Look who’s talking …
SAY IT LOUD! SCREAM, if you have to. Hawks' captain and All-Star Joe Johnson has suddenly become a Twitter machine. But he's not the only resident of our tight-knit community in a talkative mood these days. Hawks coach Mike Woodson is, too.
HAWKSVILLE - Whoever thought that late August and early September would be a quiet time for the Hawks didn’t count on Twitter changing the game.
Hawks captain and All-Star Joe johnson, known around the NBA as one of the league’s more subdued stars, has suddenly taken the gloves off on his Twitter page. He hasn’t mentioned anything about that extension the Hawks offered and whether or not he’ll be agreeing to sign on for another four years after this one, the final year of a five-year, $70 million deal.
But he’s sharing plenty of other things with anyone interested in following him. In fact, he’s sharing more than I can remember him giving up at anytime before now (and he might be sharing a bit too much for some of our more sheltered members, so be warned). I’m still scratching my head over this one, what with all the work it takes some days to get JJ to open up.
Maybe he’s shedding that hard shell of his and taking some steps in the direction of being a more vocal and engaged leader, which I’d argue is a blessing in disguise of peculiar Tweets (or whatever I should call them) from a usually reserved man – he went almost two months, from late June to late August, without a single update. I’m just saying … (scratching my head), something has changed.
JJ isn’t the only member of the family talking these days. You might remember the ditty we had with Hawks coach Mike Woodson way back when detailing the fact that he would head into the final year of his contract without an extension.
Well, Woody spoke about it again late last week in an interesting story by my main man Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. I don’t expect this story to move the needle at all on the non-existent extension talks for Woodson and his staff.
We’ve had the Woody debate around here for pretty much every day of the past five years (or so). And the sides never seem to give much ground. The Woody supporters (Steamboat has been relentless from the outset) have campaigned for him without fail, through good and bad times. The Woody detractors have been equally steadfast and resolute in their belief that he’s not the right guy for the job.
The anti-Woody camp was winning the debate his first three years on the job. But the pro-Woody crowd is crowing a bit these days (with the pro-Rick Sund crowd soul-clapping their guy into the discussion as well).
As far as I can tell, the general mood of the partisan divide at this time was captured best by our good friend RA, who fired off this email late last week after the Hawks finished up Joe Smith’s paperwork:
“This summer can only be summed up in one word, brilliant. Everything that the Hawks usually don’t do, Sund managed to pull off. He managed to get marquee talent while at the same time giving up very little. He managed to keep the core of the team together, something that I would have thought was impossible going into this summer. He’s also managed to bring in a veteran, that the young fellas are going to listen to. All I can say is that regardless of what else happens this summer, Sund has done EVERYTHING that he could have been expected to do. The question now is whether or not Woody can handle the arithmetic?
Whatever side you’re on in this thing, one thing is certain. When the season starts, the pressure is all on Woodson (who, by the way, has been asking for a roster like this since he took the job) and his staff. Because for once, the summer has gone just as about as well as it possibly could have for the Hawks. The expectations from last season to this one couldn’t be higher. And with so many familiar faces returning and so few new additions (four might seem like a lot, but when three of them are seasoned vets like Smith, Jamal Crawford and soon-to-be Jason Collins, along with rookie PG Jeff Teague, a rugged transition is not expected) folks won’t tolerate a slow start.
The Collins tidbit, which was folded into Sunday’s Hawks’ Insider, is proof that these guys aren’t finished filling out this roster. The frontcourt could see the addition of at least one more player after Collins. And said player could punch his ticket for the season with a strong training camp showing. That means a host of guys, including Garret Siler, Othello Hunter and perhaps even Mario West (should he decide to attend) could crank up the tenor of what should be an otherwise business-like training camp.
Hunter and West (twice) have already shown that they are capable of making the team with strong camp showings. The dynamic changes a bit this year, though. If the Hawks plan on keeping the roster at 13 players, which according to most of the folks I’ve spoken to seems to be the way they are leaning (in an effort to maintain roster flexibility should another player shake out of the league’s training camp covers later on), they’ll have to make a tough choice about that 13th man.
Do they want a third point guard as security for Mike Bibby and Teague? – And yes, Crawford can play the point in a pinch but is better off playing at shooting guard.
Do they scour the landscape for a utility player that won’t rock the boat if he’s in a suit most nights as opposed to a uniform?
Or do they go the safe route and locate one more big man as injury insurance, in case they suffer through the wave of injuries again up front like they did last season (when Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams all succumbed to injuries at one time or another)?
The pickings are slim everywhere but point guard, where journeymen always seem abundant. But a third point guard isn’t specifically necessary unless someone higher on the depth charts hits a snag (injury or otherwise).
Still, I think the smart play here is keeping a spot or two clear for the best-player-available in late October.
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444 comments Add your comment
KevinA
August 31st, 2009
9:46 pm
vava74, Works for me. With better talent and more options this year another B- to B should be 50 – 54 wins with the same grade.
Samuel, the NBA sends these players to work with the community as ambassador for the game and the city. What kind of message do you think JJ was sending. He should be fined that $5,000 to help him down the path of behavior modification.
Ariose
August 31st, 2009
9:59 pm
Sigh….I guess it’s time for someone to stir the pot in the other direction.
In JJ’s defense(there really isn’t one for this but i’ll give it a shot) He has some close female friends on twitter it seems. You know like his publicist and his Wordrobe lady(those are the two I saw on there that he was talking to) anyhoo, the seem to live him, and were even laughing about the nigtclub refrences he was making “I hope she’s clean lol!” So I doubt this has anyhting to do with JJ treating women badly or not thinking highly of them(I’m sure his mama rised him better than that.) He seems to just been having some fun. Think TO on his new show(whick comes on tonight BTW @10pm) the Public has one perception of his acts, via the media, but when you see his show, you see that he’s just a normal dude and is not nearly as egotistical as the media portrays him to be. Kinda like how J-Smoove isn’t nearly the immature crybaby that the National……well….
That still doesnt excuse the fact that Joe is always in the public eye and should act accordingly. What he was saying was reckless and If he doesnt know how quickly media spreds on the internet via Blogging/twitter etc. then he should have gotten some information first befor delving into “the madness” as I like to call it.
dos hawkquis
August 31st, 2009
9:59 pm
KEN,
Thanks for the bio. I hold you in a different category now, since you obviously have a pedigree. I never played or coached basketball, but I play football and was pretty damn good. Anyway, I know see how you approach the critique of Woodson. Thanks.
Two question for you:
1.Who out there do you propose the Hawks get as a coach, if Woody is canned? Would you trust this team to an unproven assistant? No big name would come here for less than 6 mil. You may as well keep Woody for 4mil.
2.Run and gun teams play poor defensively. In the past 10 years, all of the NBA champs have been defenesive, half-court stalwarts: 3years of San Antonio, ‘03, ‘05, and ‘07 far from run and gun. Boston ‘08 wasn’t running, Detroit ‘04, nope. Laker, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02 and ‘08 were not “running and gunning teams. Maybe the Heat in ‘06
KEN,
I hear you calling for an “uptempo” team, but again look at the past 10 years and you would be hard pressed to find a team like the Suns style of offense winning a championship. I think that Woodson’s request for defense is the way to go.
“I don’t always watch basketball, but when I do, I prefer the Hawks. Stay thirsty my friends!”
MannyT
August 31st, 2009
10:13 pm
@Vava74–note on your grades that most of the C- & D guys got fired this past season. I also take huge excpetion to giving Riley an A+. He was hot with the Lakers. He came up with a good physical variant with the Knicks. He really didn’t achieve with the Heat. He took a back seat, then jumped to the front of the line when Stan van Gundy had a squad in Miami.
As for the terrific job–that’s crap. If Woody is a fair to middling coach with a severely flawed team, they would severely suck. SO either the team is better than Rosen gives credit or the coach is. He cannot throw both under the bus at the same time and backpedal by calling the fair to middling guy terrific.
I am not a Woody fan, but I agreed that he deserves more rope/opportunity to do his thing. If he can repeat last season’s success, i.e. 2nd round of playoffs, then give him an extension.
If I were to put it in People magazine terms, Woody probably knows he’s like one of Julia Roberts husbands–that’s about as good as it’s gonna get for you. Hang on to the gig however you can.The ASG ain’t close to Brad Pitt either. They cannot toss out Woody and automatically expect to get a comparable coach for the low dollar. It’s a match made in the higher end of the middle of the pack.
@Samuel–I like Woody when he tells it like it is. I’ll be more impressed with his coaching when he makes more effective in game adjustments. I have seen too many timeouts near the end of the 24 second clock when we don’t even get a decent shot attempt.
By the way, if you want to find some personal value in Twitter, get friendly with the #. Great way to find useful stuff.
@Ariose, 44 cans of Crunk on the wall, throw another down and pass ‘em around, 43 cans of Crunk on the wall…
BWAF
blonju
August 31st, 2009
10:15 pm
a lot has been happening in good ole hawksville this summer. jj tweeting is a good thing as long as he’s not doing anything illegal. we should all be happy to know he likes women & has a sense of humor. if you make nba money, 95% of y’all haters would do the same thing – and the 5% who wouldn’t – good for you and who really cares about your morals anyways? kids will look up to joe as long as he doesn’t kill people (or dogs). jason collins is a great pickup only because we shouldn’t have to see randmo embarrass himself trying to be an NBA player. MARIO WEST OR OTHELLO HUNTER FOR THE 13th SPOT? i can’t believe how much this matters to me and a lot of you – MARIO is the best 4.3 seconds of defense in the league – and at one point, i think i heard seiko say OTHELLO is an early version of brandon bass – i believe you have to keep both to start the season with BOTH and waive mario if something better falls in our laps. as for woody, he is a B- coach with the chance of being a B+ coach this year (but only if he magically learns how to be flexible with his in-game style and allows this team to run when it’s there). he’s only GUARANTEED an extension if we WIN a second round series. sund appears to know what he’s doing. we are a 50 win team this year and a 4th seed at worst. RISE UP HAWKS FANS!!
Also, on another note, Ariose – mike conley is the best PG in memphis by far, no matter who they sign – he is 21 years old – look at his game by games stats from Feb to April last season.
blue hawk
August 31st, 2009
10:40 pm
what? no Korolev in training camp? hey this guy could turn out into more than a Peja Stojakovic, it’s won’t be a bad idea to give this guy a bench spot.
at last…we’ll have a new coach soon. i’m sure Sund is smart enough to eye an up tempo coach.
KevinA
August 31st, 2009
11:24 pm
blonju, if you make nba money, 95% of y’all haters would do the same thing – and the 5% who wouldn’t – good for you and who really cares about your morals anyways? kids will look up to joe
Money dosen’t have anything to do with respecting women. What are you? the Taliban? And yes it should be about kids when they look to a star for a role model. We should not glorify, defend mistakes or think they are ok. We are all human and make mistakes so JJ and all of us should deserve some deference. He will be fine if he ends the stupidity. There is no sliding scale for money Trs morals, only trouble follows that train.
Mystikal
August 31st, 2009
11:41 pm
JJ is rich, yeah yeah, but he is still a normal guy. When he goes home he has friends and family he kicks it with like anyone else. It doesn’t surprise me at all about his twitter. I actually expected much worse considering all the fuss. As a pro-athlete he is still one of the good guys.
Big Ray
August 31st, 2009
11:46 pm
Twitter is what it is. Follow whoever at your own risk.
As for role models, I’d be more concerned about the role models kids have in the home, and in the places they live. If your kids have problems, it’s likely far less about who they worship on television (or whoever is wearing whatever jersey) and more about YOU. YOU control their influences in and around the home (less so when you’re talking about school, but it still applies). Yes, people of public fame an influence have an effect on the general population. So if JJ and whoever is tweeting crazy stuff, or acting up in public, it’s still up to YOU to teach your kids that whatever they’re doing isn’t right.
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
12:00 am
Charlie Rosen didn’t even mention Greg Poppovich. Is he scared of the guy?
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
12:09 am
MannyT ,
I agree on the Rosen comments. And in this case, I’d say the team is better than he gives them credit for. I also agree that Woodson deserves this second year to show that he can continue to win and compete well. He’ll have greater depth, so there shouldn’t be the usual noise about injuries and insufficient help (and short rotations and too many minutes). Last I looked, Sund signed him to a two year contract, presumably for the sake of a full evaluation . It’s been one year with Sund. Time for year two.
Woody can speak his mind all he wants. Good for him. I like it when Bibby speaks HIS mind, too.
HB Ando
September 1st, 2009
12:29 am
I have to agree with Ray’s 11:46 post regarding role models.
And if JJ wants to be a “twit”, then that’s his right. For folks who are having trouble reconciling the “new” JJ, and the JJ they think they have come to know over the years, there are two pretty realistic explanations:
1) You never really knew anything about him, personally.
2) He’s changed, and it might not be in a way that his family-oriented fans would be happy with.
People don’t live in a vacuum, so JJ may have become more of a hedonist in the last few years. If that’s the case, then it is what it is. Hopefully he won’t break any laws, or screw up his career. But he’s free to get his party on like any other citizen of the United States, whether folks like it or not. I still support Barkley’s position that these guys aren’t obligated to be role models for your kids, though it’s certainly appreciated, by the parents of children who idolize professional athletes, when they choose to embrace the public persona of “role models”.
JJ has seemingly been a gym rat for most of his life. He may of finally gotten a taste for getting his “freak” on. He wouldn’t be the first, and he won’t be the last.
My name is HB, and I think this whole “blog” thing is very novel and cool. You folks know a bunch about basketball, and I’m looking forward to gleaning knowledge about the Hawks from this site, as the NBA season approaches…….
MannyT
September 1st, 2009
12:47 am
It’s the ghost of hoops blogs past. Welcome back Ando.
@Ray–But does Woody like it when Bibby speaks his mind? That, by extension leads me to, Does Samuel like it when Bibby speaks his mind
If I were a public personality, I’d have 2 twitter accounts. One that was for all the voyeurs that want to watch, and another that was locked down (i.e. protected tweets) for my real blabber with actual people of personal interest.
BWAF
doc
September 1st, 2009
12:55 am
he’s back, for a moment or a season? hey ando.
manny t, there is nothing to protect you in twitter land; like doing porn with a “friend” to find it on the net. no privacy in twit realm anywhere.
vava74
September 1st, 2009
2:57 am
Big Ray,
I think Rosen did not mentioned Pop because he did not play in the league, meaning that he falls out of the theme of the column.
vava74
September 1st, 2009
3:51 am
Also, his assessment of Woody is incomplete: he has done, according to him a terrific job SO FAR, however, this does not mean that he has the tools to go beyond this point (hence he thinks he is a FAIR coach).
Some HC are suited for this type of job, in particular defensive coaches who happen to be good dealing with players like Woody does.
I think everyone should wish that Woody continues to develop his own skills as a coach and that he proves his detractors wrong by leading the Hawks to, at least, a good second round showing.
Samuel
September 1st, 2009
6:39 am
First of All Ray,
I never said I had a problem with Bibby speaking his mind. Neither did Woody. Good coaches know who knows the game and who doesn’t.
Now, Josh, that’s a different story. That’s why he and Woody clash. Josh has “ZERO” Basketball IQ. Man can’t even understand basic stuff like when and where to shoot and when and where to dribble. Cries on every foul call. He plays on pure athleticism and has no right to question the coach until he proves that he “GETS IT” mentally.
Welcome back Ando, hope all is well with the family. How is the little one?
Sekou Smith
September 1st, 2009
7:56 am
I’m just glad Ando is back to start a few more fires around here.
And I wasn’t holding back on that AI information. He’s one of many NBA players that come through here in the offseason and they’ve all been welcome to use the Hawks’ facility, at least since I’ve been around.
Astro Joe
September 1st, 2009
8:53 am
If Crawford and AI are working out together, I’m going to quit my corporate gig and start selling basketball balls in the CNN Center… because the Hawks will need a few hundred extra.
Wow, Abe and Ando show up in within 24 hours of each other. Where’s Flash?
Here’s my conspiracy theory on Joe’s twitting (if it is really Joe)… he’s beginning his campaign for a new contract. Why not create a little “buzz” by sharing some provocative stories? Maybe this is a marketing campaign to get him off the “best players who you forget about” list and get him into the mainstream of pop culture. Is it possible that an agent could suggest that a guy with a lot of Twitter followers can translate that following into basketball-related merchandise (or ticket) sales which should be a variable in considering a free agent contract? I don’t think that is a huge leap, not if you follow the money. If he wants to increase his “sreet cred” without doing anything stratight stupid, have at it.
KevinA
September 1st, 2009
8:58 am
The addition of Joe Smith will give the Hawks an experienced veteran. Will this change the rotation of minutes that Woody employed with the big’s last year? Woody rotated ZaZa, Al and Josh, trying to keep at least two of the three on the court at the same time. With the addition of Joe, Woody now has the option to platoon the first and second unit. There may be gains of continuity to be had.
Teague, Crawford, Evans, Smith and ZaZa could come in and play in block minutes. It would be interesting to see this tried in preseason games.
Another interesting line up would be of course putting Crawford and JJ together with Evans, Joe Smith and ZaZa. I would call this line up our jump shooting squad.
This would allow the next line up to be Bibby, Josh, Al, Marvin and West. I would call this our defensive and low post squad.
Woody has never had the luxury to deploy players in groups or blocks. Trying the idea of continuity in a fashion he is not used to. Will he practice the squad with this type of thought in mind?
Then there is substitution and rotation, a player on player within a team concept, bringing in players best to match up the opposing rotation.
The Woody style is to put his best players on the floor for as long as he possible can. This will be his first real/fair chance to explore other alternatives. His contract next year might be determined by his ability to succeed with other alternatives.
kwooden1
September 1st, 2009
9:16 am
First on JJ:
I’m a JJ fan, so my first reaction to his comments were surprise and some disappointment. I think I was more surprised than disappointed because Twitter is open and it gave me the impression he was seeking attention. Once I took sometime to think about it, I actual forgot about his comments all together, until I got back on the blog. I’m a guy who has kids and goes to church so I can understand where some people are coming from. I’m also not ignorant to the world we live in, or to the fact we know very little about public people. So from a public perspective I think this could help or hurt JJ. Remember Iverson had the leading selling jersey for years and he’s always been considered a bad boy and Kobe has the leading seller now (over Lebron) and we all know his past. Nothing wrong with a bad boy/party image in terms of endorsements, if you keep it contained. I just hope JJ is working on his body (getting ready for the beating of a long season) and reading up on defensives (because he’s still going to get double-teamed a lot)
Woody:
From what I could read he made the correct answer to a very direct question. After a playoff season you should always say you deserve an extension. No one knows what’s going to happen this coming season and a coach should always say he’s needs another year to work. I think his comments support his staff and his players. I’ve been in the group that wants replace Woody and I’m still in that group. But I know that he’s here for at least another year and I also understood the move to keep him. It was good for team chemistry.
Personally I don’t care for the move to pick up Collins because it takes minutes away from RandMo, but I guess another big body doesn’t hurt. We should definitely keep Hunter, he looks like a good bench player.
GO HAWKS!!!
Mike is back
September 1st, 2009
9:21 am
KevinA, nice line-up…don’t count Othella Hunter out of the mix…he got energy and offense…plus his mid range is sweet too. Guys have been talking him up…I hope he makes the roster.
HB, well said…welcome back!!
GO TEAGUE…GO SILER…GO HUNTER…AND GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
September 1st, 2009
9:21 am
What I like most about the Joe Smith (and impending Jason Collins) signings is that it should mean NO COMPLACENCY. I think that scrimmages should be amped up to levels unseen in recent Hawks history. Woody will have all kind of crazy combinations to use.
Back to conspiracy theories, strange that one season after loading up the team with 15 players (including several “projects”), Sund is now taking the “roster flexibility” approach. What, we didn’t need roster flexibility last season? Sounds to me like he is maintaining a 2-for-1 trade flexibility, so that the roster can go to 14 and still have that empty seat for any emergencies. Great plan, just don’t know why it wasn;t employed last year (when we could have tried to lure a big man who was bought out of their contract). Maybe he learned his lesson.
Daniel
September 1st, 2009
9:35 am
kwooden- I was with you on your post all the way until the end when you lament that RandMo won’t be getting more minutes.
That guy should NOT even make the roster!!!
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
9:42 am
Samuel,
I didn’t say you did have a problem with Bibby speaking his mind. MannyT asked that question. Valid question though, and I think your answer was fairly well put. I get what you’re saying about Josh. The only thing I disagree with is the “zero IQ” comment. Dude isn’t completely bereft of basketball IQ. You don’t put up those kinds of stats with zero IQ. I’d say his IQ is low , but not non-existent. And everything else applies. He cries to the refs too much, he doesn’t know enough to challenge every call by the coach, etc. I hope he grows out of it. If not, I hope we do what we need to, to get better. If that means sending him packing, so be it.
It’s on YOU, Smoove. ….better listen to what the elder Smith tells ya….
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
9:47 am
Astro Joe,
Good points involving the addition of Collins and Smith. Also, I think there was a little less roster flexibility last year when we were paying Bibby $15 million, and we were looking at a bunch of re-signings coming up this offseason. But, I don’t know the numbers as well as some here, like Niremetal or MannyT . I figure there’s a reason for it, but it probably ain’t the one I suggested.
Daniel,
RandMo makes the roster because he’s still under contract. The only way he gets out of a Hawks jersey (for the purposes of this argument, anyway) is if we trade him. Hell, that’s a whole ‘nother thread by itself, lol…
Daniel
September 1st, 2009
9:52 am
Astro Joe- In reference to your 8:53 comments, I hear you about maybe Joe is tweeting to increase his profile. I just don’t buy it. If I were his agent and that is the route I was going to take, then he would be doing interviews, maybe appear on a “superstars” type show, etc. Even if he wanted to be controversial then he would say something like the Hawks are better than the Celtics or “Lebron is overrated”. Those tweets just seem like a little weird insider type banter that really has no business for public consumption. Those should be texts to friends not tweets. I hope that he is not now developing a freak nature, like ando suggested. He is too old for that.
C’mon Joe…. we love ya, but the twitter page is stupid.
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
9:57 am
Shout-outs to HB Ando and Honest Abe!
KevinA,
I agree. Woody’s MO has been to put the best players he has and keep them on the floor as long as possible. Many would argue that he did this because of a very significant dropoff in talent/capability when his starters came out, and that argument has a great deal of merit.
The idea of reserves is to be able to keep up the intensity, if not necessarily the talent, and to change the pace of the game in certain segments, where appropriate. Woody will now have the option of doing so as he pleases. I would be surprised, as well as disturbed, if he does not. Notice I didn’t get into specific detail as to how he employs his reserves. That’s for him to decide, though you know I won’t have any problem voicing my opinion, heh heh heh!
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
10:01 am
I don’t care what Joe Johnson is tweeting about.
I don’t care if he’s a freak, or becoming one.
I don’t follow his twitter page.
Follow the #1 rule: if you no likey, you can stop reading anytime….
newkid
September 1st, 2009
10:17 am
Daniel, if Woody were approaching retirement, he might ask himself ‘what’s the harm’ in a little gentle nudging via the media. Woody hasn’t established himself as an elite coach, but he potentially has decades of NBA coaching ahead of him. It is therefore probably not wise to inadvertently ‘market’ himself – as a potential employee – as one who’s very comfortable straying off the reservation (my apologies to the native people of this land) in pursuit of what he believes is his just deserts. So, IMO, his question should be ‘how does this approach help me?’, not ‘will it hurt me?’. And he should ask that question from both short-term and long-term perspectives.
kwooden1
September 1st, 2009
10:29 am
Daniel I haven’t seen enough of RandMo to count him out yet. Collins is only good for giving a few hard fouls a game, but RandMo has shown some ability to score. If RandMo can show the ability to give fouls as hard and quick as Collins, then I will take him. We can use a little more in the paint offensive.
GO HAWKS!
Astro Joe
September 1st, 2009
10:40 am
Daniel, the reality is that discussing your profession is less likely to launch you into pop culture than discussing your life. have you heard about these things called “reality shows”? They don’t take us behind the scenes of someone doing their job, we get to see some portion (real or not) of the person’s life. If Joe wanted to be Joe NBA, he could probably get a blog on NBA.com… and only basketball geeks (like myself) would read it. But if he wants to be become a product endorser, a guy who appears in music videos or someone who can sell more than a dozen jerseys in a season, he needs to show us Joe Johnson and not Hawk employee #2. AI is an icon more because of his off-the-court style than for his on-court performance. If Joe maintains his Tim Duncan-like personality, he will continue to be a wallflower just like Tim Duncan.
JSS
September 1st, 2009
10:43 am
Co-sign Big Ray at 11:48… Send that one to the Opinion page…
Astro Joe
September 1st, 2009
10:46 am
kwooden, I agree that we need more low-post scoring, i just wouldn’t expect that from the 3rd string center. That scoring needs to come from Horford, Smith, Zaza or Joe Smith, the guys who will get 98% of the C/PF minutes for this team (barring injury).
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
11:29 am
I think my last post got eaten by the blog monster.
kwooden1
September 1st, 2009
12:08 pm
Astro I’m thinking that any big guy can give a hard foul, but not any big can score. I will take the guy that can score and foul over the guy that can only foul.
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
12:10 pm
The days of $5 million-plus coaching salaries, expected extensions and hefty raises are increasingly being reserved for only the most successful coaches like the Lakers’ Phil Jackson and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich, who also heads his franchise’s basketball operations department. NBA commissioner David Stern chastised the league’s owners this summer for spending too much money on their coaching and scouting staffs. With the NBA about to begin negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, one league source said Stern told team owners that the Players Association will likely protest a reduction in the players’ salary structure unless the salaries of coaches and team executives also are decreased.
“Stern has been hammering the owners about that,” one Western Conference executive said. “The owners have been taking it to heart. … There is some significant downward pressure with coach and front-office salaries. I’m in that boat, too. I’m in the front office. I’m feeling it just like everyone else.”
That alone would tell me, as a first-time head coach, to maybe be careful what I say. Woody’s talking about an extension like he just finished his contract.
“We deserve it with what we’ve done this past year. Any other coach probably would have been extended without a doubt. “For us not to be extended is not right. But it is what it is. … I still have a job to do.”
If this were a player talking, we’d be saying he’s selfish, self-centered, greedy, etc. We’d be telling him to get out of here, and we don’t need attitudes like that. Even if the player was facing free agency that very year (as in, he doesn’t know where he’s going to be working that coming season) and the front office was telling him to go find an offer from someone else. We reacted thusly with both Joshes, did we not?
But we’re talking about a coach. A coach who HAS a solid job this year, and nobody is telling him to go find a job offer elsewhere. And that whole bit about “any other coach probably would have been extended without a doubt”….really? Wow, what a mature statement. The man talks like he’s not going to get an extension. If that’s the case, he might want to start re-working that resume and making himself look good. That statment was probably meant to sting the front office (and perhaps ownership). And it may hit it’s mark with his fans and supporters. But as Newkid queries, does it say more about his presumably intended target, or does it make him look like a complainer? Petulant, even. What’s the common phrase: “it’s not the message intended, but the one received.” Statements like that can easily do more damage to the perception of any possible employers, moreso than it can do damage to his current employers.
And based on the parts of the Yahoo Sports article, who do you suppose owners are paying more attention to, Big Daddy Stern or a 5 year head coach with a losing record?
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
12:23 pm
KevinA
September 1st, 2009
1:13 pm
@-)
Big Ray
September 1st, 2009
1:28 pm
KevinA,
What’s that? A new smiley?
Ariose
September 1st, 2009
1:33 pm
PREACH!!!!
dap01
September 1st, 2009
1:46 pm
Shut up Woody. No one is born with the right to be extended before the end of a contract. If the money is not enough, go somewhere else. I hope he just shuts up and coaches.
Have a great year but shut up.
Melvin
September 1st, 2009
1:51 pm
Woody should honor his contract and continue to do his job. No one force him to sign a 2 year contract. He was well aware of the terms. Besides, it was him who wouldn’t allow his assistant coaches to leave for greener pastures a few season ago. I recall him saying that those coaches should honor their contracts at the time…. Well, well look who’s complaining now…
Mystikal
September 1st, 2009
2:12 pm
SEKOU,
If we do indeed sign Siler, after having signed Jason Collins, do you think we could be looking to trade Randmo down the road? Even if it is just for cap space?
KevinA
September 1st, 2009
2:27 pm
Ray,
I was trying to figure out how you did that
Sekou Smith
September 1st, 2009
2:32 pm
Cap space for RandMo? He makes less than $1 million, so there’s no relief in sight if you move him. The only thing he does is help you facilitate a deal Mystikal.
Ariose
September 1st, 2009
2:38 pm
MannyT-I’ve finished and started over again lol. 68 cans of Crunk on the wall, throw another down and pass ‘em around, 67 cans of Crunk on the wall..whoo!
KevinA
September 1st, 2009
2:43 pm
:-”
Mystikal
September 1st, 2009
2:44 pm
This is the hawks line-up as most currently reported:
Bibby 6′2
Joe J 6′7
Marv 6′9
Josh 6′9
Al 6′10
Teague 6′2
Crawford 6′6
Evans 6′5
Joe S 6′10
Zaza 6′11
Randmo 6′11 (still under old contract)
J Collins 6′11
And if roster is going to hold at 13 as speculated, than i’m guessing the last spot would go to a guard. KEEP ME STRAIGHT SEKOU!!
Ariose
September 1st, 2009
2:49 pm
Sekou, When you run into Mike Bibby tell him that the fans want to see ONE regular season dunk……just one lol….I already know what he’s going to say but it’s worth a shot hehehe….
Oooh, & & at least FIVE ankle breakers during the season. He should get some incentive bonuses in his contract if he pulls this suff off lol.