When players are made

Oops, was I supposed to say FIRST?

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Hey, I think it never hurts to invite a few more. Gives the team a couple extra chances to find a diamond in the rough.

Good news about Morris –> bad news for Siler. I don’t think Morris will be a rotation player here unless there is a huge slew of frontcourt injuries, but that’s more a testament to the Hawks’ newfound frontcourt depth than a knock on him.

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Kind of interesting that Morris somehow thinks that his previous body was what was holding him back. I remember when Solo spent a summer working on his body and seemingly forgot to work on his on-court game. Hopefully, Morris hasn’t made a similar mistake.

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Sekou, thanks. Good stuff. After Acie, though I’m almost afraid to be too excited about Teague. I’m sure you know what I mean.

On another subject….Anybody else think that “Jimmy Football” is the absolute stupidest ad campaign ever? Bud Light has made me laugh often with their ads, but this latest effort is atrocious. I THINK (and hope) that they thought it was SO stupid it was cute.

Wrong.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.

By the way GT is straight up KILLIN’ Clemson.

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Thanks for the update, Sekou! Did RandMo play in the pickup games? If so, how did he look?

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Steve Lavin on ESPN said before the draft that in 5 years Jeff Teague would be the best PG from this draft period. Glad he was around when the Hawks drafted – hope he stays healthy.

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Sekou, Teagues not terribly big? What? It must be the T-Shirts he’s wearing. Coming from a fellow ectomorph, I’m here to tell ya for a guy my age, with that frame, he’s big. Especially with his matabolisim working against him at ALL times(which freaking sucks BTW). Just look at the AJC photos of the guy. He’s ripped. He could be small, but he’s chosen not to be. That takes a lot of painful work for a frame like that my friends, i’m here to tell ya.

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Living up here in VA I saw a lot of Teague last year during ACC play. Let me tell you guys, he is amazing. He knows how to be a leader on the floor and get the ball in the basket.

That said, I’m glad that Bibby is here to help show him the ropes during the first coulple of years. He will get his chance to play and lead what now looks like a very potent bench.

It will be interesting to see if Woodson will actually use his bench more this year (especially the bigs like Joe Smith, Collins and Zaza) just to add some more beef in the paint.

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WELL IM GLAD I WILL HAVE A GOOD TEAM ON 2K10 THIS YEAR THANKS HAWKS!

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Good read SS,
Wow, as many as 23-24 huh. It reads to me, Sund may be open to more dealing. With two expirings (Mo and Randy) among the guarantees, roster may not be set.

Will John Lucas me in camp?

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Good news. Just hope that Milk Dud Dome doesn’t hate on Teague and ruin him b4 he gets a chance 2 get going like he usually does rookies.

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Morris has shed 60 pounds? Wtf? Does he look like Solo now?

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It’s early but it’s always good to hear positive things. I remember reading the comments on ESPN about Sheldon Williams after summer league, basically saying it was clear he was going to be a a huge bust, and we all know how that turned out. . Of all Billy’s mistakes that’s the one that he really has no excuse for.

I am less optimistic about Morris because I am not sure he really has the talent to be a factor in this league but at least this year he is giving it a legit effort.

But the truth is I really like this team., I think we one great player ( can you say Brandon Roy) , and maybe one great coach, away from truly being able to commit with the big boys.
My goal for this year is to pass Boston which is possible if Garrett does not stay healthy.
I really do not see Wallace helping them that much at this point in his career. Ray Allen also began to show his age at times last year as well.

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Good news on Teague, and not the first I’ve heard. I’m looking forward to him pushing hard for time. Nothing’s better than a guy who makes it very hard for you to NOT play him. And I think Teague will do just that. If Teague continues to represent himself well, he may just get the minutes Sekou originally suggested he might get.

Ariose ,

That was one sick J-Smoove link you posted late on the last blog. I’m damn glad he’s a Hawk. And I hope to see 82 games worth of those kinds of highlights this year. I’m glad to hear that he basically says he’s not enamored of the 3-ball. I still disagree with anybody that says he doesn’t need to develop a jumper. He absolutely DOES need a midrange jumper. But his bread and butter should be finishing on the break, slashing to the basket, and scoring inside when presented with the opportunity.

And you’re right about Teague: kid is ripped. He doesn’t have to be thick to be strong. Just ask Allen Iverson.

Vava74 ,

That comment you made last blog about the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 5 assists per game with that lineup was just hilarious! And probably not far from true…

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Steelers win a tough one against Tennessee. I can’t wait to watch the Falcons take on the Dolphins this Sunday!

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Morris is plenty talented. I remember watching a game he played in high school against Dwight and he was tit for tat and actually came out better statistically. For what ever reason he did not improve I dont know but by virtue of him being in the league tells me he has talent enough. I see him being better than Shelden (LOL).

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Hey Sekou anything new on Joe Johnson contract extension?

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D-Nice,

Dwight Howard was nothing back then like he is now. He didn’t have the strength he has now. Morris was just about always as big as he is now (or rather, last year). Morris has skills, yes. But they have yet to translate to the floor in real playing time. He has some offensive polish. Can’t say much good about the rest of his game, though.

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We have 2 wait and see if teague is ready for the big dogs,this is the same thing said about acie law until woody desrtoyed his confidence.
GO HAWKS!!!!!

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Ken,

I am sorry to hear about your loss. I cannot even imagine how it feels to experience something like that.

Having relatives in the military does involve always having the thought of losing them at some stage in the back of one’s mind, however, losing them that way, on a 5th commission of duty, must give you a “russian roulette feeling”: that their luck was pushed to the limit unjustifiably.

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this is what hawks basketball should be all about. working hard and doing everything possible to be a better player over the break then becoming a better teammate during camp..

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Big Ray,

Do you have trouble going to sleep or are you an old geezer who wakes up at 5AM?

As for Iverson, he has been on the most powerful drug all his life: self absorption!

If we look beyond all those tattoos and the stupid attitude of wanting the approval of the streets (carrying guns, et all…) he looks like a nice likable dude deep in, however, he just can help but to act – as a “professional” and as a teammate – as a disrespectful and egotistic idiot.

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The thing that will make Teague better than Acie is his confidence. He will give us a good change of pace. Hopefully, he can play good defense. That’s what will determine his minutes. I can also see he and Bibby on the court some together. Bibby back at the 2 and JJ at the 3.

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Hoopsworld is predicting a declin in Bibbys skills/production this season…

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13781

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I really don’t care to dicect minutes. It’s gonna allways be hard to keep Bibby off the floor, so if that’s what you’re hoping for, you may be dissappointed. I really don’t care, as long as we win.

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Sekou- Great stuff, keep it coming. I am going to try and keep myself realistic about Teague, but it is getting harder and harder.
When will get a list of training camp invitees? Is Korolev going to make camp?
I appreciate the love you threw to Randolph. It is hard to lose weight when you are working a full time job, raising a family, etc.. Oh wait, his JOB IS TO BE IN SHAPE!!!! Please Hawks throw out the garbage.

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also with crawford, jj and marvin healthy and smith capable of pushing the envelope there at the three in unusual circumstances, mo evans wont be higher than our 11th man is my guess if woody is doing his job.

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Folks are right that a huge difference b/t Teague/Acie is that Woody enthusiastically supported his drafting and THINKS that he is a player…but there is also a serious skill set differntial between the two…i.e. Teague is a much better shooter…much quicker and more explosive and has a far greater upside. Acie was a tremendous college player…great strength…good handles…decent court vision…moxie…but did not possess the ability to shootit or the explosive speed/athleticism that translated to tremendous success as a starting NBA point

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I’ve seen Morris’ ‘08/’09 weight listed at both 260 and 270. In either case the loss of ~60 lbs would seem to suggest he’s not likely to be of much help to any team in the post at 200 – 210. Is this business of a 60 lbs loss credible, or was he likely much heavier than 270 last season? Are there plans to give him a serious look at the 4 spot with all the beef we already appear to have at the 5 (Horford, Zaza, Collins, Siler?)? If he is in fact only carrying slightly more than 200 lbs in his trousers, can he really be expected to even hold his own at the 4?

Seems what Morris needed was more a weight transfer (i.e., from fat to muscle) than a weight loss. If what he has done is to remove the fat in preparation for adding the muscle (is that the proper approach; the Jenny Craig plan, then the Lou Ferrigno plan?), then perhaps we should all await the addition of the muscle to form our opinions of his transformation. If he does complete the remaining loop of the transformation, it’s not likely to be in Hawks blue.

I’m almost as excited about seeing Jeff Teague in Hawks blue as I am about seeing John Wall in Kentucky blue.

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Not a Teague hater but I still like Flip Murray. Flip does his job without drama or hesitation.

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doc, Evans may be playing the Mario West role this season… designated defender in spot situations. If Teague plays well, I suspect that he will take some time from Bibby and Marvin. Or said differently, it will allow Joe to play less PG and more SF. I’m guessing that the key to Teague’s on-court time will be how well he protects the ball (lack of turnovers) and how well he defends. I doubt that exciting dunks will factor into the decision.

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Morris said in an Article with Sekou earlier this summer that he was really actually over 300lbs last season…which is fine, if thats your actual conditioned, game-shape self(Shaq) but it’s not Morris. We could all see that last season.

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Sekou???? You don’t have a system!!!!! What!!! You don’t knw what you’re missing. And the Hawks are gonna be real nice on NBA 2K10…

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Player development often improves when the Coach take time to work on a player skill set as it relates to the coach’s team game plan. Teague success will be dependent upon the minutes Woody allows him to play, make mistakes, and the ability to not destroy his confidence & aggressiveness, while he instructs (coach) him in the correct way to play his system.

To date we don’t really know what his system is other than Iso Joe. He does not allow rookies to make mistakes, thus he reduces their minutes or DNP, which results in no learning and he has proven he can destroy a young player’s confidence (Salim, Solo, AC, even Morris in his limited role). Woody is the ” Undertaker ” he will kill a playa!

So it really does not matter what you do in the summer, we have heard glowing summer reports before…Woody is the KEY to PLAYER DEVELOPMENT…is it realistic that he would now trust any young player, while working on his expiring contract & resenting the fact it has not been renewed???

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Wink- so does that mean he didn’t destroy the confidence of Josh Smith, Marvin William, Al Horford, Za Za Pachulia? Also, Solo left because the Pacers thought more highly of him than the Hawks not less, they seemed to think he developed under Woody. But hey don’t let the facts get in the way of a belief.
So ultimately the answer to your last question is yes, he can.

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Wink, guys like you often name those players who have gone on to prove Woody right. Salim? Where is he now? Acie? He is so far buried on the Warriors bench that he may not even get time ahead of CJ Watson. Solo just volunteered to be the 5th big on a team unlikely to make the playoffs. Talk to me about rookies like Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Horford. Heck, Zaza was basically a rookie when he grabbed him 4 years ago. While Woody is not a teacher of basketball skills I do believe he gives players a chance to succeed. If they have the capacity to help the team, then all is good. He gave Shelden and Acie time in their respective rookie seasons and when they stunk up the joint, he sat them down. Woody treats them like grown men at a job, perform and play or don’t and sit. If those guys can’t man up and work on their craft in the off-season, then that’s on them. Morris is on his 4th year as a professional player and decides to start losing weight after collecting 4 years of NBA pay. And you want to blame Woody for not giving him time last season. This is NOT YMCA youth league ball.

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Hometeam- Glad to see you on the blog, miss you on the radio. Hope you get some work this season. That show (we won’t mention names) sucks without you.

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So, the new JT is on his way to becoming a “made man”? Good, because just being Woodson’s homeboy wasn’t enough. Sounds like in year 2 of his career he will become the starter. Now that is something to wait around for.

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Rod Strickland was taller and bigger and didn’t have a long range shot. Excellent defender but had an attitude problem. Super strong. One of the best players ever not to make the all star team.

Teague seems to have Kevin Johnson’s game. What do you think?

Compare JT with JT2.

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jerrywest- I have not seen Teague display the kind of hops that Kevin Johnson had. I consider that comparison very high praise. maybe.

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Sekou, Lol I feel you, but it’s never to late for a EAsports Tash talk fest and competitions with the homies. You should try it sometime, its fun.

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i’m popping in as the off-season nears its end …

the potentially exciting part of the hawks, for me, is that – for the first time since they first started making noise in the ’80s – they have a roster balanced in age, talent and experience.

any good sport organization develops its own talent – but they also sprinkle in vets that can add leadership and balance. the balance – on the court and in attitude – is the next big step for this organization.

this is no longer a team full of teenagers or guys too young to rent a car; with maturity in years should come maturity in action. the best players know then when to throw their team on their back and take over a game. just as importantly, they know when they are having a bad night and find other ways to help a team win.

that’s what every player on the team must do this season. no more sulking because of a foul or non-foul call; no more forcing jumpers when you’re out of rhyme; no more loafing it on defense because you think you’ve already been beat to the hole.

with that said, this is team still has so much room for development and growth. the potential of this team is exciting because, while it is full of younger-vets, they team is still young. look at the age of the roster, if you exclude bibby and joe smith.

but potential means nothing without self-actualization and results. reading about the guys busting it in the summer is encouraging but seeing the execution day-in and day-out in the regular season will be the proof.

this team should be able to win 50-53 games this season barring significant injury. even with an improved division, anything less would be disappointing unless they do what no atlanta hawks team as done – advance to the conference finals.

did i just drink the kool-aid or what?

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Great to hear nice things about Teague coming from his peers. Wish him and Hawks nothing but the best next season. Can you imagine a backcourt of Crawford and Teague on the second unit? Say bye-bye to those days when Hawks bench could not stay in a game, and Joe was forced to come in early.

Rand Morris sucks. Knowing he is on the last year of his contract and this is the final time he has to show he belongs in the NBA, he starts losing weight. Where was that commitment in the years he’s been in the league? Hope he realizes that it’s just not about losing weight, though. It’s about hustle and desire. It’s about being able to enforce the post, grab rebounds with that big frame of his, knock down some open shots and defend. If he cannot do these things, then his big butt will only end up rusting on the pine. Joe Smith and Collins are waiting to gobble up all his minutes!

Go Hawks! Let the season begin!!!!!!!

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Chuck, I’m right there with you sipping on that same kool-aid lol.

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Ha! That bum Terrence Moore was at Mj’s HOF press confrence…

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/hall_of_fame/2009/09/11/nba_090911_hof_presser7.nba/

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astro agreed. feel mo is a player to help us if we are desperate due to injuries or in spot situations. he ended the season as our starter due to injury and played well. somehow due to the way the chips fell because of what i think are good acquisitions in the off season, mo has fallen to the 11th or 12th man off the bench when all are healthy.

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Ariose — let it go man, TMoore isn’t even writing for the AJC anymore and you still have issues. Move on.

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GeeMack- you know I respect your take, but c’mon if Randolph played like he did in high school then he would play as well as a high schooler, this is the NBA. Dude sucks, always has, always will. He got tall early in his high school career, other than that he has always been a bust. Let the wounded dog be put out of his misery, don’t get any expectations for him.

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I do wish we could turn Evans, next years 2nd rounder, and Morris into McGee, lol.

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And Marvin with Crawford for Roy.

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Dream up 11, good game.

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Well…..now I offically know what guys like MJ have that JJ doesn’t. That competitive fire. That will the be the best….just sayin’…

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Sims, now that is interesting… I like the rebounding and he does have some offense (he’s a worker)… I don’t know if it means as much bad news for Siler as Nire portends. Garret is a person that Woody and the staff like. All anyone ever wanted was for him to him to have a chance to join the Hawks. It is up to him to earn it. If he can’t hack, then I’ll have no problems. Isn’t it good to finally have some bigs competing in our camp, even if it for limited minutes, no more Lo Wrights polluting the waters

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Aroise,

I think your being a little unfair, comparing MJ to JJ. MJ is argueable the best player in the history of the NBA. I will agree with one thing, he does not work as hard as Mario West. That is competitive fire in a less skilled player.

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KevinA, I agree. But JJ probes too much and doesnt “attack” fast enough. I thin Mike Woodson is rubbing off on JJ’s skills…

We all talk about smith, but what about JJ? There are things he needsto improve in order for us to taske that next step. Or roster is LOADED. If you put Replaced JJ with Lebron or Kobe on our roster, would you expect anything less that an NBA finals appearance?

Now I know that Joe isn’t those guys and he has his limitations, but there a a bunch of little nuances about his game that he can tweak in order to better our team overall. Than “Mario West” type of energy all the time is one of them. Thats what MJ had at ALL times. That non-stop motor. That “Go get it” mentality. I see it in a player like Carmelo…especially how he performed in the playoffs. He was non-stop, relentless in his persuit for getting buckets. You cant say JJ doesnt have the tools. He has one of the best phiques in the NBA….and he can jump higher that he chooses too, check his pre-draft measurements. Now I KNOW that wasa while ago, but I was listeneing to an interview from MJ earlier todaywhere he was talking about your jumping ability and how it improves or DECREASES(within your physical capabilites of course) based on how often you USE it. How many times has JJ dunked since he broke his face? Exactly, and thats an aspect of his game I thin he need to unlock again if he reallly wants to help this team acheive new heights. Not ust jumping but finishing at the rim in general. MJ also said, it’s not about how athletic you are, but how well you use the tools that ou have to work with.

Look at how long John Stockton was at the peak of Physical perfecton. His ball handling ability never diminished to my eyes throughout his tenure in the NBA(TWENTY YEARS…and I was shocked when he retired, He STILL could’ve plated another five years). Then I watch a Mike Bibby game from 2003. Now he can barely dribble the basketball anymore(That was JUST six years ago, he’s been in the leauge 11 ears to stocktons 20 and stockton played FOUR YEARS IN COLLEGE). There HAS TO BE something to this. You can’t just go in the Gym and shoot all day. You HAVE TO keep the rest of your body in optimal running conditions or you will loose your gifts. I just wish everyon on our roster played/worked as hard as Mario West. Teague may be ans exception. He seems to have that “Go get it” fire/mentality…at least for now…

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Hey Kevin… Do you wonder what Jeff Schultz will have to say about that? 24 points edge this time of the year is impressive… And good luck to Lisa Leslie, she is on the Mt. Rushmore of the Ladies game…

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Daniel ,

“Wounded dog”? Damn, that’s harsh, LOL! Seriously, I’m not holding my breath on Morris. I hope he does well, but he’s got his work cut out for him with all the two veteran bigs we picked up, and guys getting invities to training camp. I don’t know what will happen with Siler. He’s got his work cut out for him as well.

Here’s what I think about Woody and Acie, in retrospect. Woody clearly is not a confidence killer with all rookies. As you mentioned, Childress, Smith, Horford, and Marvin are all examples to the opposite. He doesn’t coddle anybody, and despite all the support and optimism surrounding him and Teague, he’s not going to give the kid a free ride of any sort. Teague will have to prove himself.

I didn’t agree with every decision Woody made with Law, but I wasn’t coaching him and didn’t see him in practice. What I did see was some good outings, followed by fewer minutes and sometimes DNPs. I also saw some times where Law was injured and didn’t play, and I saw some inconsistent play as well. He was decent at staying in front of his man, but he also deferred a lot. He could drive to the hole and dish off, but he was far more comfortable playing with guys like Solo and West than he was with first teamers. Never took charge with starters on the floor. His best game was against Cleveland, when he scored 20 points. He had few others that came close.

Well, my conclusion is that this was the wrong place and situation for him. The same could be said of Javaris Crittenton. Or Chauncey Billups early in his career (like, the first few years). Different guys may need different coaches to help them in their development. There is such a thing as a good coach/player matchup.

Perhaps that’s the deal. Or…perhaps Acie never shows himself to be much of a player at all. I’m not looking for a resurgence in Golden State, but the reason for that opinion is two-fold: one, Nellie is crazy. Two, Nellie likes a shooting pg even more than Woody does.

That does not bode well for Acie. I hope he finds his way. But if he doesn’t, and he fades from the league, nobody can really say Woody was dead wrong. Either way, I’m excited about Teague, and I’m not worrying about Acie.

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Please excuse those fraking spelling errors lol…Proof reading so troublesome….

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DANIEL-Smoove, Marvin, Chills and even Zaza, came to the Hawks at a time when Woodson had no choice but to play them. A lot of fans are still complaining about Smoove’s lack of progress in certain areas. And in case you haven’t noticed, the overall production of Smoove, Horford and Marvin fell off last yr.

Horford and Chills came into the league mature beyond their yrs and with very high basketball IQ’s. You can’t credit any NBA HC for that. Smoove worked very hard for an one summer on his inside OFF moves with the Hakeem the Dream. The end result, Woodson didn’t add or modify his OFF one bit in order to take advantage of those efforts. We’ve seen a lot of friction between the 2 every since.

Marvin’s improvements, like Smoove’s, came of hard work during the off season. We haven’t seen a single case where one of our young players has shown noticeable improvement from one half of the season to the next. We’ve only seen improvement at the beginning of each season, which was the result of individual off season work. There’s absolutely no way any HC should receive credit for that type of improvement.

Zaza lost his confidence and played poorly after losing his starting position to Horford. He rebounded last yr because it was a contract yr, not because of anything Woodson did. As far as Solo and the Pacers are concerned, they obviously recognized the value of having a young developing, athletic, DEF minded player that can play C & PF. They also figured with a little attention and development, rather than being ignored in practice and during gms, he could develop into a good player.

I find it hard to believe Woodson would tell Solo he’s not wanted back. He’d rather have RMorris, a player that hasn’t shown any DEF skills, or much of anything else.

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Here we go again.

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Ken Strickland ,

It’s true that Woody had little to no choice to play guys like Marvin and Josh.

At the same time, I cannot in good conscience say that Woody deserves absolutely NO credit for their development. It would seem that they indeed have show more improvement from season to season, than they have during a season. I think that speaks more to Woody not being much of a teacher type of coach than anything else. But we have seen these guys play with more motivation at certain times during the season. Horford’s offensive production went up in the later second half of the season, leading some of us to wonder where it had been in the first half. Josh showed the difference between motivated and unmotivated when he had that scuffle with Woody that got him benched for a game and a half.

Part of the conversation has been about whether or not Woody destroys the confidence of rookies.

Looking at it from that angle, that argument is flawed. Horford’s confidence is unshakeable. He’s a natural team-first guy. His lack of offensive production is a combination of him not getting the ball enough, and the fact that he simply has to learn some go-to moves. That, and he’s playing as an undersized center. I criticize Woody for the way Horford is used (or not used) at times, but the fact is that Big Al hasn’t proven without a doubt that he’s a serious threat in the paint every single night.

Josh has no confidence problems whatsoever. He is even confident enough to take shots that he shouldn’t be taking. His issue is impatience.

Childress never had a confidence issue whatsoever. Not once. And he played several roles rather well. Woody relied on him a lot, if you think about it. He was the truest sixth man this team has seen in a while. Even Flip didn’t play the roles and minutes that Chill did.

As for Marvin, we know he’s a deferring type of player. He hasn’t stepped up or taken charge, but like Horford, he’s a consummate teammate. Having said that, I agree that he decided to extend his range to 3-point territory, and he did it over the summer.

But we’re overlooking something: Marvin attempted 155 3-pointers last season. No way did his unassuming butt do that without Woody okaying it.

The same guy we blame for running plays that put Josh on the wing is the same man who ran plays that allowed Marvin to shoot from the arc.

I think many of us agree that Marvin’s extended range was a good thing, and subsequently would agree that this part of his game was effective. Therefore, we cannot give credit to Woody for “ineffective use” of Josh, but not give him credit for “effective use” of Marvin. It’s just not fair.

Do I have numerous critcisms to offer concerning Woody and the offense we run? Yes, I do, and I stand behind every one of them. But to say that he deserves absolutely no credit for the success of this team isn’t right, to me. My criticism is based on what I think can make this team better, more cohesive, more consistent. Clearly our offense was good enough to help us win 47 games last year, and a first round playoff victory. But clearly it wasn’t nearly as good as it could be.

We’ll see what happens this year.

I agree that Woody doesn’t deserve credit for the kind of players that our guys are. They came that way. But he has had a hand in their development to a degree, and I don’t think we can say that he has stunted their growth in ways that render them ineffective. I think he had not done certain things to maximize their capabilities and varying talents/skills, but that would be my opinion, and nothing more.

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Ken ,

One more thing. I think Zaza really came on in the playoffs against Boston, and then he worked very hard in the offseason (as reported by Sekou). I think he hadn’t lost his confidence as much as he had a rough time adjusting to the change in his role, and he also succumbed to the usual chemistry problems we’ve had on this team.

I think Zaza is a guy who always wants to do well and be a contributor. In my opinion, he didn’t just improve because it was a contract year, and nothing else. To say that is somewhat of an insult to the guy. He gave this team a lot, and he had a rough year or so. But he bounced back. I think the added proof was his wanting to stay, signing a contract to stay, and then working as hard as he could to recruit Joe Smith to this team. I love the guy’s attitude. He overcame some adversity (including his war-torn homeland, where he feared for his family’s safety) and bounced back very nicely. I don’t know what Woody’s level of involvement was in Zaza’s resurgence, but he certainly didn’t hurt the situation, and Zaza’s role was very well defined.

Understand that I’m not trying to fight with you, as we’ve agreed on many things concerning Woody and other matters. But I feel like some of this is a little more biased than you usually are. Trust me, I get as frustrated with Woody (and some of the players) as anybody. And I have my moments of tunnel vision, where all I can see is what I don’t agree with.

But where Solo is concerned, I believe the Pacers were doing the same thing we are doing: stockpiling bodies at the pivot. Do the Pacers believe Solo will outperform Foster or Murphy? How about Hibbert? Hansbrough? They already know what these guys can do (other than Hansbrough), and nothing Solo did for us suggests that he’s better. What he is, is another young big, with some talent.

Conversely, did we pick up Smith because we have no faith in Zaza? Did we pick up Collins because we’re not confident in the signing of Smith? Why will Sims and Siler be invited to training camp, because we are worried about the guys we already have? Quite the contrary. We seek something we have not had at those positions in a long time: depth. And not just depth, but useable, serviceable depth. Veteran depth.

This is what the Pacers were doing. This is what we are doing.

And I doubt the fact that Solo went and RandMo stayed had much to do with what Woody would rather have. Woody played Solo far more than he did RandMo (and that’s saying something).

Solo was a restricted free agent. RandMo is still under contract. That’s the reason.

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Great news about Teague, glad to hear.

What is going on with our big men situation? This is a wonderful problem to have, going from not enough bigs to an over abundance.
In top rotation we have Smoove, Al, Joe Smith, and Zaza. Then we added Jason Collins, still have Randmo (busta) under contract, and our looking at Garret Siler (fan fave) and Courtney Sims. Early on I was on the Siler bandwagon (and still am) but this kid Sims has a lot of game already. Neither of these guys would be in the rotation, but would be good for future considerations.

What does Randmo weigh now.. 260? 240? I hope he was picking up the ball up while he was pushing away from the table, cause his problems go far deeper than his poor fitness. Would happily trade him away for nothing, but who’d take him?

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SEKOU,

Any sightings of Jamal Crawford around training camp yet? Know what he is up too or if he’s developing chemistry with any other players?

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As unfair as it might seem, the MJ hall of fame speak has indeed brought a spot-light to JJ in my book since he is our only 70M (soon to be richer) all-star player and leader of the Hawks team. Although not in the sense of expecting a similar fire to burn in his belly like MJ; yes, that would be unfair. But it does begs questions to ask JJ about his basketball career desires; what is really motivating him these days? For example, does he envision himself being in the Hall of Fame someday? Since he has already accomplished his immediate goal of becoming “The Man” on a young and upward-bound team, so what’s next for him? Last I check that was the real motivation that got him out of Phoenix since they were willing to match the dollars. After that, the mission of leading a young Hawks team from the doormat to being a competitor has certainly been a huge success. OK, great, now is he still hungry, does he really want a championship? If so, just how bad does he really want it? Or, on the other hand, has he subconsciously reached a plateau and is he just cruising on easy street (with an extended contract) to a safe landing? Is there really a next level to JJ game or has he peaked? If you base these questions on his age, you would expect all rosy answers, no doubt. But as I listened to MJ speech, it was apparent that answers to these types of questions are not based on a player’s age, but something else deep inside the player. Certainly it’s food for thought.

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Thanks for the update Sekou.Hope they sign JJ.I love Joe Johnson’s game and i’m not hating on him,but that guy from coming to America looks a lot like him.

http://auntiefashion.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/eriq-lasalle.jpg

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Ray has “SEEEEENNNN” the Light.

Looking forward to some college football today. Some interesting games.
#1- My Mississippi State Bulldogs at Auburn. My boy Chad Bumphis:

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090908/SPORTS030102/909080339/1079/Fantastic-frosh-Bumphis-was-headed-to-UF-before-Mullen-got-MSU-job

from Tupelo made a big splash in his first college game. Two touchdowns. They’ll have a rougher go of it at Jordan hare stadium though but we do have our best player back.

2. Ohio State vs USC. The battle of two pretty darn good quarterbacks. I don’t believe OSU has enough horses to hang with the Trojans. Pryor will have his hands full.

3. Michigan vs Notre Dame. The battle of the “has beens”. Both programs hungry to get back to their glory days. I don’t know which program I “Hate” more. Yea I do. Go Wolves!!

“If it aint the SEC, it aint worth watching”

Big props to the Atlanta Dream in their win last night. headed to the playoffs in their second season. that’s what i’m talking about. Any of you who haven’t checked them out in person need to do so. Good stuff, you’d be surprised.

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RA,

Woody can drive! He has done a pretty good job for the past two seasons by making the playoffs! Let’s get behind ALL of the team and support the players as well as the coaches. They are in this thing together you know! GO HAWKS!!!

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you can follow crawford in his twitter. i know he was training hard 2 weeks ago.

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RA,

MJ averaged 38 MPG for his career. I dont think JJ is complaining about playing over 30 MPG either…..and any basketball comparison is a Valid one. These two DID play against each other a few times so it’s absolutely NOT absurd. Why would you compare Kobe to MJ but not JJ to MJ? Because Kobe has more rings? Because he scores more? I think it’s just because you don’t think that JJ is, or ever will be capable of playing on that level. Well that is where we disagree, because I think he is capable of that and it’s not his athletecisim thats holding him back, it’s his mentality and how he approaches the game of basketball every night.

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I sont’t think thats asking too much of him. BUT with all the talent that wev have around us, that may not be the case. Look at Boston, with that much talent, they just had to share the wealth. Their all-stars ppg averages went down, but the wins went up. The same was truefor this Atlanta Hawks team last season. Aside from Mike Bibby and Horford, Scoring droped for our starters. Josh, Joe, and Marvin all saw a dip in their scoring averages, and we won 10 more games. So maybe I am making too big of a deal out of this comparison. One thing is for sure though, Everyone defetly needs to step their game up. It’s going to get really ugly in the East this season…

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ASTRO JOE,

excellent point @ 11:43 am!!! i have been sayin’ that all along!! everyone says it is woodys’ responsibility to “develop” players. meanwhile, according to sekou’s article these players are “developin’” themselves durin’ the summer.

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Seems to me Kobe and Labron play off the ball while our offense runs through JJ. We need to do the same thing. Joe may end up with the same amount of shots but it would be harder to key on him.

If we pushed the ball and set up early in the clock we could go through Marvin. Marvin is not afraid to pass the ball and does not demand a double. Once he drives to the hole a couple of times the passing lanes should open up. With a little offensive flow who is better to pass to than JJ and Bibby on a drive and kick.

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vava74,

Cute. Bottom line is that Memphis won 29 games and were last or next to last in attendance. AI will bring fans, money and attention to that franchise. Not to mention more victories IMO. I’ll copy and paste your take and we will revisit it during the season. Fair enough?

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ROLL TIDE

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samuel good to know man. you know where my heart is when it comes to that stuff. let him enjoy and be proud heh heh, just stay out of the way is my best advice. i know you got some talent there .. inherited … just like mine had.

keep us up to what is happening. maybe we can set up a bowl game between your sons team and sekou’s. oops shouldnt have gone there.

still got a good feeling about this season, even woody. look the target on his back is so big he doesnt have to worry about his next contract. just win baby and ill be talking up a 4 year contract right with samuel. heh heh

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Nails the putt and takes the lead.

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Thanks KEN, that is the nicest thing that you have ever blogged about me. I didn’t know that you cared. (sniff, sniff)

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Ariose,

I wasn’t trying to come at you originally. I’d read a few people make similar sentiments. But I guess we do disagree, my reasoning for the MJ/JJ comparisons being unfair is not about the championships. MJ and Kobe are 1st ballot hall of famers and two of the best to “ever” play their position. That is not taking anything away from JJ, who is one of the top guards in the league today. I don’t believe the comparison if fair to JJ, who has some athletic ability and good size but can’t compare to Mikey. The desire/will to win is debatable, but honestly MJ is just a freak when it comes to his competitive nature. JJ took a backseat in his earlier days with Boston/Phoenix. MJ came in thinking he was the best and foamed at the mouth to prove it. Again, not taking anything away from JJ, but it’s comparing a true all-star to a top 5 amongst HOFers. Just see it differently.

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Cuz,

I like yalls QB. Real “heady”, athletic and confident.

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Keep the stories coming, Sekou!

I love what am hearing from Josh. Maybe he reads the blog?

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Sekou,

I like Michigan QB. He’s a player…

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Doc,

I’m starting the campaign early. JOSH for MVP….lol

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samuel too funny, just surprised you didnt trust him for getting the light to go on. the kid is a warrior.

melvin you know i love the kid. got your back.

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Blast, I agree

Mystikal, Yeah he needs to get his big but down there and do some work lol. Also, I Wish JJ was 230 lol. But he’s a solid 240(Thats probably why he lost his vert heh!). It does benfit him though, because it allows him to play the Small Forward position from time to time.

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Dang this interested, maybe LeBron can become a billionaire after all: Knicks offering LeBron his own TV channel? It seem like they’ll do anything right now!

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Cant wait for the season to start. Teague will be the ROY if Ole Woodrow will give him some significant minutes. Put the house on it!

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Astro Joe

Interesting Ideas. Wish we could find out. Would explain alot.

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The one vote that counts on Mike Woodson’s contribution to this team success or development has belongs to Rick Sund and that vote has not been cast yet!!!

Question: Why is that I wonder?

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RA

I feel you and resonate with your life experience as well. Thanks for the clarification. I should say amen to your comment as I never intended to suggest that career desires or will power was the exclusive element to a player’s success. MJ speech stirred me and reminded me of how the greatest of great player was born. In my opinion, what defined the man was his body of work but there were contributing parts that made him great. As you suggested and I also agree; there were a supporting cast and coaching staff that also contributed to his greatness. I would even say farther that these two are just a sample of many more. His character, his family, friends, fan-base and even his adversaries also contributed, if we really want to be complete; and there maybe more that I overlooked. In the context of JJ, I gave a spotlight to his career desires indirectly as a way to provoke thoughts about his motivation or will power because that aspect of him seems to be often overlooked as we tend to focus of the technicality parts of his game. Leadership is the exception as it gets discussed often with respect to JJ. Sports pundits have been unfairly questioning JJ leadership ability as of late, perhaps due to his laid-back demeanor. Of course I disagree, but it is what it is. Nonetheless, his will power and leadership ability are aspects of his character. But I agree as well, I don’t know the inside of JJ or his inter-workings, but I can look at his body of work which will be the thing that will ultimately define him as did MJ.

As we continue to discuss the Hawks aspirations of moving to the next level, the road that will ultimately get us there will likely go through JJ. With the enhancement of his supporting cast, and hopefully the maturation of our coaching staff, it will put a different kind of spotlight on JJ compared to the past when the expectations were so low for the Hawks. In addition to Woody wearing the label of “No More Excuses”, JJ might also be burden with something similar as well. As Kenny, Barkley and others have unfairly attempted to argue these things last year. To your point, perhaps they also prematurely judge the man without the full set of circumstances. But this is nothing unique to JJ, as MJ pointed out during his speech; he had his critics, trials and tribulations as well. But unlike other players, MJ used the challenges as wood to burn his fire. It will be interesting to see how JJ responds to his upcoming new challenges; I am sure it will be in his own unique way. We shall see

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Astro Joe ,

I have to say that’s an interesting perspective.

So Woody has given the guys possibly too much freedom?

And while you didn’t use the term “lax”, that’s what comes to mind. Woody doesn’t strike me as that type of guy. If he is being too lax by letting these guys have too much rope, then why does he bark so much? What could he possibly be yelling and scowling about all the time? Must be defense. And I can’t blame him there ….

It is entirely possible that when Bibby barked back at him, he WAS saying that Josh stayed out on the perimeter too much, and that Woody needed to tell him to not do that. How does that make Woody look any better? Basically, you changed the interpretation of that comment from “hey coach, you shouldn’t play Josh in that position” to “hey coach, Josh is playing in the wrong spot, and why am I having to tell you to get him out of there, when you’re the coach?”

And yet, your proposed interpretation raises a question or two:

Why then did Bibby pass him the ball, if he didn’t think that was where Josh was supposed to be? As I recall, Woody hollered at Bibby for passing Josh the ball. Bibby replied that Josh was open, and what else was he supposed to do? Then came the comment about where Josh was supposed to be on the court, and how it’s Woody’s job to tell him where to go, etc.

I find something else you said rather interesting, and thought-provoking.

You said, “But the players are responsible for putting themselves in a position to succeed.” That would seem to be in direct contradiction of what Bibby said. I think I know what you’re trying to get at, though. A player has to know his limitations. He has to know what places are his hot spots, and where he can be most effective. And he has to get there as often as he can.

But in a way, that also sounds like the coach’s job to me. I figure a coach has to recognize where a player can best be utilized, and his talent/skills maximized. If not, then what do we need a coach for? I’m sure teams could pay a lot less money for a guy to just stand there and tell guys when to come in and out of games. Then we wouldn’t call them coaches. We’d call them Substitution Regulators.

Does not a coach draw up the plays, design the system, etc? (Didn’t you say “Woody’s offense works”)Sure, he can work with, or confer with his best players/team leaders and say, “Well, what do you think will work best”. After all, the game is fluid, and ever-changing. I think most coaches do, except the control freaks (Don Nelson). I know he does it with Bibby and Joe. He’s even quoted as having taken that approach. And I think it’s a good approach. But I seriously doubt he does it with Smith. So how does that idea of too much freedom apply to him?

I think you’re right, Joe. I believe that Woody does allow a bit too much freedom. The question is why ?

Like I said in an earlier post, the offense WAS good enough for 47 wins and a playoff victory (acknowledging your statement that the offense works). But if Woody is giving his guys too much freedom, then that contributes to the inconsistency of our offense. Not a good thing, and it certainly puts Woody in a bad light. Again, why ?

Obviously, giving a cowboy too much rope so that he hangs himself (and the team) is a bad idea. But can anyone argue that Woody has not given players like Marvin, Josh and Al room to “find themselves”? And that they have been allowed to find themselves while making the playoffs in consecutive seasons? ”

Here’s a counter question: Has anyone made that argument?

But getting to your point… If following this idea, I’d say that either he has either given each guy different amounts of opportunity to “find themselves”….or….those guys have taken advantage of equal opportunity, but at different levels. Perhaps the latter theory holds more water.

Smith is the most aggressive of the three, easily. So, he would naturally take more advantage of the opportunity to find his way. Hell, he’ll try anything once (or 87 times). Marvin, less so, and by a wide margin. Horford….well, sometimes it seems like he’s not had as much opportunity. But is that Woody’s fault, or the faults of his teammates? Or a combination of both? Or are we just going to say that it’s Horford’s fault, because it’s his responsibility to get himself in the best position to succeed?

Smith has experimented with leading the break, and shooting from the arc. But if we’re going to go with that idea that Woody has allowed these guys to “find themselves”, then shall we so vehemently blame Josh for his decision-making? We sure have in the past, have we not (we still do)? Perhaps we should change our tune and say “Well, Woody is allowing him to find himself, and that’s the problem” Hah. I won’t hold my breath on that one.

So, end question. If Woody is allowing too much freedom, as you suggest that maybe he is, then why does he do so? Because he’s a benevolent soul who believes in players finding their way (doesn’t apply much to Acie, does it?) or because he doesn’t have as good a grasp on the offense? Or is it something else?

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Ariose,

The only other thing is health and team chemistry. They both have to be factors, though the greatest players seem to either overcome these issues personally, or exert their will with enough force to help themselves and their team overcome them. Case in point? Iverson was a guy who could will himself past such issues. Jordan was a guy who could will an entire team past them.

Anyway, the reason I say this is because we’ve seen better from JJ. He had his best season in ‘06-’07, where he averaged 25 ppg. I think he’s endured both nagging injury and some team chemistry issues since then.

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Ray,

You said this: “Horford….well, sometimes it seems like he’s not had as much opportunity. But is that Woody’s fault, or the faults of his teammates? Or a combination of both? Or are we just going to say that it’s Horford’s fault, because it’s his responsibility to get himself in the best position to succeed?”

OK, if we’re assuming AJ’s slant that the players themselves are somewhat responsible for getting to their “sweet spots” on the court (putting themselves in a position to succeed), then what do we say about Horford who routinely hustles down to the paint, often beating his man by several steps, only to be ignored?

What if Horford understands that his BEST advantage against usually taller and often bigger players is to outrun them? Has he not put himself in the best position to succeed?

I think he has, but my point is, that one can only do so much without the ball.

And I’ll repeat my contention that we could get Horford 2 to 3 easy buckets per game if the guards paid attention to his positioning. Al should be a 15 and 10 guy, but we need to take advantage of his footspeed.

So, as far as Horford’s being somewhat ignored, I’ll say the fault is a combination of Woody AND his teammates.

This does NOT excuse Horford for not having a “go-to” move, however. He needs that badly and would get MANY more touches if he had it..

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Sautee,

And I’ll repeat my contention that we could get Horford 2 to 3 easy buckets per game if the guards paid attention to his positioning. Al should be a 15 and 10 guy, but we need to take advantage of his foot speed.

Excellent point. The million dollar question is Woody dictating the slow down of play or is it simply a fact that Bibby/Joe are more comfortable in a half court set. Or is this just a way of saving energy for the Bibby/JJ because of “to many minutes”.

Bottom line: We do not exploit the running skills of AL, Josh and Marvin at the expense of easy buckets on fast break opportunities. It will be interesting to see if Teague and Crawford can effect this dynamic and by how much.

This is a crazy idea but JJ and Bibby might be better suited to play with Joe Smith, Evans and ZaZa. While letting the speedy Teague/Crawford play with the younger legs of Josh/AL/Marvin. Hmmmm I would like to see a practice game. Which style of team would win. If Teague and Crawford played well – I could see the second unit winning.

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why doesn’t horford take the centers outside and drive by them? his mid range shots will be open almost all the time. thats money in the bank.

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Hawks guard Maurice Evans has bulked up this offseason to prepare to face the league’s superstars.

Evans said he weighs 225 pounds, but he is visibly bigger in his upper body.

“I wanted to spend my time strengthening my core, so I could prevent injuries and stay healthy. I haven’t had a history of injuries in my career, knock on wood, but I just felt like that was a great place to start for this season,” Evans told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I lifted a lot of weights to build up my endurance so I can be a lot more physical when I’m guarding guys like Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant. Those guys don’t like to be touched. They’ll see the difference and notice it when we’re out there on the floor and they can’t get their way physically.”

Mo is getting ready! It sounds like these Hawks believe in themselves!

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Mo sounds like he is going to be the defensive stopper ,especially for 2 guards, in his comments. Wonder what that means for Mario?

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Now this is a Sick JJ mix….its new too (^_^)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYOWnz1dbUo&feature=related

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Ariose,

Ha – first time that I’ve heard a rap song that sampled Berlioz. And that mix was Fantastique

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Nire, Thaks For the Fantatique Vid!!!! That ones going stright to my Hard Drive lol!!!

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Nire, Same here. I played the Piano a lil bit and the Trumpet in grade school so I was always taking Music classes n’ stuff. I just recently took a Music Appreciation class this Summer that was just soley focused on classical, Romantic, Baroque, Mideval etc. music so that really got me back into it a little more. I havent played in years though. I always wanted to play the sax b/c my pops listend to a lot of jazz but I never got a chance to do it. I gues you could say I was forced into the other instuments lol.

Anyhoo, yeah but you know ppl are alwys trying to find the next big thing with music & they pretty much did all they could with that style back then. But it’s cool Now we get rap/rock remixes n’ stuff . With all the technology nowadays, I really dont think theres a limit to what ppl can do musically anymore.

It’s defetly time for Nick Young to break out. I’ve been waiting for him too for a long time. He baffles me, one minute he’s great & the next you hardoy notice him. I think his jumper was his main vice. It just wasn’t up to snuff. Hopefully he’s worked out the kinks.

Ray, What more can I say lol. I’m praying(leterally) for JJ to have a breakout season. It’s time to take this Hawks maina to another level!!!

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Astro Joe ,

GOOD post. More thought provoking stuff.

I think you’re dead-on with the Woody/Teague thing.

Can’t blame Woody for leaning on his “pet plays.” Every coach has them. Every coach should have them.

On the Woody/Bibby subject I have two things to say:

1) No matter how we view Woody on the situation, it was Bibby who passed Josh the ball.

2) At least they are communicating, and neither has an issue with it. Anthony Johnson was usually looking elsewhere during huddles, and he even walked out on the team once (during practice, I think it was). It may not be a big deal to some, but that bothered me. A veteran pg tasked with trying to help and lead the team should never do that.

As for Horford, I agree. Woody needs to step in an run some plays for him, but I think that kind of goes back to the idea of Woody letting the offense flow somewhat freely. Perhaps Woody is letting his veteran guards learn to trust Horford and give him the ball when they should. It’s a growing process. Doesn’t happen right away, though sometimes it is frustrating to watch it NOT happen.

And Smith? Ha! I have to laugh at your comments about him shying away from the 3-ball (and Woody being a control freak). I know your intent was both humorous and a good jab at anybody who insists Woody is a control freak. But right about now, I’ll bet Woody is sending all kinds of fruit baskets and chocolate collections to whoever talked him out of it My guess is Steve Smith. Maybe better send some to his pops just in case. Whoever it is, Josh seems to be listening to them. I look forward to seeing him put his words into action!

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Dang I’m sauced. Lemme try that again.

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LMBO….

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WHY ARE YOU AURGUING WITH A BLOGGER?

ITS VERY CLEAR TO ME THAT YOU ARE CLUELESS

BUT IM NOT INTERESTED IN YOU OR YOUR DISTORTIONS.

Frankly ken….I dont give a damn!

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Sekou- Lots of nice updates over the weekend. So far everyone is saying the right things. When will we get the full training camp roster? Any more word on Joe? Is he in town? How ’bout that extension?

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Right on the money:

“Blast
September 12th, 2009
7:23 pm
About Joe not drawing fouls, Ariose. The refs are the main problem. They NEVER give Joe the calls he deserves. Joe is the most disrespected star in the league by NBA refs. If they gave him all his calls, Joe would go to the line 10 times a game. Joe never gets his calls, but Wade and LeBron get phantom fouls called for them. NBA refs suck!”

Along with the above, the past few days have been filled with excellent participations. Fine exchange of views!

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That heat Fan completly set that up to get wade Hyped….well I guess it’s his funeral….D-Wills too.

And to think, They used to be friends/converse Buddies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1VmLeG69D0

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LOL…Byron Russel should quit while he’s not ahead hehehe!

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/09/bryon-russell-wants-to-relive-97-98-nba-finals/

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Hey Hawks fans I’m currently doing my pre-season homework and the Lindsey NBA preview magazine predict the Hawks will win 41 games this year.

The national media must really hate the hawks. With the bench help alone I think the hawks will win 50 games and get to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

If we play gerat defense I can see the Hawks pushing 1 of the top 3 to 7 games in the 2nd rd.

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Whooo!! I got my mainman Peachtree Hoops Backing me up!!! Thatnks for the shoutout!!

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2009/9/14/1030060/72-reasons-to-be-excited-about-the

READ IT!!!! READ IT NOWWW!!!

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Ariose GOOD FIND!!!!

i tell you what.. im not the biggest Mo fan (@ the SF) but, i like his approach to this off-season. keeping players away from their spots would bring him a long way at improving his defense. he already looked strong but he played weak at times and drew lots of fouls… all and all he is an emotional player and solid off the bench. good job Mo…

I USE TO BE A DERON WILLIAMS FAN BUT HE IS ANOTHER SUCKER IN THAT LITTLE “IN CROWD/ CIRCLE” THEY HAVE IN THE LEAGUE NOW.

non of you pansies will be MJ so stop trying!!! its a different era marquee players are too buddy .. buddy.. outside of KOBE no killer and sheer hate for the opponent in them…

bet you guys dont remember when Lebron faced Boston last year he said something like Boston wont catch him off guard with the double and triple teams like they did Joe… pfff… taking shots and sneak dissing…

thats why i love my Hawks cause they are stick to there own business and ride for each other!!

Josh is maturing yall and poised to have a breakout year…!!!

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Noe look at what that Stupid Miami Heat Fan had to say:

He’s Worried!!!

jordub: @dwadeofficial glad i could bring that to ur attn before gym time. getting a lot of hate from hawks fans tho, lol…bring it on!

Now he’s in shock..

jordub: @dwadeofficial RT @peachtreehoops 72 reasons…excited about the Atlanta Hawks: #47 Rooting against Dwyane Wade http://sbnation.com/e/794101

Now he’s scared lol.

jordub: @dwadeofficial …didnt think things would go this far. lol, ATL is sensitive.

…lil By!$#ch…

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dude called us sensitive out of bytch… hahahaha…

stay on em Rose!!!

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Thats Just Wonderful, We have 2 flute players discussing basketball……hahahaha Bach,Mozart,Bethoven-LMAO …… We’z cultured now!!!!

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Ramon,

That’s the difference between the LBJ’ Kobe’s & D-Wade’s and the Hawks stars. They talk before during and after the game. You will never see Kobe back down from anyone.

If we say we one of the elite teams act like. Paul & KG always talking. Why? beacuse they back it up.

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ARIOSE,

don’t push the heat fan too hard!! don’t want him to file “cyber bullyin’” charges on you…lol

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Ant banks, lol…i’ll try

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Founder and President; Ken ButtBreath

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The skinny on teague

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Shooting Guard Crop
April 27, 2009
•Jeff Teague’s virtues as a volume shot-creator are incredibly obvious from his situational statistics.

Amongst the group we examined, Teague had a very high usage rate, but was only slight above average in terms of efficiency at .95 PPP. From a broad perspective, that’s a pretty good characterization of his mentality as a scorer, but is doesn’t do justice to how unique he is on the offensive end.

Teague is exceptionally good at getting to the rim, posting an average of 7.8 finishing attempts per game (3rd best), which is quite impressive. Considering his size, it isn’t a big surprise that he sits only slight above average at 1.12 PPP on those attempts. Moving forward, Teague may be able to seamlessly account for his lack of efficiency at the rim with his tremendous pull up jumper. He took 5.3 jumpers off the dribble per game last season, and posted .94 PPP, well above the average of .81 PPP.

Unfortunately, his merit off the dribble doesn’t translate to catch and shoot situations, as he ranks below average at 1.12 PPP on unguarded spot up jumpers, which wasn’t a huge issue for him at Wake Forest since he only took 1.2 catch and shoot jumpers per game overall. He ranks last in Pos/G in that category, and he will have to improve his ability to use those situations on the next level considering his size. Teague is very unique in this aspect, as you don’t see many players who shoot such a large percentage of their jumpers off the dribble.

Teague more than compensates for his limitations with his excellent shot creating ability. He gets out in transition more than any player in the draft at 6.1 Pos/G, and while his 1.01 PPP is a strong indication of his shaky decision-making skills, his speed makes him a great threat to get to the line. The same holds true when you consider how well he scores when he puts the ball on the floor. Few players in this draft are as quick and instinctive off the dribble. Teague’s FG percentage of 51.3% when he drives right is extremely impressive, and his 39.4% going left is above average too. Not only do those drives result in made baskets, but Teague gets fouled on 16.6% of his possessions, easily the most amongst twos.

Teague is an excellent scorer with the ball in his hands, but doesn’t look great on the pick and roll or shooting off of screens, two things he may have to work on when taller and quicker defenders take away some of his driving lanes. He’s not a terribly efficient or fundamentally sound player overall, but with the direction the NBA is heading in, Teague is going to be extremely difficult to defend without fouling on the perimeter (think Aaron Brooks or Louis Williams), which makes him a coveted option in this draft, particularly for teams who lack that type of scoring punch off the bench.

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Aroise,

According to Sekou, look like Stackhouse has some mileage left in those legs. I say sign him now…

“Stack with a nasty block on Teague. Welcome to the NBA young fella. Al is looking so good right now”

“Stackhouse is a man among boys in the paint so far. Three blocks on guys three and four inches taller than him on one sequence!”

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well done Truth Serum! Like I said, I love the way he enters the lane and shoots on a pull up, step through, or floater, so effortless and economical. His long shots seem to come when players naturally give him a step or two or he floats away from the ball and gets a skip pass.

The take on the pick and roll is interesting. I’m not sure that Wake used that a whole lot. They figured Teague or the guy behind him could break people down with no help, and the white kid they set back screens and maybe used pick and roll a bit with. I watched a lot of ACC ball this year and in terms of style, when his game worked, I liked him better than any player in the league.

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I’m trying to put on a brave face, but it was tough watching Federer lose tonight. I want him to win 4 slams in a row, and this probably was his last, best shot. Ah well. Good for the young Argentine – with his height, quickness, and coordination, I’m surprised we don’t see him playing alongside Manu and Oberto. Ah well. Now I can go back to focusing on basketball for the rest of the year…

Ariose,

Good for you for even trying – I’ve tried taking up piano a couple times, but I was terrible. I probably looked like a monkey pecking at a typewriter. I truly have no aptitude for playing music, so I’m stuck listening to it. Not that that’s a bad thing with all the great music out there in the world. Right now, The Beatles remasters are keeping me busy. Once Detox comes out, that’ll keep me occupied for awhile too. Too bad Beethoven’s Tenth won’t be popping up anytime soon .

Just 3 weeks till the preseason…

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JerryWest…….Why do they have Teague listed as a SG and not as a PG like Lawson, Rubio and the others. Lawson seems to be very impressive its just too bad we missed him thanks to those morons up there in Minnesota!

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I see by Hawks putting the Heat out of the playoffs wasn’t enough. So we’re going have to beat the snort out of these guys these year. I don’t like Wade and I have never have. Like someone said early we have to get Josh or JJ call out some of these guys for their big heads. I think Josh would do it first, he has more heart. It’s ON: Go Hawks

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