AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 11
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
MIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HONEYCOMB HIDEOUT - Before the rumors start flowing like 3-pointers on the Hawks’ defense, let me warn you all now that the Writer-You-Love-to-Hate (Sekou K. Smith) is on hiatus until the weekend.
So save your clever theories about him being fired or tied up in the basement in Hawksville for writing stories that incensed certain factions of the power structure around the franchise (I know it’s a lot sexier to think that the powers that be are attempting to eliminate the negative voices of for the Hawks’ stretch run, but that’s now how it works around here).
It’s not that serious, folks, dude just needed a couple days off (he’d been going daily since January without a real breather). He’ll be MIA for a few days. That’s all.
With him gone, that opens the door for your boy Blog-to-the-Z to make a triumphant return to this space and offer up a few theories about what currently ails these Hawks as they try and belly crawl their way to the playoffs.
I had a late-night conversation with Killah (that’s what Sekou’s associates and enemies call him) after Monday’s loss to the Magic and for once, was free-flowing with information:
BLOG Z: Kid, what happened to Acie Law tonight? Why didn’t he play? KILLAH: Wish I knew. Mike Woodson talked like the guy was going to be out there before the game. I even whipped up a note (Hawks rookie point guard Acie Law IV finally made his return to action against the Magic. Law missed 10 straight games with a sprained right wrist suffered on a nasty fall during a Feb. 20 loss in Sacramento. Without his backup point guard available, Woodson has had to shuffle his lineup and squeeze more minutes out of some guys than was ideal. “I’ve got to start playing [Law] so I can maybe cut Bibby’s minutes down to about 30,” Woodson said. “I want to keep him fresher. He hasn’t had a real breather because we haven’t really had anybody behind him.” Bibby’s played on a bruised right heel since his opening night with the Hawks) that had to be punted when Acie stayed glued to the bench. They could have used him in the first half, though, when Bibby was struggling to find the rhythm that he found in the second half - when he helped shoot the Hawks back into the game.
BLOG-Z: What the HE-double-hockey-sticks is going defensively? These cats couldn’t stop running water last night. And it’s been this way almost every night since the All-Star break. Is it an effort problem or are they just that bad? KILLAH: It’s both. They’re not exactly designed for defense, and really never have been. They’re also not defending with the kind of fervor it takes to beat quality teams, or anyone for that matter. Part of it is a fatigue factor. So many of these guys have played monstrous minutes throughout this season, several of them completely out of position, and that takes a toll. Looking at the bodies of some of these young cats, they just seem to be worn slap out. They haven’t maintained that physical edge necessary to grind out wins this late in the year. And since the Hawks are without quality depth, particularly in the frontcourt, they’re going to be vulnerable on the defensive end against teams that can work both inside and out the way the Magic can.
BLOG-Z: You’re pointing fingers without actually pointing fingers right now huh? Just say what you mean. KILLAH: I hate to put one cat under my spotlight like that, but I keep going back to the magical disappearing act of Zaza Pachulia (last season and this one) as the reason the Hawks have become so much weaker inside. Zaza was a big lug his first year with the Hawks. He averaged 12 and 8 and gave them an inside presence when they had little else in the way of big men. But he’s been the invisible (6-11, 280-pound) man since then. Al Horford’s addition was supposed to be an upgrade in depth but instead of that happening, the rook has had to basically carry the load at center by himself. So the Hawks have basically played the last three seasons with just one serviceable center, with Horford’s season to date being the best performance of those three years. If Zaza was giving the Hawks just a glimpse of what he gave them two years ago, I think things would be drastically different inside. Instead, you’re watching a team every night that can’t afford to pick up two quick fouls on either Horford or Josh Smith, because their depth behind them is virtually non-existent. Most good teams in the league have a frontcourt rotation of five guys, that’s right, five quality players that can give them solid minutes every night if need be. The Hawks, right now, have two (in fairness to Solomon Jones, he hasn’t been seen on the floor until recently).
BLOG-Z: Well, that’s not Zaza and Solomon’s fault is it? Why didn’t the Hawks go out and find some more big men after the trade? KILLAH: Great question without a great answer. I asked about it, wrote about it and even suggested one (Dale Davis) in this space. But it never happened. So you can point fingers at management and ownership for not doing more after the trade to solidify the roster for a playoff run. But that still doesn’t absolve the players from crapping around when opportunity presents itself. Solomon gets a pass because he’s still a raw prospect trying to build up the physical strength and skills to compete at the NBA level. You can’t let Zaza off the hook like that. He’s been around the league (and pro basketball for that matter) for far too long. And he loves to bust my chops all the time about one thing or another, and I give it right back to him about this very subject. So it’s not like this is a surprise. His game has fallen off dramatically since he first sported that Hawks uniform, and no one has been able to figure out why? He’s the key right now. If he goes on a tear the rest of the way, the Hawks’ issues in the post could get solved. If not, well, you’ve watched them the last two months or so.
BLOG-Z: You were so stoked after the Bibby deal and now you’re basically saying it gutted the team, right? KILLAH: I’m still stoked about Bibby being on this team. Did you see him shooting the Hawks back into the game in the third quarter last night homey? He’s been playing on a bruised heel since he joined them and has been a warrior in that respect. But anytime you pull a four-for-one trade, there is some roster repair that has to be done. And the Hawks snagged Jeremy Richardson (a promising young prospect that should be a Hawk for years to come) and no one else. They needed another big to complete the roster and it never happened. Blame whomever you want (I tend to go for Hawks assistant general manager Gary Fitzsimmons for all things, just because he looks guilty and rarely has an alibi when crimes of roster inaction have been committed), but that’s just the truth. There were plenty of bigs available and the Hawks didn’t snag any of them, whatever their reasons were (an unwillingness to add even more salary would seem like the obvious answer, but no one is copping to that one).
BLOG-Z: Obama or Clinton? KILLAH: Come on man, Obama! Quit playing.
BLOG-Z: Ha. I knew it. So it’s not all Mike Woodson’s fault after all? He’s been getting a raw deal all this time hasn’t he? KILLAH: Don’t go there. He has to take his share of the blame, too. The job of a NBA coach is to make lemonade out of whatever beat up lemons he’s been dealt. And Woodson’s had some lemons in his time here. But the Hawks began this season with the best roster they’ve had during his tenure, and a team that even before the trade should have been playoff material in this disgustingly thin Eastern Conference. And somehow they were coming apart at the seams by New Year’s Eve. Woodson has to own some of that. And he’s the first to admit as much, which is admirable quality from a coach in this hypersensitive day and age of professional sports. But I don’t know that Woodson has exhausted all the possibilities with this roster in terms of how they’ve played and who has played. I think about a team like Philadelphia, a team that certainly isn’t any more talented than the Hawks, and how Mo Cheeks has managed to push the right buttons to get them rolling when they needed to, and it makes you cringe if you’re a Hawks fan. Philly shook up the starting lineup and the playing rotation and found just the right mix to get things going in the right direction. That type of bold, in-house shakeup just hasn’t happened with the Hawks.
BLOG-Z: You’re shootin’ all these arrows but last I checked, the Hawks are still locked into the eighth spot and primed for a first-round playoff fight with Boston. What you got to say about that? KILLAH: It’s day to day my man, day to day. But that’s what makes this season even more unnerving. The Hawks should already have their postseason slot locked up. There’s no way they should be playing do-or-die basketball every night the remainder of this season (and this thing could very well go down to the final week of the regular season). They were 15-12 at one point this season and now they’re just 26-37. Are you kidding me? That should be unacceptable to the Hawks. They haven’t had any major injuries (knock on wood) and haven’t endured any outside interferences like they have in past seasons. There’s no way they should be crawling to the finish the way they are now. Maybe they spoiled everyone early in the season playing over their heads and beating up on some of the league’s elite (usually when the elite had a player or two missing from the lineup). Maybe they overachieved so dramatically early on that we all got our expectations out of whack. But I’ll take a playoff series against anyone. Some playoffs are better than no playoffs, man. I’m crazy, but I’m no fool.
BLOG-Z: So are you really taking the next few days off or are you suspended or something and just using “taking days off” as an excuse? KILLAH: I’m really taking the days off. Everybody needs a breather sometime. Good grief … you know, I’m starting to think you’ve got beef with me. And that’s not cool. If you keep this up, sarcastically questioning everything I do and say, I’m going to have to dot your eye, son. I’m from Grand Rapids, home of Money Mayweather and lots of other cats that don’t take #*@! from nobody (plus I just finished watching the season finale of the Wire, so I’m on edge). So cool out, and I’ll get back to you in a few days.
