AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 29
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Just another wild Saturday night
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Washington — The second quarter just got underway over and already the craziness has started.
Josh Smith, who is not playing despite insisting before the game that he feels like he’s ready to go, just got a technical foul for arguing with referee Marc Davis (who apparently didn’t appreciate having to argue with a guy in a suit not named Mike Woodson).
Solomon Jones has more blocks (3) than points (2) and has the Wizards cautious around the basket like they would be if Smith was playing.
The Hawks started the game 4-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line, their favorite new toy this season (The Hawks’ .417 3-point percentage leads the league).
And the cheers for every made Hawks basket are almost as loud as the cheers for a made basket by the Wizards.
All this, and I haven’t even gotten to my latest intel on a trade rumor that Ray brought to my attention between bites of Turkey, dressing and sweets on Thanksgiving.
And you thought this was going to be just another lazy Saturday night.
“Did this dude seriously just give a technical to a guy that’s not even playing,” a fan near me above the tunnel said. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Not me. Seen it before. At Philips Arena about five or six years ago when Joey Crawford slapped Reggie Miller with two quickies while he was on the bench (in uniform) and tossed him from a game.
But enough about thin-skinned officials and their foolish antics.
It’s time to talk trade rumors. Ray brought to my attention a bit mentioned in a Yahoo! Sports story involving conversations the Hawks supposedly had with Portland about moving Mike Bibby for players that were not identified.
Apparently the story suggested that the Hawks were hot and heavy in talks and then decided to relax after their hot start.
The conversation (and keep in mind that GMs around the league are constantly discussing the possibilities, so I have no reason to be skeptical about the idea that some sort of conversation took place) had to have included the Hawks getting back not only another point guard, but also another young big that could have helped with their depth.
It makes you wonder what else might be out there in NBA Tradeland (a dangerous place to live when your team is above .500 and has the look of a legitimate playoff contender in spite of a significant injury in the first couple weeks of the season).
Bibby said before Saturday’s game that news of a potential deal never made it to his ears. “What the hell is Yahoo Sports?” he said before breaking into his comedy routine about the media. “That’s news to me Sekou. I never heard anything like that … you and the rest of the damn media always making stuff up.”
The way they’re playing right now, the Hawks would have to think long and hard about moving Bibby or anyone else, unless it was a totally one-sided deal that added an All-Star caliber talent (and for the record, Bibby is shooting the lights out of the Verizon Center right now).
A first month shakeup in years past always seemed to breathe a little life into things around here. Now it would seem like tinkering for the sake of tinkering. And that’s not what these Hawks need.
They need to get healthy and get to that December home stretch and see if they can’t create a little space between the numbers in the win column compared to the number in the loss column. By the end of December these Hawks should have a much better handle on just who and what they are and what it is they need to get better in the short and long run.
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