Clinchville (and other stuff)!
HAWKSVILLE - I remember laughing out loud at Josh Smith late last season when he was sure the Hawks were going to make the playoffs.
Josh Smith predicted big things this time a year ago.
It was during one of the Hawks’ notorious dry stretches, when they were playing so poorly that even snagging the eighth spot (which they ultimately did) looked impossible.
Those dry stretches have been far and few between this season.
In fact, here we are in the final days of March and the a Hawks are in danger of actually clinching a playoff spot before we get to Arpil (and yes, I realize the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers are all coming to town before the week is out).
As preposterous as it sounds, I think I owe the young fella an apology for making so much fun of him a little over a year ago. He talked about the playoffs like it was a foregone conclusion. And he talked like the Hawks were going to be a playoff player for years to come.
It sounded ridiculous to me at the time. After all, they stumbled badly throughout last season and barely made the playoffs. They didn’t have the look, swagger or mettle of a playoff caliber team for most of the season. There were questions about everything from who would be on the roster this season to whether or not Mike Woodson and his staff would be back to coach them.
There was no reason to believe the Hawks would be a 41-29 team at this point in this season based on where they were this time a year ago.
And yet here they are, likely days away from clinching a second straight playoff berth (their magic number is a combination of four games, wins and or losses by the team in possession of the eighth spot in the standings with some tiebreakers tossed in just to keep things interesting).
So next time, I’ll keep my laughter to myself (how’s that for a public mea culpa Josh?).
BIBBY’S SUCCESSOR FALTERS IN SACTO
When the Hawks acquired Mike Bibby at the trade deadline last year, the Kings justified the deal by touting Beno Udrih as his successor.
For a while it looked great for both sides.
Udrih played well for the lowly Kings and Bibby helped the Hawks secure that playoff berth last season. Udrih cashed in with a $32 million deal in the offseason and the Kings assumed they had their point guard for the present and future.
The only problem is it hasn’t worked out so well since then for Udrih or the Kings. Not according to former AJC writer Ailene Voisin. She takes Udrih and the Kings to task for the multi-million dollar miscalculation in Monday’s Sacramento Bee.
Funny thing is, the Hawks will be in a similar predicament this summer when they have to decide how to proceed with (or witihout) Bibby this summer. The veteran point guard will be a free agent and the Hawks have to decide if they want to pay to keep him at the helm or move on with a younger (cheaper and decidedly less experienced successor in the form of Acie Law IV, or someone else) floor general.
I quizzed a couple of scout friends about this to see what they’d do if they were in the Hawks’ position this summer and their answers couldn’t have been more different.
“There’s no way I’d get caught in that game,” my advance scout friend from an Eastern Conference playoff power told me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if the Knicks have taught us anything this year it’s that you don’t have to overpay at a position like point guard if you do your homework and find the right guy. What they did with Chris Duhon should be a lesson to the rest of the league. If you don’t have a superstar at that spot and don’t want to overpay for a veteran guy, you find a worker bee that fits your system and go with him. That gives you the flexibility to make a move for a bigger name if need be without being strapped with a huge salary guy that’s on the downside of his career. With the way economics are going play a factor this summer, you need to get the bang for your buck at as many positions as possible.”
Not everyone is convinced that taking that bang-for-the-buck risk is worth it for a franchise that’s finally found it’s footing. Especially one with the miserable point guard history the Hawks had over the past six years (pre-Bibby, of course).
“After watching this same team before Bibby and now with him, they better find a way to make it work,” a Western Conference player personnel friend told me. “I’m not sure it’s worth taking the risk to start over at such an important position. Plus, the market is going to be extremely tight this summer. Bibby’s greatest value was at the trade deadline, when a team could have used his expiring salary to facilitate other things. As a free agent, there’s going to be a limited number of teams interested in a guy that still shoots as well as Bibby does but is a defensive liability. They certainly won’t be able to find a replacement in free agency that’s already entrenched in that system and has that kind of chemistry with the rest of those guys that Bibby does. So why risk it?”
It’s a tough call either way. Had the Hawks groomed Law the way they needed to, they might have avoided this dilemma altogether. But they didn’t. And now they don’t have that luxury.
TRAILER PARK
This is way off the basketball path and you’ve never known me to hype anything that doesn’t serve my own selfish interests, but have you seen any of these trailers for the Star Trek movie that comes out in May?
I’m not even a Trekkie and it’s got me juiced.
With a lovely lady like Zoe Saldana playing Uhura, they’d have gotten my cash anyway. But the trailers are fantastic. I just hope the movie lives up to the hype.
The new Uhura looking as good as ever!
Full disclosure, I’m a movie buff of epic proportions. So I get a little sidetracked sometimes by good trailers. I’ve been scouring the web for leaked stuff on movies that won’t come out until the summer of 2010 and beyond, hopeful that someone has found a way to pirate the good stuff for all of us to enjoy. So please forgive my brief indulgence on this topic. I was just in the mood to share.
INJURY UPDATE
Kudos if you made it this far. That means you really care about the minutiae surrounding your Hawks.
That’s why we’ll end this with an injury update – and sorry, it has nothing to do with Marvin Williams, who remains out indefinitely with that lower back injury.
We’re talking Law again. He is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Minnesota.
It’s a huge blow for the Hawks if he can’t get back on the floor this week, as they’re going to need him to help spell Bibby and work with Flip Murray on that second unit with the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers all in town over the next seven days.
I wrote last summer about how his rookie season was lost to injuries and a lack of playing time and now it seems his sophomore season is going to be done in by the same things.
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146 comments Add your comment
ILL-logical
March 23rd, 2009
4:42 pm
“Had the Hawks groomed Law the way they needed to, they might have avoided this dilemma altogether. But they didn’t. And now they don’t have that luxury.”
How many times are we going to have to subject ourselves to needless second guessing like this?
Forget in game adjustments or leadership skills; can we just play players in their best posistions and stop with the personality politics that dooms EVERYONE; the perpetrator as well as the victim(s).
And this franchise can least afford this kind of behavior because of the market perception of professional basketball in general and the Hawks recent history in particular.Other franchises have similar issues but my concern is how the Hawks oranization handles theirs.
StockDog
March 23rd, 2009
4:46 pm
I think that you keep Bibby for the right price. A.C. Law appears to be injury prone, so, it becomes a priority to keep Bibby.
I am a Trek fan, but not a trekkie. I am juiced about Star Trek as well. I like J.J. Abrams work as a producer and director. Alias, Lost, MI-III, Cloverfield not so much.
Reggie
March 23rd, 2009
5:04 pm
Sekou
With the great college point guards that are expected to enter the NBA Draft. Do you think it would be a good idea to consider a guy like a Stephen Curry or Ty Lawson? What do you think?
MannyT
March 23rd, 2009
5:09 pm
Due to the breadth of the economic woes, I doubt many NBA free agents get the payday they want this summer. I suspect that Bibby gets a very low, but above MLE offer for 2 years or he gets the Salary Cap Nazi, i.e. no offer for you. If I had to choose, no soup for Mike and Flip gets a pay raise. AC stays and there is a 2nd round PG drafted. Mario gets enrolled in the develop a jump shot summer program.
The bigger question is will Sund get to use the salaries of Bibby, Zaza, & Solo to attract a big time center? While it would make sense, that cash might be needed for Belkin’s version of baseball arbitration. You pay him a lot if he loses, but you pay him a whole lot if he wins.
BWAF
Reggie
March 23rd, 2009
5:10 pm
Also, I think you have no choice, but to resign Mike bibby. he’s been for the most part solid, even though he’s not the greatest defender in the world. His leadership is a plus. I just dont think Acie Law has a future with this team. I think its time to get a new point guard to groom behind Bibby.
wxwax
March 23rd, 2009
5:14 pm
Isn’t it making a big assumption that the only thing Acie Law is missing is “development”?
Seems to me the same has been said of other Hawk guards, like Salim Stoudamire, who never amounted to much in the pros.
GeeMack
March 23rd, 2009
5:31 pm
Acie Law can play point guard given the time that is the least of our worries. What’s more pressing is what to do with Marvin, Josh and AL. Al is clearly a 4 and Josh is clearly a 3, as well as Marvin. We need a rebounding shot blocking center (Joel Pryzbilla or Chris Kamn. That will do more for this team than keeping Bibby for a huge contract. However we should keep for a reasonable amount.
dap01
March 23rd, 2009
6:16 pm
They need a PG, but they don’t need to overpay for Bibby. He is worth no more than a mid level exception. If he can hit his shot, he can’t penetrate, he can’t defend, he can barely move.
JMar
March 23rd, 2009
6:19 pm
With a real head coach who knows how an offense should be run, Acie would improve drastically. And if he can spend the off-season working on finishing his drives, the guy becomes a real threat and an excellent pg risk.
JMar
March 23rd, 2009
6:23 pm
WXWAX – Salim Stoudamire was an undersized SG that Woodson tried to force into the PG role. Stoudamire never showed the ability to run an offense, and certainly didn’t have the ball-handling skills to ever make that work. Acie is a PG, plain and simple. He doesn’t shoot well enough to be anything else, but he has adequate ball-handling and is an excellent passer.
Ramon
March 23rd, 2009
6:30 pm
This is where a team using Speedy would come into play.
Ramon
March 23rd, 2009
6:31 pm
Gee Mack, why would you support paying Kaman so much money when he’s never healthy for an entire season?
merbert moover
March 23rd, 2009
6:43 pm
I think bibbly need to grow up and start eatin the applesause, if you know what im sayin! I mean, how many times we gotta give bibbly the ball, just to see him go “hey hey hey”? tryin to hog that ball like its a double bacon cheeseburger, mmmmhmmm
O'brien
March 23rd, 2009
6:46 pm
I hope the Hawks dont overpay for Bibby. His leadership can be replaced, and the Hawks need a PG who can play defense, penetrate and dish (because we need to keep our bigs involved), and knock down the open jumper. When Bibby is on, he is dangerous, but when he is missing shots, he is a major liability.
Nothing against Bibby, but there are too many games where JJ has to guard the other team’s PG, and thats too much of a responsibility for JJ, especially when he has to carry the load offensively, and play 40 minutes per game.
But if we can resign Bibby for the mid level exception, play Acie 20 minutes per game to back him up (and give Acie more time when Bibby is struggling), then I am in favor of Bibby for another 2-3 years.
jhan
March 23rd, 2009
6:53 pm
I wouldn’t resign Bibby – he’s too slow & is continually abused on defense. Even if he scores 15/game it won’t offset the 25/game he gives up on defense.
I’m with Manny – Flip gets paid before I even think about anyone else. Where would this team be without him?
In my mind Josh is clearly NOT a 3 – right now. He must develop better handles & range on his jumpshot. He needs to park his butt within 12′ of the basket & operate from there.
If we do sign a center it better be a Okur/Miller clone. We will need him to consistently hit 18′-20′ jumpers because neither Josh nor Al can get that done right now.
Old School
March 23rd, 2009
7:01 pm
Certainly a double edges sword. First, any kind of lenghtly contract for Bibby would be very risky. However, since (unfortunately) we witnessed all the starters missing time this year, it was VERY obvious that when Bibby was out – the team suffered the most.
Sekou K. Smith
March 23rd, 2009
7:02 pm
I don’t know Reggie. I doubt guys like Lawson and Curry will be around when the Hawks are picking in the early 20s. But I’d be targeting any point guards I felt could help me, because you could need another one whether Bibby stays or not. If he goes, you have to find another one just in case Acie isn’t the guy. Now if one of the highly rated PGs like Lawson or Curry fell to you, then it’s Christmas in June.
pinoy hawk
March 23rd, 2009
7:14 pm
jhan – would you consider re-signing bibby if he leads the hawks past the 1st round? I’m sure that his shooting touch would be back comes the playoffs. He likes playing in the big stage.
happy hawk – kamusta kabayan? Are you atl based? ako manila based pero naging hawks fan when bibby was traded. If bibby is still there next season pasuyo ako ng jersey. : )
Sautee
March 23rd, 2009
7:20 pm
I give “Nique a lot of grief but he made a good point. No shotblockers means the Hawks need to relentlessly go inside.
niremetal
March 23rd, 2009
7:20 pm
JJ cold early. Good energy though – it’s good to be home.
niremetal
March 23rd, 2009
7:26 pm
Nice…get to the rack, JJ. Good man.
niremetal
March 23rd, 2009
8:03 pm
I gotta say. Woody might make some bad calls, but Kevin McHale just has zero sense. Kevin Love and Mike Miller singlehandedly (er…doublehandedly?) kept Minnesota within striking distance early, but he benches Love for almost the entire second quarter as the Hawks roll. Wow. Just wow.
ProudTechFan
March 23rd, 2009
8:16 pm
i personally think we should keep bibby,he is exactly what we were missing all the years prior to his arrival. a playmaking point guard with experience. its too bad he is on the tail end of his career, but his presence on the floor is evident, and with flip coming off the bench we will never lack scoring at that position. when bibby’s shot is on, its money, but when its not, we have had the luxury of watching flip pick up the slack. keep bibby around at least two more years to see what we can get out of him, dont break the bank obviously, but its not a bad idea to hold on to a guy that has given you so much veteran presence at point guard on a team that really needed it.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2009
8:31 pm
I think somebody said it best. If we make it past the first round, then you try your best to keep the entire team in tact. If Bibby goes, so goes JJ after next year. No way he stays with Acie Law as the PG.
Guy is averaging what, 5 minutes a game and stays hurt. You gonna turn your team over to this guy?
I don’t believe Bibby will be unrealistic in his salary demands. He will want to stay here and sign a two year deal.
If we get bounced in the 1st round then that’s another story.
It’s very important that we lock this 4 spot down early so that JJ and the other starters can get some rest.
Woody=COY
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2009
8:56 pm
Whether or not the Hawks clinch a playoff spot this month is irrelevant. They made the playoffs last year and barring a monumental collapse they will do the same this year. In order to show progress this year, they have to make it to the 2nd round. And to do that they have to get the 4 seed, because with their road record it’s doubtful that they could pull off a first round series win without home court advantage. What really matters is how quickly they can clinch the 4 seed. They have a pretty decent cushion over Miami with not a whole lot of games left, but they have to take care of business like they are doing tonight to get that locked up soon.
————
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if the Knicks have taught us anything this year it’s that you don’t have to overpay at a position like point guard if you do your homework and find the right guy. What they did with Chris Duhon should be a lesson to the rest of the league.”
That’s all nice, but pretty much anyone who is willing to pass the ball can play point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system and put up decent numbers. The requirements to play point guard in this system (and most other systems in the NBA) are quite different.
With that said, I fully believe if Acie Law is given a fair chance to be the starting point guard here, he will become a consistent and reliable player within a month. I can see the value of keeping Bibby, but not unless he is willing to get paid half his current salary or less. Considering that this is probably the last major contract he will be signing in his career, I’d be really surprised if he’s willing to do that.
Everyone already knows about the economic situation in the NBA and with the DASG. We all know the Hawks are going to have to be ballin’ on a budget, literally, next year. Among the three expiring contracts the Hawks have (Bibby, Zaza, and Flip Murray) I’d say Murray is actually the guy who absolutely has to be re-signed, because without him the bench has no scoring punch at all. If you give him a pay raise to about $4-5 million a year over the next 2-3 years, you have about $16 million left in cap space. I would rather use that space to sign a couple of backup big men (preferably at least one that can block shots), an inexpensive veteran backup PG, and the first-round pick. All those contracts, except the first-round pick, should be one- or two-year deals that don’t tie up long-term salary cap space.
The real danger to re-signing Bibby to a long-term deal is that you potentially restrict the amount of money you can pay Joe Johnson, whose contract expires after next season. More than anything, this is the main reason why letting Bibby go may be the right decision. Keeping Bibby and not having money to pay Joe Johnson next year would be a monumental disaster — and I’m talking about the DASG’s finances as the issue here, not the salary cap.
In the draft, I would not target a point guard — we already have one talented but inexperienced PG, and his backup should be a veteran. There really are not any quality centers available in the early 20s in this draft either, so I would probably just pick the best player available — if that happens to be a point guard (like St. Mary’s PG Patrick Mills for example) that’s fine, but I think if they can come away with someone like Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson or UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough that would be acceptable too.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2009
9:00 pm
On a side note, I thought Rodney Carney would be a very good NBA player when he was at Memphis… don’t know why hasn’t worked out for him so far in the NBA, but he’s looking pretty good in this game.
The Hawks need to turn up the heat for the next couple of minutes and put this T-Wolves team away before they get any ideas of coming back. Can’t let a bad team cut the lead in half in the 4th.
Ed
March 23rd, 2009
9:02 pm
Let’s face it…drafting a point guard in the draft would be useless. Woody’s not going to play them. Only a veteran he likes will work as he has shown his disdain for rookie guards period.
Reggie
March 23rd, 2009
9:09 pm
Whoooo Flip Murray!
SWAT Native
March 23rd, 2009
9:13 pm
Sekou,
Not that affects the Hawks anymore, but what’s up with Shelden Williams? He’s on his third lottery team, and he never gets any run. He seems like a good kid, and I thought he played all right his rookie year until he hurt his shoulder. It looks like he’s on his way out of the league.
Reggie
March 23rd, 2009
9:13 pm
Morris with the turnaround J! awwww good try big man, good try.
Melvin
March 23rd, 2009
9:15 pm
Congrats to the Hawks for clinching their 1st winning season since I can remember….Lets Go Hawks…
kwooden1
March 23rd, 2009
10:22 pm
I will be one of the guys that say keep Bibby. I think you can get a hometown discount and still have money to resign Flip. You don’t want to break up the chemistry of this team right now and he’s been the key. I believe the real question is what you do with Marvin. As everyone knows your not going to trade for a franchise center, I believe the only way to get one is through the draft. The way the economy is going and how the NBA is shaping up, the HAWKS should just keep the guys they have, draft the best players available and look for one more year of maturity. If Horford continues his improvement and Marvin keeps maturing, they have an outside chance of making their current roster a winner. To do it they’re going to have score more points which means a different system!!
This upcoming week will give a good picture on how much Horford and JS have really grown in their positions. If they can hold their own and even exploit their matchups once in a while, it might be a window into better things to come. The HAWKS can play with anyone right now, I think what they’re missing is maturity and a true offensive identity.
Either way it just feels real good to be talking about the HAWKS right now.
GO HAWKS!!
GREAT WIN!
Sekou K. Smith
March 23rd, 2009
10:36 pm
SWAT, I don’t know what the deal is with Shelden. He didn’t get any serious burn tonight (3:54 to be exact) so it was hard to do a spot evaluation of his game since he left the Hawks. Honest to goodness, I don’t think I’ve watched five minutes of him since he left. Sad but true. I don’t know if he’s on his way out of the league or not (hey, Brian Cardinal played tonight). But he’s certainly going to go down as one of the all-time great draft busts because of where he was selected.
RLP
March 23rd, 2009
10:39 pm
Sekou,
You wrote:
“And yet here they are, likely days away from clinching a second straight playoff berth (their magic number is a combination of four games, wins and or losses by the team in possession of the eighth spot in the standings with some tiebreakers tossed in just to keep things interesting).”
If they beat the NINTH place team then they will secure a playoff spot. Their magic number to do that is any combination of 2 Hawks wins or the ninth place team’s losses will secure the playoff spot. Four wins will secure the seventh spot. Their magic number for winning the 4th seed is a combination of 9 games.
Big Ump
March 23rd, 2009
11:00 pm
Doc you all had some pretty good teams at Druid Hills.
J. Carter
March 23rd, 2009
11:35 pm
This is my gameplan for our future PG needs.
Step 1. Let Bibby go. He has been shooting well, but it doesn’t make up for bad defense and his inability to drive the basketball.
Step 2. Draft a PG with our first pick. I don’t like Lawson(undersized) and am not a fan of Curry. I think Jonny Flynn from Syracuse would be a good fit. I also think that Brandon Jennings has a huge upside and, thanks to his decision to play in Europe, his draft status might have lowered to the point to where he’ll be around when the Hawks pick. Maybe we could even trade up for him.
Step 3. Have an open competition during the offseason between Flynn/Jennings/whoever and figure out who is going to inherit the starting job. We would probably start Flip at PG until Flynn/Jennings/whoever is ready to take the reigns around the middle of the 09-10season.
Da Real Real
March 23rd, 2009
11:59 pm
Thought i’d get on here and say congrats to the Hawks for a WINNING SEASON! As far as the PG position goes I think that if we can get Bibby for a good price then we go ahead and pull the trigger. From what we’ve read Acie feels the guy is a good mentor to him so if not only for team chemistry and having a legit vet at the position I think we at least keep him around for that reason especially if Acie is the future for that position. Now if that thought changes, I’d have no problem with the Hawks going to get a guy like Felton or drafting Flynn (if he’s there for our pick).
RLP
March 24th, 2009
12:37 am
I really have a bit of a problem looking ahead to next year when we should be enjoying the Hawks best season and first winning season in over 10 years. However I will add my opinion here.
If we can resign Bibby I think we should. The Hawks turnaround last year came because of obtaining Bibby. I would not want to do anything to adversely affect the improvements the team has made.
Having advocating keeping Bibby he is not the long term solution for the Hawks. He is limited on defense. He runs hot and cold on offense. He does not turn the ball over. So within a year or two a new pg will be needed. The jury is still out on Acie. Take a wait and see stance toward him. Keep him and watch his development. By all means resign Flip Murray. Even if we lose Bibby and Acie does not pan out the team can win with Joe and Flip until a pg solution is found.
The teams obvious needs are at the 5 position and at the pg spot. Maintain what we have and see what we can get out of this years draft. And then, depending on the results see what is available in trades or FA signings.
But first enjoy this years team.
jhan
March 24th, 2009
1:14 am
Sam – I agree completely. As long as the team continues to progress why not keep it going. Only if Bibby will sign for a very reasonable number.
gypsyjoe
March 24th, 2009
1:19 am
I know it cost a lot of money to go to NBA games but it seems every team tonite had more fans at there game then the Hawks even the Wizards. I live out near Sacramento so I know the Kings attendence is also lacking. I just remember the kings anouncers talking about all the empty seats when rhe kings played at Phillips. They could not understand how a team 10 games over 500 having so many empty seats.
niremetal
March 24th, 2009
1:31 am
I have to think that Bibby will be getting at least a $6M paycut. You can use those savings to resign Flip for a $2-3M raise, re-sign Zaza at his current salary, and re-sign Marvin for a $4M raise (i.e. give him the same deal we gave Smoove).
And yes, we should re-sign Zaza. The only affordable big men on the market worth looking at are Mbenga, Foyle, and Gortat (lesser options include Magloire, Mihm, Robert Swift, Raef LaFrentz, and Jason Collins). Given all those options, I’d stick with Zaza, especially given Sund’s track record at signing big men. Foyle might be worth a hard look, though – he’s a great locker room guy. However, he’s not a 7-footer.
We could conceivably make a run at ‘Sheed, but I doubt we will. Same with Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby (although I’d trade Smoove for either in a flash).
I really don’t see any viable ways to upgrade over Bibby at pg. Honestly, I don’t. Always willing to hear others’ ideas, though.
bigeasy830
March 24th, 2009
5:54 am
I agree with Sekou, A.C. Law should have been groomed much better if he was thought to be the PG of the future for this team. A.C. was a lottery pick and should have been given more time on the floor, then the Hawks would know exactly what they had in him. I don’t think the Hawks will resign Bibby. The have to resign Joe and AL, both will command near max contracts. I say A.C. is given the PG position next year and we can fall back on Flip if A.C. do not pan out. Bibby will sign for more money than the Hawks will offer with another team. Anyway, the Hawks have come a long way from the 13 win season in J-Smooth and J-Chill rookie season. I still believe the Hawks are on track to be a contender in a couple of years if not next year as long as they make the right personnel decisions. The Hawks may fall just short of winning 50+ like I predicted at the beginning of the season, but they are peaking at the right time of the season and that is just before play-off time. I am happy with what I have seen this far in the season. The Hawks right now are the best pro team in Atlanta, the Falcons will suck next year. Go Hawks!
Jed
March 24th, 2009
7:22 am
Law is injury-prone? This is news to me, unless invisibility is an injury.
doc
March 24th, 2009
7:23 am
big ump i didnt go to druid hills. they had some players and a monster year in the late 60’s in basketball around a great coach in roger couch. almost won/stole a championship against the great beach team of that era. three of the players went on one to be the white anomaly that could really jump and had fun in pre-games for the hawks i think, one to be the first designated hitter ever the other onto the sec arena before coming back to my college and playing for us a year and onto the cards minor league system. he was a really terrific player and really gave us a different attitude just to have him around along. one of those makes everyone better guys.
big ump, sautee knows the story better because he actually went to high school in the area. i didnt and only have vague remembrances of the story. we have talked about ti several times. just as there is now there were hot beds of good basketball played usually around the coach. i think lagrange was one beach another and newton co among others and of course druid hills.
nire/matt i think someone will make zaza a better offer than 4 mil a year. bibbby will neeed to take a bigger cut because i dont see this ownership going out on a limb and paying out what they had as a payroll this year. i see them dropping back about 5 to 8 mil to go with mid tier to the bottom range. too much economic uncertainty. i would have a tough time giving bibby more than 6 to 8 a year with the decline i suspect that is coming. speedy dollars is about where i would go with him.
bigeasy830
March 24th, 2009
8:56 am
I just read a story on Brandon Jennings, I had forgot about that kid until I read his name in another bloggers post. I was one of the few fans that thought he was making a huge mistake by going overseas. I knew he would not be a trailblazer and many highschoolers would not follow his footsteps. The Euro league is a league of grown men. Our Olympic teams have had trouble with those ballplayers. But, If Brandon Jennings, have good showings in predraft workouts, he may be able to work himself into the lottery. But, if he does slip to where the Hawks draft he would be a steal. Averaging 8 points a game in Europe as a teen is no small feat. Plus, they have demanded that he play defense over there. If the Hawks are somehow able to draft Brandon Jennings in next years draft, man it may make us all forget about not drafting or Deron William or CP3 or Brandon Roy, to think on it, NO it won’t I was just kidding, we will never forget about those huge mistakes. But anyway GOOOO HAWKS!!!!! Hold it down in the play-offs till I get home from the desert. I got to catch a game this year.
Barry
March 24th, 2009
9:12 am
I am glad we got Bibby, even if we may have to trade him due to his high price. Bibby excellent play bat point guard, this year and last, shows how important a good point guard can take this team. EWveryone in Hawksville can see the difference. Now if we trade Bibby, we better get a damn good guard that can do the same. Flip Murray is showing he can handle the position if Bibby leaves. However, I believe we need a three headed monster in guards like we have now in Joe Jonson, Mike Bibby, and Flip Murray. They all can playmake and score. The are our “LETHAL WEAPON THREE”. Nevertheless, Bibby’s acquisitionshowed us what a real point guard looks like and what he does on the floor. We can’t knock Bibby for being good at what he does. That’s why he gets paid the big dollars. If we trade Bibby, I hope we get a player equal or better to fill that spot.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SEE Y’ALL AT PHILLIPS!!
“BOOM BYE YEAH!!!!”
“SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!”
Astro Joe
March 24th, 2009
10:07 am
The equivalent PG for us (to Duhan in NYC) is Anthony Carter. He is tough, hits the open jumper, plays good defense and is very, very steady. He’s also from Atlanta. He’s a free agent in the summer and Sund should grab him (if Bibby balks) to challenge Acie for the starting gig. He would be a very reasonable sign (I’m guessing 3 years and around $6M). I think he could operate well next to Joe.
Just heard a lengthy interview with Rick Sund on “Rude Awakening”. Highlights included… Marvin is taking anti-inflammatory medicine. He can’t start rehab until the swelling subsides. Law is taking shots for his back spasms but his return is also in doubt. Sund wants team to win 15-17 road games (I think they are at 14 right now). He thinks Woody has done a better job (than last year) of using the bench. He likes the veteran presence Flip * Mo has brought to the team. Believes that Horford, Smith & Marvin will continue to get better. He did not seem willing to endorse Acie as a bonafide starting PG. When asked about bringing Bibby back, he indictaed that he like the team’s chemistry. Evidently, Joe told Sund earlier that he is having the most fun this season he has ever had in pro basketball.
Did anyone else hear the interview?
ILL-logical
March 24th, 2009
10:15 am
ANTS= Angry,Negative Thoughts.
Saw this acronymn on a public TV show about training your brain and thought that it was an interesting concept: keeping those types of thoughts from ruining your life.Little did I know how soon there would be a practical application in my life.
Last nights broadcast of the Hawks game brought some big&*% ANTS to mind.Wilkens and Rathbun’s act was not only not funny, it made me think that they were part of my percieved conspiracy on the part of Hawks management to scapegoat you know who.
The broadcast started out with a trailer hih lighting the battle between Al and Kevin Love as two of the premier young bigs in the league. Well, after Love torched Al for 12 first quarter points and 5 rebounds, all the the two of them could talk about was how good Love was. EXCEPT, whenever the did mention Josh, it was to criticize something he did wrong.
Case in point.On a pick and roll play, Bibby clearly threw a bad pass but Wilkens said ” if Josh would have just rolled a little more..”. And when Josh stole the in bound pass and the converted a contested shot( and was fouled IMO) there was silence from both.At the end of game I was hot. but I remembered the mantra and I said in the end the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.
My point? My passion for the Hawks sometimes spills over toward individuals and not their actions. While I do not know nor have I ever met any of the owners, mangement or current players, I want them all to do and be the best they can be. Period.
And when they do not meet my lofty standards? No biggy; it is still just entertainment.So I am going to continue to watch and hope but with eye toward being entertained and not the righting of cosmic wrongs.
In other words, I am keeping the ANTS away from my picnic.
smartguy
March 24th, 2009
10:18 am
FIRE WOODY!
Nitram Odarp
March 24th, 2009
10:21 am
Barry stinks
cp
March 24th, 2009
10:39 am
I don’t like Anthony Carter at all. I have watched a few Denver games this season and whenever he would come in to replace Billups, it seemed as if any lead the Nuggets would have would vanish. Might be a solid locker room guy but his jumper is shaky, defense is terrible, and will turn the ball over. I don’t know what other options are out there but I dont like Carter at all. The games we played against them this year I remember blogging during the game just how awful he was and how he helped us get back into games with his play.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 24th, 2009
10:41 am
AJ, Anthony Carter would be a good, cheap signing.
Bigeasy, Jennings is projected as a lottery pick on nbadraft.net. I doubt he would be rated any higher if he had gone to Arizona. Surely not every high school player is cut out for going overseas, but Jennings played against superior competition and learned from more experienced coaches this year than he would have in the NCAA. I don’t see how that can hurt his draft stock. I think NBA executives are smart enough to know that playing in the Euroleague, where systems tend to limit individual players’ statistical output anyway, is going to result in worse stats for Jennings than if he had played in college.
And if by some chance his draft stock actually is lower than he would like, he can always stay there for another year — and get paid.
Ryder
March 24th, 2009
11:36 am
Many of you are missing the point (pun intended) about the Bibby issue…..you can never overpay for great leadership! Just look at how well Denver has gotten since Chauncey Billups has arrived. Before they weren’t even a lock for the playoffs; now they may make it to the conference finals.
Simply ask yourselves this question: Does Acie Law have the leadership ability to win? If that was the case he’d be starting over Bibby. Don’t believe me? Look at how most organizations work. The people who an organization are grooming for success gets the most playing time. Bottom line if the Hawks plan on starting over then let Acie Law be the starting PG next year. However if the Hawks plan on winning a championship, sign Bibby at all costs.
As for Marvin, trade him in a package with Zaza for a center that will move Al to his righteous spot at the 4.
Astro Joe
March 24th, 2009
11:38 am
cp, I guess that’s why dude has been a perrennial back-up. And I would suspect that there were completely contradictory views on Duhan from his often uneven performances with the Bulls. But that was the comparison I was trying to make… that Duhan is to Nash what Carter is to Bibby.
My personal preference to be the Hawks’ long-term PG option is Kirk Hinrich. Asuming we keep Joe beyond the 09-10 season, he clearly operates well with a combo guard who can nail jumpers. Hinrich is a better defender and distributor than Bibby while not being as deadly of a shooter. His contract is fairly reasonable (I think he makes around $9M for the next 2-3 years) and can give us 13/6 AND good on-ball defense. While he is expendable with the Bulls, I have no idea that we have the right trade assets to acquire him. (And Portland, who also needs the same type of PG as the Hawks, are likely able to put together a better package for the Bulls).
Astro Joe
March 24th, 2009
11:42 am
Ryder, but does that mean that Smith’s righteous spot is SF? I don’t think so. Bibby provides the team with confidence, especially in late games. But I’m not convinced (I was previously but not now) that he does much in the way of leadership. At least not much more than what the team would get from another PG who comparable experience as a starter. Until Law can prove that he can bury 20 out of 25 jumpers from 20 feet out, I doubt that our current coach will give him the reigns next to Joe. I think it is less about leadership and more about a consistent jumper (to reduce doubles on Joe and open up the paint for Smith/Horford).
Bigeasy830
March 24th, 2009
11:46 am
Great post Najeh, check out this article on him. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/sports/basketball/24recruit.html
I know he took the money to help his family, but it could have backfired on him. I still think the NBA owners may collude against him to make a point. I still believe that Nique was left off that 50 all times great list because he went overseas when he still had the skills to compete in the NBA at a high level. You can never tell. The chances of his weakness being exposed in Europe were too great. That kid made a mistake, it may not cost him but who knows. I think his stock will dip some. Instead of him being the number one PG he may be no higher than the number 2 or 3 PG behind Flynn and if he is no higher than the number 3 pg that woudld push him to the later part of round 1 or even early round 2.
terrell barron
March 24th, 2009
12:07 pm
Sekou, Lawson will pe an avg pg in the NBA at best. IMO. And Curry is a 2 guard, not a pg. We need to TRADE for a center and a pg. Why draft one when old stubborn ass wont play him. How bout Bayless, Felton, Hinrich, Delonte West, or Jarrett Jack. I’m sure 1 or 2 of these guys will become available at the end of the year. Their respective teams already have a good pg. Jack is lees likely to be available, because Ford is in the dog house.
Blast
March 24th, 2009
12:17 pm
If Mike were to resign with the Hawks for 6 million less than he’s making now, I would keep him, shaky defence or not. Bibby might be a streak shooter, but you cannot pay for the leadership he’s brought to the Hawks. We need to remember that Hawks did not start winning before Mike got here. His teammates trusts and bonds with him, and I cannot remember the Hawks running the break so well until Bibby came aboard. I certainly enjoy his no look passes to the bigs on the break, and he can still hit dagger shots.
If Bibby doesn’t pan out, how about giving Flip a raise and making him the starting point guard, even though we all know he is a shooting guard?
Anthony Carter might come cheap, but I don’t remember him doing much lately.
If we can pay Kirk 9 million a year, I’m pretty sure Bibby will settle for that in this tight economy. I suggest we keep Bibby for a couple more years, use the savings from his pay cut to keep the team intact. I believe the Hawks have a bigger problem at the center position than the point. We need a decent center really bad.
Flip the Script the Assassin! Go Hawks Go!
Can we beat Spurs at home tomorrow?
#21=Top50,1stBallot
March 24th, 2009
2:01 pm
Funny how conversations shift to offseason, before postseason begins, but such is life with A WINNING RECORD!
Bibby will undoubtedly be a big decision, but people are forgetting that Flip will (IMO) be just as big a decision because of the trickle down.
Flip is making 1.5MM on his 1 year deal. He has been as valuable as Bibby, albeit in a limited capacity, because he can score and defend better. He is also the captain of the second unit. Based on this season he is sure to command a few more ducats on the market- recession and all. If we commit to him, that gtds that Law goes the way of Salim in that he’s a player who never showed enough fire to get burn under Woody (for right or wrong). That said, we’d find ourselves without a viable PG for our roster past 2 years or so. Bibby has a lot of miles on him for being only 30 and small PG’s dont age well in NBA. Flip is not that far behind.
I like the Hinrich option, but not at his price considering that we have to make decisions about Duck and Joe- then soon to be Horford. Zaza has also made himself a little scratch as well, he’s done after this season. We can’t/won’t sign Bibby, Flip, Zaza, and extend Duck. How about if Chills returns? Realistically our biggest asset this offseason is Craig’s contract. Much to be thought about, however much more basketball to be played….
RISE UP
RaJaH
March 24th, 2009
2:03 pm
Here’s a list of both restricted and unrestricted point guards available this summer.
Restricted:
Will Bynum
CJ Watson
Jarrett Jack
Juan Carlos Navarro
Chris Quinn
Ramon Sessions
Nate Robinson
Will Solomon
Unrestricted:
Raymond Felton
Jason Kidd
Anthony Carter
Allen Iverson
Marcus Williams
Travis Diener
Shannon Brown
Anthony Johnson
Tyronn Lue
Royal Ivey
Andre Miller
Bobby Jackson
Jacque Vaughn
Astro Joe
March 24th, 2009
2:20 pm
Have you all read the Philly article about Flip Murray? If not, it is a MUST read.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/41735932.html
Melvin
March 24th, 2009
2:43 pm
Nice Article AstroJoe…
Mike is back
March 24th, 2009
2:48 pm
Been gone for a while, but glad to be back in the mix.
Bibby has been everything we could ask for in his short stint with the Hawks,
but the harsh reality of the current economy conditions will have more to do
with weather the Hawks keep Bibby
than Acie ability to lead the team. Not just for Bibby, but for the industry as
a whole, hate repeat what HB said, but it is, what it is. I
think Bibby tenure with Hawks has only solidified his status as
one of the premier Veteran point guard in the league. There will easily be
takers should Bibby services come available.
Save for the acquisition of Flip and Mo this would
be a far more difficult decision for the Hawks, than in the past. Bibby
would be sorely missed like Chill, but there would be others to step in his
place.
I still think Bibby is worth his salt, so his services want be
cheapppppppppppp!!!!So much for ASG. heh heh
It’s going on five years, and still no legit Big
to solidify the Post. That is, and should remain the Hawks priority. They need
to either develop the Bigs that they have, or go get some more. When you play
teams like the Cavs,
Boston
, and
Orlando
, because that’s what awaits you in the second round. You have to use Big
bodies to play against these teams, or you play into their hands. One
of the reason the Hawks struggles against these teams is the lack of size in the
post, they kill us on the offensive and defensive glass. Al and Josh are
warriors, but you’re giving up to much size. Woody will have to step outside
himself and give the young Bigs some burn going down stretch.
You got 15 fouls to use to protect Josh and Al, and Woody dam well
needs to start using them.
Doc, me and the wify will be at the
Boston
game, and I got tickets for the playoff. SO HALLA @ YA BOY!!!
GREAT WIN, FLIP THE DAM SCRIPT, GO
HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blast
March 24th, 2009
3:30 pm
Right on the money, Mike. We need big bodies really bad to compete with Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland. Our guards can hold their own against those teams, but our forwards cannot. All it takes is for Josh, AL and Zaza to pick up two quick fouls, and our bigs are just about done for the night. And we all know against those big teams, our forwards will surely pick up those fouls either guarding their own men, or trying to help on the penetration. Also, those are teams the refs love giving all the calls to, so in a playoff series, AL, Josh gets into foul trouble, all of a sudden there is a gaping hole in the middle where folks can drive in at will and score.
Notice I said forwards, not center because apart from Zaza, Hawks really have no player that is a center. Solo does not get enough minutes to qualify, and God knows Solo should really be a four as well. How come some teams like Porland, New Jersey, Cleveland, Lakers, etc have a surplus of big men, and Atlanta cannot buy one?
Ric Roc
March 24th, 2009
4:09 pm
I really shudder to think about what this team would resemble without Mike Bibby in the lineup…then I see him go through one his cold streaks like the Cleveland game when his shot is just not falling, yet he continues to jack up shots with wreckless abandon. Between him and Smoove, sometimes I honestly don’t know which is worse.
The chemistry factor is a very important one to consider when deciding the future roster of this team. When Bibby joined last year, it took awhile, but the team came together under him. He has the confidence of his teammates as a true floor-general and that can’t be understated.
The problem with the current Hawks and what makes it sooo tough to jsut simply enjoy this team, is that there are just too many known-unknowns. You got your known-unknowns and your unknown-unknowns (things that we don’t know we don’t know).
The known-unknowns (things that we know we don’t know) include: 1) Is AC our future at PG or not? 2) Marvin surely has potential to get better, but how much better will he actually become? Are we talking Rashard Lewis good, or Tayshaun Prince good? 3) Should we ever sign a true center, that would push Horford and Smith back a spot, occupying the 3 and the 4. With the careful assumption that we entice Joe to stick around, where does that leave Marvin anyway? Is he or will he become good enough to play in front of Josh? 4) Will Josh continue to improve his game? He’s definitely the Hawks version of Andruw Jones–the raw talent and great potential is there, but the stubborness to listen to those who can help him achieve that greatness persists. Should he realize he’s a better post player than jump-shooter–oohhh the wonders he could achieve! 5) Does Joe Johnson want to remain a Hawk? Only he can answer that. This team goes as far as JJ takes us. He get any shot he wants anywhere on the floor, whenever he wants. Absolutely incredible! Inside, outside…he’s as good as money–but only when he wants it. Perhaps it’s fatigue, but I always wonder why a player that has given the leagues premier perimeter defenders fits (Kobe, Paul Pierce, Rip Hamilton, LeBron and whomever else you’d like to include) doesn’t command the basketball nearly every possession. I believe that’s the only thing separating JJ from players of Kobe and Lebron’s ilk. Just that desire to go for 50 whenever he sees the team is off. It’s not that he can’t but there are too many stretches of offense when we’re struggling and Joe won’t even touch the ball. That can’t happen. Kobe would never allow that. Hopefully he wishes to return. 6) Could we entice Josh Childress(burg)-inside joke- to make a return? He’s got to be feeling that NBA itch again… 7) It’s got to be automatic that Flip the Switch is resigned right?
Well stay tuned Hawks fans! So many known-unknowns!
The Truth
March 24th, 2009
4:40 pm
Ric Roc
That was a good read. Great Job!
Mike is back
March 24th, 2009
5:17 pm
Blast, Show U Rightttt!!!!!
Ric Roc, Solo is 6′10″, but he is got a 7′4″ wing span, as long as he keep adding bulk, he can play the five. Morris is 6′11′ 270, that’s the guy Woody has to figure out a way to add into the mix.
doc
March 24th, 2009
5:30 pm
ric roc nice perspective. as far as the comparison to andruw, josh doesnt shy away from the lime light and felt some of andruw’s issues were the expectations that went along with the escalation of salary and expectations that went along with it.
jj doesnt command the ball because he isnt quite clutch yet nor does he quite live up to the complete player you describe him of being hence the no free throws because he doesnt go for the contact but goes away from it. that is changing along with josh’s penchant for the three.
jhan
March 24th, 2009
6:52 pm
I haven’t seen JJ shy away from contact for quite some time. I haven’t seen the ref’s calling the fouls against him on a regular basis. If JJ was given the same calls Lebron or DWade get – he would easily average an additional 8-10 pts per game.
I have noticed that he is getting very perturbed with the refs lately & has started to show his disgust. He needs to not only continue this behaviour but actually increase his complaining.
If he wasn’t so strong he would probably get more calls. The guy gets hammered but his body doesn’t move because of his strength.
Blast
March 24th, 2009
6:52 pm
Ric-Roc, isn’t it all the unknowns that makes the Hawks so interesting to follow? So much drama, twists and turns in Hawksville.
Let the fairy tale continue!
doc
March 24th, 2009
7:14 pm
melvin will you want the tix at face price of 70? manny t doesnt need them. have a buyer lined up if you dont need them. i can give them to you at the game friday if you want them. see you then, no matter what. look forward to it.
doc
March 24th, 2009
7:20 pm
jhan jj gets half the free throw attempts that labron or wade get about 5 vs 10 a game. labron has many double figure games in fta whereas jj has one or two games total at that level of calls made against the other team. i say continue to take it to the rack as he has and it will change.
jhan
March 24th, 2009
7:25 pm
Doc – I agree. Just keep attacking the basket & the refs will be forced to make the call.
Blast
March 24th, 2009
7:36 pm
It’s not even funny the way the refs screw Joe, man. Jhan, I’ve complained about that for years! I wish the blogs would pick this up some more. Joe Johnson is the most shafted, and underated player in the NBA. The refs don’t respect him. Joe gets fouled so obviously, that I can’t believe the Commish is seeing that and saying the refs called it fair and square. If they called all his fouls, Joe would for sure score 10 more points per game. But Wade gets like 20 free throws a game, same with Lebron, Kobe, how will they not lead the league in scoring?
You see more coaches are getting ejected, and more coaches are now complaining even more. I never saw Woody ejected until that Cleveland game. The NBA is the only corporation that I know that discipline their employees (coaches and players) for voicing their displeasure about how the business is being run, in an effort to improve it. Every other business seeks employee input, but not the NBA, which is ran like the Gestapo. Coaches and players complain about the refs, they get hit with a big fine. Refs cannot talk to the media or explain decisions they made in a game. They say they call the game, not the player, but we all know they lie. Refs are trigger-happy, and will blow that whistle if you so much as wink at them. Players have to dress corporate to games. Their hairdo cannot be too elaborate or ethnic, even though these are mostly ‘ethnic’ players, I could go on and on. The NBA sucks, man.
I like how Jos is voicing his frustration some more by growling at the refs. Because of his cool demeanor, the refs have taken him for granted for years. All the superstars complain to refs when they do not get their calls. All of them. and I think Woodson has to help Joe some more in that regard. Woody should let it known in the media that his superstar is not getting his calls. Burn a fire up their a.ss, mon! The Commish does not like bad media.
Also like how Joe has been going to the hoop some more. And he’s using the ball fake more and reversals at the rim. So long as he keeps driving the ball, refs won’t have much choice but to give him the calls he deserves.
niremetal
March 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
Blast,
You hit the nail on the head re:Joe’s demeanor and the refs not taking notice. It’s really sad. I think that basketball is the greatest sport ever played, but the refs are so much more partisan and allow themselves to be influenced and awed so much more easily than in other sports. It’s the only sport where it’s impossible to have a quiet superstar. In football, you have guys like Barry Sanders. In baseball, it’s guys like Greg Maddux. The officials respect the players for what they do, not how much they whine and complain.
But not in basketball. There, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Hmph.
doc
March 24th, 2009
8:01 pm
blast, the actual figures are ~10 a game for wade and labron and ~5 a game for jj. labron has had a few games where he was close to 20 though. i checked before i made my earlier comments to make sure of their accuracy.
Melvin
March 24th, 2009
8:49 pm
DOC, I want the Tix. I will have the cash for you at the Game Friday… Thx a million…
doc
March 24th, 2009
9:01 pm
melvin, thanks for getting back with me there is a line. see you there, you know where i will be. may have orlando tix available as well.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 24th, 2009
10:42 pm
“Every other business seeks employee input, but not the NBA, which is ran like the Gestapo. Coaches and players complain about the refs, they get hit with a big fine. Refs cannot talk to the media or explain decisions they made in a game.”
I dislike a lot of the same things you do about the way the NBA is run, but you are missing one important distinction: other businesses seek employee input privately, not publicly in the media. I don’t know how David Stern would react if the likes of Mark Cuban wrote private letters or made private phone calls to him criticizing officiating, but I guarantee you he wouldn’t fine them.
MannyT
March 24th, 2009
10:47 pm
An example of one of the problems with NBA officiating. Even the coaches practice selling the calls . This is from the latter part of the Suns blog.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/48725
Gentry worked the officials in the fourth quarter. Andre Miller had just missed a 3-pointer with the Suns leading 116-107 when O’Neal tried to throw downcourt to Jason Richardson. The pass was short and ended up being nearly a jump ball with Richardson and Miller, who drew the foul. Gentry, just for grins, had a delayed reaction to argue for a clear path foul. Sure enough, the officials decided to huddle about it and gave the Suns the call. Gentry turned away with a grin toward his bench that made him almost look embarrassed that he got the call. Steve Nash walked over laughing and gave Gentry a high five.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 24th, 2009
10:48 pm
“Also like how Joe has been going to the hoop some more. And he’s using the ball fake more and reversals at the rim. So long as he keeps driving the ball, refs won’t have much choice but to give him the calls he deserves.”
You are absolutely right about this, but one of the main reasons he hasn’t been getting superstar treatment the last few seasons is because he doesn’t drive to the rim often enough. And when he does, he tends to use floaters and running jumpers, which are moves that don’t usually draw fouls. If you watch the LeBrons and D-Wades of the league play, when they drive inside their primary objective is to draw contact — they usually get a decent shot up because they are that talented, but they always make sure they draw contact from a defender. Joe’s game is a little more finesse, which is the reason why he doesn’t get as many foul calls.
I’m not calling him soft by any means, but as physical as he is, he hasn’t used his strength advantage nearly as much as he could. Like you point out though he’s been doing that a lot more recently, which is partly why his foul shots are up this month compared to the last few months.
doc
March 24th, 2009
11:25 pm
najeh, how many ways do we have to say just that. it seems like even he is beginning to catch on in some of these evaluations. two months ago to give such an assessment got someone the title of hata or too negative.
niremetal
March 24th, 2009
11:52 pm
I don’t disagree that JJ is more of a finesse player than LeBron, D-Wade, and most other stars in the league. Perception is often reality, and the perception of JJ is that he is a “create separation” scorer rather than a “draw contact” scorer. The thing that ticks me off about NBA refs, though, is that they let their perception of what type of player a scorer is influence their calls.
Watch the YouTube tape of JJ in the fourth quarter. On at least 3 and perhaps 4 of his shots, he draws some contact – certainly enough that if it were Wade or Kobe who’d taken the shot instead of him, he’d have gone to the line. But the refs don’t call it for JJ. And that is what ticks me off. A foul is a foul, regardless of whether the foul is committed on Kobe Bryant or Joe Johnson.
The player from the past 15 years who is most comparable to JJ in terms of his scoring style is Reggie Miller. Like JJ, Reggie scored most of his points on a diet of perimeter jumpers; when he went to the paint, he created separation and scored on fadeaways, floaters, reverses, etc. Reggie should have gone to the line at least once or twice more per game than he actually did, but because of his scoring style, the refs didn’t call fouls for Reggie like they did for MJ.
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
March 24th, 2009
11:57 pm
I know I’m late but I am lovin’ the new format of the blogs.
Sekou – Zoe Saldana is definitely a good enough reason to check out Star Trek – they had to go and put some serious eye-candy on the Starship Enterprise.
If Bibby takes a serious pay cut we should resign him – What about Marvin Williams and the and the small forward position?
niremetal
March 25th, 2009
12:07 am
Oh, and props for the Star Trek trailer, Sekou. I’m counting the days until May 8 – I’ll take my last exam of law school that morning, and I’ll damn well be at the cinema that night.
niremetal
March 25th, 2009
12:09 am
Oh, and props for the Star Trek trailer, Sekou. I’m counting the days until May 8 – I’ll take my last exam of law school that morning, and I’ll darn well be at the cinema that night.
niremetal
March 25th, 2009
12:10 am
Heh…sorry for the duplicate. At first, it looked like I was gonna get rejected for using a mild curse word. Glad to see the Blogmaster smiled on me!
Flappin' Hawk
March 25th, 2009
12:14 am
Looks like Duncan will not play in ATL and Garnett won’t either on Friday. Not complaining but I like to see our best go against their best.
Astute comments about JJ, Naj & Nire…ya’ll are right on target. Although I do think JJ will get more calls when the Hawks get more primetime coverage (as in the playoffs and in 2010).
Maxx
March 25th, 2009
1:02 am
Nobody knows what a minutiae is. Acie Law is not the player we thought he was and it is obvious. We seem to play much better without Marvin Williams in the starting lineup. Finally my man Kid Greasy is getting some minutes! We need to get a bonafide 7 footer, resign Bibby, and draft his succesor, like Fields from Pitt. If we had Marcus Camby we’d be unstoppable. And it doesn’t matter if Denzel Washington plays Geordie La Forge I just can’t get into Star Trek
Mel
March 25th, 2009
1:26 am
What do you guys think about JEFF TEAGUE out of Wake. He’s slipped on mocks after the first round upset to Cleveland State, but I think this kid is the real deal. He was in the mock lottery on NBA Draft.net but is at the 16 slot. We’re currently 19th
BA
March 25th, 2009
1:47 am
Hawks fan in New Orleans, I think Ando nailed it on Marvin last week- with this economy, and with a back injury, I think the Hawks will be able to resign him, without a bidding war.
Unlike Ando, I think they also have a good shot to resign Bibby for less than the superstar salary he’s making now. Hey, look at what the economy did to baseball salaries last winter.
Najeh, I think Joe is lane-shy because of the famous play-off broken nose. I can’t say I blame him. After that year, I just picture dude taking fade-away after fade-away in the gym.
Big Ump
March 25th, 2009
6:32 am
Doc
Thanks for the info.
doc
March 25th, 2009
7:13 am
big ump when i am wanting to remember high school stuff from the 60′ it shows my age. heh heh
they played some pretty good bball in ga even then. the pattern bball with discipline was huge back then. it was akin to what johnson is doing with the tech program where less talent could beat more talent. the closest it comes in the nba today is utah and coach sloan. fun to watch. at the college i went to they gained notoriety for being small and beating the big boys because of an offense called the wheel offense. drove other teams crazy as 5′ 10′ guys got open lay ups repeatedly. shot clock tended to do away with that kind of patient patterned ball.
dap01
March 25th, 2009
8:59 am
It it true that JJ does not drive to the rim and draw fouls. But the most disturbing thing is to see a ref raise his hand automatically to call a foul EVERY time that D Wade or Lebron even thinks about going to the basket.
The refs in the NBA are a joke!
dap01
March 25th, 2009
9:00 am
What is the latest on Marvin?
Ric Roc
March 25th, 2009
9:05 am
Blast,
You were absolutely money on JJ and getting to charity stripe! He just doesn’t get shown the same love when he goes inside as a Wade, LeBron, Kobe, Paul Pierce–and even a Corey Magette or Devin Harris! Hard to believe that those last two guys get to the line more than Joe Johnson.
And yes, you can clearly see his frustration growing!
March 1st, Hawks vs. Cavs…final seconds, JJ makes a strong drive to the basket and there’s unqestionable contact. No call is made by a single official. JJ misses the shot and CLE rebounds with perhaps 10 secs remaining. CLE runs an ISO for LeBron. He drives and there’s questionable contact, but a whiste is blown and LeBron gets to the free-throw line to knock down the eventual game-winner…
Doc, Mike is Back, The Truth and Blast,
I’m honored to receive such positive feedback for my rumblings from a few of the more respected bloggers here. Thanks guys!
Najeh,
Joe Johnson drives to the hoop about as much as he shoots from outside. He’d probably do it more often if it would result in more attempts at the line but he just doesn’t get the calls. Sure, he ends a lot of his drives with his floaters, but for him they’re high percentage shots.
Niremental,
I hope you guys don’t think I’m just puffing smoke up JJ’s rear, but he’s not anymore finesse than D-Wade. Is he a better jump-shooter, of course. But Wade still takes a ton of jumpers but just as you said: perception is reality. The majority of his highlights are drives to the basket, so that’s how we perceive him. Most of JJ’s highlights are his stepback jumpers and spot-up threes…so that’s how we perceive him.
Thanks for talking to me, guys!
Sekou K. Smith
March 25th, 2009
9:06 am
I’d love Jeff Teague in this draft. I think he’s big time player that has room to grow into a quality NBA point guard. The different mock drafts change by the minute, so it’s hard to keep up with the players they have the Hawks selecting.
Another thing to think about is the Hawks using that pick and a contract like Speedy’s as bait for a veteran PG to fill the void if Bibby departs.
Sekou K. Smith
March 25th, 2009
9:10 am
And there’s no discussion about Flip. You sign dude for a three years at a reasonable price ($2.5 million per) and keep it moving. He’s more than worth half the mid-level and in a short term deal all sides are covered.
Elijah
March 25th, 2009
9:22 am
Sekou, I don’t understand how Flip makes so little money and would demand so little. To have Marvin or Chillz demanding 8+ mill a year, and Flip to only want 2.5, is absurd. Plus Zaza makes 4 mill. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that FLip is BETTER than Childress and probably Marvin. If Flip started, his numbers would be way better than Marvin. MARVIN AVERAGES 14 POINTS A GAME PEOPLE. THIS IS THE SAME GUY WE THOUGHT WOULD HAVE A BREAKOUT YEAR AND AVERAGE AROUND 18 OR 20
Astro Joe
March 25th, 2009
9:27 am
Sekou, do you have any sense of how Flip is enjoying his teammates and the Hawks? I ask because there may be 4-5 teams lining up to offer dude 3-years and $2.5M per. I still can’t see a huge difference between Rodney Stuckey and Flip (other than age).
Mike is back
March 25th, 2009
9:36 am
Sekou, there is a deep pool of skilled PGs in NCAA this year, I like the kid Stephan Curry, but I would definitely take a Big over a PG in the draft if I were the Hawks.
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
10:02 am
Mike is back, unlike last year draft, this draft has only a few big men prospects. Look like PG is projected to be the strong area considering some of the underclassmen PG’s declares… If the Hawks keep their pick, they may have to choose between a PG or Wing player. Jeff Teague would be a steal. I like the Tyreke Evans (6-6 combo guard) from Memphis. If he’s available (according to some mock drafts), I say the Hawks should pick him…
I MUS.WRITE
March 25th, 2009
10:37 am
Acie Law is not the Pg we need …….. I just dont see him running the show…. Bring on Lawson,Patty Mills, Curry, Teague and sign bibby for a 3 year 24 milii deal, which really isnt that bad once we get Speedy off the books…..,. the guy we should be try’n to keep is flip murray, he is really important to this team DAM WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT MARVIN ….VERY INTRESTING SUMMER
I MUS.WRITE
March 25th, 2009
10:44 am
I wouldnt mind having Ray Felton- he would be a good fit with us
Ariose
March 25th, 2009
10:48 am
Patrick Mills or Johnny Flynn……those are my top two…..I think Jennings will fall, we might be able to get him.
Astro Joe
March 25th, 2009
10:51 am
I’ll weigh in with my draft wish list. Either an athletic ‘tweener like DaJuan Blair, James Johnson or Patrick Patterson or a big like Jerome Jordan (could be a Javale McGee type project) or Craig Brackens. I LOVE Eric Maynor but I’m convinced that once teams start working him out, he’ll end up as a top 15 pick. I also think Darren Collison will be a good PG in time. He may be a Chris Duhan type pseudo starter/ideal back-up PG who plays 12 years in the league.
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
11:05 am
Like I said, the draft will be stock with PG’s if all underclassmen PG’s declares…
Big Ump
March 25th, 2009
11:14 am
Doc
My best friend Walter (Clyde) Frazier was flat out ballin in the 60’s. Even though he was a better football player.,he had to go the basketball route, because no major colleges was giving out scholarship for a black QB at that time..
Astro Joe
March 25th, 2009
11:16 am
Unless the PG we’re drafting has better skills than what Acie showed all of two years ago (when he was a college version of Mr. Big Shot and often put his no-name team on his shoulders and carried them to unprecedented success), then we need to look elsewhere. No need to draft a PG with similar skills. We need to look to add a skill set/quality that is lacking. I personally believe this team needs either a physical presence to attack the glass (thus my priority remains a ‘tweener like a younger version of Brandon Bass, Jason Maxiell or Leon Powe) or a center that can be groomed over the next 1-2 seasons into that part-time low post defender we need. You can’t find a “ready-to-play-as-a-rookie” center outside of the lottery. And as Rick Sund has proven, it’s hard to find one in the top 12 picks.
O'brien
March 25th, 2009
12:17 pm
Bibby makes some big shots, but his leadership on the court can be replaced, and if he is on a cold streak, he is very ineffective, because he is a defensive liability, and he does not drive and dish.
We talk about when we play Cleveland, Orlando, Boston, and that our bigs may pick up 2 quick fouls. Part of that is because Bibby doesnt do a good job of guarding their PG’s, so as the play develops, we are at a disadvantage. Either their PG penetrates, or they make the pass to their bigs, and we end up fouling. Plus how many times will JJ have to guard the other team’s PG?
Will we pay someone $9 million a year to have occasional good offensive games, and team chemistry? I think that’s too much money for Bibby. I’ll take him for $6 or $7 million though
Elijah
March 25th, 2009
12:27 pm
Sekou, I don’t understand how Flip makes so little money and would demand so little. To have Marvin or Chillz demanding 8+ mill a year, and Flip to only want 2.5, is absurd. Plus Zaza makes 4 mill. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that FLip is BETTER than Childress and probably Marvin. If Flip started, his numbers would be way better than Marvin. MARVIN AVERAGES 14 POINTS A GAME PEOPLE. THIS IS THE SAME GUY WE THOUGHT WOULD HAVE A BREAKOUT YEAR AND AVERAGE AROUND 18 OR 20
doc
March 25th, 2009
12:43 pm
big ump i think frazier ended up at the schol we beat in the ncaa second divsion the southern illinois team. it was the semi’s. i think clyde had already left but had started something for the selukis? i think. it was the winter of 69 my freshman year. back in the day we felt we could take on some sec teams in bball and were doing it in baseballl much to their surprise. got a few bagged big ten teams as well.
speakong of clyde i thought that jj and roy would have paired up like malone and clyde did back in the day. i really liked clyde. though pearl was the point you certainly didnt lose anything by giving the ball to clyde.
doc
March 25th, 2009
12:49 pm
mike portal 5 for a pretzel, halftime c game. look for manny t in his hat whichever one it is. i also bet he didnt pay a dime for it. melvin will be there too if he isnt doing another cameo on the kiss cam with his pretty girl. me, it will look like the beauty and the beast. heh heh
newkid
March 25th, 2009
12:54 pm
Big time info Big Ump. Didn’t know Clyde had mega football skills. Knew a guy once (Stanley Jacobs); big time skills and star in four sports in high school. Couldn’t get an offer of a cup of tea from one of the majors back in the 60s, much less to play QB. Had a howitzer for an arm, and off the chart charisma. Ended up quarterbacking the Aggies of North Carolina A&T. Bill Rhoden (NYTimes) talks about hundreds of these cats in his last two books.
Mike is back
March 25th, 2009
1:16 pm
Elijah, I’m with you on Flip. Resigning Flip and allowing Acie a real opportunity to play some consistent minutes should be a no brainier. Why draft another PG or SF that Woody want play. I would like to see the Hawks package something together and make a run at Brook Lopez at Jersey. Right, dream on mike, Jersey will never make that trade him.
I still don’t see how some people can give up on Acie with the limited minutes he has played. We have yet to see what Acie can do against these new anointed phenoms in the last two-draft class. I know during summer league play when given the minutes, he faired very well.
Astro Joe
March 25th, 2009
1:21 pm
doc and Manny, I’ll be at the game tonight. Sitting in section 219 I believe. I’ll have my junior tag-team with me along with my wifey, so we’ll probably leave shortly after half-time (school night). My boys will be among the crew of youngsters who will serve as pre-game ballboys and get to form the tunnel during player introductions. They need to get in bed at a reasonable hour so I may not be able to stand around and lie with you guys at half-time. Plus, I don’t want my kids to see me socialize with popcorn bandits (Manny) and pretzel fiends (doc). They need to be around a better class of citizens… those who live and die by the cheesesteak.
Mike is back
March 25th, 2009
1:27 pm
Doc, I’ll try to get there during H time, depends on the boss. Once she sees a couple of Dime pieces roaming around, it’s no way buster. Heh heh
If not then, definitely during the playoff.
MannyT
March 25th, 2009
1:28 pm
I am confident that Flip will get a raise. If not here, then he is gone. He gets $1.5 mil on his current deal. I think his low pay has been a function of him being a backup as well as a late addition to teams. Remember, we did not pick him up in early July. You can start him at PG because he can guard the position. Offensively, a coach might want to initiate the offense through another player even if Flip brought the ball into the frontcourt…think point forward–like Scottie Pippen & P__l Pressey.
I would not spend big money on a free agent PG unless he was expected to be the #1 option. Our money is better spent on a center. Get a cost effective PG.
As for the next PG, I think Jarred Jack could work if he is available. Given that the Hawks and most all other teams will be in budget mode, the short term PG fix might come from adding the not so young, not so expensive, fills the stat sheet Anthony Parker. He filled in at PG for Calderon earlier this year. Seems like it went well. He also allows more defensive flexibility at 6-6. He could be a steal for a season or two.
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/anthony_parker/game_by_game_stats.html
As for the draft, I’d probably pick the best athlete available at center (option 1) or PG (option 2). In the 2nd round I’d focus on the other option or a player that could guard either forward position. This is the biggest concern I have with Marvin being out. Unless you are Don Nelson, you must effectively replace Marvin’s size if he goes in free agency.
BWAF
Blast
March 25th, 2009
1:33 pm
It’s not just the calls Joe does not get, it’s the overall officiating that I have problems with. Not long ago, Horford got a tech for arguing an out of bounce call. Horford argued because he felt his defender was last to touch the ball. The old bald headed ref disagreed, and hit AL with the T. The replay seconds later clearly showed AL was right, his defender knocked that ball out of bounds right IN FRONT OF THE OLD REF! Don’t remember his name right now and don’t care. The ref had to be high and blind to have missed that. It wasn’t even close!
Another point. Last ABC game Heat vs Detroit. The game came down to the wire and on the final play, Wade blocked Rodney’s drive to the basket and secured the ball, but the replay showed that Wade was out of bounds when he came down with the ball, again right in front of the ref. How could he miss that? I thought they were the best in the world?
Najeeh, I’m pretty sure the internal memo of complaint thing has been tried, or owners (Cuban) and coaches, players would not go public. Going public is the last resort. Stern protects his refs like babies, what I want to know is are the refs disciplined at all when they make such obvious bad calls? This has gone on for years, but the bad calls still persists. The NBA is the only league I know where officiating is such a problem, right after professional wrestling. It’s so bad that players and coaches are not allowed to be themselves anymore, so when they talk in public, they always give the same stock and can answer, nothing fresh or original in case they say the wrong thing. I really find it funny watching them struggle to dodge questions relating to how the game was officiated.
Sad. Grown men should be able to speak their minds without fears of repercussions.
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
1:37 pm
O’Brien’s comments about Bibby were fairly on point. Although, I value him more than he does. I think that his price range was right on point, I like him at 3 for 24 or that neighborhood. Also, remember there won’t be a lot of big contracts going around this off season, so everyones hand wringing is probably overkill. Flip has been a big addition to our team this season, but Marvin is still a more important piece to our long term puzzle.
Blast
March 25th, 2009
1:44 pm
Hawks would be crazy to let Flip go. They better give him a raise and keep him. I would love to see Flip retire a Hawk, man.
No point in picking a point in the draft if Woody is not gonna play him. I still think Hawks biggest need is a center. Yes, Mike, Lopez would be nice, but Jersey would be nuts to let him go. Hawks have enough, Chills contract, Speedy’s contract, expiring contracts off the books his year, draft choice to make a move off season. They need to either trade for a center, find a miracle in the draft, go overseas, the minor league, go scout in Africa, might find an Olajuwon clone, heh, heh, heh, but do something! Hawks might be the smallest team in the playoffs.
MannyT
March 25th, 2009
2:02 pm
AJ, you got me thinking…
Imagine a cheese steak that was rolled into a pretzel dough almost like a stromboli or calzone. That would be a tasty twist.
Good thing you are in the 200s on that side. Seems like Harry the Hawk has been having his way with the ladies over on that side lately. Either it’s kiss cam or cake in the face, but usually in sections 119-122.
doc, it’s too early to figure out the hat, but the rainy weather might drive me toward a stonewashed red cap…that was not free swag. Remember cash is the lazy/convenient form of barter payment. Sometimes I just go old school and barter. It took some effort to get that Ft Wayne Mad Ants cap last season. They did not have them online, so…I’ll save that story for real time.
Imagine how much work it would be if, back in the day, you had to take a day off from surgery to trade that milk and cheese you got from the farmer before it spoiled Worse yet…if the farmer gave you some cows and you had to milk and or butcher them yourself…then, if you have not previously bartered for a freezer, trade that meat to AJ before I filled his tummy with bartered popcorn
BWAF
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
2:04 pm
Blast, I remember that D.Wade block on Stuckey play as well. I didn’t catch D.Wade landing out of bounds but my complaint is, had that been Stuckey blocking DWade shot, would it had been call a foul. The replay clearly showed D.Wade offhand holding onto Stuckey around the waist line which affected his lift off the floor. Bad no call in my book…
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
2:06 pm
MannyT, LMAO…
Astro Joe
March 25th, 2009
2:15 pm
Stuckey = OVERRATED!
Big Ump
March 25th, 2009
2:36 pm
Doc
New Kid
Didn’t get that player image until he got to the NBA. High School was quiet, little shy and very focus.
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
2:42 pm
Comeon AstroJoe, Stuckey is the guy who the Pistons traded their current All-Star PG (Billups), bench another All-Star guard (RIP) and made a Hall of Famer guard quit (Iverson). I’m sure he can’t be overrated. Besides, they have a genious for a GM who pass on DWade to draft Darko only to draft DWade 2.0 (Stuckey) years later. It must be nice when you can makeup for you own mistakes. Only if the Hawks had a ownership group that would allow their GM to make such critical mistakes and continue business asusual. Maybe BK would still be employed….
WAF
doc
March 25th, 2009
2:45 pm
aj, funny stuff man guilty as charged, rofl. yeah i am well beyond the where is the beef part of life.
if stuckey is over rated; then what is acie and ai? 11th pick and 20 mil dollars vs 15th pick that has to be held by wade. i know who has a future in the nba in the three over the next ten years. detroit caught in transition is their problem and no heart in the leaders of the team.
manny t i know it is spur of the moment with you bro.
mike cool. glad to know you and aj are going to be in the house for one of the next two games.
Mike is back
March 25th, 2009
2:46 pm
Blast, JJ is going to have to get a couple of techs and let these refs know what time it is. Despite LBJ and Wade foul calls, they go to the rack so strong, they are going to either get foul or dunk. There it is…if JJ wants to get them calls that’s what he’s got to do. Finesse is niece but if you want to see a cat hang his head…dunk on him.
I think the Hawks players suffer because of the acrimony surrounding ASG. Stern is pissed off with the owners so he put the Hawks on the NFC list. Once you get on Stern’s No Foul Call list, you can forget. Stern’s NFCs or as bad as Woody’s DNPs. Heh heh
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
2:58 pm
My thoughts on Acie is, BK picked him because the city of Atlanta was crying for a pg, and dogged him for passing on Paul. He tried to make amends. Thing is, Woody didn’t want him and BK’s gone, so now Acie’s just a sitting duck. BK shoulda picked him based on talent, not just to appease the fans. Now I think Acie can play in this league, dont get me wrong, but I think he might be in the wrong situation. Thats all. And btw, I still cant believe BK did’nt take Thaddeous Young. I had Horford and Young in my original mock. It’s not like Woody would played him anyway. But oh well. what’s done is done. And as far as Bibby goes, I say offer him 6 or 7 mill. Take it or leave it. If it takes it fine. If not we can go after Bayless, Delonte West, or Hinrich. All of their respective teams already have pg’s.
I MUS.WRITE
March 25th, 2009
3:37 pm
Mike is back- come on man….summer league-lets not forget Thomas ‘airball Gardner and O.hunter were tearing it up i n summer League as well and how have they worked out for us …The whole RMR is made up of hopefulls and undrafted free agents not sarting NBA competition. When Ac does play I dont see anything special or above average about him……………………Im with AJ on this one -dont bring in a PG unless he has better skills than Law -it would be a waste …only to have the yung’n sitting on the bench watching Harry the Hawk
JP
March 25th, 2009
3:42 pm
Here is the scoop on the Hawks
1. They have to keep Bibby or find a better replacement. If they don’t they can forget about J.J. resigning! Hopefully he will come at a bargain. Hopefully. But another Rook. won’t cut it!
2. They need a center that can block shots. Someone with similar skills to Samuel Dalembert would be fine. Someone long and athletic would be perfect. If they have a post move or two….Even better. That gives you the option of moving AL to the 4, and Josh to the 3, Just to throw the opponents off depending on matchups.
3. AC needs to step it up. Right now the “AC” isn’t blowing that cold. (pun intended) or we need to get another backup PG. But the backup PG needs immediate help. Flip is a combo guard not a real 1.
4. Don’t forget about Josh Childress. Hawks still own his rights and I have the feeling he is getting homesick. Which = good trade value.
5. Resign Flip its a must. Not many players come off the bench with the heat he brings. RESIGN HIM!
I MUS.WRITE
March 25th, 2009
3:45 pm
Yeah Tb -I wouldnt mind getting Delonte West or maybe R.Felton,Raymond Sessions……Bibby can be replaced . Good passer /Shooter below average D and quickness…… heres a thought -we play well without Marvin 13-2 -If we are’nt going to resign him why not trade him this summer.
Marvin/AC/20th pick to wizards for Mcgee and there first rounder
That way we resign flip to take care of Marvins production- We get our yung athletic center and have options for our point (draftor free agency)
Melvin
March 25th, 2009
4:11 pm
Imus, why would the Wiz make that trade. They are already have a ton of wings and guards – Butler, Jamison, Gilbert, Jarvais, Stevenson, Young and McGuire….
O'brien
March 25th, 2009
4:53 pm
Why should the Hawks draft a PG, when we all know Woody is not going to play him? Steph Curry plays at Davidson in a small conference, Patty Mills plays for Saint Mary’s, also a small conference. How do we know that these guys will be better than Acie?
Acie’s senior year, he won the Cousy award, which if I’m not mistaken, goes to the best PG in college. How many big shots did he hit for A&M, playing against big name teams like Texas and Kansas? I’m not saying Acie is ready to be a starter, but he needs a consistent 15-20 minutes every game for us to know exactly what kind of player he is (and he needs to work on his jumper, which was deadly in college).
Give Acie another season as the backup, with steady PT, and then we’ll know if he’s worth it or not. In the meantime, I think we need help in our front court (although we dont know what Solo is capable of, because he doesnt get consistent PT either).
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
4:58 pm
Hey Imus, I forgot about Felton. I mentioned his name the other day. He’d be another option. For Larry Brown to be playing a rookie, they must really like Augustine. He’s playing Felton at the 2. Felton is a pg, not a 2. I cant see that lasting very long.
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
5:02 pm
Obrien, I agree with everthing you said, except Acie’s jumper was deadly. He was never being a great shooter. He was known for being a “cluth” shooter.
FlashGordon
March 25th, 2009
5:09 pm
The Hawks have got to realize that they have accomplished nothing this year so far. Of course, they have guaranteed themselves a winning season which is indeed something, but in terms of playing competitively against the great teams: orlando, lakers, celtics, caviliers and spurs, whenever the Hawks face the best competition, they tend to fold like a cheap suit. The Hawks NEVER play these folks tough. They simply dont and that tells me just what level the Hawks are on. The Hawks are great but are not as good as those elite teams. Everyone else in the league the Hawks can beat which is the majority of the clubs except for the best serious title contenders. I believe if the Hawks were to acquire Shaquille O’Neal or Dirk Norwinski, they would have what it takes to win a championship. The Hawks are lacking a dominant center who can swat shots in the middle, clog up the paint and help the Hawks outrebound their opponents.
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
5:13 pm
How do you edit your posts? Obrien, I meant, Acie was never known for being a great shooter, he was known for being a “cluth” shooter.
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
5:25 pm
Flash, what are you talking about? The Hawks play their best against good teams. Wtf???? They nearly beat Boston, in Boston. Pierce got lucky. They lost by 3. They beat Cleveland, and shoulda beat them a 2nd time. Lebron got a bogus call. They lost by 1. They beat Orlando, IN ORLANDO. They beat New Orleans, IN NEW ORLEANS. What team have you been watching??
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
5:52 pm
We’ve got S.A, Boston and L.A. at home coming up, while Miami is at Indiana, at Chicago and vs. Milwaukee. The 4th seed isn’t locked up just yet.
Samuel
March 25th, 2009
6:33 pm
We need to play at least .500 over the next 6 games. That will assurew us of a good lead even if Miami goes 6-0. We will still have a 2 game lead with 5 left all against teams under us in the standings.
Tonight’s game is winnable and so is Boston, although Boston will be tough. We can definately win at Philly so I feel good.
Woody=COY
Blast
March 25th, 2009
7:10 pm
Melvin.
On the money about that call. Wade DID foul Stuckey on the drive. That’s why Detroit’s coach was so mad after the play, and even spoke about it after the game. The out of bounds was revealed by the announcer when they showed the replay after the game. So double whammy. Two non calls that could have changed the outcome of the game. That is exactly how NBA refs throw games. And they think that THEY are the stars of the show. Refs should be silent and invinsible in the background.
As said on this blog, all Hawks need is a decent center that can play defence, swat shots, control the paint, and maybe score 8-10 points garbage points. Imagine someone long and athletic like Dalembert at 5, AL at 4 and Josh playing three? Now that’s a monster front court. Samuel guarding Duncan tonight and not AL.
Folks right. Give Acie another year as back-up, but play the guy more. Said it before, will say it again. Barring injuries, Acie will have a nice career in the league. He has no confidence in his jumpshot right now. Woody has really crushed this guy’s spirit, and it’s sad to see. Acie Law will still shine, here or somewhere else.
Yup, Mike. Joe must drive more to get his calls. Jow is dangerous around the paint, he has a plethora of mid range shots he can call up, so keep driving Joe.
Im really interested to see how our bigs perform against Duncan and all tonight. This is the time for Hawks to use home court to their advantage. They need to win this game to be taken seriously.
No Duncan tonight? Hawks can’t take that for granted.
Blast
March 25th, 2009
7:12 pm
Everybody pray Joe is okay!
Blast
March 25th, 2009
7:18 pm
No Duncan? Hawks cannot lose this game.
Drive the ball, Joe, keep driving! Shots will fall.
terrell barron
March 25th, 2009
8:10 pm
Flip gets 2 fouls and he’s out for the remainder of the half. Wtf!!