guys practice for the first time it became painfully obvious to me that Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia and Solomon Jones comprise the entire frontcourt rotation the Hawks will use for the final 33 games of this season - starting with tonight’s game against the Lakers - and possibly beyond.
That’s not going to get it, folks. There has to be at least one more addition to this roster (Jeremy Richardson, who looked really good during practice and should ease into the playing rotation immediately as a backup to both Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson) in the form of a big man.
It wouldn’t matter to me who it is, since I don’t have any decision-making power at my own house let alone with these Hawks.
But that won’t stop me from waxing poetic about the candidates that would fit best, IMHO.
The other names tossed about Monday (by me and the other non-factors in the decision making process I spoke to) include P.J. Brown, Justin Williams, Kevin Willis, Jamaal Magloire, Jeff Foster, Jahidi White, Jelani McCoy, Josh Boone, Francisco Elson and my personal favorite Aaron Williams (while not nearly as big a cult-favorite of mine as Luke Ridnour once was but surely one of my favorite no-nonsense players of all time).
Cases can be made for and against just about every guy on the list. I’ll concentrate strictly on my man Aaron Williams, though.
Aaron Williams is on someone else’s roster right now (the Clippers), so snagging him would obviously be the most complicated move for the Hawks - who for the time being are short on useful trade assets with no draft picks, no expiring contracts and no real player you can deem expendable now that the roster has been crunched to just 12 active (Speedy Claxton, as well know, is out) players.
The Hawks are in a tough situation now because adding another player to the roster forces them over the salary cap - uncharted territory for a team that for the longest time has one of the sweetest salary structures in the league.
Some creative action will be required to add the right player to the mix for the Hawks, whose best hope might be to wait out Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and see who is left without a team in the aftermath and then pounce.
I don’t know if the Hawks will be able to get it done, adding another quality player to this roster, or not. We probably won’t know for sure until Thursday, so they’ll have to face the Lakers and Kings (Wednesday) with what they’ve got right now.
Back to the grind
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UNDISCLOSED AIRPORT LOCATION - I’ll keep this brief since this is a travel day.
Now that the shine of the Hawks’ big weekend trade (in case you were in the Fulton County lock up over the weekend they swapped T. Lue, Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a second round draft pick for former Sacramento PG Mike Bibby) is fading a bit, it’s time to get back to the nuts and bolts of their playoff campaign (I’m a political nut right now with all this Obama-Clinton drama, sorry).
There are roster spots to be filled and I’ve got names, one that my spies tell me is set to join the team and one that I think they need to get to join the team.
You might remember Jeremy Richardson, the guy the Hawks had up on a couple of 10-day contracts last season that really showed some potential. Well, my people tell me that he’ll join them once again, fresh off his MVP showing in New Orleans in the D-League All-Star showcase.
He’s a good shooter, from mid-range and certainly beyond the 3-point line. And he has good size. He’s also familiar with the Hawks and the way they do business, on and off the court, so he could make a rather seamless transition on the Hawks’ Western Conference road swing.
That takes care of another shooter/scorer with some size.
Now the Hawks have to find another big body to fill out the frontcourt rotation.
They already have the young, athletic cats everyone wishes they had in Josh Smith, Al Horford, Solomon Jones and even Zaza Pachulia (don’t hate on Z, the Hawks are going to need him if they want to make the playoffs).
Now they need a bruiser, a 6-11, 275-pound security blanket with experience and the understanding that his role might be limited depending on the situation. He also has to be a guy that can come in and contribute on the fly.
Now the Hawks could wait and see how things shake out by Thursday’s trade deadline and hope that a big man shakes off the tree somewhere else. Or they can scan the back alleys for a quality big man that has slipped through the cracks (good luck with that one).
Me, I’d check a little closer to home. In fact, I saw a guy who would be a perfect fit just two weeks ago when the Pistons were in town. And he’s a guy who fits the Hawks’ needs perfectly.
Anybody got a number for Dale Davis?
I’ll check back from practice in LA later today, Bibby could be on the floor with his new teammates by then. Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the meantime, because you might have a better candidate for that 14th roster spot than I do.
Big thangs poppin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW ORLEANS - You’ve had your fun here over the years lumping up Billy Knight’s dome for not drafting this guy and not making that trade, criticisms Knight has never once complained about to me or anyone else that I know of.
He’s Hammer tonight, though, “can’t touch this.”
Because he pulled off the deal of deals for Mike Bibby, swapping him for three expiring contracts (Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson and Lorenzen Wright), Shelden Williams and a second round draft pick.
In essence, Knight just traded Shelden Williams (who absolutely had no future with the Hawks with Josh Smith and Al Horford already set as two of the league’s best young big men) for one of the league’s top 10 point guards (and yes, I already went through the list).
Uh, where do I sign?
Bottom line, Bibby’s a monster. He always has been and always will be, mostly because he’s one of the few cats in the league who not only embraces performing in pressure-packed situations, he thrives on being the man in those situations.
The Hawks needed a point guard like him more than I think anyone realized, well everyone but All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson - whose repeated calls for the franchise to do the right thing and add another veteran threat at a premium position were finally answered.
But when the details of the deal started percolating in Blog-Z’s world (that would be Thursday night, long before it became clear that this thing would get done All-Star Weekend), it was still a tricky proposition.
Would the Hawks spend the cash needed to get a guy making $14.5 million next season? And would they be willing to part with those valuable expiring contracts that can come in handy as the trade deadline draws near?
Yes and uh, yessssirrrr!
The Hawks were ready to deal. More importantly, Knight was ready to make deals. When he pulled me aside weeks ago (at practice in Seattle during the first West Coast trip) and told me I was on the money in a previous blog where I suspected the Hawks were actively pursuing a smashing trade because they were curiously absent from the rumor mill, I knew something was afoot.
But I honestly had no idea he was talking about a move this startling (you have to understand that Cleveland has been after Bibby for almost two years now, believing that he’s the perfect fit with their All-Star, LeBron James).
Keeping the core in place is just another byproduct of shrewd dealing, because the Hawks fielded calls from all over the league for guys like Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams. Some of us (yeah, I’m guilty, too) would have buckled and sent one of them packing for something much less than Bibby, for the sake of change.
Knight, love him or hate him, has never been accused of being a conformist. He did it his way and smoked the competition, snatching Bibby away while the rest of the league was focused on Jason Kidd and the other blockbuster deals involving Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal.
Knight also has the unique distinction of having traded (when he was an exec with the Grizzlies) and traded for (Saturday) the same player. Bibby was three years into his career when Knight sent him to Sacramento for Jason Williams.
For all the hype that surrounded Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic on those playoff teams that pressed deep into the Western Conference playoffs in Sacramento, Bibby was the catalyst. He was the guy that ran those teams. If you don’t believe it, just look at his playoff stats (averaged 17.9 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.6 rpg and 1.5 spg (.418 FG%, .366 3FG%, .836 FT%). And he led the Kings to the Western Conference Finals in 2001-02 averaging 20.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.8 rpg and 1.4 spg (.444 FG%, .424 3FG%, .826 FT%) in 16 playoff games).
That, my friends, is balling!
Bibby can score at a high level (he averaged 21.2 points per game just two years ago). And he can dish at a high level (he averaged more than 8.0 assists per game twice in his career). The fact that can do both at the same time is what makes him so valuable to the Hawks right now.
They needed a leader, a guy that would come in and take control of this team and alleviate the pressure on JJ, allowing him to play his game and face fewer gimmick defense designed to stop him.
They got what they needed in Bibby.
And they got him for next to nothing, thanks to the GM you love to hate.
Trade rumblings and Big Al shining
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW ORLEANS - With a plethora of the things to blog about from the Crescent City on All-Star Weekend, leave it up to me to hit you with some scraps of what I’m hearing about the Hawks.
Yeah, those same Hawks you’re beefin’ with right now over that 0-4 slide heading into the ASW.
Word is they’ve got something brewing, a trade that could drastically change the look of this team heading into this week’s Western Conference road trip and beyond.
It wouldn’t be right to share details right now. Not with the particulars still somewhat murky and no deal officially done (what I can tell you is that not all the talent is heading to the Western Conference. Some of it might head East).
But if you come here anytime over the weekend, there will be updates. Seriously, I wouldn’t leave you hanging after this type of build up. And if the deal I’ve heard rumblings about doesn’t happen, I’m going break it down for you as well.
What I can tell you is this, after all the moaning and groaning that’s gone on around here over the Hawks sitting on their nest and not seeking out a spark to shake things up a bit, there appears to be a serious roster shake up on the horizon. And I mean SERIOUS!
Seriously, it’ll be worth checking in this weekend to see if the thing comes together.
Sights and sounds from the Big Easy on Friday:
Al Horford was the picture of efficiency in the Rookie Challenge, piling up 19 points and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes and 21 seconds of action. He shot a smooth 8-for-10 from the floor and handled his business. Very impressive. And there isn’t a person here who doesn’t think this kid will spend a few All-Star Weekends in the future in uniform. And Big Al was more than happy to represent for the city of Atlanta and the Hawks. “I think it helps just to get the name out there - the Atlanta Hawks organization,” he said of he and Joe Johnson’s obligation this weekend. “I’m very proud to represent it and so is Joe Johnson. I feel like coming to a game like this gives us confidence going into the second half of the season.”
Cleveland guard Daniel Gibson shot the lights out in the Sophomore’s 136-109 win. He was a stunning 11-for-20 from beyond the 3-point line (and 11-for-20 from the floor). It was insane. LeBron James wouldn’t sit down during the dazzling show, jumping to his feet every time Gibson drainer another shot. “Yeah, it was unbelievable,” Gibson said. “It was special. I never imagined. I never dreamed that I would come out and shoot the ball as well as I did in an environment and atmosphere like that. So right now I really don’t know what to say.” Hope he saved some of that mojo for Saturday’s 3-point shootout. But he wasn’t alone Friday. The second year guys shot a wicked 17-for-32 from deep, amazing even in a game where Horford and Paul Millsap were the only dudes even attempting to play defense.
The folks questioning Joe Johnson’s credentials as an All-Star better not ask his teammates here if they think he deserves it. They scoffed at the idea that he’s here on credit (he got shafted last year and wasn’t included until Jason Kidd got hurt and had to bow out) rather than merit. It was quite interesting the way they rallied to his defense when the questions (not necessarily from me but from other journalists, many from abroad) about whether he belonged cranked up.
As impressive, athletically, as some of these first and second year players looked, there has to be a better way to stage this type of game. I don’t have any fresh suggestions. But it’s getting uglier and uglier by the year. The rookies have lost six straight, and counting.
One last thing. Talk about putting your front office on the spot. Check out Carmelo Anthony’s response when asked (not by me, there was a swarm of journalists around every player during Friday’s media availability session) what he thought about all the trades taking place in the Western Conference? “I’m just waiting for my phone to ring and see what we are going to do,” he said. “The West is getting back to the way it used to be. The Western Conference race is tough right now even for us because we are in the ninth spot I think, so we are trying for eighth. It’s going to come down to the last game in the season I can tell you that. Every team in the West has a chance to make the playoffs”
Lost in space
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NOTE OF APOLOGY FROM BLOG-Z: This post should have been filed early Wednesday morning but your trusted scribe had his day interrupted by an early morning flight, a Josh Childress sighting at the Charlotte airport (no trade, dude has a sore knee and was sent back to Atlanta to get it checked out), more blockbuster trade news (J-Kidd to Dallas for a group of players) and then a lunch meeting with the boys at Mert’s, one of the finest soul food spots in the Queen City. Next time you’re here, check it out. The beef tips and rice, mac and cheese and collard greens were off the charts … and now back to our regularly scheduled program.
CHARLOTTE - If you’ve gotten that Groundhog Day feeling about this Hawks season you can join the rest of us in the “Why do we keep doing this?” support group now.
Because last night’s 94-90 loss to the Pistons solidified things for me in that regard. The Hawks, as Dennis Green famously said, are who we thought they were (or however the phrase goes).
And the Hawks let the Pistons off the hook last night. They let ‘em off the hook. Because the one thing the mighty Pistons aren’t fabulous at (and there aren’t many items on that list) is transition basketball. Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and the rest of their frontcourt rotation isn’t built for an up-tempo game.
But the Hawks couldn’t (continue) to take advantage of that after they ran their way back into the game in the third quarter. To some it’s become almost too painful to watch, the Hawks abandoning what works best in favor for whatever the opposition dictates late in games.
The scramble for answers after yet another deflating loss has spread throughout the hall of Blog-Z’s house. Some of my main men (good to see you at the game last night fellas) strolled down courtside at the end of the game to share their pain. And all you can do is nod your head in agreement and acknowledge that you’ve seen the exact same things they have.
That end of game visit led me to a quest for answer of my own. I had to seek out someone with a different perspective to help shed some light on things for me. So I staked out the corridors of Philips Arena long after the game was over and cornered an Eastern Conference scout I’ve known, and respected, for years.
We talked Pistons and Hawks, comparing the team that knew exactly how to win that game last night (the Pistons) and the team that had no clue how to win the game last night (the Hawks).
“Depth, balance and Mr. Big shot,” he told me, “that’s the difference between winning these games and losing these games. Detroit’s depth is so good that they can rest their big guns for nice stretches, whether they’re playing well or not, and know that they are going to be fresh in the fourth quarter. The minute he made that first, contested, 3-pointer, I knew it was over. He’s an assassin in the last three minutes of a close game.”
BLOG-Z: I hear you, but what are the Hawks missing that doesn’t allow them to win these kinds of games? Because there are tons of teams that don’t have a point guard the caliber of Billups.
MY GUY:“You have to understand, what they’ve done in Detroit is beyond comprehension. To be able to build a team that has a first and second unit that complement each other that well nowadays … Joe Dumars is the best in the business, bar none. People can continue their love affair with guys like Brian Colangelo and some of these other hot shot GMs. But what have any of those guys won? For my money, what Dumars has done here and what the guys in San Antonio have done, it just doesn’t get any better. Look at Detroit’s second unit. Rodney Stuckey is a young monster. He’s like a younger version of Chauncey. Aaron Afflalo has been better than anyone expected. Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are fantastic young talents. And the beauty of it all is that they’re nasty guys. They play with an edge, a swagger and a physical style that they could only have learned from those first line guys in a championship organization.
BZ: You don’t see that same nastiness in the Hawks young cats?
MG: Not in all of them. Josh Smith and Al Horford have. I don’t know that these other young guys are cut from that same mold. Josh Smith is a beast. And if he was on a team like Detroit, he’d be flat out ridiculous. Because as good as he is, he’s never played with the kind of veterans that could teach him the tricks of the trade and provide him with the kind of insights and examples to take full advantage of the physical gifts he’s already tapped into. Horford’s a young beast as well. He’s by far the best rookie in the league. It’s not even a good debate. He held his own out there tonight, and dominated the action in spurts. Against two of the best and most skilled and experienced bigs in Rasheed [Wallace] and [Antonio] McDyess. The best thing that happened for the Pistons is the Hawks going away from pushing the ball and featuring those kids in the fourth quarter. But believe me when I tell you, there isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t want either one of those young kids right now. They’re the cornerstones there, they have to be.
BZ: You don’t sound as in love with the Hawks’ core as some other people I’ve talked to, who think that this group has to be kept intact?
MG: We’ve talked about this before, man. Josh, Horford and Joe Johnson are keepers. That’s your core. Everybody else … well, I can see you moving just about anybody else on that roster to get what you need to get better. That’s just the way good teams do business.
BZ: So you’re still high on Joe Johnson? A lot of people are down on him because his production is on a steady decline but he looks dog tired to me.
MG: [Four letter word I can’t write without getting a pink-slip] right I’m still high on him. He’s struggling because the Hawks have riding him like a pack mule. Nobody can play 40-plus minutes like this year after year. He looks like he’s running on empty to me. It’s a valiant effort, but he’s beat up pretty bad. That should be obvious to anybody that’s watching. But who’s his back up? Where’s his help? They can’t stretch the floor at all, so teams are able to squeeze him out of his preferred spots on the floor and force him into the areas where he doesn’t have the room to make plays. Get him some rest, and a little help, and he’ll be fine.
BZ: What’s the most glaring spot, in need of help, in your eyes?
MG: If you just watch the game last night and take that as a sample, they just don’t have enough quality shooters on the floor at any one time to really put any pressure on you defensively. When Smith and Horford are rebounding and doing what they do, that puts pressure on you. And if Joe is making shots, that’s an extra wrinkle that can cause you some concern. But they don’t have enough good shooters to beat you in a half court game. So you keep them from running and play possession for possession and you should generally be able to match up with them and from there, it’s anybody’s game. But there’s no doubt a shooter is the most glaring need. They probably need a guy that space the floor and then a big man who can face up and play the pick-and-pop game, too.
BZ: Most people around here (Atlanta) would scream about a point guard and a big man. Are they missing something that you see?
MG: Everybody in the league that doesn’t have a marquee point guard could use one. And yeah, the easy answer is the Hawks should have drafted Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams, Brandon Roy instead of Shelden Williams and the top of the Eastern Conference would be Boston, Detroit, Atlanta and then everybody else. There’s no doubt about that. But that’s not what happened. Acie Law is going to be fine in time. But they have to bring him along better than they have. He looks lost out there. And when you look at him and then look at Stuckey, it’s clear that one guy is playing with a certain confidence and swagger and the other guy is not. That’s about development more than it is anything else. Stuckey has the luxury of playing behind and learning from one of the best in the league in Billups. So there’s really no pressure on him. I don’t think Acie has that luxury. I also don’t think he’s allowed the same freedoms. It makes a difference. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.
BZ: Cool, last question. Do you think the Hawks make the playoffs or not?
MG: I just don’t see it happening right now, not without some serious tweaks. They’ve got too much dead weight on the end of that bench to make a significant move [in the standings]. They’ve got guys that don’t give them anything. And they’re not good enough to play seven or eight guys every night and keep up the pace. They’ve already fallen all the way back to the pack. So now every night is either a step forward or a step backward. Philly, Chicago and Indy are lurking. And I think Chicago and Indy are better teams, when all things are equal, so that could be a huge problem. Without help, I have hard time seeing this team all of sudden change its stripes and start doing things they haven’t previously done. It’s a nice dream to hang on to, but you could get lost in space waiting on that to happen in real life. If you don’t pull the trigger on something, a trade or something, you’ll just continue to sink. Because these guys are playing at their max most nights and it’s still not good enough.
None of this helps the Hawks tonight against the Bobcats in a game that, based on the past three games and the schedule ahead, shapes up as perhaps the most crucial of the season for the cats from Hawksville. But I thought it was worth sharing for those of you who might be interested in an outsider’s take on these things.
The cutting room floor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - Since we’re dealing with a finite amount of space in the newspaper business, I can’t always deliver the entire scope of what I’m trying to present in printed form.
And that’s where this trusty friend to us all comes through, day after day, blog after blog.
Before I forget, though, let me tell you about funny.
This afternoon’s popcorn extravaganza was one of the funnier situations I’ve encountered with this team this season. I think it was an ingenious move by the veterans to stir things up with some playful (although, I’m not sure the victims of the prank laughed as hard as the rest of us) jabs from teammates to teammate to lighten the mood.
You have to do something to break up the monotony, and sometimes I guess it takes a ton of popcorn to do that. So be it. Just stay away from the Blog-Z mobile, because salty popcorn on the seats of a ’78 Pacer isn’t a good look.
But back to the things that land on the cutting room floor. I’ve had a few items the past couple of days that just never saw the light of day. But they are getting a second chance now:
FUNNY BUSINESS: The Hawks’ stat crew isn’t the only one in the league I’m keeping an eye on. In Houston the other night I counted Josh Smith with at least two blocks in the first half and yet when the half time box scores were passed out, he had a big fat goose egg in the blocks column. (A scout from an Eastern Conference power sitting nearby chastised me for caring about something like that, but I’m a historian at heart, and I don’t want the record skewed one way or the other, plus dude is a hater anyway - and you know who you are!). I brought it to the attention of the Hawks’ PR staff during the game and he asked the Rockets why Smith wasn’t credited with those blocks and got a rather dubious response. On the first one, a block of Yao Ming on a turnaround jumper that you could see clear from Shanghai, he was told that the ball bounced off the side of the backboard. Of course it did, because Josh swatted it there. On the second, a block of a Tracy McGrady dunk attempt on a fast break that certainly happened high above the official’s vantage point on the ground, it was decided that the ball simply slipped out of McGrady’s hand. Whatever. The Houston stat crew is on my watch list from now on.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE: Smith was one of the few voices of restraint Monday when I quizzed a few guys about changes being made to the make-up of this team. I didn’t go at anyone with loaded questions or anything. I explained to them the premise of my story (can anyone trust this team that hasn’t won consistently over the past three and a half years to all of a sudden just wake up and get it now?) and made sure they understood that I was asking the question without having a predetermined angle I was working. “We’re still growing,” Smith told me. “We’re still maturing. We’re still trying to figure out how to win and how to win together. We’re young and extremely talented but we haven’t gotten to the point where we can come in real confident and know that we’re going to be in every ball game. We just haven’t gotten there yet.” Interesting.
NOT AFRAID OF CHANGE: Hawks coach Mike Woodson had some candid responses to my questions as well. But due to space constraints, those comments can only be read here. I referenced the Suns busting up the core of a perennial Western Conference power to add Shaq and asked if that makes teams like the Hawks question if it’s time to consider major moves as well. “I think anytime is a good time to consider all your options,” Woodson told me. “You have to explore it all, because we’re not Phoenix. We haven’t won 60 games. If you’re talking about wanting to win and really get better as a team, every year you have to explore those options. And we probably need to do so more now than ever, because we’re pretty close in terms of turning the corner with this team.
“You figure if you add a piece or two that can put you over the hump, that’s what you have to do. I don’t think you do it just to be doing it. But if something makes sense, you’ve got to do it.”
I also asked him if he understood why it’s so hard for fans to trust that this team, as presently constituted, could “figure it out” now if they haven’t been able to for three-plus years . “And we’re not there yet. We’re not at that point. We’ve been maintaining. But I want to see us go up the leader board. We’ve been maintaining at this same spot for the last, almost two months. And it is attainable, to go up. We’re what, 4½ games from the fourth spot? But that said, it’s just as easy to go up as it is to go down. So you have to be careful.”
WHAT I REALLY THINK: I’ve been getting hammered around here and beyond for not “telling people what I really think” about this team. Josh Childress informed me that he was at a function over the weekend where someone was knocking me for not letting it all out (never mind knocking team, crack the poor beat writer). I disagree (we’re allowed to do that around here, by the way). Most days I feel like I’ve probably said too much about “what I really think” and not allowed for enough of your opinions and insights. So in an effort to stir a diversity of quality opinions, I’ll occasionally open the floor to this forum to you and allow you stir the pot on a particular day. One of the most polarizing, well-read and (for the most part) well-respected members of the family will be first up. So be ready to pull a similar shark attack on him when his ditty pops up here in the next 24-48 hours.
OUCH!!!: If you all didn’t understand the true, biting nature of what you bring to the entire process, just let the venom of Stoned Mountain sum it all up for you. The subject line of his email read “Pranks.” And it got nastier from there.
“The prank I want to read about is where Woody tries the office door and his key doesn’t work anymore.”
He didn’t even finish it off with a smiley face or anything.
That’s cold, man.
So cold!
Are you in the ZONE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Houston - I’ve never really sorted through my feelings on zone defenses and where they fit in the NBA, but if ever there was the need for one it’s here at Toyota Center tonight.
The Rockets are so much bigger and taller than the Hawks it’s stunning to see in person. Yao Ming is the almighty biggest dude you’ve ever seen. Shaquille O’Neal used to own that title (and he’s still a behemoth).
But Yao has assumed his own place among the NBA’s all-time jaw-dropping physical mysteries. He’s nothing short of gargantuan. And the only way I see the Hawks having any chance of dealing with the Rockets tonight is to zone this thing up and trick the Rockets into falling in love with jump shots instead of pounding the Hawks inside, where the Rockets had more than just the Yao advantage.
Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes and Bonzi Wells might actually more effective inside against the Hawks than even Yao.
All are rugged brutes that aren’t afraid of contact and have read the scouting report that highlights the Hawks’ deficiencies in that area (save for Josh Smith and Al Horford, the Hawks don’t have an interior defender that makes an opposing player even think of hesitating on forays to the rim).
It’s already 40-24 here, just a couple minutes into the second quarter. But I can see a trend here and it’s not going to be pretty for the Hawks.
Abbreviated action
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - Every day I come here bent on keeping my yapping to a minimum and every single day it seems like I ended up failing. So I will try my best to keep my point brief, leaving more time and space for you to weigh in, of course.
After watching the Hawks rise up and stun the Lakers last night I have but a few thoughts still bouncing around the dome:
I hope the folks at the trophy shop haven’t already etched Kevin Durant’s name on that Rookie of the Year trophy. It belongs to Al Horford. He’s earned it. And it shouldn’t even be a close. If you don’t think so, do some research on the rookie forwards over the past 20 years that have averaged 10 rebounds per game. The list goes about three deep and young Al is on pace to be the third.
If there is a better young tandem of frontcourt players anywhere other than Portland than the Hawks have in Josh Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams, I’d love to see them. Smith and Horford are two of the best and most active rebounding and shot blocking young forwards on the planet. Throw them together and on a good night, they’ll outplay just about anyone that doesn’t match their energy, length and athleticism. For whatever deficiencies the Hawks still have (shooters, shooters, shooters) they’ve got some keepers in these young cats.
Tyronn Lue’s getting old, huh? Well, every time you’re ready to write this guy off he shows up big the way he did Wednesday night. Admit it, he’s the lil’ dude you love to hate. You probably don’t even know why. But I’ll take him on my squad. He’s like one of those supposedly over the hill quarterbacks who always get a chance to play late in the NFL season and everyone is stunned he’s still so effective. Dude’s a gamer. And when he’s healthy, there are few more effective pick-and-pop players you could have.
Not everything here today will be glowing (one huge win doesn’t erase all the funky stuff). I still think the Hawks have to address their glaring needs in the shooting and big man department. There was a time last night when the Hawks were teetering on the brink of being blown out because they simply ran out of gas during a stretch when the Lakers’ second-teamers were on the floor running them ragged. Luckily, a timeout came and allowed them a couple minutes to catch their breath. But these lingering depth issues have to be resolved in time for not only the stretch run of this season, but also for a potential playoff run.
I can’t say that I ever remember being in an arena that was more titled against the home team that Philips was last night. I’m dumbfounded, even four years into this thing, that this still happens here. I guess I shouldn’t be, considering the venom that’s spewed about this team on a daily basis. But what I don’t get is why anyone would root against these players? The front office, the coaches and management is understandable. They get clowned in every city. But for the arena to be 80/20 Lakers is just comically sad. You expect the Kobe lovers to be out when he’s in town. But I had no idea Luke Walton, Vlad Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar had groupies in the A!
How’s that for keeping it brief?
Wild Wednesday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - Super Tuesday is a wrap.
So welcome to Wild Wednesday, in the NBA and beyond.
In LA, no one’s talking about Obama or Clinton. They’re talking about Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal, and for very good reason.
One of those giants was the linchpin to three championship runs for Lakers fans, the other guy could be the linchpin to future championship runs.
Either way, it’s a sickening sight to see the rich continue to get richer in the NBA.
If Shaq is traded to Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks - whatever shape he’s in, last time I checked just having Shaq on your roster guarantees you’ll get a step or two closer to the NBA Finals - it’s just another blow struck by the privileged (and won’t it be interesting to see how nifty the Miami Heat look without the big fella around to blame for all their mess).
The Lakers already were on pace to be a handful for someone in the playoffs. With Gasol in the fold, they look like true contenders for the Western Conference title and beyond. I don’t know that Gasol can handle the Tim Duncans and Amare Stoudemires of the world, but it doesn’t hurt to have him trying instead of Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.
Watching Gasol do work (24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists) on the Nets last night reminded me of a conversation I had with Joe Johnson during training camp. We were discussing the rumors about the Hawks chasing Gasol in a trade. And I asked JJ if he thought Gasol would really help or if he was too soft.
He wanted to fight me for having the nerve to ask such a question. The short version of his answer was that anytime a player draws double teams inside, he helps everyone else out tremendously. He opens the floor for everyone else and wreaks havoc on an opposing defense, which then has to compensate for him on every possession.
Gasol’s finest qualities were being camouflaged in Memphis earlier this season. But the for the people who know his game best (opposing players come up big here) and those who have watched him dominate during international competition for years, any success he has in LA won’t come as a surprise.
I feel like a busta (careful, throwback reference for all you jokers born after 1980) for even questioning whether or not he could have made the Hawks (or any other team as desperate for a low-post presence) a better team.
… and on to assorted other topics:
I wrestled with my own conscience over the past 48 hours regarding how to adequately describe to people what it’s like chronicling the early stages of Josh Smith’s career without being too over the top about what you see on a nightly basis. I thought Andre Iguodala put things into perfect words regarding young Mr. Smith after he choked the life out of the Sixers Monday night when he said, “He is one of those rare players. Nobody in the league is doing what he is doing, concerning scoring, rebounding, blocking shots, and getting assists and steals.” When you factor in that Josh would be just a senior in college in the previous (before KG) era, it’s even more frightening to think what could be ahead for this cat. Because as hard as he works now, he’s only going to keep improving in every aspect of his game in the years to come. I wrote before this season how ill advised I thought it was for the Hawks to allow both and Josh Childress to become restricted free agents at the end of this season. I was too nice. In retrospect, it was an error of (as Silky Johnson would say) epic proportions (it’s funnier out loud when you’re doing your best impersonation of the King of Haters). The Hawks would be smiling all the way to the bank if they’d have locked young fella up with an offer of say $11 million per season and then he continued to blossom the way he has this year. Instead, they’ll have to wrestle the bears that come along this summer (and please believe that the bears will be hunting for him the second free agency starts). Again, the Hawks made an error of epic proportions by not taking care of this business before the season. I know folks in Boston will go bananas when I say this, but if Kevin Garnett needs an injury replacement for the All-Star Game, Josh Smith should be that dude. My boy Marc Spears (who covers the Celtics for the Boston Globe) says this could set off a second riot in Boston (after the Patriots’ fall from grace Sunday, he said this would just be cruel and unusual punishment to not add Ray Allen in place of KG). “You can’t have a team with the best record in the league with just one All-Star in the game,” Spears said. “With all due respect to Josh, who deserves to be an All-Star too, it’s a matter of circumstance that won’t work in his favor, unless somebody else gets hurt.”
My college football Jones has kicked into high gear today (Ash Wednesday/Signing Day for all you catholic school refugees like me), but I’m doing my very best suppress the urge to spend the rest of our time here yakking about it. But my boys are closing strong this morning - we’ve snatched a few kids from other schools that will keep me smiling for at least two or three days - and if we get Terrelle Pryor, watch out!!!!!!!
The trade winds have to be kicking up with great force in the anticipation of that Shaq deal going down. What that means for the teams like the Hawks remains a bit murky. But if a shooter is what the Hawks desire, then a shooter shouldn’t be that hard to find. The sticking point then becomes how much they want to spend on a quality shooter/scorer. I don’t know that there’s a cap on what I’d spend to solidify my team’s playoff position. But it ain’t my money, ha. But dream up your list of the best cats for the job and tell me what you’d do. Me, if Mike Miller’s available, I’d have to do whatever it took, within reason, to get him here. I’d need a proven guy, someone who not only makes jump shots but also can score baskets in whatever way necessary. Miller’s also an underrated rebounded, defender and all around player (he averages 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, in case you were wondering).
What was that? You’re tired of my long-winded rants?
Fine.
I’ll leave you in peace until this afternoon. But I’ll be checking in every few minutes (in between stints on the recruiting web sites, to see if there are any suggestions for shooters that I’ve whiffed on.
5 Things (4 clarity’s sake)!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - I feel like I work for the Obama campaign, screaming for change around here all the time.
Well, it’s going to stop until something actually happens. My feelings on the Hawks’ situation have remained the same. Since early in the season I’ve argued that they needed more. Some of you agreed then. Some of you did not.
It seems now that we’re all in agreement (Saturday’s rout of New Jersey aside) that the only way to move forward is with some sort of substantive change. We’re down to 16 days, and counting, until the trade deadline. So we’ll see what happens.
In the meantime, there’s a pile of other issues I want to address that for various reasons I haven’t. So I’ll take that time this morning to give you whatever I can to clear up anything that might have been unclear:
- Have these Hawks quit on Mike Woodson?
I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me this question the past six weeks. The answer should be obvious (NO!). I think they’ve had the same doubts about Woodson and themselves that any team does when they’re struggling. But they’ve maintained a professionalism in the work they’ve put forth every night that is above reproach (can’t say the same for the Nets, who showed up the other night in full coach-killer mode, the same way they did a few years back when they got Byron Scott whacked). And believe me when I tell you that I’ve checked the pulse of this team routinely to see if they’d thrown in the towel on Woodson. They’re simply too proud for that. They want to make the playoffs too much to play that card. I also don’t think they’re the kind of bunch that would dog it on purpose (too many cats like Josh Smith, Al Horford, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson and the like just don’t operate like that). Another reason this hasn’t happened is because the Hawks’ locker room is devoid of a terrorizing force that can split the players in half (the pro Woodson crowd and the anti Woodson crowd). One guy like that can turn a locker room upside down in a situation like the one the Hawks are in now. I also believe that’s why the Hawks are being awful cautious (perhaps even overly cautious) about who they add and/or subtract from their mix right now.
- Why didn’t the Hawks get Pau Gasol, after all the Lakers gave up peanuts to get him?
The Hawks (along with the Chicago Bulls) were dangling from the Grizzlies’ string for at least a year in the Gasol talks. The one glitch for the Hawks is that they didn’t have that one big expiring contract the Grizzlies so desperately wanted (turns out the Lakers had Kwame Brown). All of the Hawks’ expiring contracts are $3.5 million or less, which isn’t good for working out blockbuster deals like the one that went down late last week. I guess the Hawks could have explored other options, including finding a third team to help facilitate that deal. That said, I’m still not sure the organization was willing to take on Gasol’s salary (some $45 million after this season) with all of their young players up for extensions over the next three seasons. There is another deal out there just waiting to be done. The Hawks have to sniff it out and make sure it works for them. Because they do have several salary combinations (take a guy that makes $4 million and another that makes $3.5 and you’ve got plenty work with) that should fetch the required pieces to help them solidify their playoff status.
- Have the Hawks overestimated their talent by keeping this roster together all this time or are they just stubborn?
All teams overvalue their talent until they are in dire straights. Then they start tossing lottery picks overboard as fast as they can. What the Hawks are guilty of is piling up too many like talents and not retooling soon enough. Somewhere along the way their balance got out of whack (you just can’t take as many 6-9 forwards as the Hawks have the past five years and expect to have the enough directors, shooters, defenders and other specialists on board). While everyone tends to point out the drafting of Marvin Williams over Chris Paul and Deron Williams as the Hawks’ most egregious draft-day gaffe, the Shelden Williams over Brandon Roy selection is far more costly right now. And that’s mostly because the Hawks landed Al Horford in the last draft. Roy was considered redundant when the Hawks were on the clock two drafts ago. But he was the best player in that draft and certainly could have paired with JJ to form a wicked backcourt combination. The folly in both those decisions is that the Hawks chose stick to their guns the first year by taking the best talent available (in 2005, anyone picking at No. 2 - save for our boy Ando - was prepared to take either Marvin Williams or Andrew Bogut, whichever one didn’t go No. 1 to Milwaukee) and then abandoned it a year later by passing on Roy and Rudy Gay, both of whom were ranked ahead of Shelden by everyone. Someone would have had to have been a pretty convincing orator to talk me out of taking Brandon Roy in favor of anyone in that draft.
- Who is most likely to get a new address by the trade deadline?
Honestly, it’s hard to tell right now. As the Gasol trade proved, the deals most likely to get done are the ones that are rarely rumored to be in the works. I think it’s safe to say that the Hawks’ needs, in order of importance, include 1) A shooter that allows them to spread the floor in the half court (a dude like Mike Miller or Jason Kapono) when things slow down. 2) Another big man to help ease the burden on Al Horford and Josh Smith over the course of the rest of the season (I’ll continue to tout guys like the Clippers’ Aaron Williams, the king of low-maintenance big men who come to work every night and do the dirty job few others relish doing) and potentially the playoffs. And 3) another shooter or big man, you can never have too many, to bolster whatever they find after completing No. 1. I’m sure you were expecting me to go off on another one of my Luke Ridnour tirades. Not today. I actually think the Hawks’ point guard rotation right now is workable. They’ll no doubt be under siege in a playoff series against a team like Detroit, with their guys having to match up with Chauncey Billups over the course of a seven-game series. But there isn’t another team, at least among the top three in the Eastern Conference, that poses that sort of threat. Neither Boston (Rajon Rondo) nor Orlando (presumably Jameer Nelson or Carlos Arroyo) strikes fear into anyone at point guard. If a marquee PG became available during trade talks, the Hawks would be foolish not to listen. Otherwise, address the more pressing needs first. And the Hawks need shooters and more quality big men in the worst way. To answer the original question, I’d say the cats most likely to need Three Men and a Truck on speed dial are Shelden, Salim Stoudamire and Zaza Pachulia (though, I could see keeping Zaza if he can continue to regain his form). Parting with others, though, might be necessary to get the quality of player you want in return.
- So Joe Johnson wasn’t totally off base earlier this season when he talked about the Hawks needing more?
Not only was he on-point, he had every right to speak his mind in that manner. And for the last time, I don’t think his comments were a dig at any of his current teammates. Any player in the league who has been on quality teams understands that it takes a cast of talented and specifically skilled individuals to make up the right mix. Opposing defenses feast on Johnson with double teams and by sagging off of other guys to make sure they don’t’ allow him to get rolling. It’s a tried and true strategy that has worked for anyone trying to limit a team with one, main catalyst. For a little more than two full seasons JJ was able to grind his way through the constant double-teaming. But the wear and tear of not only that focus on one end but having to be the Hawks’ defensive stopper, facilitator and Mr. Everything has taken its toll. Someone asked me after the Nets game why JJ can’t do it like Iverson, who also plays 40-plus minutes a night. Well, Iverson is (aside from being an absolute freak of nature) carrying 159 pounds on his frame, allowed to excuse himself from practice, plays alongside four (Carmelo, Camby and K-Mart) other All-Star caliber veterans, gets fouls only Jordan and DWade have gotten … and did I mention he’s a freak of nature. If you don’t think the glut of minutes wears on a guy just see how much different DWade looks now compared to two years ago. When a player totes the load the way he has, his body inevitably pays the price. That’s why the Hawks would be wise to find some relief ASAP, so JJ has the bounce they need come playoff time and beyond, when Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Josh Childress and the rest of these cats are moving into the next phase of their development. You want them all peaking, physically and otherwise, at the same time if you’re going to take full advantage of what this unique group of cats has to offer.
In closing, I want to welcome a new member to our ‘hood. Stoned Mountain (you gotta love that one) is a longtime, behind the scenes advisor to Blog Z who has only recently emerged from his shroud of secrecy to join us here on the public playground. Treat him like you treat everyone else here, hopefully with a little respect and your claws showing when you disagree, but also know that he is well informed about the things we speak of here. And he’ll finish you off with the quickness if you come at him weak.
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