AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 29 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHope you made it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - To work, home, school or wherever it is you were headed this morning.
Having been in and out of Atlanta over the past three weeks, I was stunned to come home this past week and discover the gas crisis currently strangling us all in the metro area.
Let’s hope all the Hawks make it to media day this afternoon. With their first controversy free training camp in years just hours away, there’s no need for anyone to muddy up the waters by getting stranded on 75 with no gas (how much does it cost to fill up Range Rover anyway? I’m taking MARTA if necessary).
Seriously, though, how refreshing must it be for the Hawks (and all their fans) to have a team show up for training camp with a legitimate shot at making some noise (again) this season?
We haven’t been here in the recent past. What with coaching hot seats, contract extension drama and the obligatory injury news sorry Mr. Claxton) always dominating the headlines, it’s a new twist for the Hawks to show up so fresh and clean for camp.
The Hawks did take care of a little bit of housecleaning the past few days by exercising the contract options on both Al Horford and Acie Law IV and announcing the hiring of both Mark Price (shooting coach/consultant) and Duane Ferrell (player relations program manager), adding a decidedly Georgia Tech flavor to the operation.
Making the moves on Horford and Law was a no-brainer, and the organization is surely prepared to pay up for Horford in the near future (since he’ll command a huge raise in another year).
Adding both Price and Ferrell to the mix were shrewd moves as well. If you’re going to add a shooting “specialist” to your staff it usually helps if he was a sniper himself. And Price was one of the best of his era. Ferrell’s best work as a pro came in a Hawks’ uniform. He’s also a familiar face to folks around town who the Hawks will want to identify as fans now that they’ve actually got some ammunition to court them with (a trip to the playoffs, no matter how you come by it, is the right kind of fuel for a quick sales pitch).
The finalized training camp roster was also unveiled, and there were no surprises there either. I know they won’t actually hit the practice floor until tomorrow morning, but there are a couple of interesting training camp tussles on the horizon for this 18-man group that will interesting to watch.
Battle No. 1 - For the roster spot Mario West held down last season. Surely some people will assume that Thomas Gardner is a better shooter and a little bigger than West. But there’s more competition, namely from a rookie from Cal-State Fullerton by the name of Frank Robinson. According to many observers, he was tremendously impressive during workouts all summer (he was on the summer league team) and will make some noise in camp if given the opportunity. West is relentless and will wage a nasty campaign to hold on that spot. So expect fireworks for as long as the entire group remains intact.
Battle No. 2 - Everyone that’s seen Solomon Jones this summer and in particularly in recent weeks insist that this talk of his physical improvement isn’t just bluster. He’s coming into his own, from all accounts, and that means there is going to be some serious ‘bow throwing for those backup minutes at center and power forward. Zaza Pachulia and Randolph Morris are also in that mix. But there is no predetermined order here. It’s a wide-open race for those minutes and the most aggressive and consistent performer at the spot will win the role. Another boost, even if its just mental, is the four players on the roster listed at 6-10 or taller (Horford is on the borderline but we’re going with listed heights here). Olumide Oyedeji (6-10) and Marcus Hubbard (6-9) also push that envelope, though neither is expected to be around by the time the regular season starts.
Battle No. 3 - Mike Bibby owns the starting point guard spot but there is still some debate as to who will be his primary backup. Logic would dictate that Acie Law IV be the shoe-in candidate for the job. But Speedy Claxton, who appears to be fit to play after so many of us assumed his career was done last year, will have something to say about who plays where. And I continue to believe that Flip Murray could very well be the bailout plan (that was a cheap one, sorry, but I’m trying to stay on message here) at the point. Training camp is the time to discover all the possibilities at your disposal, making training camp an intriguing time for Hawks coach Mike Woodson and his staff.
Comments
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
good morning!! just wanted to be the first to blog!!
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
adding price and ferrell is a good addition, but if woody doesn’t listen to them what’s the difference.
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
i think that speedy is going to surprise a lot of us and i think that his play along with law will make bibby expendable for more valuable pieces at the trade deadline.
By Astro Joe
September 29, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Sekou, any truth to the rumor that the Hawks players and assistants will be staying at the Marriott Marquis during the veteran’s camp but that Sund insisted that Woody must stay at a Holiday Inn Express?
And while I have no earthly idea how much it costs to fill up a Range Rover, I know that my Pinto runs perfectly fine on 5 gallons of gasoline and 1 pint of Everclear. (And so do I, hiccup).
By @nd round
September 29, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Truck gonna pull it out, kid continues to amaze this city. #6 baby go RIO!
By Mychelfromatl
September 29, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
I can’t wait for this season to start. With the Falcons poised to be big-time losers this year, Georgia being backslapped by Alabama, and the Braves(Do they still play in Atlanta)?..The hawks is the team everyone now focuses on. I mean I just can’t wait to see that crazy atmosphere we had in the playoffs against Boston. All I have to say is let’s get this party started!!!
Rise Up
By Ariose
September 29, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Yup…..Good times…….except if you usee diesel lol.
By ken
September 29, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
Sekou: The correct spelling is “shoo-in” and it means the winner of a rigged race, one in which the finish is predetermined.
By Astro Joe
September 29, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
Doc, thanks for the link from a few days ago. It took me a while it recover from a sudden problem with vision, hairy palms and general fatigue. Still can’t figure out the cause of those bizarre symptoms. Anyway, headed to the drug store for more lotion. Chat later.
By Ariose
September 29, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this
More DIRT lol. Smoove asked about Rick Sund and his series’ agains Boston….
~Sir Links A Lot~
By Najeh Davenpoop
September 29, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
I am a huge Panthers fan.
By James Banks
September 29, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Sekou, Appreciate your up-dates and all that you do. I hope West makes the final 14 man roster—didn’t he bring serious hustle and intensity to the game whenever he hit the Court? Also glad to hear about Jones—hasn’t he needed to gain weight/strength to gain more playing time to display his shot-blocking/rebounding skills (much like GA Tech alum John Salley)?
Looking at the Hawks roster, couldn’t one posit that they are guard-heavy; with 4 PG’s (Bibby, Law, Claxton, Murray) and 2 SG’s (Johnson and Evans)? Given past performances, one could conclude that Smith and Horford, along with Williams and Jones, can adequately man the forward positions. Couldn’t one also posit that while Pachulia and Morris are fine as back-ups, there is still a major need for a starting Center?
Presenting those posits leads me to ask you this question Sekou, what are the chances that Bibby (because of his contract) or Law (if you’re going to keep Bibby) will be traded at mid-season, if not sooner, for a starting Center? While Horford has done yeoman’s work as an undersized Center (much like Amare Stoudamire)isn’t PF his true NBA position; given his size/height.
Isn’t it credible to believe that adding a true starting Center to go along with PF-Horford, SF-Smith, SG-Johnson and PG-Bibby or Law to go with a Second unit of: C-Pachulia/Morris, PF-Jones, SF-Williams, SG-Evans and PG-Murray/Claxton as the 12 man active roster could be a dangerous team that could go deep into the playoffs?
Thoughts?
By Ariose
September 29, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this
LOL @ Arstro Joe!!!
By I.MUS WRITE
September 29, 2008 11:36 AM | Link to this
Y would we trade Bibby when -Law has’nt shown much and is very turnover prone. Craig claxton is one hard cut away from injured reserve, thats nut IMO Bibby has defense issues but knows how to lead a team and he’s deadly from the perimeter. If we are gonna trade Bibbs for a center -Flip has to be our starting pg… start Acie and teams will sag off of him crowd the lane and dare him to shoot the jumper……Im not convinced that Flip shouldnt be the first pg off the bench anyway.
Mario?? I luv the dudes hustle and grittyness…….But I would prefer Gardner over him any day- Mario plays a whopping 2 minutes a game and its mostly at the end of quarters -How is that helping- Give me a guy that can flat out shoot the rock from deep.
Ant- U on it man…..Price was a great player/pg in this league. He really has the credentials to make our players better,but its all for nothing if Woody is still being stubborn and continues to ignore his assistants.
I think the real battle will be between Solo Morris and Zaza… I think thats plenty to back up Josh and Al we dont need any more stiffs brought in, The nigerian guy is enuff…… When is the open practice.
Clyde i was wrong guy -u shoulda took that bet …..what a sad weekend for georgia football…………Alabama looks like the real deal How the hell did we fall to number 11…..thats crazy….
By Ryder
September 29, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
I.MUS Georgia deserved to fall farther than that due to a pathetic showing….it’s just proof that they are not a great offensive team and Stafford is severely overrated, but enough of college FB…
…Astro Joe already in mid-season form with that crack about Woodson lol.
Seriously though, Sekou’s right. It’s about time we can discuss the team on the court as opposed to the front office problems off it. My question remains if there’s a report on the development of both Josh Smith and Marvin Williams, and if they are doing as Solo has putting on the pounds.
There shouldn’t even be a question about Acie backing up Bibby. Claxton has done NOTHING to warrant playing time. Sure he was injured, which isn’t all his fault, but the fact is that he should be relegated to third string/mop-up duty this year and prove he can stay healthy for a season. Perhaps then when/if Bibby leaves he can earn a backup spot.
By richbrave
September 29, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
NAJEH:
Quick. Ditch CAROLINA and adopt the team in the reeds, the bullrush FALCONS. Panthers on the way down. FALCONS growing feathers.
By richbrave
September 29, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this
JAMES B:
I would query - which one.? True centers who are highly effective seem to be in short supply in the NBA. I don’t think BIBBY would pry one lose.
By Aaron B
September 29, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
Its been so quiet in here lately, that I though Sekou died or something…
By Sekou K. Smith
September 29, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Alive and kicking Aaron B, alive and kicking. And Shoo-In it is Ken.
No way you trade Bibby and Acie this season James Banks. It makes no sense to move your two best point guards unless you’re getting a No. 1 PG in return. Hmmm … anyway, no way.
Astro Joe you are a cruel man. But you and others have made the valid point that I think we’ve all been working over between the ears this summer. Now that this team has finally broken through to the playoffs, Woody is going to have to show that he can be more flexible with what he does to maximize whatever the potential of this group might be.
We know this roster (or something that resembles it) can get to the playoffs and be competitive. The question is can you get more out of them? And the only person capable of providing that answer is Woody.
By I.MUS WRITE
September 29, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Richbrave - right on ….we are’nt gonna get a good center for jsut bibb’s expiring contract……No Yao,Howard or Bogut, no no no no!
Pryzbilla/Outlaw for ZAZA/Sppedy/Chills/2010 second……is more realistic
By Arsheezy!
September 29, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
SS:
I’ll be in the visitors side this year.
We’ll holla!
By jhan
September 29, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
James Banks - I think you are the first person (or the 100th?) to pose that question. I believe there are multiple blogs you can go back & read which will answer your question.
By newkid
September 29, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
A very happy new year to you Flash. Were you as blown away as I when listening to Prime Minister Olmert’s latest interview?
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 3:44 PM | Link to this
it seems like there is alot of “misremembering” going on. the hawks BACKED into the playoffs, the did not get there through their play. they got there cause indy could not pull their weight. as a matter of fact, they could have snatched a 6th seed had they beat philly twice. also, please remember that miami thrashed them, too.
yea, yea they took boston 7 games. the home games were electric but the road games were horrible.
like ken said in “yesterblog” woody did not “take” them nowhere near a playoffs. the players “took” him.
37 games will not, i repeat, 37 games will not “get” us in the playoffs this year. 37 wins was the lowest win total ever to make the playoffs.
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
be careful with the bibby thing. if he gets all of the minutes and then you have to trade then you will be left with guys who ain’t had much time.
but this bibby thing really pose as a serious problem. by keeping him, you are stunting the growth of law, which turns into a wasted pick
if you let bibby go, acie will “find” his way, eventually but at what cost? he has got to take the wheel and get his lumps now like rondo did and like tony parker did.
By Najeh Davenpoop
September 29, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Uh… the earlier post wasn’t by me.
By MsDee
September 29, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this
ant banks u may be right about us winning only 37 games and us just barely making it to the playoffs, but Woodson made a good point, “nobody has ever said you have to win a certain amount of games to get in the playoffs.” And since I’m on the # of games won and how it really doesnt matter, let’s look at those teams who had more regular season wins but less playoff games; Toronto won only “1” playoff game, Phx only “1”, Denver got “swept” by the Lakers…now all three teams had many more wins then we did but we took Boston to game 7. And Yes!! we got blasted all three games in Boston but how many other teams won in Boston other than Detroit’s only 1 win?? But then Boston did gained that back by winning in Detroit, so that’s a mute point. I’m saying all of this because the Hawks deserve the credit of playing well enough to make the playoffs and perform the way they did against the CHAMPS!! Now let’s continue this momentum into this season shall we!!
By MsDee
September 29, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
ant banks u may be right about us winning only 37 games and us just barely making it to the playoffs, but Woodson made a good point, “nobody has ever said you have to win a certain amount of games to get in the playoffs.” And since I’m on the # of games won and how it really doesnt matter, let’s look at those teams who had more regular season wins but less playoff games; Toronto won only “1” playoff game, Phx only “1”, Denver got “swept” by the Lakers…now all three teams had many more wins then we did but we took Boston to game 7. And Yes!! we got blasted all three games in Boston but how many other teams won in Boston other than Detroit’s only 1 win?? But then Boston did gained that back by winning in Detroit, so that’s a mute point. I’m saying all of this because the Hawks deserve the credit of playing well enough to make the playoffs and perform the way they did against the CHAMPS!! Now let’s continue this momentum into this season shall we!!
By TheHawksFan
September 29, 2008 5:21 PM | Link to this
Its ONNN AGAIN!!! Longg wait but its Finally here! JJ Primed for All Star status and Bibby HEALTHY. They are the meat n potatoes of this team. BUT same as last year. WE HAVE TO RUNNNN! No other way around it. Our Frontline should be OK. Going big with Josh Al and Za Za will work. Talk about battles Roster spots??? What about for PT period??? I would pay to see some of this action. Speedy will surprise some I think. Mario West’s earned his spot last year, he will do it again this year. Flip and Mo are strong additions. I really want to see where Acie is at more than anything though. Im really pulling for him. GOOOO Hawks!!!!
By cp
September 29, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
Im ready for the season to start. Im going to have to get NBA league pass again since direct tv wont show the games yet I can go to a friends house 10 minutes away and watch. Hopefully Woodson shows he finally gets it this year. Its nice to have depth and good assistants but if Woody goes Mike Knapp again this year it wont matter.
By ray
September 29, 2008 6:13 PM | Link to this
The Daily News
You can definitely tell what time of year it is.
Astro Joe is in hilarious midseason form. Keep ‘em rollin’ Joe. Oh, and is that Jergens lotion or Jerkins? Had to ask….
Aaron B says it was so quiet that he thought Sekou had died. Hell, I ain’t seen Aaron B in so long, I thought he died! Welcome back bro’!
Our spies tell us they know Ant Banks’ real identity. Or at least they have it narrowed down. He must be Creflo A. Dollar or somebody…’cause ain’t nobody preached that much truth since Billy Graham….I have to echo I.Mus on that one.
Sources say that local entrepreneur Clyde has a new t-shirt slogan, but he’s not revealing it yet. ” Not till the time is right” is all he would say. Clyde, the famous maker of the “Fire Billy and Woody” t-shirts, is thought of as the main reason for Billy Knight’s sudden resignation at season’s end. *”Hey man, if you got a guy who can make enough money off of t-shirts that say you need to be fired, that he can go to Rio for vacation…it’s time to get out of the game”, Knight said.
Sources also say that Knight and Woodson had a secret bet between them. If the team made the playoffs, Woodson would shave his head. If the organization let Woodson keep his job, then Knight would shave his head. Apparently, Knight saw the writing on the wall…or at least on that memo sent by Michael Gearon Jr. Anything to save the Afro….
Meanwhile, The Blog Crimes Unit has been active in covert operations. Director of Internal Intelligence I.MUS WRITE has been conducting his usual missions. Salimfan, code name Ariose, a.k.a Sir Linksalot has been recognized for his outstanding mission execution in the field of external intelligence. He is now promoted to Senior field agent and team leader. I’m telling you, this guy is the Jack Bauer of links, capable of unearthing the hardest to find info…
By richbrave
September 29, 2008 6:16 PM | Link to this
O-o-o RYDER:
Harsh words for the WOODEN-one and such hostility!!!! VENT BRO’ I hear ya’. As I am a rookie HAWKS follower, I must see for myself what ‘09 brings in the way of game management in regard to MW. I thought some of his body of work against the WIZARDS very good in ‘08, but the WIZ have serious match-up problems with the HAWKS anyway. So that might be on the players and nothing the coach figured out. Anyway good to share some insight for the B-Ball franchise and some upbeat sightings for the FALCONS. Looks like at least one bird is beginning to stir in ATLANTA.
By richbrave
September 29, 2008 7:22 PM | Link to this
W-o-o-o ray:
“You kill me man, you really do. No, no, there’s two O’s in goose boys.” Fall down funny my man. After the blood on Wall Street, its good to get out that tension with your GREAT news and lotion. Best headlines in the country. DAMM.
By Samuel
September 29, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this
Cuz,
I’m glad you cleared that up about our PG situation. Mike Bibby is THE MAN period. Everybody else is competing for backup.
You guys keep talking about Bibby as if he’s an old man or something. The guy is 30 years old. Younger than Jason Kidd(3/23/78), Kevin Garnett(5/19/76), Ray Allen (7/20/75), C Billips(9/25/76), R Hamilton(2/14/78), A. Jamison(6/12/76), R. Wallace(9/17/74), Steve Nash(2/7/74), Tim Duncan(4/25/76) and AI (7/7/75). He’s 3 months older than Kobe and 1 month older than Dirk.
I don’t hear anybody saying these guys are over the hill and that their teams should trade them.
Mike Bibby is a player, period. Sure he has played in up tempo systems but that doesn’t mean that he can’t play half court basketball if necessary. Players usually get smarter with age and experience.
I really continues to make me question whether you are really Hawks Fans. If you want the best for your team. You don’t advocate trading one of your best players and you definitely don’t bet they don’t make the playoffs even though they have as good a chance as any other teams competing for the spot.
I say again, Miami has a rookie coach and two immature rookies in their starting line up. Chicago has a rookie head coach, a rookie quarterback, a p** off Gordon, and an entire roster who is doubting themselves right now. New Jersey lost two of their best players and a rookie center who is soft as Twinkie filling as Cuz says. Indy has nothing. Fire Larry Legend. Washington has a legend who may be done for. Milwakee should be better but with Scott Skiles, you never know. I could see Charlie V pulling a Spreewell on Scotty by midseason.
The Hawks are set. We can do this.
By kirknga
September 29, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this
Good to see the anticipation grow as the season draws closer. Much more positive vibe than what was evident this summer.
I have to agree with the fan above about Bibby. I’ve said for some time now that he is one of the better PG in the league and the Hawks aren’t going to trade him this year unless the season becomes a disaster. In fact, I believe if anyone is to leave this season it will be Woodson.
The Hawks return a deeper team than last season, surely that versatility will be a factor as we get deeper into the season. All in all a descent offseason.
By Melvin
September 29, 2008 11:04 PM | Link to this
I guess it’s official. Childress is not welcome back to Hawksville now that Evans will be sporting his jersey for the next 2 or 3 yrs..
By ant banks
September 29, 2008 11:11 PM | Link to this
ray you need to fill-in for sekou when he takes these long hiatus.
msdee i feel you. i am a hawks fan and supporter, i just want us to keep it real
damn dem boys looked good on the media day picture. they look ready!! i am geeked.
keys to our success
woody has got to “LISTEN” to his assistant!! there is no way his assistants are not in his ear about the decisions that he makes. i am an assistant mgr. and i keep my boss informed. he trusts and listens to me though to make changes based on my suggestions.
the road woes killed us last year. we start the season on the road. if we go .500 on the road the 1st month and win home we should be around 9-6, which is good cause december we have a more home schedule.
we got finish games!! there were several games where it seems like we gave up. the FLIP/MO SQUAD will keep us in a bunch of games.
woody can not burn jj, bibby, and horford up in minutes like he did the latter part of the season. rotate the bench b-i-t-c-h
we got pack out all home games, like the boston series. the boys obviously feed off our energy!!
THOUGHTS?
By HB Ando
September 30, 2008 12:40 AM | Link to this
Ray, as a purchaser of one of Clyde’s classic T’s (OK, I used the HB Ando cred, and Clyde’s great nature, to get him to comp me one), I take minor umbrage with the suggestion that Clyde would receive primary credit for the evaporation of Billy Knight. Can a brother get some love?
Hey, no matter what the sport, or what the realistic playoff potential is, of any pro sports’ team, the preseason is all about optimism. So, after a summer of highlighting a wide range of considerations, that might minimize said optimism, I’m ready to simply watch some hoops.
There’s not a point that can be made, about this upcoming Hawks team, that hasn’t been beaten to death over the course of the summer.
doc, I’ve come to you, for treatment of pain, and all you did was stick me with needles, never mentioning that you supported the efficacy of marijuana for valid health concerns. I feel the error of your omission.
As a Georgia grad, I was pretty bummed Saturday night, but not particularly surprised. Playing without future NFL players, Sturdivant, Dent, Sutherlin and Ellerbee, the Dawgs simply aren’t as good as advertised. And Alabama is for real.
It’s not over for the Dawgs, if they can run the remaining schedule, and pay the Tide back, in the SEC championship game, but I honestly don’t expect that is too likely. Hopefully, though, Stafford will return for his senior season, and, if everyone returns/recovers (though I suspect Moreno will go pro, and I support the logic of that, given the short shelf life of most running backs), then next year should see Georgia back in the mix for the National title.
You just can’t lose your best lineman, from both sides of the ball, with both players projected as first-round NFL picks, and survive the toughest schedule in the country. ‘Bama dominated the trenches, as I feared they would, and is well-deserving of their #2 ranking.
I’d just like to see the Dawgs claw their way to the SEC game, and take another shot at the Tide. I think the winner of that game would be a legit opponent for what I think will be the Sooners, given what I’ve seen so far.
BTW, did I mention that there’s no way Bibby finishes this season in a Hawks’ uniform??
By James Banks
September 30, 2008 12:50 AM | Link to this
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner—work and an emergency came up.
Sekou, I said trade Bibby OR Law not Bibby and Law. Bibby is one of the better PG’s in the league but he’s 30 with an expiring contract. Kidd, Billups and Nash are 30 something PG’s who perform at an excellent level but have become more injury-prone since turning 30. Bibby’s expiring contract could be problematic for the Hawks and is an attractive asset for a team looking for salary cap relief . The reason I said to wait until mid-season before making a deal is because you never know who will become available in a trade as a season progresses (When last season started, no one predicted that Shaquille O’Neal would be traded at mid-season). Who knows what disgruntled big man will be available (and a great fit for the Hawks) later this season?
There is only one deal for which I’d pull the trigger right now—send Bibby to NY, send Zach Randolph to LA and send Marcus Camby to ATL. Camby, Horford, Smith, Johnson and Law—with Murray, Evans, Williams, Jones and Pachulia off the bench. Balance, youth and experience. Remember the reports about Law’s improvement since last year? Remember how second-year PG Rondo improved enough to lead the Celtics to the championship? Remember the major improvement made by Chris Paul and Deron Williams in their second year? You’ll still have a durable Flip Murray behind Law, even if Claxton cannot be counted on, and you can sign a veteran PG (think Damon Stoudamire) at mid-season if need be.
Trading Law, because of his limited experience, will only get you guys with questions such as Jeff Foster of Indiana, Tony Battie of Orlando or Etan Thomas of Washington—solid-quality guys but not stars. Any of these guys with Horford, Smith, Johnson and Bibby—with Murray, Evans, Williams, Jones and Pachulia off the bench also gives you balance, youth and experience.
At some point in time, the Hawks must address this question—will you re-sign Bibby to a contract extension later this season, trade him to get appropriate value or let him leave at the end of the season without compensation (and doesn’t GM Sund have to handle this better than he handled the Childress situation)?
And, if you re-sign Bibby, what does that mean for Law—other than being a back-up for the duration of the deal—and for Murray (who might be willing to be a back-up but is too talented to accept being a back-up to a back-up)?
Thoughts?
By HB Ando
September 30, 2008 12:53 AM | Link to this
One other thought: am I the only person who is struck by the idea that one of our new coaches, Price, would still be a better version of what we had hoped Salim would be, and, that Ferrell may still be a better defender, as the 3, than Marvin is right now?
Why don’t we go ahead and hire John Salley, Dennis Scott and Kenny Anderson?
And is it possible that if we did, our Georgia Tech coaching staff might actually be competitive with our starting lineup (and clearly better than our second team)?
‘Course the last time I saw Salley, in person, several years ago, he was polishing off a little sumpin’ sumpin’, in the second-level VIP section, at the Project Greenlight party, at the Sundance Film Festival. But hey, Josh Howard says all the guys do it (and doc seems to be a proponent, as well)…….
Just wondering…….
By blue hawk
September 30, 2008 2:12 AM | Link to this
training camp roster
photos from media day
let’s get it on!
By Najeh Davenpoop
September 30, 2008 2:44 AM | Link to this
“There is only one deal for which I’d pull the trigger right now—send Bibby to NY, send Zach Randolph to LA and send Marcus Camby to ATL.”
You know… I have seen a lot of idiotic trade proposals on this blog before which I usually ignore, but I gotta say, this one would actually be good for the Hawks as well as realistic for the other two parties involved. I don’t know if salaries match up (from what I remember Camby gets paid significantly less than Randolph and Bibby) but that would be pretty good all around. Maybe you should forward that to Rick Sund.
By Najeh Davenpoop
September 30, 2008 2:46 AM | Link to this
Co-sign the rest of James Banks’ post too.
By doc
September 30, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this
dern we sure do throw in the guilty by association dont we.
funny first it was samuel’s claims towrad me as a sniffer of ando, then the antagonist sems to say just because i am sitting next to one of the biggest tokers in the world i am a proponent. well at least ando and samuel have some similarities.
btw it was a political rally for legalization of pot and i didnt inhale.
By Dan
September 30, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
Sekou a month ago a report was that the Hawks were looking to acquire another BIG ? Is that still a possibility? Or was that just Fluff?
By Sekou K. Smith
September 30, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
No fluff Dan. But they’re in no rush. They have the luxury of seeing who falls off the training camp tree around the league and seeing if someone fits. If not, they can go into the season and see what opportunities arise prior to the trade deadline.
By Astro Joe
September 30, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
Sekou, that description sounds more like a back-of-the-bench type big man as opposed to someone who could truly affect player rotations.
I’m really looking forward to reading reports about the practices, who is showing new tricks, who looks physically different and if they guys appear ready for the season’s grind.
Sekou, was someone doing Ferrell’s job last year or is this a new position on the Hawks staff? And can you give us an example of the type of work a Player Relations Program Manager does? Is he the guy who supports players who attend community events around the city? Kind of a PR-manager type?
I’d also would love to hear about an after practice long-distance shooting competition between Dennis Scott, Mark Price, Mike Bibby, Thomas Gardner, Joe Johnson, Mo Evans and Josh Smith. (One of these things is not like the other, not like the other…)
By doc
September 30, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
er’ legalization of pot for MEDICINAL purposes. important for a doc to stay up to date on all advances of his science.
By doc
September 30, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
er’ legalization of pot for MEDICINAL purposes. important for a doc to stay up to date on all advances of his science.
By jhan
September 30, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
doc - I agree that you should stay up to date. Especially since you agree with dispensing “natural” remedies.
Can you get any more natural than marijuana?
By Ken Strickland
September 30, 2008 10:18 PM | Link to this
We’ll start this season establishing several first’s under Woodson.
(1)We’ll start the season without at least 1 rookie playing a prominent roll.
(2)We will start our 1st season with an established PG.
(3)We’ll return our starting 5 in tact.
(4)Our bench will be deep and have talented, versatile vets, instead of roster filling castoffs.
(5)We’ll start the season with very high expecttions after coming off a successful playoff run.
(6)The plsyers in out starting lineup will come in at or near their physical peak.
(7)Woodson will be expected to lead his players/team to a winning season and make the playoffs, instead of the other way around.
I’m looking forward to an eciting season.