April’s Fools
Mike Woodson, Joe Johnson and the Hawks are scrambling to finish with a bang.
HAWKSVILLE - If this is some sort of sick belated April Fools’ prank Hawks, it’s not funny.
Three straight losses, now?
I know, it was three straight to playoff bound teams playing at a much higher level than the Hawks could as presently constituted (despite all the chatter to the contrary a healthy Marvin Williams would help).
But not now.
Not with everything (namely the fourth spot and the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs that come with it) on the line.
It’s one of the more deflating stretches I’ve seen out of these Hawks this season. And there have been others.
Check the standings, though, and you’ll realize that now is hardly the time to start a tailspin.
Not even a glorious late Sunday morning brunch with the fam and neighbors at Highland Bakery could erase the stain of what I’ve seen from these Hawks the past week.
After a big time effort against the Los Angeles Lakers in a home win last Sunday, they’ve basically fallen apart before our eyes.
They couldn’t keep pace with 76ers late Tuesday night in Philadelphia (a team and city the Hawks could see a whole lot more of in the coming weeks). They suffered a similar fate Friday night in Boston in yet another loss to the Celtics.
For a while it appeared that they would use their home court mojo to end their slide Saturday night against Orlando … then they suddenly went cold and suffered the exact same sort of power failure in the second half against the Magic.
It’s a nasty trend that should worry you. Because no playoff team should be suffering these sorts of lapses with the postseason just days away.
Naturally, the Hawks aren’t ready to call this a code red just yet.
“You can’t go into panic mode,” Josh Smith said. “You just have to bounce back and try to get these games on the road and win out the rest of the season.”
Sure, it sounds good in theory.
But panic mode might be exactly the place the Hawks need to go to find refuge or at least some answers.
Josh Smith insists now is not the time to panic!
They haven’t met the physical or mental challenge of their opponents in a week, which is a clear indictment of not only the performance on the floor but also of the preparation that goes into every game.
The Hawks’ history of struggles on the road make this week’s road tests in Toronto and Milwaukee, on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, even more critical.
I’m going to close with a little ditty from one of our regulars (you probably know him as RA) who sends me regular emails throughout every game.
He made some interesting points about what he sees as some alarming developments after the Magic game:
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353 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
April 6th, 2009
12:43 pm
“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t cut Gardner and go after a big (like Adonal Foyle after he was cut) to help us in the home stretch. I’m pretty sure that it would have been close to cost-neutral.”
Aren’t NBA contracts guaranteed, meaning that if the Hawks cut Gardner and signed a big man they would be paying both players’ salaries?
I agree it’s disappointing that the Hawks couldn’t make a move for even a dirt-cheap big man, but that could have more to do with the DASG’s cheapness than Sund’s ability to make roster moves.
MannyT
April 6th, 2009
1:14 pm
RA, I don’t dispute your 11:54. I would state that the TRYING has more to do with freelancing than poorly defined roles.
Even in Astro Joe’s comments about the rookie Josh being a rover…isn’t that a specific role! You may not like the role he was assigned, but it is definitely a role with specific tasks.
Najeh, I would not say that Woody did not give out specific roles, but I would question what he does if a player seems to be working outside of his role in a way that hurts the team. Because Woody does not develop the bench, Josh gets away with a lot more when he moves away from his role. Woody takes it often instead of putting in another player. Now if Josh freelances while speaking his mind, he hits the bench (as in that Charlotte game.) Lesson to Josh, play how you want, but watch what you say.
As for roles that the better players have on better teams, I think that is largely a function of the coaching plan to get the most out of the team. I’ll skip the easy chance to bash Woody here, but call me the setup man for whichever closer takes him down.
Good coaching is a combination of using individual strengths in a way that allows for a greater contribution from the whole team. That’s true in sports and in business.
I think every half decent coach has roles for his players, but the definition of those roles may vary more than many folks expect. Mo Evans has taken some of the defensive stopper role that JJ used to have last season (along with many other roles.) Even though JJ is Woody’s best–he is overutilized. Now if you want to dispute the effectiveness of the roles Woody has chosen, that’s a different thing that I’ll leave alone.
That is different from a player that decides he sees an opening and chooses to push the ball up without using his teammates. There is always a subjective level of choice in how far a player is allowed to freelance. In baseball, some guys get to swing away at 3-0/3-1 counts while others do not. In basketball, some guys always have the green light to shoot (JJ, Bibby, Flip?) while others do not (Josh, Al).
I think there are some issues with the level of freelancing that some players get away with under Woody. AC Law has about as much of a green light as RandMo. So he often has to factor his personal WUF (Woody Undervaluation Factor) into his game which messes with his head and his performance. JJ has the green light to freelance from the time he gets to the arena. If they would score the points, Woody would let him shoot from off the court (just like in that All Star Weekend HORSE competition.)
BWAF
Mike is back
April 6th, 2009
1:14 pm
Doc, interesting comments and most familiar, I have not been able to catch a game since the Hawks played the Lakers, soaking up time with my pumpkin and the Wifey before she goes off to college. Now she headed to Wake Forest, Tim Duncan, CP3 and company. At lease I will able to catch the games at GT.
The issue of developing players and defining roles seems like a topic that has been discussed at the beginning and end of the last three seasons. When you hear Sekou professional scouts repeating the same thing that been discussed numerous time on this blog…it makes you think these bloggers might know a little something about bball hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
But it appears I have not missed much. Lets face it our worst fears came true after the Spurs game…Pov exposed the weakness in the Hawks defense. Woody is so predictable in his rotation, with the loss of Marvin and Acie…its only magnified now. The offense has become a liability to the defense. As everyone has mentioned, JJ and Bibby are spent. They are always Woody’s first and second option on offense. If I’m a coach, I attack them on both end of the floor, so they will have no legs going down the stretch of the game.
Now you simply attack Bibby, make sure you get in a pick n roll. Secondly, pound the ball in the post, something we refuse to commit to, make sure that either Bibby or a tired JJ has to cover the spot up shooter, and you easily get uncontested jump shots. That’s why you see the Hawks struggle mercifully against the elite teams in the league. But I’m just a fan, it can’t be that simple. Surely, someone on the Hawks staff would be all over that. Heh heh
Woody’s reluctant to trust, development, and play the young talent on this team is a glaring weakness of his. What’s more alarming to me is given harsh economic climate that awaits most Sports franchisees in the coming years, maximizing resources and developing your talent base will be paramount to your success. WHEN IS WOODY GOING TO WAKE THE F UP!!!!!
MannyT, let’s hope that Sund is the 21st century NBA Sund-dial. AS a GM, I would be nervous as a rat trapped in a shoebox if I had to depend on Woody to develop my talent base. I agree with your comment on BK…Woody don’t make it easy for you to stand by him. If you don’t believe ask Samuel. Heh heh
Its hard to blame everything on Woody…cuz we all know offense is not his forte. At the very lease, Sund should demand that Woody bring in a new coaching staff next season. I think the economy will take care of personnel decision. Poor JJ, he was in the prime of his career when he came to the Hawks…now look at him, worn out and broke down. What a shame!!!!!!!
Howevere, there is still hope, as mentioned before, the worst of the season is behind them. They still can build a little MO MO going into the playoff, but the energy will have to come from the bench. They can’t panic now, they have to stand together and keep fighting.
Raptors fan in T-O
April 6th, 2009
1:31 pm
Hi Everyone,
Don’t despair, naysayers, you have the non-existent low-post and perimeter defence of the Toronto Raptors to beat up on this Wednesday. We just made the Knicks look like an entire team of Ray Allens and Peja Stokavic’s. Missing the playoffs sucks — at least you guys can say that your squad rode a hot start into the playoffs, our squad was a huge disappointment and it pretty much came down to the strained hamstring of a starting PG. Woody, have your boys be easy on us for the first half so we can have something to cheer about at the game
RickNole
April 6th, 2009
1:34 pm
FIRE WOODY
doc
April 6th, 2009
1:41 pm
mike not much else to say, ditto. proud of your girl much? going to wake? impressive.
Astro Jacka$$
April 6th, 2009
2:04 pm
I struggle to be relevant with my posts, so I have to settle for sarcasm and self-righteousness instead.
Joel in ATL
April 6th, 2009
2:18 pm
For all of you guys banging on Mike Woodson you need to STOP!!! You may not like his style but all his style has done is create more victories each season he has held the post. And all of you screaming the Hawks will not win with Woodson, who the hell you gonna get? Who the hell HAS WON in Atlanta? Please after reading 56 comments NOBODY that doggs Woodson has one solid point. Yes he says he needs to use the bench, that’s coach speak fellas, THERE IS NO BENCH TO USE!!! Mario West is a nice story (nice stories belong in the NCAA tournament), hustler, scrapy defender and that’s about it. IF he wanted more minutes he should hit his garbage time free throws when he get them but no mistake I would have him as a 12th man also. Acie Law is a “BUST” enough said and I was one who dranked the kool aid that he was going to be decent. Randolph Morris, please what are you expecting out of that? Othello Hunter spent a couple of weeks in the D-League with Anaheim, during that stint he showed he’s got nothing to offer either. Speedy…Speedy Claxton needs to play? is that what I’m reading? That would be the biggest mistake since signing him, he can’t stay healthy ever and is stealing more money that Alan Henderson. Solomon Jones…I dranked that Kool Aid also and man when he got the minutes he showed why he shouldn’t have had the minutes. SO I ask again WHAT BENCH (minus Mo Evans,Flip Murray and dare I say ZaZa when Marvin is in the lineup). That’s it the Hawks have a 2nd Round Playoff team (they can’t beat anybody in 7 games ahead of them but can beat EVERYBODY in 7 games below them) with EIGHT PLAYERS!!! Now Sund and the front office need to bang out the paperwork and get the checks written for those that need to stay and find solid vets and a solid bigman that hold the paint down “just enough” until they can make the blockbuster deal. Now to those of you banging on Mike Bibby, hell he’s the reason Atlanta was able to make the run last season, hell he may not be the best point guard in the league but he damn sure isn’t the reason the Hawks slip from time time. The HAWKS are exactly where they are suppose to be, in teh 4th spot with plenty of room to improve and please excuse Mike Woodson if he preaches defense, yet there is a true concern about a lack of ficus from his team and that is ture but there is ONLY SO MUCH a coach can control and after that it’s out of his hands. Is Woodson the best coach on earth…no is he the best coach for the Hawks…YES. Does Joe Johnson play too many minutes…YES…is that a problem…YES but if that’s what it take for the Hawks to win then so be it, if Joe gets a night off and the HAwks lose you’re going to here “Why didn’t Joe Johnson play”…geez I see why Atlanta and Hawks fans get ripped so on the national landscape. Hawks will bow out in 2nd Round in 5 or 6 games which will be PAR as long as they don’t bogey by not getting out of the 1st riund you would have to consider that a success.
c'well
April 6th, 2009
2:26 pm
sekou:
(coaching aside);I see other teams scouting the hawks as saying,”lets force (or sucker) the hawks’ bigs into trying to muster enough offense to beat us (ha-ha)”.Now even a “decent” night on the perimeter wont beat our opposition (because we know our bigs won’t outscore many other teams’ bigs). That throws our whole “o” out of sync.LET THEM YOUNG BOYS RUN! They even play better transition D when they run.
Harpie
April 6th, 2009
2:35 pm
Mike Woodson is not an NBA -calibre coach. Keep the players; get a good coach!!!!!!!!
terrell barron
April 6th, 2009
2:39 pm
I know Mike Bibby has helped the team, but I can see why the Kings fans kicked him to the curb. That guy will drive you crazy. On 1 night, off the next, on 2 nights off for 3, etc….. I remember when we traded for him, a Kings fan visited the blog and said basically the exact same thing, and a lot of you guys killed him. Looks like he was right. And to say that JJ cant hit the side of a barn because he is TIRED from too many min is bogus. All star caliber players always play a ton of min. Hell, damn near of all the Bobcats starters avg 38 min, and they’re playing their best b-ball right now. Gerald Wallace 38, Boris Diaw 38, Raja Bell 36, Felton 38. If anything, it’s because our no defense playing ass pg cant guard the player he is SUPPOSED to guard. What I’m trying to say is, this team is going NOWHERE until we find a REAL pg. PERIOD!
terrell barron
April 6th, 2009
2:40 pm
And oh yeah, Fire Woody!
doc
April 6th, 2009
2:43 pm
joel, rick sund thinks he has a bench and is proud of the fact there are 15 there instead of 13 and chills. said it on 680 two weeks ago.
Astro Joe
April 6th, 2009
2:47 pm
Najeh, true but we’re talking less than $300k. Gardner makes around $735k so they eat less than half-a-season’s contract and pay comparably another $300k for Foyle (as an example). No, it’s not perfectly neutral but it seems like relative chump change.
I was thinking that we will know when the Hawks have “arrived” when we are able to secure the services of a late-season buy-out. I can’t wait for the day when I hear someone like McDyess or Joe Smith say “I want to play for the Hawks”. Maybe it will come next year, when the Grizzlies cut Darko loose.
JerryWest
April 6th, 2009
2:49 pm
That Kings fan made those immortal comments about Bibby, and every Hawks blog in the internet still talks about him more than 1 year later. WOW!
JerryWest
April 6th, 2009
2:55 pm
This is how JJ can play 48 minutes every game.
- He can rest on defense when Acie will chase around the fast point guards.
- He will stop pounding the ball and dribble it up, and let Acie set him up for set shots. His FG% will go through the roof.
I bet his PPG will go up, and Woody can send him to the next All Star Game.
terrell barron
April 6th, 2009
3:01 pm
Ga bulldog, JJ avg’s 39.9 mpg, not 42.
terrell barron
April 6th, 2009
3:08 pm
And Ga bulldog, JJ is the one who is always praising Woody. He once said that Woody is the best coach he’s ever had. So when you say that he’s waisting his talents playing for Woody, he clearly thinks the opposite.
FWF
April 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
Why is everybody trippin ’bout da Hawks? 4 me, they’re doin’ a lot better than I thought they would. They made no significant acquisition. They gambled on da same coaching staff. They still have J Smith bringin’ da ball down court afta a defensive rebound. They still think Bibby can man up to R.Rondo, J.Nelson, and lil’ N. Robinson, and neither of dem is even close to being da best PG in da game! They still think J. Johnson is ‘da man’! They still think A. Hartford is an NBA middle man. They think M. Williams got game now. So, wit all dat misconception ’bout how to function as a contending team, I think they are “OVER-ACHIEVERS”! “GO HAWKS”!
Mike is back
April 6th, 2009
3:31 pm
Doc, preciated bro.
Joel, ditto for Acie and the Hawks bench. What minutes are you basing your comments on. How hard is it to play your bench when your starters are out of gas and the game is out of reach? And don’t slight Mario, the NBA is full of feel good story.
Yeah, I guess its okay to slam bench, and give the coach a pass. THEY ARE IN EASY TARGET!!!!!!
steve
April 6th, 2009
3:34 pm
I still say Marvin, Josh and Acie – if healthy and here, we would not be having this discussion. Does that mean that there isn’t a better NBA coach than Woodson? Not at all, I just don’t know, given the Hawks track record, that we would get a better coach than Woody. Give him the pieces, give him 1 more year, then see were we are at.
Blast
April 6th, 2009
4:04 pm
Said it before and will say it again. Hawks finish 5-10 games over .500, advance to the second round of the playoffs, and Woody ain’t going nowhere. He will at least finish up his contract.
Woody is not the best coach around or COY by any means, but I don’t think all the blame should be on him. The players share blame for not defending the way we know they can, they get blamed for not playing with enough energy, they get blamed for missing free throws, and Sund has some blame as well. Why bring in guys like Gardner, Hunter, Randolph Morris when you know you won’t force the coach to play them? We all know Woody only trusts his vets!
I can understand why some fans are disappointed with Hawks losses. Hawks should have won 50 games this year and held on easily to the 4th spot, but no! Typical Hawks makes it harder for themselves. We know they gave away games they should have won, but look on the positive. As flawed as this team is, they still have a chance to finish the season up double digits in wins. They have a chance to improve ten games over last year, so Hawks might have sucked lately, they’ve still had a good season. Fan expectations should be tempered with harsh, cold reality. Hawks have improved, but they still have ways to go, player upgrade, maybe even a new head coach. Look on the positive, fans, and don’t dwell so much on the negatives.
Hawks need Marvin and Acie back really bad. I believe if they put their minds to it, Hawks can win all last six games. After facing against the best in the league, I can’t see why they should be scared of Toronto, Memphis and such. I would be disappointed if they did what they did last year, back into the playoffs only because teams chasing them for the 8th spot could not win ball games. You want the 4th spot, Hawks? Then take it. It’s yours to lose or take. Philly ain’t gonna give it to you.
Go Hawks, Go!
I MUS.WRITE
April 6th, 2009
4:08 pm
Terrell- I wuz one of those fans that killed the guy -Boy was he right………2 hot games,3 off games , plays through injury,terrible defender, never goes to the rim,good leader…………..I forgot his name but he was right on the muney……………………….. I dont care how many minutes JJ plays -he flat out looks terrible,the last 6 games he has been a no show-of course he’s gonna praise Woody- he knows he can do whateva he wants with no back lash- Drive 1on 4 and turn the ball over…no problem/ pound the ball till the shot cloks at 5 sec no problem.
No need in complaining….nothings gonna change -Woody will be here thru the end of his contract and we can look forward to more of the same nex year.
If we could combine bibby’s IQ and shooting with Ac’s size quickness and defense we would have the perfect PG……………..I dont think Ac is our future PG but i would rather see himon the court when healthy over bibby…….when bibby goes 3-14 and such he isnt contributing so why not play Ac………..Atleast Ac will guard the quick PG’s and get to the hoop instead of firing away from deep every time.
If Bibby plays like he did last year in the playoffs …..I will help him and team dime pack their shyt and get out of town
O'brien
April 6th, 2009
4:10 pm
If Sund signed our bench players, and said Woody has no excuse not to play his bench this year, then what does thay say about Woody’s stubborness, because thats exactly what he has done. Not played his bench.
Steve, I think the main drawback to the Hawks not getting a good coach to replace Woody is because they dont want to pay all that money for a different coach, and still have to pay Woody. And thats why I wont be surprised if Woody comes back next year.
As much as I think we need a new coach, the fact is the Hawks will be the 4th seed, and they’ll probably find a way to win their first round series, plus Woody’s contract is very cost effective. And the Hawks have won more games every year since he’s been here (13, 26, 30, 37, 43 and counting). Therefore, it’s easy to justify Woody coming back for another year.
Mike is back
April 6th, 2009
4:25 pm
Doc, didn’t mean to imply she would be playing bball for the school, she is attending Wake for academic. All the same I’m looking forward to catching the games at GT. Can’t wait to see Favors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dap01
April 6th, 2009
4:29 pm
Having all the players healthy would not make the Hawks have an offensive system. They don’t have one. He tells Bibby, “stand around and if you have a chance, shoot it”. “Joe, let’s isolate and see if you can score every time down the floor.”, “Yes, I know that I have no idea how to have the other players in the correct position on the floor”.
Having all the players healthy would not allow the bench to be utilized (see our well documented history).
Having all the players healthy would not allow Woody to coach to our players strenght which is running (see our well documented history)
Having all the players healthy would not erase that “mentally bankrupt” look that is on Woody’s face during each game.
Having all the players healthy would not erase all the 3rd quarters where the opposing coach made half time adjustments (see our well documented history in the 3rd quarter).
Woody sucks, he has lived off of “improving records” longer than any coach in NBA history. The Hawks have won in spite of Woody.
He is a not an good NBA coach. If management keeps him, then it is clear that they are not trying to build a championship team.
preston
April 6th, 2009
5:11 pm
Anybody else getting a laugh out the pic of Joe Johnson and Mike Woodson at the top of this page? Looks like Joe Johnson is trying to come out of the game while Woodson aint having no part of it.
Joe Johnson- Coach, please…I am exhausted man, these 40 min. plus a game is killing me.
Mike Woodson- Yo guys….Joe is making a mad dash for the exits again….help me to push azz back in the there!
doc
April 6th, 2009
5:34 pm
tb, that is still about 5 mpg more than it should be.
folks, take a look on yahoo at how teams divide play time. does one think denver is more talented or melo or billips lesser players than our guys.melo and billips avg 35 mpg, there are 9 guys avg 22 mpg on that squad and 1 at 18. our guys it is 7 guys at 22 or more, zaza about 20 and 2 getting about ten. i dont look at their roster and see players that are better from top to bottom but somehow they go through a major change in guards, send a very capable center we would love to have to another team without a return and melo being injured and play at altitude to boot and somehow play 12 guys for more than 10 mpg and are 2 games into the elite 50 win level at the top of their division. what is the difference, the gm?
cp
April 6th, 2009
5:54 pm
I just read that Speedy says he feels he is healthy enough to play and that the Hawks should either play him or let him go.
terrell barron
April 6th, 2009
5:55 pm
Blast, do you honestly believe that “the hawks can win their last 6 games?” Please. Do you mean like they could’ve won that game against Orlando? We know they CAN, but we also know they probably WONT. It should be interesting to say the least, but I’m not expecting a 5 or 6 game winning streak or anything crazy like that. And btw, the Hawks are just like women. Cant live with em, cant live without em. lol!!
MannyT
April 6th, 2009
5:58 pm
Preston, you are funny. Now that Sekou is having fun putting pics in the blog, maybe we should have caption contests for them.
If Josh had posed for his picture, we’d call it a Whine & Cheese.
Joel, If you back up to RA’s comments in Sekou’s part of the blog, the bench issue is mainly about the lack of development. Did Nate McMillan look at Nick Batum at the start of this season and say he was the man? Not hardly, but he saw a rationale to develop another player when they had injuries at the start of the season. Did Pop decide that George Hill was a star from the draft. I doubt it, but he did get time to learn their system while playing. Until Marvin went down, there was almost no bench development here.
Woody has done a good job of winning more games. The concern is that he has done it in a way that you cannot sustain if there is no bench development. There were no draft picks to develop, so why couldn’t the staff give more development time to the end of the bench.
Just a quick look around the league. I picked a few teams that have some commonalities with the Hawks and looked at the minutes of their top players. The focus was how many of the players on a team have already played more than 2000 minutes this season.
Hawks 5
Spurs 4
Trailblazers 3
Sixers 3
The numbers are likely to go up for all of the teams before the end of the season. What this tells me is that Woody consistently relies on fewer players than other teams.
A big part of the what to do with Bibby question revolves around the lack of development of someone to fill his shoes if we do not bring him back.
Woody does not suck. Woody does have challenges developing his bench during the season. Fourth seed might be the best we can hope to see with him as coach unless you have a fountain of youth for Joe & Mike to get their legs back.
BWAF
O'brien
April 6th, 2009
7:24 pm
Bibby would not be seen as such a liability if Woody did a good job of game management. In games where Bibby was struggling (offensively or defensively), especially if we’re playing a quick PG, Woody should have played Acie more. And maybe if we didnt switch every single time, we wouldnt be forced into so many mismatches. I remember one of the earlier Boston games, where Bibby ended up guarding Pierce after the switch, and time after time, Pierce made the jumper over Bibby. I’m not a coach, but that’s my opinion.
Astro Joe
April 6th, 2009
7:30 pm
Manny, that threshold could be a function of injuries, right? I mean in the case of the Spurs, the giys most likely to put up a ton of minutes are Parker, Duncan and Ginobli and I’m fairly certain all 3 have missed more than a handful of games this season. I has started looking at teams wh have players who average 15 minutes or more per game. I only looked at 4 teams.. 2 had more than the Hawks and 1 had fewer and 1 the same.
Blast
April 6th, 2009
8:21 pm
Terrell B. About the Hawks winning all remaining games, knowing them, I don’t believe it will happen, but I said “if they put their minds to it” if they want to, they can do it. But then it’s Hawks we’re talking about here!
In truth, I don’t care if they win all the next games so long as they keep the 4th. It will be tragic after holding that spot almost all year to lose it at the end of the season. That’s why I feel now is when the Hawks must show their mettle. I’m very interested in seeing how they close out the season. They’ve been beaten up like dogs, like your bad stepchild by the best in the league this last week. Me, I would be looking to remove that bad taste from my mouth by beating up on these lesser teams coming up. That’s all I’m saying.
Blast
April 6th, 2009
8:26 pm
Damn! Manu out for the season? That’s gonna hurt the Spurs.
O'brien
April 6th, 2009
8:27 pm
I think the game in Toronto will be big. If the Hawks can win that game, then they will be able to carry that momentum to Milwaukee.
Ken Strickland
April 6th, 2009
9:12 pm
After reading recent posts, it appears a lot of you have reached the same level of frustration I reached a looong time ago with Woodson.
As a child, I once got food poisoning from eating bananas that had exposed tips and almost died. After that, I couldn’t eat another whole banana, but I would enhale banana pudding. After suffering a stroke, I had to live with my parents during my recovery and they kept a constant supply of bananas on hand. Many times I would look at them and wish I could eat one. Finally, at about age 58 or 59, I said to myself, you are an intelligent adult and you have to get over this silly hangup. So, I picked up a banana and slowly consumed it, and it was delisious. I’ve been enjoying them every since.
I told that story to point out how Woodson simply hasn’t reached the level of maturity or awareness that would allow him to recognize and overcome his HC issues or hangups. It appears he wants to develop an image, like his mentors Bobby Knight & Larry Brown, that appears bigger than life. And, we’ve all heard others refer to their successful teams as Bobby Knight or Larry Brown coached teams.
Woodson seems obcessed with wanting people to see the Hawks as a Mike Woodson coached team. That’s why whenever the Hawks go on a winning srreak he automatically try’s to place his stamp on the team’s sucess by taking control, shortening the rotation and slowing down the OFF. He despersately wants an identity as a HC, and control is the only way he knows. Isn’t it ironic that a person with control issues has control of a team thst so frequently plays out of control?
Woodson is so focused on achieving success as a HC his way and on his terms, he can’t see the damage he’s doing to his team, his players and ultimately to himself along the way. His indoctrination won’t allow him to understand that the Bobby Knight and Larry Brown approach to coaching and dealing with players isn’t the only way to be successful. I don’t expect the disfunctional ASG to fire Woodson and basically admit they made a critical mistake in keeping him and forcing BK out. I expect them to take the politically correct approach and allow his contract to expire and not renew, hopefully. IT’S JUST MY OPINION.
RA
April 6th, 2009
9:46 pm
Jfreak, I never said that my way was the only way to look at things, and God knows it’s probably not the best, but Mike Woodson, or Woody, whatever you want to call him, he’s taken this team, my team, from no talent, no direction, no hope, to being a team that went to the playoffs last year and is headed back this years. Now, has he made mistakes, sure, big ones, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that, on the hole, what he’s done is nothing short of extraordinary, but that’s just my point of view.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 6th, 2009
10:10 pm
Ken, don’t get offended, but… is that banana story really true, or did you just use that to illustrate a point? If it is true it’s one of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever seen described on this blog…
Melvin
April 6th, 2009
10:18 pm
Najeh…lol..
Melvin
April 6th, 2009
10:18 pm
Get me Ty Lawson in here and I will live with his growing pains…
Ariose
April 6th, 2009
10:34 pm
Lawson is going to get eaten alive in the NBA. He’s not a shooter, the only thing he does is drive to the hoop. J-Smoove, Dwight Howard,Al Horford, Marvin, Solo……these guys will eat his lunch. His Layups bare;y make it over his unathletic NCAA peers…..No chache against the Big boy high-flyers in the NBA.
CP3 was an exellent 3pt shooter at Wake. Lawson has short arms. He won’t have a chance to get his shot up before it’s sent back into his stubby little arms. I’m just bein’ real here…. Patrick Mills, Johnny Flynn, Stephen Curry, A.J Slaughter(WKU), Maynor…..those are the guards that can do real damage on the NBA hardwood.
Lawson tried coming out last year and the Scouts saw the very thing that I am stating to you now. He went back b/c he was afraid of being undrafted. Even if he wins a title tonight, he’s still a mid to late second round pick….
He’s not that fast. The freshman(MSU) Lucious comes off the bench and Ty can’t get anywhere after that.
Melvin
April 6th, 2009
10:54 pm
Ariose, I like those PG’s that you listed (except for Flynn and I haven’t seen AJ play). I really like the Maynor kid. As for Lawson, I think you are under estimating his skills. He’s getting to the paint at will. Notice how Lucious has become a catch and shoot player tonite and how Lucas is having problems getting into the paint. It’s b/c of the quickness of Lawson on defense (I think he has about 5 or 6 steals at the half). Lawson will make the transition to the pro level.
As for CP3, he wasnt/still not a good 3pt shooter. He score majority of his points around the paint. He does have a good mid-range game but I would prefer to see him shoot 3’s vs watching him slash thru my defense to get in the paint any day.
O'brien
April 6th, 2009
11:00 pm
RA, Woody gets some credit, but I dont think he deserves as much credit as you’re giving him. When we won 13, 26, 30 games, that was somewhat expected and understood, and could even be justified. But considering the improvements that Marvin, Josh and Chills made (from being in the league, becoming better players etc), and JJ stepping up, that was a big part of the reason for the improvement to 37 games.
Last year, there were games the Hawks blew, (especially coming out after halftime) where I felt like another coach would have been able to make adjustments. There were games that came down to the last shot, and everybody knew what Woody was going to do. Iso Joe. Better coaches would have designed better plays. And the Hawks backed into the playoffs last year (they went 2-4 in their last six). Fortunately, the other teams behind us lost enough games that allowed us to keep the 8th spot.
I guess all Im saying is as good a job as Woody might have done, I think a better coach would have led to more wins, because Woody has no offensive system, does not utilize his bench, and does not know how to make in game adjustments until it’s too late.
O'brien
April 6th, 2009
11:02 pm
Plus the addition of Al Horford played a major part as well.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 6th, 2009
11:03 pm
I think Maynor and Jennings are head and shoulders ahead of the other point guards in this draft, but I definitely think Lawson and Flynn can be contributors on good teams, even if they don’t become stars. I feel the same way about Stephen Curry that Ariose feels about Lawson — I see him in the Euroleague in 3 years, real talk.
Then again, I had no idea CP3 would be anywhere near as good as he is as a scorer. I had confidence in his quickness, passing ability, and defense, but I had no clue he would get shots as easily as he does. So who knows, maybe Lawson, Flynn and Curry have what it takes to be great.
But as I’ve said before, I don’t think the Hawks need to draft a point guard. Get the best player available and play Acie more. Right now NBADraft.net has the Hawks taking Flynn with DeJuan Blair getting drafted right after him. I would LOVE to see Blair in a Hawks uniform if the Hawks are picking in the low 20s.
Ariose
April 6th, 2009
11:25 pm
Well, I may be wrong about lawson, and I defenetly see what you guys are saying about Curry(Redick, Salim….although we’ll see what happens with Milwaukee), But patty Mills is my #1 prospect. He torched the college competition and he worked the best the NBA had to offer in the Olympics. The boy is BAD, he’s gona be the truth. I don’t care where you sick him, or with what coach, it’s goin’ down lol.
Remeber, the College 3pt shot is a deep mid-range shot in the NBA, and CP3 is automatic from there. In college he hit those with ease.
Jennings is serious, but don’t sleep on A.J Slaughter every NCAA tounament the guy single-handedly upsets somebody. Flynn is a bit small too but he’s very athletic, he has big-game tendenchies(remindes me of a young Chauncey Billups) hopefully he will transition well.
Ariose
April 6th, 2009
11:51 pm
Danny Green? Robert Dozier? Tyrese Rice?…..I like Dozier
Ken Strickland
April 7th, 2009
12:28 am
NEJAH-it is absolutely a true story. I was very young, very sick, and couldn’t tell the doctors anything that could gave them a clue as to what was making me so sick. The only reason I’m alive today is my Great Grandmother ended up eating some of the same bananas and got sick as well and was able to tell the doctors what might have caused it. Until about 3yrs ago, I could eat anything with bananas in it, but I couldn’t eat a whole banana. Now that I’ve overcome it, it sounds like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but at the time, it was a real issue with me. That’s why I can relate to the difficulty Woodson has with letting go of his hangups no matter how silly, disruptive or counter productive they might be.
Fortunately, I reached a point where I decided it was time to change and get that psychological monkey off my back. Woodson just hasn’t reached that point yet, and unfortunately, it might never happen for him. Anyone that’s satisfied with what we’ve accomplished, especially compared to the failures over the last 10yrs, then your support for Woodson is understandable. However, if you want more than just making the playoffs and worrying about which team you matchup best against just to have a chance to win a 1st rd series, then Woodson needs to go. He’s reached his limit. The strontest person in the world will weaken and faulter if given the burden of maintaining that weight over a prolonged period of time. After 5yrs, the young Hawk have reached a level of maturity and success that has causing them to weaken and faulter under the burden placed on them by Woodson and his methods.
OUR PLAYERS, AND ULTIMATELY OUR TEAM, WILL NOT GET ANY BETTER UNLESS WE GET BETTER OVERALL COACHING, PERIOD. ADDING NEW PLAYERS WON’T DO ANY GOOD IF THEY’RE GOING TO GET MISUSED AND/OR MISTREATED THE WAY SOME OF OUR CURRENT PLAYERS ARE BEING MISUSED AND MISTREATED.
Snowman
April 7th, 2009
1:41 am
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