The eyebrows have it
Houston– The Hawks canceled practice today. They (and me) showed up at the Toyota Center and, no lie, it was overrun by schoolchildren. Just the thing I needed to remind me why I have no kids (knocked on some wood). So the team headed to San Antonio and I’m at H. W. Bush Airport waiting on my flight. I recommend the chipotle chicken wrap with a side of black beans at Bubba’s Bar and Grill in Terminal C.
Anyway, missing the Hawks today means no snooping around to get to the bottom of Woody’s missing eyebrows. Since Woody wasn’t willing to tell the story, a few theories have emerged:
– Smoove said Woody did it to keep the guys relaxed before they played a big game. Now, this could mean Woody decided to use it for that after the fact once he realized there was no damn way his players weren’t going to kill him for that look. Smoove says he was the first one to say something when Woody came into the locker room: “I think everyone else was afraid.”
– FSN South/SportSouth Hawks sideline reporter James Verrett heard that Woody’s barber recommended it because the barber said it would make Woody look younger. Umm, OK, then. And why the hell does Woody need a barber, anyway? That ain’t an ultra perm.
– Similarly, Al Horford Tweeted: “Woody wanted to go with a new clean look, so he shaved his eyebrows off. He says he looks ‘hot’”
– I assumed Woody lost a bet. He’s a Cowboys fan (he still has a home in the Houston area) and after the Vikings beat the Cowboys, he suddenly disclosed that he always liked the Vikings as a kid. He predicted a Viks win over the Saints. They lost. Then his eyebrows were gone.
Meanwhile, @alymeek has a very funny #whereswoodysbrows trend on Twitter. My fave, from @SmooveLadyHawk: “Woody dunked on LeBron so Nike confiscated them”
From a basketball perspective, the main thing to take out of all this eyebrows stuff is the Hawks are a confident and loose bunch. It’s cool for them to have fun when they go out and give a focused effort like Monday night. They need another one against the Spurs. It took them 11 years to win again at Houston, and they haven’t won at San Antonio since Feb. 15, 1997, an 11-game streak.
– The Magic lost at Memphis Monday night, so the Hawks lead the Southeast Division by a full game. Win tomorrow night, and the Hawks are set up for a monster week. They would break two long losing streaks on one trip. They could move up to No. 2 in the East. And they can send J.J., Smoove, and Woody to the All-Star game.
– According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Hawks (29-14) have more than two times as many victories as defeats this late in the season for the first time since the end of the 1996-97 season, when they were 56-26. Elias has been busy keeping track of these kinds of stats lately as the Hawks keep rolling.
– Horford needed six stitches for that gash that Rockets/former U. Kentucky hitman Chuck Hayes opened on his left thumb. Horford is fine.
– I just remembered the last time I was in the barber’s chair he asked me if I wanted him to trim my eyebrows. Glad I said no.
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
60 comments Add your comment
Michael Vick
January 26th, 2010
3:29 pm
1st finally at something
Benjamin
January 26th, 2010
3:38 pm
I almost finished first twice in one day!
mason
January 26th, 2010
3:39 pm
second
Benjamin
January 26th, 2010
3:40 pm
The other “first” was Bradley’s blog.
Woody needs a barber like I need an accountant. Which is to say, Woody doesn’t need a barber.
BBgenie
January 26th, 2010
3:41 pm
Makes sense to me. He lost a Bet. That’s why I stay away from the Cowgirls. Damm! Hurt don’t it. Hawks in 77777777777777
Brad
January 26th, 2010
3:44 pm
Why is this a story and why did you take the time to write about this? As fans and readers, we dont’ want to know about eye brows; just about what is going on with the team in regards to getting better and winning on the court.
mountain_jim
January 26th, 2010
3:53 pm
When you get to a dirty old man (reference to Jeff’’s column today) you will be allowing the barber to trim those eyelashes – individual hairs there (along with ear hair) can get wild and quite long… or so I have been told.
mountain_jim
January 26th, 2010
3:58 pm
get to be; eye brows, not eyelashes, jeez -
Westurd
January 26th, 2010
4:19 pm
MC,
Funny read. Glad the guys got a chance to get lose.
Petie The Crab
January 26th, 2010
4:48 pm
Usually I don’t care for that sort of makeover weirdness but in this case I really believe it has helped his looks.
Petie The Crab
January 26th, 2010
4:49 pm
Excellent way to get rid of those pesky crabs too.
Keith
January 26th, 2010
4:53 pm
Woody said he will keep the eyebrows off until he gets a new deal…
Sund re-sign Woody…he look like Charlie Villanueva.
Blue nose
January 26th, 2010
5:02 pm
@ Brad…..chill out, the story is amusing and helps us understand the mood and camaraderie on the team.
Blue Kid
January 26th, 2010
5:13 pm
Let this be a lesson to all you metro-sexual cats. Dudes are not supposed to “trim” their eyebrows.
Josh
January 26th, 2010
5:27 pm
thanks for the story MC, it definitely got me curious. i didn’t even notice it during the game, haha. hope theyre able to prep well for this tough san antonio team – it would be so good for them [and us fans] if they pull out a big w!
Benjamin
January 26th, 2010
5:28 pm
Keith
January 26th, 2010
4:53 pm
Woody said he will keep the eyebrows off until he gets a new deal…
Sund re-sign Woody…he look like Charlie Villanueva.
—
LOL
“Fire…. bad!”
(Old joke my friends and I used to tell in regard to Charlie V.)
bfred
January 26th, 2010
5:41 pm
Watched this game last night on Rockets TV (now live in Hou) and they couldn’t stop talking about the eyebrows, so it’s definitely a newsworthy topic.
Best comment of the night, after Bibby sank his second 3 in the fourth quarter – long pause, then “this team just has some stone killers.” Usually a team down by 10 with a couple of minutes to go fights; it’s like the Rockets knew they couldn’t catch up.
Jesse
January 26th, 2010
5:49 pm
Who cares who is first? Why is that such a big deal? It means you’re snooping around on line and not working all day…. hope your boss doesn’t fine out.
MannyT
January 26th, 2010
6:08 pm
Is this what they call nobrow humor
ISOWE–in search of Woody’s eyebrows
jerrywest
January 26th, 2010
6:11 pm
The last time Hawks beat the Spurs in Texas was before they drafted TD. David Robinson was out injured in 96-97 season. Spurs tanked and won 21 games. Lucked out with the lotto in the summer.
Dominique played for the Spurs in that game. We started Mookie-Smith-Corbin-Laetner-Dekembe.
EW
January 26th, 2010
6:21 pm
BRAD – Speak for yourself buddy! This was a hillarious column. Thanks for the update Blogmaster. As long as you can confirm that Woody is not sick, I’ll keep bustin a gut. You’re all over this team!
Traceman
January 26th, 2010
6:48 pm
O’Brien / Kevin A,
This is in response to your responses to my post several blogs back. Sorry for the delayed response.
O’Brien, I agree with you that Bibby likely wouldn’t have gotten any more money on the open market than he did but it never came to that because he IMMEDIATELY worked out a 3 year deal with the Hawks with the full understanding that he was accepting lesser pay and a lesser role. Miller had the option to do the same with Philly but he chose to hit the open market. I appreciate Bibby for that. As for Bibby’s D verus Teague’s D, Teague CLEARLY has more potential than Bibby ever had as a defender but as of RIGHT NOW, Bibby is just as good simply because he knows where to be. Teague still gets lost/confused far too easily (as most rookie PGs do).
Kevin A,
I don’t disagree with anything you said. Teague has more defensive POTENTIAL but his ACTUAL is no better than Bibby’s right now. As for us needing to go inside to Horford and Smoove more, you certainly won’t get an argument from me on that. I think we are at our best when we are sharing the ball and running, using our athleticism to overwhelm the opponent. That said, there is a place for “Iso Joe” and “Iso-Jamaal” in the offense. Perhaps it shouldn’t be 1/3 to 1/2 of our offense as it is now but it definitely has it’s place. If Woody scaled it back to about 25% of the offense, I’d be happy with it.
Lon Kruger
January 26th, 2010
6:50 pm
NOW YOU SEE EM, NOW THEY BURNT OFF!
BCC0224
January 26th, 2010
6:57 pm
I love the fact Coach Woodson is willing to do anything to keep his team loose. Shaved his head one year, loses his eyebrows another… I wonder if Atlanta reaches the finals, will he shave his mustache?
And if the Hawks win? Wouldn’t surprise me if Woody wore an evening gown on top of the float during the parade.
P.S. : Please sign Mike Woodson to an extension. He deserves it. This is HIS team.
Lacsho
January 26th, 2010
7:14 pm
MC great blog, you are doing an excellent job.
Timbo
January 26th, 2010
7:24 pm
Good stuff . . .
Brett
January 26th, 2010
8:30 pm
I thought he looked different, couldn’t tell why though.
74-75 Hawk
January 26th, 2010
8:32 pm
If Mike wears the bald, a full beard, and sunglasses, and it helps this club win, then the coach is just going to have to get “down”.
O'Brien
January 26th, 2010
8:54 pm
Traceman,
Bibby has definitely played his role well on this team. But I hope by his 3rd year Teague will be ready to take over, because I can only imagine how slow Bibby will be 2 seasons from now.
One issue I have with iso JJ and iso Jamal is the timing. If we’ve been running and sharing the ball, and then the game gets tight, I hate to see us go to isos. Stick with what has been working. Or when we need a bucket, we should run a play, instead of the isos.
But I do agree that there is a place for it. Every team with a star runs isos at some point.
O'Brien
January 26th, 2010
8:57 pm
BCC0224,
Woody should shave his mustache before the Orlando game (I would hate to see them blow us out again).
jerrywest
January 26th, 2010
9:50 pm
When Hawks last beat the Spurs in Texas:
* Nique played for the Spurs.
* JJ, Bibby & Crawford were in high school.
* TD was in Wake Forest and David Robinson was out for the season with injury.
* Hawks started Mookie-Smith-Corbin-Laetner-Dekembe.
* Josh, Marvin & Horf were in elementary school.
* and Zaza was 25 for real in 97.
KevinA
January 26th, 2010
10:24 pm
Jerrywest,
Wild stuff. The Spurs are not playing their best ball and the Hawks are. Time to put more historical demons to rest.
NoHomo
January 26th, 2010
10:34 pm
Hey Cunningham, let’s see a pic. Are you as fat as Sekou?
NoHomo
January 26th, 2010
10:35 pm
Enter your comments here
Ken Strickland
January 26th, 2010
10:44 pm
TRACEMAN-You stated in your 6:15PM post on the last blog that one can manipulate numbers to reflect whatever they want, and it seems that’s what you did. When we started the season, especially during that 7gm win streak, we CONSISTENTLY played uptempo basketball, attacked the basket, went inside to our Bigs, rebounded and got excellent ball movement. As a result, we led the NBA in fastbreak pts, pts in the paint, shooting percentage and was near the top in rebounds and scoring, averaging 107PPG.
After that streak ended, we stopped CONSISTENTLY doing those things and became an inconsistent team that suddenly had trouble rebounding and breaking the century mark. So, I started my accumulation of data at the point where we started playing inconsistently, which was after the 7gm win streak, not before. As the season progresses, wouldn’t it make more sense to expect good teams to develop more consistency and get progressively better, rather than the other way around, especially if they’ve had no serious injuries to contend with?
Traceman
January 26th, 2010
11:39 pm
2-0 in October
10-5 in November
9-5 in December
8-4 in January
Consistency? We’ve had ONE bad 4 game stretch ALL SEASON. Other than that, we’ve lost two in a row only once all season and that was right after the 7 game winning streak.
Yes, we scored more early in the season than we did in December and January but I always thought a lot of that was fool’s gold. Part of the reason we were scoring so much is because our D was so bad that we were getting more opportunities to score. We were playiing like PHO and GS when we need to be more like LAL and ORL. LAL and ORL play uptempo when they are also VERY solid defensive teams. Currently we are scoring less but the D has been FAR better. I think that bodes well for us going forward.
So to answer your question, yes, it does make sense to expect good teams to develop more consistency as the season goes forward. I think we are doing that, particularly on D. Take out the blow out loss to ORL and we have played VERY well since our 4 game bump in the road going 8-2 in that stretch. I’ll take that all day.
A true Hawks fan
January 26th, 2010
11:47 pm
With so much sadness in the world today it is great to have something to laugh about. You have to admit that we can all use a smile. Thanks Woody and the Hawks team for brigtening up our day.
Grandad
January 27th, 2010
12:03 am
Actually we’ve had @ least 4 bad ‘1′ game streaks:
[Knicks x 2, Pistons w/o several starters, N.O. w/o CP].
Now we need some post ‘brow’ data, reckon ?
Grandad
January 27th, 2010
12:06 am
Oh Yeah, that last post [@12:03/AM] was for:
Traceman and or KS.
Tweets that mention The eyebrows have it | Hawks Blog -- Topsy.com
January 27th, 2010
5:45 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc dot com, Jessica Bair, Michael Cunningham, Michael Cunningham, Kaleigh King and others. Kaleigh King said: @SmooveLadyHawk yep u are!! http://bit.ly/bMRLeL there is the link [...]
Daniel
January 27th, 2010
8:28 am
So question…. what time do the All Star invitees get announced tomorrow? JJ is in, Josh probably, I still think Horford and Crawford should have some serious consideration.
Mike is Back
January 27th, 2010
9:02 am
MC, GREAT STUFF!! With all the blood, sweat, and tears Woody has poured into his team…it is nice to see him have a little fun and enjoy himself for once. He deserves it…this team has come a loooooooooooooooooong way…but we still have a long way to go.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
January 27th, 2010
9:26 am
It is pretty clear that while Woody takes the game VERY seriously, he does NOT take himself too seriously. If you’ve ever worked for a boss like that, you know how cool it is to have that combination in a leader. It doesn’t mean that the boss is perfect but it does make it a little easier to go to work each morning.
terrell
January 27th, 2010
9:32 am
Going for the Texas sweep tonight. Already beat Dallas and Houston.
Nookah
January 27th, 2010
9:38 am
Mr. Cunningham, kudos to you Sir. Keep up the good work.
Greeting Hawks fans!!. I always enjoy your posts. Very entertaining and a great read.
When this all started I was not a great fan of Woody but I have to admit he has me sold. What we seem to forget is that he also was a rookie when he took over this team, so his growth has a direct correlation on the growth of our Hawks. I think he deserves an extension and moreover, he has maintained class and dignity throughout his tenure. He is, I am sure, a role model to the young players he has been coaching. I am not on the inside but I can imagine his players want to go to battle with him.
For those in the know, do you think JJ has not signed an extension because he wants to see what Sund will do with Woody? I’m not suggesting that this is his sole reason for not signing but do you think it has a significant bearing? Please give me some feedback.
Go Hawks!!!
Nuff respect!!!
RLP
January 27th, 2010
9:43 am
DANIEL:
The All-star reserves will be announced tonight on TNT. The program will start at 7:00 and end at 8:00 when the Celtics and Magic game telecast begins.
RLP
January 27th, 2010
9:46 am
DANIEL:
Correction – I mean tomorrow night. Don’t want to forget the Hawks-Spurs game tonight.
jerrywest
January 27th, 2010
10:36 am
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2010/01/season-long-theme-josh-smiths-shot.html
I wonder what Josh’s PER would have been if he hadn’t take any jump shot.
Josh needs to understand that:
Jump shot = Turnover (even if the ball goes in). Every time he shoots a jump shot, it’s bad for the team’s rhythm and chemistry.
NUNNA YO BIZNEZZ
January 27th, 2010
11:07 am
NOOO 74-75 HAWK!!
74-75 HAWK SAID,”If Mike wears the bald, a full beard, and sunglasses, and it helps this club win, then the coach is just going to have to get down”.
IF HE DOES THIS,THEN HE’LL LOOK LIKE RICK ROSS AND IT WILL HELP HE AND THE HAWKS GET INTO THE CLUBS!! FREE!! AND TABLE DANCES,PHONE NUMBERS AND DRINKS IN THE OTHER KIND OF CLUBS TOO..IM DOWN
Ken Strickland
January 27th, 2010
11:13 am
TRACEMAN-comeon now, don’t start taking away gms and playing fantasy basketball. You are proving your point when you say numbers can be manipulated to get favorable results. You’re trying to coverup periods of inconsistency. Allow me to make my point.
After the 1st 25 gm of the season we were 19-6, and over the last 7gms we’re 6-1. Now that look’s very good, especially that last 6-1 run. However, if you look at our overall record over the last 18gms, and after the 19-6 run, you’ll find we’ve only managed to go 10-8, and that includes our latest 6-1 spurt.
Hopefully, we’re back on track, which is why I said the next 4gms will let us know where we stand at this point in the season. Too many fans are just hungup on regular season wins and accomplishments and aren’t concerned about our hot and cold nature, inability to defeat, or in some cases even be competitive, against teams in our division. If we want to be a playoff team rather that a contender, then the regular season is what you should focus on. But, if you want to be a contender, the regular season should be used to develop, adjust, modify, improve and solidify the players, systems and overall team. WE’RE JUST NOT DOING ENOUGH OF THESE THINGS.
We’re just content to pat ourselves on the back for certain superficial midseason accomplishments like Allstar berths, leading the division, having a winning record etc. All of this is good, but it won’t mean a damned thing if we enter the playoffs unprepared. Well, last yr Cleveland accomplished all of those things, and they did it in grand fashion, but it didn’t prevent them from getting there butts waxed in the playoffs. Like we’re no doing, they failed to address their weaknesses because they were winning, leading their division, had the NBA’s best record etc.
Well, Orlando took care of those weaknesses and shoved them up their buts. And if we don’t stop making all of these lame excuses and start take our inconsistency and lack of development more seriously, an Eastern conference team is going to shove our unaddressed weaknesses and shortcoming right up our butts as well, just like last yr.
Making the playoffs is a given for this team. Hell, we managed to make the playoffs with a losing record, and we were the eventual NBA champion Celtics’ only serious challenger during their entire playoff run to the title. However, that didn’t mean that all of the problems, shortcomings and weaknesses that prevented us from having that losing record simply vanished. If we had done a beter job of using the regular season to prepare for the playoffs, both on the court and on the sidelines, maybe we could have won a gm in Boston.
jerrywest
January 27th, 2010
11:35 am
Whether Josh is open for his jump shots or not isn’t the issue. The clear fact is that the ball goes in 27% of the time, which is equivalent to 3 pointers going in 18% of the time. Would you want him to shoot wide open 3 pointers at 18% rate? Those should be charged as turnovers in his stat line.
It is bad business, period.
Fresh
January 27th, 2010
11:37 am
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/01/21/midseason.roundtable/index.html
2. Is there a sleeper team, one that could unexpectedly make a run for the title?
Thomsen: Given the Lakers’ length, depth and talent, along with the fact that they’re now as strong defensively as they’ve always been at the other end of the floor, I don’t see them (assuming they stay healthy) losing to anyone in the West. Should Kobe Bryant break one more finger, then the Mavericks, Spurs or Nuggets may be able to sneak by Los Angeles to the Finals.
In the East, the Hawks’ 3-0 record against Boston is creating hope that they may be that sleeper team. But those kinds of upsets are rare in the NBA: Each of the last 14 champions has been a No. 1 or 2 seed in its conference tournament. The Hawks are limiting themselves to 13 players while maintaining a $65 million payroll — $20 million less than the Celtics and about $15 million cheaper than the Cavs or Magic. In these disparities the Hawks find themselves in the role of the Minnesota Twins trying to match up against the Yankees — meaning they won’t have the manpower to deal with Cleveland, Boston and Orlando if all of those expensive contenders are healthy.
McCallum: I think it’s the Hawks. They’re nutty enough to think they could win; before they were just nutty. Do I think it will happen? No, because I like the Cavs. But I think it could happen because they have talent and things have broken extremely well for them. The “starting six” (off-the-bench ace Jamal Crawford gets 30 minutes a game) have all remained healthy, after all, and not many teams can say that. For the record, I don’t like the Nets’ chances of making a serious run.
Mannix: The Hawks have a couple of things going for them: One, they are fearless. They hate Boston, and their 3-0 record in the season series shows they have unlocked the secret to beating the Celtics. Plus, they don’t believe Cleveland, which beat them in back-to-back games to end 2009, is better than them, either. And two, the Hawks have a sense of urgency, considering that Joe Johnson and coach Mike Woodson can both walk at the end of the season. If they can avoid the Magic — the one player the Hawks have yet to figure out is Dwight Howard — Atlanta is a legit threat.
Forrester: Not really. The tragedy of the seven-game series is that it almost always ensures that the favored team will win. Any upsets to be had aren’t really upsets, but more mild surprises, such as when the Pistons topped the Lakers in the 2004 Finals or when the Magic dropped the Cavs in last season’s East finals. Should the Hawks find themselves matched up against the Celtics in the conference finals, then Atlanta will be Finals-bound. But as long as experience and talent remain king in the postseason, the NBA title is reserved for those teams that have planned and built for it, and this season those teams are the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic, Spurs or Nuggets.
jerrywest
January 27th, 2010
12:05 pm
The close games we lost, we would have won those if Josh was calculative enough to avoid low probability jump shots (27%). We would be in 1st place in the East right now. BIG difference.
Josh Smith left all his 3 pointer supporters in the alter this year. Soon he will leave all his jumper supporters gasping for air. Hoping for that day.
I MUS WRITE
January 27th, 2010
12:14 pm
If you’re a grown man yelling first -kill yoself- fall on your sword,eat the pills….jus kill yoself
jean
January 27th, 2010
12:33 pm
damn i hate spurs would be the best win for
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
January 27th, 2010
1:31 pm
so. is this Spurs game on national tv or what?
vava74
January 27th, 2010
1:50 pm
Impatience only spawns bad decisions.
We should be happy that Hawks are relevant right now and hope that they keep this up for years to come.
Winning the title is a very difficult quest even in optimum conditions and our Hawks only have the dimmest of hopes to reach that objective this year.
Our task should be to establish ourselves as a consistent top #4 seed/50-60 win ball club in order to win ATL fans and build the momentum which could persuade the ownership to enter deep into luxury tax territory.
Until that happens, we are only one player away (if JJ bails out and we do not manage to replace him with another of equal value – this means someone who is as balanced off-def as he is) from being a fringe playoff team.
Hence, we should concentrate in re-signing JJ, extending Al and finding a way to keep Crawford as well.
If we manage this, (maybe with one of two small adjustments) we could be looking at reaching and competing for the ECF for the next 3/5 years.
Ramon
January 27th, 2010
1:56 pm
Jerrywest, I’m willing to guess that JJ and Crawford take more ‘bad’ shots per game than Smoove. I’m willing to bet JJ shoots over a double team more than 3 fga a game. And I’m also willing to bet that Bibby at least shoots one-two contested threes with more than 15 seconds left on the shot clock, every game. However you want to say Smoove shot attempts are the reason the Hawks lost 3-4 games, still won’t take away from the fact that he is still in the top 2-3 on the team in offensive efficiency. You can go visit good Hollinger for that if you care to challenge that.
Ramon
January 27th, 2010
2:03 pm
Jerrywest, by the way in the last 5 games, Smoove is averaging 18 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 4 apg, 2.6 bpg, 1.8 spg, to go along with 56% shooting from the field, and 75% shooting from the free throw line. And you’re saying if it wasn’t for 2 long jumpers in those games, we would’ve had a better chance of winning. Well since the record is 29-14, I guess you could say we win 2x more when Smoove take those terrible jumpers than we lose. As I said before the season, I’ll say it again now. By the end of the year, Smoove will be the best player on this team and the team’s MVP.
dub366
January 31st, 2010
3:24 pm
Woody coaching is just like his eyebrows missing.