Bring on the King!
The last time the Hawks saw King James (March 1 at Philips Arena) they came up short.
HAWKSVILLE - The last time the Hawks lost a home game it was at the hands of LeBron James.
The last time King James and his crew lost a home game was before the All-Star Break (Feb. 8 to the Lakers and the Cavs’ only home loss of the season).
The Hawks have won seven straight games.
The Cavs have won seven straight as well (and they are an outlandish 31-1 at home).
Something and somebody has to give Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena when the two teams square off in a rematch of a March 1 game at Philips Arena the King won 88-87 with a last second free throw.
It’s too bad the NCAA Tournament will keep most folks from tuning in to see the two hottest teams in the NBA and the Eastern Conference go at it.
Both teams are fighting for playoff position, the Hawks for home court in the first round and the Cavs for home court throughout the entire playoffs.
It’s a perfect storm for hoops lovers, particularly those that love to dive into the NBA’s version of March Madness. The brackets for the NBA’s tournament can’t be filled out just yet. There are too many variables still in play. But it’s clear right now that the Hawks won’t go into the final weeks on the playoff bubble.
If they did nothing else on this recent homestand, they stamped their ticket to the postseason.
In addition, they rebounded from a potentially devastating few days of internal turmoil between Mike Woodson and Josh Smith to show that winning truly does cure all.
Pounding out wins against teams like Detroit, New Orleans, Utah, Portland and Dallas (all likely playoff bound teams) sent a strong message to the rest of the league.
Not getting popped against Indiana and Sacramento, however, sent an even louder message to me. Because it proved that maybe now, I said maybe, the Hawks are free from the mental letdowns against lesser teams that has shadowed them the past two years.
“They’ve got this thing rolling right now man,” an advance scout for an Eastern Conference powerhouse said to me as the Dallas game ended and we were walking away from the court. “If you’ve got to come in here and deal with this team in the playoffs it’s going to be tough. Now I see what Boston had to deal with last year.”
Paul Pierce and the Celtics know just how tough it is to win at Philips Arena.
Since that playoff series with the Celtics, the Hawks are a jaw-dropping 30-7 on their home floor.
So it’s clear the Hawks are going to formidable on their home floor no matter the opponent.
The challenge now is to prove they can get it done away from home.
And that’s why Saturday’s game looms so large.
What team doesn’t want to join the Lakers as the only teams to go into the castle to defeat the King?
But if the Hawks are in the business of staring down their demons the way we think they are, winning a few more games on the road would certainly do the trick.
They’ve already surpassed last season’s road win total of 12 (they are 14-21). Inch closer to .500 on the road, though, and home court advantage and that magical 50-win season both come into clearer focus between now and April 15.
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318 comments Add your comment
ATL Rattler
March 20th, 2009
9:48 am
Looking good Hawks! Let’s get this thing done on the road, & we can secure that 4 spot. And all this without Marvin! Not saying Marv is the engine that drives this machine, but his improvement & contributions this year have been much better than in years past.
Hey where are all the Duck references – haven’t seen them all year since he bust that 3 in the first game this year. I think everybody was like: Marv’s shooting 3’s now, yeah baby!
Let’s go Hawks!
fire man
March 20th, 2009
9:51 am
When will somebody come out and say it?
The Hawks are a better team, maybe even much better, without Marvin Williams.
Williams is a good guy, and I’m guessing we’ll never read about him cursing out his coach, beating up his girlfriend, getting into a nightclub brawl, or any of the other stupid things that several highly paid jocks get in trouble for these days.
But on the court, he’s soft and brings an inconsistent effort.
Sekou, in the paper today, you mentioned that Mike Woodson had no explanation why the team has such a great record with Mo Evans as a starter.
Are you kidding me???!!!
Mo Evans makes plays. He plays hard all the time. And while he might not post huge numbers every game, he does little things, things that veterans do, that help teams win ballgames.
Woodson’s cluelessness on this is disturbing.
Even more disturbing is that if Marv were healthy today, he would probably be right back in the starting lineup, regardless of the team’s win streak without him.
On a good team, Marv should be no better than the seventh man.
This was a blown draft pick by Billy Knight.
And I’m not a Knight basher.
For instance, I applauded the pick of Shelden Williams. I thought he was the best big man available when the Hawks picked that year.
That didn’t turn out so well, but they did get Bibby from that pick.
Anyhow, I hope this unconditional love affair that Woodson and the Hawks management has with Marv ends soon.
Khao$
March 20th, 2009
10:01 am
Honestly, that blow up between Woody and Josh may have been the best thing that happened to this team, this season. While showing up your head coach is completely unacceptable, I believe it gave this team a chance to hash out some things that needed to be talked about and air out their issues. Shoot, Bobby Cox and John Smoltz got into on the mound before. Terry Pendleton walked off the field because Marvin Freeman didn’t bean a guy in retaliation for Deion Sanders getting belted. Andruw Jones had to be pulled out of a game for not hustling. I’m using Braves references because they won consistantly and didn’t allow locker room issues to side track them. Adversity can be a good thing if you learn from it and build something positive. I believed that happened. And now look…we’re talking about the Hawks going into Cleveland riding a seven game winning streak. Nobody needed to get traded. Nobody needed to get fired. Sitting Josh on the bench for a half was all that was needed. And look at the team now. The baby Hawks are maturing right before out eyes.
ILL-logical
March 20th, 2009
10:19 am
Reading “Sunshine” Shultz’s column this morning called to mind a trend that has been re-occuring over the last 5 years in the Atlanta media: Francouering young sports figures.
Remember how Jeff Francouer was the second coming of Babe Ruth? well now we know that the kid was and is a decent ballplayer who,now that the pressure to replace Andruw Jones as the statistical leader of the Braves is off,can be what he is: decent.
And remember the enshrinement of Keith Brookings into Canton? Well that certainly turned out well. Of course the motive there was to assuage the anti Vick folks that one of “their kind” was really the star of the Falcons.
Now comes the crowning of second year pro Al Horford as “the leader” of the Hawks. First, since there are no home grown talents or “our kind of people” on the Hawks ,someone had to qualify. But the question raised by this pronouncement is compared to who?
Is it the putive hero Joe? Or is it the one who “has lingering questions ” about what he is?
Allow me to cut to the chase: Al don’t fall for the BS; you are a good player in a not good organization located in a town that ,while starved for a winner, still wants a certain look for its heros. The scapegoating of players like Andruw,Vick and now Josh is no accident. You are just a means to an end, a mean and nasty end added and abetted by people like Sunshine because they can’t do any better.
Beware the idiots of March!
dap01
March 20th, 2009
10:26 am
ILL LOGICAL: An appropriate name.
richbrave
March 20th, 2009
10:26 am
Both ILL and ILL-logical. Agreed.
DUANE FERELL
March 20th, 2009
10:28 am
FIRE MAN, WTF ARE U TALKING ABOUT? U THOUGHT SHELDEN WILLIAMS WAS THE BEST BIG MAN IN THE DRAFT? HE NOT EVEN A BIG MAN,HE WAS DIRT SLOW, AND COULDNT JUMP.HE WAS BARELY 6FT 6. HE WAS PROTECTED BY THE REFS AT DUKE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE DUKIES WHO BUM OUT IN THE NBA. MARVIN HAS MORE UPSIDE THAN AL, AND SMOOTH BECAUSE HE CAN SHOOT BETTER . HE’S LONG, HE HIT THE WEIGHT ROOM AND GOT STRONGER. HE REALLY IS THE TEAMS BEST DEFENDER. HE NEVER GETS PLAYS CALLED FOR HIM, BUT IN THE GAMES WHEN WOODSON WENT TO HIM HE DELIVERED. ON A TEAM WHERE MARVIN GOT ALOT OF TOUCHES HE WOULD EASILY AVERAGE OVER 20. MO EVANS IS A JOURNEYMAN SMALL FORWARD. COMPARING HIM TO MARVIN IS BS. THE REASON WHY THE HAWKS ARE WINNING IS BECAUSE JJ FINNALY HAS BEGAN TO TURN IT ON. YOU GUYS ON THIS BLOG NEVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT JJ WHEN HE HAS A BAD GAME, WHICH B4 LATELY WAS EVERY OTHER GAME. IM TIRED OF THIS MARVIN BASHING GOING ON. THE HAWKS SHOULD HAVE A BETTER RECORD, BUT WOODSON, JJ, AND BIBBY ARE ALL 2 INCONSISTENT. ON DRAFT NIGHT THEY SAID IN 5 YEARS MARVIN MIGHT BE THE BEST IN HIS CLASS BUT WIT PAUL AND DW I DOUBT IT, BUT HE STILL CAN AND WILL BECOME AN ALL -STAR. THE KID IS GOOD, HELL MILWAUKEE ALMOST TOOK HIM 1
Big Ray
March 20th, 2009
10:38 am
Man, Jhan’s seats are the cat’s pajamas! That is one cool dude, and I thank him again for the seat!
Enjoyed the game last night, like nobody’s business.
Got to meet Doc and his sweetheart (you go, boy!), Ando face-to-face for the first time (he’s straight up more laid back than y’all think), MannyT (just as funny in person as here in the blogosphere), and got to see Mr. and Mrs. Sautee again.
Hung around the pretzel stand hoping to meet some others, but no such luck.
Got to chat with Sekou after the game, saw T.O.’s narcissistic self, and was within 20 feet of the still-imposing Kevin Willis.
Good win by the Hawks, great night with friends. Gotta do this again. Soon. We were right there, a couple of rows behind the opposing team’s bench when Coach Carlisle exploded for those two techs and got ejected. Of course, I had to loudly say to asst. coach Terry Stotts, “yeah, take over Stotts! We know YOU can’t coach.”
That drew laughs from Jhan, Ando, and some of the surrounding crowd. Ah yes, my proudest moment…heh heh heh.
Thanks again to Jhan!
Big Ray
March 20th, 2009
10:51 am
Don’t look now, but Woody shortened up that bench last night…
Put the hook on Acie with a quickness. And I remember after which play, too. It was when he was chasing Barea, and after fighting through the second or third screen, lost him. Unfortunately, nobody rotated over. Barea got to the basket free for a layup….and out came Acie.
Of course, we weren’t getting much from Bibby, but Flip was on fire. Good thing, too, as we were struggling from the field. Not as bad as the Mavs were, though. They started a run, but began to fall apart. Good for us, as we maintained enough to get the win.
Beating good teams at home? Good stuff. I’ll take it.
I guess Mark Price should not get paid for last night. Josh and Al went a collective 4-11 from the line. Heh….
welikebaseball2
March 20th, 2009
11:09 am
So, as I suspected, Woodson has shortened the rotation again. I don’t know if he has a general issue with young point guards or no patience when it comes to developing young players or a particular issue with Acie. I do know that Flip, as good a scorer as he is, is no point guard (see A/TO ratio…worst of all guards on the squad). So let me get this straight, our backup PG has one of the lowest A/TO ratios on the team & shoots or turns the ball over more than he passes? Again, no knock on Murray’s scoring ability or passion…but a knock on Woodson plugging him in as the 1st-option backup PG.
Rod from College Park
March 20th, 2009
11:22 am
FIRE MAN,
The things that you are stating about Marvin have been discussed on this blog consistently for the last couple of months. Most of the members on the blog must have gone to North Carolina, because you cannot say anything wrong about him. If you do, you will be called an idiot, or you will be accused of really being me (Rod from College Park). Stick to your guns, and eventually these clowns will have to admit the truth. Can’t agree with you on Shelden Williams, but we can agree to disagree. They will tell you that although his stats were better last year, he is much improved this year. They will tell you that if Marvin got more touches, he would be Danny Granger, or if Coach Woodson did something different Marvin would be Scottie Pippen. If a DUCK had larger wings and talons, it would be an eagle. I also agree with you on Mo Evans. They will tell you that it is just a coincidence that we are playing well without him. I can tell there are no gamblers here, because it is not a coincidence, it is a trend. Gamblers make a lot of money off of trends. A couple of weeks ago I was the only IDIOT, who thought this way. Welcome to the club FIREMAN.
DUANE FERRELL: You should be smarter than that if you went to Georgia Tech.
niremetal
March 20th, 2009
11:23 am
ILL,
Love the Caesar reference, my friend!
Markie Fresh
March 20th, 2009
11:26 am
I think that Woodson’s system doesnt fit Law… Law is a pick and roll/pop type of player who creates by slashing to the basket…Woodson runs most of their stuff through Johnson. Bibby isnt as good as he used to be driving to the basket….. the Bibby/Webber pick and roll used to be devastating. I think that when the bench players come on they should run pick and roll sets with Law and Horford/Smith and put shooters around them.
A Thinking Fan
March 20th, 2009
11:34 am
Doc, AJ have you heard from Flash, HB during this win streak?
Native ATLien
March 20th, 2009
11:36 am
Sekou…. Your comments about us fans not showing up enough for our playoff bound Hawks got me and the fam into the arena last night. I actually went to the Philips box office shortly after reading the blog. Glad we went buy I still stand by my opinion that the Hawks should move start times back at least 30 mins. 7pm is hard with work, school, homework, and pre-game meals.
nola hawk fan
March 20th, 2009
12:04 pm
Blog Z, or other frequent posters to this outstanding board…
A lot of talk about getting the 4 seed for home court … so let’s assume the Hawks get by the heat. For the second round, does the winner of the 4/5 get the 1/8 winner? I assume it does. looks like Cavs holding that spot down…
Blast
March 20th, 2009
12:05 pm
On the money, Sekou. 7 win streak meets another 7 win streak team. Something, someone must give, and I hope it’s not the Hawks. While not a lot of people will pick them to win this game, especially when the refs basically gave Lebron the last game in Phipps, I won’t be too surprised if the Hawks pull it out. Hawks have been pretty good at staring at, and stabbing down a lot of their demons this year. 1st season sweeps over Detroit, Hornets, and another ballclub, almost swept the Bobcats, took it to Dallas, they are beating elite teams, and exorcising the ghost from the past that used to beat the hell out of them. It only remains to see if they can do it on the road, and Cavs are the perfect team to try it on. Time to show your mettle, Hawks. Tough task, but not impossible.
Imagine, Atlanta Hawks is only one of four teams in the NBA that has not made any lineup change all season. Thay are basically still with every team member they started the year with. No trades, no additions, thus a good chemistry level. Hawks are so much fun to watch these days.
O'brien
March 20th, 2009
12:21 pm
Even if the Hawks dont win this game, I think it is important that they make a statement, because Cleveland could be their opponent in the second round. And let’s face it. Who takes the Hawks seriously on the road (against good teams)?
I do expect that Woody will go with his 7 man rotation tomorrow (Flip/Zaza), regardless of how the game goes. And JJ might be forced to guard PG Mo Williams, who is lighting it up.
Rod from CP, I’m not a big Marvin fan, but we could really use him tomorrow. He will not stop Lebron, but he gives us good size and more fouls to use on Lebron. I dont want JJ guarding Lebron the whole time (because Woody is going to play him for 41 minutes) and if Mo Evans gets a couple quick fouls, then what?
Flappin' Hawk
March 20th, 2009
12:37 pm
Early preview to round 2 of playoffs: Hawks at Cavs – win or loose, this away game will show how far the Hawks have come and how far they can go this year. Can’t freakin’ wait.
The only thing I don’t look forward to is another game full of touch fouls when Lebron’s uniform is breathed on too vigorously by the Hawks.
CONZY
March 20th, 2009
12:41 pm
FIRE MAN….Seriously, can’t we all just get along. Look around man it is 2009……Maybe people didn’t like Mick Vick because he is a sadistic felon who was also a mediocre quarterback. Boy, Andruw Jones has sure had a great couple of years. Really that whole schtick you are spewing is tired man.
CONZY
March 20th, 2009
12:44 pm
Whoops! Sorry Fire Man, while I disagree about Marvin, folks can agree to disagree. My earlier comment was directed at ILL illogical (really appropriate name btw) and his racially charged blather.
Elijah (The Truth Serious Cavs FAN)
March 20th, 2009
12:45 pm
Look Hawk fans!
The hawks do not want to face Cleveland in the second round! Woodie is too weak of a coach to assist his team in that series!
If the Hawks management can fire Woodie and get a coach they will show this team how to run and add more plays then a pick and roll with JJ. This team would win 50 plus games easily.
Question for you guys! Why is it a rule in the NBA that when the play-offs get closer you shorten your rotation. Boston did it in the 80’s and these dumb coaches have follow since!
Play your bench that is why you have a bench. Every player gets tired!
Woodie is a terrible coach!
GeeMack
March 20th, 2009
12:54 pm
We will go to Clevland and get spanked by 20 tomorrow. The Hawks have know one that posses that burining fire to win, above all else. The difference between the Lakers and Hawks is KB24 he thinks and knows he better that LBJ. The hawks don’t have that type player.
chaz
March 20th, 2009
12:56 pm
ILL,You are probably one of the most intelligent posters on this forum. I agree with you.
Elijah
March 20th, 2009
1:09 pm
**first off, good job to whoever posted as me. we all know what Woodson will do in 3 weeks or so when Duck returns… He will bench Mo, return him to 5 mpg, only use 3 bench players, and proceed to play a slightly-injured marvin williams 45 minutes a game until he gets injured again. Woodson will continue to prove his motto of “If it ain’t broke, fix it” and we will suffer.
BRING DUCK OFF THE BENCH**
Gilley
March 20th, 2009
1:15 pm
What channel the game on cause its not on Sportssouth!!!??
kwooden1
March 20th, 2009
1:16 pm
Another great win, but another game that I missed. Looking at the stats I agree with everyone on not enough time for Acie or Mario. Will need both of those guys tomorrow night against Cleveland. Mario can foul Lebron some and along with Acie checking MO. I believe the root of the latest success is JJ getting his shot back (#1) and JSmoove cleaning up the backboards (#2). Al is always on watch when it comes to the backboards, but getting JS back on the boards has been the difference. At this point I think Woody has been right to start Marvin and bring Evans off the bench for him. Marvin’s been playing really well and has helped the team when JJ and Bibby have been struggling. I don’t think you can assess Marvin’s performance versus Evans until you give him a 7 game home stand, OH I forgot they went 7-1 the last time!!
GO HAWKS!!
Astro Joe
March 20th, 2009
1:16 pm
A Thinking Fan, Ando is now the co-owner of Hawks Hack (along with Ray or Big Ray or Ray-Ray). But he hasn’t been nearly as verbose in praising the Hawks as he has been in the past. But I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you. Flash stopped by a few weeks ago and did a drive-by but he has been mostly MIA during this season.
We haven’t seen you around in a while… hope you’re enjoying this season, I know I am!
terrell barron
March 20th, 2009
1:19 pm
Fireman, I hope you meant to say that this team is better without Marvin IN THE STARTING LINEUP. If you did, I agree. If you didn’t, that’s absurd.
Gilley
March 20th, 2009
1:21 pm
Wow. I am bugging. I thought today was Saturday!!! smh
terrell barron
March 20th, 2009
1:22 pm
Ill-logical, it’s Keith Brooking, not Keith Brookings. I see his name spelled like that all the time, and it bugs the hell out of me. lol!!
yessir
March 20th, 2009
1:41 pm
At least Rod is getting CREATIVE about posting under different names. He actually changed his writin STYLE this time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But you ain’t foolin NO ONE Rod!!!!!!!
Beck
March 20th, 2009
1:42 pm
I believe one of the reasons Law was pulled last night is that he is having back spasms. Nique said something about it over the telecast.
Was it just me, or did anyone else see that the game was a lot closer when Bibby was on the floor? We started pulling away from Dallas with Rio on the floor in the 2nd quarter. Dallas kept it close with Bibby on the floor in the 2nd half.
john V
March 20th, 2009
1:44 pm
Duane you are right on…. fire man is full of crap. The guy who deserves the bashing in the talent rich, brain starved Josh…another 5 turnover night against Dallas although one of his better games otherwise. He has the capabiltiy of turning a game around… unfortuneately in both directions….he can be a momentum killer. Marvin rules, one of the best all around players on the team.
Ariose
March 20th, 2009
2:13 pm
Mike Needs to have a good game tomorrow. This guy has had more bad games than anyone this season and I for one am tired of everybody else having to pick up their play to cover for him. OBVIOUSLY he has to guard Mo Williams tomorrow because there is no one else that we can put him on(Delonte Would dunk on him for sure). He needs to suck it up, play some damn good defense, and hit his shots and/or layups/floaters. If he’s not going to hit them then he doesn’t need to play. He’s been cold since our seven game western swing in February. It’s time to put up or go to the bench Mike Bibby. If they want to win 50 games then they have to win this game tomorrow. We’re going to have to win on the road in order to do it and we only have 6 road games left as opposed to 7 home games…..most of which we will be hosting the league’s elite contenders.
*Sir Links A Lot*
cp
March 20th, 2009
2:21 pm
Honestly this is a game where we need Marvin. He wont stop Lebron but his size and length at least bothers Lebron some. Evans cant guard Lebron and I don’t want Joe on him because of the many fouls Lebron draws. It is going to be a tough game. Bibby cant guard Mo Williams or Delonte so I don’t know who he will be matched up with. I just hope the game is competitive and that we don’t shoot our wad as Nique would say.
Ryder
March 20th, 2009
2:29 pm
ILL-logical, the only problem with your post is that unlike those guys (Brooking, Francoeur, and Vick) Horford has proven to be consistent and has shown he can hold his own in the postseason. Besides, since the rest of the NBA media refuses to admit how good he is and still slobs Greg Oden, it’s good to see the folks of Atlanta giving love where it’s due.
Acie is having back trouble and has to wear a pad when he’s sitting down. It will be interesting if the Hawks decide not to re-sign Bibby if they will consider signing my man Eric Maynor from VCU should Law not be able to adapt to Woodson’s system.
This entire next week will be pivotal for this franchise as they will also take on the powers of the league San Antonio, LA, and Boston. We will see how far Atlanta has truly come.
Ryder
March 20th, 2009
2:29 pm
oooops, I meant drafting Maynor. Still trying to balance between blogging and feeding the newborn at the same time.
A Thinking Fan
March 20th, 2009
2:37 pm
AJ, I’ve been on travel assignment this season, but I’m backing our Hawks’ players…
I’m here in spirit and keep up with their games while I’m on the road.
Astro Joe
March 20th, 2009
2:45 pm
Ryder, I like Maynor too. But after he works out for teams, I have a feeling he will be a top 18 pick. And congrats on the newborn. I thought I smelled a leaking diaper on the blog.
ray
March 20th, 2009
3:01 pm
Astro Joe,
I’ll explain. When I’m logged into the system that we do the blogs on, my system name (which I designated as Big Ray for the purpose of the Hacks ID) will pop up every single time I post, along with the shaded/gray area taking up my entire post block. It doesn’t matter what name or e-mail address I type in, and doesn’t matter what blog I go to. Sometimes I forget to log out of the system, and there you get to see the name change.
Don’t ask me why I posted as ray-ray. Probably because I was both bored and along on the Hacks blog during a game.
Ill-logical,
That was a very good post. Thought provoking.
ray
March 20th, 2009
3:17 pm
Terrell Baron,
I agree. The team may be better without Marvin in the starting lineup. But you’re never better when you’re short a man (let alone a starter) on a team where the rotation is already short. To say so is, well as you say, absurd. However, people see things they want to.
Rod,
Disagreeing is natural. I think you know that. But exaggerating or telling outright lies? I don’t think anybody takes kindly to that. While I never called you an idiot, as far as I can remember, I do remember talking about Granger. This right here:
“They will tell you that if Marvin got more touches, he would be Danny Granger, or if Coach Woodson did something different Marvin would be Scottie Pippen.”
….is BS. I challenge you to find the post where I or anyone else said exactly that. While the rest of this stuff is opinions, what somebody said or didn’t say is dealing with FACT. What I said was, “what if”, and used another player that plays the same position as a reference for a hypothetical point of view. Since I don’t recall anybody else using that reference or saying that Marvin could do differently if used differently, I’ll assume I am the target of your scoffing. Again, find the post, date and time I said what YOU said, and I’ll gladly take it back. Disagreeing with a point of view is one thing. I’m not claiming to be right, I just have an opinion, same as you. What YOU did was put words in my mouth. I didn’t do that to you, so why are you going there?
Personally, I think it’s stupid when a guy is drafted with the highest draft pick this team has had in years, yet he’s the 4th option on offense. Both Billy and Woody were thrilled to get him, saying that he brought something different to the table than the other forwards. Yet Woody doesn’t make him one of the top options on offense.
And it’s Billy that drafted him.
But all I hear is “we’re a better team without him.”
This, to me is the biggest folly. Instead of talking about the player himself as if it was his fault, people who think we’re better off without him should be talking about THE GM WHO DRAFTED HIM, and the COACH WHO PLAYS HIM. Marvin is who and what he is, pre-draft, now, and the future.
I think he’s a decent player who can be good. Some do not. So what? But to blame this joke-show on the PLAYER? Yeah, okay. That makes sense.
That’s where I agree with Fireman. The guy didn’t pick himself #2….
The Truth
March 20th, 2009
3:24 pm
If some of the bloggers on here were a basketball team, they would be self-destructing in the 4th quarter a misted a successful season. To continue to bash Marvin when we all should pause and pay some respect to the Hawks team accomplishment compared to last year this time. Yes we still have a long way to go before we can all basked in any real glory, but at least for now we should call a spade a spade and pay some respect. Even our opponents have offered that. The truth is the truth. Each of the Hawks starters (that would include Marvin), has played a critical role throughout the course of this successful season up to this point. We did not get these 41 wins by chance. Each starter has had successful spot-light performances and each has delivered and made a difference. I will also give a separate but equal shout-out to our bench players especially Flip, Mo and ZaZa. It sounds much like an agenda to me when the Marvin-Bashers start a consistent assault campaign at this juncture. Heaven forbid, but if we should start a long road losing streak than maybe (just maybe) all this Marvin bashing will go away and all of these GO-Hawks pretenders will crawl back under the rock from whence they came. To offer random constructive criticism as we do here all the time, is one thing, but to start a consistent campaign is another. But what a coincidence, Marvin is up for contract re-negotiation this year. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could low-ball or de-value him and get away with it? With this theory however, I don’t really know if this would be inspired by the ASG or our scouting-competition; just a thought. One more thing, in advance, if these shoes fit you, then openly wear them with pride. It least, we will all then know who has them on.
JerryWest
March 20th, 2009
3:47 pm
Hawks went +15 in the 15 minutes Bibby was sitting, and they went -7 in the 33 minutes Bibby played. Everyone in our defense had to work extra hard to partially cover Bibby’s defensive deficiencies.
jakejay
March 20th, 2009
4:01 pm
Some people just have no clue about basketball..Lol you guys really amuse me when you knock marv’s game….Stop typing blogs all day and watch a hawks game 4 once because if you did watch hawks games you wouldn’t hate on a player who when its all said and done will have quite a few all-star appearences…The best thing to do is to just stay quiet because you guys look like idiots when you talk down about marvin williams..Quit talking nonsense and get ya basketball iq up!!!
Old Dawgg
March 20th, 2009
4:21 pm
Until the Hawks learn to use Josh Smith down low,I cannot take them seriously.The play is called “1 down-power”.Invented by Hubie Brown.Perfected by Dan Roundfield.A play that will bring toughness to a soft,jumpshootin’ team like our Hawks.Take it to the hole yall!!!!
Rod from College Park
March 20th, 2009
4:24 pm
Ray,
Stop being so jumpy. I actually said, “some of these clowns”. I actually don’t consider you to be a member of the circus, so I was not talking to you. I actually feel like you have a little basketball knowledge, but not when it comes to Marvin. The post I was referring to was some CLOWN, that told me if Marvin was the focal point of the offense, and he took as many shots, he would be as good as Granger. I don’t even remember what CLOWN, it was, but I know that it was not you. For the record, I don’t like Billy Knight, and I am not a Woodson fan. So please stop with the blame the GM or the coach crap. Actually he will not be the fourth option anymore, he will be the fifth. Horford is balling now. Calm down!!!
The Truth : The Marvin discussions were escalated when everyone wanted to get on the bash Josh Smith bandwagon. The argument is simply based on the fact that we will have to pay Marvin somewhere in the range of 6 to 9 million dollars after the season is over. Does he deserve it. I say no. Josh is a overall better investment, and it is proven on the court, with the stats, and even with the attitide issues. That is all.
5+5 = 10
Another WIN without MarVIN. (In the sarting lineup)
bigdave
March 20th, 2009
4:28 pm
EXACTLY JERRY WEST…. NO NEED TO RESIGN FOR BIG MONEY…!!!
merbertmoover
March 20th, 2009
4:35 pm
everyone knows that al horford is the mustard BABY!!!!!!!!!!!
Rod from College Park
March 20th, 2009
4:40 pm
jakejay,
Good luck with the all star appearances. I guess, Granger, Wallace, Prince, Joe Johnson, Lebron, Pierce, Butler, Harrington, Jefferson, Salmons, Young, Deng, Lewis…. will all be going to the western conference huh. Don’t hold your breath. Basketball IQ huh? What lineup is better for the Hawks right now? Bibby, Joe, and Flip , or Bibby, Joe, and Marvin? Answer that Mr. IQ man.
JerryWest
March 20th, 2009
4:47 pm
Look at Bibby’s +/- in the 7 game homestand.
Team In min +/- out min +/-
Detroit In 36 +13 out 12 -9
NO In 31 +4 out 17 +6
Utah In 27 -4 out 21 +11
Indiana In 32 +4 out 16 +10
Portland In 39 +14 out 9 +4
Sacramento In 36 +3 out 12 +19
Dallas In 33 -7 out 15 +15
In the last 6 games we were much worse per minute with him in there.
TOTAL
In 234 minutes (+27)
out 102 minutes (+56)
Elijah
March 20th, 2009
4:50 pm
we all know what Woodson will do in 3 weeks or so when Duck returns… He will bench Mo, return him to 5 mpg, only use 3 bench players, and proceed to play a slightly-injured marvin williams 45 minutes a game until he gets injured again. Woodson will continue to prove his motto of “If it ain’t broke, fix it” and we will suffer.
BRING DUCK OFF THE BENCH**
Elijah
March 20th, 2009
4:50 pm
Marvin will have quite a few all star appearance? Must be in like 8 years when people like Jamison are gone…LOL. hes averaged around 14 ppg 4 years in a row. that’s not even 4 points a quarter
Mychelfromatl
March 20th, 2009
4:50 pm
WOW!!! Are my eyes fooling me?! Is ESPN starting to take notice of the Hawks. Did I just really read a healine about the Hawks that says:
“SECOND TO NONE: With help of key reserves the Hawks have owned the second quarter”
Hawks gettin love from ESPN!!?? Oh man, I’m suprised.
Heres the link: http://espn.go.com/nba/
Josh
March 20th, 2009
4:59 pm
Gilley, IT’S Friday/
DUANE FERELL
March 20th, 2009
4:59 pm
elijah, DO U EVEN WATCH THE GAMES, WHEN JJ WAS HURT MARVIN GOT THE TOUCHES AND RESPONDED, WHEN SMOOTH WAS HURT HE GOT THE TOUCHES AND HE DELIVERED, HELL HE GOT TO THE LINE LIKE 10 TIMES. THE OFFENSE GOES THROUGH JJ, WHO FINNALY JUST GOT IT GOING AND BIBBY. EVANS HAS NOT BEEN A FACTOR ALL YEAR, MARVIN IS NOT A BUST HE JUST PLAYS FOR THE WRONG TEAM AND THE WRONG COACH
Mychelfromatl
March 20th, 2009
5:06 pm
I think the Hawks can very well upset Cleveland tommorrow. Also, looks like SAMUEL isn’t the only one that thinks Woody should be Coach of the Year: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090320
CONZY
March 20th, 2009
5:06 pm
Hey Jerry West, great post about Bibby. I just have one question; Did you consider the fact that when Bibby is out the other team is playing their starters? I think our bench has been terrific in several second quarters……does that mean they are better than our starters? Think about it.
Mychelfromatl
March 20th, 2009
5:12 pm
He wasn’t the first coach to leave Philips Arena muttering about a rough second quarter. The past eight games have been the most prominent examples, but the trend has been evident all season. Murray (plus-4.4) leads the Hawks in plus-minus, while Pachulia (plus-3.6) is tied for second with Josh Smith. It’s not hard to see why: While other opponents see a big drop-off in play when the second unit checks in, Atlanta’s deficit is small by comparison.
It’s an amazing turnaround for a bench that looked to be a disaster zone when the season started. Josh Childress, the lone reliable reserve on the 2007-08 squad, bolted for Greece and seemingly left the cupboard bare. But Pachulia rebounded after suffering through a brutal 2007-08 season, and Murray has been a revelation as a late-summer pickup after being waived by Detroit last season.
-ESPN
Looks like Woody has no choice but to keep playing the bench, especially with everyone noticing how good they are becoming.
saystar1
March 20th, 2009
5:18 pm
“Hawks went +15 in the 15 minutes Bibby was sitting, and they went -7 in the 33 minutes Bibby played. Everyone in our defense had to work extra hard to partially cover Bibby’s defensive deficiencies.”
Woody has no clue and the sooner this team is rid of him the better. ASG should never let him speak to the media. I listened to an interview he did on 790thezone. When asked about Acie minutes he said “Well I mean again He’s a young player too. You guys gotta understand when I got a lot of these young guys early you had to play em–didn’t have a choice but to play em. Well I have a choice now you know I have Mike Bibby and I have Flip Murrary who are 2 veteran guys that have played for our basketball team and help us win. So therefore, Acie’s Law (laugh-hump); I mean Acie Law minutes basically have come in practice in terms of developing. Now when he’s put out in the game we expect him to play well and be ready to play. You know he hasn’t got the minutes he has expected or I expected coming into the the season but it’s not easy to play 3 point guards”
Now the above is some what revealing–he slipped and said “so therefore Acie’s Law” which he immediately laughed about and corrected gave the indication his not playing Acie so he better develop game skills in practice is Woody’s Law. I thought Flip Murrary was a 2 who was being played at the point, but Woody clearly sees him as a point. I don’t care how much we are winning now we are only going to as far as athleticism is going to take us because this team is not being coached up.
As far the the Biby +/- numbers I’ve notice this as well. Whenever Acie’s in the game he hardly ever switches staying primarily with the other’s team’s point. When he was in against Chris Paul, Chris had 3 TO’s in about a 2 minute span which the annoucers commented on. When Bibby’s man doesn’t have to be accounted the whole team plays better defense and stays a lot fresher.
TheAntiMe
March 20th, 2009
5:27 pm
I really hope that Marvin can make it back healthy for the playoffs. His play has been much improved this season and I’m afraid that he will be sorely missed in the playoffs when the Hawks will need all of their horses to compete with the likes of the Cavs and the Celtics.
If Marvin improves his game next year by anywhere near the same amount as he has this season and if the Hawks can find a true Center so that Big Al can move to what would seem to be a more natural position for him to Power Forward, then this time next year we may be talking about the Hawks 7 game road winning streak. I believe!
JerryWest
March 20th, 2009
5:44 pm
Conzy – I don’t have raw data about opponents. All I can say is that Deron/Paul and some others had a much harder time when flip/acie/mario were guarding them.
JerryWest
March 20th, 2009
5:49 pm
We need Marvin’s defense on Pierce/LeBron and all the other stud forwards. When we switch Marvin could hang with Garnett/Howard etc. Dirk has shown clearly that Mo’s size can be exploited very easily in our switching defensive scheme. If Dallas didn’t think that Dikembe would have blocked all their inside shots last night, we would have lost. This dallas team, despite missing several key players, played some good defense. Their stupid offense killed them.
RickNole
March 20th, 2009
6:11 pm
Just want to say GO HAWKS!!
I hope Marvin is able to come back, we will need him in the playoffs.
Time to dethrone the King!!
The Truth
March 20th, 2009
6:19 pm
Rod from College Park
I do admire your compassion for your position or point-of-view regarding the Marvin vs. Granger discussion. As I stated, it is fair game to offer random constructive criticism on any Hawks topic. However, a constant drum-beat is a different story. I think given the marathon of coverage, all points have been made 10 times over. For my two cents worth on the subject, comparing Granger to Marvin is little unfair since each player plays a different role for their respective team. It is an apple to orange comparison in my opinion. Granger has emerged to be the equivalent “Joe Johnson” for the Pacers. It is the Pacers game plan to run all their plays through Granger. He is their superstar. The Hawks don’t have that situation where as Marvin plays a different role. Compared to last year, Marvin has become very effective in a support role with his combination of rebounding, offense and defense. When asked to step up and become an offensive force, Marvin has shown a capacity to do that as well. I think we still don’t fully know Marvin full potential yet since his positive improvements are still a work in progress. He has made a big leap in his 3-point shot (for instance). No one knew he had that game last year. It might be more hidden inside Marvin than we yet don’t know about. Acquiring players in the NBA is like buying stock in the open stock market. You buy low and reap the benefits when that stock matures. Having said all of that, what happens off-season during contract talk with Marvin may have little to do with his contribution to the team as we have seen with other important players’ departure from their respective team. Look at what happen to Boston with the James Posey departure. It was a business decision. To speculate now about Marvin contract in the middle of a playoff run is nonsense and counter-productive in my opinion; but that’s just my two-cent worth.
fire man
March 20th, 2009
6:30 pm
Mr. Ferrell, your last comment, I think, hit it right on the head. This Hawks team is better off without Marvin in the starting lineup.
Maybe if he were on another team, he would play better and more consistently. Maybe, but I doubt it. But that’s all hypothetical. What we can do is look at the Hawks’ record without him.
It’s pretty good.
And I said earlier, I do blame Billy Knight for drafting him, and passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
I also blame Woodson for playing Marv too much, and for not giving enough clock to guys like Acie and Mario, who bring energy and effort most nights when they get the minutes.
The NBA regular season is about energy and effort.
My beef with Marv is that far too often, you don’t get either from him, at the offensive or defensive end.
Again, he’s a nice kid, and he’s got great character, but an NBA team that sees itself in the top 4 in either conference should not have him starting.
MannyT
March 20th, 2009
6:41 pm
Would TheAntiMe be YOU? That’s a tricky handle.
I agree with YOU on most of your post. Marvin has been playing better, especially on defense. The Cavs game will be a major milestone, because Josh is likely the only other player that can guard LeBron as effectively.
For those others that say we don’t need Marvin at all, then you need to find someone to replace the things he does. He’s a good shooter, gets to the line a lot, and matches up well against P. Pierce and LeBron James. If you slide Josh to the 3, then someone in the front court will need to expand their shooting range.
MychelfromAtl, I saw the article and nice things about the Hawks, mostly in that backhanded, you’re not the Cavs, Celts, Lakers way of praise from Hollinger. Shame that the Cavs lost. They really needed this game. They blew it Instead of giving the Hawks some “doing it w/o Marvin” praise.
ESPN can be like that cool kid in school that refuses to admit that anyone can do things as well as someone in the cool crowd…even when the new kid (Hawks) do exactly what the cool kids did.
BWAF
Gilley
March 20th, 2009
6:59 pm
I think Marvin is more effective when the offense is surrounded around him but Joe Johnson is more effective when the pressure is off him but when he is the go to guy, he is hot and cold. Thus, he is not a superstar but a star player. Furthermore, Williams is still not worthy of a Number 2 pick but he doesn’t get the free reign like Joe Johnson does to prove he can avg 20 ppg a night which I feel he can. So he has to play the role the coach and team allows.
With that said, him being in the role of Jason Terry or Flip Murray will would benefit the Hawks more when he comes off of his injury in my opinion because he can score when he is in isolation and play off the block and let shooters like Mo, JJ, Thomas Gardner, etc get shots when he draws a double.
But him being a starter has been good too but he sometimes gets lost in the offense, so he has to do the intangibles like rebound and defend like he has been doing this season. But whatever Coach Woodson decides, we should stretch the rotations in the second for energy. Something about that second quarter!!!
Elijah
March 20th, 2009
7:06 pm
**we all know what Woodson will do in 3 weeks or so when Duck returns… He will bench Mo, return him to 5 mpg, only use 3 bench players, and proceed to play a slightly-injured marvin williams 45 minutes a game until he gets injured again. Woodson will continue to prove his motto of “If it ain’t broke, fix it” and we will suffer. BRING DUCK OFF THE BENCH**
rms
March 20th, 2009
7:18 pm
Win at home Lose on the road!!
Mychelfromatl
March 20th, 2009
8:03 pm
Damn…whats up with all the back problems. First AI, then Marvin, and now Acie. Sheessh!!
Mychelfromatl
March 20th, 2009
8:04 pm
^^^AI meaning Allen Iverson.
pinoy hawk
March 20th, 2009
8:18 pm
Those +/- stats are misleading. The hawks doesn’t need bibby to score like he used to when he was with the kings. What they need is the veteran experience and mental toughness that this guy has. bibby’s worth would be apparent when the playoffs comes!
ray
March 20th, 2009
8:28 pm
Clearly “fire man” and “Rod” are NOT the same person.
MannyT,
Very well put. As usual.
ray
March 20th, 2009
8:30 pm
MychelfromATl,
Back injuries happen from extensive time spent on the bench….
Najeh Davenpoop
March 20th, 2009
8:56 pm
I’m not holding my breath for the Hawks to win at Cleveland, possibly the only place in the league significantly harder to get a win than Philips Arena. But to me it doesn’t really matter. I’d just like to see them play the Cavs close and not get blown out. What’s important is that the Hawks, with a 4 game advantage in the standings with 13 games left, keep the 4th seed — with the way they are playing at home, a 4 seed is basically a punched ticket to the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Nate ArchiBALL
March 20th, 2009
9:19 pm
Great post ILL. If that post doesn’t make you think…………
mac12341
March 20th, 2009
9:34 pm
I am not going to attack any one person that is blogging, nor will I single out out any one player or Hawks coach. I think there is plenty of blame to go around. At times in the last part of January and most of January. Team and coaching staff seemed out of sync. Since Josh came back from injury he had some big games but was not consistent. He fell in love with the jump shot (which could be said for the whole team). His defense fell off as well
KevinA
March 20th, 2009
9:36 pm
The three guards that played for the hawks put up 45 shots. The entire Hawks front court attempted 23 shots and made 56% of them. When JJ drives he is very effictive. So why do JJ and Bibby continue to juck up jumpers when there is plenty of time on the clock? For the Hawks to win even 1/2 of the next 5 games will be dependant on feeding the ball to the front court. The only reason we got away all those misses with Dallas is Terry matched Bibbys poor shooting and JJ missed shots matched Dirks. Our front court won the game. If we want to keep winning we got to go low. Why is it so hard for Woody to connect the dots.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 20th, 2009
10:11 pm
“Reading “Sunshine” Shultz’s column this morning called to mind a trend that has been re-occuring over the last 5 years in the Atlanta media: Francouering young sports figures.”
This is in no way unique to Atlanta’s sports media. Schultz and his ilk are only following ESPN’s lead when it comes to this. The biggest flaw with sports media in general is that they are always looking for a narrative — it’s not enough for them to just report and break down what actually happens on the floor.
dmortone
March 20th, 2009
11:23 pm
Anyone get tired of seeing that nba commercial that shows JJ crossing Leon Powe in the playoffs last year? Cause I don’t.
Big Ump
March 20th, 2009
11:25 pm
The Truth
Nice article.
doc
March 21st, 2009
12:21 am
hmmm
from sekou ….Smith has played lights out since the Charlotte incident. He has averaged 17.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 blocks as the Hawks reeled off seven straight home wins.
“These past few games,” Smith said, “if you notice, a lot of that hard stuff hasn’t been said, and you see the results. That’s all I ask for. I know you’re going to get on me when you need to, because I’ve still got a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do. But if you leave me alone a little bit … it’s just easier to do your job that way.”
i tell you they need each other to smooth out their rough edges. problem is for woody he needs josh more than josh needs him. kinda like we been saying here often. sekou seems to have forgotten the on and off relationship with acie in the mixture of players that woody has torn apart or down, some that were irreparable and quite damaging to the player.
JOSH = MVP!
whatever josh is just as much a winner as woody is and just as determined to deliver. woody coach let the players play and get out of their way like you do bibby, jj and flip. players will make mistakes just like you have done so many times as a rookie head coach.
Ed
March 21st, 2009
3:17 am
Just a comment on the Acie situation…there seems to be the misconception that he doesn’f fit Woody’s system. That is not the case…Woody just doesn’t like him, didn’t want to draft him, & every since Acie was forced on him it has been a very rocky relationship. Woody should be the grownup here and get over it & make use of Acie’s talent even inside his pitiful offensive scheme. As Ray pointed out, Woody took him out of the game after his man finally wound up scoring with no help from his teammates. Do you think JJ or any other significant player gets taken out for that?
Clyde
March 21st, 2009
4:14 am
The Hawks are the talk of the town. I’m glad to see this team put it together at the end end of the season. To me Flip has been the difference. e are still weak in the middle though.
cwm
March 21st, 2009
8:05 am
IS HAWKS GAME WITH CLEVELAND ON TV
hawks hawk
March 21st, 2009
8:27 am
Marvin aint the problem, its still the coach and having a shoot first and often point guard who doesn’t guard anybody. All the teams run pretty much the same offense against us since we switch so much on the picks with bibby in the game.he puts in no extra effort to fight to get around the pick or make an effort to switch back to his man. another reason why our bigs usually (J-Smoove) be at the 3pt line on defense ( out of rebound position) so much. I dont know if bibby really cares about defense, but me being a ball player i’d hate to see a 6-7 235 shooting guard have to cover my man every game. So thats where woody comes in, even though he has played the bench, he depends too much on bibby and doesnt chastise bout his defense and his hustle . Yes he gives us leadership but when he isnt hitting his jumpshot, leadership on the court leads to the other team scoring at will. If woody would jump into his stuff like he does Smith and Law, maybe just maybe bibby would step it up on defense. I agree let marvin play with the second unit, specially when u take bibby out and have acie in at least for a couple games to see how it goes. two scores coming off the bench would be good. woody dont fall back in the old WOODY routine. your job aint saved just yet,head coaches with 50 wins(maybe if we get there) have been fired that same season. with all that said everybody mostly have played good basketball. Josh haters are pretty quiet.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
March 21st, 2009
8:37 am
Sekou, that was a pretty biased article about the Woody-Smith relationship. To end with Smith’s quote of “leave me alone” seems to suggest that Smith is the sympathetic figure. My oldest son came home with a poor progress report earlier this week and I have been riding him hard. He said last night “can’t I get a break?” While I don’t want to push so hard that he begins to hate his school work (and he clearly needs time to be a child) my first priority is get get him back on track and help him realize his potential. He has not demonstrated enough maturity to be given a break (yet). I’d suspect the same is true of Mr. Smith. Too many athletes don’t have someone willing to get in their face and demand better. We seem to only want the self-driven athlete. As I’ve stated before, I have no issue with how Woody has handled insubordination issues… I hate his game time decisions/substitution patterns (which are improving).
doc, Woody has 1 year left and Josh 4 years left on their respective contracts. So I agree, Woody needs Smith more. But Woody is probably a second round playoff appearance away from earning himself another coaching gig in this league (and leverage in a contract extension this summer).
Sekou K. Smith
March 21st, 2009
8:52 am
I shouldn’t be this fired up for a game not involving Michigan (I feel like we’re going to do something crazy against Oklahoma today, either win in a shocker or get run off the floor). But I am juiced for this afternoon’s Hawks-Cavs game. I’m just curious to see if the Hawks can muster the stuff needed to knock the Cavs off.
doc
March 21st, 2009
9:19 am
aj somehow i knew that remark would peeve you a bit. the kid is saying he is an adult now and growing into that. respect him as a man the way he does flip, jj, bibby, who make mistakes as well but arent his whipping boy. lord knows at least treat him the way he respected lorens and kept that popcorn machine around to build character. aj simple, he wants to be treated more like the man he is or is becoming than the child he was. that is what all father son relationships go through. it is about growth. woody needs to get over it and grow up too. maybe he is we will see or is he stuck being his mentor bobby knight.
as you state in speaking of woody, “I hate his game time decisions/substitution patterns (which are improving).”. it also sounds like a description of josh. that stuff you speak sometimes brings insurrection if he himself doesnt grow. it is what happens in all relationships of coaching unless you are a master like phil or pops. if you arent, you go out like larry brown did after three years with a team. relationship fatigue sets in when it is all negative.
at least josh is man enough to say it and step up and deliver after he says, “leave me the frick alone, i will deliver”. i laughed with the remark about josh being a sympathetic character. he is hardly saying that. you cant reflect negatively on that kind of stand up guy either. kind of reminds me of the greatest at just that mr. october, none other than reggie jackson. now that guy was a stud and he delivered and had to live with a maniac as a manager in billy martin. they butted heads more than a few times. sometimes coaches and managers bring it on themselves like martin did, still won championships which i hope woody can. martin was sure messed up. aj cant you at some point say, just because you are in charge doesnt mean you know what you are doing and sometimes need it be called on it? title doesnt bring entitlement. overall for the present they still need each other and woody needs josh and his abilities more than josh or really the team needs woody’s.
JOSH = MVP!
Elijah
March 21st, 2009
9:40 am
we all know what Woodson will do in 3 weeks or so when Duck returns… He will bench Mo, return him to 5 mpg, only use 3 bench players, and proceed to play a slightly-injured marvin williams 45 minutes a game until he gets injured again. Woodson will continue to prove his motto of “If it ain’t broke, fix it” and we will suffer.
BRING DUCK OFF THE BENCH**.
Elijah
March 21st, 2009
9:41 am
The key to winning today:
Al Horford pumping the guys up
John
March 21st, 2009
9:58 am
To all of the Marvin haters out there. Our depth is not good. We need Marvin to step up when Joe or Josh get hurt, like he has this season. Mo cannot step in and carry JJ’s load. Marvin can’t over a long stretch, but he can for a few games. I still say he should be our second option on offense. How many points do you want him to score? Not everyone can put up 17-18 points per game. I think our winning streak has much more to do with playing at home than it does Mo in the starting lineup over Marvin.
Astro Joe
March 21st, 2009
10:42 am
doc, what is Woody supposed to say, “I’m a bad coach now let’s enjoy our 48 win season”? What was he supposed to say at the time of the blow-up “you’re righ, Josh, you have been showing great effort and discipline and I should trust that these 10-12 games were my fault and you will make an immediate improvement”?
Here’s what we don’t get to see that Woody does. We don’t get to see who “handles their busiess like a man”. Who is organized, punctual, considerate, focused during film study, prepared, attentive during game planning, etc. All of that goes into forming the relationship between player and coach. Sorry, doc, can’t go there with you. I think if I’m going to give either the benefit of the doubt in the area of “trying to do what’s right for the team”, it will be Woody all day long.
happyhawk
March 21st, 2009
10:46 am
hey pinoy hawk add me in yahoo messenger smile4me_july86@yc…i’m also a filipino.:D
doc
March 21st, 2009
11:09 am
dont expect you to go there, only in your words maybe, a man delivers. bottom line, whether you say i am both, sir and set out to prove yourself or back the frick off and let me do my job then do it. josh is delivering. that is what he is saying, the same thing you did to your boss. did he really think you were both or did you? not. it didnt matter what you said only what you did. you both knew by your actions you would prove yourself. josh is the straw that stirs the drink, in the form of reggie not daryl.
they are both growing together. woody is a rookie coach in his first attempt at it. same age as josh on the job, isnt it? you have pointed out many times woody has his limits and is growing as well. good for them both is my point. they both need to rub off of each other to make the other better.
see what happens when woody forgets his lesson and see how listless the team gets as his sphincter tone gets tighter and he goes back to the destructive things he did in the past, or else he wont. we will see, just because he has the title coach doesnt entitle him either aj. it is a title only. tell me all your managers with the title deserved it and i will laugh.
JOSH = MVP!
Astro Joe
March 21st, 2009
11:19 am
doc, I was challeneged in my sales manager days. But I usually accepted the challenge more readily from someone with a history of proven performance (and demonstrated love for the team) as opposed to someone who at the time was pulling down the equivalent of 4 boards and shooting 35% from the free throw line. Should the source of the feedback matter? Maybe in the perfect world, no. But only a robot/computer or idiot not consider “the source” when dealing with disparate viewpoints.
Man, I’d love to debate the day with you doc (sincerely I would), but fatherhood calls. Taping the game to watch it later.
Go Hawks!
jhan
March 21st, 2009
11:39 am
doc – you forget that maybe the reason Josh has “stepped up” & “delivered” is directly related to Woody getting in his face.
Woody is basically the father to 15 guys every day. They all need to be coached differently. Some need very little guidance – others need continual guidance.
It just seems like too much of a coincidence that Josh always picks up his game & changes his attitued after these outbursts with coach. Why wasn’t Josh averaging 18 & 10 before this incident? He certainly was getting the same playing time.
I am a huge fan of Josh, not so much of Woody, but I believe the truth of this matter is somewhere between your stand & AJ’s.
doc
March 21st, 2009
12:04 pm
go be a father was that is the manly thing to do. i enjoyed it last night spending the whole day to see my daughter play her last home regular season soccer game as as senior and captain of the team. they start the playoffs next week and i will not be able to go because of work commitments. i know your love as a father and admire it.
btw, i hope you arent implying that josh doesnt do these things:
” is organized, punctual, considerate, focused during film study, prepared,
attentive during game planning, etc. ”
NEVER have we heard there was a problem with josh and his work ethic. it would be unfair to imply it in this manner as subtle as it might have been delivered. the problem is usually it was because of on court stuff. as the article said bibby can talk back and josh cant because of the way he says it ….that to me is bs my man bs. there is just as much insubordination as we can all see it only when it comes from bibby only woody excuses it in his mind as okay as he is coming from an “old pro” so he gets to get a pass. truth!
aj, some reason josh has always gotten under your skin about as much as woody used to. always wondered about that and what you are really seeing because it may not apply to josh at all.
KevinA
March 21st, 2009
12:32 pm
Marvin off the bench. – Marvin is a better player than Evans but like Evans he will defer his outside shots unless wide open. They are great team players. Marvin drives the ball better and plays better defense.
Bringing in Flip, Acie, ZaZa and Evans a litle earlier and having them play a few more minutes is the ticket. The bench has proven they can play at a high level. If the first unit is hot let-em play their normal minutes. But if the starters are not, lets defer to the bench. As we have seen over and over the starters get off to a slow start and the bench comes in to save a quarter or half. The upside bonus is the fresher legs for the starters.
The real debate might be is who will finish the games off. I don’t think we can take Flip off the court. Wether it’s Flip, Marvin or Evans, lets hope woody picks who’s hot.
ZaZa has earned a couple of extra minutes also. Depending on the match ups Al or Josh could use a couple of extra minutes rest.
1 1/2 hrs to tipp off!!!! Go Hawks.