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
GA Bulldawg
April 7th, 2009
1:49 am
Obviously, we’re unhappy with the way this team is being coached, the overplaying of our starters and the underplaying/underdevelopment of our bench. Instead of just posting our frustrations on the blog, why not make them useful and communicate them directly to the Hawks organization? I have personally emailed them most of what has been said here and (surprise!) I actually got a response.
The response was nothing more than a simple “Thanks. I’ll be sure to pass that along,” but at least it means that someone read it and actually cared enough to respond.
That being said, here is the Hawks fanmail email address that I got from the Hawks website: hawks.fanmail@atlantaspirit.com
PLEASE, PLEASE if you’re a TRUE fan don’t hesitate to email them. The more emails they get from the fans, the more likely they are to respond (well at least I hope so).
Now, email away!
GA Bulldawg
April 7th, 2009
1:55 am
Preston: Hahaha…I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture!!! JJ’s expression…just priceless lol
Mink
April 7th, 2009
5:57 am
The problem is Josh Smith. If you watch a game on TV, you can see his escapades, driving the ball like he’s a point guard, getting ripped, staying back court to argue that he was fouled while the guys play 4-on-5 defense…. He mopes around, crossing his legs over each other like he’s just come out from a trip across the desert, and he jacks up jumper after jumper, KNOWING that he shoots about 25-30%.
We should’ve traded his rights to Memphis and we’d have a shot at Thabeet. Can you imagine a frontcourt of Thabeet and Horford? With Horford’s development of a mid-range jumpshot, we’d be more than solid.
Point guard needs to be addressed, but honestly, Flip Murray could run the show for another year or two. Bibby is past his prime. He hits some shots, but not enough to outweigh the points his “D” costs us.
We need to make a run at some players this offseason while Joe still has a couple of years left. It won’t be long before he’s just a set-shooter that can play 25 minutes a game. Get another dynamic, all-star player and make that run while we can..
Samuel
April 7th, 2009
9:30 am
Cuz,
Don’t really understand all the fuss. We played 6 out of our last 8 against teams who are better than us. We lost 6 of 8.
Now we have our last 5 against teams we should beat. We lose the 2 game lead with 5 games left, then we have a problem.
Woody=COY
GA Bulldawg
April 7th, 2009
9:31 am
Mink and Shaunty, I agree with pretty much everything yall said. Josh Smith has become a team cancer. Don’t get me wrong, I love Josh and NO, i’m not blaming our losses and struggles on him but he has become more of a root of the problem and as we look forward to becoming contenders within 2-3 years, he cannot be part of a solution.
He THINKS he is Lamar Odom, a natural 3 playing the 4 with the ability to handle the ball but Smoove has no REAL ball handling ability. Everytime I watch a Hawks game and he attempts to bring the ball up the court with 3 other defenders on him, I scream at the TV, “Please pass the ball to a guard!” lol…literally. I actually get tense because his dribbling is so out of control that it looks like he is going to commit a turnover every time he does that…and well, most of the time he does create a TO when he does that. The fact that he continues to do this shows that Woodson has not told him to stop doing that!!! That’s the coaches responsibility to correct his errors but you see the same mistakes happening in each game. Woody needs to go!
Astro Joe
April 7th, 2009
9:33 am
Encouraging news that Marvin is travelling with the team the next two days. I’d imagine that his back is well enough that it won’t lock up on him while sitting in the airplane. I don;t recall seeing him on the bench during the past few games.
Shawn Marion doesn’t pose much of an offensive threat tonight. Jefferson potentially could have a big niht against Evans tomorrow, however.
If nothing else, Sund needs to address the bench next year. Assuming that we re-sign Marvin, we need a viable back-up in the event this back problem returns. Evans is much too small to deal with starting SFs. Someone like Devean George may be a cheap option to consider for the bench.
MAC-TOWN
April 7th, 2009
10:00 am
I would say the obvious things are that we need a REAL big man…and we need a PG who has the ability to penetrate and create shots for other shooters.
The thing I think hawks fans are torn in half about is Josh Smith.
I like his athleticism…….but I dont think he has much besides the ability to block shots and dunk
If he played within his game, I believe he would be more productive…..instead of trying to take deep jumpers and cross over people
I think his low basketball IQ and Mike Bibby (on his off nights) might be as big if not bigger faults for hawks shortcomings than Woodson.
Sekou Smith
April 7th, 2009
10:01 am
Ken Strickland told a story at 9:12 yesterday that deserves its own photo. Wish I had one. Ha. While I understand all the venom and vitriol dished out to specific players and coaches around here, what I don’t get is why everyone assumes you need to get rid of them to fix the issue. Sometimes it’s the subtle tweak or two that makes the difference. Take the work Denver did this year, moving Camby and then AI. They’re probably going to wind up in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference playoff chase and George Karl could wind up coach of the year. They didn’t have to blow up the roster or move Carmelo or anything like that. Just a thought …
MAC-TOWN
April 7th, 2009
10:06 am
A true Big man playing center, horford at PF, SF?, PG = a PG with the ability to penetrate and kick out….or Bibby and Acie (with ALOT more minutes) and we will be cool
i put a question mark at SF because….does josh smith have the shooting ability or enough handles to be a starting SF….i dont think so….get rid of him or bring him off the bench…..
MAC-TOWN
April 7th, 2009
10:06 am
SG = of course joe
Edo River
April 7th, 2009
10:15 am
Astro Joe, Your initial comments are rather disappointing. But, hey, everyone makes at least 1 mistake in their life. lol.
We should see the improvement that the team has made when all is played and said and done. There is improvement. Progress. Its there. the Real Thing. So relax, chill out there are worse things happening off court than the team’s record. I’m sure you know that better than I.
Regards from Japan,
GA Bulldawg
April 7th, 2009
10:42 am
Yeah by now it’s obvious that Josh Smith needs to come off the bench, kinda like Lamar Odom did before Andrew Bynum was injured. Al Horford is a TRUE power forward not Smoove, who was drafted as a 3. He should be Horford’s backup. After 5 seasons, he STILL lacks a consistent jumpshot and handles so he can’t be a SF. It will be tough but with his energy and athleticism he could come in as an instant game changer, kinda like Flip. To solve our lack of bench production, he can make our bench better and will add to the depth. Like I said, we can’t get rid of him because his contract is basically untradeable…so we might as well bring him off the ben
GA Bulldawg
April 7th, 2009
10:42 am
*bench
doc
April 7th, 2009
10:55 am
funny, i was thinking vitriol as well when i came to this blog for a different reason. same word, uncanny.
dont go mentioning karl now as a coy or your cuz is liable to go off on you sekou. heh heh
didnt you hear, they imploded and we had the coach to bring us down the stretch just at the right time. guess we got to wait a little longer for woody as he plays possum with the rest of the league.
amazin
April 7th, 2009
11:13 am
GA Bulldawg
Josh Smith needs to come the bench. In the last 3 losses for the Hawks. He is avg. 21.6 ppg, 57fg% and 8.6rpg. Joe Johnson is shooting 33fg%, 15.6ppg, 4.3rpg and 5 assists. Horford is shooting 42%, avg 10.3ppg and 9.6rpg. Let you tell it is obvious Smith needs to come off the bench. The blind hatred of Smith on this board is amazing. JJ and Bibby might be the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA. Johnson has turned into the biggest ball stopper in the NBA and Bibby probably couldn’t guard 80% of the people on this blog but it is Smith’s fault. I am not saying Smith is perfect but in this organization there is a lot of blame to go around. Starting with Woodson.
newkid
April 7th, 2009
11:15 am
So, if Denver’s moving of Camby and AI – in one year – can be termed ’subtle tweaking’, what’s Atlanta’s equivalent Sekou?
Astro Joe
April 7th, 2009
11:56 am
The Billups acquisition put everyone in their natural position. The Camby trade opened the door for Nene. So would dumping Bibby open the door for Acie? Trading Marvin or Smith for a center to get Horford to his natural position could be the other deal. Is that the equivalent to what Denver did?
O'brien
April 7th, 2009
12:27 pm
Josh Smith is not as big a problem as some of you think he is, and although he’s been in the league 5 years, I still think he has untapped potential. That being said, if we could trade him for a starter (PG or center), and another piece, then I’m all for it, as long as it makes the Hawks a better team. The problem is finding a trade partner.
Samuel, we lost to teams better than us, I agree. But these teams were missing arguably their best player (Spurs-Duncan, Celtics-KG), and they beat us in our house. What bothers me the most is the way we’ve lost those games. Doing the same thing over and over (even if it’s not working), inability to make adjustemts etc., and it’s a recurring theme with these Hawks.
Sekou, so who would be resposnible for doing this subtle tweak? Sund, or Woody? Or both? (For the record, I dont see Woody doing anything different).
doc
April 7th, 2009
1:46 pm
heh heh heh …. hey newk, i wonder if karl felt it was a tweak? or was it one of those addition by subtraction things or than a tweak?
amazin, mighty good points there. jj as a defender is a joke, only have to look at his numbers in steals or blocks, stopper he aint either.
o’b the man you are arguing with cant see reality even when you point it out to him. see coy is for guys that exceed the unexpected with their teams or win championships. the argument samuel gives when defending woody of late is you cant expect anything more from the team than to be above mediocre even when teams ahead of us have had significant injuries or absent players when playing them. how can woody be the coy when he is getting what one would expect out of them?
aj, just a minor tweak needed if we had a coach who could coach em all up instead of make excuses. denver plays it players as i pointed out yesterday, melo avgs only 35 a game. billips 35 as well and they are the stars of the team, no one else close to being a star and still getting minutes.
newkid
April 7th, 2009
1:52 pm
Here’s a subtle tweak for you. To assist the Hornets with their need to dump salary, while allowing us to get a legitimate post player in here at a reasonable cost, send them Speedy, RMorris, and the rights to Childress for Tyson Chandler. Hornets move Childress’ rights to another side for future draft considerations (and thereby get an immediate ~$5M salary write down), and both Speedy and RMo come off the books after next season. Chandler at the 5 allows Sund a real opportunity to test Horford at 4 and either Marvin or Smoove at the 3 scenarios before making a long-term decision about SF direction. The net near-term cost is ~$5 million increase in Hawks 2009/2010 payroll. After this move, but prior to re-signing Marvin, Sund starts building next year’s squad with the following players under contract for about `$45 million: JJ, Smoove, Horford, Chandler, Acie, and Mo Evans. He’ll also have an automatic financial commitment to the player taken at #19 (~$1 M). This leaves significant room for all sorts of chess games, not the least of which is consideration of the possibility the JJ will walk after next season (did you see the rumor about LeBron possibly urging the Cavs to strongly consider pursuing JJ in ‘10 to pair with him for multiple championship runs in Cleveland?).
Just a thought.
doc
April 7th, 2009
1:52 pm
o’b the spurs came in expecting to lose that night having played duncan against a lesser opponent the night before. ginobli on a bad wheel and bowen sits a great portion of the night and we still get hammered by a point guard untouched still. no one can argue that was the spurs that night. it was one of the worst games we played all year as they played slam down of josh when ever he came in the lane and we did the matador ole’ routine with parker.
Astro Joe
April 7th, 2009
1:59 pm
doc, I knew that someone else would point out that Woody isn’t Karl so a subtle change for Karl would require closer to a major overhaul for Woody.
But I have argued for the past several months that I wouldn’t break up this nucleus (yet). I’d bring in a Hinrich type along with a Rasho type and give them until the All-Star break to show and prove. After that, I’d look to make some changes… starting with the HC and extending to the players. But other than replacing Bibby, the changes I would make this summer would not likely affect the core of the team.
One more quick thing. Was Sund the GM during the days when Don Casey was the hot-shot assistant with the Sonics? I’ve been trying to think of potential coaching candidates based on Sund’s background. I came up with Bob Hill and Avery Johnson (Sund talks more about his Dallas days then he does his Seattle tenure). At one point, Rolando Blackmon was an assistant coach, did Derek Harper ever do the same?
Mike is back
April 7th, 2009
2:01 pm
I’m always amazed at the venom spewed at Josh. Funny how people can see all his mistake, but overlook the numerous mistakes he covers for others. Josh is far from a finished product. The notion he want continue to improve and get better is even more amazing. Look at what Josh and Al are asked to do in Woody’s system. I agree he deserves some criticism, but to call him a Cancer is getting a little personal.
Before we start making dramatic changes to the roster, why not do something subtle as Sekou suggest. Change offensive scheme so it takes advantage of your personnel. Sounds like a novel idea to me. Either Josh or Marvin will have to come off the bench so AL can move to his natural position. The problem with bringing Josh off the bench is that Marvin defers to JJ, Bibby, and Flip. Have any of ever thought about how difficult it is to play in system that highlights weakness instead of strengths. After witness all the personal attacks Marvin endured, his first three years…can’t say I’m surprised. We don’t need to draft another project at PG, give Acie a chance. We can use Flip and JJ if need be to back him up. WE NEED BIGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The question is do trade young developing players or get rid of an old outdated system.
Ken Strickland
April 7th, 2009
2:05 pm
Pointing fingers at certain players is not the answer to our problems. We have only 4 players(Flip, JJ, Acie and Bibby)that can effectively create their own shot. It’s understandable, at least to me, why Smoove gets so frustrated and takes it upon himself to go one on one, like Bibby, JJ and Flip are allowed to do. Acie is the only PG that can penetrate, breakdown a DEF and get easy shots for his teammates. Bibby is one dimensional and doesn’t create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates. Flip can penetrate and breakdown a
DEF, but he doesn’t create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates, just himself. Woodson’s OFF is also one dimensional and is designed to create scoring opportunities for players with excellent ballhandling and one on one skills.
Consider the following. You’re a starter, your team is struggling, you see your guards going playground with the OFF and freezing everyone else out, and you see your HC standing on the sidelines with arms folded doing nothing to correct the problem. WHAT IN THE DEVIL WOULD YOU DO?
These are the same players that contributed to the several dominate winning streaks we’ve had this yr. The difference in their performances and the teams success has been based on how much freedom they’re given by Woodson. When the bench is utilized, the rotation extended and they’re allowed to play uptempo, our DEF amazingly becomes almost dominant. Under these circumstances, both Horford and Smoove’s production increases, especially their OFF production.
WHEN THE TEAM GETS BOGGED DOWN ON OFF, JOSH TRIES TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN BY GOING TO WHAT HE KNOWS WORKS FOR THIS TEAM. SO, HE ATTACKS THE BASKET INSTEAD OF SHOOTING 3′S, TRY’S TO CHANGE THE TEMPO BY PLAYING PG AND FORCING A FASTBREAK BY PUSHING THE BALL UP THE COURT AND CHALLENGING THE OPPOSITIONS TRANSITION DEF. If all you’re going to do as a PG is end up shooting jumpshots, like Bibby, there’s no need to push the ball and go uptempo. If Acie trys to push the ball, which is his strength, he gets benched, openly berated and then ignored.
newkid
April 7th, 2009
2:07 pm
It’s blasphemous of me to have neglected this, so big props to Coach Roy and my Tarheels!! Having experienced Franklin Street on the night of Michael’s shot ‘a few years back’, I can only imagine last night’s revelry. Great job guys!! Let’s do it again in 2010.
Also big ups to an acquaintance who did yet another superb job officiating last night’s game. Great job Tony! Cat’s one of the most well respected officials in college basketball, and is consistently selected by tne NCAA to officiate the biggest games. I believe last night was like his 3rd or 4th NCAA championship game.
rusty
April 7th, 2009
2:37 pm
our offense is one dimensional,iso joe
doc
April 7th, 2009
2:43 pm
aj good point, he is part of the old boy network. would be surprised if a new fresh face came in. problem is there are nod good ole faces out there. nope i dont like avery or flip.
old coach isnt gone yet and shouldnt be unless we falter to lesser teams down the stretch and fall into the 5 slot or dont advance into the second round meaning a lesser team beat us. kind of a premature discussion but never too late to plan ahead. we should always have our list as a gm right?
Samuel
April 7th, 2009
2:49 pm
Doc,
The difference between me and some people here is that I can give credit where it’s due. Yes, Karl has redeemed himself and if they finish in the #2 spot, he deserves consideration. But so does a coach who takes his team from a #8 spot to the #4 position. Especially if they win a first round playoff series.
You guys keep harping on getting a new coach but I still say that no coach out there can take a team with 1 borderling star past teams with Hall of Fame type players. All three of those teams are capable of winning it all. Boston, even without KG, can still win a ring. Cleveland quite possibly may have the MVP and Orlando has the most dominate big man in the game today. We don’t and no coaching is gonna change that.
I really do like Josh and would hate to give him up but we may have to in order to tweak this roster. He cannot play the 3 consistantly on offense period. Any body who believes otherwise is kidding themselves. If we move Al to 4 Josh wouldn’t have a position.
Id take Rasheed or McDyce.
I wouldn’t have a problem letting Bibby go as long as we bring in someone else. Acie is not the answer IMO. Ellis wants out and is a Southern boy.
I think we will have a lot of options this summer. Practically our whole team is at the end of their contracts. Somethng like 28 mil in salaries.
Woody=COY
Melvin
April 7th, 2009
4:08 pm
Get me Moe Cheeks in here…
AtlSouthside
April 7th, 2009
4:39 pm
Josh is liability when the ball is in his hands, he cannot dribble, and his jumpshot is weak as hell… what I can’t understand is WHY DOES HE KEEP TAKING JUMPSHOTS!!! I’m not one to say we need a new coach, but DAMN… we need something new and something different. The truth is that the Hawks better pray that Miami wins the 5th spot, because I dont see us beat Philly in a 7-game series.
I’m tired of seeing our “big men” take jumpshots! And I’m tired of seeing lack of intensity on the floor. When we’re on offense no one makes an effort to attack the offensive boards, it’s like as soon as JJ shoots everybody runs the other way like they know the shot will drop. I know that I’m not the only one that has noticed that…
DKRIB
April 7th, 2009
5:26 pm
Yo Ken,
Chill!! The Hawks are the 4th best team in the east. Period!! The problem with the Hawks is not the coach..WE NEED A LEGIT CENTER… Until Management finds a legit center, we will not reach the next level.
bigdave
April 7th, 2009
6:10 pm
ive said in a previous post that our team has no direction or identity and is poorly managed… i think i said something like we have a bunch of “jack of all trades” and no “masters of one”. i gave the example of our bigs allowed to bring the ball up the floor freely ignoring a guard.. instead of giving the ball up and using your athleticism/speed/youth to sprint up the floor. or the idea that everyone on our team either feels like or is allowed to shoot regardless of range. play like this, that we see every night, gets u pulled or “coached up” on most good pro team and all college teams.
i just think its time for a new coach and philosophy… i mean for a coach that is supposed to be so defensive minded how can he be so content with allowing opposing guards to routinely enter the teeth of our defense…?
doc
April 7th, 2009
6:12 pm
well put samuel. i agree that woody should continue on if they finish at 46 wins which is what it looks like it will take to get into the 4 position and doesnt falter in the post season. my guess is they may even keep him if they get the 4 slot but still falter. not quite there on coy for woody as they falter to the finish line. brown probably gets it on the coat tails of labron though karl deserves it as well based on what he had to overcome. good for brown, maybe woody is of the same ilk. time will tell.
yes, there are contracts for 5 important folks up for review this summer, two the next year. so, plenty of room to tweak it. plenty to talk about in the coming months.
now to play it out to find out the playoff seed.
Kenneth
April 7th, 2009
6:13 pm
If Claxton is ready to play, why don’t Woody use him since he is on the payroll and we really have gotten little bang for bucks? Can he give us anything or not?
AtlSouthside
April 7th, 2009
6:29 pm
We need a big man badly! And Hortford & Josh need to stay inside the paint, and stop shooting jumpshots…those cats are young, they should be banging with the opposition instead of taking it easy on them and settling for the jumpshot… Sometimes I think we really need a new coach, because if Woody is looking at the same game film I’m looking at he would’ve been made the necessary changes.
Maybe thats why they call him Woody! Because you think he “would” make changes… we have too much talent on this team to play the way we are playin now…
Snowman
April 7th, 2009
6:39 pm
Sekou, you should be ashamed of yourself for fanning this non-sense with your article (you of all people know how good these teams they have played lately are). What is up with this negative fire Woody obsession with the Atlanta fan base?…seriously?…You all are Atlanta Hawks fans and this team and organization has sucked for years…c’mon?…For 10-15 years or so you all have been the LA Clippers of the east!…And play the bench…WHAT FREAKIN BENCH????…he does play the ONLY people who can. I remember the same arguments about playing Sheldon and Salim Stoudamire were being made a year or two ago …where are they today and if they are so good (Salim is out of the league and Sheldon was just been traded for Calvin Booth…hold on, I can’t stop laughing…give me a minute…smile).
Sekou you should be ashamed because at least I know you know better!!!…
otisfirefly
April 7th, 2009
6:40 pm
Its obvious the HAWKS need to add a true big man @ center. Everyone’s thoughts on who will be available??
Snowman
April 7th, 2009
6:55 pm
Oh, and another thing Woody turned this this circus of an orgainzation into one of the respectable and talked about teams in the league. When they finally got into the playoffs a year ago they gave this town an incredible 7 game serious against the eventual NBA World Champion Celtics (You all do remember that series right?…or did I dream it?). What other coach in freakin NBA HISTORY could have gotten the 37-42 Hawks to a game 7 finals against the eventual NBA World Champs…that’s right NOBODY!!!!….
So how did the front office reward coach Woodson, well they had no draft picks this year (period!!!) to help him…they lost Chill to Greece, they did not add a much, much needed quality “Big Man” like (and I can’t believe I am going to say this) Kwame Brown or even Joe Smith or someone like that. They did add Mo (but they could of had Roger Mason Jr.) and Flip and thank God they did (although I don’t believe any of us thought Flip was going to be as good as he has been, right?).
I remember hearing Michael Jordan last year saying he wished Charlotte was making the advancements in the league like Atlanta has. He sounded like he wanted to model what was happening hear. Come on Sekou let’s cheer and support our guys and coaches instead of ripping them apart. If Woody wins 45 games or so and the 1st round of the playoffs we should throw him a ticker tape parade instead ripping him to shreads!!!…Go Hawks…I really like them and the way they carry themselves (by the way, wasn’t Cleveland down 43 Saturday against the Magic after losing to the Wizards on Friday…I wonder if the local reports and bloggers ripped the Cavs in Cleveland the next day). Just stop it Sekou…be cool…you’re starting to sound like your buddy Jeff Schultz, seriously nd that is NOT good!!!
otisfirefly
April 7th, 2009
7:09 pm
^ I like that
Rollins Tree
April 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
Now you know!! Yes we do….. that the Hawks can NOT win on the road.
Bye Bye Woodson after this season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sautee
April 7th, 2009
8:04 pm
Don’t worry, he’ll melt in a day or so when it warms up.
MAC-TOWN
April 7th, 2009
8:06 pm
Hey guys, same story for me. I see the same things I thought.
1) Hawks coming back down to earth
2) Us getting beat by a team and me thinking to myself (How in the h3ll is their record so suckish and ours is so good?)
I mean seriously….Toronto actually has a “2nd Unit”….we dont.
a guy like Kapono..Bish…Barnyani (?)….and I must say again…a 2nd Unit who is murdering our 1st uniit
Guys driving to the hole doing layups like its practice……
Scrubs from the opposing teams bench bullying us on the inside (Scrubs…on a scrub team that is)
I see this all the time….nets, pacers, raptors, etc. …lots of teams do this to us..
it really makes me wonder why we have as good a record as we do.
oh…and I forgot to mention Josh Smith losing control trying to cross people up..and bricking jump shots
same ol same ol story….
cp
April 7th, 2009
8:14 pm
With the way the Hawks are playing,it does no matter who they see in the playoffs because I could see them losing in the first round. Its nice to see they finally woke up against the Raptors. Maybe JJ will find his shot in the second half or maybe Bibby will guard someone.
MAC-TOWN
April 7th, 2009
8:19 pm
SNOWMAN is 100% Right.
Did you guys see that wonderful game Woodson coached against the Spurs?
Have you guys saw the times Woodson has called timeouts killing his OWN TEAM’S momentum?
Have you guys saw woodson’s dynamic offensive playbook? 95% which consist of “ISO to JOE”
Woodson is such an inspirational coach, that his team continues to make the same mistakes and lack of effort on the defensive end (easy layups)
Woodson is such a marvel of a coach that he knows 100% how to use the athleticism of his team, which is why instead of seeing more “run and gun” play with Acie, Horford, Marvin, Josh Smith, Flip. Mo, Joe…..You see Josh Smith playing into his own weakness almost EVERY night… (trying to cross people over and taking jump shots) in a half court offense.
Mike Woodson is most certainly the coach who lead the Hawks to the promised land!!
…..well if that promise land is called hell.
ATLRAYD
April 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
If your so called best player Joe Johnson continues to shoot a dismal percentage the remainder of the year. Then it does not matter what his teammates do the playoff run will be short Your so called best player has to have some impact on the game either on offense or defense, really at this point just show some emotion would be a start. I know he’s logged some heavy minutes but still no excuse for drastic amount of drop off in production.
bigdave
April 7th, 2009
8:34 pm
Josh Smith for 3….
BULL $H!T BY DESIGN!!!
#21=Top50,1stBallot
April 7th, 2009
8:41 pm
Is anyone else watching this game on league pass? I can’t believe the announcers are berating Smoov’s game and character at every turn. They have basically said he is holding the Hawks hostage because Duck is out. This has to be the biggest character assassination of a man who is currently playing “well” (3’s notwithstanding) I’ve witnessed all year.
RISE UP
Melvin
April 7th, 2009
8:44 pm
#21=Top50, I have watching the game on league pass as well. They have been dogging Josh the whole 3rd quarter. Even when he makes a good play they find something negative to say about him…
Big Ray
April 7th, 2009
8:48 pm
MAC-TOWN,
Man, I could not stop laughing at your post. I know somebody is going to react negatively to your post (and I could even name them), but I still couldn’t help it. Normally I can count on Astro Joe for that level of sarcasm, but YOURS was funny as hell.
Snowman,
First, are you going to give credit to Woody for turning this franchise around? Seriously? So it was HIM that brought all of these talented players here, huh? Really?
By the way, you ask what the organization did to reward him for his incredibly awesome job that he’s done with this team. I’ll tell you: they signed him to a two-year contract and let his boss go instead of him. I’d say that’s pretty damn good for a guy who hadn’t won a damn thing as a head coach prior to this season. If you look past the forest, you might see the trees…
Melvin
April 7th, 2009
8:50 pm
Raps announcers just said the Raps are attacking Bibby. No matter who he’s guarding…lol… They just made a comment about Josh as he drain another 3ptr…Too Funny…