South Beach or Cheesesteaks?
Will it be South Beach for the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs ...
PHILADELPHIA - No one could argue against Miami as a destination location for a first round playoff series.
There’s South Beach, an endless supply of Cafe con Leche and the chance to see Dwyane Wade face off against your Hawks in what would be a fantastic matchup.
But if the 76ers somehow nip the Heat at the tape for the fifth spot and a date with the Hawks, I could deal with a few days and nights in this gritty city, where you’re nothing without one of these Freeway beards, some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and a cheesesteak or cheese steak (since no one here can agree on whether it’s one or two words or the best place to get one) close by.
I can’t imagine there being a more exciting first round series in terms of the individual matchups or the preferred style of play (up-tempo if the 76ers had their way). I also can’t think of a better place to see two of the league’s most athletic, high-flying teams in the first round.
... or cheese steaks?
That’s what makes tonight’s matchup between the Hawks and Sixers at Wachovia center even more interesting. Both teams will be in the mood to send a message, just in case they see each other down the road. Late season games like these always serve as playoff mood setters.
And now that the NCAA Tournament is winding down, the focus for hoops heads like us can shift officially to the NBA playoffs.undefined
That being said, my eyes have been opened to a few things in the past couple of weeks of watching the college kids go at it.
Five things I’ve learned along the way:
1. Blake Griffin is the No. 1 pick in the draft and no one else need apply. Griffin is the closest thing to a man among boys in the college game right now (sort of like Mike Beasley, Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Greg Oden before him). There’s no one else to even consider for that top spot. NO ONE!
2. Hasheem Thabeet should be the poster child (albeit a 7-foot-3 version) for players teetering on the brink of entering the draft before it’s time. Thabeet has been discussed as a high lottery pick from the minute he set foot on campus at UConn. Somehow he resisted the urge. Now he has the grand stage at the Final Four to make his case for top three status.
Does the term Man Among Boys mean anything to you Blake Griffin?
3. Ty Lawson has made his case for a lottery slot as well, proving that he and not that other Ty(lyer Hansbrough) for North Carolina is the Tar Heels’ true most valuable player. I actually had someone argue me down about his earlier this season. But there’s no debate these days. A game-changing point guard trumps a big man in the college game.
4. There isn’t a single player on Villanova’s roster that appears to be a sure-fire NBA player, but they are the one team in the Final Four I can see myself rooting for. Michigan State is out for obvious reasons. And big dogs like Carolina and UConn don’t need any more help. Nova, however, is just the kind of underdog (and bracket buster) that keeps folks tuned in when their teams have already disappeared.
5. I know his team was bounced by those hated Spartans, but Louisville’s Terrence Williams is my draft sleeper this year. I’ve only seen him mentioned as a late first round pick, so apparently not everyone thinks as highly of him as I do. I just don’t know what more a team would want from a small forward. The guy plays hard, passes well, can score in a variety of ways, is physical and appears to be arguably the most unselfish player in the country. I’m thinking he’s going to be like Danny Granger was in the 2005 draft, in terms of being a value pick outside of the draft lottery.
ONE LAST THING OF NOTE …
I know all the studies show that people don’t have the time or desire to read long stories anymore, but if you don’t make time for anything else in the next few days you have to read this riveting story from Pablo S. Torre of Sports Illustrated.
It’s a detailed look at how professional athletes go broke in this age of jaw-dropping salaries, something that nickle and dime hustlers like us figure should be an impossibility with all the zeros on cats’ salaries. I wouldn’t have believed half the stuff in the story if I didn’t know a few former players mentioned in the story and hadn’t already heard, first hand, some their horror stories.
This story took over the conversation at my barbershop last weekend, and I know if it got everybody talking in there it needed to be shared here. Enjoy and (aspiring pro athletes) take notes!
Don’t forget Hawks-Sixers tonight. We’ll chop it up here all day and throughout the game.
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353 comments Add your comment
J.J.M.
March 31st, 2009
9:47 pm
bigdave
im just sayin at the moment he trys 2 be the hero. joe and bibby both know they were havin a bad night and clearly josh was havin a good night, so the smart thing is to give the ball to josh and work threw him.
niremetal
March 31st, 2009
9:47 pm
Astro,
Sorry for the snark. But come on…I just provided 2 examples off the top of my head, and I’m sure if I dig I’ll find at least 2-3 more from this season. You gotta know better than that.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
9:49 pm
I BLAME MIKE BIBBY… IF WE HAD A POINT GUARD WHO COULD PENETRATE, CREATE, AND DEFEND… WELL I GUESS JUST PLAY POINT GUARD PLAY POINT GUARD, JOE COULD JUST BE JOE… HE CAN’T BE, HE HAS TOO DAMN MANY ROLES!!!
WADE, KB, LBJ…ETC… THEY DONT HAVE TO DO THIS ALL GAME.. ALL GAME… TEAMS MAKE OTHER PLAYERS BEAT US… OR FORCE JOE TO TAKE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST SHOTS I SWEAR…
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
9:49 pm
Matt, good call. I was thinking about the playoffs but couldn’t remember the specifics and certainly didn’t have the 76ers game in my head. Good call. Dave, I’m talking about coming back from like 15+, not keeping the team in the game when we’re down by 3-4 possessions. But niremetal (Matt) corrected me. Of course, he used examples from over 60 games ago, but still, he corrected me.
Rod from College Park
March 31st, 2009
9:52 pm
It’s so funny how some of you continue to say we need Marvin because of his defense, but yet Kobe, Lebron, and Iguodala had some of there lowest scoring games against us in their careers without him. You guys do realize that with Marvin playing, Flip will play less. We did not lose this game because of defense, we lost because out two best players could not hit a shot. We held Philly to 93 points. Of course we could use him, but he would make no difference in the outcome of the game.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
9:54 pm
i am a HUGE Josh fan, and native so i support him.. if u cant tell he and Joe are my fav. Hawks… but i dont think he is the player we can just “give the ball to” yet when we absolutely need a bucket. especially out on the perimeter where he seems to dwell…
O'brien
March 31st, 2009
9:54 pm
Guys, When Bibby was traded to the Hawks last year, there was a fan from Sacramento who posted on here. And he said Bibby will drive you crazy, because for every 1 good game, he has 3 bad games. And I think he was right.
Because say what you want about chemistry and leadership, but if Bibby is not hitting shots, he is totally ineffective. And I would be ok with the Hawks going in another direction at PG this offseason. I would gladly sacrifice some of Bibby’s offense for a PG who can defend his position, penetrate, and hit the open jumper (even if its not the big shot).
It’s a good thing we beat the Lakers Sunday (the same Lakers who lost to the Bobcats tonight), because we have Orlando next, and although its at home, we could easily lose that game, (and also lose to Boston).
Hawks players and coaches need to get their act together.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
9:55 pm
how u feel this man is “trying to be the hero…”
Marvin
March 31st, 2009
9:55 pm
We need him. Plus, we need to give him an extension. He is our only back to the basket player (in comparison to the rest).
If Joe and Bibby and Evans were on, we win this game. That is the funny thing about basketball.
However, I am tired of getting dominated by Matt Bonner, Glenn Davis and Speights in the post.
amazin
March 31st, 2009
9:55 pm
drmortone
Do you realize that this team has shot worse under Mark Price? Smith shot 84% from the ft line in the playoffs. He has fell apart under Price. The whole starting five is shooting worse from the line. Everyone in the starting five. Please stop with all the Price shots everytime someone makes a ft.
niremetal
March 31st, 2009
9:55 pm
Astro,
Two more things. First, GMs usually work on an at-will employment basis rather than a term employment basis, as I understand it. In other words, Sund is here until he gets fired, just like most suits in the world.
Second, the types of comebacks you’re talking about – where a team goes down 15+ points and come back to win it mostly because of the herculean effort of a single player – happen no more than a couple times each year at most for any given team. I bet if you check the stats, you’ll only find 2-3 instances each this year where LeBron, Kobe, and Wade did it. Those types of games are rare for any player, which is why such comebacks often become the stuff of legend on the rare occasions that they do happen. So it makes zero sense to criticize JJ on that basis, especially since he has shown the ability to do that in two very important games in the past year.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
9:56 pm
I guess the loss has nothing to do with Theo doing the exact thing we would want from a defenisve big coming off our bench, huh? Hawks were opposing their will in the 4th, Theo came in and said, “stop” and the Hawks stopped. Isn’t that precisely what we want on our team next year? A Closer of sorts in the low-post?
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
9:57 pm
Stro Joe,
Uhhh… well u said in the 3 yrs. the mans been here…
when have the Hawks ever come back from 15+… not to mention w/ out Joe contributing…? r u serious…
Samuel
March 31st, 2009
10:00 pm
This was just a bad game all the way around, except for Josh. Guy has to be one of (if not the) most erratic players in the league. Tonight he was clearly the best player for us because he played within himself. Sure he hit a couple of threes but for the most part his points came in the paint.
The rest of the team didn’t show up. That’s why you play hard throughout the season. So that you can be in the position to have off nights and still hold on to the 4th spot.
Philly does present matchup problems for us but I believe we still will beat them in a 7 game series with home court advantage.
Woody=COY
freshd
March 31st, 2009
10:00 pm
woodson should be a lame duck coach. the atlanta dis-spirit should have listened to billy knight and fired him. you can”t keep playing an eight man rotation for 82 games without wearing guys down. if a guy is good enough to make a nba roster then he should be good enough to play. but woodson is too stubborn to play guys. ask acie or for that matter salim last year.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
10:02 pm
Niremetal, next time the Hawks are fighting AS A TEAM from way down and you see that 1-2 guys are leading the charge, watch and see what I’m talking about. Joe may have been making the sweetest passes during the comeback but the moment the team is within a basekt, he will absolutely look to get his shot. And my issue is that if the team is doing something specific to make the comeback, then you don’t deviate from that. And Joe too often does just that. It’s like he says “well, I’m the team’s leader so let me complete this comeback”. All I can say is look out for it. Team does A-B-C to get back in the game and all out the blue, Joe does V and kills the momentum.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:02 pm
Stro Joe…
i forgive you brother but please… take the comments back or just admit that u dont like Joe… i just admitted to hating Bibby, with passion, cause he might be the single reason this team doesnt go far, but just not enough empirical evidence to support this claim about Joe…
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:08 pm
Astro Joe,
Not as simple as you like.
1)Sixth man replaced by TWO veteran players, one of which has become a scorer extraordinaire that has been able to carry the team when other featured scorers have not been effective.
2)Except for a handful of games, Woodson has shortened the rotation. Guess what? He did so last year, too. And even said his assistants tried to tell him not to. Hmmm.
3)37 to 43 wins and counting. You’re right. The team has gotten better. Woody has too, but not moreso than the team, which is enjoying the effect of two added veterans. Same rotation, different names.
4)Bibby has faultered, and we’ve seen WHICH young pg get more playing time? Sixth man’s replacement is the benefactor thereof. Not seeing a change there. Young pg receives even less minutes than he did last year. So much for development. I guess he’s just not worth it, huh? I mean, Woody couldn’t be wrong, could he (even after he publicly admitted he should have maybe played Acie MORE).
5)Can anybody say Josh is better than last year? Ohhhh, thought you had me there, Mr. Scarecrow…buuuuut… You can add Joe, Bibby, Al, Marvin, and anybody else except Zaza to that list. Everybody else’s stats are lower, and that’s what you went by, isn’t it? Oh wait….except Bibby, who WAS having a pretty good year for a moment there. Which is why everybody else’s points are down…we haven’t had a scoring pg here in forever. Now we got one that does almost nothing BUT shoot.
I haven’t just considered that Woody is having a better season than last. I KNOW it. But I won’t consider that he’s having a better season than an individual player, especially one who is so pivotal to this team’s success. And I don’t feel that he’s progressing at a rate any faster than this team is. Sorry, but I can’t agree with that. I feel that Woody is a benefactor of the product on the floor, and that the relationship is somewhat symbiotic. He has two fairly hard-core vets on the floor who play different positions, in place of a heady, but offensively limited young player, who was asked to play up to 4 positions, some of which made no sense for him to be playing at. Tell me that’s more about the coach than the team, and I’ll tell you you’re crazy.
I’ll say this: Smith is better at some things, but not better at others. Same goes for Woody. As Niremetal said, maybe they both are detrimental to this team. I can accept that idea, actually.
Smith was injured for 12 games, and not at full strength for many more.
Woody has had to deal with key injuries to the team, and with the exception of the loss of Marvin, I’m not impressed with his adjustments. Too many of the guys he has on the bench either can’t play well enough in place of them (not developed enough), or won’t, because they won’t get to play. If you’ve got another explanation, then I’m glad to hear it.
And we’re running the same plays as usual (with them not working) when we’ve seen evidence that running more of the game through the post actually works. It must be the team’s fault. After all, Woody is having a better season than they are…
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
10:08 pm
freshd, did you just use Salim as an example? Okay, so show me where Salim has proven to Woody that he is in fact NBA material? That he can contribute as a rotational player? That Woody missed on him like he did on Diaw? Explain how Salim is at least as productive this season as Royal Ivey?
I’m an Acie supporter (or at least I was). Dude needs to be available (like Mario) when he does get the call. Acie is going down that Salim path of being nicked up every 3-4 weeks (despite not getting a lot of PT). I never could figure how Salim could stay hurt while sitting on the bench while our top 7 players were very healthy last season despite playing a ton of minutes.
Marvin
March 31st, 2009
10:10 pm
Phili or Miami?? I’d rather play Phili, don’t like our chances of stopping Wade.
We will not be this bad every night.
niremetal
March 31st, 2009
10:11 pm
Astro,
Don’t know the number of times that I’ve watched Josh or Bibby kill a rally for us with an ill-advised shot. Great players do it too – just ask Laker fans who watched Kobe during the 2005-2007 era, and they’ll tell you that too often he tried to do everything himself to the detriment of the team. Anyway, I’ll go the grave saying that JJ is a clutch player.
In case you wanted more examples, check out the following games where the Hawks went down 10+ and JJ got us back in it:
Dec 6 at Dallas (Bibby and JJ combined for 28 in the 4th, but we came up short)
Dec 15 vs. Charlotte
Jan 19 vs. Toronto
I honestly stopped there because I have a paper that’s due in 15 hours. Till then…
nj faithful
March 31st, 2009
10:12 pm
Whats going on with M. Williams??
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:12 pm
How many NFL coaches with a single year left on their contract would play a rookie QB? Woody (unless he signs an extension) is a lame duck coach (agaon) next season. And ya’ll think he should put his income (in this economy) on the line for a squad led by a rookie-PG? And does anyone know anything about Sund’s contract? Can he survive the growing pains of a rookie PG? I think some of ya’ll are kidding yourselves about drafting a PG outside of the lottery.
Two things. One, what does that tell you about the coach in question. And two, I agree, drafting a pg outside of the lottery is foolishness. Although, it would appear that drafting one INSIDE the lottery (Law) didn’t work out so well either. Go ahead. Blame the player for that.
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:15 pm
Samuel,
I agree. Josh is erratic. Again, I’m okay with trading him as long as we don’t get something that makes us worse instead of better. No stiffs, no useless draft picks. We have to at least maintain useable asset management, and have guys that can contribute regularly. I don’t want the team to suffer as a result of a knee jerk reaction. This is where Sund comes in. Hopefully he has a good plan and can convince the owners of it.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
10:20 pm
Ray, I said that Joe has been worse this year… never shied way from that. Seems to me if the whole is better than the parts (as most guys have had lesser stats), then the coach needs to get some love. Mo Evans and Flip are freakin’ NBA nomads. Flip was on his way to Russia. Evans was a starter on a division winner and quite affordable and his team told him to pound dirt. Again, a guy can have a good year and not be a great coach/player. Heck, Kevin Johnson had among the best seasons EVER by a PG and he is an after-thought as a player. Woody has done well… his stock is up. The only other player associated with this team whose stock would be more improved is Flip.
Sekou K. Smith
March 31st, 2009
10:20 pm
Hawks went the final 8:27 of the game without a field goal and had three turnovers. Nuff said!
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:22 pm
Rod,
It would seem like you have a point, but I say thee nay. Actually, when Marvin returns, it allows Woody more options. Let’s take the matchup against Philly for an example. Bibby doens’t play well against these guys. He can’t match up with Miller, Williams, or Green. And I hate to see him get rotated down on defense against Speights or somebody, which happens all the damn time because he can’t guard the guys up at the top of the key. Not even in a freakin’ zone!
But here’s where Marvin helps out. When Josh needs to sit, Marv is still there, and Mo can play at the 2 if JJ is out. That’s not all. The most important part is Flip will still get his minutes. Guess where? Right next to Joe with Bibby’s butt right on the bench when he’s A)stinking it up on defense, and B) not hitting shots.
Without Marvin, you cannot move Evans around to the 2 spot. He has to stay at the 3. And believe me, if Flip is hot, you want to keep him in the game, no matter WHO else is in there.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
10:28 pm
Ray, Woody is to blame for the lack of Acie’s development. Acie played how many consecutive games before he came up lame? I’m not blaming him but it is unfortunate that once he earned some consistent time, that his body let him down.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:31 pm
Marv,
Mia… they depend on a lot of youth, that could be good or bad though… also i like what we do against Wade defensively except when he went off in MIA but coached schemed well for him when we played them last at Da Phil…
I just think the pressure D from Philly will present a problem unless we change things scheme wise, and thats about as likely as snow in hell…
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:33 pm
Asto Joe,
I agree. Woody deserves some love. I still get irritated at his lack of adjustments. But like I said, you compared him to a single player. I simply took issue with it. It was a difference of opinion, is all, and I’m all wired on caffeine, so look out!
I agree that Flip’s stock is up, and it is due to him and him alone. I think Woody’s stock is up too, but it’s not due to him alone. He’s a part of this “whole” that you speak of. And you can’t tell me that he hasn’t benefitted from two veterans, journeymen or not. They get their playing time, don’t they (Flip has gotten loads of it)? Have the other guys who are on the roster, and not regular rotation guys? Nope. Would this team be better off WITHOUT those two vets, and WITH Childress? Doubt it, as I am sure Childress was one of the guys that was disgruntled with Woody. But if the team WAS better in that position, that would have certainly made a case for Woody.
You must not have been around when I was giving Woody all kinds of credit for making the adjustments he made early on when this team was winning without Marvin. I had a lot to say about it, especially during that 7-game homestand. Either that, or you have a short memory.
By the way, if you think I’m an unconditional Smith lover, you have me pegged wrong. I don’t know if anybody ripped him harder when he let Odom outrebound him by 20 in that Lakers game a while back. In fact, some people ripped ME on this blog for ripping HIM. They said he was injured. I wasn’t havin’ it. 0 rebounds is crazy. Few guys frustrate me more than he does (well, and Woody). I see more in him than he shows, but what the hell do I know. Like I said, I’m on board with any trade that makes this team better, not worse.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:34 pm
but then again… Philly shot the ball well tonight from the perimeter… i wouldnt bet money on that continuing…
quick question, im showing my age here big time but, do any of the bloggers play NBA 2k9 for xbox 360 online…? if so, post your gamer tags…
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:36 pm
Astro Joe,
I have no idea what Acie’s problem is. If he’s truly hurt, then I hope he gets over it. If he’s having a pity party, or has serious durability issues, then either he needs to suck it up, or the team needs to move on (trade him or whatever you have to do). I think that’s fair.
Something has to give though, because we face a quandary in the offseason. Bibby is a UFA, Flip is a UFA, and Acie is all we have left, with Speedy being an exceedingly high-risk vet who expects not to be there.
Anybody seen Cenk Aykol? Cenk? Hello Cenk? Aw forget it…
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:40 pm
BigDave,
You’re not the only gamer.
And it has little to do with age. I don’t have a lot of time to game. Still don’t have a 360 yet, though.
Also, Philly has won more than they have lost, despite not being very good from the perimeter. More importantly, they have beaten us more than they’ve lost to us…without that perimeter ability. What concerns me is our apparent inability to stop them where they ARE scoring.
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:42 pm
Great point…
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:44 pm
And we absolutely struggle to find consistency inside against them… i dont like our chances against physical teams…
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
10:45 pm
for ex. the
Spurs, Jazz, Cavs, Celts, Sixers, of the world… to name a few…
RLP
March 31st, 2009
10:47 pm
I think the Hawks are in for a fight with the 76ers for the 4th seed. The Hawks are not a good road team. Almost everyone on this blog is critical after road losses. Road wins are rare for this team. What is bad is that with 7 games to play the Hawks next two games are with “elite” teams who will probably beat them. Then they have 5 remaining games with teams they should be able to beat. However three of those games are on the road and the Hawks have their troubles on the road. All the Hawks need are a combination of 5 wins and/or 76ers losses to win the seed. But six if the 76ers next seven games are against teams they should be able to beat. At that point we may be tied or behind them in the standings. The Hawks saving grace is that the 76ers must then play Cleveland twice and Boston. Of course Boston is shutting Garnett down for a few games so the 76ers will have a shot. It ain’t over yet!
And if they play at the fifth seed their nice season may end badly.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
10:52 pm
Ray and I am NOT a Woody lover or a Smith hater. They both have significant warts. All I ever want from Smith is defensive excellence… he’s a good offensive player but could be a legendary defensive player. When he has an 8-10 game stretch when he seemingly ignores the defensive side of the court, well, it takes me a while to recover from that. This team rarely needs him to score to win but we ALWAYS need his defense.
It’s hard to tell what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Is Flip playing well in this system (as opposed to the Pistons last year) because he recognizes how close he was to losing the NBA life or is he balling because Woody’s guard-featured offense optimizes his array of offensive skills?
Larry Drew is our supposed Offensive Coordinator, maybe we should have realized that a guy who has created one of those “How to be a PG” instructional DVDs would create offensive sets that are heavy on the backcourt and light on the rest of the squad.
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
10:59 pm
Astro Joe,
Not accusing you of either, really. Trust me, I think I get as much heart burn as you do from Smith’s….inconsistencies, shall we say. Again, I am open to trades, if they make sense (though I don’t think I can take another one of Smartguy’s proposals….holy &$%#@).
It’s funny that you mention Flip’s performance. I was on the phone with Sautee earlier, and we were extolling the virtues of Flip’s lack of conscience on the offensive side of the ball. And I said to him, “You know, I think a lot of people forget this guy is in a contract year…”
Hey, I’m not going to call it that. We’ve needed the guy. I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth…until it’s time to re-sign him that is.
Also, agreed on the Larry Drew comment. IF in fact, he IS the “offensive coordinator.” Maybe he is, though Woody doesn’t seem like the type to allow that sort of thing. But I shouldn’t judge him when I don’t know him. It’s just hard to get over public comments like “I made this decision (which turned out not to be a very good one) and my assistants fought me on it all year long…” Listening to one’s assistants (at least SOME times)is one reason why Vinny Del Negro’s Bulls are playing for the 7th seed, instead of planning where they’re going to watch the draft lottery from….
Big Ray
March 31st, 2009
11:08 pm
Astro Joe,
One more thing on Josh, and I think you will see some merit in this point of view.
Remember that scouting report Sekou delivered on him back at the beginning of the season? In it, the scout talked about how Josh changes opposing teams’ game plans because he is such a gambler, and is capable of so much. The scout also talked about the fact that the only player Boston didn’t have a gameplan for, and was so worried about was Josh Smith, because they couldn’t keep track of him on the defensive side. Lastly, the scout said that though he’s a gambler on defense, that is what he would want him for. Hmmmm.
Well, I think the very thing that makes him so dangerous has twofold results:
1)This is why he helps/hurts us so much. This team cannot afford for Josh to gamble, even if he’s blocking 5 shots a game. It’s just not enough. We already have one gaping hole on defense (and you know precisely where that is). We need solidarity and total team effort on defense. We’re basically playing 4-on-5 most nights. Unfortunately, due to injuries, inability, and inconsistency, we do not have that solidarity. If we were defensively solid at every position, and at least 7-8 deep on the roster, Smith could gamble all he wanted. But we’re not. And his gambling HURTS us as much as it helps. Smith has to play under control on defense, and within the team concept. Then again….if he’s NOT doing at least SOME heroics, we suffer anyway.
2)It’s Smith’s ability that makes him a good trade asset. Remember, other teams think they can take a guy like him and make it work. Philly sure could have. They’re already solid defensively. Imagine what they could do with a guy like Smith. After all, that’s what makes up trades and free agency (uh, besides money issues). One man’s “can’t make it fit” part becomes another man’s “just the cog I needed” part.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
11:09 pm
Hard to say if Woody’s decision to shorten the rotation last season was a bad one. We needed each and every win to reach the playoffs. And from a TEAM development persepctive, the playoff series was clearly the most significant training tool. Acie may hae suffered personally but the team grew by leaps and bounds. I know what the assistant said but I don’t think this team is a few wins from clinching the 4th seed if we finished one win short last season and missed the playoffs.
This season, Law should have gotten regular minutes. But he hasn’t earned his coach’s trust yet (and I wonder what his teammates think). No doubt, the bro-mance between Bibby and Joe is a contributing factor. Acie should have looked to develop a similar bro-mance with Flip.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 31st, 2009
11:13 pm
So, uh… I didn’t see the game, but who hijacked Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson and replaced them with Tyronn Lue and DerMarr Johnson?
bigdave
March 31st, 2009
11:15 pm
conflicker virsus…?
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
11:21 pm
Ray, I always figured that “gambler” thing was something that he would out-grow… not something that we would plan a scheme around. Again, unless someone was offering a boat load, I wouldn’t trade him until we have a chance to see what he would do with a Theo-type on the bench and a PG who can stay in front of the opposing PG. Trust me when I say that I have tried long and hard to come up with trade scenarios involving Smith and I can’t find one (that is plausible) that makes sense for the Hawks. Sure, if Orlando wants to trade Superman or if Houston is tired of Yao, but short of that, I don’t think so. Some mention Aldridge but I think dude is closer to Brad Sellers than he is to Chris Bosh. I guess I’m just too convinced that a part-time and dependable low post defender is sufficient for this team. And you don’t trade Smith, Horford or Marvin for a Pryzbilla/Darko/Kwame type.
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
11:22 pm
Najeh, LOL!
Sarah
March 31st, 2009
11:22 pm
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://blanket.ws
RLP
March 31st, 2009
11:27 pm
With Chicago’s lost and the Bobcats win these two teams are even in the loss column. Chicago has six games remaining and the Bobcats have eight.
darrell starks
March 31st, 2009
11:32 pm
The hawks just dont focus on the road its like everybody is not on the same page including the COACH WHERE THIS GUY CONTINUE NOT TO DEVELOP HIS BENCH you can not be and a elite team in the NBA PERIOD WITH A 7 OR 8 MAN ROTATION. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
March 31st, 2009
11:33 pm
Welcome Sarah, this blog can use a woman’s touch. We haven’t had one since (blank) used to post here.
Anyone old enough to remember Match Game? Fill in the blank.
And I’m off to dream about Halle and a king-sized bed full of cheesesteaks. Cheese whiz has never been so much fun.
doc
March 31st, 2009
11:33 pm
najeh, i have claimed before it was woody who has turned jj into an athletic lue. pound, pound, pound and pass it at the last minute to someone to jack it up.