Legitimize your rise Hawks!
HAWKSVILLE - The Hawks are running out of chances to show everyone and to prove to everyone that they are the team they think they are, the team we thought they were a couple weeks ago.
It's show and prove time for Joe Johnson and the Hawks with Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers in town.
Three losses in their last four games, all three to teams among the NBA’s elite, have stirred up the doubters. And rightfully so.
So what can the Hawks do to legitimize their rise?
Just beat the Los Angeles Lakers today.
That’s all.
Just knock off arguably the best team in the league with the best player on the planet (according to most folks that would be one Kobe B. Bryant, though the LeBron James camp has a convincing argument for their guy these days).
In losses in Cleveland and to San Antonio and Boston in the last week, all the Hawks did was prove their doubters right about their inability to rise up to the challenge of facing the league’s best.
They were running on fumes minutes into the game in Cleveland last weekend. And they haven’t played their best since then, not even in a win over Minnesota Monday night and certainly not in the momentary spurts of quality play against the Tim Duncan-less Spurs and Kevin Garnett-less Celtics.
So what happened to the team with all that swagger we saw during that seven-game homestand?
“We’ve got to get that back,” said Hawks swingman Mo Evans. “Because if a team with Kobe on it smells any fear or lack of confidence, Kobe’s going to pounce. He won’t hesitate to take the game over anyway. But for a team that’s trying to stomp with the big boys, he’ll take that as a challenge and try and destroy ‘em”
Evans knows that as well as anyone. He played with the Lakers and saw Bryant’s drive first hand. He also started on an Orlando team last year that made the difficult climb from postseason dreamer to legitimate elite team.
That gives him a unique perspective on the Hawks’ current predicament.
Evans knows it takes a collective mettle that the Hawks have yet to display consistently to join the big boys, having played with a little bit of everyone during his time in the league.
Mo Evans knows it takes toughness to play with the big boys.
There have been spurts, and nobody can argue with a winning season after a decade of ugliness, but never enough of it on a daily basis to warrant their inclusion into the conversation about the league’s very best teams (and yes, a 3-12 record against the top three teams in the Eastern and Western Conference qualifies as the empirical data needed to prove that point).
Mike Bibby insists that Friday’s game against the Celtics wasn’t a statement game or anything of the sort, because the Hawks want to “win every game.” His reasoning: “We’re are still in the fourth spot and we can’t hang our heads. We just need to keep playing and try to keep the fourth spot.”
That’s exactly why these games against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Lakers are “statement” or “message” games. You win those games and you lock up the fourth spot and legitimize your rise all in the same stroke.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
For those of you that just can’t get enough for these Hawks, there’s an interesting show airing tonight on Fox SportSouth at 6:30, after the Hawks-Lakers game.
It’s a 30-minute snapshot of a NBA life called Under the Lights-Hawks Road Trip. There’s footage that is well worth watching (I know, I saw an advance copy Friday afternoon courtesy of the fine folks – namely Kate Hart – at Fox).
The cameras had access to some things I never get to see in person, like breakfast meetings on the road trip and locker room access at halftime and pregame, long after they jettison those of us in the media.
I spoke Saturday with Keith Wetzler, the producer of original programming for Fox (and also the man who produced that special on Joe Johnson, Dominique Wilkins‘ Hall of Fame induction show and those very helpful A-Town Dancers shows), and we talked about the delicate dance of trying to get behind the scenes without crossing the line.
“We were trying to take the fans into the places they’ve never been before,” Wetzler said. “Fans don’t get to see what goes on in the locker room, on the charter flights and in the breakfast meetings. We were a fly on the wall for the fans. The goal was two fold, take them into the places they’ve never seen before and show them personality they’ve never seen.”
Johnson showed off more of the personality we see from him at practice and in the locker room that is rarely on display during games (when most fans get their only glimpse of him). It’ll be surprising for some people to see him like that.
When I asked Wetzler if he was surprised at all by how comfortable the players were with the cameras constantly in their faces, he said he was not.
“I pretty much knew what to expect,” Wetzler said. “And it wasn’t a ‘get out of my face’ type deal. I explained to the [Hawks] what we were trying to do and they responded. We were there to show the entire experience and to bring the fans along for the ride.”
MS. KERI’S DEBUT
Before I depart for Philips and today’s game, I have to sell out for the First Lady of the Blog (for 2009) and give a rousing endorsement to Atlanta’s own Ms. Keri Hilson.
Her debut CD came out this week and It’s worth the purchase.
The First Lady's debut CD is in stores!
I’m an 80s baby and child of the Hip-Hop era, but an unabashed lover of R&B music. And while others love to proclaim most anything new DOA, I happen to dig a lot of the new stuff.
If you drive around this town as much as I do, you’re always looking for something new to listen to (when you’re not on your cell phone like all the thousands of folks that make my back and forth a chore), you’re always on the lookout for something good to listen to.
You might want to check her out, so your next drive to a Hawks’ game is enhanced by her beautiful sounds.
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206 comments Add your comment
niremetal
March 29th, 2009
9:44 pm
All I know is that if you gave me all the point guards in the league and asked me which one of them I’d want taking the last shot in a playoff game, I’d probably put Bibby no lower than 3rd. Seriously.
Big Ump
March 29th, 2009
9:45 pm
Big Ray
Good post as always.
SWAT Native
March 29th, 2009
10:17 pm
Great win today by the Hawks! Now let’s beat Orlando Friday night!
kirkinga
March 29th, 2009
10:18 pm
Ray, I agree that Sund is now the guy responsible and as such would want to make an imprint. How much rope he has is more a question of economi9cs than it is organizational structure. I think the NBA FA market is not going to be a plush as some are thinking.
As we saw with MLB, players better have a realistic sense of what they can get versus what they may want. I’m sure a sizable portion of the owners are not as wealthy going into this offseason as they were going into the last. We already have a hint that this is true from the loan the league took out to help struggling teams. This offseason will be a buyers market which is exactly the opposite thought you would have if you looked at the list of available FA’s.
So while the Hawks have some FA’s other teams are surely going to have some interest i, the question will really be how much interest and can they get similar talent at a value price? As others have mention throughout the season, the Hawks have to make a decision as to who is nucleus and who is not, next, who is integral to what the team is trying to do and who is not, and finally who is no longer in the team’s plans?
Interesting take on ZaZa, though I’m still not sure if it was ZaZa taking advantage of opportunity, or underwhelming performances from Horford and Josh? Yes, coaching has a lot to do with it, but that explains the lack of offense. But what about the lack of rebounding?
Anyway, the offseason is a playoff season+ 8 games away and I guess no need in worrying about that now, but when the topic of “legitimization” came up, I couldn’t help but wonder is it really the best time to ask that question? I can’t help but think until we know the imeediate futures of the starting 5, it may be premature to ask if this version of the Atlanta Hawks is legit or not.
Go Hawks!!
Fred
March 29th, 2009
10:20 pm
http://www.examiner.com/x-2723-Atlanta-Hawks-Examiner~y2009m3d29-Hawks-get-much-needed-win-against-Lakers
doc
March 29th, 2009
10:23 pm
man i am watching the spurs, hornets game and i really think that chris paul guy is the real deal if anyone hasnt heard that before around here.
kirkinga
March 29th, 2009
10:27 pm
Sautee, I have to qualify my response because I did not see the game.
I must that I got the impression about the defense from the tone of the comments on the blog.
But if it wasn’t the defenses, what made for the underperformances we saw on both sides?
So I’m willing to amend my “lock down” comment, but only so much. The Lakers play good defense, whether Kobe scores or not. So I think it is at least appropriate to say that Bibby showed, again, that a PG can lack quickness and still be deadly effective for his team.
And, no, I thought I was the only Bibby fan from way back…lol? More accurately, a fan of that young Kings team that was robbed by the officials against the Lakers. They never recovered from that game.
Go Hawks!!
niremetal
March 29th, 2009
10:32 pm
Doc,
CP3 is good, but I’ll still lay odds that Deron Williams will retire with more rings on his fingers than CP3 will.
MAC-TOWN
March 29th, 2009
10:36 pm
Field Goals
Josh Smith 3-11
Al Horford 1-6
Joe Johnson 4-18
Flip Murray 6-13
to be honest….I’m more concerned about that
than beating the lakers.
We have been a doormat team for so long that
I can understand the excitement over little things
…..but lets fake it..
we took the lakers to 7 games last year
we have been in the 4th spot all year
WE KNOW WE ARE A PLAYOFF TEAM and focus should be
improving as much as we can to star being a championship
team instead of glaring in the headlights of beating
the lakers at home for one game in the regular season.
those #’s bother me…though I do not expect them to be that low
most of the time….except for Josh Smith…(actually
he is the ONE I’m most concerned about)
I think he is going to make some bonehead plays….and
coast free throw bricks in the playoffs….then maybe
people can see what a team cancer he is.
doc
March 29th, 2009
10:38 pm
kirk, though at my age i dont remember things that well, that series is still one that irks me as much as the d wade debacle a few years back to give that title to the heat. robbery. wasnt shaq the benefactor in both scenarios?
was just looking around the league. after comments made here detracting coach karl clearly someone on the real list for coy suggesting karl had lost the team and it was imploding; well they are now two games from 50 win elite category and won 8 of their last 10. anyone want to man up to their comments or have they mis-remembered?
oh yeah, how bout tiger! heeeee’s back! i can start watching golf again. everyone else is still a pretenda.
red
March 29th, 2009
10:56 pm
would anyone consider trading marvin/acie/draft pick for villanueva and sessions and zaza/speedy/draft pick for camby by the end of the season? i think the charlie will make us more versatile in 3 and 4 spot and solid in the 5 and 1 spot with camby and sessions. we should also just resign childress to add a depth in our bench. if we need perimeter shooting we can start charlie either in 3 or 4 depending on the match up. i think the acquisition will make our offense and defense better. this is only a proposal.
starter:
C-camby
PF-horford
SF-smith
SG-jj
PG-bibby???
bench:
childress
villanueva
evans
flip
sessions
doc
March 29th, 2009
11:03 pm
and sometimes there are boneheads making comments here that are cancers to such a good vibe ater a win. hata dude just a hata.
nire it will depend on where they end up. neither will win one if they stay where they are. chris paul will look like the great oscar robertson if he has to stay in new orleans waiting for the next coming of lew alcindor to rescue him. the first one who makes it to a big time market will be the winner. new orleans is one of the worst run organizations between here and clipper land and utah is not able to do what it has to to get there. utah will also have to deal with the death of its owner which may end up changing the culture there; too early to tell.
niremetal
March 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
That is the weirdest combination of trade proposals I’ve ever seen. In the first one, we’re overpaying like mad. In the second, we aren’t giving up nearly enough.
Samuel
March 29th, 2009
11:26 pm
Woody=COY
Lori
March 29th, 2009
11:36 pm
Okay guys and gals I’m a 100% Hawks fan whether or not we WIN or LOSE. I’m not a bangwagon fan. I’m a true Hawks fan for life. With that said everybody has to realize that we can’t win every solitary game in a season. We have to realize that the guys will have great streaks of great playing but on the same token they will have a few off nights. An off night is not entirely a bad thing. It gives other players on the bench a chance to shine and improve. That is exactly what happened today against the Lakers. Although Horford and Johnson didn’t have their typical numbers but Pachulia and Bibby stepped up and picked up the slack and so did West to get the job done. I know that winning the championship this year is a pipe dream I do think we will get passed round one of the playoffs and perhaps even make the East finals? I know that is pushing it. But hey it was also pushing it to say we could defeat the Lakers today.
About the Laker win … did you guys know we held the Lakers to a season scoring low? No other team has managed to do that. That in and of itself is something worth mentioning and celebrating. That right there my friends goes to show you that we are a legitimate team and we are not to be taken for a grain of salt.
Oh, and Kobe being sick or not feeling well? Excuses excuse excuses …we were the better team and out played him. Why does he make constant excuses? Sigh …anywho…
Playoffs?
Yeeeeeeeeeeah Hawks we are going to the playoffs and hopefully clinch that 4th seed and take out the Heat early after 5 games. That would be a nice goal to attain.
Last, to the Bibby haters …
Funny how when he has the rare bad night some of you want to hate on him. But when he does well some of you want to applaud him and have him signed to a contract for ten years this very moment. Why can’t the Bibby haters just either love or hate the man? Seriously … the man is a great player, an All Star, and just awesome. But he is human, he will have an off night. They all do. Lighten up on the poor guy he is the reason we won today
Or one of the reasons anyway.
Bibby, if you read this … you are the greatest man and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Oh, and that was one sweet shot off the back board today
Totally loved it man.
Gooooooooooooo HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
RLP
March 29th, 2009
11:45 pm
One more Hawks victory and that clinch no worse than sixth place in the playoffs. Five more wins and they clinch fourth place even if the teams in contention win ALL of their remaining games.
Come on guys – let’s enjoy the best season in over a decade for these last eight games. You’ve got all summer to discuss the future. But I will say that next year could result in a setback based on the way Larry Brown has the Bobcats playing and Philly and Chicago and …
Enjoy this season NOW!
Lori
March 30th, 2009
12:01 am
BTW …
MAC-TOWN…
I must have been under some rock but I didn’t think we went seven games with the Lakers. I thought it was the Celtics. I could be wrong though but perhaps not.
richbrave
March 30th, 2009
12:04 am
doc:
CRITTER REPORT. Our boy continues to get serious burn and his game continues to develop in a positive sense. Why his outside shot and free throws are so atrocious I have no way of fathoming, but he’ll no doubt work on those over the summer. 19 tonight, three rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block, 0 turnovers, a muffin, juice and coffee….o-o-h, I digress. Later.
niremetal
March 30th, 2009
12:45 am
Richbrave,
Btw, I need some background on you, dude. Are you the mirror image of me; i.e. are you a DC native who’s been transplanted to Atlanta? Just tryin’ to figure out why you post on the Wizards every once in awhile
BA
March 30th, 2009
1:31 am
Nice post, Lori. I noticed that 76 was a season-low for the Lakers, and I wrote about it here-
http://crashingtheglass.com
MAC-TOWN
March 30th, 2009
6:18 am
Lori I meant the celtics, and
Field Goals
Josh Smith 3-11
Al Horford 1-6
Joe Johnson 4-18
Flip Murray 6-13
will get us a 1st rd exit again…
doc
March 30th, 2009
6:52 am
gee ba are you saying that mac has it all wrong about josh? seems so in your comments as you give credit for josh playing both ends of the court with a near double double and shutting down a second option for the lakers in odum. ba, boneheads miss out on the finer points of the game when they just isolate on numbers in a single category, donr they? oh didnt josh just post some relatively good numbers in the last game when everyone else fell flat.? people also forget that the lakers can play some defense, too and have a pretty deep bench.
terrell barron
March 30th, 2009
7:55 am
Mario West gets some burn, we win. Mo Evans starts, we win. SIMPLE.
terrell barron
March 30th, 2009
7:59 am
Thias team could use Chills, but honestly, where would this team be without Flip Murray? When JJ is off, he usually picks up the slack. That’s something we didn’t have in Chills. I’d like to have em both, but if I had to choose between the 2, I’d have to go with Murray right now.
Barry
March 30th, 2009
8:24 am
Hey Y’all:
The Hawks played great against the Lakers. Remember folks this is a marathon all the way through the season and through the playoff. Just remeber that. these Hawks may lose a game along the way but they will win more than they lose. they are built and prepared for the long haul mararathon. Therefore, get ready to dig in with them and “Push” them through the “FINISH LINE” which is the NBA Championship. It is going to be tough, but nothing comes easy. They will enjoy the wins even more when they know they are prepared and worked hard during this marathon race. So get on board and get ready for some exciting basketball in the ATL Phillips Arean. THIS IS OUR HOUSE!!!!!! AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“ATLANTA HAWKS, BOOM-BYE-YEAH!!!”
The Truth
March 30th, 2009
9:38 am
Ray
Glad to know that was a “Fake Ray” moving to Canada and not the “Real Big Ray”.
Kudos to Hawks on a much needed win against the Lakers; I’m happy to see Mo Evans is trying to prove me wrong about his 3-point shooting. I’m still not convinced though, I need to see more consistency before I jump on that bandwagon, but I really appreciate his effort. The Hawks again showed us why they are so fascinating to watch. Just when you count them out, they go and prove you wrong. To be honest, I didn’t expect them to beat the Lakers with their missing pieces. They sort of remind me of the NC State Cardiac Kids in the 80’s; the way they defy the odds and win despite the critics; you got to love it. If they should win the first-round-series, they will surely become the national favorite because of their underdog status. Last year was an introduction for the Hawks in the Boston series. This year, they can take the underdog banner to a whole new level, perhaps, just like those Cardiac Kids. We shall see. It’s a nice ride, if you like drama.
I think the Lakers win is very significant not just because of the race in the standing but also because it gives them a talking point to rebut the claims that they can’t beat the elite teams. I’m not sure this win does it but at least it a start.
ILL-logical
March 30th, 2009
9:51 am
Last night’s victory and the clever after game marketing piece made several things about the Hawks clearer.They need more trust, teamwork and toughness to be an elite team but there is hope in all three categories.
First, the film pointed out that the team need to get a chef from the Phillips Arena food contractors to feed the team; burgers and fries at 2 am is not the breakfast of champions.LOL
But the other thing that jumped out at me is that this a group of very young kids who are just now learning how to win( along with the coach).The have to learn how to trust one another and the coach is learning that he must change some of his preconcieved notions in order to win with this group. They have the talent but it still needs to be developed.
I also think I figured out what Woodson’s beef with Acie is. When he remarked in the film about his career, it made me think about how guys played through injuries and there were few instances of the dreaded “back spasms”. I believe Acie’s frequent injuries, especially in his rookie year have created some trust issues in terms of his toughness.That is why no matter how much he and Josh disagree about Josh’s role in the offense, Woodson knows that Josh will always answer the bell even when he is not 100%(like for the last 3 months)
Last. The Lakers are the only team that has a point guard who can’t blow by Bibby.That and the 33% chance of the 3 point shot becoming the differiential played a big part in Sunday’s victory. Will not work in a playoff series. Defense will rule and along with better teamwork coupled with some trust on and off the court and the team should do well. Sunday’s game is over but it sure is nice to get on the road with a victory over an elite team.
Sautee
March 30th, 2009
10:17 am
Kirk,
After the bad blowout we had against the Magic, you said (correctly) that every NBA team has 3 or 4 games where they shoot horribly, and lose.
I think this was one of those “3 or 4″ for the Lakers. I’m not discounting that we played good D on several trips, but the Lakers were missing wide open uncontested shots at times. This explains their underperformance more than our defense, which WAS good at times, but not as good as the Lakers final shooting % showed. They left more on the table that we did, and that’s saying a lot.
And you are SO right about the Kings never getting over that series. To me, it’s still the most egregious of all the referee “favoritism” incidences that I can remember. Worse even than USA / Russia and that wasn’t even the NBA (which SHOULD have better refs, since they do it for their living).
And yes, I was a Bibby fan from his Arizona days, and followed his career ever since.
Speaking of Bibby,………
Hey Lori btw while you were under that rock, you somehow missed the fact that Bibby has never made the All-Star team. He was there this year as an invitee to the 3 point shootout, but he’s never made the Big Boy team. Should have in 02-04, but did not.
newkid
March 30th, 2009
10:43 am
Heels, Hawks, and Tiger! What a Sunday afternoon.
JM
March 30th, 2009
11:11 am
Great D for the Hawks yesterday. An ugly game, but a win is a win. I’m surprised by all the negativity on the blog, but I guess some always see the glass as half empty. The Sixers game is big and I want us to win in Boston (just so we don’t go 0-4 this season). Go Hawks!
RedTailHawk
March 30th, 2009
11:45 am
Great win!! Congrats..
Inmy opinion Mario should have gotten even MORE playing time. Someone posted thst the critique on him is his offense. He looks at himself (justly) as the last offensive option. The other 4 players SHOULD be able to take care of the O. His outside shhoting is also criticized. I’m not looking at any stats but I would say that he averages less than 1 outside shot per game. No way is he going to get better at it unless he takes more shots; yet everytime he misses (the 1 shot he takes ) he is criticized. If he took as many 3’s as Bibby or Moe, he might make a decent percentage, who knows. Of course we won’t find that out this year, or maybe ever (see WOODY). Bottom line; If D is truly Woody’s priority, and if the Hawks O really does feed off of it’s D, Mario should be getting MUCH more PT.
AtlSouthside
March 30th, 2009
12:00 pm
Can’t believe someone thinks our team needs Childress…. Childress playin overseas this year was the best thing that could have happened to the Hawks. Acquiring Flip & Mo was the next best thing.
Mario West should be used as a defensive specialists. Each player gets 6 fouls in the NBA so use all 6 of West’s fouls by putting him on the opponent’s best scorer.
Coach Woodson needs to put his foot in Josh Smith’s behind every time he shoots a 3-pointer, I’m quite sick of seeing Josh take shots that are outside of his range.
MannyT
March 30th, 2009
12:11 pm
Sunday was a great victory. Woody even showed that he does not always set his game plan in concrete. The most interesting thing to me was that he played 4 guards with Zaza, then Solo for a significant stretch of the game. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Lamar Odum to take over (as he and Gasol were in at the same time.) Odum was not a factor when he had a major size advantage.
It was good to see Bibby have a strong game, but it makes the what does Sund do this summer question that much trickier.
This week is a fine time to check the road pulse of the team. Tuesday might be a playoff preview…or not–if they don’t catch the Heat.
BWAF
Mike is back
March 30th, 2009
1:01 pm
Yes, I was disappointed at the outcome of the Boston game, but I thought we let Boston off the hook by not taking advantage of our match-up. I thought we should have exploited Perkins and Bib Babby by getting them out in space. Josh and Al clearly had an advantage out on the wing against their Bigs, absent KG, but we kept going with our perimeters guys. The few times we did run plays for Josh and Al were down in the post where Boston had the advantage, that was the game.
They redeem there selves in the Lakers game. Great to see to the Hawks knock off the Lakers. The defensive intensity was much better, and they went to Josh and Al more. Gasol is soft as powder we dominated their Bigs. Really, the Lakers shots remind of the Hawks shots against the Cs. Shots would go down, but they wouldn’t stay in. When your shots ain’t falling, it’s going to be a long night.
I’m proud of the way this young team responded, GREAT WIN HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Samuel, “Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jhan
March 30th, 2009
1:15 pm
nimetal – I would like Bibby to take an “uncontested” shot to win the game. If he has to create his own at the buzzer there are much better choices.
Lori – Bibby has never been & will never be an All-Star. Good player I agree but no All-Star. His offense provides the rare “bad” game. His defense provides the rare “good” game. He just can’t move his feet anymore to keep up. Everyone gets old.
Can he score more than he gives up on defense? That is the $6-$8M dollar question going into the off-season.
Mac Town – cancer is a very strong word to describe Josh. He may be a thorn in Woody’s side but hardly a cancer to the team. Unless you have insider information I’ll have to disagree with that statement.
Astro Joe
March 30th, 2009
1:21 pm
Atl Southside, you mean that Woody should ask Josh very politely to please stop taking 3 pointers (or even long two-point shots as he did against Boston). But whatever coaching advice he provides, should be done so nicely. Maybe even a nice hand-written letter that is delivered in the mail along with a fruit basket. Maybe a nice jar of jam and a few scones to go with it. Oh and some Chamomille tea would be a delightful selection to marry the ripe flavors of the other items. How sublime. Yes, I think that would be the perfect tact to encourage young Master Smith to realize his vast potential. A foot to his behind? Well, that’s utterly barbaric.
Elijah
March 30th, 2009
1:22 pm
RedTailHawk,
Mario is a bad FT shooter too.. I think he assumes since he is a good defender that he doesn’t have to worry about shooting because he never plays.
Elijah
March 30th, 2009
1:23 pm
PG’s to look out for this summer if we can’t resign Bibby:
1) TJ Ford — most underrated PG in the NBA and said he loves to play in Atlanta
2) Beno Udrih — Sacramento is probably looking to trade him and his contract is about the same size as Speedy’s
Both would be ideal fits for Atlanta
richbrave
March 30th, 2009
1:26 pm
niremetal:
BRAVES fan and began wandering in the off-season a couple of years ago. When the WIZARDS played the young HAWKS two season back, I saw an up and coming team, something the WIZARDS were not. Started posting regularly here after a shouting match with my man ANDO. doc, ray ,BA, NAJAH etc. began to exchange pleasentries and I just hung around. Convivial group. About three months ago a poster pointed out I was a LIZARDS fan after which I started posting over on the WIZARDS blogs using a different handle. But in my heart, I knew this team had great potential. Recently, doc asked me about his GaTech boy JAVARIS CRITTENTON so I began giving him updates on his progress with the D.C. club. Just something to keep my hand in here, and maybe contribute to the general league knowledge especially since I’m so disgusted with the ownership of the WASHINGTON franchise. Time to change out ABE’s diaper and get some new blood in the house that preaches defense. That fool thinks you can out-score the opposition over 82 games and playoffs. Everybody else knows anybody goes down and an offensive strategy is done. It doesn’t allow for serious injuries which the WIZARDS have had in bunches. So I root for both and post occasionally just to say hi to my friends. That do it for you?
Sautee
March 30th, 2009
1:34 pm
jhan,
Excellent post. I agree with every word. Big cosign.
niremetal
March 30th, 2009
1:41 pm
Yeah, it’s cool, I got no problem with the Wiz. I just find it funny to see someone posting about them since I live in DC and all.
HawksFan 11
March 30th, 2009
1:41 pm
REASONS Y THE HAWKS ARE AN ELITE TEAM YET
1. The Lack Of a Dominant Post Player.. Duncan, Garnett, Shaq
2. We Play From The Outside In… We look For The Outside Shot, then Offensive Rebounds and Put Backs…
3. We Dont Run The Pick And Roll Effectively… Horford and Josh’s only Plays Are Iso’s In The Paint… Ex. Parker, Duncan Pick and Roll,, Nash, Stoudamire
4. Hawks Settle For Less… It Seems As If Everyone Was Excited About Losing to the Celtics Last Year in 7 Games.. How Can u Be Happy About Losing.. Everyone Should’ve Been Like Were Upset And Disappointment but Instead Everyone Was Like We Took The Celtics To 7 Games So We Did Ok.. And This Year We Settled For The 4th Seed With Alot Of Games Left… Everyone was Like We Just Need To Hold On To The Fourth Spot,, When They Shoulda Been Saying Were Determined To Take The Third Spot….
5. 4th Quarter Subing… Mike Woodson rarely ever subs n the 4th quarter and we rarely ever have 4th quarter Comeback on the Road Because All The Starters Are Too Tired….
6. Road Record… Are Road Record Is Below Average And The Elite Teams Win on The Road!!!
7. Not Trusting The Bench… Woodson’s Lack of Subing is a killer… That’s Y Sometimes When Solo Gets In, He is So Shocked He’s In That He Is Clueless On The court With Help Defense And Being In The Right Spot… U Have To Expireince Your Bench So N Crunch Time They Will Know Whats Going On and Wont Be Nervous…
I Say That The Hawks Are A Defensive Center away from being an elite team.. I say we move al to the 4,, trade josh and claxston for a rising center with a large upside..
HawksFan 11
March 30th, 2009
1:42 pm
REASONS WHY THE HAWKS ((((((ARENT)))))) AN ELITE TEAM YET
1. The Lack Of a Dominant Post Player.. Duncan, Garnett, Shaq
2. We Play From The Outside In… We look For The Outside Shot, then Offensive Rebounds and Put Backs…
3. We Dont Run The Pick And Roll Effectively… Horford and Josh’s only Plays Are Iso’s In The Paint… Ex. Parker, Duncan Pick and Roll,, Nash, Stoudamire
4. Hawks Settle For Less… It Seems As If Everyone Was Excited About Losing to the Celtics Last Year in 7 Games.. How Can u Be Happy About Losing.. Everyone Should’ve Been Like Were Upset And Disappointment but Instead Everyone Was Like We Took The Celtics To 7 Games So We Did Ok.. And This Year We Settled For The 4th Seed With Alot Of Games Left… Everyone was Like We Just Need To Hold On To The Fourth Spot,, When They Shoulda Been Saying Were Determined To Take The Third Spot….
5. 4th Quarter Subing… Mike Woodson rarely ever subs n the 4th quarter and we rarely ever have 4th quarter Comeback on the Road Because All The Starters Are Too Tired….
6. Road Record… Are Road Record Is Below Average And The Elite Teams Win on The Road!!!
7. Not Trusting The Bench… Woodson’s Lack of Subing is a killer… That’s Y Sometimes When Solo Gets In, He is So Shocked He’s In That He Is Clueless On The court With Help Defense And Being In The Right Spot… U Have To Expireince Your Bench So N Crunch Time They Will Know Whats Going On and Wont Be Nervous…
I Say That The Hawks Are A Defensive Center away from being an elite team.. I say we move al to the 4,, trade josh and claxston for a rising center with a large upside..
Astro Joe
March 30th, 2009
2:04 pm
Going back to the draft discussion. I said this a year or two ago and I will reiterate. Some NFL teams (GMs/coaches) refuse to draft a “QB of the future” because the growing pains associated with training a young QB is often too taxing (Matt Ryan being a very, very rare exception). Those teams find suitable QBs and make it work. I think the Hawks are similar. I think they’d rather take a middling vet PG than deal with the typical learning curve associated with a young PG. Would the Hawks be better off drafting the 4th or 5th best PG available in the summer or trading for someone like Hinrich? Would Indy match an offer sheet of 3/$18M for Jarrett Jack (considering they are paying TJ Ford and Tinsley around $13M already)? How Childress in a S&T for Steve Blake & Channing Frye? None of those names (other than Hinrich) personally excite me but there is no reason to believe that we’re finding some great and wonderful PG around #20.
In my perfect world, I’d figure out how to sign that big Polish guy from Orlando as my new Zaza-type center (but this guy blocks shots) and I’d figure out how to obtain Hinrich (1st round pick & Speedy?) and call it a summer. Oh yeah, and bring back Marvin on a 3-year/$24M contract (his back has me worried) and sign Flip to a 3/$10M deal. Now, my summer is over.
Ariose
March 30th, 2009
2:04 pm
I am sick of all the Josh bahing. It needs to stop. Josh has range for days. He’s not a particularly accurate shooter(He is a set shooter that needs space and time from the defense in order to knock it down) but pretty much NO shot is out of his range. we’ve all seen him hit shots from everywhere on the floor on multiple occasions(Game winneres and all).
Sekou even said in an article last season that Josh said he has to shoot every once in a while when he is open in order to keep the defense honest and open up driving lanes.
I think if Josh works with Price Every summer, we will start to see his consistancy increase over the coming years.
~Sir Links A Lot~
terrell barron
March 30th, 2009
2:06 pm
Lori, I’m not a Kobe fan at all, but the guy looked like he had a bad case of the flu last night. Now whether or not it hindered his performance, who knows? I do know that he wasn’t himself. But with the way we played defense last night, I dont know if it would’ve mattered. Question is, why cant we play defense like that on a consistent basis?
JerryWest
March 30th, 2009
2:07 pm
Bibby never plays a good game or a bad game. He plays the exact same game everyday. Some days his shots fall and some days it doesn’t. Whether it falls or not rarely encourages him to shoot more or less. Rest of his game rarely fluctuates. The fact that he is on autopilot is one of the reason Woody, himself on autopilot most of the time, likes him so much.
Astro Joe
March 30th, 2009
2:12 pm
Ariose, Smith has definitely cut down on his 3 point shooting and other than the Boston game (when he was asked to play SF), he has reduced his long-distance 2 shots as well. I disagree with your “range for days” comment but I would agree that he has done a better job of shooting where he is most effective… in the paint.
RLP
March 30th, 2009
2:47 pm
The game against Philly is the most important game left because of the tie breaker. If the Hawks win that game then that will reduce their magic number again Philly to 2 with 7 games remaining. If they lose to Philly then their magic number will remain at 5 because each team has won one game this season in their series and a Philly win will give them the tie breaker. So if at the end of the season the two teams are tied then Philly will get the higher seed since they would then hold the tie breaker. The Hawks would still be in a better position since they could win out but it would be harder..
The Hawks already hold the tie breaker against the Heat. So even though they a game closer to us in the lost column our tiebreaker means that the two teams behind us have the same number of games in the tie breaker. Now if all three teams were to wind up in a tie I do not know what the tiebreaker would be.
The point is that with a win the Hawks reduce the magic number by three against Philly. Big, Big game tomorrow night. Too bad it is in Philly.
Melvin
March 30th, 2009
2:48 pm
Astro Joe, I think Jarrett Jack would be a good pickup but I agree Hinrich would be the 1st choice out of that group. I can’t see BASG spending that type money on Hinrich and choosing not resign Bibby. If we acquire another PG this summer, than I think Acie days are number. Is McDyess a Free Agent? If so, then we should definetly go after him this summer.