Hawks

By Clyde

November 10, 2008 1:27 AM | Link to this

Flip Murray can play. He’s making Woody look like a genius.

My man Solomon Jones was on point tonight. He only needs to work on going up stronger in traffic. Other than that he hustled, got rebounds and altered shots. When Jsmooth gets back he needs to play them side by side more. It will be lights out in the paint then.

Zaza Pachulia missed a golden opportunity tonight. He proved to me he isn’t a starting center in the NBA. He’s a reserve at best. They need to give Solomon his money this summer.

Finally Horford gives us something on the defensive end. Let’s see if it continues. But there was a stretch when Solomon went out where Earl Watson was scoring at will in the paint.

ROLL TIDE!!! FRIED ALLIGATOR TASTES JUST LIKE CHICKEN

By stevo

November 10, 2008 1:31 AM | Link to this

i knew it was coming the whole time.

actually, what kills me is the fact that people could clearly see this was a youth pvement with players playing significant time in their teens, yet nobody allowed for the patience necessary to see the movement pay off. stupid people.

and while i am at it, i will add that one of my least favorite posters, because he is very dim, keeps talking about the payroll history of the current hawks ownership, as if they should be having a high payroll for yongsters in this obvious youth/rebuilding plan. the payroll history is meaningless in determining future outlays.

but i won’t expect some of you to understand this.

(heck, some of you still think salim should be starting or something for the hawks, and now we are hearing the same ridiculousness about randolph morris - how lowly drafted players who do nothing are pumped up into sleeping giants just waiting to be unleashed for the hawks with the right coaching insight is beyond me).

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 1:58 AM | Link to this

Clyde, I agree……..except for the Roll Tide part lol.

Stevo whats up man? LOl I know you’re a fan of Salim’s heh…..Don’t fight the feeling!!!! lol.

~SalimFan Sir Links A Lot~

By mred1943

November 10, 2008 4:26 AM | Link to this

sekou its good to see that billy knight’s

By mred1943

November 10, 2008 4:28 AM | Link to this

i am glad that billy knight’s players has started to mature

By Samuel

November 10, 2008 5:29 AM | Link to this

I’ll have to admit that I wouldn’t even have predicted 5-0 against the competition we’ve faced but if you’ve noticed my post since last year’s playoffs, I have consistently said that this team will be damn good this year.

I was very serious when I said that the Hawks finished the season THE SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE NBA. People laughed but they are proving it right now. Of course 82-0 is a pipe dream but I see no reason why this team can’t continue to play as well as they are right now.

The key will be defensive intensity. We came out like that last year but injuries and lack of dept kept us from sustaining it. We turned it back up in the playoffs and consequently we took Boston to the edge of defeat.

I was scared about last night’s game against OKC all day long. I actually didn’t get to watch the game. I had to get updates on my cell phone. You always worry about playing against a “lesser” opponent after big games. We grinded it out for a win and that’s all that matters.

You’ve got to give the credit for this team’s success to all involved. You can’t dismiss Billy Knight’s ability to visualize what could be with a bunch of athletic 6’9” guys and a defensive minded coach. I think his main fault was not being able to set a good overall atmosphere for success. Dude’s personality is seriously lacking and that’s not good when you’re dealing with people.

You definitely have to give Woody some major props for just being the stand up guy that he is and surviving all this. He’s never wavered. He sounds like a broken record sometimes; “If we just rebound and defend” we’ll be fine or something to that effect. It’s working to perfection (literally). Say what you want also about him not playing his bench but no good coach is going to play reserves that he doesn’t trust. The guys (Solo and Acie and others) just weren’t ready. This year they are and we got more guys he can trust and consequently the bench is getting time.

Rick Sund’s off season acquisitions of Flip Murray and Mo Evans were huge and letting Childress go was equally as important. Realistically, we needed more talent. Childress was pretty good but I don’t think you’ll get anybody to say that they’d rather have Childress than Flip and Mo based on the results thus far.

I really can’t see us crashing and burning this year baring a major catastrophe like multiple injuries (knock on wood) to major players. I never weighed in on a win total prediction but I did say that we could be good and we are.

By Hawks Fan In New Orleans

November 10, 2008 6:59 AM | Link to this

I’m dishing out props to: BK for laying down the vision and bringing pieces the likes of JJ, Horford and J Smoove into the fold - Sund for not overpay for Chill and bringing FlipMo into the fold - Coach Woodson for using his bench - JJ for being a relentless scorer and defender despite the non-calls - THE ENTIRE SQUAD FOR THEIR HUNGER, INTENSITY AND GROWTH AS A UNIT!

By WOW FLIP

November 10, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this

They better sign FLip Murray to an extension ASAP!!!!

By ant banks

November 10, 2008 8:06 AM | Link to this

sekou i have been sayin’ that we need to dish out praises for the longest. if we were 0-5, there would be tons of folks goin’ off on woody. but since the reverse has happend, woody ain’t gettin’ near as much praise.

By ant banks

November 10, 2008 8:09 AM | Link to this

it is obvious how much flip/mo squad means to our team. i just hope that we pay these guys their just do.

flip and maurice have bounced around the league, not because they can’t play, but because of their draft position. everybody thinks that they are not worth 4 or 5 mil.

By Aaron B

November 10, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this

I have to say, I am still a little nervous without Josh i nthe lineup. They did well sunday, but They need Josh now more than ever.

By Willie Coyote

November 10, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this

That 50-win thing doesn’t seem so far-fetched now. These guys do need to hit their freethrows better and find a way to score when the 3s don’t go down. Overall, I love the early statement they’ve made and I just hope they keep it up so they’ll be well-positioned in the playoff seeding at the end of the year.

By mavid

November 10, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this

Sekou Is there any chance the Hawks get in on the McDyess sweepstakes? Do you think it´s even a remote possibility? Seems like the big man Vet we need (altho it could mess up the psyche of Zaza and Solo, who would undoubtedly lose some minutes).

Just seems like the type of guy who could push us to the next level.

By HOME GROWN

November 10, 2008 8:50 AM | Link to this

Another win, and what was the catalyst? Defense and the bench. I can admit that my faith in Woody as a coach would not move mountains at first. I questioned why he wouldn’t play certain guys or make crazy subs in key situations (but that shows you who the coach is). I think that for as much criticism that Woody has taken, he needs some kudo’s now. There are only 2 teams in the league who are undefeated and Woody’s team is one. I will give credit. Flip and Mo have made a big difference too. Flip has given us a threat from the bench and he has done his job well. I like the upside of Solo Jones, my brother has been talking him up since he came back from camp stronger and more determined. What I have not heard is how much of a difference Mark Price has made with the shooting for this squad. Marvine Williams shooting the three, yes sir! That could be a major weapon in opening up the floor; winning games. That defense and a bench. Well done Hawks, well done indeed!

By Ron E.

November 10, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this

Repeat after me: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. Get back to me in 2-4 weeks when Josh Smith returns and then we can look at the Hawks’ record and judge what kind of team they are.

By The Truth

November 10, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

Sekou Do you know the terms of Flip contract? As I like at this link, the terms were not disclosed.

http://www.nba.com/news/murrayhawks080813.html?rss=true

If we haven’t already, we must tie him up long term. This guy is emerging as a major offensive threat. He will won’t to be compensated on par with his contribution. I hope he’s not working for peanuts.

By DHD

November 10, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this

It’s fun to compete again. that’s really all you ask of a team when it comes down to it. Just be in the playofff hunt and see what happens. We are there.

By Left knee hurts

November 10, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this

The win against the Thunder was a good road win especially b/c the Hawks were supposed to win that one. They let them back in the game in the 2nd qtr but Flip pulled it out in the 4th.

Good blocks by Big Al early. How do we stop a quick PG like Watson/Westbrook driving straight down the lane for a layup?

Marvin’s D this season is the best I’ve ever seen him play. He is also snatching boards out of the sky. I would like to see him move w/out the ball more. They seem to be spotting him up for the 3 all night.

By Sekou K. Smith

November 10, 2008 9:26 AM | Link to this

Doesn’t look like it Mavid. But I agree, a guy like McDyess is a huge pickup for any team trying to climb a notch higher.

Flip’s solid for two years, per my intel, The Truth. I’d already be working on his extension if I were his agent. Ha.

And DHD is on point. All you want to do is be in the hunt and see where you can make your best splash if you’re the Hawks. Anything above and beyond last season (record wise and in the playoffs) is progress.

By MsDee

November 10, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this

I am very proud of the Hawks and their accomplishments thus far. Each player is playing pretty well and Mike Woodson has also gotten better. But could u guys answer me a question..is it me or do Acie Law not have any plays ran for him?? I notice that Bibbly & Flip as ioslated plays for them where the lane opens up for them to create but when Law is in there, he has to immediately hand the ball over to Flip for him to create. Bibby has a high pick from Horford where he comes off to shot or dish to JJ. How come Law doesnt have that luxury? Or is it that Law isn’t calling those plays for himself…could u guys let me know how yall see it?

By The Truth

November 10, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this

**correction***

Sekou Do you know the terms of Flip contract? Has I like at this link, the terms were not disclosed.

This link

If we haven’t already, we must tie him up long term. This guy is emerging as a major offensive threat. He will want to be compensated. I hope he’s not working for peanuts.

By The Truth

November 10, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this

Sekou Thanks for the contract update. Yes, if I was his agent, I would do it now!

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 10, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this

Haha Samuel you got a shoutout in Mark Bradley’s links-collecting column today…

By ILL-logical

November 10, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this

The good news: Maybe,just maybe, we don’t need to trade for a starting 5; Solo may provide the answer with more time and experience.

The better news( except for the career of IC Flaws) is that Flip can handle the 1 in the crunch on BOTH ends of the court.

The best news is: As the confidence of the team grows, the “chemistry” grows as well so much so that when the slump occurs it will be seen as temporary and will end quickly and without concern for the long term success.

The next 3 years could be very, very exciting for professional basketball fans in the ATL.

By BASEBALL KEN

November 10, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this

Hey Sekou, Like you I’m still trying to figure the vibe for this team. I like Marvin’s effort this year (consistent mid-range j),like Solo effort (rebounding and D) ZaZa seems like he has embraced his role as the scoring BIG off the bench. Hawks starring 5 is sharing the ball with each other, like to see more off. sets for big Al. Hawks are a dangerous team, this year, I want to see how they perform on a back to back game nights , if the effort will still be there.

By bali

November 10, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this

what a nice article on the hawks. They really seem to be playing like a team. Congradulations to coach woodson who has stuck by the core group during some really bad times. I really think he deserves alot for the job he does day in and day out, reguarless of what some of the so called experts have written on this blog. Also I wonder if the loss of childress in a weird sort of way may have helped unify the Hawks. I know this streak cannot last forever, but it sure is nice while it lasts. Again , thanks for doing such a good job of keeping us informed on the day to day activities concerning the hawks

By BrittishAnger

November 10, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this

Great sneak out by the team tonight…but I feel like my same gripe would have led to some control of that situation….RANDOLPH MORRIS! Where was he? Was he not on the bench? Was he using some form of D&D invisibility spell? Holy Moses, does nobody have any faith in the kid? With the way Westbrook was crashing the lane out there, I figure the least you could do is try putting another big out there, if only on paint control, and if somebody knows the J-Smoove style enough to become a filler for it, Randolph would likely have bitten at the opportunity to prove himself and his critics wrong the same way the Hawks have to start the season . I’m upset about this, we go through the effort of getting a 4th big man to help us in situations like this, and we don’t play him? We needed his size just as much last night as we did against Bosh and his Raptors. What is Woodson hiding him for? What diabolical scheme is he holding back from us until the time is right? Sekou, ask Woody what’s the deal for me, I would be mad appreciative of it…

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

Great Win,

It obvious we had a bad shooting night, yet we still pulled out the win. Flip is doing an excellent job, but Mo has been off for a couple of games. I’m still waiting for him to have a break out game. He’s missed some key opportunities in the first five games. However, Flip has been consistent since he arrived.

I’m a big Acie advocate, but I am rather disappointed in his performance thus far. This kid Westbrook for okc has the makings of being a beast. Now I know why he was drafted so high. This is his first year and he looks better than Acie. I’ve asked Sekou several times what’s up with Speedy, yet he ignores my questions. I’m use to it, so I guess it’s personal. So I will ask one you regular bloggers to pose the question for me, perhaps he’ll respond to you. I think Speedy could really help this team out if he’s healthy. Speedy could definitely play better defense, and I think Speedy and Flip could thrive rather well together.

It’s good to see Horford block some shots. He needs to relax in more in the post; I wonder who’s working with our post players. None of them look comfortable in the post, on offense. Say what you want, but Randmo has the best post up game. He needs to show intensity. Solo is really looking good; I think with time he could average a double double.

Bibby (Consistency)? No defense!! The other team’s pg’s are having their way with us. JJ shouldn’t have to guard the other team’s pg, and carry the load on offense. Zaza he had an off game, but I think he will bounce back.

I don’t think you can blame Woody for a poor shooting night. His offense looked great in the other games. His offense really looks good when they are swinging the ball around during their offensive sets. The Hawks get into trouble when they go one on one.

This was a great win. Now the biggest test comes this week. We have our first back to back, with Boston on the tail end.

7-0 or 6-1 this has been a great start, and we’re winning on the road. What more can you ask for?

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

Great Win,

It obvious we had a bad shooting night, yet we still pulled out the win. Flip is doing an excellent job, but Mo has been off for a couple of games. I’m still waiting for him to have a break out game. He’s missed some key opportunities in the first five games. However, Flip has been consistent since he arrived.

I’m a big Acie advocate, but I am rather disappointed in his performance thus far. This kid Westbrook for okc has the makings of being a beast. Now I know why he was drafted so high. This is his first year and he looks better than Acie. I’ve asked Sekou several times what’s up with Speedy, yet he ignores my questions. I’m use to it, so I guess it’s personal. So I will ask one you regular bloggers to pose the question for me, perhaps he’ll respond to you. I think Speedy could really help this team out if he’s healthy. Speedy could definitely play better defense, and I think Speedy and Flip could thrive rather well together.

It’s good to see Horford block some shots. He needs to relax in more in the post; I wonder who’s working with our post players. None of them look comfortable in the post, on offense. Say what you want, but Randmo has the best post up game. He needs to show intensity. Solo is really looking good; I think with time he could average a double double.

Bibby (Consistency)? No defense!! The other team’s pg’s are having their way with us. JJ shouldn’t have to guard the other team’s pg, and carry the load on offense. Zaza he had an off game, but I think he will bounce back.

I don’t think you can blame Woody for a poor shooting night. His offense looked great in the other games. His offense really looks good when they are swinging the ball around during their offensive sets. The Hawks get into trouble when they go one on one.

This was a great win. Now the biggest test comes this week. We have our first back to back, with Boston on the tail end.

7-0 or 6-1 this has been a great start, and we’re winning on the road. What more can you ask for?

By Darrin "The Vent King"

November 10, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this

I want it to be known that I was one of the first to tell my buddies that Flip Murray (especially him) and Maurice Evans were the truth! I went on to tell and whine to them that I do not see how all the critics that blasted the Hawks as having goofed on letting J-Chill go and replacing him with TWO proven vets do not see how this makes this team better. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciated Chills contributions but it was for all the wrong reasons- our bench was ultra thin and alot of times he was being the all out energy guy that was trying to glue victories that would have been ours if we didn’t have to rely on the starters so much. It’s like with Alge Crumpler when MV7 was here- of course he’ll look like an all-world good TE if he was the main one MV7 was throwing to. With Chill, he looked great ( and was for us) because really he was all the bench we had, but now we have two REAL gamers coming off the bench plus the sleeping giants in both Zsa-Zsa and Soloman Jones that has awaken. With an ever improving Acie Law and a re-inspired Randolph Morris our bench is spelling the starters and boom now we have a team that doesn’t have to lean on Joe Johnson, J-Smoove, and the rest of the starters so much. And let me go ahead and say this (gulp!) maybe, just maybe I was wrong about Coach Woodson (man that was hard!). When I think about it, I can’t count the number of times my buddies and I used to joke the last few seasons about how if the NBA b-ball game was just three quarters the Hawks would be a dynasty. Now, and I don’t know why I didn’t see this before, I see that was happening because of our lack of bench strength. Come that last part of the second half of games and seasons for years the starters were getting gassed with no one coming off the bench to spell them throughout the game. It makes perfect sense now that we have a bench. I believe that along with that incredible Boston playoff series has made the guys believers in themselves. Now with the confidence of knowing that they have guys coming off the bench (and not just one in J-chill) the starters know they have a legit chance of becoming great. And Flip Murray has that type of swagger you only see on teams that win consistently, he is going for his no matter what- I luv that! One player that I notice all this is affecting most is Joe Johnson. As good as he is, I think he has been hesitant sometimes in the past because he knew it was all on him, but now I’m seeing him letting it rip more often than not and not being a victim of that pressure he was under the last few seasons to be the Hawks sole saviour and it has been a beautiful thing to see. Now, we may really see the truly great player he is now that he has been set free from all that pressure and as much as people complained- it’s going to be the best 70 mil this franchise has ever spent (no disrepect to Dominique of course). All in all, the bench problem being solved and that “coming of age” series vs the Boston little green men has transformed this team into something the rest of the NBA better watch out for. Last year was Rocky I where Balboa(Hawks) gave Apollo Creed (the Celtics) all they could handle and this year will be Rocky II and you all know how that one ended. Look out Apollo, we’re coming for ya!

GO HAWKS!!!

By Sekou K. Smith

November 10, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this

Sorry that I’ve ignored your repeated questions about Speedy, Lacsho, but he’s in street clothes every night. He’s not playing anytime soon from what I can tell. And I’ll refrain from going over his injury history again as to keep the peace around here.

But it’s nothing personal. I just missed it. My bad.

By MannyT

November 10, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

Oh Ando I see that some of the case for sharing the credit was already made in this blog by Sekou. Let me respond to your prior blog note and give my take at a fairer perspective on BK and why I am more accurate in my assessment

We often grade/judge folks based on how they do relative to others that hold those jobs. How often have you heard that the toughest coaching job is to be the one that replaces a legend? Who wants to be the next Tennessee women’s hoops coach? How do you think that person will be regarded? How easy was it for Mike Smith to step in with the Falcons? He is doing well, but did Bobby P. have something to do with that perception? Even in politics, didn’t the new guy make much of his case by linking his opponent to the current Pres? Even when I get my electricity bill, they compare to last month and last year. Which was a better boss/company for you…the current one or the prior one? Or did you not compare them? That pig won’t fly…even with lipstick.

As far as the core of the BK thing, my support for SteveT was relative to BKs work as compared to the people before and after him in the same job. Even though Babcock had better teams, his strength was clearly not drafting. That was a concern for BK as well, but he did much better than Babcock. I cannot disagree with the thought that the best GM for this team would be a blend of BK & Sund. The draft would still be shaky, but the other aspects would likely be solid if we got the correct mix. With the wrong mix it would implode…BK doing the interviews and either of them only drafting one main position over and over.

I believe I wrote Not that BK is the greatest, but he did a decent job of getting the core this team together.

Yes he had PG issues. Speedy hasn’t work out, but the move was a reasonable response for a coach that seems to shy away from young players. Claxton’s strength was defending the PG. With a small front court, that is exactly what you need for a defensive minded coach. Next he brought in AJ, who was not intended to be the starter, but he did a reasonably good job of it when you compare the record (grade) while he was here to that just before and after him recurring theme of evaluation…hmmm

BK also brought Bibby here. While we can argue the salary, the trade cost was very reasonable as an attempt to upgrade the PG position. As for managing the cap, the new Al (Marvin Williams) costs us a lot less than the old Al so far. That is one GM reason to get Marvin to replace Harrington. Not defending Marvin over the PGs, but recognizing a benefit of not keeping Harrington. With all the concern over ASG finances, I tip my cap to the guy who can improve the team on the cheap. (Sund also gets credit here for offseason moves on a budget.)

Sure you can call the Horford slot lucky, but there is some of that in sports. If we had gotten the top pick, Oden would have been the consensus choice. Thus far Oden would not have saved anyone’s job or made the team better due to his health issues. If we got the #2 pick, he may have selected Durant for the same reason Marvin was to be the player of the draft. At 3, the consensus choices were gone and he had to make a decision that would impact all the other draft boards. He could have gone in many directions with the #3. You recall all the debate around here (Conley, Yi, Noah)

I agree that the players deserve a lot of credit for the start of this season. I’ll even give Woody some respect for getting better. Sund gets a piece for improving the bench. It is not like he was distracted by the draft. And yes, BK gets a piece as well for creating the core of this team.

Lastly, while we do not know the details, BK left of his own accord. He could have been around for another season, but he decided that it was best for him to go given the situation at hand. I could almost say the same for Chills except for the point about quicker, less hostile negotiations getting him back in the fold. So be it.

We are all good, but I think I am on top of this one—BK is OK even with draft flaws. On to Chitown.

Let the good times roll!

BWAF

By MannyT

November 10, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this

Lacsho Coaching staff post work probably goes to Ty Hill. I think he has the role that Alton Lister had last season.

Maybe there is some transition. For the guys that have been in the system longer than Horford, it’s probably their 3rd big man coach in 3 years.

It’s unfortunate that Josh is out, but this does give Al an opportunity to spend time at the 4. Maybe he gets to expand his game a little more.

New problems create new opportunities.

Vent King The Chills issue generally comes down to having Chills AND other guys on the bench. If you could have this team with Chills, it might be even better. You will hear arguments about not paying him what he gets in Greece. The reality is that few if any folks said pay him Olympiacos money. Many said, if you had taken care of him sooner and with a softer negotiation style, he would have signed here for less before the Greeks got their offer on the table.

…and Lacsho, the link below is for you. The pose should look familiar. It’s not automatically good or bad, just habitual.

BWAF

By Blast

November 10, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

       HAWKS GAME NOTES:

Aaron B is right. The Hawks need Josh Smith really bad. Apart from his blocks, you could feel something (somebody?) missing from the game. There was a certain excitement that was lacking on the Hawks part, which I’d say comes from missing Josh’s hustle, his intensity, his steals and points. Hurry back, Josh, your team needs you.

People floating an 82-0 season about? Please forget it! Let’s root for 50 right now, which can be elevated if the Hawks keep wininng.

Woody deserves some praise. After years of hating, Woody deserve praise for how he has readied his team to play hard.

Solo is balling his azz off. I’m loving this kid.

What else can you say about Flip?

When the Thunder made their run in the second quarter and the Hawks couldn’t buy a basket, I never thought the Hawks were going to lose the game, even when OKC took the lead by the half. So supreme is my new found confidence for the Hawks that I knew they would win it. Last year, the Hawks would have lost that road game against a LESSER opponent but not this year, not this Hawks. When we took the lead in the fourth, I knew we weren’t giving it up. We blew so many lay-ups it wasn’t funny. We missed a bunch of free throws and we still won. This is so beautiful to see.

Go Hawks!

By MsDee

November 10, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

I really want this question answered for me..is it me or do Acie Law not have any plays ran for him?? I notice that Bibby & Flip has ioslated plays for them where the lane opens up for them to create but when Law is in there, he has to immediately hand the ball over to Flip for him to create. Bibby has a high pick from Horford where he comes off to shoot or dish to JJ. How come Law doesnt have that luxury? Or is it that Law isn’t calling those plays for himself…could u guys let me know how yall see it? I would like to hear your respond as well Sekou!!

By Sautee

November 10, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this

MannyT

In an unusual take, I find myself somewhat at odds with your defense of BK.

Please understand that this is NO defense of Babcock, who I thought was a terrible talent evaluator, but BK was dealt a pretty good hand as far as draft picks go.

Since 2004 he had Five lottery picks plus an additional pick at 17 (Josh Smith - his best “find”). Three of those lottery picks - Horford, Chills, and Marvin Williams have panned out to at least a decent degree. The other two, Sheldon Williams and Acie are so far disappointments.

Manny, I’ll have to say that you or I could have acquired that level of talent with that many high picks, if not better. Even Babcock might have.

And even then, he whiffed on S. Williams, which I know you do not deny. Or would you have picked him at #5? No, I know you would not.

The frustration at BK was no doubt exacerbated by his arrogance and refusal to be interviewed, but I still can’t see his record as laudable, given the numerous lottery picks.

I’d give him a C-. Not the F that Ando would assign, but no great shakes, being dealt that many high cards.

By STRETCH

November 10, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this

Nice to be able to start the season with Bibby and JJ. That foks is a nice veteran backcourt! And with Mo and Flip providing much needed veteran help off the bench, this team is and is showing that they are much better than last years squad!

Gotta keep Solo in the mix and get Morris going. That will help rest the bigs alot!

Need a steady 1-9 maybe 10 night in and night out. These guys have beaten 4 playoff teams and withstood everything thrown at them so far. Im impressed!

Whats up with Acie IV? And, can somebody, anybody tell me…how much longer is this organization going to put up with Speedy???

By TheAntiMe

November 10, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this

I thought that they would have a winning record, but 5-0, I didn’t see that coming. It just shows that working hard and staying focused will almost always lead to good, and sometimes great things.

These guys have been busting it from the first day of training camp and they trust and believe in one another. They deserve to be supported by every Hawks fan in the world. Especially those of us here in Georgia.

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this

Sekou

Thanks, I was hoping I didn’t p** you off with one of my suspect post. This is my favorite blog, and I appreciate the 411 you provide.

Manny

I almost dropped my laptop when I opened that link. Woody owns that Pose. Can Horford become a 20-10 guy? It’s seems like we’re trying to make a conscious effort to run more plays through the post. Perhaps I need to exhale and let Horford get accustomed to this new offense.

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this

Ms. Dee

That maybe the million dollar question. I’ve noticed the exact same thing. Sometimes Acie looks unsure, and it seems like he’s just following the script. Then there are other times he looks like the old Acie from college.

I did notice Woody is showing more patience with him.

By ray

November 10, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this

I’m not in the mood to be giving out praise all over the place. I’ve already done that, and it onlys sparks heated debates over old topics that are still haunting us. I’ll say this: Sund made good additions to the team on the cheap. To be absolutely honest, I looked a them as better bandaids for the inevitable bleeding that is to come (and it will happen from time to time as it does to all teams). Flip is doing for this team what he has done for others: score/make plays. Woody looks good while this team isn’t struggling. If it struggles, we’ll see just how good he looks. Same goes for the team itself.

A few points of observation:

I don’t think it’s fair to hound Zaza after one not-so-good game. He struggled because he was thrust into a role in which he does not excel. If you are now saying that Zaza has proven he’s not a starter, then you’re behind the 8-ball. He never was a starting-quality center in this league. Why is this a revelation now? Sure, he gave us a couple good years in that role, but we were still horrible and he still was not putting up “quality starting center” numbers, despite being the biggest guy on our starting five by far. The man has played quite well as a backup this preseason and this beginning of the regular season. Quit ripping him for not doing well in a spot he’s not supposed to be in.

I’m already tired of folks ripping on Acie Law as well. And not because he’s my favorite player or any other crap like that. It’s because some of the same damn people that keep on wanting to afford Marvin more time to develop, now going into his 4th year, do not want to afford the same for Acie in the beginning of his 2nd year. Some of the same people saying that Salim Stoudamire would be coming around the corner soon suddenly want to dump Acie. Oh, I just love hypocrisy. We all do, apparently. Comparing Acie to other young pgs is not entirely or completely fair for three reasons: coaching, playing time, and situational circumstances.

So we want to compare him to Russell Westbrook? Ok, you asked for it.

Let’s start with reason for being drafted. Acie was drafted as a pg, to help facilitate. He is in a situation where we have at least two established scorers (Josh Smith, Joe Johnson). A third was added last year (Mike Bibby) who just happened to become our starting pg, and a fourth was added this offseason (Flip Murray), who ironically….can play the pg when needed. Which of these guys is Acie going to take minutes, the ball, and shots from, eh? Oh please tell me, I’m dying to know. Bibby and JJ are givens as real shooters. Josh gets his touches as he is consistenly dangerous and capable of simply putting the ball in the hole. Flip was brought in to score. So where does Acie fit in, and when? When he’s on the floor, Flip usually is, too. And often JJ. And Josh. And Al. What’s Acie’s job now? I’ll tell you what it is: get the ball to Flip or JJ and let them run the offense. If the situation calls for it, get the ball to Smith or Horford instead. Play defense. Try to hit the open shot if the ball swings your way and you’re open (but don’t be looking for it).

Where has he failed? He plays better man defense than the starter (and you KNOW it). He doesn’t turn the ball over much. But he doesn’t get into a rhythm with his shot. Why? 12 minutes per game. Who gets the minutes and the touches? That’s right: Bibby, and Flip. Law has taken a total of 16 shots in 5 games. Murray has taken 53, and Bibby 62. Murray plays over 23mpg, Bibby over 32mpg. ‘Nuff said.

Now let’s look at Westbrook. The dude was drafted as a pg, but he was also drafted to score. It was said several times on draft night. It was said by officials of the team that drafted him. He was being counted on to add offensive punch to a team that didn’t have much outside of Chris Wilcox on the block, and Durant on the perimeter. He plays over 20 minutes a game, even though he doesn’t start…yet. He has taken 55 shots in 5 games. That’s nearly as many shots as Bibby in about 12 minutes per game LESS.

It’s by design people.

By mykhalc

November 10, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this

BIG RAY, on point!!! nice post brah!!

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this

Ray

I feel you, but the only person who takes minutes away from Acie is “Acie”. I made the Westbrook comparison, and he comes off the bench like Acie. I don’t think Woody is telling Acie don’t shoot, and I don’t think Woody would be disappointed if Acie showed more leadership. Keep in mind Acie and Flip play rather good in the backcourt.

You say Acie isn’t asked to score, and flip was brought here to score. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Acie led the scoring charge during preseason, for the second team. Acie was drafted as a scorerthat’s what he did in college He just having a problem in the league. I’m not throwing Acie under the bus, I have led the charge for Acie on this blog. However, I call them like I see them. I still like Acie, but he’s failed to take the leadership role when he’s put in the game. He deferring and I think that’s what Woody’s looking for the Acie who was barking orders and leading his team this summer. If you go back to the summer blogs, Sekou stated Acie was barking orders, and he was running this team. Acie had really embraced the leadership role, and gained this teams respect as a leader. I’m not seeing that during the regular season. But the season is still very young and this is a marathon. Please don’t blow a tube because I said I was disappointed with him thus far. What was in your coffee this morning Ray?

It’s all good my brother!!!

By The Usual Suspects: Part II

November 10, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this

Ando,

Had you read and listened to my 9:44 p.m. post (the part addressed to you) from the last blog, you could have avoided all of this. I tried to give you fair warning using an analogy. Yet here you are (precisely where I predicted you’d be): misunderstood, misrepresented, and making part of the conversation with Samuel more personal than it should be (and you know what I’m talking about because we’ve been over this before. I’m disappointed in you, young man). I can’t predict basketball stuff like you do, but I am damn good at reading people after being given a little to work with. Sure enough, you are arguing with the same exact people (regardless of the topic) who continue to either purposely or non-purposely misunderstand your point of view, while steadfastly ignoring every single positive comment and/or kudo you’ve given the team. And you know exactly why some of them do it. Now who’s being redundant, them or you? Come on man….let it be what it will be (and you know what I’m referring to here as well). Be careful, lest you show yourself to be that which you despise in others (accurate though it be)….

Lacsho,

I think Horford can become a 20-10 guy. But not at the center position. And yet, for that to happen, we have to have the right guy in the mix next to him. He’ll never be that kind of guy with someone like Zaza playing center next to him. Last night was evidence of that if anybody needed to see it. And I just don’t see it happening at center (he’s not even averaging a double-double right now) because he has to work too hard on defense, guarding the opposition’s biggest low post threat. That’s how you take away a guy’s offensive threat: make him work very hard on the defensive end.

Speaking of which: Does anyone out there besides CLYDE think that Horford is not playing defense? I mean, 5 blocked shots from him last night was great, but ask around the league and see if any of the guys he’s played against feel like he doesn’t play defense…..I swear….Clyde you ain’t right at all….

By cp

November 10, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

The game was ugly but a win is a win. You have to give credit to everyone, from BK to the new front office. If we can play .500 or better with Josh out we should be alright.

It looks like Mark Price is paying dividends early. He should have been part of this orginization a lot earlier. He was always talking about wanting to work with the Hawks but never got the opportunity. . ray and myself were talking a few blogs back about getting Clifford Ray in here to work with our bigs. No knock against Tyrone Hill but Clifford helped greatly with the developments of Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson . Get that man here in the offseason. I think Horford and Josh would flourish with his guidance.

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

I made some grammatical errors, but I think you get the point.

By Darrin "The Vent King"

November 10, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this

Manny T

While you make good points about Chills AND having a bench like we have now, if we’d signed Childress to that type money could we afford to bring in guys like Flip and M Evans? I see that scenario being a difficult one. The point about the Hawks taking care of biz with Chills sooner is a valid one as then maybe we could have done just that. While the thought of having Chills with these other guys plus a new and improved Solomon Jones and Zsa-Zsa makes me drool, I don’t think that would have happened unless they did wrap things up with Childress earlier but alas this is the Spirit group we’re talking about. One things for sure though, we’d definitely be one of THE teams to beat in the East if that happened. Who knows, with the fact that the Hawks still own the NBA rights to J-Chill maybe one day maybe Sund could make happen. One could only wish…

GO HAWKS!!!

By ray

November 10, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this

Oooops, sorry that last post was by me. I started to do a spoof post and changed my mind (it wasn’t sounding as funny as I meant it to).

Lachso,

Man here we go again, LOL!! My fault, and I swear I’m not blowing a gasket. I didn’t realize you made the Russell Westbrook comment, honestly. Sometimes, I will read a lot of posts at once, then post something that kind of addresses the bulk of what I’ve read. This really isn’t addressed to you, and there are several people wanting to know what’s going on with Acie Law. Hell, I’m one of them, but I think I know what the deal is (well, I have an opinion anyway).

I see your point about the only one taking minutes from Acie is Acie, but I don’t agree completely.

As far as Westbrook, he’s getting more minutes off the bench than Acie has. He was brought there almost specifically for his scoring. Make no mistake about it, he is going to take that job from Earl Watson. Right now, Earl is a little bit better defender and distributor than Westbrook, but he doesn’t have the kid’s scoring capability.

Meanwhile, Acie is kinda caught here. Woody prefers his veterans, and I don’t care what he says during an interview. Acie showed plenty during the preseason, where he started many of the games and average nearly 27 minutes per game. With the exception of two games, he was averaging double figures in points while shooting excellently from the field, including three point range.

So why the sudden drop-off in minutes? Simple. Woody has let him play a high of 16 minutes. Bibby starts. Flip replaces him most of the time when we need somebody who will create his own shot and often does so while driving to the basket. Seems to me that Acie can do this, and has showed us this. But Flip already does this. And Woody prefers his vets (tell me I’m wrong), particularly in the backcourt. Woody may not be telling him to not shoot, but I have a hard time thinking that he is encouraging him to do it, at the same time. Not when Flip is already doing it so well. And young players often defer to the veterans. Recall how JJ practically begged for veterans. What do you suppose JJ is saying to Acie?

We may disagree, but I really think Acie only shows himself to be doing better stat-wise if he goes out and “gets his”. This may not be seen well by his coach or teammates. And remember: many of us keep saying “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it” and stuff like “chemistry” and what not. I mean, we are winning aren’t we? People keep saying that, but out of the other side of the mouth, it’s “well this guy isn’t doing too well”….yet we need to keep doing exactly what we are doing now? Can’t have it both ways…

By ray

November 10, 2008 1:04 PM | Link to this

Darrin,

A thought that occurred to me: what if the absence of Chills (and the money we would’ve paid him) opened up cash flow for a veteran big like McDyess (whom we won’t get to sign anyway)? Just a random thought…

By ray

November 10, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this

cp,

I’d still love to have Clifford Ray around. I have to wonder just how we’ll play against the tougher teams without Josh Smith. Won’t have to wonder long, because we will have some games like that soon enough. I guess the real question is who will step up and how. I advocate giving Solo some more time, and will somebody get Woody to put RandMo in the game? He’s not fast, but he’s got offensive polish, decent agility (better than Zaza, bless his little soul), and he’s a big body…..

Lachso, I’d love to see Acie going after it like Westbrook. But they put the ball in Westbrook’s hands just for that very reason (limited offensive capability elsewhere). We don’t lack the offensive weapons as much, but at the same time I think we could do with more help.

Acie isn’t ready to take the reins from Bibby, but the question is: how do you get him ready? And if it really does come down to him just not being the guy (something I’m not prepared to believe just yet) then what is the next step? It’s either draft or trade…but I don’t think we need to go that far just yet.

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this

The only thing I said was that Acie should put more pressure on the defense by being more agressive and driving to the hoop.

And my calling for Acie’s head was to prove a point about prodcution. If we’re going put people on the chopping block it should be based on what they’re doing for us on the court nothing else……….NOTHING ELSE……Doesn’t matter WHAT you were drafted for…..I like Law, but I think last night more than any other he should have took it upon himself to force the issue…….especially when they went on their little run……..he has good judgement, I just don’t think his decision to be passive last night helped the team…..Like I said, I’m NOT calling for him to be traded, I was just saying if you want to pick a Martyr……look at the guys who didn’t perform up to the standard……..don’t dump on the guy that DID get th job done just because you expect him and his huge salary to get deported……like I said, he’s done what he’s supposed to so far……and we’re 5-0 In large part becouse of his contrubutions to this TEAM.

Then their was the point(made on the previous blog) that Flip is producing like Bibby….well, thats nice like i’ve said, and you just mentiond ray, Flip was brought here to score….that’s what he does. If Bibby has more points than assists…….with him having the title of starting Point Guard people should think of that as a Bonus, not a necessity.

I don’t mean to sound like i’m defending a certain player but like i’ve said were 5-0 and he’s done what he’s supposed to….playing team ball and he’s helped the Hawks exceed most peoples expectations(except mine of course 6-0…..and BA….)

I understand Ando’s points, we All do but right now it’as a non-factor….we’re 5-0 and Sund told those guys (Bibby,Marvin) before the season started that if we WIN everything else will take care of itself………….not go out and average 21ppg………he said WIN……thas whats most important. If it wasn’t then Marbury and Fracis wouldn’t be playing instead of riding the bench full-time.

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this

Ray

I kind of thought that, but I didn’t know. I was the one who made the Westbrook comparison. I’ve learned from the past. I’m not trying to blow the spot up. Man Westbrook is going to be a problem. Woody likes his vets, but I keep hearing the comment he made after the Raptors game. Woody stated, you never know when your name is going to be called. If you’re out there for 10 minutes or two minutes you have to give it all you got, and leave it on the court. Sometimes I watch Acie and I don’t see it in his eyes, it seems like he going through the motion. Look atcha boy Rio, he may only play the last 20 seconds in the first half, but look at his eyes. This guy never takes it personal; he always plyays his azz off. I just wish more of our other players (Randmo&Acie) played with the same heart. I have to give Solo & Zaza credit they play with a lot of heart too.

Man I just found out I have a contract in Jersey ( 7 weeks). I’m going to miss Docs seats lol. I know this is off topic, but you guys have to admit, the eye candy at Phillips during a Hawks game is off the chain..

I love Atlanta

Any who, the good thing about this Jersey trip is I’m staying with my cousin, and Friday I’m going to the game in Jersey . I’m going to purchase the NBA channel, while I’m up there for seven weeks.. Furthermore, I’ll be checking in on the regular. To the season ticket holders hold it down baby.

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this

“I’m not going to go out there and try and be the biggest scorer,” explained Bibby. “It’s a contract year for me. A lot of people feel, you know, (in a) contract year, they’re going to go out there and put up a lot of numbers. I’m going to do what it takes for this team to win. If it’s defense, passing, I’m going to do what it takes for this team to win.”

I still dont think his quote is hitting home with some of you………say it with me now, 5-0

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Samuel

November 10, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this

Hawks #3 in the latest NBA.com power rankings.

By The Hawks fan

November 10, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this

Sekou What is the update on J-Smooth’s injury? Do you know?

By igotxx3

November 10, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this

I still dont understand why the hawks havent released speedy

By roan st

November 10, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this

Samuel, you will be happy to know that mark bradley has written about you in his latest blog. You’re now famous man.

By Bowdler for 3

November 10, 2008 3:17 PM | Link to this

Dear Hawks Mgmt,

Mike Glenn doing the halftime show while Nique works the booth is like Heidi Klum setting up a bikini shoot for Shirley Franklin. Sure, we love the guy, but there’s someone MUCH more suited for the job sitting RIGHT THERE! Nique is doing his best, but it seems commentating just isn’t his thing. He’s not giving Bob much to work with out there.

And while I’m at it, how about getting a radio broadcast that’s actually audible beyond the Varsity and a tv signal clear enough to tell Solo from AC? Time to step it up. Fans are coming and you’re going to want them to see/hear what it is you’re selling.

—A Fan

By I.MUS WRITE

November 10, 2008 3:17 PM | Link to this

“WHERE THE VIBE CAME FROM”

The vibe came from an upgraded bench,and our core players becoming more mature. Also Woody is much improved over last year. Who’s still cry’n for Josh Chilldress…..Nobody, thats what I thought. Itz been echoed quite a few times but here i go again.

Flip Murray is the truth…im so glad we got him, i knew of his work long before he got here,but dam he looks good roast’n defenders with ATLANTA on his chest.

Behind JJ and Smoove he has been our best player so far. The man just has ice in his veins and thats what we were missing last year amongst other things.

Last yrear if JJ was off we would probably lose, If Josh was out we probably lose …. Glad to see guyz stepping up and taking the challenge.

Solo is starting to impress me -give this man more playing time, this might be a stretch but he looks just about as good as Al Horford(defensively)

Russel Westbrook……. yung’n gonna be the truth, he’s the reason I actually like OKC- 15pts,3reb,3asst,2steals is pretty dam good 6 games into your rookie campaign. When is Acie Law gonna step up? Not bashing the guy but I absolutely see nothing from him……… Brick after brick after brick…… Everytime dwn court its one dribble beyond half court and pass to whoeva is open…………. There are DIV 1 guys who could do a better job….O well we already picked up his option for next year ….might have been a little premature IMO

Great times in the A…..Falcons 6-3 Hawks 5-0 …I luv it

By Barry

November 10, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this

Hey Y’all:

Praised need to go around to the last regime. But the last regime made stupid moves. They refused to draft a quality point guard. The let Chris Paul go. The let the guard for Utah go. For What? The Hawks needed a point guard to compliment the great wing players they had. Billy Knight kept drafting forwards and low quality guards who either got hurt or who was mediocre on the court and could night play the run and gun style the these young Hawks needed. He did this for 2 frustrating years of watching Hawk basketball. Seeing Chris Paul excell shows what could have been if a good management decision was made. But it was’nt. Coach woodson was left hanging doing the best he could without out a quality point guard. Joe Johnson had to even request veteran help at guard. Then cam Mike Bibby: A quality and proven point guard who gave us a peek to what this team can do with a such a player. He was even hurt when we got him and his play proved effective to get us to game 7 agaist the World Champion Celics. Knight’s decisions took to long and it cost him his job. What can you say that’s business. Now the current regime sees whhat makes the Hawks tick and acquired some veteran point guard help to spell Bibby so that the Hawks do not miss a beat when the are “RUNNING AND GUNNING”. If only Knight knew about the value of point guards instead of drafting players that played positions like himself. It showed he did not know the entir interaction among players on a team with the point guard as the “point” of interest and requirement for a winnning team. Again, it cost him his job with assemblage of players. Now the current regime is just adding the required pieces (point guards) to assist in making a championship possible.

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

This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  "SHOCK THE WORLD!!!! IT AIN'T OVER!"

Ringold

By ant banks

November 10, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this

ATLANTA HAWKS: “CHANGE WE NEED” “CHANGE WE CAN BELEIVE IN” can we do it hawksville? YES, WE CAN!!

By ant banks

November 10, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this

are we still the HIGHLITE FACTORY? i have not been hearing this advertised.

By atlantanative

November 10, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

Question? Which team are you enjoying most right now….the Falcons or the Hawks? Both are giving you the impression that they plan to make Atlanta proud for quite some time. Either way……It’s FUN!

By I.MUS WRITE

November 10, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

Ray -When it comes to Acie, performance does’nt lie. What exactly does he do besides dribble dwn the court and hand off as if he’s Matt Ryan .PG is difficult to master at this level,and I agree he needs more time to develope -but the man is showing no signs of life right now. Between last night and friday’s game I counted 3 airballs…so thats 3 in like 17 minutes….

He dribbles aimlessly only to launch an awful shot or hand off to sumone 4ft away…………

Westbrook is a better point right now ….and he to was a combo guard coming out of UCLA.

Maybe Mark Price can get him right

By ITCHI BALLS

November 10, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this

Lascho is crazy, im convinced yall. Does he think the beat writer is his personal bich or something. F******* your questions we all have questions but we dont cry like u when they aient answered panzy. If i were Sekou I would slap you.

Bye yall I have to go, yes my rash is burning real bad right now

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH

” baby bring me the ointment”

By Spud Webb

November 10, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this

Love Solo getting the minutes last night as a few other bloggers have also! The guy plays hard, rebounds and does the little things that everyteam needs done! I hope when Josh Smith comes back Solo continues to get time. Zaza is what he is, keep him coming of the bench and leave it alone. It’s a long season and I’m guessing at some point we will need Acie, so hopefully he keeps his chin up and continues to practice hard and his chance will come. Nice to see this team doing well. I honestly thought this couldn’t happen under Woody, Looks like I’m wrong (and not one bit upset by it!)! Go hawks.

By Ken

November 10, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this

Ever heard the expression, “Winning cures all!” Well that is what is happening with the hawks now. All that bickering about Bobby Knight and calling for Woodson’s job was because we were losing. I admit I was right their with everyone questioning their decision making. With Bobby Knight’s player aquisitions, I think people could see what he was trying to do until Chris Paul/Deron Williams became the future of the league at point guard. Everyone was on board at the time when Marvin Williams was selected, but that’s what started the downhill slope for Knight. Woodson’s game plan is finally taken shape and we are now seeing how effective it can be. Now that they’re experiencing some success it’s all good (for now).

That start the hawks are off too is quite impressive, but let’s not get over zealous; it is still just five games. If they were to lose the next 5 all this goodwill would be gone and it still would be too early to make a determination of how the season will go. That being said this is a hawks team we have not seen before. The cohesive defense, the ball movement, the sustained effort, and the depth displayed is wonderous to behold. And they made it happen against legit playoff squads. I’m really interested now to see how they fare against the Celtics this week, even without Josh Smith. Win or lose, how well we play them will really show where we are. We already know we match up well against them; plus we have a bench now. When ever that first loss does come, I don’t believe it will diminish the teams spirit, like it would have in years past.

People keep talking about they can win 50 games now; that would be nice, but anything over 40 wins (above .500) would be an improvement. The next level people really want to see is for them to win a playoff series. If they continue to grow and learn from each game (even their loses), I think that will help them develop what it takes to have success over a 7-game series, be it with or without home court advantage. Go Hawks!!

By Sautee

November 10, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Marc Stein has the Hawks rated 5th in his new power rankings. 5th in the league, not just the conference.

Wow!

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

It’s like Dominique Wilkins Said last night during the game:

After Acie Misses a Mid-Range jumper:

“Yeah, when you have a guard who is not that great of a shooter you want to try and get him to make plays attacking the basket. Once he gets some shots going in, that should make his jumpshot a little easier for him.”

Maybe Woodson thinks of Acie as an extension of Bibby out on the floor and likes to use him as a spot up shooter. In that case it’s Woodson who is at fault for not recognizing the strength of his players.

Acie is a slasher, and a good one too. The great thing about slashers is when a play breaks down or if the offense is stagnant, the gan take it to the basket and put pressure on the defense by drawing a foul……this helsp to change the momentum the other team has built up.

It’s not like Woody is drawing up plays for all of his non-starters. I’m prety sure Flip is out there doing his own thing, just taking what the defense gives him, even when he’s running the Point. Acie just needs to step up, period.

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Bob

November 10, 2008 4:20 PM | Link to this

Hey, Antonio Mcdyess was waived by the Nuggets today, anyone think about picking him up to help out inside? I don’t know a whole lot about him, but he seems pretty good. I don’t know if we could get him for a cheap price though.

By Ken

November 10, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

I like what the hawks have done against their first 5 oponents, but I think their is still another tier to test. The have games this month against Boston and Cleveland; teams that made it to the conference finals. I think they will be a great measuring stick. If the hawks can take care of business against average or lesser teams, that will help their record. Especially not letting games slip away early in the season. They have a tough stretch of games in the middle of December. Josh Smith should be back by then and I believe we’ll be up to the task.

By Ken

November 10, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

I like what the hawks have done against their first 5 oponents, but I think their is still another tier to test. The have games this month against Boston and Cleveland; teams that made it to the conference finals. I think they will be a great measuring stick. If the hawks can take care of business against average or lesser teams, that will help their record. Especially not letting games slip away early in the season. They have a tough stretch of games in the middle of December. Josh Smith should be back by then and I believe we’ll be up to the task.

By BillyKnightIsStillaMoron

November 10, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

Look. Billy Knight did aquire some of these guys but lets also look around the league at the players he could have had. And the biggest bust of all time has to be Sheldon Williams. That pick still gives me nightmares. We all knew it was the wrong pick. Everyone knew that. And he came out early to announce..”the atlanta hawks will be selecting Sheldon Williams” What was the point of announcing that early? To have people laugh at you. Rick Sund is a real NBA mind who had the knowledge to bring in flip and mo knowing good and well they’d take us to the next level. Now can you only imagine if we had Chris Paul right now instead of Marvin?! Billy Knight would tell you that Marvin’s better cause Billy Knight is a moron.

By MannyT

November 10, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

Hey Sautee I am definitely not saying BK was a decent GM based on draft alone. I do look at his drafting relative to others. Your C- is probably fair for the overall drafts during his tenure. I’m not throwing AC Law under the bus yet. He needs time. Some of that I put on Woody. So then we move to the rest of his GM work. Let’s skip the media relations part. I won’t try to defend him at all. All I can say is that he was much nicer and engaging when he spoke with season ticket holders over the years.

Trades, not great, but not awful either. I know this blog has an unlimited supply of Sppedy Claxton Pinata coupons. As I stated before, there was some logic to the move. The Bibby move was better accepted. I understand why Harrington went away (Marvin was cheaper and similar with more expected upside), but he could have gotten more for him. He did get rid of John Edwards in that deal.

For those who want to pick apart the moves, here’s the data. I throw down this gauntlet as I’m sure some of you will have fun with this. Just keep in mind who you would describe as significantly better over this period. I’ll take the same look at that person’s record that you will for BK. Step up so I can have some fact smashing fun before the Bulls game ;-)

Lacsho There are a ton of these WAF and BWAF photos, but the blog limits the number of links. As long as he keeps coaching, there will be more. I’ve seen them in games and practice, with hair and w/o. I’m not stalking the man, but I do attend most of the home games. In past seasons, they WAF usually meant trouble for our side. However, he has come around some. Keep an eye on him during the next home game.

…by the way, I think you can find decent eye candy at a Nets game while you are gone. Ask Mr. Beyonce ;-)

…and be careful with that laptop. If AIG held the credit default swaps on that insurance, don’t expect anyone to hold their end of the repair commitment.

Vent King You may be right, but we’ll never know for sure if we could have had all three. I’d suspect that we still could have had one of them if we had resigned Chills. Given the positions they usually play, I’d guess it would have been Flip. The other side to the argument might be AC’s development will be slower because both Flip & Mo are using backcourt minutes. I know some will say, he has to earn those minutes, but maybe it is harder to earn them when your coach has a clear preference for vets. Face it—Law, like RandMo, has very little experience in the NBA. He is unlikely to get good minutes unless someone gets injured or traded. ray nailed it.

By the way, I would like to take a minute and plug in a word against microwave fanhood. If a player has a bad game, it’s fair to call him on it, but the trade him, scrap him, he sucked for 20 minutes thing is lame. Everyone has had a bad day at work, but most of us don’t work on TV where it is seen and ESPN will show it over and over across multiple channels. Marvin & AC will get better. Mo Evans doesn’t need to send the 1 back to Chills if he’s 0 fer 3pt land.

The best stews need to marinate. The best popcorn usually swirls around in one of those big kettles, not a microwave.

This is a fine time to be a Hawks fan. Enjoy the ride.

Happy, tired, interviewing BWAF

By ITCHI BALLS

November 10, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this

Good assessment Ariose…. I will agree thats the one thing he does well -get to the rim. He’s not the shooter we thought he was coming out of college but he could be a change of pace type -breaking dwn the defense and hitting the open man near the rim.

Drive the lane yung’n …your jumper stinks.

I think the shot’s he’s taken so far were a result of ball movement -the ball swung his way and he was wide open only to miss badly. I dont think that can be avoided…at sum point the D is gonna leave him open daring him to shoot…..

Mark Price …..tutor or yung point before he loses all confidence

By MannyT

November 10, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this

ant banks Highlight Factory is still on the website, but they have not been pushing that phrase. Now You Know is all around town on the billboards.

A little confusing since the chief marketing guy was let go over the summer. Funny how winning just smooths all that over.

You need good marketing when you are losing.

It’s like the attendance numbers. I am sure that we will have a good number on Saturday. The difference between this Saturday and 8 months ago, is that the ASG won’t give as many $60 seats to charity when they can sell them.

Boys and Girls clubs—please report to the 300 level.

To those anti-BK folks For all y’all that don’t want to share the credit on the team’s success—remember to bring the names of those much better GMs to the table. Sure BK had Shelden. Dumars had Darko at #2 while passing over DWade, Carmello & Bosh—he’s still a very good GM.

While some of you might trade Darko straight up for Marvin, I’ll keep our #2.

Happy BWAF

By cp

November 10, 2008 4:45 PM | Link to this

I really don’t know whats going on with Law. Im pulling for him to get it together but he is way too passive out there. He needs to be attacking the rim. He has the ability to do that but he doesn’t.

I love Nique but if I hear him say “that was a heat check” one more time im putting the t.v. on mute.

By Tiger Woo

November 10, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this

Man - it’s nice to have someone coming off the bench that can step up shoot a jump shot when we need it! J-Chill was a slasher and good contributor, but no reliable jump shot which was needed to take the pressure off JJ (after T-Lue left). Mo Evans also can knock it down which is nice - these are the vets coming off the bench that JJ was asking for!

Until Acie develops some kind of consistency with a jump shot, he will be unable to play to his strengths - which are quickness and penetration. C’mon - get in the gym Acie and go to work!

By cp

November 10, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this

I remember one of the so called expert’s discussing Law before the draft. He was saying Law was not a great shooter. In fact he was a terrible shooter almost all through college until his senior year. He bumped up his percentage from the previous years but he said he didn’t know if Law truly did improve his jumper. He made mention of how flat law’s shot is and how it does not get a lot of rotation. Law needs to be in the gym with Price as much as he can to try and turn around his jumper. Until then he should be attacking the rim.

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 10, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this

Westbrook is no more a point guard than Monta Ellis or Joe Johnson. Just because he is played at that position doesn’t mean that is where he fits best. He’s not a guy who sets up teammates or orchestrates an offense, and probably never will be. Not saying he’s not a good player, just that he’s not a point guard. Acie Law is a point guard whose primary role has always been to orchestrate an offense, not just to get shots for himself. Like Imus said, learning the PG position in the pros is not easy. I am surprised he has not progressed further than he has, but I’m certainly not ready to write him off yet. Right now his main problem, at least to me, is his lack of decisiveness and aggression, and he should get better at that with more playing time.

By Blast

November 10, 2008 4:57 PM | Link to this

I agree totally. RandMo needs some more playing time, especially with Josh out.

Yes, Nique is a terrible analyst. And he needs to quit playing safe when the refs make a bad call against the Hawks. He needs to call it as it is, not come with all that PC nonsense. Anybody miss Smithy?

The word is Mcdyess would like to return to the Pistons.

Nice to see all Hawks fans chattering and excited. Go Hawks!

By King K.C.

November 10, 2008 5:05 PM | Link to this

Listen up Clyde,

Just because I care, I’m urging you to STAY AWAY FROM EATING GATOR! They are one of only 3 species to still carry the gene for lepracy. Don’t mess wit it! How bout our 5-0 Hawks? Seems like someone of Noble descent (me) told you all that the Hawks would be an incredible team this year. Learn to listen, peasants. Your Ambassador is always correct!!

Go Hawks!

Signed Your Royal Ambassador of Basketball, the Grand and Noble King K.C.

P.S. Anyone else sick of seeing Craig Claxton in church clothes? Best wishes to you all!

By ray

November 10, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this

Samuel,

We’re getting much love from NBA.com right about now. I like it.

Ariose,

I made a point not to say much of anything about Bibby after last night’s game. Let me get a few things straight:

1)You want to hammer guys who aren’t producing? What about if their production is directly related to their minutes? Isn’t that why you defended Salim so ardently all that time? Acie played nearly 27 minutes a game during the preseason and did very well. During the regular season, Bibby and Flip get all the minutes, and Acie gets 12mpg. What exactly are you expecting from him? 10ppg, 6apg?

2)Bibby has the big money, the big skills, the big name, and the big minutes. With that comes the big criticism. Myself and several others praised him for his 19 point/12 assist effort against the Raptors. Pardon me if I’m not happy about his 8 point/4 assist game against the Hornets.

3)The “Bibby could be traded” thing is getting old. Most people don’t believe it because they don’t want to hear it, so suddenly it becomes this argument about whether or not Bibby is earning his money, or is he doing what we need him to do to win. For the billionth time, this is not the biggest driving force behind the concept.

You know, I’ll bet the exact same thing played out on blogs in Sacramento before the inevitable happened, and for all the same reasons, too….

4)I understand Ando’s points, we All do but right now it’as a non-factor….we’re 5-0 and Sund told those guys (Bibby,Marvin) before the season started that if we WIN everything else will take care of itself………….not go out and average 21ppg………he said WIN……thas whats most important. If it wasn’t then Marbury and Fracis wouldn’t be playing instead of riding the bench full-time.

I don’t think you do understand, and it’s not because you’re dumb (we both know you’re not). Francis doesn’t play because they can’t win with him. He stays hurt, and he can no longer do what they need him to do. Meanwhile, their other pgs are getting the job done. Unlike us, they had options. Marbury is not playing because the Knicks can win just fine without him. And they have enough money to do whatever the hell they want. And further more, they don’t want Marbury. So they’re keeping him on ice, along with his huge contract. Bibby plays because he’s the best thing we’ve had at pg in years, and his backup isn’t ready because he doesn’t get enough minutes. If you count Flip as an option, the situation changes. I won’t go any further because that’s where people usually get spittin’ mad about it…

Furthermore, you can quote “but Sund said…” all day. And I’ll give you some food for thought: “Sund said” that re-signing Childress and Smith were top priorities. “Sund said” basically that it was going to get done. Need I re-hash how it all went down? Childress didn’t get an offer (til it was too late), and Josh damn near got signed by someone else. Point made: It ain’t Sund’s money, he doesn’t make the final decisions, and court is not yet adjourned.

Now I’ve said all I have to say about that “trade Bibby” crap. Let the chips fall where they may, but I won’t be scratching my head when things happen or don’t happen….

Sure, winning does cure everything, and Bibby’s quote was a classic. As in anybody would say something like that if they expect to have a freakin’ job in the NBA. Not belittling him, but it wasn’t a profound or rare statement.

Having said that, I don’t know if I’ve heard “5-0” this many times since the last time I rolled into a bad neighborhood with a friend of mine from another department in his patrol car…..

By Tiger Woo

November 10, 2008 5:13 PM | Link to this

Kudos for Marvin Williams for working hard over the summer and showing nice improvement in his game! He has added range in his jump shot and looks much stronger so far this year.

Najeh,

I’m sorry - but Acie hassn’t shown any improvement over last year - however, it is early in the season so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt right now. Developing a jump shot will only enhance his point guard skills - look at Tony Parker for example - he came into the league with no jump shot - now he’s a threat from the perimeter and has developed into an all-star. Of course, it took him a few years to blossom - hopefully Acie will put the work in and improve.

By ray

November 10, 2008 5:54 PM | Link to this

I.Mus,

Last year Joe Johnson was quoted as saying that they needed some veteran players in there, that there were young guys “running wild” on offense. And there was no disagreement from Coach Woodson on that at all.

Fast forward several months, and veterans are added. Woody likes his vets, and that’s a fact. Now I’m going to page it out again. Acie earned his keep during the preseason. Everybody wanted to hop on the wagon, talking about how he had improved. Now people are saying he can’t shoot worth a damn. I don’t get it.

Everybody:

During the preseason, Acie played good mintues and shot over %50 percent from the field AND FROM 3-POINT RANGE. As I recall, his jumper, which everybody wants to diss right now, was more accurate than both Bibby’s and Flip’s. In 5 preseason games, Bibby shot 24-68 from the field (35%). In 8 preseason games, Flip Murray shot 41-89 (46%). In 8 preseason games, Acie shot 27-54 (50%). That’s less shots, but more makes, than Bibby. Somebody prove me wrong after looking at the preseason stats. You know, the PRESEASON where Woody was talking about winning all the games at all costs. Seems to me like Acie proved himself rather well there, and people agreed, but now it’s all forgotten. Here’s another fact: Acie was averaging 26/27 mpg in the preseason.

So, how did he not earn his playing time? Woody is playing Bibby about 32 mpg, Flip about 23/23 mpg. Acie gets 12. Why? Is he not hitting shots in practice? So what? Everybody wants to scream that playing in practice isn’t the same, playing in the preseason isn’t the same, blah blah blah…but then the guy can’t get significant regular season minutes.

The only explanation I can see is the obvious one: Woody likes his vets. His vets like the vets. And we have a young pg who is deferring to his veteran teammates. That is what he is guilty of. Mike Bibby says that he’s not out there to try and score the most points, and that he will do whatever it takes to help the team win. He gets 32 minutes a game.

So we attach that quote to the fact that the team is 5-0.

But Acie gets 12 minutes per game, doesn’t hit very many shots (but doesn’t take many either), and “does whatever it takes” by deferring to his teammates. I don’t suppose that has anything to do with the direction his coach and veteran teammates are going in. I mean, surely they are telling this guy to go out there and make plays happen, hit shots, don’t pass the ball to anybody when you cross the half court line, run around out of control like a raped ape, and for cryin’ out loud, don’t play any defense.

But the sorry ba$tard just won’t listen…

Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, that must be it. Couldn’t be anything else.

Yes, that’s sarcasm and I enjoyed typing it. I guess it’s true. We really do have to find somebody to blame while we’re winning…

By King K.C.

November 10, 2008 5:58 PM | Link to this

Listen up Ray, “I don’t know if I’ve heard 5-0…” LOL! Well done. As far as Sund on re-signing BOTH Joshes, I see where you’re coming from. I was enraged that we lost Chills to Greece. GREECE!! That being said, I love this team. No matter what adversity they’re up against, these Hawks don’t quit!! Whether it’s being outscoured 36-14 or being outmanned while Smith’s ankle heals. However, I do wonder how good this team could be with Childress. But who knows, maybe $und doesn’t attain the services of Flip AND Mo Evans, if he’s able to re-sign Chils. To me, it’s a bunch of ifs and whats.

The bottom line is the Hawks are a talented team with quality bench players who are capable of impacting the game. IMO, I’d love to trade Zaza and pick(s) for a defensive minded 7 footer, but that is incredibly unrealistic. I realize that. Should Randy “no game” Morris get more PT? Yes. I was impressed with his brief performance a few nights ago. If given the chance to play (Smith’s out—why not now?) maybe he could prove me wrong?

Go Hawks!

Signed Your Royal Ambassador of Basketball, the Grand and Noble King K.C.

By ray

November 10, 2008 5:59 PM | Link to this

Having played devil’s advocate, I will say that Acie does need to work on that Jumper. But I seem to recall that he was doing that all summer according to a Sekou article.

And I maintain that his jumper was on full display during the preseason….where he was getting minutes and allowed to do his thing. I have a hard time understanding how people want to see the exact same level of production when a guy’s minutes are cut, or the game plan changes.

Acie should drive to the hole more. But guess what. If that’s not what the defense is giving you, then you can’t take it. That’s like telling Bibby to shoot more when he’s not open and being guarded by a taller guy.

I still think Acie will find a way, and I still think he needs more playing time. And I still think he won’t get it while Bibby and Flip are getting the bulk of the minutes.

By ray

November 10, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this

King KC,

This is a very good team. I am very excited about them and I’m enjoying the heck out of the winning. Eventually we’ll lose some games, but the important thing is how well we compete when that happens, what we learn from a loss (and how we react to it), and not losing games in bunches. If this team can keep that under control, .500 won’t be a problem and we’ll get a closer look at 50 games.

It’s not an entirely crazy concept. Look at that Bulls team a couple years back that won 49 games. They did it on defense, and most of their offense came from the perimeter. But their perimeter defense was tough as hell, which is why their post defense wasn’t as much of a problem. We can do it too, though I ain’t lookin’ for 50 wins (for the record, I’ll take them, though).

By ray

November 10, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this

Lacsho,

Enjoy Jersey, bro’! Keep checking in while you’re up there.

By fudd21

November 10, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this

Ray you seem to be taking this Acie stuff personnel. Calm down bru!

By ray

November 10, 2008 6:45 PM | Link to this

fudd21, actually I’m not. I’m just wildin’ out for a minute or two.

It was fun. It was like being SalimFan for a moment…heh heh heh. Just kidding…

By BosnianBaller

November 10, 2008 6:55 PM | Link to this

This winning feels that much more sweeter knowing how bad we have been the past 9 years(not counting last year). I know it’s way to early but Joe Johnson needs to be a Eastern Conference starter this year if he keeps playing the way he is.

By Ray is an idiot

November 10, 2008 7:07 PM | Link to this

the name says it all

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 8:06 PM | Link to this

Ray

Responding to your points……..In Order

………but first

I don’t think you do understand, and it’s not because you’re dumb (we both know you’re not).

That was real cute but let’s keep this professional Ray. I don’t have a problem with you or your friend, And i’m a firm beliver in giving out what you wish to receive, and i’m certain you wouldn’t like it if I implied that you were stupid……i’ll end on that note…..maybe you didn’t mean it like that, but i’m pretty smart and I read social undertones really well. That’s how it sounded to me. If that’s not what you meant then I apologise for my assumption. I don’t insult people regardless of their stance, I just stick to the facts. I was brought up with the understanding that those who insult others during a debate have already lost for they have nothing better to say. And you’re not a looser ray(we both know that) See, it’s not nice is it? ;-)

Now, on to the good stuff…

1) I Said, “If you’re going to bash someones preformance(frome game to game) how about the player who didn’t produce. It’s only logical. Ando was doing his Bibby critique Again which, I have no problem with….when it’s warranted. But there were other players who underpeformed during the game more deserving of criticisim.

Acie Barely played six minutes last night(Which was not his fault of course). It was due in large part to the run that OKC went on while he was in the game. BUT he was 0-1. I would have been satisfied it he was getting to the rim but he put up a contested jumper. We all know when a team goes on a run, the best thing to do is to attack the rim and slow the game down is it not? Draw a foul or two? He was not agressive and that was my only problem. Like I said the only reason I even mentioned Acie was because Ando was making a point about how Bibby wasn’t needed (B/C we have Murray…..riight) so I’m like That guy produced tonight……either that or I can’t read a box score. Why is it that at 6’3 murray comes in and produces(or is at least asertive) and at 6’3 Acie comes in and throws up a goose egg? The answer is asertiveness.

2) Sure Bibby should be critcized because the tarting Point Guard. I’ve led the charge in criticizing his game to. But Pardon me if I have a problem with people bashing him when it’s clear that there are others who obviously need to step up, Whil Bibby was solid last night. One attempt in six minutes just doesn’t cut it for me. Hey, but that’s just me.

3) The only person Fueling the “I think Bibby will be traded” conversation at this point is Ando. Thats fine, but why is that then being addresed in points that I am supposed to respond to instead of Ando? My whole pourpose for responding to Ando in the first place was simply to say No Flip Murray is not a Replacememt for Mike Bibby at the starting Point Guard Piosition. It originally had nothing to do with Bibby and the aforementiond trade talks.

4) I only mentiond Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury because Ando mentioned them. Take a look back at the last Blog. On that note, Francis is not playing because Rick Adleman doesn’t like him, his attitude, or his professionalism TNT coverd the whol thing last season, and yes he has been injured during his tenure with the rockets but let’s be honest, Rick wasn’t giving him any time regardless. Statistically speaking though, I wouldn’t say Rafer could do a better job than him…..remeber I said Statistically spaking. It just hasn’t been proven. Francis was never given the oppourtunity. Now I don’t even want to discuss Marbury Not a team player…period, and the tatoo on his shiny dome doesn’t help either hehehe… He dug his own grave….sort of….half the blame goes to the media.

Bibby’s earned his own way though. Acie? Not yet.

Sure people say a lot of things. We weresupposed to be out of Iraq years ago. What’s the difference. Things change t’s going to happen regardless of the situation or what someone might say. I understand. I also know that one of the definitions of suffering is dwelling on things in which you cannot control.

To that I say: Why keep talking about it then? All I know is whats already happend, and rightnow the hawks are undefeated on the season. Other than that and a sprained left ankle, nothing has changed……yet. Why beat the dead horse…..shoot I was originally jut suppoed to talk about Flip and Bibby. If I had know I would hae been draged into this trade mess again I wouldn’t have said anything (coughfreemikemillercoughcough).

Sur Bibbys comments wernt profound by any means but as of right now. Based on what we’ve all seen it holds true. Some of you were saying he was goint to jack shots to high heaven lol.

About Acie, yeah he performed well in the opener, I think he had like 25min. Like I said, I just want him to be more assertive……with the minutes he was give. Sure Salim didn’t scor but he was assertive darnit! He jacked shots until somebody dragged his Butt off tha court.(of course I don’t reccomend that anyone do that lol)

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 8:15 PM | Link to this

Maybe the difference between Acie and Bibby/Flip is that preseason for them is just conditionin/staying injury free.

All I know is that Unlike the preseason, the bright lights are on now. I’m rootin’ for him, and I hope he pick it up. His Buddies know what time it. It’s time for him to step up to the plate and take a couple of swings.

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 8:25 PM | Link to this

All this typing is Booooring…….I Think i’ll stick to my links….

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Lacsho

November 10, 2008 8:56 PM | Link to this

Cp & Najeh I agree with your Law comments; I’m in his corner too. I agree with Ray ; when he plays more minutes, he looks rather good. However I do think Woody favors the vets, and I’ve noticed Flip is the first off the bench. Acie use to be the first off the bench. Hopefully Woody hasn’t lost confidence in him. This is a long season, so I think Mr. Law will get his chance to shine. Bottom line he’s the extremely quick, and he needs to put forth more intensity. If he can’t get into the offensive flow, he needs to create turnovers on the defensive end. Hopefully we can hear Nique say Acie put up a heat check lol. I feel you with that comment.

Ray The four B’s, Big Money, Big Name, Big Skills, and Big Minutes. Wow that describes Mr. Bibby to a tee. I’m having a love/hate relationship with Bibby. My main problem with Bibby, he’ll have a heat check at the wrong time. For example, the hawks will come down and not score during several offensive sets (relying on jump shots) then Bibby we’ll come down and do a heat check, instead of driving to the hole. He can still get to the rim , and if someone picks him up while he’s driving he should be able to pick up an easy dime. However, when he’s on, he’s a problem. And he won’t hesitate to take the big shot at the end of the game. So I guess we ride with this guy until the wheels fall off. Man I’m an addict to this blog; I can’t stay away if I wanted too. (See how I ignored that fool talking noise to me lol)

Manny Once you schooled me on BWAF, I thought about it for a second, and I must admit you nailed it. Every time I see woody he’s in BWAF mode especially when he is aggravated. I’m sure I will see some decent eye candy in NJ, but it something about the* ATL EYECANDY* smh. Microwave fanhood I like that, I hope we can keep the team intact (on this blog), once we hit a bump in the road. Hell the whole team could be replace (on this blog) once that occurs

Sautee It feels good to see our team getting the respect they deserve on the national level. It’s about damn time. A change is coming.

Ken You’re we’re about to hit a tough stretch, but hell the first five wasn’t a cake walk. We’re 3-0 on the road. That says a lot for this team. Like you and other say 40 wins would be a great improvement, but we’re shooting for the stars baby. (I’m greedy I want 50)

Imus Your 3:17 post was on point (nuff said)

Banks

Whatz good bro, check your email maaannnnn. I’ll meet you in Phillips once I get back.

By rms

November 10, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this

What the hell does “BWAF” mean?

By Kevin

November 10, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this

Sekou,

Is that honestly the best you can do on Claxton? It’s not like he has been too busy playing for you to ask. Surely you can get read on what he is thinking and what management is thinking by now. Is ownership going to let this go on for yet another year???

I don’t mean to be rude about it but my wife and I have spent our first three years of season ticket money to watch him rot on the bench.

By BA

November 10, 2008 11:05 PM | Link to this

Ariose, my brother, I think you got it backwards- he implied that you AREN’T dumb. But a nice debate, nontheless.

Ray’s on point about Bibby- the objective is not 20 something ppg, it’s WINNING. And that’s what they’re doing. NO ONE will be getting traded anytime soon.

Do you guys realize Atlanta is SECOND in the league in points allowed?!

Solomon Jones and Pachulia are averaging 11.9 freaking boards a game between them!

Murray and Evans are averaging a cool 20.4 ppg combined.

Everthing, except Acie Law, has carried over from the preseason. I see no reason that Law won’t be able to crack through soon.

By MannyT

November 10, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this

rms Your answer was posted on the prior blog.

You can see it here.

Kevin How much would you expect management to say about Speedy? If I were management, I would not say much of anything. Until he is healthy enough to practice AND press someone for playing time, I’d just let him sit. Especially when things are going well.

If I’m Speedy, no need to rock the boat this season. In the last year of my contract I might press the issue to show I can still play (for future employment.) Right now, I’d be a good team player and say it’s all good while I’m on the mend.

Old school 2005 WAF

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 11:31 PM | Link to this

BA, like I said, I apologise if i’ve misinterpreted him but to me it kind of seemed like a backhanded compliment…..not that i’m botherd by it or anything if it was……i’m just saying that that’s not what i’m about.

Also BA, I’m pretty sure i’ve been the one saying that winning is the most important thing for the last couple of blogs lol but whatever…

Check out this weeks Podcast with Micah Heart and Lang Whitaker…

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Ariose

November 10, 2008 11:47 PM | Link to this

Does anyone esle have a problem with the comment box sometimes. When I tryto go back and add something or edit it will delete the text that is behiend it. It doesn’t happen often but it really annoys me sometimes……especially when i’ve already typed a lot and I dont want to do it over(usually I would just paste it to word and then refresh the page) but the CPU I was using at the time didn’t have Word set up so I had to make due….

~Sir Links A Lot~

By BA

November 10, 2008 11:48 PM | Link to this

Didn’t mean the bit about the importance of winning as any sort of contention to your prior points, Ariose. I just thought it was a good point from our beloved blogger of the year.

I promise you misinterpreted it- you have to push big Ray pretty hard (I know) to get insulted.

Now lets check your link…

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 12:16 AM | Link to this

I understand that Acie is doing what woodson told him to do when he’s out there. That’s why I said it’s on woody. Our bench has a toataly different Identity than our starting unit. It’s much more of a shashing run n’ Gun unit than a Jumpshooting unit With Acie/FlipMo. Woddy needs to take advantage of this and let that unit play to their strenghts on offense……

~Sir Links A Lot~

By blue hawk

November 11, 2008 2:24 AM | Link to this

the only other undefeated team are the lakers.

we are definitely on everybody’s radar.

solo will fill in nicely but i hope randmo can be given a chance to show what he can do.

we have enough guys to fill in for josh with solo, randmo and hunter around. hopehe gets well soon.

one game at a time.

too early to tell, but looks like ando’s going to pay up at season’s end. hehe.

hawks are definitely a team that will end up higher than a tenth seed. and they will definitely make the playoffs.

By Mark

November 11, 2008 3:13 AM | Link to this

Sekou, please shutup with all that stupid Billy Knight talk. He gets no credit. I hope you are not forgeting that Billy Knight tried to get Woody fired while simultaneously bringing in Mike Bibby. Thank God ownership did not allow him to do that because they were aware of the fact that he had never given Woody a real point guard. Don’t you remember Sekou? It was that article that you wrote defending BK, but as soon as 790 am read the article and made the point that BK had no reason to try and fire Woodson, when he never gave him all of the pieces. T I know you remember Sekou, because all of a sudden the article was mysteriously pulled from the AJC website and later changed to be a little more hawk friendlier. He was trying to save his own skin with the fanbase by firing Woody and bringing in a point guard. Get off of Billy Knight jock Sekou? He gets no credit. He may have drafted Josh, Horford, Law etc., but he blew many drafts and one of the drafts that he blew is one that we have to watch every night at Small Forward (Marvin). The idiot also brought in Speedy Claxton (Chris Paul’s backup at the time) Sun and Woody gets the credit. Sun brought in a bench which is something that BK never did. Woody gets the credit because he, unlike many coaches was patient and now they are buying into his system. This team is doing quite well and look like the Detroit during their championship run about 4 years ago. THis doesn’t make sense to you because you don’t know CRAP about basketball. I remember when you gave Woodson an F a few years ago even though you knew they that he never had all of the pieces. You were so stupid, you use to want this team to run and felt that they could never execute a half court scheme. Well Sekou, they are not running and are able to run a system that involves them moving the ball. You never really liked Woodson so you will never give him the credit. Billy Knight NEVER HAD A VISION, THAT IS WHY HE IS NOT HERE NOW!! All he wanted was a bunch of swingmen running around the court. He never consulted his coach about the team. All he ever did was give Woody anything like Shelden Williams and Larenzen Wright and expect Woodson to coach. Woodson hasn’t adjusted to the new regime, he is now with a GM that knows basketball and found players suitable for his system. You talk so much about Billy Knight and the man has managed to mess up two franchises. So basically SEKOU, SHUT THE HELL UPPPP!!!!!!!!!

By Mark

November 11, 2008 3:17 AM | Link to this

Sekou, please shutup with all that stupid Billy Knight talk. He gets no credit. I hope you are not forgeting that Billy Knight tried to get Woody fired while simultaneously bringing in Mike Bibby. Thank God ownership did not allow him to do that because they were aware of the fact that he had never given Woody a real point guard. Don’t you remember Sekou? It was that article that you wrote defending BK, but as soon as 790 am read the article and made the point that BK had no reason to try and fire Woodson, when he never gave him all of the pieces. T I know you remember Sekou, because all of a sudden the article was mysteriously pulled from the AJC website and later changed to be a little more hawk friendlier. He was trying to save his own skin with the fanbase by firing Woody and bringing in a point guard. Get off of Billy Knight jock Sekou? He gets no credit. He may have drafted Josh, Horford, Law etc., but he blew many drafts and one of the drafts that he blew is one that we have to watch every night at Small Forward (Marvin). The idiot also brought in Speedy Claxton (Chris Paul’s backup at the time) Sun and Woody gets the credit. Sun brought in a bench which is something that BK never did. Woody gets the credit because he, unlike many coaches was patient and now they are buying into his system. This team is doing quite well and look like the Detroit during their championship run about 4 years ago. THis doesn’t make sense to you because you don’t know CRAP about basketball. I remember when you gave Woodson an F a few years ago even though you knew they that he never had all of the pieces. You were so stupid, you use to want this team to run and felt that they could never execute a half court scheme. Well Sekou, they are not running and are able to run a system that involves them moving the ball. You never really liked Woodson so you will never give him the credit. Billy Knight NEVER HAD A VISION, THAT IS WHY HE IS NOT HERE NOW!! All he wanted was a bunch of swingmen running around the court. He never consulted his coach about the team. All he ever did was give Woody anything like Shelden Williams and Larenzen Wright and expect Woodson to coach. Woodson hasn’t adjusted to the new regime, he is now with a GM that knows basketball and found players suitable for his system. You talk so much about Billy Knight and the man has managed to mess up two franchises. So basically SEKOU, SHUT THE HELL UPPPP!!!!!!!!!

By Sope Creek

November 11, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this

Look, I’m an IU guy from the dominant days in the mid-70s through the early 80s, and what Woody has been bringing to the Hawks is the same defensive domination mentality to coaching a game that Bob Knight brought during IU’s glory years. Woodson was the bridge between the 76 championship team (when the following year he was the best player on the team that also had 1977 POY Kent Benson on it) and the 81 championship team (when he was the best player on the 80 team that had Isuiah Thomas, Landon Turner, Ray Tolbert and Randy Wittman).

Woody’s a lot better coach than your cohorts at the AJC - particularly that UK apologist, Mark Bradley - can appreciate because they’ve never seen the dominance that Knight’s teams had during most of those years. And Woody was a big part of that tradition.

I know that there’s a difference between the college game and the NBA. But playing defense with intensity and as a team is the key to success on all levels, including the NBA.

Now, it’s taken the GMs to get the right players - and this year having multiple options to back up Joe, plus having both Zaza and Solo playing quality big man minutes have been key. And it’s taken the right players having the right mentality to make it work. But the one constant that Woodson’s brought has been in demanding that this team play intense, team-oriented defense. And players are getting it, buying into it and performing it. It’s great to watch … even for an old IU guy.

By kwooden1

November 11, 2008 8:36 AM | Link to this

I’ve been checking out the games on NBA Broadband, using the archive files, so I can fast forward and rewind. The last game was a great come back late for the Hawks,it really helps have someone else that can get their own shot besides JJ. I will give Woody credit for two things ONLY: 1) Never letting the team implode last year. (He has the respect of his players) 2) Letting his veteran’s figure out the offensive. I think Woody has the respect of his players, even if JJ wasn’t on his side, he sticks with the principle if you can preform in the game you will get time. It appears to me that guys who practice well but don’t play well don’t get much time. I think Morris will get more time against Boston and Chicago, he just didn’t match-up well with the Thunder. Woody doesn’t get credit for being creative with the offense! Late in the game against the Thunder they ran 4 straight ISOs for JJ and they score on only one of them! Now from what I saw part of it could have been JJ not passing the ball, but they should have at least switch sides of the basket with the play. They finally ran another play after a timeout. Flip brought the team back with his great shooting, I know Woody didn’t call an ISO play for Flip to shoot a step back 3 pointer!

Overall I can’t be more excited about how this team is playing, and I think they will be even better when JS comes back. Horford was really taking care of the paint and Solo is giving great minutes off the bench. Acie is coming along, but he’s going to have to play better defense if he wants to stay on the court. Bibby is playing really well, he’s makes the team go when he’s passing the ball. Marvin’s been a lot more aggressive with his shot, and he’s drives have been a lot more under control.

The next two road games are going to be a really good test. Having Boston on the end of a road back-to-back will really test the legs of the guys. Bibby’s got another tough match-up with Rose, but I like to see Horford against Gooden or Thomas. Chicago also has no one to check JJ! This could also be a money game for Marvin if he can show-up Deng. Either way, we’ll all be watching the game against Boston, just for the drama! It is a game Boston should win, especially without JS to guard Garnett, but Boston hasn’t seen Flip/Mo before!!

GO HAWKS!!

By ajw

November 11, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this

So tonight against the shorthanded Bulls, we need to be on the lookout for a lull. We need to get Rose rattled since, with Hinrich out, they don’t have a decent backup. I don’t believe they will have Hughes or Gooden tonight either. Its “good” they don’t have Gooden tonight. Last time we played them, I believe he went off for something like 18 points in the first quarter. Gorden is starting to get it going again, but the way we are playing defense these days, I think we can shut him down. Our biggest problem tonight will be keeping Rose out of the lane and limiting Deng to under 20 points. The Bulls are much more limited tonight by their injuries than we are without Josh. So go Hawks. Shut’em down! Shut’em down!

By Sekou K. Smith

November 11, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this

I heard you the first time Mark, you didn’t have to tell me to shut up twice (and sorry but I won’t be shutting up anytime soon).

Also, we’ll get a good look at Derrick Rose tonight. He’s been impressive in the highlights I’ve seen, but I want to watch him for an entire game and see what it looks like.

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this

Wow!! lol ummm woodson doesnt desrve all the credit lol. Woodson is STILL playing the players that BK drafted after all….

Yeah, Derrick Rose Scares me. He can mount a opne man comeback if he wanted. We might need all of those fouls from our big men lol. But they have Larry Hughts, Kirk Heinrich, and Thabo Sefelosha injured……I think Nocioni might be injured also. that just leaves the undersized backcourt of Rose and Gordon to deal with Joe……that’s not good for them lol.

~Sir Links A Lot~

By Mike is back

November 11, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this

Acie will be fine he’s playing behind Bibby and Flip, that ain’t chop sushi. Woody is trying to avoid the slow start this team is notorious for having. To man and woman, Missy ain’t forgot about. WOODY IS DOING A HELLAVU JOB COACHING THIS TEAM!!!!!!!! WE ARE 5 AND 0,CAN YOU DIG IT!!!!!!!!!Besides Acie can gain a wealth of knowledge from playing behind Bibby and Flip that will make him even better.  

I would love to see Acie, and Morris get more playing time, but I’m with Woody on this one, I want to get off to a fast start, so I’m going to go with veteran guys down the stretch. Woody said he’s plan on getting Acie mix, and he commended Acie his off season workouts. It a 82 game season, we’ve played what 5. As fragile as Bibby looks at time, if anything Acie needs to be on high alerttttttttt.  Heh Heh,"LOL"

We will need everyone on the team to step their game for this team to continue to perform at this level.  I said it before THESE AIN”T YO MOMA HAWKS!!!!!!!!! I expect these cats to keep doing their thing.

6 AND 0, GO GET IT HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this

WoW I hope I didn’t trigger these attacks on Sekou If I did I apologies.

Keep in mind guys and gals Sekou provides a lot of good info about our Hawks. I a firm believer on dialogue, and arguing to get your point across, but to disrespect this man because you disagree with his opinion, well that’s a bit much. I know I know, I should be the last one making these comments, but I would hate to lose the one person providing a great platform for our continuous dialogue.

Please keep in mind he’s the only legit beat writer for the Hawks. Again I know I’m not the poster child, but I’d never disrespect the one person providing consistent information about our team. I just think that’s a little over the top, but who am I? (I’m just another blogger).

If you dislike his comments so much, peep out the other blogs.

Kevin

I understand your frustration; you’ve been a season ticket holder for three years. Hopefully, we’ll get more information on Speedy…

Peace Hawks Fam

By Josh

November 11, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

it way to early people. And the hawks did not look to good Sunday vs the wrost team in the NBA.

FIRE MIKE WOODSON

By terrell barron

November 11, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

So my wife comes down stairs and says, I just saw thay the guy who left the Hawks for the money? He really needs to take care of his gum disease. She’s a hygenist. Always talking about teeth. lol!!! She told me she caught the tail end of an interview where he said they asked him if he thought any other Hawks player could make the transition overseas? His answer was Marvin Williams and maybe Al Horford. Ironically he mentioned Marvin who’s contract is up after this year. Did you guys catch this interview? Why she did’nt holler for me when it was on is beyond me, knowing how much I like the Hawks. 6-0 after tonight. I hope.

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this

TB, The full video is on ESPN.com check it out……time is short or I would link it for you sorry….

By MannyT

November 11, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this

Is this the ESPN video of Chills that you guys are talking about?

I would say that Chills has done more for his personal long term earning potential with this move to Greece. I think he can earn cash around the world when he has retired…particularly if Olympiacos has significant success in the Euroleagues.

Face it, he wasn’t getting ESPN interviews and NY Times spreads while he was here.

Maybe this works out for both sides in the long run.

BWAF

By terrell barron

November 11, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this

Thanks Manny.

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this

This page has text with it and another video….I think it’s all the same though…

~Sir Links A Lot~

By fudd21

November 11, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this

I am curious to see who Woody starts tonight. I would think with Chicago’s athletic front that ZaZa would have trouble defending them. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Solo starting or even Mo with Marvin sliding over to the 4.

I am pleasantly surprised with the 5 and 0 start. However, with the way the defense has been playing they will be in a lot of games. With Flip and Bibby out there at the end of games many of those games we lost in the fourth quarter last year we will win this year. Just like the game Sunday. We probably would have lost that game last year.

It is truly exciting to be a Hawks fan right now. When is the last time you could say that?

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this

Manny

Nice link. I’m glad he’s happy. He clearly in it for the money, so in that case good for Chills.

Can someone refresh my mind and tell me what the Hawks offered him?

By fudd21

November 11, 2008 12:42 PM | Link to this

Terell If I’m not mistaken I think I heard somewhere that Chills and Marvin have the same agent. If that’s true then yea I’m sure the agents have already put that thought in Marvin’s head.

Does anyone know if we retained the rights to Chills?

By ray

November 11, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

Ariose,

Look at what I typed again. I said I didn’t think you understood what Ando was really getting at. I then finished the sentence by saying that I know what I think to be your misunderstanding IS NOT due to you being dumb and even put “we both know you’re not” in parenthesis. That was a willful, conscious, direct effort to say that I feel like you misunderstood, but I DO NOT WANT YOU TO THINK I’M CALLING YOU DUMB or anything else. In fact, that was a conscious effort to pay you the respect that I have for you.

I do not think I can say it any clearer than that. I looked over what I typed several times to see how I might have sounded wrong, or looked like I was implying anything. I still don’t see it. What I do see is us disagreeing, which I don’t see anything wrong with. And until we get this part straight, we may as well not bother trying to talk basketball.

By ray

November 11, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this

Here’s what’s funny: nobody is saying that Bibby can, will, or should be traded anytime soon. Absolutely hilarious. You can say that it will happen before the season ends and suddenly it turns into “it will happen tomorrow” or some other such made-up suggestion that did not come out of anybody’s mouth in the first place. I don’t have any more to say about it at this point.

As for Law, I’m in his corner. I think he’ll be fine, until he proves otherwise. I have several other opinions on this, but I’ll refrain for now.

By robdawg08

November 11, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this

Its still early but the Hawks look great so far. With a lot of players scoring 10 to 15 points to help scoring stars J.Johnson and J.Smith out its a good balance so far. I still would like a bonafide big man at center and let Horford be a good power forward. Zaza isn’t the answer. I hope the Hawks plan on drafting or trading for a big man soon. A good center will force a perimeter game for opponents and gives you a rebounding machine on offense and defense. It totally changes the team. Maybe this is the year M.Williams plays up to his potential ? Go Hawks !

By AS23

November 11, 2008 3:20 PM | Link to this

Flip is the truth, let him play his game and he will get the team involved.

By ant banks

November 11, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this

guys, assuming that we start 1.bibby, 2.jj, 3.marvin, 4.horford, 5.solo/zaza. how do you think we match up against chicago?

By BA

November 11, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

Ok, Ray, then let me clarify. To suggest that the Hawks will be moving Bibby (wasn’t that a guarantee from your boy?) SOON OR at the trade deadline is equally asanine. Does anybody really believe that a team that has played this well will be in a position to have a firesale at the deadline?

Because ando thinks he has some insider knowledge of the organization’s finacial woes? Because they’d be dumb enough to break up a fifty-win team to save seven million dollars? Isn’t it safe to say they’re making MORE money this year with people actually turning out for games?

If it’s not your bag (this endless Bibby trade business) then so be it. But to you (arguing on ando’s behalf) or the self-enamored one himself, this concept hasn’t made any sense since it’s introduction during the offseason. It’s a flawed conspiracy theory that has been disqualified.

But I’ve seen ando clinging desperately to it here even in recent days, somehow oblivious to the changing climate that is Atlanta/NBA basketball.

Lets all say it together, kids:

ando made a series of foolish predictions (some inevitable trade of our starting point guard and a ridiculously low win total) based on his (flawed) analysis of the Hawks “unbalanced” and “undersized” roster. Anybody remember the “players nobody else wanted” line in regards to Murray/Evans?! I’ve also seen evidence in recent days of the classic ando back-down, but we all remember the long, repetitive, self-assured posts that insisted that this was NOT a team that could be “competetive” in the Eastern Conference.

So what are ya’ll going to spend ando’s money on?

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this

Ray, No worries, It’s all good. I thought It might have been but I wasn’t sure if you were indeed implying that wich is why I put the disclaimer.

I know you’re not the type of person to insult without proper cause so I was 50/50. I guess I fugured since “dumb” was being put in the sentence at all that it might have been implied.

I apologise, ray that’s my bad.

By Ken Strickland

November 11, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this

RAY-this is in reference to your Nov 10, 5:54PM post. You do get it, they are the one’s that don’t get it. WE both know Woodson refused to properly utilize Acie last yr despite not having adequate backup at PG. So, why expect Woodson to treat Acie any differently this yr now that he has the vet backup help he’s always coveted?

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO GIVE UP ON, OR GET RIDE OF ACIE LAW, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

(1)Some of you wanted to get rid of Solomon Jones. Do any of you feel that way now? Do you think we’d be undefeated without his inspired ad improved play?

(2)GM Joe Dumars built his reputation by assembling a championship team made up primarily of players other teams, and their fans, gave up on and/or no longer wanted. Look up the history of the players that made up the core of the Pistons(CBillups, RHamilton, AMcDyss and RWallace).

Acie is a player that’s always overcome his shortcomings by playing with supreme confidence. Woodson has done nothing to help his confidence. In fact, he’s actually been a detriment to Acie’s confidence. Woodson doesn’t allow Acie the luxury of playing to develop his confidence or improve his gm. With Woodson, Acie’s been forced to play for Woodsons approval(to stay out of his doghouse) and gain additional mins and/or opportunities. A player like Acie can’t play up to his potential and/or abilities when he shy’s away from making big plays to avoid making mistakes.

Even with Woodson as HC, if Acie was forced into a starting roll and given the responsibility and the mins, like JSmith was, he’d deliver.

By Ken Strickland

November 11, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this

One other thing. The Hawks are undefeated after 5gms and have shown no weakness so far. With performances like we’ve gotten the last 5gms, especially after past seasons, why are some of you still focusing on negative issues, like getting rid of players? Acie isn’t hurting this team, nor are any of the other players. WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEARN TO RELAX AND ENJOY THE RIDE?

By robdawg08

November 11, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this

Ken, because we know the ride will be over when they play the Cavs,Pistons,Celtics,Lakers,Rockets,76ers,etc. If they get a power center now they can play with these good teams more consistently.

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this

Injuries Plauge the Eastern Confrence

~Sir Links A Lot~

By cp

November 11, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this

I think we approach the Bulls game the same way we did the Hornets game. Rose is going to get his so make the other players beat you. They are a jump shooting team. They have no inside presence. So force them to take bad jumpers and beat them up in the paint. Tyrus Thomas thinks he is Reggie Miller this year so sag off him and let him clank jumper after jumper. Even without Josh I think we can win this game. I doubt we stop Rose so force his other teammates to step up.

By MannyT

November 11, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this

Lacsho Let me preface my remarks with…I am answering your question and covering the first few weeks of July 2008. I am NOT trying to rehash the Chills thing.

Chills wanted a deal done early in July. Sund basically said go find an offer and we will match. Chills got some interesting nibbles on sign & trades. Sund not interested in sign & trades. No specific offers because most teams could not offer more than mid level exception for him due to their own salary cap challenges. The Greek Maloofs/Cubans, aka the Angelopoulos brothers swoop in and offer him the big money i.e. 3yrs/20mil plus all of the things that make their offer sweeter—tax protection, housing, maid, etc.

Hawks see this as bluff. They do offer roughly the MLE late in the game. This is the best Josh can get in the NBA without the Hawks agreeing to a sign & trade. Financially, that was just under 5.6/mil. As the team with his Bird rights, they could have offered 10% raises on that number for the length of the contract (max 6 years). I believe the number that bounced around was about 5yr/33mil.

Josh goes to Greece and sees that he can do it…bye bye Hawks.

Hawks hold his rights because they tendered him an offer. They can choose to do that for another year to maintain his rights. If he stays in Greece all 3 years, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of that contract which may have a US value of double what he gets paid due to tax savings, housing etc. While I am not a tax professional, I think he may need to keep that cash outside of the US or find a creative way to bring it back hoem to minimize/avoid US taxes.

Ken The microwave fan turns quickly. Hot one minute and cold the next. Vinnie Johnson would be upset with the way some have soiled his nickname. Let anyone besides JJ or Al have a bad night tomorrow. He’ll be under the bus until he has a good game.

Spike Lee said Get on the Bus—the microwave fan says—Get Under the Bus.

BWAF

By steve

November 11, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this

The Hawks look great. I was there on Friday. Too bad they are still playing to a half full arena.

The whole thing is corporate. No real fans there. Just people sitting in their company’s season seats.

That second level should be $20 tickets. Very few fans can afford to take their family to a game and pay $86 a tickets for seats that aren’t even THAT great.

But, complaining aside, the Hawks are the real deal.

The Hawks Official Chef, Bradley Rouse, was on Fox Five Atlanta this week. He has apparently been feeding these guys what they need.

By randy

November 11, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this

Acie is fine, he just needs more playing time. In preseason, he showed that he can hit outside which is an improvement over last year. At the moment Bibby and even Flip are more ready at this point, so Acie will get some garbage minutes. If Bibby isn’t resigned next year, then it will be Acie’s job, then he will get the minutes and then we will know what he is truly made of. On another note, I hope Horford can get into some rythm offensively, making up for Smith’s 20 pts a game is going to be tough.

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this

Kudos to the Hawks. Our entire starting 5 made the all-star ballot. Not sure if currently another NBA has those bragging rights. JJ would probably had started in the backcourt with D.Wade had Iverson hadn’t comeback East.

By The Truth

November 11, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this

Without question, JJ will make the all-star team this year. He is demanding to much respect from our opponents via defense adjustments. Not sure about the other Hawk members on the ballot. It will no-doubt depend on our record.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this

Sekou is on the NBA channel

By ajw

November 11, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this

One other player no one else wanted….Josh Smith. 17th pick was a steal. Looking back at the 2004 draft and knowing what we do now. Josh would be in the top 4 or 5 in that draft.

Joe Johnson statistically would be the number 2 pick in the 2001 draft only behind Pau Gasol.

We are going to smother Chicago tonight.

And we will beat Boston tomorrow night.

They are going to have to change the national tv schedule soon.

Then the whole world will be talking.

Rooting for this team through all of the really crappy bad times makes this all the sweeter. I think our best player in 2001 was Ira Newble. Whew!

As Fatboy Slim would say, “We’ve come a long long way together….Praise you!” Go Hawks!

By Raptors fan in TO

November 11, 2008 7:32 PM | Link to this

Argh! Those dang Celtics and their freakin’ home town-friendly ref calls. Does KG realize he can poke someone’s eye out when he wags that twizzler-like finger at someone’s face? (search “Calderon Garnett” on YouTube to see what I am referring to).

I hope the Hawks drop those over-rated chumps tomorrow.

By The Truth

November 11, 2008 8:06 PM | Link to this

By design, the schedule-planners, did not want the Hawks to win the Boston game tomorrow night. Playing back-to-back games the previous night against Chicago, we have a legitimate excuse not to win. On top of that, we are missing our starter Josh. So, the way I see it, the pressure will be on Boston to beat us. If we beat them, that will be a serious statement.

By richbrave

November 11, 2008 8:23 PM | Link to this

At 0-5 the WIZARDS have matched their franchise worst start. With ANTONIO DANIELS out with a sore knee, it could be six - a record for futility. JUAN DIXON starts in his place, and although not a true PG may be the better player at this point in the season. Mark my words, ARENAS’ return will not change that much for this moribund squad. They have no presence in the middle and they cannot win without it. Rook McGEE is going to get to play a lot this season. To my mind, this is a lost year for the D.C. team. They certainly are NOT playoff caliber this year, and ownership missed their chance to start a rebuild by letting JAMISON and ARENAS go. Two wins for the HAWKS this month.

By ray

November 11, 2008 8:32 PM | Link to this

BA,

Let me clarify something I haven’t, and probably should have. I am not defending Ando on this “trade Bibby” business. The simple fact is that he is not the first one to think of the idea. Sautee and I discussed it on the phone, and even in person once. Ando and I discussed a few times as well. Then, he started posting it. Sautee can vouch for that, as we were discussing it several months ago, as a possibility. Ando, of course, began posting it, and is quite sure of the idea that it will happen.

I’ll bet nobody even remembers me posting it, months and months ago, back when we first got him and he hadn’t been here long. And then again, after the playoffs. Do you know why nobody remembers? Because Ando draws more attention than I do with his style and presentation. He’s the one so many guys keep coming after. Ando is the one who does the bold predictions. Ando is the one whom so many people want to see be wrong even more than they want to see the Hawks win. And people prove it by posting more anti-Ando stuff than they do pro-Hawks stuff.

So am I defending Ando? No. He needs no defense, he can handle his own, and we don’t even always agree when we talk. Truth is, I’m defending my own view point. And I’m okay with people disagreeing. I know I never said Bibby would be traded soon. I’ve said he could. You know it’s possible, having seen Iverson and Billups traded before 5 games of the season were even played. Did anybody see that coming? I know I didn’t.

I don’t recall Ando saying Bibby would be traded right away. Either he did, or he didn’t. I do recall him saying that perhaps he should (before he gets injured or otherwise). I don’t really care to dig it all back up and see precisely what he said. Anybody who is obsessed enough to do so can feel free to.

I’ll tell you what I see and what I do know:

1)The season is only five games old, so any discussion of a total of season wins is beyond silly, since we have 77 more to go. How can anyone say that anybody else is wrong, stupid, right, or otherwise when only 5 of 82 games has been played?

2)Trade predictions, regardless of who is involved or when it might happen, are what they are. If you told me that Dumars was going to trade Billups, Cheik Sambh, and Antonio McDyess for Allen Iverson before 5 games of this season were even played, I may have said you were a fool, and that it was too soon. After all, are not the Pistons a winning team? You call us a winning formula, but have we won 50 games? How about in back-to-back (and then some) seasons? How about making it to the finals several times in the last several years? And who would’ve been the fool after the trade? Me. So saying that any such mention of such a trade is foolish, is well….foolish. In my opinion, anyway.

3)I don’t know how many ways a guy can say that the team is playing well and that he might have been wrong. I have heard the words “I might be eating crow” come out of Ando’s mouth more times than you can imagine. That, and he is fully prepared to make good on his debts, as any person would who’s word means anything to him. I don’t know what else to say, and I really don’t have too much else to say. I talk to the guy all the time, so I know. And I know him. I’ll let you and him deal this deck out. You can make fun of me for defending a friend if you choose. It won’t stop me.

I really don’t know what your deal is with him. But I hope you can get the hell over it, because man you sound more like a hater than you do a Hawks fan. I’m not telling you that to insult you, that’s just how you seem. Prove me wrong.

In the meantime, I hope we can conversate about basketball, regardless of who we agree and disagree with, without taking things personal.

Peace

By ray

November 11, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this

Ariose,

You do not owe me an apology. I just really wanted to clarify things before we got down the wrong road, is all. I respect you, believe that. And I’m not mad about anything you said, I just get frustrated when I strive to say one thing, and another thing is what comes across. Fact is, Sautee called me up and enlightened me on a possibility as far as how you might have taken it. As usual, his words are worth gold in the realm of wisdom. Fact is, I am not too proud to offer you an apology if you still felt that I was in the wrong. Now let’s get our game on, my friend!

Ken Strickland,

Thankyou for belaboring and understanding my point on Acie. This is what I truly believe. And your point about Solomon Jones hits me between the ribs, as I was one who thought his decision to skip summer league to be a foolish one. Here am I, looking the fool….

One thing to say on this game: JJ will have to guard Derrick Rose. He runs around some of the best guys in the league. Bibby won’t come close to being able to handle him. Or so I see it…

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 8:50 PM | Link to this

Go start for the Hawks. Their defense is sufficating the Bulls….

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this

Man Marvin’s arm did blow up over the summer. Hawks have good energy out the gate.

By ray

November 11, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this

You know what? Horford should have no problem scoring 20 tonight, because there is no one on that Bulls squad tonight that can guard him. NO ONE. They lost their only chance when Drew Gooden showed up in street clothes. The only way he doesn’t score that much is if we go away from him (as I’ve seen happen all too often), or if he gets into foul trouble, which shouldn’t happen against a front line that is more frail and easily less physical than our own….without Josh Smith.

Our defense looks pretty good early on against a very young, very inexperienced Bulls squad. The only difference is the amazing Derrick Rose, whose talent is so very apparent.

Why are we throwing up jumpers? Give it to Horford, they can’t stop him, and he’s not greedy….

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 8:55 PM | Link to this

Hawks are settling for too many jumpshots… ZaZa just took it strong to the rim and got a goal tend. Then Marvin got a layup…

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 8:59 PM | Link to this

Mo needs to get busy, dag Marvin was on a role.

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:02 PM | Link to this

AC just enter the game with 2:34 left in the 1st qtr…

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:04 PM | Link to this

Solomon just check into the game and got a rebound and assist in less than 20 seconds… I like this kid…

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:07 PM | Link to this

Othello Hunter has enter the game. Oh my, Woody has played 10 guys within the 1st qtr.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 9:08 PM | Link to this

Ray

You called it. Big Al should blow up tonight, and he has three blocks (WoW). Nice pass by Solo. Is it me, I think these Hawks are playing with helluva confidence. Good to see Hunter in the game.

By Ken Strickland

November 11, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this

ROBDAWG08-let me get this straight. YOU’RE SAYING YOU CAN’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO ENJOY WHAT IS HAPPENING, BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN FOR WNAT MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT HAPPEN LATER. I’ll bet you refuse to believe the Hawks beat Boston 3 times in last yrs playoffs. Boston isn’t as good as they were last yr because they’re not as deep. We’re better because we’re a lot deeper, more versatile, more talented and experienced.

We beat all of the teams you mentioned last yr except the Rockets. What makes you think the new and improved Hawks have no chance of defeating those teams this yr? HOW CAN WE EXPECT THE HAWKS TO GET ANY RESPECT FROM OUTSIDERS WHEN OUR OWN, SO CALLED, FANS REFUSE TO GIVE THEIR OWN TEAM ANY RESPECT?

This yrs Hawks have proven they will not get run off the court by any team unless they just don’t come to play. We can beat any team in the NGA on any given night. We’ll lose some gms, but we’ll win a lot more than we lose. This team is young, talented, motivated, hungry and deep.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 9:18 PM | Link to this

Manny

I just saw BWAF…lol

By hawkeye

November 11, 2008 9:22 PM | Link to this

we look like the hawks of the old without bibby on the floor. the offense sucks…

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:23 PM | Link to this

Bibby has it going tonight. Shooting and passing..

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this

Bulls are shooting lights out… Bibby is keeping the Hawks in the game..

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this

ZaZa with the cha cha slide for a big dunk… Oh my, he got away with a walk… heh heh…

By ray

November 11, 2008 9:37 PM | Link to this

Damn if Al Horford isn’t everywhere, and doing everything….

We need to go to him all game. Joe Johnson is struggling and trying to do a bit too much. He really needs to quit pressing so much. Start drawing the defense like normal, but don’t wait so long to pass it to somebody. Too many times already this season I’ve seen Joe get too far into the defense for too long, only to pass it out to somebody who has to rush a shot…from the perimeter.

Law is still deferring to his veteran teammates too much. I still can’t help thinking that the design of most plays has him passing the ball off to Flip or Joe when he’s in there. I’d rather see him getting the offense set more.

Man, Horford is doing all he can to make up for Josh’s absence in the blocked shots category. And he and Zaza are playing like old friends together.

Thee’s some sloppy play, Joe still isn’t getting calls, and the officiating isn’t stellar. Yep, it’s the NBA….

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:37 PM | Link to this

Tyrus Thomas is a walking turnover. I think he’s twice as worst than a younger Josh Smith in the decision making department.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 9:38 PM | Link to this

Bibby is on like hotter butter on popcorn (sugar hill gang ya)..

Horford is getting busy… 16pts, 5blks, 7rbds..

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 9:40 PM | Link to this

Hawkeye, your comment is on point. Went Bibby wentout the game. That’s when the Bulls started their comeback and eventually took the lead…. We need Bibby to be successful this season…

By cp

November 11, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this

Horford is pretty much beasting out there. He is scoring at will, playing great defense, and rebounding. Pachulia is having a nice game as well. Bibby is looking pretty good. Joe shot is struggling but his defense is looking pretty good. Marvin has been glued to the bench most of the game. Flip hasn’t done anything. Evans is playing some good ball. I just feel like we should be up a lot more but to be leading with your best player struggling is a good thing. If Joe gets it together we should win this one. I’m not going to even comment on Law smh.

Derrick Rose is going to be a problem in this league. His jumper is a lot better than I thought it would be and he can get to the rim anytime he pleases. Tyrus Thomas looks like Stromile Swift Jr… And I really dislike Nochioni(spelling).

By ray

November 11, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this

Melvin, heh heh heh….naw, Zaza just took some big steps….yeah, that’s the ticket…heh heh heh.

Lacsho, usually it’s Flip that turns it on. This time it’s Mo. I don’t care, as long as it’s somebody. I’m loving Solo’s play. The boxscore doesn’t even show it. What a key offensive rebound he had that one time, then followed it with an excellent pass to Horford for the bucket AND 1.

Yeah, Horford gets 20 and 10 tonight, unless we get stupid (ahem…Woody) and start going away from him, as we’ve historically done in the second half. Wow is he ever stepping up. I say let him set a career high if it helps us win.

BWAF is funny as hell, is it not? Ha!

By blue hawk

November 11, 2008 9:53 PM | Link to this

hey guys,

what happened to Marv? he was pulled out in the 1st qtr never to return in the first half.

anything happen to him? injury? foul trouble? or Woody just absolutely forgot about him?

Hope we win this game and I hope we have Josh back for the Celtics game so that we’ll beat them too.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this

CP

Rose is a problem now…

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:04 PM | Link to this

Blue

Marvin got into early foul trouble.

By doc

November 11, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this

ray, acie hasnt learned the speed of the game nor is he able to let the game come to him. he rushes way too much gets lost in the spacing of the team. ultimately he has to give the ball up to save himself rather than to enhance the others on the team. bibby on the other hand makes the right play at the right time and his passes are delivered on the mark without looking where he wants to go with it. i saw this same stuff even in the mop up at the end of the toronto game. acie may have the tools but the he has it button hasnt clicked on yet.

to those bibby detractors, he looks like the quick release qb on both his shots and passes. complain all you want about his defense his offense is over the top for what this franchise is used to.

if the fantasy guys have not noticed it might be time to pick up yi on the cheap if he is available still. he is close to double double avgs now and rising quickly.

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this

Ken

Manny told you it’s the microwave fan man.

Ray

Ya boy (Horford) might get 30 tonight. Horford is on beast mode..

Marvin haters I’m putting you on notice.. You better reconize this is a different dude…

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 10:18 PM | Link to this

Ray, you call it. Horford is killing them. Za Za and Marvin is playing well two. JJ is having an off nite so far. If I bench get it going, we will blow this game open…

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this

Doc

Whatz Good My Brother. I was about to tell RAY to put a APB on you..lol

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 11, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

Nice to see the Hawks turn on the jets in the 3rd quarter, after an inconsistent first half.

Let me be the first (I think) to mention that Horford is having by far his best game of the season while starting at power forward. Not trying to make any judgments based on that, just food for thought…

Also nice to see Bibby, Marvin, etc. pick up the slack offensively on a night when Joe clearly doesn’t have his best.

As for the Bulls… Derrick Rose really is the realness. Too bad everyone else on that team is a tweener, doesn’t fit in that system, or both.

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

$70 million for Deng. Oh my, the Bulls better get a refund. All this guy does is stand in the corner/wing waiting for a pass to shoot his mid-range shot.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:26 PM | Link to this

In a little trouble here.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:27 PM | Link to this

Good time out Woody

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 11, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this

“Marvin haters I’m putting you on notice.. You better reconize this is a different dude…”

Count me among those who have recognized. He has clearly improved a lot.

“Tyrus Thomas looks like Stromile Swift Jr”

I’ve been saying that since the day he was drafted. Trading LaMarcus Aldridge for him is the #1 reason the Bulls are not contenders.

By hawkeye

November 11, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this

again, bibby out…offense sucks. bulls make run

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this

Time to turn it up a notch Hawks. They can’t do anything with our starters. Man when we have Josh we are dominating. Without him, we struggle a little, but still control the game.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:30 PM | Link to this

There we go Marvin. Take it to them. Drain the free throws.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:31 PM | Link to this

Yeah! Bibby!

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 11, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this

Bibby doing BIG things in the 4th quarter… those 3’s are straight up killing the Bulls.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this

Deng is looking like Crap! How much is he making?

By hawks_4_life

November 11, 2008 10:33 PM | Link to this

NOW WHO WANTS TO TRADE MIKE BIBBY AT THIS MOMENT?

By ray

November 11, 2008 10:33 PM | Link to this

Actually, we weren’t doing all that well because both JJ and Flip are off.

And Bibby hits another three….he’s been a bit quiet, but he’s been nice and steady. Acie needs to quit just giving it to Flip. But then, I know why he, JJ, and Flip are struggling. The Bulls’ perimeter defense has always been better than their interior defense. And that still holds true today.

The real story has been Al. Al starting the break. Al blocking the shot. Al grabbing the rebound. Al making the pass. Al AND 1. Big Al!!

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this

Go Mavs! Beat LA! Beat LA

By doc

November 11, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this

lascho i just about put one out on myself. i was on the AT in franklin area backpacking from saturday to last night. been catching up on what the hawks did over the weekend after i left them friday night.

acie isnt ready fro prime time yet. bibby is making the train run tonight.

need jj to turn it on. bibby just got cute.

By ray

November 11, 2008 10:37 PM | Link to this

Uh…Najeh…12 and 4? Not much different than last year, dude.

Just pokin’ at ya. He has been more aggressive. It’s just not showing in the stat box….heh…but hey I don’t hate him. I notice he and Mo have played almost identical minutes. Hmmmm. Still, I like his form. He’s being fairly efficient, shooting 5-8

By hawks_4_life

November 11, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this

Joe is off but BIG AL is right on time

By hawks_4_life

November 11, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this

Joe is off but BIG AL is right on time

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:41 PM | Link to this

Rebounding really is the key to winning.

Horford is going to the all star game.

Yeah, I said it first Dominique.

By ajw

November 11, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this

I’m changing my post from “Deng is looking like crap” to Deng is looking like Dung!

Yeah! now that is funny!

By hawkeye

November 11, 2008 10:48 PM | Link to this

wow! BIG AL is making dwight howard numbers…heh

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this

6-0 Baby

By hawks_4_life

November 11, 2008 10:53 PM | Link to this

Good to see Joe shoot at least ten free throws

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 11, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this

Yeah it’s not so much MW’s impact in the stat sheet, which hasn’t changed a whole lot, as much as his improvement in man-to-man defense and his increased aggressiveness. I’m seeing a lot fewer stripped balls when he drives inside and a lot more clean finishes at the rim. I’m also seeing a lot fewer guys blow by him on defense and a lot more instances in which he deflects passes or strips the guy he’s guarding. I still don’t want him taking shots in crunch time or guarding the opposing team’s lead scorer, but he’s doing a lot fewer frustrating things and is making a lot more positive contributions.

By doc

November 11, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this

joe has not played well on either end of the court tonight. hope these guys will be put away soon.

By ray

November 11, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this

Ha Ha! Look at Samuel all Rico Suave on the Bleacher Report. ‘Rep yo hood. ‘Rep yo hoooooood!

Damn, Mo has turned it on tonight. Between him and Bibby, the threes are raining.

Man, keep big Al in the game so he can get 30 and 20!!!

I knew Derrick Rose was the truth when I saw him play for Memphis. But this….this is something else. Some experts said that the reason he got picked 1st is because teams have learned what a mistake it was not to pick super floor generals like Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

But Rose does not ride their coat tails. He stands on his own ability. Period.

Time to quit playing around with these guys, quit letting them stay close, and QUIT LETTING NOCIONI DO HIS THING!!

By Glutton for Punishment

November 11, 2008 10:55 PM | Link to this

Great Team play… even with some of your stars are not playing well, we have COMPLETE team that will come thru…. GO HAWKS….

By ray

November 11, 2008 11:02 PM | Link to this

Joe is a true scorer. He’s getting his the old-fashioned way, when your shot isn’t falling: at the charity stripe. That, and he’s dishing the ball. Good work.

Bibby….22 and 5? Hell yeah, not a single damn thing to complain about!

Big Al Horford. WOW, what a game he’s had, and kudos to Woody for having those guys keep on going to him down low. I was worried we’d start going away from him like we always used to.

I really like the way this team is playing. We should’ve played better defense, but we found ways to win, and we’re doing it without one of our key players.

6-0 babyyyyyyyy!

Celtics up next. Talk about a challenge. More than a challenge. And I hate the idea of not having Smith around when we’re playing them. He’s the guy that really gave them fits while allowing Horford to battle down low with those guys foul trouble-free.

I still think Woody should have gotten Randolph Morris into the game tonight to get him warmed up for Boston. Fact is, one or more of our low post guys is probably going to get into foul trouble against Boston. We’re going to need RandMo. He can score, and he’s big, making him a good matchup with Kendrick Perkins. But that’s just my opinion.

See y’all tomorrow night….

By Ken Strickland

November 11, 2008 11:07 PM | Link to this

I remember someone on an earlier blog suggesting the possibility of the Hawks going going into the Boston gm 6-0. I remember him saying we might think he was crazy for posing the possibility and asked us to hear him out. He was a profit and obviously saw something very positive about this team. GOOD WIN TONIGHT HAWKS.

By ray

November 11, 2008 11:07 PM | Link to this

Najeh, agreed on the Marvin Williams observations.

Forgot to mention: good solid effort and production from Zaza Pachulia. He was a big help.

Big ups to Mo Evans, who helped make up for lack of production and bad shooting nights by two of our more notable scorers.

One more time: Al Horford with 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 blocks.

Hey Clyde, you think we’re going to ever see something like that from Sean Williams?

By Lacsho

November 11, 2008 11:12 PM | Link to this

Well family I’m on my way to Jersey tomorrow. I’ll drive to northern VA and take a break to watch the Hawks vs Celtics game. I’ll probaly spend the night there, and then take it in to Jersey Thursday morning. I’m going to try to gas Sekou up for some Hawks tickets in Jersey……

It wasn’t long ago when we won 13 games in the entire season. I watched every game. I’ve been waiting for this day…

No Complaints

Peace

By cp

November 11, 2008 11:16 PM | Link to this

Lacsho you are right, he is a problem now lol. It’s crazy that he is pretty much the best player on that team.

Great win tonight. I hope there is no more silly talk of Sean Williams over Horford or that Solo should get more minutes than Horford after tonight. The sky is the limit for Big Al. Once he gets a few more post moves and gets a little more patient in the paint then he will be one of the better C/PF in the game in my opinion. Horford shows that when he gets touches he produces.

Bibby was on fire tonight. Evans had a great game off the bench. I don’t know why Solo did not play more. I was really baffled as to why Pachulia was not in there in the 4th. I like what Flip has brought to this team but he did not have a good game and Pachulia was having a great one. He was scoring in the paint, ripping down boards, and making some nice passes. Pachulia should have had more minutes tonight. Him and Big Al were having their way tonight in the paint.

I will never understand why the Bulls wanted Thomas over Aldridge. At one point it looked as if Tyrus didn’t care what was going on. He was biting his nails and looking in space. The Bulls greatly overpaid for Deng. Doesn’t rebound much, defense is average at best, and he is pretty much a mid range jump shooter. I don’t think Paxon lasts much longer with the Bulls.

Big game tomorrow.

By Melvin

November 11, 2008 11:19 PM | Link to this

Good win tonite… 6-0 baby…

By preston

November 11, 2008 11:21 PM | Link to this

6-0 BABY going into Boston!!!!!

By hawkeye

November 11, 2008 11:25 PM | Link to this

bibby played well tonight. i just hope bibby won’t struggle again in boston. i think he got frustrated of the “rondo’s better” chant. that really affected his game that’s when he started to suck and lost his focus. he played well BEFORE the playoffs and played well against boston AT HOME but struggled against them on ROAD games. i just want bibby to keep his emotions and just focus more in the game or just put earplugs while playing…hehe

By hawkeye

November 11, 2008 11:31 PM | Link to this

bibby will be the factor tom if we want to win against boston. remember most of starters played well against them on the road except for bibby. he needs to step up he’ll be the key for the WIN.

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 11:36 PM | Link to this

Speaking of getting their game on Ray you called it. Horford with 27, 17, and 6 woo!!!! Rumble young man rumble!!!

great game, Closer than I would have liked but a win is a win…

Did anyone else catch Al Horfords phone interview on NBA coast to coast on ESPN2? They were following us constanly during the night. One thing is for sure: Now They Know!!!!

~Sir Links A Lot~

By rms

November 11, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!! I just remembered I said if the Hawks go 7-0 then I have to run around the neighborhood with just a Hawks jersey on!! NOOOOOO!!!! Oh well, nobodys around to see that I do it, so I aint doing it! GO HAWKS!!

By Ariose

November 11, 2008 11:47 PM | Link to this

I was suprised that Solo didn’t play more, i’m sure they could have used his length. Acie only played eight minutes tonight. One again(and unluckily for him) a run by the opposing team just happend to come up as soon he was put in. I look for him to get a lot more minutes when we play the nets in those back to back games….

~Sir Links A Lot~

By HB Ando

November 11, 2008 11:50 PM | Link to this

Who are these guys?!

Another game, another win. Can’t say anything different than I’ve said after all the other wins.

These dudes are EN FUEGO!

BA, I hate it that Ray has had to waste his valuable time highlighting how personal your beef is with me. But if I had to defend myself, I would have said roughly the same thing Ray said.

It’s the height of irony that you’ve made a statement of fact that my prediction that Bibby will be traded this year is not going to happen. It’s even more ironic that you mention “inside information”, when the only way you could be positive that Bibby will not be traded this season is to have “inside information”.

It just seems so pathetic that someone would, with 100% confidence, say that another person’s opinion is wrong, when the time frame (this season) hasn’t played out.

How do you know Bibby won’t be traded? How can you know Bibby won’t be traded?

You just sound ignorant, or driven by some kind of personal agenda/obsession, to say I’m wrong about something that cannot yet be known.

As Ray said, I’ve had nothing but platitudes about the surprising start of the Hawks. I’ve said, and your moronic comments compel me to say again, that all the credit in the world is due the players, coaching staff and organization, for this hot start (and it is a hot start, not yet a playoff berth).

I guess I need to re-state this about once per month, based on the frequency of your psychotic attacks: no one here ever jumps on your “Ando sucks” bandwagon. I’ve never seen one convert. Not one. I do see the same folks who have articulately disagreed with me, and my general opinions, for a long, and consistent, time frame.

But there are no new sheep joining your Quixotic agenda to cast me in a disreputable light.

Is your life as a hypocrite fulfilling?

For the record, so far, I’m not wrong. The Hawks, as great as they are playing (I believe I said that the only team playing better is the Lakers), still haven’t made the playoffs. And it’s ridiculously early to mockingly call my prediction that Bibby will be traded, untruthful.

Reviewing your attacks, I’m confused by the sense that you seemingly believe that everyone who reads your posts believes anything you say.

Do you not think that it’s fairly obvious you haven’t disproven either of the specific pre-season predictions?

You seem obsessive. As Ray seemed to point out, understanding your personal agenda is hard to figure.

In the mean time, I can only continue to enjoy the great play of the Hawks, as they surpass everyone’s expectations (again, if anyone really believed they’d start 6-0, and said so, before the season started, props to them).

As Ray said, it seems you, BA, are more interested in attacking me than enjoying the play of the Hawks.

Maybe it’s time you get a life and let it go, bro. It’s still just basketball. And I’m happy as a clam to watch the Hawks shock the world. I would think that if any Hawks players were to follow this blog, they’d wonder why you’re more interested in attacking me than giving them credit for such a tremendous start.

As I’ve said before, I’m not going away. You’re not succeeding in creating any anti-Ando movement. So what is your goal? You didn’t have the nuts to join the folks who took my wager, and supported their belief that the Hawks would make the playoffs. That makes you the bandwagon, talking instead of walking.

You’re more gnat than adversary. And you’re more bitter than a jilted college girlfriend.

Quit being such a killjoy……….

By Da Real Real

November 11, 2008 11:54 PM | Link to this

Who would have ever thought that our Hawks would be 6-0 headed into the Celtics game?

I said this in another blog, and I’ll say it here. It feels pretty good when I can finally look at our starting 5, even with Smoove being hurt, and say that our starting 5 is better than yours. It feels even better when I can look at our bench and say that our bench is better than yours. I haven’t been able to do that as a Hawks fan for a very long time, and that appears to be the biggest difference this year. These guys know how to win games.

Al looked like a man playing amongst boys tonight. Even better is that we got all around scoring tonight and was able to win with JJ not playing up to his standards. The only thing that concerned me is that other than Al we let the Bulls get inside a little too much for my comfort tonight, which then let the Bulls knock down a few open threes. Bet you last dollar we’ll probably see the Celtics do that tomorrow night, especially on back to back. That’s where we miss Smoove, on the inside. I’m not going to complain about Woodson at all cause he’s actually doing a lot of coaching, but I really would have liked to see Solo get some playing time tonight to stop the Bulls from driving…I hope Solo gets some more playing time tomorrow because we will definitely need some more inside presence against the C’s.

Other than that….GOOD GAME HAWKS!

By HB Ando

November 11, 2008 11:54 PM | Link to this

Ariose, it can’t be anything but a great sign when you, or anyone else, has gone from praying we’ll win, to critiquing how close our wins are…….

Nice problem to have, no?

By Ramon

November 11, 2008 11:54 PM | Link to this

I think I remember telling everyone it would be a good thing for the Hawks to play playoff teams in the first month of the season. I think I remember pointing out that it would help set the tone for intensity and mental preparation. I think I was right.

By Ken Strickland

November 12, 2008 12:01 AM | Link to this

The true measure of a good team is how well they play on the road. Last yr the Hawks were awful and won only 11 out of 42 road gms. This yr, we’ve won 3 road gms in 3 attempts, in only our 6th gm of the season.

I don’t see Boston blowing this yrs Hawks off their home court like they did last yr, even without JSmith. Horford appears to be the only Hawks player that should feel the effects of tonights gm. Man, he really went all out. I can’t wait until tomorrows gm. GO YOU HIGH FLYING HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Feel Good

November 12, 2008 12:08 AM | Link to this

Don’t know how long this undefeated streak will last, but I tell you what. It feels pretty good when you’re in conversations with teams like the Lakers and the Celtics to even being shown in the first 5 minutes of SportsCenter, and being ranked in the top 5 of power rankings. I don’t care what anybody says, and I know you can’t stay undefeated but this Hawks team is clearly better than what the experts thought they would be. If you still believe that the Hawks are going to only win 40 games I would hope that you began to change those thoughts. The Hawks clearly appear to be a team capable of winning 50 games and look like they could fight for a 4-6 seed in the east.

By kirknga

November 12, 2008 12:08 AM | Link to this

What another stirring win for the Hawks tonight!

Interesting to see the walking back on the position some took this offseason regarding Bibby and hiss utility with the Hawks.

I caught a very large quantity of flack when I suggested a healthy Bibby was a top PG and that Acie was not ready to take over at that position and would remain a Hawk much longer than many were suggesting.

Six games do not make a season and there is much basketball to be played, but it sure is nice to have all this company on the Bibby bandwagon.

By The Truth

November 12, 2008 12:13 AM | Link to this

I know the Hawks are 6-0 and that’s great! I also know that offensively this was Al coming out party and that’s great! But from a coaching prospective, I thought Woody overplayed a struggling JJ tonight. With back-to-back games facing the Celtics, Joe could have used the additional rest. Since Zaza was playing well, he could have gotten some of Joe’s minutes in the second half. Also, the offense was working inside with AL and Zaza, Acie could have played more as a distributor in the second half. It seems Acie will be on the same course as last year; just doing spot duty with limited minutes and no development. I hope JJ doesn’t get burned out playing so many minutes a game. He is not quiet the spring chicken he used to be. It is going to be a long season a head. As much progress as the Hawks have made so far, at least tonight, Woody is showing me signs of the old Woody of last year.

By HB Ando

November 12, 2008 12:19 AM | Link to this

Kirk, with an obvious understanding that fantasy isn’t the last word on a players’ relative ranking, Bibby went into this evening the 24th rated PG on ESPN’s player rater. Now, if he was 10th, or even 15th, you could argue that he wasn’t getting his fair value. But 24th, out of 32 teams?

Bibby, a “top PG”? Speaking of “flack” (and I would know), it’s still mind-boggling how many people make statements of fact, here, that are either statistically, or objectively, unsupportable.

Like BA, how in the world can you act like it’s a fact, or that you’re supposed opinion has been validated, that Bibby won’t be traded, six game into the season?

Jeesh…….

By Ariose

November 12, 2008 12:31 AM | Link to this

Ando, Thats an Exellent problem to have lol.

I’m just happy they wnt 6-0 like I’d hoped they would. I’m done with the predictions for now…I think i’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride….

~Sir Links A Lot~

By kirknga

November 12, 2008 1:13 AM | Link to this

HB Ando

Look, you can cling to your Bibby-hate,it’s your choice. I’m not here to try and change your mind.

You, and others(some now walking those comments back to match the present reality) made your valuations and predictions concerning Bibby and now, as the season progresses we’ll see how things turn out.

Fact is I believed in Bibby and his value to this basketball team and was told by you and many others that I was surely delusional.I was laughed at told that Acie would be taking over no later than midseason. Um, huh.

Of course those doing the laughing also said things like the loss of Childress was a catastrophe.

Now it seems I have company on that once lonely Bibby bandwagon. We’ll save you a seat :)

By Ken Strickland

November 12, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this

I agree with ANDO on his assessment of the Bibby. I also agree with those questioning ANDO’s position. You see, ANDO’s correct when he says Bibby’s production isn’t up to the standards of a PG making over 15M annually. His DEF is weak at best, he’s inconsistent, he’s not a premier distributer and he doesn’t create scoring opportunities for his teammates by breaking down DEF’s with his penetration. If you’ll notice, he’s become little more than a 3pt shooting specialist. Bibby’s ballhandling is suspect and we saw in last yrs playoff how he can become a liability when pressured and his outside shot is taken away. Flip Murray is a clutch 3pt shooter, plays good DEF and is an excellent ballhandler, penetrator and plays good DEF.

However, I agree with those who say Bibby’s valuable to the team because of his leadership and outside shooting, especially in the clutch. My problem with him is he’s become a one dimensional PG. With the addition of Murray and Evans, we aren’t as dependent on Bibby’s 3pt or outside shooting as we were last yr. I think if Acie got Bibby type mins, we’d see the same elevation in performance we’re seeing from Solo, who’s providing excellent improvement and results now that he’s getting extended mins.

Tonight’s gm will be a statement gm for both teams. The Celtics were embarrassed by us on our home court because they couldn’t win once. We were embarrassed by them on their home court because of how badly we were beaten each time. They are the defending champs and have to prove they’re capable of repeating. We have to show them that their path back to the finals goes through Atlanta. We proved last yr we were capable of holding our homecourt. We have to show them we are good enough this yr to crack their homecourt for at least one win. TONIGHT, LET THE TEST BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Sautee

November 12, 2008 9:59 AM | Link to this

kirknga

About this:

By kirknga

November 12, 2008 1:13 AM | Link to this

HB Ando

Look, you can cling to your Bibby-hate,it’s your choice. I’m not here to try and change your mind.

I have read Ando’s posts about Bibby and nowhere do I find him “hatin”. Why do you insist on using the tactic of accusing him of hating Bibby? And putting it as if it’s a choice?

If Ando said he thinks GM will cut 30% of it’s workforce would you accuse him of “hating” the auto workers?

Don’t twist the truth in order to make a point. He has not said he wanted Bibby traded, but gave his opinion that he thought it was very likely. If you can’t see the difference than you are not as smart as we all think that you are.

You lose credibility when you use hyperbole to supplant facts. You are the guy who ranted last year about wanting facts to support positions taken on this blog, and now you want to change that?

Give him his due. Agree or disagree with him, but he’s not “hatin”.

By Sautee

November 12, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this

Ariose

Got to give you props, man. You called it just after the Philly game. Good call. Now why didn’t you predict10-0? ;-)

By kirknga

November 12, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

” Sautee “

What no spell check? Um.

I call it hatein because of the vehemence of his assessment. People disagree about matters large and small all the time. But sometimes the degree of difference is beyond ordinary.

His opinions and feuding about Bibby has long since ceased to be interesting to me.

I appreciate the concern trolling, but it really isn’t necessary in this instance.

By Sautee

November 12, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this

kirknga

Once again, if Ando said he thinks GM will cut 30% of it’s workforce would you accuse him of “hating” the auto workers?

Do you think that Lou Dobbs “hates” latinos since he’s so vehement about immigration policy?

I don’t think it serves the greater good of the blog to accuse someone of “hate”. Is that the only way you can disagree with someone? - I hope not.