It’s show and tell time Hawks
CHARLOTTE – Hawks coach Mike Woodson tried to send one to his team early Friday morning.
He warned them that the time for resting on what got them to 34-27 is officially over.
It should have been over weeks ago.
But now that the Hawks have put themselves in a position to either finish what they started or wilt under the pressure of trying to hold on to the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, we’re going to find out what they’re made of.
Charlotte and Detroit are going to provide just the right amount of pressure on these Hawks in the next 48 hours, enough to make them bend and break or stand up and fight for what they’ve been saying for weeks is theirs (home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs).
There’s no reason to do anything other than let them prove it on the floor the next two nights. I’m tired of hearing tough talk about what’s going to happen. They need to show me, and you and everybody else that they’re serious. Shoot, they need to show themselves that they believe all their tough talk.
Because they’re no longer “right where they need to be” and in “a position to handle our business at home” and all those other cliches that have been offered up to explain away their uneven play of the past two months.
It’s show and tell time for the Hawks.
Show us you’re for real and then tell us about it later!
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233 comments Add your comment
Big Ray
March 7th, 2009
3:49 am
Heh. All I can say is “I knew it.”
No, not that we’d lose this game. That ain’t it. That the only person catching as much heat as Woodson right now would be Josh.
I won’t pretend to know what he and Woodson had a disagreement about. I am more than willing to accept the idea that Josh said something to Woody that he shouldn’t have. But I’m also not going to pretend that it was all Josh. We don’t know. Players make mistakes, and as far as we know, this is the only blow-up Josh has had this season. Guess what? It wasn’t on the court for all to see, whatever it was, and that’s better than what it was 2 years ago.
This team is struggling chemistry-wise all the way around. These guys are frustrated. Sekou himself mentioned a few blogs back that the Hawks needed to quick bickering amongst themselves about whatever petty issues they have and play together. Oh, did some of y’all forget that in the midst of your all-too-convenient Josh bashing?
Here’s another thing I know, since I watched the entire game: Josh was 6-10 from the field, including a 3 pointer that bailed out Joe Johnson as he pounded the ball for 20 seconds, trying to figure out if he could beat Raja Bell just once tonight. So tell me again about how bad he shot. I saw Josh grab four rebounds and fight for several others, though he didn’t get them. I saw Josh throw down some dunks, scoring nearly all of his points inside. I saw Josh block two shots, and alter a handful of others.
I saw Josh getting back on track. So some of you need to talk what you know.
I also saw Joe Johnson getting locked down by Raja Bell, enroute to a totally uninspiring 12 point/5 assist performance in which he was 5-13 from the field. And all some of you can say is, “JJ didn’t get any screens set for him?” Man please, when has Woody ever designed plays like that? Raja owned Joe. It’s that simple.
I also saw Bibby shooting 4-12 from the field. I saw Marvin lose his recent confidence and panic, enroute to a 5-15 shooting performance.
I saw Al Horford smothering Okafor on one end, and scoring on him with little difficulty on the other end. I saw him totally get ignored in the second half until the last minute or two, when it was too late. I saw our “star” backcourt go 9-25 for a measley 26 points while Horford kept on doing his job.
I saw Flip Murray earning every penny he’s being paid….and then some.
I saw a player that Billy Knight drafted, and that Mike Woodson totally misused, handle the ball and get his teammates involved much better than any of our guys. I saw him shred us from the PIVOT…
I saw some seriously bad officiating.
I saw a team leader in an opposing pg.
I saw Acie for 53 more seconds than I did in the last game. I saw him drive and get an assist right away.
I saw almost no chemistry for those in blue jerseys. I saw excellent cuts, curls, and screens set by those in white jerseys.
I saw the result of good, steady coaching. I saw a point guard that grows under his head coach.
If ALL you saw was Josh Smith as the reason for losing, and Woodson doing what he ALWAYS does, then you need to sell your house and go live in a Holiday Inn. That’s your only hope…
darrell starks
March 7th, 2009
3:52 am
Fire woody. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
March 7th, 2009
4:13 am
All that aside, if this is Josh’s fault (the blow-up) in any way, shape or form, then it’s on him to fix what he broke. I’ve rarely seen a feud that was totally one-sided, so I’m not going to give Smith a pass. Woody either.
Woodson’s comment about “this” being about the players, rather than the coaching staff sounds familiar. Gee, wonder where I heard that before?
Lay down fellas, here comes the bus…
I don’t care how you spin it, a coach who can’t get through is a coach who can’t get through. And there are reasons why he can’t get through. I’ll give an example: One guy makes a mistake or takes a possession off, and he gets lit up for it. Another guy does the same thing, and he gets a pass. We’ve all seen it.
As stated before, I think both guys will be gone this summer (Woodson and Smith). However, if Woodson is not gone this summer, Smith will almost assuredly be. That will make quite a few people happy.
Kirk,
I don’t see us making it into the playoffs as a 4th seed (which, by the way, since when did you get sold on them as a 4th seed, you said you weren’t convinced…just curious). It’s not because they’re losing some games right now. It’s because they are not playing together right now.
I see winnable games on our remaining schedule, but I see nearly all of those games as challenging for a number of reasons. First, most of them are against teams with bigger front lines. If Josh is not rebounding and playing defense along with his other front line mates, we are going to suffer against bigger teams, and even extra playing time for the hard-working Zaza may not be enough.
Second, Miami and Detroit are both on winning streaks while we are on a losing streak. Detroit’s chemistry has re-formed as Hamilton goes back in the starting lineup, and they’ve just won 4 straight. Meanwhile, Miami has gone 6-4 in the last 10 games. Both teams are playing well together and winning against teams that we are losing to. Both have better road records than we do percentage-wise. It’s hard for me to argue in our favor when they are getting better, while we are getting worse. It’s not impossible for us to retain the 4th seed, but it’s not impossible to lose it, either. As it is, I’m not sure what it is about our schedule that makes you think we’re not going to have a difficult time.
Of our remaining games, only three are against CLEARLY inferior opponents: Memphis, Minnesota, and Sacramento. The others are against teams that are either jockeying for good playoff position/homecourt advantage, or playing to get into the playoffs. In other words, they are and will be quite motivated against us, regardless of the fact that we’ll be playing at home in most of these games. Other hopeful/should be wins are against Indiana (who has beaten us handily) and Toronto.
I’m not saying we can’t win these games. I’m saying we can’t win most of them playing the way we are now, while the rival teams nipping at our heels are playing well enough to win their share of remaining games.
darrell starks
March 7th, 2009
4:23 am
THIS team have not improve at all AFTER STARTING OF WITH A 6 AND 0 RECORD we have played 500basketball every since with a 28 wins and 28 lost RECORD no improvement at all FIRST WOODY HAVE TO GO AND bring in a coach that no HOW TO UTILIZED TALENT,I guarantee THAT IF BORIS DIAW WAS still playing for woody he would not have devolop into the player he is today, LOOK ACIE LAW with the talent he has why cant he scratch the surface because WOODY DOESNT NO HOW TO DEVOLOP PLAYER.GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bay Bruh
March 7th, 2009
5:34 am
Yall can say what you want, josh smith isnt that good. When he does have “big games” its because of his dunks, blocks, and that he luckily made a few of those WILD shots he takes.
he has no low post came. hse just gets newar the rim and tosses up that horrible lookin hook shot.
KAROBB
March 7th, 2009
6:28 am
Hey,guys truly the hawks problem is joe and woody.JOE I LOVE DO NO WRONG TO WOODY.Josh shoot bench him,acie need to play solo need to play,poor coaching look at the elite team they play their bench.And at that in a close game give the ball to joe,come on the league no wat u doing call a play for josh marvin.I blame woody someone need to address this issue.
ValdostaMike
March 7th, 2009
6:50 am
We kept the wrong Josh
mullet13
March 7th, 2009
7:07 am
Woodson should have been fired long ago, and the team’s performance in this game sums it up well: Woodson is not capable of inspiring the team to consistently top-notch performances. It’s obvious that the talent is there, but the only consistent thing about this team is the inconsistency. It’s inexcusable for the Hawks to lose the services of one of their best players (Smith) because of off-court conflict between the coach and player. How many times do we have to read (and see) another post-game ramble about how the team didn’t show up and apply themselves? Given the flat-footed defense in the paint displayed over and over again, I think the players may be sending a message to management to get them a coach that inspires. Woodson is definitely not this coach.
Tech sucks
March 7th, 2009
7:57 am
So hard to watch this team right now. Why did they re-sign Josh Smith, he is a freaking bum. What a waste of space. Did we try to trade him?
Woodson better get a hold of this time and Bibby better find his damn shot again. Joe can’t take on double teams for the rest of the season.
Thank God for Al Horford and Flip Murray.
dap01
March 7th, 2009
8:12 am
FIRE WOODSON!
Get someone who has a clue about offense. Free AC. Develop an offense, if Joe still pounds the ball for 23 seconds, get rid of him too.
Get a coach who can utilize who he has (A REAL COACH). Woodson is only average if he has one or two people who can go one on one and hit a three every possession.
We are out coached every game. The owners better realize that it is cheaper to get another coach than to get new fans. Is our GM alive?
I wish we could hear his thoughts.
doc
March 7th, 2009
8:25 am
DAN and to anyone else that thought josh lost his cool tonight. he said what about 95% of the people on this blog say. unfortunately, it was to woody’s face. maybe it was as simple as saying when are you going to start coaching? maybe it was more along the lines of; woody you suck! dan sure it was insubordination but real leaders do eventually speak up even if it is to their own detriment to change the culture.
this is brewing inside the whole team and we have been watching it and calling it out. unfortunately, the leadership of sund and above have apparently sat on their hands rather than intervene. maybe it is about giving someone enough rope to hang themselves. something is amiss whether it be jj dragging his butt, flip making sour faces at his teammates, mo being the spokesman, acie staying quiet against aversive climate, josh looking weary, marvin and al’s flashes of brilliance to be overlooked for halves at a time and bibby fighting a virus and playing even though he cant get the ball to the basket and remaining in the game. the ship is and has been leaking and going down for some time though we have some who continue to think we are still in fourth place and exceeding expectation, so all is well. my boy rick is right there on the boat sinking with captain ahab. the season isnt over and this team now except for the explosion of 6 straight to start the season now playing to everyone’s expectation of .500 ball and fading fast. that is the reality. who is to blame? they are all in the little boat called BASG!
man was bradley’s timing good on this one. his record recently is better than the cover of sports illustrated.
man, i cant wait to see which version of the hawks we get tonight. i’ll be there. look forward to seeing some of my liar’s table brothers.
TskOoOo
March 7th, 2009
8:28 am
How can ASG even care about these teams (not like they normally do) when they are *friggin in maryland fighting with each other in court** ? we will never get a new coach
jt in dallas
March 7th, 2009
8:29 am
To Mr. Rick Sund.
The time has come to make this a better team. Please start with a new coach. I realize the team is losing money and great coaches cost money. How about elevating Larry Drew to finish the season and see how well he performs. His style, as illustrated in the Rocky Mountain Review, would probably even put more @$$e$ in the seats (notice how empty the arena is unless playing the Cavs, Lakers, Celts, etc.?). Our fans like EXCITING basketball (not Iso Joe, Iso Bib).
It has become painfully obvious that Woody has completely lost this team. Let him go. He’ll get picked up as an assistant somewhere. After all, that’s his natural position (he’s a joke as a head coach). Maybe Larry Brown will pick him up. Anyway, it’s time for a pick up.
As for player development, even Josh Smith would develop better with a coach who involves his bigs in the offense. Acie showed us 2 nights ago what we can do with penetrations and inside out basketball, however, Woody still didn’t get the clue. How in all creation do we reward a coach this inept with even another day of being head coach.
Mr. Sund, what I’m asking is please salvage this season with a coach who can get through to his players and who isn’t afraid to develop the talent that we have. If we’re not going to develop our players why keep them? There’s no doubt that Woody refuses to develop any of our talent. As an earlier blogger put it, a “child could draw up better plays on an Etch A Sketch.”
Okay, I know I’m just barking up an empty tree, but I (and I sense many Hawks fans) am totally frustrated with the dimwitted, kooky, assinine leadership from the head coach. If the GM can’t get this obvious problem corrected then maybe the GM is the problem and not the solution.
Thanks in advance, Mr. Sund. I’ll check back later today to see if you took my advice.
Peace!!
TskOoOo
March 7th, 2009
8:31 am
“The near-scuffle ensued, according to eyewitnesses, after Woodson got into Smith’s face over what he perceived to be selfish play and got in his face about it,”
TskOoOo
March 7th, 2009
8:33 am
Selfish play…Lol he was 6-10. Normally he’s 2-10
Heat Check
March 7th, 2009
8:41 am
Harry Hawk, I really like that idea. I’m picturing the floor of the NYSE circa 1999. Buy Buy Buy!!! The players would be showing up to games driving Camrys and Civics, but they’d be happy.
Selfish play??? I think Woody got into the wrong face last night. Should’ve been Joe’s. Sure, he’s passed. But only after dribbling for 21-22 seconds.
RB
March 7th, 2009
8:45 am
Woody does not know how to use his players. The Hawks are trying to get by on the cheap with this coach and it’s not going to work. When Acie finally gets with a good coach, he will prove to be a heck of a player and a wasted talent in Atlanta.
doc
March 7th, 2009
8:57 am
woody, is always pointing the finger out not realizing three point back. he has no charisma and no capacity to lead or coach this team to any higher position than it has reached. he certainly doesnt get it that he is as much to blame until the season is over and starts saying, yup, he shoulda done this and shoulda done that only to do it again. that my friends is the definition of crazy.
funny, BK probably made just that comment to the BASG about 15 months ago and repeated it once or twice afterwards before the all star break. BK got a few things right and never got too much credit for it. kind of like clyde not preferring woody. folks, i hope you enjoyed my placing a similarity to clyde and BK in the same sentence.
come on ando, you got to say BK got at least something right before you ran him off.
kirk, very rational voice there but times are not rational right now in the hawks locker room. we will see. i dont see the bottom falling out because they are too good a team with a little pride. just the same they are not playing to anywhere near potential nor with any direction except for very individual play all called by their coach. remember it is how he coaches, by script and calling the plays for the players he wants; not a team concept at all, only that of a control freak. how many times have we heard “i got to call his play more”. if you got the stomach for it or dont want to see the warts so be it, probably better off for it. peace bro.
Fred
March 7th, 2009
9:50 am
Josh is killing morale:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2723-Atlanta-Hawks-Examiner~y2009m3d7-Josh-Smith-meltdown
nate
March 7th, 2009
9:53 am
Come on, anybody that understands the game can see that Josh Smith’s attitude/work ethic sucks, but one can also see that Mike Woodson rates among the worst coaches in the league. He hasn’t the respect of any of the players, with the possible exception of Al and Mario. We aren’t going anywhere with him as our leader. If this current group on owners can’t afford a top notch coach, along with top notch talent, then please seek a “Fat Pocket” buyer that’ll make an effort to assemble a team this “basketball loving” city could embrace and support. As for Josh, get him out of here this off-season, super stars improve each year, they don’t go backwards. Take all the mirrors out of the locker room, because the team (coach included), all seem to be stuck on themselves. Bring in some players that’ll spend their off seasons in the gym working on their games, rather than relaxing in some “tattoo parlor”…..
nique
March 7th, 2009
10:00 am
Big Ray,
Woodson needs to go. Let’s see how Josh plays under a real COACH who will inspire his players to work hard, teach them to play the game right, use his players intelligently and actually draw up a play or two.
Josh has clear undeniable talent. The same cannot be said for Woodson.
I repeat Woodson needs to go if this team is going to progress.
TskOoOo
March 7th, 2009
10:09 am
*seriously, if our owners are in maryland in court (fighting with each other–LOL), how the heck can they tend to these teams? u got mark cuban blasting his team after they lose, threatening to clear the roster this summer. then we just lost to two piss-awful teams and no one gives a sh!!**
TskOoOo
March 7th, 2009
10:10 am
am i the only one who feels like the only player on this team who actually wants to win is horford? marvin and flip may also
The Truth
March 7th, 2009
10:17 am
The way Diaw torched us last night; Belkin is looking more like the genius than BK. The way things look last night, Belkin had it right when he objected to the inclusion of Diaw in the JJ deal. Also note that Woody probably had a hand in recommending Diaw in the trade package as well. Maybe that is why the feud between Woody and Josh is brewing. Maybe Woody can’t accept the obvious that he made a mistake in letting Diaw go. The way things have revolved; Diaw is looking more like the polished player. He is becoming a more productive PF than Josh. When he was a Hawk, he played out of position (Woody can take credit for that). It is clear that Diaw has a higher basketball I.Q. than Josh; a better shooter and passer. Among other things, Josh is still mistake prone in his 5th year. Lets face it, we as fans are so mesmerized by Josh ability to dunk and occasionally block shots, we forget about his many short-comings; his lack of defense effort and rebounding have really gotten under Woody’s skin. No player is perfect however; they all have areas of their game to improve, but we expect them to work toward becoming the complete player. Diaw has shown much improvement in his game. Can we really say that about Josh? I realized that last night showcase is not an entire season, but an omen, it might be.
Nate ArchiBALL
March 7th, 2009
10:18 am
The Hawks are the best reality show on TV………..What a train wreck.
doc
March 7th, 2009
10:33 am
fred dotn buy it along with all the trash about jish always shooting threes. that is all some can see onle facts are his three balls are down and he avg 1.25 a game. folks that continue to make that cry have no perspective only an agenda or are flat too stupid to look it up before they shoot their mouths off. i am able to quickly spot idiots just by that simple statement. they have no friggin clue as to what ails the hawks. to be exact 62 three balls in 49 games. i’ll do the math for you; 1.2653061. i’ll even round it off for you to 1.27. fred if you bite on that i feel sory for you.
leaders lead men. woody thinks he is still doing the bobby knight thing. this isnt college or the military. you dont show up folks in front of a crowd unless you expect it to come back on you especially if someone has a five year contract to honor. bobby cox gets commended for his ability to lead men with egos as does torre. want to find out the difference. it is done behind closed doors so it doesnt flame out of control and affect the whole team or rain back in their faces.
bertbennett
March 7th, 2009
10:51 am
Woodson has to go. Said it last year, hell I’ve said it for three years. Josh Smith isint the only one that dissagrees with woody or doesnt like woody I believe. I think he’s just the only one who will show it. Mike Woodson doesnt have the right coaching style for this team. We need a coach who is going to run a Mike D’antoni style play, not one who brings the ball down to Joe only for him to iso and back someone down and try to kick it out to bibby. Gotta show woody the door and see if josh’s attitude improves. His attitude and his play have both been horrible this year. RIght now I think smoove should be moved for a legit center then we could move Horford to the 4 spot and marvin at the 3. But something has to be done, the hawks are winning inspite of mike woodson instead of because of mike woodson.
honest_abe
March 7th, 2009
11:21 am
woody’s m.o. = taking out the hottest player on the floor. never did quite understand it. flip should’ve stayed in when the hawks were making that big run late. he took him out for bibby and only put flip back in with a few minutes left. woody’s trash and we all knew this for the longest time.
i like josh smith. but kid needs to grow up and become a professional. even if you don’t like your boss you still have to respect him and listen to him. period.
doc
March 7th, 2009
11:28 am
woody has turned joe johnson into a facsimile of tyrone lue. taller, more talented, same style of play, pound the ball and shoot or dribble into triple teams.
honest, sometimes it has to be said. this isnt about practice, this is about games.
DNo
March 7th, 2009
11:29 am
The solution to this problem does not require Jerry West or Red Auerbach: DUMP WOODY AND TRADE SMOOVE (obviously in the offseason)!!!! ANY new coach will inspire the team to better play, and getting a player like Biedrens straight up for JS will make us better. Less flashy, less stat-stuffy, but BETTER. Time to act like a GM, Rick Sund.
Nookah
March 7th, 2009
11:30 am
Folks, Rick Sund has a decision to make at the end of this season regardless of how the season ends. He must do 1 of 2 things. He must either trade Josh Smith or get rid of Woody, plain and simple. They both can’t co-exist, that is obvious. Rick the ball is in your court.
Josh Smith is obviously not focused on basketball. This young man is fighting some demons. As soon as we can get him re-focused on basketball the better. I hope for the sake of basketball he can.
Does Woody have issues with other players? Is it that their personalities are far more passive why we don’t hear of other feuds or is it personlity clashes between Woody and Josh? Whatever it is, someone needs to communicate to Josh Smith that his attitude is hurting the team. It’s obviously having a bad impact on the team and causing a disruption of team chemistry. Whatever the situation is Josh needs to realize he is a professional and he owes it to his teammates and the franchise to perform at a high level when he is on the court. He can wait until after the season and do whatever he needs to do off the court. I am sick and tired of this ongoing Josh/Woody feud. They both need to be men and professionals and perform even if they dislike each other. We don’t have to like our boss to do a good job? At this rate we’ll be 1 and done in the playoffs. Oh well what’s new. It’s so hard to establish a winning culture when you are not used to it.
It’s sad but it obviously is mushrooming into somrthing bigger and could be catastrophic. I’ll be honest I am not a Woody fan but I am getting sick and tired of Josh Smith. I know he has all the athletic ability in the world but if your head is not right you will always be known as one with potential and that potential will never be realized.
It’s a sad day for Hawk fans certainly for me!!!
Nuff respect!!!
Spud Webb
March 7th, 2009
11:32 am
PLEASE FIRE WOODY.
Same old stuff, stand and wait for Joe to do something on offense.
The team needs a kick in the arse. Woody has “peaked”, we need Josh Smith, not just for this season but for the remainder of his contract. I’ve HAD it with Woody. He’s had his shot. TIME TO MOVE ON, please, before the playoffs.
Oh thats right, our OWNERS SUCK and won’t pay another coach. Nevermind.
Da Real Real
March 7th, 2009
11:35 am
I’ll say what I say last night – I’m to a point where I can’t point my fingers at the players anymore. None of these guys are playing in an offense that match up to their skill sets and they are playing for a coach who hasn’t even bothered trying build a scheme to match up with his skill and talent level. I’m tired of seeing other teams get our guys on mismatches because they are running off screens, back cuts, and pick and rolls.
What kind of scheme is it to have JJ hold the ball for 23 seconds and then dump it off on somebody? I defended Woody earlier in the year when the team was playing better, but he CLEARLY has lost this team and I think its for good now. After reading the article you can hear it in JJ’s voice and from what I can remember JJ was the guy at the end of last season that wanted him back.
I don’t care if the Hawks get the 4th seed AND go into the second round of the playoffs – It is time for Woody to go. He’s not building a system to fit his talent and he’s taken this team as far as he can.
Nookah
March 7th, 2009
11:41 am
My analysis is this and I am not on the inside just a gut feeling. Josh’s “athletic ability” has got to his head. He has believed the hype and relies so much on it that he does not try to do the things that are fundamentally sound. He always thinks he has a chance because of his ‘athletic ability”. So he does’nt box out, he does’nt do the things that are technically the right things to do and so we the Hawks get burned on defense.
When saying that however, that does not exhonerate Woody. I agree with the bloggers who say Woody has to go. He is obviously not getting the job done. Again too much emphasis is being put on JJ in the offense. Is it me or has their been an increase in JJ’s turnovers this year? Is that an illusion? Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
I smell “bust up” of this roster at the end of the season. Trade Josh Smith, fire Woody. Get a new coach and a new attitude. We have the pieces all we need is an Architect with vision and motivational skills and this team can be very, very good!!!!
Nuff respect!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 7th, 2009
11:56 am
Mike is back, I don’t disagree with anything you said at 11:13 PM. In fact, that’s the kind of post I would usually write after a Hawks loss when Josh gets a large amount of the criticism. Like I said, I only saw the 4th quarter. I was only pointing out that Josh had not been playing well enough in recent weeks to justify throwing a tantrum. I really have no idea what happened during the game or in the locker room with him. Looking at the big picture, it’s clearly Woody who is the problem on this team.
Gilley
March 7th, 2009
12:02 pm
What I am trying to figure out is why Josh Smith is getting blamed for the Hawks misfortunes when he is NOT the “STAR” player or leader of the team. The All-Star player who has been absolutely DREADFUL in the year 2009. I understand Josh Smith is a hot-head and has a temper and should be a professional but that is a scapegoat and NOT the reason the Hawks are on a downward spiral.
1. Joe Johnson is proving that he is simply not the caliber superstar player. He cannot handle double teams and does way too much dribbling and isolation play. His talents to rebound and pass are nice but we need production offensively and he does not give us that. That reason being, Mike Woodson
2. He was supposed to be fired last season but he earned him another 2 years or so because of how tough the Hawks played the Celtics. However, he is not a good coach. Plain and Simple. His play calling is non-existent. Isolation for Joe Johnson and pick and roll with Mike Bibby and occasional post plays for Josh and AL and Marvin is not considered designing a play from my estimation. His rotations are bad because he runs his “star” players out and they prove they can’t perform at the end of the game because they are tired.
Watching the Hawks have become very disappointing and I blame the leaders. Mike Woodson, Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. They get the credit when we are doing well. And they deserve the blame when we are not, because they are not playing well.
Chea
March 7th, 2009
12:12 pm
Big Ray, your 3:49 AM post was the TRUTH and nothing but the truth. At this rate, the seven games we have on Charlotte don’t look like too much.
Someone posted that this is just another Hawks slump and they will recover. Let’s see, the Hawks were 21-10 at the New Year, now they are 34-28. That’s 13-18 for 2009. Slump? No, this is the team we are: dysfunctional, mismanaged, and imploding.
RedTailHawk
March 7th, 2009
12:19 pm
I agree…Woody has got to go…But…considering the ASG’s decision making ability, I am afraid they will replace him with someone worse. And yes, there are worse coaches out there. Maybe not in the NBA, but they would probably try something cheap and novel like hiring a winning high school coach
Josh has his problems but we should definately keep him at least until he gets to play under a real coach.
hawk'shawk
March 7th, 2009
12:31 pm
yea all yall josh haters couldn’t have watched the game last nite. wooody go mad cause he didn’t block feltons shot cause bibby just let him walk right pass him. then at the end of the half on the jump ball he got mad at smoove for not passing the ball to joe. WOODY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smoove do u, until he coaches everyone evenly and rips JJ and Bibby the sameway aint no point. sit and get paid. WOODY dont care and JJ and Bibby must not care, cause they just shoot jumpers and aspect you to just rebound and pass them the ball so they can shoot another jumpshot. Stop switching on every pick, not every game, its stupid, offense aint no need to talk about it. FIRE WOODY
welikebaseball2
March 7th, 2009
1:05 pm
Don’t mistake this for me saying I’m not rooting for the home team but…
I can’t say that I’d be upset with the Hawks losing the 4th spot & taking a 1st round exit. That seems to be the only possible way of forcing ASG’s hand (I would say Sund, but word has it that ASG has his hands a bit tied…as they did with Billy). This is a team built to max out at 2 rounds & done. Can anyone say they truly expect the Hawks to make the Eastern Conference Finals? Woody’s got to go. The younger players are not being developed. True, Josh has got to grow up and be professional enough to not shout it out with the coach but if I’ve got to choose between the two…I say send Woody packing & get someone in here that has a clue about developing the team’s depth.
Big Ray
March 7th, 2009
1:27 pm
Some things will never change. Never.
Woody will continue to recognize what he should have done AFTER the game. Then NOT do it AGAIN the next game. And talk about how he should have done it AGAIN.
Look, the way Josh was playing in the first half, it looked like he had finally broken out of that awful spate of game performances he was in. What happens? I’m guessing Woody piled onto him for one or two plays (and I’m sure he didn’t encourage Josh’s good play at all) that he didn’t like. Josh probably thought he didn’t deserve it and/or was being disrespected, and said as much (albeit probably colorfully). That’s my guess. Is Josh right? I’ll bet what he said was NOT right. But I’m also betting that what Woody said was not something that was constructive.
I maintain the opinion that Josh has undeniable talent, and slowly improving skills. Lots of people disagree. Some love to say that all he does is dunk and block shots. Gee whiz, didn’t you know you could make a nice living in this league doing just that? See Shaq. See Dwight Howard. Marcus Camby. And a host of others that aren’t known for their feathery jumpers and awesome ball-handling skills. Granted, guys like that also rebound.
I agree with Najeh when he says that Josh hasn’t been playing well enough lately to throw a tantrum. But who says it was a tantrum? I really think he was just beginning to play well when he encountered a very frustrating moment. It’s called bad timing, no matter who is to blame.
Anyway, I’ve set my mind on watching him leave this summer. It’s as likely to happen as not. And then all will be well with the Hawks, right? Heh….
By the way, there is no either/or with Woody and Josh. Getting rid of Josh will not make Woody a better coach. It will not make him use more than 7 or 8 guys. It will not make him do anything differently. It only lowers the talent pool, unless you get a player that helps the team more. But hey, if that’s what you think, Citibank would love to sell you some prime stock right about now…
Big Ray
March 7th, 2009
1:37 pm
Chea ,
So it would seem. And in this case, I do not like being right at all. Not one stinkin’ bit. And I’m not saying I’m right about all of it (though some of it is stating the obvious). Just my opinion.
welikebaseball ,
All too true. I think that is what it will take for some serious re-shaping.
Now, this is the point in time where some bloggers will say “why do you want to rebuild? We don’t need to rebuild!” It’s not rebuilding. It’s just tooling. Something has to be done. There is too much evidence right now to think otherwise. Where are the leaders on this team? Would Woodson allow younger guys to lead (when older guys clearly aren’t doing the job)? No, I doubt it.
If all that happened this offseason was changing the coaching approach, and signing a couple of guys, then that would probably be okay. Well, I’ll admit that I think more needs to be done, but no fire-sales. I don’t know. Let’s see how things go tonight.
Talk about catch-22s. I’ll bet the same people who say Josh is a bum and worthless will blame him for hurting the team with his tantrums by getting himself taken out of the game…if he’s not allowed to play tonight. Ha!
newkid
March 7th, 2009
1:43 pm
The half-time argument may very well have been precipitated by the last 7 seconds of the 2nd quarter. Josh went one-on-five as the clock progressed toward the half (rather than looking for an open teammate), then took an ill-advised shot. At the time my thought was that Woody, looking for someone on whom to explode for the team’s performance to that point, would likely light Josh up. JJ does the same thing routinely, but Woody has consistently shown he’s not likely to use Joe as a whipping post.
Sekou, can you tell us if it was indeed this end-of-the-half seven seconds of selfishness that precipated the confrontation?
terrell barron
March 7th, 2009
2:10 pm
This team is gonna give me a nervous breakdown. Omg!!!
matt Jones
March 7th, 2009
2:26 pm
newkid, Josh not only tried to take on a 5 players but he argued when he didn’t get the call and did not get back on defense. Josh plays “street ball”. Dunks, blocks no defense, no scheme, no structure. He needed college to develop fundamentals. Woody needs to go as well. He is not capable of drafting offensive plays. One of the other coaches should be the “offensive coordinator” if you will for this team. The offense is stagnant. Bibby doesn’t run the offense effectively as you would expect from a veteran pg.
doc
March 7th, 2009
2:31 pm
newkid josh is woody’s whipping post just like he is here. guess the other guys cant take it or dont deserve anyone in their faces … not!
J.J.M.
March 7th, 2009
2:33 pm
i wonder if coach singles josh out. its just weird that they always have problems and the fact that josh played pretty good first have why would they even argue? maybe over frustration but you cant take it out on your team or coach.
Mark
March 7th, 2009
2:41 pm
People please let’s not pile on Josh anymore. I am one of the biggest JOSH HATERS that there ever was (ask Ray), but when I look at this team it is more than Josh. The only problem with Josh is that he is not having fun out there. He is clearly affected by different parts of his game that are not coming together right now. One of our main problems is BIBBY. He is truly a liability. If he is not hitting jumpers, he totally useless. Joe is not playing great, but when I look at what he is asked to do which is SCORE, DISTRIBUTE, and USUALLY GUARD EITHER A PG or the team’s best player, I can’t be that mad at him. He does dribble too much. Now on to Woodson. He is definitely not a great coach, but just like Josh and other he is also learning. This is his first time coaching a team. His substitutions are shaky, his development of youg talent is awful, and his offensive scheme sucks! He even calls timeouts at the wrong time. With all that said if the Hawks were to finish as let’s say as the 6th or 7th seed with a 500 record, they would still be better than last year.
Ultimately Woodson is coaching a poorly drafted roster with some suspect at best free agents. They will never win a championship as presently constructed, but when your goal is to JUST BE THE 4TH SEED in a shaky conference, then you know something is wrong. The only guys that has any heart on this team RIGHT NOW is Marvin, Horford, FLip, ZaZa, and Mo. The rest of the guys are just out there and the other guys don’t play. Go Hawks!! (Right out the 1st round of the Playoffs.)
This Gets Old
March 7th, 2009
3:03 pm
While I have been critical of Josh on occasion one thing is so obviously overlooked. What good does it do to have so much youth and athleticism if the coach won’t take advantage of their skills? The team was obviously drafted to play an up tempo game. How were they playing against Boston in the playoffs (in Atlanta)? Why pay all of those players if Woody refuses to play them? The Hawks should be running teams into the ground.
Woody has to go. All of the goodwill and positive energy engendered by the Boston series and the 6-0 start is dead. What a g.d. waste! It’s so old.
FlyOnTheWall
March 7th, 2009
3:04 pm
The Last play of the 1st half is what started the BlowUP. Although it has been building up from many “Other” things. Josh makes that shot and this probably would have been delayed a few more games. As it turned out though, it caused for a pretty expletive laced convo between the 2. I didnt know you could say Mothersucka so many ways. This ALL can and will be corrected. Its just a shame the efforts of the last 18 months go down the tubes because of it. To me a good sign will be if Josh plays tonight. No Josh means team concept is shot. Tank the season. It was only a few days ago Woodson was saying Josh had personal reasons to miss a game. Nothing more nothing less. So maybe they can “co-exist” for rest of the season. I sure hope so. I still perfer talking about a fight for HOME COURT edge for the playoff rather than trying to land enough ping pong balls to get the Top pick because of a 13 win season.