Crawford makes a great first impression
Hawks fans are going to get a full dose of Jamal Crawford this season and if first impressions count for anything, it should be an exciting show.
HAWKSVILLE – From the minute Jamal Crawford hit the door Monday all eyes were on the Hawks’ newest addition (well, so to speak).
And he didn’t disappoint, not that anything he could have done would have disappointed the crowd of players, many of them his new teammates, hoping to get a glimpse of him in Hawks’ practice duds.
“They’re going to be (expletive) good this year,” said a visiting pro from another NBA team. “You throw JC and Joe Smith and this kid [Jeff] Teague, and they’ve got some wrinkles now that they didn’t have last season. They were already a dangerous team and now they’re really dangerous. And knowing these fans down here and what they like, they’re going to love the style this team can play. They’re going to love JC.”
Crawford loves the idea of what this Hawks team could be. He was all smiles after playing a few pickup games with guys like Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Mike Bibby and others, for the very first time.
“If you look at us on paper, you know we should be pretty good,” Williams said, “but so far I’d have to say it looks even better than I thought. It’s impressive. It’s different. Everybody knows what Jamal is capable of. And Jeff can play, man. I don’t know any other way of saying it, he can just play. And it’ll be exciting when we get everybody in here and see how the pieces fit. I truly believe we are going to be one of the most explosive teams in the league.”
Crawford wasn’t even in scoring mode on his first day (training camp starts in one week but most of the main faces have already made it back to town or are on the way). He played the role of set-up man. “Everybody knows I can score a little bit,” Crawford said modestly. “I’m a good passer, too. I love to set guys up. I always have.”
A nasty no-look pass here, another wicked dish there and his teammates, not to mention everyone else in attendance, had seen enough.
Horford couldn’t contain his glee while watching Crawford break down a defender in the lane on one play. He let out a loud yelp when Crawford’s crossover dribble whipped from one side to the other. Horford calmed down just in time to catch the pass (yup, he was on the floor and playing in the game but clearly enjoying the spectacle) of Crawford shredding yet another ill-fated attempt to slow him down.
“I couldn’t help it,” a smiling Horford would say later. “It’s fun to watch him got o work on somebody. I’m just excited, man. Training camp is going to be so competitive and it’s because we have some of these [new] guys coming in that will stir it up. I can’t wait to get going.”
OTHER NEW FACES
Crawford wasn’t the only new face to open a few eyes Monday. Training camp invitee Courtney Sims made his first appearance at the John “Beans” Beckett Invitational and did not disappoint.
Sims is a solid 6-11, 240-pounder that didn’t seem at all out of place banging against the likes of Horford, Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter and Garrett Siler – the other true bigs on the floor for most of Monday’s action. Sims finished with authority around the rim and was as active as any big running the floor and getting his hands dirty in the rebounding battles on both ends of the floor.
“We’re going to have so many bigs now that things will change dramatically for us,” Horford said of he, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia, the men who shouldered the bulk of the low-post burden for the Hawks last season. “You go from playing three or four guys, with Solomon Jones, to having five or six quality guys that can play and that has to make a big difference for us.”
THE WAFER RULE
Day after day veteran free agent Jerry Stackhouse turns heads during these informal workouts.
I haven’t found a player yet that isn’t convinced that he could help this Hawks team this season as versatile specialists off the bench.
Whether or not that connection ever comes to fruition is obviously not up to said players or any of us around here.
But let me offer up a cautionary tale about watching a free agent dazzle on the practice court all summer only to find work elsewhere once training camp rolls around. Von Wafer [breakout season in Houston last year and ow a teammate of former Hawks swingman Josh Childress in Greece] put on a somewhat similar type of show last summer, wowing everyone with his shooting stroke from deep and his ability to finish at the rim without any regard for whoever and whatever might be in his way.
Wafer would have helped this Hawks team tremendously last year but a decision was made to go in a different direction (one that, it should be pointed out, helped net 47 wins). It’ll be interesting to see if the Hawks look past Stackhouse (for whatever reasons) and break the Wafer Rule.
It’s not my decision, my team, my money or my main concern right now. But I don’t know that I’d be able to rationalize not trying to sign Stackhouse up if he goes anywhere this season and plays half as well as he’s played since I’ve been watching this summer.
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480 comments Add your comment
Melvin
September 22nd, 2009
12:48 am
Get Stackhouse signed Sund….
Melvin
September 22nd, 2009
12:51 am
Good write up Sekou. Maybe this will eased the talk of Crawford not being able to fit in with team or if Teague could contribute. Better yet, the resurrence of Stackhouse. Hopefully, we can sign him instead of the Celtics. For some strange reason, I can see him in Boston if not the ATL….
KevinA
September 22nd, 2009
12:55 am
As being a Crawford ctitic your post is welcome news. Sims also sounds interesting. Stackhouse would be another winner. With West/Rand Mo and Flip still hanging – it will be fun to know who comes out on top. Som many players and so few slots.
KevinA
September 22nd, 2009
1:01 am
No matter what happens we cannot gripe so much about depth. With Woody we still don’t know if it takes injury to get into the rotation or will he bring in players in “waves”. Time is counting down – the season is just around the corner.
Does anybody know if the preseason games will be on radio? Oct 7th is close. If not radio will there be a place to see the game stats?
Gilley
September 22nd, 2009
1:04 am
Glad to see Jamal Crawford getting familiar with his new teammates. But the main question is where is Joe Johnson. He is usually here for the voluntary workouts..I guess since we made the playoffs he feels we ok. Say it aint so Joe. Even though he not required to showup next week, his absence makes people wonder if he isn’t happy about the lack of receiving a contract extension, is he still out partying (word to twitter) or is he doing his own thing. Just too many thoughts. I planned to cancel my NBA TV until the season starts but its right around the corner so I mind as well keep it…lol
Big Hawk Fan
September 22nd, 2009
1:04 am
Stackhouse sounds good but it appears that scoring the ball won’t be an issue this year. Why not go back with a defensive minded player that will do the dirty work and not demand 10-15 shots…( Mario West )
Gilley
September 22nd, 2009
1:06 am
I would love to have Stackhouse. But I just pray Woody actually uses him if we pick him up. Our bench is getting deep if not already, but I want Woody to use his players.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:40 am
Melvin ,
The idea that Jamal Crawford has any issues passing the ball is an unwarranted concern, in my opinion. His career average of 4.2 assists per game puts that idea to rest, and is almost identical to someone else’s career average of 4.4. Guess who? Joe Johnson…
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
1:41 am
Ray, ESPN is robbing people.
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
1:42 am
Why pay that much to read about John Hollinger to bash his own hometown team and consistantly tell us how Bibby is about to bite the dust….AGAIN
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
1:45 am
Outrageous price
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
1:45 am
Although, If you are one of the awesome people who HAVE subscribed please, feel free to post that info heheheh!!!!
Ray, also have to agree with your thoughts on Mo & Stack. They bring different things to the table and should be used accordingly. If Woody plays his cards right it could be a beautiful situation for all involved.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:46 am
KevinA ,
As far as depth and Woody are concerned, personally I’d rather try and avoid concerns over past observations and “issues.” The way I see it, Woody now has adequate depth. We have some quality guys on this squad, the best squad in years. We’ve got depth. Veteran Depth . However, I think we all agree that if we’re still voicing the same concerns this year as in the past, something is wrong. And I think it will be clear what the problems are.
This roster makes me think we shouldn’t see Joe have to 40 mpg (or 39, or even 38). Notice I said “HAVE TO”. I figure the only reasonable excuse for that would be injuries. We have a number of weapons that are ready for use, if you ask me. Of course, I’m not the one coaching or GMing, so my opinion is what it is.
Ed
September 22nd, 2009
1:47 am
Good work Sekou. Appreciate your taking time away from where your heart and mind truly are nowadays. Looks as if it’s going to be another second year turn around for Rich Rod as is his history.
Let’s hope Woodrow doesn’t have a heart attack trying to juggle all the talent at his dissposal. Just thinking about a ten man rotation has to make him nervous.
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
1:48 am
Ray, I can’t lie. between stargazing or playing a pickup game…..I have my limits. Sorry stars
, but I wouldn’t mind every once and awhile. I like just looking up there in the early morining or late at night.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:49 am
KevinA ,
Like the Summer League, some of the preseason games will be on NBATV, if you have access to that.
Last year, I found that NBA.com slacked off big time on providing preseason stats (they’d be like, 1 or 2 days behind). I think YahooSports might be better (they’re way better during the season with live in-game updates).
Ariose ,
ESPN is full of themselves. Like Nike, they act like they’re the best, and only game in town. Whatever. But just like you, if I can get the info for free, my cheapskate arse will surely take it!
I have no shame…
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:51 am
Ariose,
Like I said on the last blog, I’m not bashing anybody for having that as a hobby or an interest. Niremetal made the point that we’re talking about b-ball on a blog, and he’s right, but that was why I made the distinction between it being a hobby/interest, and there being big money donated or otherwise poured into it on the professional level, versus real problems that we have here. But that’s just my opinion, and I’m sure y’all are about sick of that …
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:56 am
I’ve looked at the stars plenty of times, telescope and all. It never stuck as a consistent hobby.
JSS ,
No offense meant on the subject, by the way.
You know ….
A lot is said about Teague looking good in pickup games, blah blah blah. And it’s true. You can’t judge a person by pickup games. But when guys who have been in the league for a number of years are saying that a newcomer is good…I tend to give that a little credence.
I don’t want to get too excited about Teague, and I certainly don’t expect too much out of him too early. But there’s a simple fact that we should not ignore: the same things are being said about him throughout the organization, on all levels. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong (and do it with evidence please), but I don’t recall there being that much buzz about Acie.
Again, not putting too much stock into that, and I figure somebody (if not several somebodies) will shoot such statements down as fast as they can. But it NEVER hurts for every facet of the organization to feel the same way about a draft pick. I’ll leave it at that…
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
2:05 am
KevinA ,
Meant to tell you: your series of posts yesterday were damn good. Plenty of good thoughts there, and I think some things were brought up that I hadn’t seen on here before (or at least not recently).
I think one of the biggest factors in the development of our frontcourt (and thereby their contribution) will be the willingness of our veteran guards to include them in the game more. Get them the ball more. THEY have to do this, and establish the trust/rhythm.
Woody’s job, to me, is to encourage his veteran guards to do this. But THEY have to do it. We’ve seen just how far we can go with guard play. They should know by now that the team will only be so successful (especially against the better teams) with versatility that includes the frontcourt.
I came across an article where Sekou was actually the interviewee, instead of the interviewer and author. One thing he said really stuck out to me: He said that last year (I think it was during a certain stretch of the season, but might have been the entire season) The Hawks were 11-1 when both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith score 20 or more points in a game.
That speaks volumes to me…
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
2:12 am
Sick of Ray’s opinion??? Hell Naw!!!
KevinA, Ditto what ray said. Great posts.
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
2:15 am
Teauge is better…..his mini camp footagehad way more action in it than Acies had in his two years as a Hawk…..sorry Acie lovers.
Ariose
September 22nd, 2009
2:17 am
Gilley, Joe took down his twitter. I think he’s probably in Arkanses spending time with his Family and working with the same trainers down there that he did in the previous off-season.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
2:18 am
Ariose ,
I read those links you provided at the end of the last blog. Interesting what Hollinger and Bucher had to say. Of course, of what was available, most of it centered on Smith (especially if you read Hollinger’s “breakout season” part on Smith). Interesting what Bucher had to say about Woody. Accurate? Who knows. It could be typical ESPN drivel. Or it could be the kind of rumblings/rumors that only the holy ESPN brotherhood of saints is privy to
Those who get angry at any possibly critical thing to say about Woody are probably better served by not reading that part.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
2:25 am
“The Hawks were 11-1 when both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith score 20 or more points in a game.”
Now, I realize that this can be taken in a number of directions. Some will want to substitute Marvin’s name in place of Josh’s. Whatever. Does it really matter? Yet, call me back when Marvin starts stringing together 20 point games regardless of whether Joe is out with injury . Nothing against Marvin, but it is what it is. We need that other serious scorer to be there ALL THE TIME, not just when times are desperate. And we need that scorer to come from the frontcourt. Who’s it gonna be?
Having said that , it may not have to be exactly that. Imagine an offense that gets the usual 20 or so from Joe, but also gets 17 apiece from Josh and Marv, and 15 from Al?
Straight murderous …
Daniel ,
I have to say, that stuff you posted on planets yesterday was funny as all get out . I was about to fall out from laughing.
The ONLY Hawaiian Hawk Fan
September 22nd, 2009
3:01 am
All I can say is this team looks sick. Rick Sund you have done a great job and more this offseason. This team is gonna light it up this year. The biggest things working for us this year is not the added talent from Teague, Smith, and JC, but it’s the extra year of experience for our young guys. Smoove, Williams and Horford have gotten better every year while adjusting to their new roles last year. Now they can play multiple positions without and major need at the 5. If Smoove got his mid range shot going during the offseason then he would kill at the 3. Horford kills at the 4. Zaza, Siler, Smith, Hunter and hopefully Stack will hold it up at the 5. WOW. The vets here can give us the intangibles to win on the road. Craw takes more pressure off JJ. This team has sooooo many options this year. Look out world, here come the Hawks.
PS Been a Hawks fan since 1990. My PAL BBall team was called the Hawks and I’ve followed ever since. Through Nique to Mt. Mutumbo, Steve Smith, and Mookie to Terry, Abdur-Rahim and Rider to the slow resurgence of what we have now. I can’t wait to shut all these Laker and bandwagon Cavs fans here up.
The ONLY Hawaiian Hawk Fan
September 22nd, 2009
3:12 am
BTW can you get TNT to broadcast some Hawks games so I can get some here. There were only 2 regular season games on ESPN, 2nd one vs. Boston, when Smoove posterized Perkins, and the 3rd one vs. the Cavs, when the refs gave LeBron that BS call in the end, JJ had a good look though. Anyways isn’t TNT in the A? Wassup with that? I watch games if a fan of the other team is broadcasting it. If not then I look for a radio link or just watch the boring gamecast. Man you guys are sooooo lucky to be there. I wanted to watch a game in the Omni when I was a kid. Now I really want to catch a game in the Factory.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
3:32 am
Stack at the 5? Saaayyy Whaaaaaaaat?
KevinA
September 22nd, 2009
5:16 am
Ray,
The Hawks were 11-1 when both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith score 20 or more points in a game.
Was not aware of that stat but it only makes sense.
Geeeze I was ready for some heat lol. Lets root for Woody coach of the year. If that happens, we have seen some awesome basketball.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
5:38 am
KevinA ,
For what it’s worth (less than two cents), I thought you were on point with much of what you said. Can’t argue (not that I won’t from time to time, LOL).
The ONLY Hawaiian Hawk Fan
September 22nd, 2009
6:41 am
LOL my bad. I meant Stack off the bench at the 3. Sorry I was going crazy.
clint
September 22nd, 2009
7:28 am
im actually glad joe is not at these games. too many minutes these 4 years and he should take the rest. any word on his contract extension, if we aint got joe locked up, all of these moves could be for nuthin. I still like Mo as the backup 3, gotta have some defensive minded players out there that dont think ME first. As a carolina fan, I love Stackhouse but he forgot what a good shot was when he left Dean Smith. Please Sekou, give us an update on Joe’s contract
Dos Hawkquis
September 22nd, 2009
8:13 am
BIG RAY, KEVINA, HAWAIIAN HAWK, ARIOSE, ET AL,
Okay, the Hawks have a 10 man rotation. Some say that Woodson can handle it, some say he can’t. Sund has made some excellent moves, teague and crawford appear able to step in, on que.
All things being equal, do you all see anything different that would catapult us to 1-3 seed?
or do you see a 50+ plus win season, with a 2nd round exit? and if this happens, what do you do with Woodson.
Also, we struggled mightily on the road. 12 road wins 2 years ago, 16 road wins last year. We win, on average, 34% of road games or we lose 66%, whichever way you want to look at it.
What will our additions do for us ON THE ROAD, in hostile territory?
“I don’t always watch basketball, but when I do, I prefer the Hawks. Stay thirsty my friends!”
JSS
September 22nd, 2009
8:27 am
Dos Hawkquis hit on my main point of emphasis when it comes to the Hawks. Winning on the road! No more blowouts or not showing up on the Texas Swing, No being run out of the Delta Center as an example. They took a step in winning in Miami during the 1st Round, can they make the “Great Leap Forward?”
BBgenie
September 22nd, 2009
9:15 am
Damm!! Hawks in 7!!!!!
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
9:17 am
Ray- thanks for the props!
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
9:28 am
Sekou- great stuff. Have you heard anything about Stack’s interest in the Hawks vs. other teams? Any other teams sniffing around?
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
9:32 am
Dos- I am making the call for a 52 win season, which will be either 3rd or 4th seed. I think that a second round appearance is likely, and we could still lose the second round and be successful depending on how that series is played and how competitive it is. A second round sweep will be BAD for Woodson. 52 win and 6-7 game series vs the conference champ, he will probably get extended, just my opinion.
Obviously, the extra 5 wins will come from on the road, which would make us roughly a .500 level team. But, I think the bigger test for improvement will be a decrease in blow out losses. I have never seen a team that won 47 games lose so many by 20 or more as the Hawks did last year. Obviously, that has to do with youth, but that is no longer an excuse.
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
9:40 am
Stack’s biggest contribution will be on the road games where Hawks are notoriously weak. Stack has more 30+ points games in Boston, Orlando and Cleveland than any current Hawks player.
JSS
September 22nd, 2009
9:42 am
Ray, was never offended… Never get tired of seeing the view of others… I’m jut glad you die hards may finally start to sniff flowers instead of the landfill (Botanical Garden instead of Moreland @ I-20)
On a serious note, I hope everyone on the Northside is OK… Sekou, everyone OK in Smyrna & Vinings?
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
9:46 am
Stack to Hawk is 100% Sund’s call. Nobody would pay him over the veteran minimum.
Since his family already lives here, he’d take hundreds of thousands less just to stay here.
He has already had a few mega contracts. Not doing this for money anymore.
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
9:47 am
Consider the following. Last yr, we made it to the 2nd rd on the playoffs with 2 starters hobbling and JJ less than 100%. The yr before we took the Celtics to a 7gms playoff series. This yrs team has a deep, talented, versatile bench that could probably successfully compete against some of the teams in the league.
I think we’ll see the true measure of what we have this yr when playoff time comes around. The Teague and Crawford additions pretty much guarantees we’ll run more, and the addition of JSmith and Collins will improve our halfcourt OFF and DEF.
This yrs team is built for the long haul, especially the playoffs. Boston has a solid, but aging starting team, but their bench will be hard pressed to match up with our bench featuring JSmith, Zaza, Collins, Teague, Crawford and Evans. If we add Stackhouse, Boston will definitely be at a disadvantage when they go to their bench or we go to ours. With a guard rotation of JJ, Bibby, Teague, Crawford and hopefully Stackhouse, Orlando and Cleveland, with their limited backcourt depth, will be hard pressed to match up to us.
Nobody will want to go up against us in the playoffs. Our starting lineup, plus the addition of Teague and Crawford, can run with anybody, and with JSmith, Collins, Zaza and Morris coming off our bench, we have the size and depth to get physical with anybody. LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A SOLID PLAYOFF CALIBUR TEAM. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY EXCITING AND SUCCESSFUL ATLANTA HAWKS SEASON.
ant banks
September 22nd, 2009
9:52 am
KEN,
you do realize that if you are correct, that woody will probably get an extension. lol. i wonder does woody know you hate him so much. lol.
Nate
September 22nd, 2009
9:53 am
I wouldnt mind if they signed stackhouse but if they sign him would the other guards get playing time? We have a real good team but still we are fourth with ranking. We will see season is coming up soon.
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
10:07 am
jerry west- if he signs for the vet min. then he wouldn’t have to take less. The league pays the vet min. salary, not the team. the issue is does Stack want to be a 3rd string Hawk? (big question there) and Does Sund want to get another pg?
I would love to see Stack on the team, IF he is willing to accept a reserve role, which means some nights he might even be wearing a suit. I really think it depends on how much of a contender he considers the Hawks to be vs. offers he might get from other top contenders.
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
10:09 am
DANIEL-excellent points.
DOS HAWKQUIS-I think Woodson has the ability to manage a 10 man rotation, he’s just chosen not to. Prior to the acquisition of MBibby, and prior to the expectations to win, he managed a 9 man rotation without difficulty.
Having trouble winning on the road is a matter of a lack of experience, talent, depth, maturity, or any combination of the above. The additions Sund has made have successfully addressed all of these issues, to varying degrees. I totally agree with DANIEL assessment of how we should evaluate our improvement. How we lose will be just as effective in measuring how we’ve improve as how many gms we win.
Hawksgirl
September 22nd, 2009
10:16 am
Stackhouse wouldnt be a bad signing. Any word on Siler?
vava74
September 22nd, 2009
10:20 am
Stack would be a nice addition, however, he is in his last wheels and his contribution would be, by default, limited.
As a security, he could be very valuable, specially in the event of short layoff by injury by any of the rotation players on the SG and SF slots.
He is a scorer, but his 3pt range is suspect, is more of a drive and pull / mid-range game type of guy and cannot provide the defense Mo brings to the table.
People around here do not appreciate Mo because he could not stop Wade nor Lebron during the playoffs, however, who does that?
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
10:20 am
Daniel
Hawks can pay vet-min, and its worth a few hundred thousand more to him than other team’s vet mins. His family lives here. He already has so much money that he won’t let a few hundred thousand dollar take him go away from his family.
+ League does not pay the vet – min. It pays part of vet-min.
+ Stackhouse, when not injured, is easily a second team player. When Marvin or JJ will be out, Stackhouse will slide right in for them. We could use him in so many ways that I am surprised people are counting minutes. Its a long season. Matchups issures and injuries happen. On the road, Stackhouse will be invaluable.
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
11:04 am
ANT BANKS-I don’t hate Woodson. My concern has always been about how the Hawks are being coached, rather than who coaches them. And I know you’re just pulling my leg. I have no doubt Woodson knows Sund’s refusal to grant him an extension at this point is a clear indication that he’s expecting more from him as a HC.
Sund has stocked this roster with talent, versatility, depth, size and experience. He’s addressed every excuse Woodson has previously offered, some legimate, some not so legimate. I believe he will expand his roll and spend less effort trying to get the team to play his way and allow them more freedom to play the way they’re best suited to play.
IF WOODSON COACHES THE TEAM TO A LEVEL THAT IMPROVES UPON LAST YRS SUCCESS, HE’LL DESERVE ANOTHER EXTENSION, AND I WON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
BONE
September 22nd, 2009
11:18 am
If we sign Stackhouse, whats the point of having mo evans.
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
11:20 am
Ken- thanks for the props… I hope this doesn’t mean I am part of the “bubba crew” j/k
jerrywest- I am assuming that you mean that Stack staying in Atlanta with his family is worth a couple hundred thousand to him. I guess that seems logical. I meant that if he takes the vet min. I doubt any team is going to offer more than that. So, essentially the money will be the same. I was saying that the deciding issues as I see them will be:
1) Does Stack want to play a reserve role with the Hawks or is he looking to jump on another team that may be closer to a title.
2) Does Sund want to use another roster spot (we both agree that at the vet min. he is clearly worth the money) on a guard/swingman or does he want a 3rd pg?
3)I am sure that Stack is in Atlanta makes the Hawks more desirable, but I would say for a seasoned pro that is less of the issue than points 1&2
For the record, I hope the Hawks sign him.
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
11:22 am
BOONE- the biggest point would be his contract, now if Stack were signed and healthy and plays well, then Mo might become a tradable assest…. but that is so many if’s from now, that you have to keep Mo. I agree with others who have said that Mo is underappreciated.
GeeMack
September 22nd, 2009
11:30 am
Sekou
Thanks for the new blog. We wore the other one out. Lol!
HawksV
September 22nd, 2009
11:33 am
Sekou…please give us an update on Joe and Mike. It sounds like everyone has improved this summer, and I would like to hear how our two leaders have improved as well. Also, I know it is really early, but I would be interested in hearing your opinion about how good this team could be based on your initial impressions!
ant banks
September 22nd, 2009
11:37 am
DANIEL,
at one point durin’ the season last year, the hawks were 11-1 with mo’ in the line up while marvin was out. we don’t appreciate mo’
smartguy
September 22nd, 2009
11:39 am
Woody will find a way to mess this up.
rms
September 22nd, 2009
11:41 am
Its amazing how Sekou leaves us a blog in the wee hours of the morning and we never hear from him again until the next blog comes up. Yes, Sekou I am giving you a hard time since no one else will!!!!
rms
September 22nd, 2009
11:42 am
I agree with you SMARTGUY, Woody will find a way to mess this up. The interesting part will be to see what his excuse will be.
cp
September 22nd, 2009
11:44 am
This might the most excited I have ever been about an upcoming season for the Hawks..If we keep our main guys healthy I think we can have a better year than last..
Ariose I saw the insider about the Hawks posted on another page. I’ll do some searching and post the article if I find it..
To the guys who cant catch any Hawks games due to being out of state or not having the NBA league pass, give me your email addresses around the beginning of the season and ill give u links where you can watch the games.
I would rather have Stack than Mario so sign him up.
A Tribe Called Quest
September 22nd, 2009
11:50 am
Good read — great blog, Sekou
Mink
September 22nd, 2009
11:55 am
Is there a place for Stackhouse on this team? I think the easy answer is “Make room.” but if you add a guy like Stack, you’re going to have to commit major minutes to him. He and Mo Evans would be battling for minutes, and I’m afraid jacking up shots they normally wouldn’t, trying to pad their stats to justify more playing time.
I guess it also depends on how good Teague really is. If Teague is going to get serious minutes this year, there’s no room for Stack. If it’s going to be a watch and learn year, bring him on.
Its TIME
September 22nd, 2009
12:01 pm
If you are asking AND answering yourself questions under 30 different names on a Blog, Please Seek Help!! If you dont get help at Charter, please get help somewhere.
Andy
September 22nd, 2009
12:08 pm
As someone who watched every game Jamal Crawford played for the Knicks, and someone who has absolutely no malice towards the Hawks (all the while recognizing that players do change sometimes), allow me to fill you in on what you’re probably getting.
Crawford will come to training camp and say all the right things about playing hard, playing smart, doing what the coach asks, accepting whatever role is given to him, just coming to fit in, etc.
Then when the lights come on, you’ll get a tremendously gifted scorer who is streaky, forces way too many shots, shoots a low percentage, can pass a little and plays no defense whatsoever.
Part of the problem in NY is that he played for Isiah Thomas, who basically just rolled the ball out and let his scorers do as they pleased. The end-of-game strategy consisted of nothing more than handing the ball to Crawford for some shake-and-bake followed by an off-balance 25-footer with a hand in his face. He’ll even make them occasionally.
The Bulls got rid of him because he was too wild, the Knicks got rid of him because he makes too much money for too long, and can’t catch and shoot (he absolutely must dribble thru his legs 2-3 times and take a few baby steps while palming the ball before launcing the J, and pouted when D’Antoni’s system didn’t call for that) and even a freestyler like Don Nelson had no use for him.
On the other hand, I always thought his best year – though not statistically – was the year Larry Brown coached the Knicks. He actually played with some intelligence that year, didn’t force as many shots, and even got into a defensive stance a time or two. So maybe he is coachable in the right situation.
I say beware a guy this skilled who is on his 4th team before his 30th birthday – all via trade – and has never been on a playoff team. If he plays a role any bigger than the one Flip Murray had, that might not be a good thing.
I hope I’m wrong.
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
12:10 pm
well- ant, I obviously didn’t mean you then.
Nookah
September 22nd, 2009
12:20 pm
Daniel, I endorse your points on Stack. Those are excellent points. However, with the addition of Stack can Woody handle the embarrassment of riches?
I too am very excited about this upcoming season. With this current lineup (even without adding Stack), scoring should not be a problem. I am also very pleased with the effort to improve the interior defense. This will help us against the Bostons, Clevelands and Orlandos of this world. We should not be man-handled inside that easily.
Go Hawks!!!
rms
September 22nd, 2009
12:24 pm
Anyone care to comment about how the referee lockout will affect this upcoming season?
JSS
September 22nd, 2009
12:35 pm
RMS…
You may want to cut Sekou some slack today, pretty serious weather matters in his part of Cobb Co/Metro Atlanta this morning… I just hope everyone is OK…
Mink
September 22nd, 2009
12:42 pm
Man it’s good to see some excited Hawks fans. I wish there was a forum or chat or something we could all go to while the games were being played; for those of us who only attend a couple games a year. Sekou, you are the spark my friend. Doing a great job, even if your mind is with the THREE AND ZERO Michigan squad.
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
12:44 pm
Thanks Andy (Knicks fan) for your insightful comments on Crawford. Sounds like Isiah’s offensive philosophy with Crawford was just like Woody’s offensive philosophy with JJ.
Stackhouse will make us better equipped to do a mid-season trade for a superstar.
Mink
September 22nd, 2009
12:45 pm
RMS, I think we’ll see more aggressive play towards stars to start the season. The refs that give D-Wade, Kobe, Lebron, and Company all the calls won’t be on the payroll, so guys are going to really go after them in the paint. We’ll find out real fast whether or not the stars will get less or even more special treatment than usual. I expect J-Smoove to complain more than ever to see if he can get some calls his way, and he’ll either get bumped up a notch or brought back down to Earth.
Basically, it’ll be different, in better or worse ways for certain player stereotypes. Won’t be the same for sure. I just hope they let guys play at the end of games. I’m afraid we’ll see a bunch of young refs trying to get their mug on TV…
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
12:47 pm
Mink – hawksquawk.net has a chat room where 20-50 hawks fans chat during and after every game. Decent group. Moderator controlled.
Mink
September 22nd, 2009
12:54 pm
Thanks Jerry. In my favorites.
sleepy
September 22nd, 2009
12:56 pm
But Andy you are wrong .
You claim he says all the right things but then when the lights go on he does something different .
Are you saying he was going against what the coach or his team asked of him ? because I havent seen anything about that wherever he has played .
The claims of him playing no defense whatsoever just is not true its kinda like the loch Ness monster of basketball . For as bad as everyone says he is on defense the numbers just dont add up . .You can say he is not a good defender but the way you try and paint is that whoever gets the ball on him scores and there is no evidence of that.
His offensive game is at the point now where he its even stevens. He normally wins or breaks even against all matchups unless its an all nba caliber player like Kobe .
Why is he to be blamed for Isiah thomas ?
He was sign and traded from the Bulls which means someone wanted him but even then I read that the Bulls offered him a deal and he declined and thats when the knicks stepped in. If Im correct David Lee and nate robinson have ZERO OFFERS and minimal offers from the knicks
He cant catch and shoot but he was shooting over 43% 2 and 44% from 3 when he was traded from the knicks and that was mostly spot up shooting ?
h pouted yet the knicks gave him a video tribute when he returned a couple of weeks later ? What did they give Marbury or Zach Randolph ? you are really stretching it here
Nelson had Monta Ellis at over 60 million just signed and several other young backcourt players as well .He had to open up perimeter minutes as the untradeable Stephen jackson and Corey maggette are gonna want there minutes as well.
A veteran player who played for 2 teams in 8 years and then joined a team in the middle of a youth movement and ended up joining a playoff team at a bargain basement price is something to beware ?
And as for the playoff team he has yet to play for a organization that was not in some sort of turmoil.
post MJ Bulls – Ron Artest and Brand couldnt win there either
Knicks – Isiah,Brown,and MARBURY this due was the franchise player and now I see him crying on youtube seriously
Golden state warriors – there is still infighting amongst the management on that team. They extended Stephen Jackson and then he announces he wants to be traded . They signed both of their young players Ellis who injured himself on a Mo ped and Biedrens to 60+ million each gave Maggette 50 million and jackson another 30 million and yet still are not a playoff team.
Please tell me which of these teams were in a position to make the playoffs but didnt because of Crawford ?
Now Crawford is in a place where there is stability in the front office and on the court. He doesnt have to worry about Joe getting mad at woody and running off the team plane. He is finally in a place where the focus is solely on winning basketball games .
Even in NY right now the entire focus is not on winning games but on whether or not James is gonna leave his team and join them.No one is gonna thrive in an environment like that.
jerrywest
September 22nd, 2009
1:11 pm
If you replaced Crawford with Wade/Kobe/LeBron, I see the 9 teams Crawford played with could have made the playoffs. I don’t think any other swingman could have taken those awful teams to the playoffs. The guy had amazing bad lucks with teams.
vava74
September 22nd, 2009
1:22 pm
Crawford will be gamble. We have to admit it. He can be very good for us, he can be so so and he can also be a disaster.
Only time will tell. However, if we look at the highlights of his best games, he had many 3 pointers on catch and shoot situations.
Obviously, he is a possession demanding type of player, however, not exclusively.
My biggest fear is that he is not a penetrator and consequently he has a tendency of having many cold games.
vava74
September 22nd, 2009
1:29 pm
newkid,
in case you have been checking and you haven’t seen any reply to your query, I posted one which is waiting moderation.
Sekou Smith
September 22nd, 2009
1:44 pm
What do you want me to tell you rms? The Twitter feed is always updated when I’m watching the guys play and I do have other parts of the job than just blogging (though it would be a dream if this was the only responsibility).
Just not sure what else you want to hear from me here.
dap01
September 22nd, 2009
2:20 pm
SEKOU: Do you need an assistant? I am available!
I appreciate the updates.
icecold
September 22nd, 2009
2:20 pm
with all these good payers we now do not have to accept any players that cant contribute now !!!( othelo hunter thomas gardner and others) we now have a team and a bench that actually have a fighting chance in winning the finals!! not jus makin it!! winning it!! and if we could sign flip murray again then we need to do that too.. he is good. flip jeff mo and ( if we can get him) stackhouse comin off the bench!! we wont have to worry about injuries because we would have back ups for back ups!! if somebody has to step in and start while somebody injured, at least they will have a back up who is even good enough to start even if they also get injured!! all the good teams are deep in there bench, the lakers, boston, and cleveland.. and we are becoming as deep as them, maybe even deeper!!
icecold
September 22nd, 2009
2:23 pm
but i do think we should mario west!! he has great deffense!! i dont see nobody else on the hawks that work as hard as him on deffense!!!
ILL-logical
September 22nd, 2009
2:32 pm
IF Crawford makes a conscious effort to become a playmaker first, then he can be an interesting alternative to Bibby.First, he is a better on ball defender, epecially against point guards. Second, under the current “system”, the offense is run through Joe and Bibby/ point guard sets up on the perimeter for the open shot. Crawford can do this plus he is an effective penetrator-something Bibby is not.Last , but not least, he is bigger and quicker than Bibby.
Bibby has already earned the trust of both his team mates and Woodson. And he knows the “system” and appears to be comfortable in it. Teague or JT 2 is going to play regardless but when it gets down to going for the gold, someone is going to have to step their game for the team to reach its full potential. Crawford can give the team another option for success from the point guard position. And the better news is that whoever is left out will make excellent trade material for future needs.
newkid
September 22nd, 2009
2:52 pm
Thanks vava74. If my experiences with NYTimes ‘awaiting moderation’ comments is any indication, then I don’t expect to receive your reply.
GeeMack
September 22nd, 2009
2:55 pm
Icecold
ECF yes! But Not the NBA finals. The Hawks need another impact player.
Wally
September 22nd, 2009
3:02 pm
Hawk Fans, Please, for your own good, wake up and listen to Andy. My opinion (like that of most Warriors fans), is exactly the same as Andy’s. He is a nice guy and has a world class cross over. But the good ends there. As Andy says, he can’t catch and shoot. His normal offensive set is dribble, dribble and launch… but he can’t shoot the trey consistently. He is incredibly streaky. But most importantly, he may be the WORST defensive player in the entire NBA. He just doesn’t care. Despite his sweet, ‘I am all for the team’ mantra that he repeats everytime he gets dumped, he won’t play D. He won’t. For your own good Hawk fans, drastically lower your expectations. I like the Hawks and think they are a fun team to watch. But Crawford is bad news.
Melvin
September 22nd, 2009
3:18 pm
Nice post, Sleepy…
icecold
September 22nd, 2009
3:18 pm
GEEMack
thats why i feel that they are planning a big trade!!! getting all these veterans, they can trade to free up somebody else cap for the 2010 season!! they might be thinking to trade our veterans expiring contracts for somebody thats good on another team to help free up there cap room for the 2010 free agency!!! never know!! sunds is not dumn!! he knoews everybody cant play!! he might be tryin to do somethin big!!!
To Wally
exactly, thats why he is 6th man and not in the starting five!!! a six man thats instint offense that can penatrate and shoot threes!!! hes not being asked to be a superstar for our team, hes being ask to pick up the scoring slack when our people are tired!!!! the hawks play rotation deffense, not man to man deffense!! he can hold his own as a 6th man!!! he can score with out the help of his team, and he can attack the basket!!
icecold
September 22nd, 2009
3:21 pm
and i dont think he is going to go in at point guard that much! hes joe johnson back up.. jeff teague is mike bibby back up!!! that way we can jus keep killin other teams on scoring!!! hes a good fit for the hawks!! jamal crawford will contribute in a very positive way!!!!!
ant banks
September 22nd, 2009
3:31 pm
DAM PLAXICO,
2yrs in the slamma’ for shootin’ yourself, with your own gun? wtf? talk about injury to insult!!
what happened with matt jones and his cocaine charge?
ToeKnee
September 22nd, 2009
5:01 pm
great blog sekou. i love the part about horford getting excited on the court with jamal, you told that story great. i’d love to hear more stuff about the hawks on a personal level like that, what they’re like, how they act towards each other, on and off the court. and do you think a vet with stackhouses pedigree would demand more playing time than we might need him for though? dont need him taking away minutes from marving or crawford just cause hes a vet. but i could see him subbing for every guy on the team almost, not the bigs of course, but he could spell joe and marvin.
Daniel
September 22nd, 2009
5:02 pm
Appreciate the insights Wally and Andy. How would you compare the role that Crawford had with the Knicks and Warriors compared to his presumed role with the Hawks? Here he will be the main scoring option with the second unit, and as a change of pace player. Just curious
deep
September 22nd, 2009
5:12 pm
Any word on Collins in camp? I hope we sign Stackhouse….
Pg- Bibby, Teague
Sg- Johnson, Crawford
Sf- Williams, Evans, Stackhouse
Pf- Smith, Smith, Morris, Hunter
C- Horford, ZaZa, Collins, Siler
rms
September 22nd, 2009
5:20 pm
Sorry Sekou, I guess now is not a good time to be giving you a hard time about something like blogging, but I would like to hear your perspective on how these new replacement refs will turn out? I aint all that excited about Crawford since its hard for me to believe he is going to change all of a sudden.
ant banks
September 22nd, 2009
5:35 pm
last year we had FLIPMO’ SQUAD for Flip and Mo’ Evans…what about “MOJO” for Mo’ Evans and Joe Smith?
mojo
One entry found.
Main Entry: mo·jo
Pronunciation: \ˈmō-(ˌ)jō\
Function: noun
**: a magic spell, hex, or charm; broadly : magical power <works his mojo on the tennis court**
Samuel
September 22nd, 2009
6:06 pm
Shout out to “MY BOY” Dave Clark from Tupelo by way of Palmetto, Mississippi. My good friend and former teammate back in Mississippi is now the manager of the Houston Astros. Daaannggg!!!!
Doesn’t surprise me a bit. Dude was born to play baseball and one of the best people you ever want to meet. The Verona Blacksox has produced some good ones. Bill Hall(Brewers), and many other pros. I know Charles Williams is smiling from ear to ear.
Actually, I look for Crawford to have a bigtime year this year.Looking forward to seeing he,Bibby and JJ on the floor together. Talk about shot makers.
JerryWest
September 22nd, 2009
6:23 pm
Great post by Northcyde at Hawksquawk.net
http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/339632-lets-say-joe-johnson-dont-sign-with-us-next-season/
If we lose JJ, we’re looking at 2 options.
1) Do nothing, and let Crawford be the guy taking all of the shots at the end of the game ( unless Marvin or Smoove can become reliable enough to get the job done in this area )
2) Make a trade to bring in another star caliber player. ( and I’m not talking about trading Mo Evans for somebody . . . It’ll have to be a trade that sees Josh Smith or Al Horford leave this team, because those are the 2 guys that most people want ).
Or it could be option #3 . . . re-sign JJ at a lower price
The problem with that strategy, is that if LeBron and Wade switch teams, you’re going to see a domino effect take place throughout the league. There are just going to be too many teams with cap space, that could possibly offer JJ more than a 15 million a year deal next summer, if they choose to do so.
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- LA Clippers
- NY Knicks
- possibly Houston ( because McGrady’s contract expires next season )
- if Lebron leaves Cleveland, then Cleveland
- if Wade leaves Miami, then Miami ( Hell . . . Miami could possibly do it, even if they do re-sign Wade )
Maybe a 4th option, would be to have JJ still on the market next summer, but not renounce his rights, so that the Hawks could possibly do a sign and trade for somebody(s).
I understand what the Hawks are doing. They’re trying to see if JJ is a guy that you can win a title with, if you have the right pieces around him.
It’s Russian Roulette though. I can see us losing JJ, then not being able to do anything. We’ll end up the exact same way that Chicago did, when they basically lost Ben Gordon for nothing.
My prediction is this . . and I said this over the summer. If the Hawks struggle, they’re going to be looking to trade JJ before the trading deadline.
They’ll end up trading him for a cat like Kevin Martin of Sacramento, along with an expiring contract to make the numbers match . . like a Desmond Mason or somebody. And they’ll try to sell us on the fact that Martin is a good shooter ( possibly even better than JJ ), and that we can rely on his shooting for the next 4 years.
But like with the Danny Manning / Nique trade, the effect probably wouldn’t hurt the Hawks tremendously . . until the playoffs came around.
Then Martin would get really exposed as the non-defensive playing guard that he is. And we’d have 2 of those guys on the team ( Martin and Crawford ), who can score, but won’t play a lick of defense.
We get bounced out in the 1st round in 7 games, and all hell would break loose . . . starting with Woody being fired . . . and probably ending with Smoove being traded.
————
either Smoove or Marvin would have to become a star caliber player. For Smoove, we’re talking about him shooting 50+% FG, scoring 20 ppg and grabbing 10 rebs. It if’s Marvin, we’re talking about him scoring somewhere around 20 ppg, while shooting in the high-40% FG, and at least in the low-40% 3FG.
If a team wants to win a title in this league, this is usually the formula:
- at least 2 All-Star caliber players ( preferably a guard + a PF or C . . with one of those guys being at least a 1st or 2nd team All-NBA player )
- a 3rd player who can occasionally play at a star level
- overall, a top 10 defensive team ( preferably a top 5 one )
If you usually don’t have ALL of those components on your team, you’re usually not winning a title, or in contention for one.
Daddy Long Long
September 22nd, 2009
6:28 pm
Man, with Vince Carter down in Orlando we could use Stackhouse! I hope Hawksville Capt. Woody plays Al Horford more at the 4 & Josh at the 3. I love this time of the year! Let’s go Hawks!!
bigdave
September 22nd, 2009
6:33 pm
ILL-logical…
thats the Crawford im hoping for…a much missed facilitator… get the ball out of Joe’s hands and get him looks off the ball. Crawford is a great ball handler and is a threat to score off the dribble going either direction (see Mike Bibby) i also like his length against smaller pg’s. we’ll see…
ant banks…
referring to Matt “pow’da nose” Jones, a helluva question… smh.
with good behavior Plax does 20mths.
The Truth
September 22nd, 2009
6:40 pm
While we all salivate the idea of a Stackhouse addition to the roster, while the emotion run wild with excitement envisioning us now becoming a new member of the elite east, let us not overlook the cause and effect from such an impromptu roster move.
Stackhouse was not invited to the party; he just showed up and showed out. Unlike many desirable UFA where a pursuing team has to do a sales job of convincing the prospect that their team is the perfect fit (like Joe Smith), the highly productive Stackhouse has already expressed an interest in playing for the Hawks. That has already been documented. Therefore much of the heavy lifting of selling him has already been done. He wants to play here. The problem is Stackhouse was not originally part of Sund’s master plan. I’m sure Sund has laid out what he had envisioned and has proceeded to implement accordingly. Whether his priority included the acquisition of another backup SF/SG after acquiring Joe Smith over a 3rd PG (or over another position), is unknown. My speculation is that it was not because if he was a priority, he would have been invited or been pursued already. Now that Stackhouse is on the radar by popular demand, Sund may have to re-think his strategy and decide how such an addition would impact the team and the chemistry. I have to imagine that Sund has built the roster based on abilities, roles and responsibilities in proportion to the team salary structure. For example, JJ is the “man” therefore JJ is paid the highest salary. The exception to this is the addition of experienced vets whose roles, responsibility and contribution may not match their salary like a Joe Smith or a Flip Murray when he was here. I previously mentioned that Mo Evans would be the most impacted by a Stackhouse addition only because he is also a SF/SG and because of his 2.5M salary which is the next highest behind Zaza. His salary will be higher then Joe Smith and Collins combined. Based on Evans salary, availability, and last year contribution, in all fairness, he deserves to be in the rotation as he was last year. By the way, he was in the rotation before Marvin got injured because Sund built the team that way last year. As I previously mentioned, Evans contribution was appreciated (as was Flip) so this notion that he is underappreciated is way over-blown. But this is a business and I am sure Sund sees it that way as evidence to how Flip got handled. If Stackhouse was added and if he contributed more and as a consequence demanded more minutes, it will have to come at another player’s expense with respect to minutes played (to the cynics don’t missed the if part) . Since Evans was in the rotation last year and he is also a SF/SG then he is the likely candidate. So do we let a 2.5M player (Evans) play the role of Mario and just do rare spot duty on defense as a consequence of a BALLER like Stackhouse? I’m sure no one expects Evans is going to compete with Crawford for SG minutes. Not when Crawford is making 10M a season. Unless its injury related, it’s not going to happen. Would Evans be happy with his new far-lesser role? Like most GM, Sund is looking to maximize his return on his roster assets. He has shown to spend his dollars wisely. As he recently stated, the Hawks are not a robustly funded franchise and boosted about doing more with less; so this idea that they have the luxury of letting the 8th highest paid player sit as a reserve does not equate in my book in a Stack addition scenario. So what, now we have discussed trade talks involving Mo Evans as a consequence from this scenario. As other blog speculators have said, “I could be wrong”. This maybe politically incorrect to say on this blog, but if I have pissed off someone discussing trade talks involving Mo Evans as a consequence for signing Stackhouse then I don’t give a dam. We have discussed much worst on this blog.
vava74
September 22nd, 2009
7:05 pm
newkid,
Let’s see if this time it passes:
Actually I am from Portugal which is about as south as Europe can be.
Holland is a bit chilly and rainy in October (max temperatures average around 50F in the beginning and dropping throughout the month). You can compare the weather at www weather com on the travel page).
I’ve been to Amsterdam four times, once in June (excellent weather then) and three times in late October/early November (rainy and a bit cold as I mentioned above).
It is always great fun since the people there are very friendly and lively. Excellent jazz bars, very nice restaurants, pubs and clubs (if you go and have moderately deep pockets and like to dine at the sound of dance music while lying on a bed mattress, check out Supperclub – www supperclub com)… The red light district is always an interesting but odd visit as well:
The last time I was in Amsterdam I was walking along a channel in the red light district (with my girlfriend, so no funny commentaries please) around 4/5PM and there was an english guy walking along asking and shouting to the h**kers on the windows “is there any transsexual available around?”
In relation to country side Holland and other cities, I think it would be far better for you to visit in May, when tulips fields (and other flowers) are in full bloom.
In October, I think you will better served traveling to southern Europe: Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, …
I hope it helps!
Big Ump
September 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
BigRay
I agree with your post at 1:46 am that Joe should not play 38 mins to to 40 Mins a game. Great post as alwyays.