It’s show and tell time Hawks

Damn this team sucks.

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They’re showing alright. Showing what happens when you dont show up with the right mindset.

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sekou your a better man than me. You couldn’t pay me to watch this tem.

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Dang right Reggie. Now whatever they do tonight has to come after they crawl out of this hole. I’ll have to see it to believe it. I just can’t fathom how they could come out with so little energy. It’s nuts.

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Not really Jamal. They do pay me to watch this team. For better or worse bruh, better or worse.

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We have ALOT of problems, but one of the main ones for me is the fact that we cant keep ANYONE out of the paint

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and TIME I say it….felton scored in the paint..with ease

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Looks like they finally woke up but are still down.

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okay hawks fans we only have 2 points and 0 rebs from our bench! thats why jj will play more mins in the 2nd. why does jj get rid of the ball so late how about if you cant get a shot off get rid of the ball with at least 6secs. that would allow at least 2 passes and a shot.

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it would be nice if acie and solo could get their just due pt at least in the early 2nd

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sekou, whats the word why josh is not in the game?

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Just saw another shot clock violation as Joe took almost the whole 24 to get his shot off. Then, as usual, he paases to someone who has to try and get off a quick (bad) shot.

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The way Diaw is playing, it makes you wonder….. Diaw, Rondo, Robin Lopez.

What would we be like today?

Hmmmmmm.

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Looks like the guys aren’t going to get many (if any) calls tonight. No need in complaining. Just keep taking it to the hole & force the refs’ hands.

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Sekou,

I’m normally not one to bait ya, but why on earth hasn’t Acie been in the game yet? His energy and defense seem like just what the doctor ordered in the first half, especially after he singlehandedly made a blowout against the Knicks into an interesting ballgame.

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Welike bball:

He doesn’t call the plays, but he needs to EXECUTE. And if Bell has him tied up, give up the rock with more than a couple of seconds left.

Al and Josh both bailed him out in the first half. He’s not seeing the court tonight.

Once when Wallace had fallen on a layup attempt, Joe failed to attack, missing Mo (Wallace’s man) under the hoop for a dunk. Instead, he held the ball to the last second and eventually tried to flip it to Horford, but time ran out.

He needs to wake up!

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He’s already out there niremetal!

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What a dumb end of quarter play. Run down the clock and make your move with 4 ticks left, then shoot the 3. Why not penetrate earlier and see what might develop. What coach dreamed this one up?
Oh. Sorry. It was Doofus.

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And look at Josh’s shot chart for tonight – nearly all outside jumpers again. Not attacking the rim, not going to the line. He’s not even crashing the boards on offense anymore…

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Drive the ball! Drive the ball!

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now you know why we cant get any calls tonight right?? b/c marvin got all those calls last time a and larry let the refs have a ear full. but you dont get any calls when you are passive.

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Mo Evans is playing like Josh Childress tonight

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i was thinking the same thing mike. i would think al could have gotten a touch down by 4 instead jj takes a 3 from rock hill sc. lol what a shame

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man it’s time to get rid of woody! josh scored 13 points at halftime and woody decides to bench him in the second half. this doesn’t make any sense. zsa zsa isn’t playing any defense. why the hell didn’t he bench him. any man that mo guards gets an easy layup every game. enough is enough. the hawks doesn’t have a clue how to change their offense. they run the same damn plays. every team knows that the hawks iso joe, and run a pick and pop with joe and bibby. the first half al and josh where killing the bobcats in the paint but now joe is scared to go inside and instead run the shoot clock down and throw up a three. this ia a pathetic team and the coach is run the same damn plays larry brown ran in philly wit A.I. what do woody think larry doesn’t reconize his own plays. i bet knight is somewhere in the atl shaking his head.

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They just suck right now

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Dam otrhawksfan, we call it. How the H do you take Moe out they way JJ and Bibby is playing.

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FIRE WOODY

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See? It’s not all on Joe. They’re not running him off any screens. He’s forced to create every shot he gets. Woodson could stand to add a page or 3 to the offensive playbook.

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It’s over. And Miami is winning. 1/2 game ahead. Uh oh. Fire Woody!!!!!

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is it me or have you ever seen any player on the hawks run off a screen? bibby made a name for himself in sacramento runnig off screens. woody never put that in his one line of offensive plays.

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Same ol Hawks, playing with a sense of urgency when the game is out reach, GO FIGURE.
We are back in the game playing great with JJ and Bibby on the bench. Then our coach bring out guys hustling making plays, and put his boys in. They playing worst than Josh, but they get back in the game. The dam Minute Man is killing the team, did anyone see the play when Moe was wide open under the basket, and never looked his way.
Woody propensity for relying too much on JJ and Bibby is sucking the life out of this team, not Josh!!

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I hope these losses are temporary

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I hope that the ASG was checking out these last two games. Hey ASG do you see what real coaching can do for you? The Hawks just faced two teams that on paper they are clearly better than and the Hawks not only got out played but we also got OUT COACHED in both games. Doesn’t help that the game was ref’d heavily in favor of CHA but we can’t use that as an excuse anymore. It appears the “Me First” team showed up tonight – can’t wait to see what team shows up tomorrow

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Yes, I am calling you out! If you gonna post you COY banners all over the blog, ya gotta take the heat even when the losses come. Dont just show up when they win!

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JJ…41 minutes, 12 points, 5 assists.
Bibby…35 minutes, 14 points, 6 assists.

Not to mention that we play Detroit tomorrow. Why so many minutes Woody? Why?

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I hope I don’t see any more crap about Woodson being C.O.Y. This guy has to go. I guess since him and Josh got into it again that Josh will be sitting in the dog house with the other regulars. I have never seen a team go away from whats working as much as the Hawks. It feels as if Greg Knapp has taken over as the offensive coordinator for this team. Joe got owned tonight by Bell. Marvin looked like Duck tonight. The bench, well the few guys we did use off the bench was whatever. Horford came to play but he couldn’t handle all the size the Bobcats were throwing at him. Pachulia might be the worst defensive player I have ever seen in my life. Miami is winning and Detroit has found their swagger. If we keep this up we might lose this 4th spot.

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Woodson: “This isn’t about this coaching staff or ownership or anybody else. This is about 15 guys and the commitment they made to each other to come out this year”

He’s right. When we lose, it’s never his fault.
LOLOLOL

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Felton had 17 points, 10 assists. He outplayed Bibby, but Acie only had 4 minutes.

And Stinger said Diaw was the best player on the floor. The same Diaw who never played well in Woody’s sytem, but yet he played well in Phoenix and is playing well in Charlotte.

And Flip is playing well, but Woody takes him out. So predictable.

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A pox on the idiot(s) who kept Mike Woodson as coach! All that youthful athleticism going to waste because we have an idiot for a coach….

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Tris, you was right on point with your comments about Woody being out coached. They trapped JJ and attacked Bibby on defense. It’s easy to say the interior defense was weak, but that’s got a lot to do with out weak perimeter defense.
I’m sure coaches around the league love Woody, he’s so predictable on offense. Any wonder why we looked so disjointed on offense.
Now that the Hawks have to win, Maybe we will see some sign of life out of this team.

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The only thing missing from this blog tonight is a nice long post from my boy Ken Strickland. Ken I want you to give me 5 reasons why Woody should get fired.

Looks like the Fire Woody train is running on full steam.

FIRE WOODY

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The usual type comments from Woody after a pathetic game. I said this during the first half when the Hawks were 11 over that Woody was safe but now this team and that team look completely different. This Hawks team would get waxed by the one that started the season. You’re suppose to get better during the year. Why is our guys on offense NEVER end up in a mismatch. Why is it that nobody on the team can get easy opportunities? Then there’s the minutes guys play and the lack of bench. This team is inconsistent we know but we’re inconsistent because this coach of our is inconsistent. Woody can say whatever he wants up by the guys commitment but where is his commitment towards the team???

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I feel your pain CDawg42

FIRE WOODY

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**Ramon**

Stop it….I am so tired of reading/listening to people defend Josh Smith. I like it when he blocks shots and dunks, too. He has, however, rarely done any of that this season.

HIs jumpers, that you are implying he can hit, miss almost all the time. Plus, I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I am willing to bet that he is under 30% from three.

The Hawks have wasted so many chances because “Smooth” (I think the nickname should be “Clank”) has to shoot a jumper (which, by the way, he can’t hit) with 15 + seconds on the shot clock.

So, watch the games, man! Josh Smith has been awful this season. He has had his random moments of looking good, but he is not even close to living up to his huge contract.

You know he lost his cool, again, at the half. He is a punk making too much money and he continues to hurt the Hawks way more than he helps them.

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How long do we have to put up with ‘J Smoove’? Trade the guy, he is an immature, inconsistent, selfish
destroyer of team chemistry. Get rid of him and bring in a true center, if able, so Big Al can move to ‘4′, his true spot.

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If I was a pigeon I wouldn’t even sh!t on Woodson’s head. He is not even worth it.

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fire woody

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FIRE WOODY

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The only things that I REALLY enjoy about the hawks now
1) Flip Murray – I like how hard he goes to the hoop and just how hard he balls around, nice solid player
2) I like Horford’s strength and quickness as a PF (not center) …and I believe he could be a force offensively with more touches and confidence

3) Marvin and Acie…I somewhat feel pretty good about them (and their potential)

for everybody else I could careless….just give me a real #1 scorer and a big, good center and I’d be straight.

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The fact is that Mike Woodson has probably taken this team as far as he can. If this season ends with a mediocre finish and a first round exit, Woody is gone. There can be no question about that.

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the thing about the hawks that i just don’t get, is that billy knight saw that woodson was the reason why this team has taken so long to get to this point. last year he finaaly realized that woody doesn’t have the smarts to be a good coach.and here is the reason:
1) he doesn’t use his bench.
2) he always take the player with the hot hand out at the wrong time.
3) he plays his best players to many minutes. i.e. look at jj, its crunch time and jj doesn’t have the legs to finish games at the end because of all the minutes he’s played thus far in the season.
4) you sign r. morris as the big guy we needed and he only get on the floor walking to the bench or during timeouts!
5) chills doesn’t want to play here because woody coaching style sucks!!
its time for asg to make move that’s long over do woody has to go. its time for larry drew to take over this team. woody need to bench his own A@% this time. he is a joke as a coach.

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Dan what season have you been watching? How can you say that he has rarely blocked/dunked this season? The man has problems in his game but those aren’t them. How bout consider his turnovers/ball handling problems before those. I agree that he hasn’t played out to his contract but the man was having a pretty good first half before that excuse we have as a coach yanked him

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how the hell can you bench your second leading scorer at the half?

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I’m so tired of reading all these post blaming Josh for this teams problems. Please tell me how Josh blew this game. I watch/go to the games and Josh is not the main problem.

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We are lucky that Josh didnt do like J-Chill and leave ATL. Everyone know he doesnt care for Woody coaching style and Bibby will leave next year. I have no idea why the GM and ownership keep him around! We have a roster full of talent now just get a coach to coach them!!! Look at what happen in Phoenix when they changed coaches. Larry Drew would bring more excitment and a faster pace of ball like in the Rocky Mountain league. Let him coach…FIRE WOODY!! GONE!!!!

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I didn’t see tonight’s game until the 4th quarter. I am as big a Josh Smith defender as anyone, and I believe he would be much more consistent and productive in an offensive scheme that involved the forwards. But I am not going to defend him tonight. He is playing the worst basketball of his career right now. I didn’t see him in the first half (apparently his stats were pretty nice) but he has not played well recently, and if there’s anyone on the team who needs to shut up and play, it’s him.

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We don’t know what Josh said to Woody. If he told Woody to blank his blank because he’s a motherblanking blankity-blank that blanks blank blankers and blanks blanking blank, maybe that’s why Woody sat him.

Otherwise, if Josh said a kid could draw better plays on an Etch-A-Sketch, Josh should have been allowed to find a kid and have him named head coach for the night.

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hawks fans let your voices heard!!get to the game early and boo the hawks when they take the floor. We want better play!! Is that hard to ask?? Its time the hawks fans make a statement.

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Tell me why there isn’t any chatter on this blog about Joe Johnson playing the worst basketball of his career right now? Or is it something about Josh that gets a few posters panties in a bunch.

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Another tough loss tonight. The Hawks are in the midst of another 5-in-7 stretch with the typical results.

I do believe they will rebound. With the exception of the Pistons, the teams chasing the Hawks have losing road records. The Pistons are only a game over, so they hardly a force on the road..The Hawks have 6 road games remaining. The Heat have 11 road games remaining; the Pistons have 11 and the Sixers have 13 road games remaining.

That fellow fans is a huge advantage for the Hawks the remainder of the season.This is their last 5-in-7 of the season so I expect the Hawks to be able to recharge and take care of business, though it will not be smooth or easy. Things will remain tight with fluctuations in the playoff positioning, but the Hawks will prevail not in March, but in April when they have the most friendly schedule.

The Hawks are not going to fall apart as some suggest. They will catch their wind and persevere into the 4th spot. They will secure the spots sometime in the second week of April.We are just at the time of season when schedule matters and the Hawks hold a big advantage.

It’s going to be an adventure, but it’ll be ok in the end.

Go Hawks!!

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How much does Joe Johnson dribble the ball?
People say he is underrated, I don’t think that’s the case, he’s just an above average player.

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Najeh, evidently you missed Woody pulling Moe and Flip out after they got us back in the game, plus they brought some much needed energy off the bench. The second both JJ and Bibby came back in the game the Bobcats put the game away.

How many times have you seen Woody go away from something that’s working just to get JJ or Bibby back in the games? I thought the goal was to win games.

Oh and BTW, you can blame that on Josh too. Not you in particular Najeh, but all the bloggers that is willing to overlook Woody inept offensive scheme. What did Woody gain by bringing JJ and Bibby back in? Another loss.

Don’t look now, but has anyone been noticing Flip The Script expression when Woody takes him out the game going down the stretch. He is starting to show some sign of frustration with Woody too. Yup, it’s all Josh fault.

While you’re at it go ahead and blame Josh for Solo DNPs.

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It may very well be that Josh doesn’t like Woody’s style of coaching, but why the **** can’t Woody get through to anyone else?

That’s my problem with Woodson. He can’t get this team to do the right things on a consistent basis. At some point, the coach has to be held responsible for the sins of his players. That’s how 99% of head coaches get fired.

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consider smith is a hothead and not very smart. the rest of the team seems to be on message.

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Harry Hawk,

Now that was the best joke of the night…

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hary hawk, knowing ASG they would let coach woodson be that 1% that dont get fired!! What a joke….I mean ownership and the coach.

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However the Hawks end up backing into the playoffs (those of you expecting a 4 seed are deranged), and as big a fan of them as I am, I’ll be rooting for the opposition. We don’t take Boston to 7 last year and Woodson is more than likely booted last summer. The better the Hawks perform in April-May, the easier it’ll be for DASG to justify keeping Woody for the last yr of his contract (or ,God forbid, re-signing him). It’s like resetting a broken arm….it’s gonna hurt like hell, but it’s completely necessary. This team is broken and playoff thrashing is needed. Keep Woody and the gangrene spreads.

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I cannot see how any real fan could justify wanting his team to lose. As wierd as what kirkinga just wrote, I’ll be damned if someone didn’t top it by saying he was a “big fan” but wanted the Hawks to lose. That must be some 21st Century fan thinking going on.Good Lord.

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Mr. Smith, It would be interesting to know the GM’s take on Woody and Josh’s “feud”.

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Hey 88, reading comprehension. Love the Hawks, hate hate hate Woody. The only obvious means to cutting bait and giving this team an eventual legitimate shot is a national whuppin. Bring it on. The real fans can handle it. We’ve gotten used to them over the years.

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FIRE WOODY

I’m still waiting on the blogger of the year, **Ken Srtickland”, to address the situation.

FIRE WOODY

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woodson is the one thing that is holding this thing together.

JOSH SMITH IS A COACH KILLER. he as no desire to anything when he does not have the ball in his hand.

no offensive rebounnds, no denying his man in the post, no off the ball defense. though he DOES LIKE TO GIVE HIS MAN THE BALL AND TRY TO BLOCK SHOTS.

JOSH SMITH IS A LOSER.

yo josh take a note from marvin and horford, but then again josh, forgot you cant read.

we signed the wrong josh. childress left here half because he hated J SMOOVE.

i really feel sorry for woody. just iso j smoove for about five minutes and it is obvious, plays on his heals .

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Woody is totally inept.

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The truth about Josh Smith.

NO he’s ABSOLUTELY not all that is wrong with this team, but he’s CERTAINLY not as good as alot of people here make him out to be.

He can dunk and block shots, besides that he really isnt good at anything else. He should be in a Golden State Warriors or Knicks uniform, not in one for a team that lives and dies on jump shots. It’s what would be best for him and the hawks if both parted ways.

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Nice blog sekou. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Fire woody. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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“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,”

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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.

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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.

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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”…..

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*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!!**

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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This team is gonna give me a nervous breakdown. Omg!!!

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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!

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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.)

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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.

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FIRE MIKE WOODSON.

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Do we have any idea how patient Woody has been with 4-rebound a game Smith these last 8-10 games? I don’t recall reading anything other than all 5 players need to attack the glass. Instead of calling out his PF’s paltry board performance, he called out the five players on the court at any given time. If there was anything else said specifically about Smith during this recent drought, I need to be reminded.

Should a coach never lose his cool? Probably. Have great coaches blown their stack before? Sure.

Woody needs to go and needed to go about 2 seasons ago. But it’s not because of the way he has managed any one player… there is no one player bigger than the team. Woody’s sins revolve around under-utilizing the collective talents of the team, being too predictable with his offense and not making proper adjustments during the game.

Smith needs to go because Sund should not have to factor in “who can handle Smith” as he chooses the next coach. He should not have to eliminate candidates like Flip Saunders, Jeff Van Gundy or Bill Laimbeer because they will either butt-heads with Smith or because Smith will eat them for lunch. Sund needs to choose the best coach for the collective team.

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Ray you couldn’t be more right! I have said it once, I’ll say it again. Josh is one of the most talented players in the NBA and provide a great mismatch EVERY GAME. We just have the worst coach in the league that wont exploit that. We have seen that Woody CANT coach with or without Josh. What we haven’t seen is whether Josh can be successful with a GOOD coach.
99 percent of the time I will say that getting into it with the coach is wrong and the player should be punished, but I am willing to bet there are more players in that locker room on Joshes side then on that trash of a coaches side.
One more thing, you want to replace Josh with who? Another big man that Woody can neglect? Seriously, with the game plan that he runs out there, does it really matter who we bring in?
SEKOU, I have the next poll question. Would you rather have Woody and another player, or Josh and another coach? I am curious what everyone else thinks, please let me know.

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My problem is how certain players can get away with things but others get yelled at and put in the dog house for the same exact thing. Joe and Flip probably take as many if not more bad shots as Josh and I have yet to see Woody get in their face. They flashed to the bench last night and I thought Woodson was going to jump on Marvin for not rotating. When Bibby and others were letting their man blow past them Woodson has nothing to say. The way this team is playing I would not be shocked if they lost the 4th seed. I ain’t saying Woody has lost the team completely but right now he needs a navigational system so he can ask for some directions.

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Exactly. Mike Bibby plays terrible D and miss tons of 3s but he is “one of our better players” and vets and can do no wrong. Joe Johnson makes turnovers and tons of mistakes but “he is our guy and we can’t light a fire in him” It is true from my viewpoint that Woodson only chastises Josh Smith or Acie Law or Solo. He doesn’t appreciate what Josh Smith does and it seems like he doesn’t encourage his players either or motivate them.

Something else I was going to say but I forgot. Oh yeah, when was the last time Mo Evans hit a 3-point shot! My gosh!!! Reckon, he played good last night with Josh Childress type plays on the board but he has been playing terrible as of late. Just like Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith but they diss Josh for playing bad but none of the others. Al has been playing good. Flip as well. Marvin has been up and down and inconsistent but we do not need to point fingers but unite and have a gut check. Joe Johnson where is the emotion. You are our “all-star” play like it. Mike Bibby if you are still sick then sit down because you are hurting us missing shots and playing poor defense. Josh Smith humble yourself and play ball. Let Mike Woodson talk. Channel him out but respect him and do your job. We need you man. Marvin bring it every game. ZaZa hustle like we on national tv Acie begg Woodson to let you play! Rise up Hawks!!! My gosh!!!!!!!

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“Big” Ray, isn’t it ironic how perspectives and expectations have changed over the season’s course?

I once cautioned against expecting the Hawks to finish 4th or better. Such caution was met with derision and suspicions that I, “didn’t want the Hawks to improve”. What we have now is nearly a complete reversal. I believe the Hawks will finish 4th based on schedule, and those who previously raised expectations are now retreating back to preseason pessimism.

I understand that people can look at the schedule and at the teams and come up[ with different thoughts. But this idea that the Hawks, who have played .500 ball since the 6-0 start, are suddenly going to become a losing team, something they have not been all season long, is a big reach for me.

Second, everyone seems to be loving Miami, Detroit, and the Sixers now. Suddenly these teams are superior, again, something they have not been all season long.I’m not buying that either. Those are flawed teams just like the Hawks, so it really does come down to schedule and particularly the large disparity in the remaining road games.

If these teams were great road teams, then I would be more concerned. But like the Hawks, they play better at home. The Hawks still play better at home, they still tend to win more when not having to play 5-in-7’s.

No, these teams are who they have been all season long. The Hawks will need those home games, but they will take advantage of them and the days off as well. The Hawks lose to teams that are better than them, and they lose when playing 5 games in 7 days. While they will play some better teams, they will do so more rested than this recent spate of losing.

We’re all disappointed, certainly can’t cheerlead the team’s recent performances, but this Hawks all bad, the teams below all good kind of thinking I’m reading from many on here is just too easy, too emotional.The remainder of the season is going to be a war of attrition, and our guys have an advantage.

Go Hawks!!

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Woody is playing the wrong style. He needs to run hard and slash to the basket. Kick out second. His pace is too slow. He also needs to rotate five for five. He need to let Acie, Murry and Solo them run as one unit. He can play ten deep. That is how he won games in the begining.

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Hey Doc,

I like the stats you put up about Josh’s 3 Point attempts, but that does not take into account all the shots he takes from ONE STEP INSIDE THE LINE. Why don’t you go back and watch every minute of every game, like I do, and calculate how many shots Josh has taken from just inside the line. It’s the worst shot in basketball, and it’s Josh’s calling card.

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Josh Smith has to go. Learn from what the Falcons are doing. Get rid of the bad attitudes and Josh should go first as his attitude is the worst.
Josh is too weak and too short to play power forward and too slow and can’t shot outside to be a small forward.
Draft, receive in a trade for Josh, or sign as a free agent a center. Play Horford where he belongs at power forward.
The team will be MUCH better off in the future.

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Hey SAMUEL!!

Way to stay positive SAMUEL: The Hawks will make the playoffs, but they will be ousted in the first round by Boston or Cleveland, and they won’t make it to 7 games.

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Kirk,

It is ironic indeed. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to finish 4th, but I don’t believe they will if they don’t regain some chemistry. My views are sort of “if/then.” If we get back to playing together and fighting together, then we’ll be fine. Again, it’s not the losing, itself. It’s they “why” we are losing.

Maybe I’m seeing something that’s not there, and they’ll be fine. Sure hope so. But at the moment, it doesn’t look that way. When it comes to hard, emotionless facts, our production is a problem. Up until the first half of last night’s game, Smith was not earning his money for the last 10 games, and it was hurting the team.

So is JJ’s penchant for bogging the offense down. Those are definitely fixable problems. Team chemistry? A bit more complicated. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we went 21-10 to get things started. Since then, we’ve gone 13-18. Do the math, man. We were a winning team for the first 31 games. We have been a losing team for the last 31. Not trying to prove me right and you wrong, just lending a bit of weight and explanation to my concern.

But I’d rather you be unquestionably right about this. Believe me.

Astro Joe,

Based on your remarks, I’m assuming that you think Josh Smith will be a problem for any head coach. Well, let’s run with that idea (instead of arguing it) and move to the next phase. Who should we try and move him for? And please don’t say “a center.” I’m sick to death of hearing people give that tasteless, total lack of thought response….

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KEN STRICKLAND for Blogger of the Year

I told yall back in November and early December that good teams play their best in March and April. Some of yall were getting excited too early.

All that playing your starters heavy minutes at the beginning of the season is catching up with Woody. He still hasn’t learned his lesson.

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ray, geez, how many iterations are there? There’s “Big” Ray, then there “ray”, one is shady, the other not, how does one keep it all straight?

Well while none of us are unquestionably right about anything, I do feel that the schedule, which looked stark at first blush, will ultimately prove to be our saving grace.

Except for someone claiming the Hawks would go 3-17 the rest of the way, I don’t discount all of the shortcomings raised by the blog. This includes players and coaches alike. I just think that this team is tired. They have more days off coming up, but haven’t we been through this each and every time they’ve played 5 in 7 days?

The teams below are flawed. Despite all of the anxiety about the Hawks, those teams have yet to surpass and remain ahead of the Hawks. They played more games at home so they should’ve taken full advantage of that but failed to do so.

Any way, they need a win tonight. Winning is a great tonic.

Go Hawks!!

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Ray, I don’t know. That’s one reason I have not been all gung-ho about trading one of our forwards for a center… because I truly don’t know a center that would be an even trade. (Wow, I just Smith grab an offensive board… GREAT).

If there were a way to get someone like Kirk Hinrich and Brad Mailler from Chicago in a 3-way trade, that would be ideal. Some how, trade Smith to the Clips, Kaman goes to the Bulls and we get Miller & Hinrich. Obviously, we would need to trade more than Smith (maybe Clips get Chill or Bulls get Speedy’s last year) or something like that. Frankly, I wouldn’t trade Smith straight up for Camby, Dalembert, Chandler not Okur. But if he’s packaged for a combination of a PG who sticks for 2-3 seasons and a center… then that would be the ideal.

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Dont you people know that Hawks management don’t read blogs if they did Woodson would have been fired long ago. Maybe they will catch on that Woodson can’t conpete with the elete coaches in the NBA or even the not so elete. Its time for the guys in their ivory tower to leave the snooze button alone; we could wake them up if we quit going to the games.

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GILLEY-make no mistake, Bibby IS NOT one of our better players, he’s one of our better shooters, and one of Woodson’s favorites, period.

QUESTION: if you were Smoove, how would you feel or react if Woodson openly chastised you during a gm, and benched you for not blocking every shot or making every DEF rotation? Keep in mind everyone on the team is aware that the problem our frontline players are having on DEF is being caused, in large part, by a PG who thinks he’s a world class matador when it comes to playing DEF.

You’re expected to go all out battling players that are usually taller and/or bigger than you are, and you’re being yelled at and punished for not compensating for the consistent lack of DEF by one of your HC’s favorite NO D PG’s.

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