Bienvenido a Miami!
Al Horford and the Hawks will tangle with Heat plenty over the next two weeks!
HAWKSVILLE - Actually, the Hawks have already earned the right to host the Miami Heat in their first round playoff series.
But I’ve been waiting three weeks to use that line from Will Smith’s hit song (courtesy of our friends at YouTube. And I promise, this is the last time I use the words “Will Smith” and “hit song” in that order in this space) about one of my favorite hot spots.
And while others were dreading the thought of facing Philadelphia and frightened by the prospect of dealing with a hard-to-figure Chicago team in the first round, the same team that has been on a collision course with the Hawks for months now will be the foe starting this weekend at Philips Arena.
I love the matchup (my main man Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post and I discussed as much the last time these two teams played). Who doesn’t want to see the Hawks face one of the league’s most dynamic talents in Dwyane Wade in a best-of-seven series?
You’re worried about playing the refs too, huh? Get over it. Wade is going to get his share of calls. The superstars always do. But that hasn’t ever stopped the better team from handling its business.
And if the Hawks are indeed the better team, as their record and performance all season suggests, we should be in for a treat with this series.
I love the individual matchups. Joe Johnson and Wade, the two All-Stars and national team colleagues trying to see who can one-up each other on the big stage.
Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers, the old and the new at the point guard position going head-to-head like Bibby and Rajon Rondo did (well … anyway) did last year.
Josh Smith and Mike Beasley, if they’re allowed to match up against each other, is a lefty air-up-there showcase that we should all enjoy.
And Al Horford and Jermaine O’Neal will get a chance to settle any debates about the best center in the Southeast Division not named Dwight Howard.
The subplots are endless, as always with a playoff series.
The bottom line, any way you slice it, this is going to be must-see-basketball for the fans of both teams. And that’s what makes Tuesday’s sneak preview (the Hawks’ regular season home finale) so intriguing.
My cousin Big Will is down with partying in the city where the Heat is on!
Do both teams rest their big dogs, knowing that they’re going to each other again in a few days in hand-to-hand combat? Or do they go for broke and pull out all the stops to win the game no matter what, making sure to send a message of what’s to come?
I love it.
But there are other things to discuss this …
AWARDS SEASON IS UPON US - In the NBA, that means teams are sending out swag and propaganda that defies these harsh economic times. The Hawks have opted for a much simpler approach, one that caught the attention of good friend and esteemed colleague Steve Aschburner of si.com, and a recent president and of my crew, the Professional Basketball Writers Association. In this age of multi-media and complex techno-gadgetry, the Hawks went with strictly the facts. And that resonated with Steve, as I’m sure it will with many others who are appreciative but tired of the gimmicky stunts teams pull to impress voters.
“Not only shouldn’t voters be influenced by that sort of persuasion, it flies in the face of true journalism ethics — at least for those newspapers that still abide by that stuff,” Asch wrote in an email to the Mad VP. “Besides, I’ve never figured out what sending an iPod or a GPS system to a voter does to make a stronger case for a player or a coach deserving an award. (Think some team sent the conference coaches a GPS system to lobby for an All-Star berth for somebody.) My theory is, if you want to bribe me, come with cash. Lots of it. Or don’t come at all!”
Classic stuff from one of the very best in the business. And I never did get my iRoy so I had to buy my own iPod.
My iRoy never showed up so I had to buy my own iPod!
SPEAKING OF AWARDS - Some of you have weighed in with your own feelings about the Hawks and who on the roster (and coaching staff) should be in the mix. Flips Murray’s a no-brainer for inclusion in the conversation about the Sixth-Man award. And a case could be made for JJ to be included on one of the All-NBA teams as well (per the scouts and league executives si.com’s Ian Thomsen polled for his take on the awards season).
As for our in-house feedback, there was a bigger stir for Hawks coach Mike Woodson than anything or anyone else. I wasn’t surprised that some of you emailed me concerning Woody’s status in the conversation (he’s rarely mentioned by any of the “nation” types despite having a familiar season and profile to one of the recent winners, Sam Mitchell formerly of the Toronto Raptors).
Two items really stuck out for me.
The first was an early morning/late night (how does 3:08 a.m. strike you) message from one of my most trusted voices about all things basketball, you can just call him Pop. “In my opinion,(of course),when you look at all the playoff teams Houston and Atlanta standout as the least likely to have done so well,” he wrote in an email. “Who has gotten more out of their talent? My point, [Houston's Rick] Adelman and Woodson should be at the top of the list of candidates for coach of the year (maybe Chauncey Billups if he had been named player/coach).”
As it stands, few people outside of this space predicted the Hawks would have a winning season, let alone home court advantage. And some of us here weren’t that positive. And to his point, Woody stands fifth on the Hawks’ coaching list for wins, only Richie Guerin (327), Mike Fratello (324), Lenny Wilkens (310) and Hubie Brown (199) have more than Woody’s (152 and counting).
One of our founding members, the one and only Astro Joe, didn’t hesitate to offer up his own fresh take on things Sunday evening. He raised some other interesting points in addition to where Woody stands in this coach of the year discussion (and he wasn’t shy so read his email word for word):
So I was thinking this weekend. One of the cool and refreshing things about Woody is his willingness to state a goal at the beginning of the season and essentially place his career on the line. Last season, he stated that the team needed to make the playoffs. The unstated consequence of failing to meet that goal was likely the end of his run as Hawks coach. After all, he was a lame duck based on his expiring contract. He enters this season, with only the security of a ratty blanket (two year extension) and he declares that the team needs to secure a home court playoff seeding. Again, with a new boss on board, the consequences of failing to meet that goal may have been yet another person visiting the Georgia unemployment office.
Do we see this in other cities and in other sports? It seems we often get generalities … the team needs to take another step toward competing for a title” or “if things break right, we should be able to improve form last year’s performance.” But Woody put it right out there on the line for all the world to see. Last year and again this year. How can a fan of any team in any team sport NOT admire a coach who declares the goal for all the world to hear and then gets it done? Yes, dude has some massive warts, but [expletive], that’s the kind of [gutsy] move that would make other coaches a cult favorite.
Now here’s the but. I hope that this team recognizes the fragility of this achievement, home court advantage. The Hawks are one lethargic first quarter from losing that which they fought 80 games to achieve. One game when they forget to share the ball from seeing this blow-up in their collective faces. They are two first quarter fouls on Horford or Smith from flip-flopping with the fifth seeded team. And because Woody abused his top 7 players with too many minutes, the team is one unfortunate injury from exposing an unprepared bench to maintain the advantage of having Game 7 in front of their sometimes rabid fans.
But all that said, I’m proud of my team and my coach. With five of the top 10 players requiring a new contract (even Marvin needs to agree to some deal or he may be chilling with Chill next season), I’m not taking this for granted and assuming a return to this level of prominence next season. Just like home court can be lost in a few minutes, so can the momentum built in the last two years be gone in a mater of a few weeks this coming summer. Thanks for being the record-keeper of a pleasantly surprising and fulfilling season.
Astro Joe
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359 comments Add your comment
jhan
April 13th, 2009
6:40 pm
AJ I can’t agree more about Mario & Solo. Unless they are playing extended minutes because we are blowing Miami out I’d rather see them cheering from the bench.
Until this team does something significant why should they get national pub? Having a winning record does not qualify. Win a couple of series & then we can make a case.
GO Hawks!!
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
6:40 pm
Barkley is inconsistent and I really dislike Smith. It was only one commentator that said that the Hawks would win at least one game, but we won three. I say that Hawks in six.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
6:43 pm
The Hawks are going to prove the world wrong again, and Wade can’t be the Hawks by himself. We’ve held him below his season average all the games that we played this year in Atlanta…
SWAT Native
April 13th, 2009
6:45 pm
I sometimes wonder if Kenny Smith is still bitter that the Hawks didn’t hire him as their coach. He was one of the finalists when they hired Woodson.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
6:47 pm
I dont know how many of you have twitter but you could follow me and some of the players (username: tigerworld37)
UGA
April 13th, 2009
6:47 pm
Speedy:
What if he “shocks the world” and plays like he did years ago?
Maybe Woody has a trick up his sleeve.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
6:49 pm
Swat Native
and five years later he’s still a commentator, not saying that he’s not making money but he’s not anyone’s coach.. lol
O'brien
April 13th, 2009
6:49 pm
“If we win the first round, we’re satisfied with that, but it doesn’t mean that if we lose the first round that, well, it’s a total disappointment,” said Sund.
Interesting comments from our GM. In my opinion, if we dont beat Miami in the first round, it will be very disappointing.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
7:03 pm
ESPN’s panel of esteemed experts, and the rest of the free world:
The experts have predicted 37 wins (10th place in the East) for the Atlanta Hawks. This number is …
38.6% On the money
33.7% Too low
27.7% Too high
Our dear friend, Mr. Hollinger, for ESPN:
Atlanta’s starting five might be the best in the division, but its bench might not win the D-League. Triangulate between those two extremes and you end up with a team that’s unlikely to repeat its playoff appearance of a year ago unless it enjoys an unusually good run of health, because the subs just aren’t up to snuff.
Sum it all up, and it appears this club is ready to take a step in reverse. The Hawks look like they’ll be stuck in the NBA’s netherworld — neither good enough to make the playoffs nor bad enough to get a high lottery pick — and with little young talent in the pipeline beyond the current starting five, they could be in this pickle for a while.
Prediction: 31-51, fifth in Southeast Division, 13th in Eastern Conference
MSN/Fox Sports:
As talented as Atlanta’s starters are, they can’t do it all. At some point, you’ve got to turn to your reserves and be able to rely on them for production.
That remains an issue down in “Hotlanta,” as they are truly only about seven deep. The rest of the bench consists of unproven youngsters and veteran point guard Speedy Claxton, who was unable to suit up all of last season and has only appeared in 42 games since signing with Atlanta in the summer of 2006.
With the pending improvements by multiple Eastern Conference clubs — including a few Southeast Division rivals — the Atlanta Hawks may have a tough time topping last season’s record. In fact, it may not be farfetched to suggest they could even take a minor hit in the win column.
Expect flashes of brilliance, the downside of a late-lottery selection, or the upside of a consecutive first-round exit.
Prediction: 37-45, third in Southeast Division, eighth in Eastern Conference
O Canada! Some Tim Chisholm guy of TSN.ca weighs in from Down North, eh?
That is unfortunately the sad state of affairs with the Hawks. For every step they take forward, the organization seems intent on sullying it somehow. This summer was a borderline disaster even if they managed to resign Smith. They got little help elsewhere on the roster – choosing to fortify a position already occupied by 40-minute-per-night starter Johnson – and they lost a key rotation player by trying to low-ball him contractually. What results is a team that has gotten worse, not better, after a 37-win season got them into the playoffs, an occurrence that is unlikely to repeat itself.
So that means that unless this team can pull off some sort of trade or find a new, heretofore unseen depth to their game, they are going to be returning to the lottery for another crack at improving via the draft. It’s a shame, too, because several young teams – Portland and Sacramento come to mind – would have loved to have used the chance to test out their core on the post-season stage so they could take the next-step as an organization. Atlanta, in the way that only they can, get there and decide to regress, perhaps feeling that too much, too soon is a bad thing.
Monsieur Chisholm also previewed his beloved Raptors:
By no stretch is this team in danger of losing ground to last year’s disappointing 41-41 record, as just the quality in the top-five should keep them above .500
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
7:04 pm
that was an article on Hawsquawk…
AtlSouthside
April 13th, 2009
7:28 pm
Yea its funny how all these commentator throw out crazy predictions as though they Gods of the game… And everytime they do it, they end up eating their words. We faced injuries with Al Hortford, Josh Smith and Marv Williams, and we still ended the season with a better record than last season, not to mention the 4th seed in the East. Our bench is deep and legit…and we couldn’t have made the improvements and adjustments without their contributions.
Jose
April 13th, 2009
7:31 pm
How can we blame our players or the coach if the GM sets the bar that low? A manager or any leader should never aim that low. It’s completely evident that the Hawks lack leadership all the way from ownership, management to coaches. Hey Mr. GM, we the fans are not satisfied by just winning the first round. We want to go beyond. And if first round is all you can see, then we need a GM who can see further. You may be the GM but we the fans own the team. Mr GM,some are only thoughts and are not meant to be spoken. Next time, please keep them to yourself.
GO HAWKS AND AIM HIGHER!!!!
SWAT Native
April 13th, 2009
7:39 pm
Macaroni Tony,
That reminds me an incident back when Shaq was playing at LSU. Dale Brown was the coach, and Bill Walton was commenting on one of their tournament games. Walton said that Brown left Shaq on the bench too long, and that’s why they lost the game, and why Brown had never won a national championship. Dale Brown flew to New York at his own expense to respond to Walton and told him that that’s why you’re a commentator on TV and I’m a coach.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
7:51 pm
Swat Native
i have never heard about that story, but I know it would’ve been funny…
Samuel
April 13th, 2009
7:53 pm
Mac T,
You should have thrown our local expert, Ando into that bunch. LOL!
Jose, wake up man. What’s wrong with realistic goals? If we exceed them, good, but let’s be real.
Joe, I feel you. hey that conversation got me to thinking. Outside of Boston, who would have the best team in the East if you took away their Star. IMO, it would be hard to argue against us not having the best team. Think about it.
Woody=COY
The Truth
April 13th, 2009
8:25 pm
To all of us who calls a spade a spade; I think it’s reasonable to ask that we all STAND DOWN on Woody (for now); especially in light of the upcoming payoff series with D. Wade and Company. Mainly because we don’t need the added distractions coming from the so-called sport expert-opinions who claim to have insider 411 on the Hawks inter-workings. All they really do is read these blogs and form their opinions based on unsubstantiated stories that are based on nothing more than theories, gossips, and speculations and not on any facts. Since the Hawks will be on the national stage during at least the first-round of the playoff, there will be much to buzz and talk about regarding this organization. Even though we could be on point as we reflect on Woody’s past coaching flawed decisions, we can’t deny Woody’s accomplishment of leading this team to a 4th seed playoff spot. That should earn him at least some degree of respect from even the worst critics. Having said that, however, I know there has been (and still is) a school of thought (on this blog) that any Hawks accomplishment will not be because of Woody but in spite of him; That line of thinking may still be valid, but that debate is for another time, but certainly not now. Woody doesn’t need to be reminded of the consequences of going out in the first round after all of the favorable odds of winning the series. In fact, what concerns me the most is the Hawks tendency to thrive when the odds are against them as the case in last year’s payoff but also the tendency to lay-an-egg with favorable odds has been their trademark as well. Remember those times when the Hawk played down to the competition and loss games they clearly should have won. Let’s hope they have grown up and learned from the experience including Woody. We shall see. Anything short of a victory in the first-round will quickly dissipate the enthusiasm.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2009
8:47 pm
Looking back (and laughing) at the preseason predictions, I find it hard to believe that nobody in the mainstream media predicted how good Flip Murray would be as a sixth man. I mean, this is a guy who filled in real nicely for Ray Allen in Seattle when he got hurt and got major bench minutes for two playoff teams in his career before coming here. I liked the Flip signing when it happened (although I didn’t think it made up for losing Childress). I even wrote an email to Bill Simmons defending the Flip Mo squad when he declared in his preseason predictions column that the Hawks should declare “Feces Night” in honor of the supposedly crappy bench (he even indirectly responded to this in a later column). I still think he shouldn’t be playing point guard, but he has gotten a lot better at not hogging the ball as the season has gone along. They can say what they want about the rest of the bench, but the mainstream media is damn foolish for sleeping on Flip.
Macaroni Tony
April 13th, 2009
8:58 pm
I think the mainstream are damn fools in there predjudice Barkley and Smith made a beat that the Hawks would be better than the Timberwolves, so Barkley lost. But know that the Hawks have a chance to be good no one wants to give them a chance. I hate most of the media…
Eric
April 13th, 2009
9:00 pm
Speedy dressing for the last 2 games means he is on the playoff roster.
we have no backup pg, and we know Speedy is finally healthy. Good idea by Woody.
I agree about Sund. Why is his standard so low? His only goal for the year was to make the playoffs with a winning record. Wtf? Is his goal in 5 years going to be to win in the 2nd round?
MAC-TOWN
April 13th, 2009
9:14 pm
You guys think we should let bench players get the majority of the minutes in the last 2 games? I do.
I think they all should get JJ type of minutes…just to see what they can do….and it might build up confidence in players like Gardner, Acie, Morris, Solo, Mario etc. if they go out and have good/great games. I mean you never know how far that can go because you never know what will happen and whop you might HAVE to use in the playoffs for various reasons.
lol for some reason I believe that boy “Gardner” can light it up.
Dan
April 13th, 2009
9:40 pm
I agree with AstroJoe (in the main post). Woody has not been one of my favorite coaches– though it was never going to happen, I was hoping against hope that D’Antoni would wind up down here about a year or so ago– you have to give the man props for stating a goal and then going out and getting it. Also, the team HAS gotten better every year. Not all coaches could have hung with this group all this time and let it mature. Could you see Larry Brown doing that?
At the same time, there have been moments– personnel management issues– where Woody has, to put it mildly, not endeared and seemed sort of oblivious or tone deaf. Why does JJ start leaving a lot of his shots short at the end of the season (especially last season and this one)? Check the numbers. He’s being run ragged. A couple of guys off the bench have looked good at times– Solo comes to mind. Seems like that guy could hang a few regular minutes every game on a team that plays an undersized center and PF. And then there are the confrontations with Josh Smith and occasional remarks about what a pain in the ass the guy is to deal with. Maybe a bit too much emulation of his mentor Bobby Knight?
Now, I think Woody’s gotten better with the rotation over the years, but he’s still adjusting and learning– which is good, because he’s definitely much improved himself in his coaching and managerial skills it seems– but it also begs the question: would any other franchise have kept him around long enough to smooth out his rough edges? The management group is so occupied with finding out who it actually is, the business has been allowed to drift.
Anyhow, that’s all water under the bridge, now. Woody these days is a much better coach, and, while he perhaps deserved to be canned a couple of years ago, you cannot drop him now, not when the Hawks are here and real.
GO HAWKS!
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2009
9:45 pm
Samuel, you may be right. It certainly is debatable.
doc
April 13th, 2009
10:04 pm
samuel, i hear you only this is atlanta. you know, the home of the braves and bobby cox who has been demeaned for his outcomes now for over 17 years. now you are complaining that woody who has less than a year of success is being overlooked? you are going to have a long time of convincing folks is my guess. for some reason woody and josh are like lightening rods for discord and i dont think folks are going to change the minds easily.
Big Ray
April 13th, 2009
10:08 pm
I listen to what John Hollinger has to say, just like I do any of the other paid experts. Doesn’t mean I believe everything I hear, though.
The concerns about the bench are valid. However, what is being called into question here? Is it the caliber/talent level of the players we have? If that’s the case, then the finger-pointing begins and pretty much ends with the GM.
Like Najeh says, you can’t sleep on Flip. I’ll go a step further and say that Mo Evans has value and use as well. And I think Solo does, too. He proved it early on in the season (still don’t know what happened there). I think Acie does as well, but at this stage this is more opinion than consistent, proven fact. He simply has not played enough, due to both injury and, well….
But if it’s not the talent that Hollinger and others are criticizing, then it’s the use and development thereof. Either way, all comes to light in the playoffs. Our guys are used to doing the heavy lifting every night. There won’t be anything new there.
What WILL matter is how effective Speedy is if Acie isn’t ready to go, and how healthy Zaza will be. If he’s not healthy enough, are next guy up is Solo. Woody says he could be a major factor in the playoffs. Yeah, I believe it. Which makes me wonder why he hasn’t been a major factor during the regular season, especially with the injuries we’ve experienced. Oh well, it is what it is.
Ready to get at it!
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:13 pm
Can’t wait to see what kind of impact Speedy will have. I still think we ought to bench the starters. It would be interesting. Start ZaZa (if ready) Solo, Mario, Marvin and Speedy, Flip and Evans for the calvery. The rest of the boys with splinters to rotate in. In the second half, roll with the starters and go for the win. They are pros, can do 1/2 of a game.
Big Ray
April 13th, 2009
10:19 pm
MAC-TOWN,
LOL! I don’t know if he’ll LIGHT it up, but he damn sure will THROW it up! He’s torn up both the D-League and the Summer League, but we both know that isn’t evidence of greatness. Still, the guy has no fear. I dont’ think there’s a 3-point shot that he’s met, that he didn’t like. Of course, that may also be why he’s firmly glued to the bench. Woody’s not fond of guys that hoist threes all night long, even though two of his starters will do it night after night.
THE TRUTH,
I agree. Now is not the time to be all over Woody’s a$$. The playoffs are just about here. This team has achieved three particular goals so far, compared to the one of last year. This year, they’ve not just made the playoffs. They also managed a winning record and a good seeding.
I don’t know what Sund was talking about, to be honest. Personally, I see a first round loss in the playoffs as a disappointment. A second round loss? That’s different. But if this team was good enough to win 46 games or more during the regular season, then we’re good enough to win a first round series, considering we’re not facing the top three eastern conference teams. We SHOULD win.
I really wonder what it is that he means by that, or if I’m just trying to read stuff into it. Maybe Sund is taking some pressure off of Woodson by making that statment. You know, a vote of confidence that losing in the first round is not a death sentence. Of course, by saying so, one could also imply that perhaps he doesn’t think the roster is up to it. If that’s the case, one has to ask is that because of injuries, or because he doesn’t feel the roster itself is up to par? Ehhh, I’ll put that on the backburner for summertime, which I think will be more interesting than most of us anticipate.
In the mean time, I say win, win, win. Win that first round. Go for the second one too, but definitely win that first one.
Big Ray
April 13th, 2009
10:24 pm
You want to hear something funny? I wouldn’t care about having Mike D’Antoni.
The only advantage you get is on offense. D’Antoni hasn’t been around all THAT long. And it’s not like he made New York into an instant winner, though he SEEMS to be doing a better job than Isaiah Thomas was. I mean, Chris Duhon sure looks good in his system. So do some other guys. But that team isn’t going to win anything the way the roster stands right now. And do you know why? Because D’Antoni needs certain things for his offense to work right.
That, and he’s allergic to defense. Woody ain’t. Call me back when D’Antoni proves he can do what he did in Phoenix….somewhere ELSE. Life is rough without Steve Nash…
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:25 pm
It’s beed a fun year but I’m not ready to jump on the Woody band wagon even if we win the first two rounds. Just the fact he does not adjust to Bibby when he is getting torched bothers me. Then theres the nights when he is shooting lousy and still getting tourched. How do you not make a move. Before the great home stand there were games the front court couldn’t get a touch if they had $100 dollar bills attached to their ….. The only way anybody got any playing time besides the first 8 was due to injury. After a few of these he discovered some others suddeny had talent. I don’t want to see the man fierd but I wish someone with a little power would talk to him on a regular basis and work on this problem
swatguy
April 13th, 2009
10:26 pm
Joe, 30 minutes is too much for me. I’m pulling them in the first quarter and at the 6 minute of quarter 3. I’m asking a lot for Speedy to suit up too. Marvin would floor 40 minutes and attached to Beasley. Gotta get Marvin ready ’cause he will need to stick with LaBron in the second round.
Tuesday lineup:’Rio, Speedy, Acie, Solo and Marvin. With Gardner, Othello and Randy getting minutes.
It was good to seem Slim the other night.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:38 pm
Woody is hard core old school. It is very tough to get him to trust a player. But once your in his good graces you can screw up more than the guys who are coming off the bench. The only player that overcame this was little joe (Flip). He got a free ride from the start. Usually Woody sets the minutes at the beginning of each game and how each player will be rotated in and that my friends is how were going to do it. Only fouls or injurys will change that plan.
UGA
April 13th, 2009
10:42 pm
Which day and time slot do you all think Game 1 will be?
Last year the Boston game was 8:00, TNT, Sunday night.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:45 pm
swatdad, ZaZa, Marvin, Flip and Evans should be ok. They don’t play the minutes the starters do. I like the Speedy start. Why play Gardner and Othello, they will never get offf the bench in the playoffs anyways.
UGA
April 13th, 2009
10:50 pm
Let Joe, Bibby, Smoove, Al, and Flip get 20 minutes each these next 2 nights. Let the rest play it out.
Flip will be huge in this upcoming series, so will Mo. I see them guarding Wade quite a bit.
And how huge would it be to get Marvin back to form and somehow be able to get something out of Speedy?!
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:51 pm
UGA 8:00 a good guess – prine time.
UGA
April 13th, 2009
10:55 pm
That would be my guess too. Wade is a sure bet for prime time and our series may be the best in the East.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:56 pm
I’m hopeing Marvin will be fine by the playoffs or a couple of games later. Speedy is the suprise component. If he can still drive and kick and play defense, he dosen’t even have to shoot. Defense is the main thing. We have no pg defense. Them little fellers are to quick for JJ and Bibby……we know about Bibby.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
10:58 pm
Our biggest concern is ZaZa. We need at least 15 minutes of solid play from him every night. How many times has him and Flip came in and changed the game after being down.
UGA
April 13th, 2009
11:05 pm
Many of times.
I really thought Marvin was turning into our best back to the basket player on the block. We were starting to use him on several mismatches. Plus, he can make free throws. I thought a low post scorer was something we missed and he was becoming that.
Chalmers could be just like Rondo last year. Bibby just needs to keep him in front.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
11:07 pm
Like JJ said, he dosent want to lose his edge. I don’t have a problem with 20-30 minutes for the starters. I think the win is important. If they play Wade I think we got to play more. If Miami plays Wade limited minutes then fine. The win is the most important. Winning the last 5 in a row is more important than rest. Come playoff time they will be pumped and rest will be overated.
The accumulated rest of 35 minutes instead of 40 takes a season. One game or two makes no difference.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
11:11 pm
I agree, Marvin was cut down in his prime. Best ball he has ever played. Best driver on the team. As far as Bibby goes, he can’t keep anybody in front of him. If Bibby is hot he can outscore his counter part. Plus if he’s hot it is much harder to double JJ. If Al and Josh are playing good this also takes the pressure of of JJ. When JJ is not doubled – we kick .ss
SouthAfrican09
April 13th, 2009
11:17 pm
Big question: Is Mo back? Who doesn’t dress tomorrow?
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
11:20 pm
Lets go into dream world and assume Speedy returns to his former glory. Lets assume we resign everybody including Chills. I could see Speedy starting and Bibby becoming the sixth man player of the year like Jason Terry, with one of the deepest benches in the league. Get an old time grizzeled vet down low for a fourth big. Chance to become an elite team without many changes.
KevinA
April 13th, 2009
11:23 pm
Good question on who is is sitting. Who is Mo.
niremetal
April 13th, 2009
11:44 pm
You heard it here first – the Hawks should extend JJ and Marvin, let Bibby walk, let Speedy fill in at PG next year (his contract will expire next summer), and sign-and-trade Smoove and/or Chills for a big man and/or draft pick.
Then, use the gazillions in cap space they’ll have to make a run at one of the big free agents in 2010. With JJ and Horford guaranteed to be here, a LeBron/D-Wade/Bosh would give themselves a shot at a title. And with ATL being one of the hottest (in every way) cities in the country, this will be a very attractive stage.
Big Ray
April 13th, 2009
11:55 pm
Niremetal finally lets it out….
Big Ump
April 13th, 2009
11:56 pm
Is there is any bloggers out there who think that the Hawks accomplishment was in spite of HC have a pretty low or no basketball IQ at all.
niremetal
April 14th, 2009
12:05 am
Btw, the REALLY intriguing possibility is that Yao can also opt out in 2010. I know he has injury and stamina issues, but you gotta figure that he’s going to be looking for a quick title. The Hawks basically offer a slightly younger, slightly better, and much more durable version of what the current Houston squad has (JJ/T-Mac, Horford/Scola, Smoove/Artest). Not to mention that since T-Mac is a free agent then too, he might have nothing to stay around for. Hmmmmm…
Other potentially available A-list players include Nowitzki (although, like with Bosh, that would put us in a bind with Horford), Boozer (same), Amare (same), Okur (lesser player, but slightly better fit), Manu (don’t you get the feeling that he and JJ would have amazing chemistry?), and Rip Hamilton (better D than Manu, but Manu has better lead guard skills).
Steve Nash and Shaq will be on the market, but my guess is both will retire. There are also high B-list centers available like Camby, Brad Miller, Jermaine O’Neal, and Tyson Chandler. Also a few
Dante Fitzgerald
April 14th, 2009
12:07 am
Mayne, Hope these AJC peeps aint foolin us bout Speedy!! U know wat i mean??
niremetal
April 14th, 2009
12:08 am
Aaaaaaaaand back to Bankruptcy Law I go. G’nite!
SouthAfrican09
April 14th, 2009
12:10 am
People say Marvin is some star or something and that he’s improved, wtf? He was supposed to average 18 ppg and he avgs 14 ppg. Let him walk