Not the Real MC: Hawks Squawks: Hawks 112, Sixers 93
1. You know him, you love him, you call for him to be traded – Marvin had a second strong game in a row.
Some Marvin-centric chatter:
Al Horford: “Everybody goes through struggles. It feels good to see Marvin be Marvin. Hopefully, he keeps this level of intensity up.” (Al has the gift of being able to pump up his teammates while not going overboard.)
Mike Woodson: “He’s had two solid games and we need Marvin to play that way. It takes so much pressure off of everybody when he’s scoring and rebounding the ball and defending like he was defending tonight. It’s nice to see. I’ve just got to push him to continue to play that way.”
From the man of the hour: “I’m trying to play with energy, trying to stay active. I think when I stay active, especially when I’m rebounding the basketball, I do a lot better personally and I help the team.”
2. Louis Williams lit up the Hawks. He made his first 10 attempts and finished with 30 points. I don’t know if you all care much for local players – Jodie Meeks and Thaddeus Young were two other Sixers with local ties – but you may well know that Williams was a two-time Mr. Basketball in Georgia who has slowly worked his way to something approaching stardom.
Woodson: “He’s a young player that’s starting to figure it out.”
3. What about Williams’ shoes? They were a weird light shade of blue. Something tells me they didn’t come off the rack. Speaking of which, Josh Smith left the locker room in purple shoes that matched a nice purple tie with a pinstriped shirt. I asked him where he got the shoes. Said Josh, “I can’t kiss and tell.”
4. I mentioned in the story for Thursday that the Hawks just need to go .500 for the rest of the season to hit 50 wins for the season, so you’d have to say that’s a near certainty and 55 wins (which would a 16-6 finish) isn’t out of the question. Try to remember back to what you expected of this team in the preseason. How does this match up?
5. The Hawks got a break with Elton Brand being out with tendonitis in his Achilles. I’m not saying they would have lost with Brand in the lineup, but it would have been different. The Hawks outrebounded Philly 47-32. Shades of the Hawks’ win over Chicago with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah out. Hawks had 56 PIP to Sixers’ 38.
6. Josh made some phenomenal passes. He made a one-haner from one wing, across the lane to a tightly guarded Marvin underneath the basket and his alley oop pass to Al came from beyond the three-point line. He made another that wasn’t assist where he hit Mike Bibby who was cutting underneath the basket. It almost seemed like he was playing a game within a game, trying to see where he could fit passes. I asked him about it, and he said something along the lines of, “It’s just passing.”
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136 comments Add your comment
northcyde
March 4th, 2010
12:58 pm
One more thing. When you talk about putting up 20 – 4 – 4 in consecutive seasons, only 5 of these guys have done that for the past 4 consecutive seasons.
Kobe
Lebron
Wade
Vince
and Joe Johnson
. . . and those 5 will do it again in 09 – 10.
Kobe, Lebron, Wade and Monta Ellis will all be 25 – 4 – 4 members.
Joe Johnson, Tyreke Evans, and Brandon Roy will make the 20 – 4 – 4 club.
Gilbert Arenas and Chris Paul, who saw their seasons cut short, will also make the 20 – 4 – 4 club this season.
Vince and Pierce won’t make the 20 – 4 – 4 club this season.
So for this year, only 9 guys can say that they did this for the entire season.
Daniel
March 4th, 2010
12:59 pm
nice post nothcyde-
I’ll bite what do you think are the “things lacked” by Pierce, Carter and Johnson? (I don’t disagree with your impression, just asking)
D.Wade has a championship and Lebron doesn’t. Wade really rubs me the wrong way, I think is lucky to have a ring, because he will fade fast, ala McGrady.
Ree Roe
March 4th, 2010
12:59 pm
@ Daniel, I feel the same way. But I think CLE overestimated his willingness to immediately resign (even tho he can’t sign til Mar 22). I don’t think they envisioned him being so deeply offended, but Z should be. Think about it from Z’s perspective. He’s given his blood, sweat & tears to that team & franchise for more than a decade, only to be traded at the trade deadline. The trade itself should have let Z know that CLE feels they can win without him. Personally, I never thought Z returning to CLE was an open & shut case like the national media or members of this board make it seem like. If it was, why would his agent even entertain other offers from other teams? The NBA already said they weren’t gonna investigate the Cavs & Z for having a prearranged deal set up so it’s not like CLE & Z would have to front for the media about him going elsewhere.
Like you said, there’s more to this than meets the eye & it’s clear Z still isn’t 100% on board with returning to CLE. Hopefully, he really considers coming to ATL b/c we could really use him & we wouldn’t disrespect him like CLE did either.
-REEly on Roe!
Daniel
March 4th, 2010
1:02 pm
Section 303- man, you really took Ken’s comments hard. I am pretty sure he didn’t mean to imply all that you are saying. In fact, he already tried to clarify. What’s up with all the bile? Seems over the top to me.
Daniel
March 4th, 2010
1:05 pm
Roe- I have to assume that the trade caught Zydrunis off guard. That is some really poor work by Danny Ferry. He did accept the buyout though (1.3 milion is still a lot of cheese). Its just weird man. On ESPN, they stated that the Hawks had the BEST chance to sign Z., but they expected him back in Clevland, too.
O'Brien
March 4th, 2010
1:18 pm
najeh,
Imagine if Philly had offered the 5 yr, $82 mil contract to Josh instead of Brand? Would we have matched? And if we did, would we have traded for Crawford and still be willing to give JJ the money it will take to keep him?
I’m just glad Philly went after Brand (which made no sense, because not only was he coming off injury, but he also didnt fit their uptempo style), because Josh is looking like a bargain at his salary.
With Shaq being injured, Z becomes even more important to the Cavs. It would be nice to see him sign with the Hawks, if nothing else just to keep him away from Cleveland.
Ree Roe
March 4th, 2010
1:19 pm
I think the chances are that he does return to CLE, but I think we have more than just a small chance to sign him. His agent used a great word to describe how Z must feel: “pawn”. CLE only wants him AFTER they traded him. It’s unbelievably disrespectful to Z what they’re doing to him in CLE
-REEprieve for Roe!!!
drmaryb
March 4th, 2010
1:32 pm
NORTHCYDE
Fantastic POST @ 12:42 PM. Nuff Said. U. R. Relevant – Simon Cowell-
Ken Sugiura
March 4th, 2010
1:36 pm
hello, all. got back from practice a bit ago. i asked Woodson about Jamal being out on the floor at the end of blowouts. basically, what he said was, there aren’t a lot of options left if you take Jamal out. He wouldn’t want to put in Collins, for instance, if the other team had a bunch of perimeter guys on the floor.
on ilgauskas, i’d have to think some of what rudoy is saying is posturing to keep other teams interested.
sam’l – this is Ken Sugiura, another writer at the paper who held down the beat for a couple months before Mike was hired. thanks for the kind words.
sam'l
March 4th, 2010
1:41 pm
Oh, KS is not MC. Cool. .
What happened to Z in Cleveland is disrespectful but even he knows he is at the end of a long career and Lebron James is set to bolt if he doesn’t see a banner this year. Z would like to be a champ too. He is probably enjoying his rest, calling his accountant and working out. He’ll be fine when he hears the prolonged applause the first time he’s back.
Whether the Hawks beat Cleveland, Boston or Orlando is dependent on:
1. Desire and confidence .
2. .Creative strategy and ability to adjust..
3. An attitude similar to that displayed in the home game against Phoenix. (never say die)
jean
March 4th, 2010
1:49 pm
jamal needs to bad his stats for 6th man its enough that he got robbed of a all star spot……it makes end of game worth watchin who wants to see mo evans jack a shot every play who ever told him he is a scorer lied to him he is a damn bum
jean
March 4th, 2010
1:49 pm
pad
theZaZaguy
March 4th, 2010
1:52 pm
So Marvin does well against weak teams… I personally think he will do as well against better teams, but even if he doesn’t his efforts are very valuable. On nights like last night, Joe, Bibby, and Crawford (the three older guys on the team) can cruise. Even though they play 30 minutes, it’s an easy 30 minutes. With the wear and tear of the season it’ll pay dividends when the playoffs come around.
Section 303
March 4th, 2010
1:56 pm
Daniel, I just get annoyed when the Hawks don’t get the credit they deserve. Ken has constantly gone out of his way to discredit wins because the other team has an injury. I’m just tired of it, that’s all.
Not the most important issue in the world today, but been with this team for a long time now (like many others on here) and now the Hawks are a good team, they should not have to apologize for winning games.
My last comment on it for today.
theZaZaguy
March 4th, 2010
2:00 pm
I really enjoy garbage time minutes. I yelled out “Hey Super Mario! Get another dunk like in Chicago!” and he looked over and then tried to oblige. Unfortunately it didn’t happen, but I think he was happy to be appreciated.
northcyde
March 4th, 2010
2:03 pm
@ Section 303. I know Druant is elite . . . as a scorer. There’s no denying that. I’ll have to add Carmelo Anthony to this list as well, if I were using that criteria.
But my focus was on the guys who are scorers and can create for other people.
****************
@ Daniel
With JJ, it’s his inability to draw fouls when going to the hole. Part of that is the refs fault. But the other part of that is that he doesn’t go to the hole to seek contact, when the team needs points. Those elite guys will plow right into a guy if need be, to get to the line. JJ relies on his fantastic floater when going to the hole. While he should still get more foul calls from the refs, JJ’s style of play doesn’t see him get to the line a ton of times, like those elite guys.
Up until this year, it would be fair to say that compared to those elite guys, that he was a “soft” player. That’s a characteristic that can be put on just about all off the Hawks, except Horford.
Also, JJ lacks the athleticism that those elite guys have. If JJ had Kobe’s athleticism . . . he’d be a hell of a player to contain . . almost impossible. You can also say that JJ doesn’t have the killer instinct that those other guys have. It’s been better this year, because he’s put this team completely on his back, when the rest of the guys have struggled. But we may have to see more of that from him . . . especially in the playoffs. No way can he go through this year’s playoffs averaging less than 20 ppg and shooting a low percentage from the field. He has to take his game to that next level once late April comes around.
*************
With Pierce, it’s really his lack of athleticism that keeps him from being elite during his prime . . although he was damn close to it. Those top 3 guys are freakishly athletic. Pierce, like JJ, has to rely more on his basketball skills than his athleticism, to get the job done. Other than that, Pierce had all of the “elite” attributes, other than athleticism. If he could’ve played with a better player than Antoine Walker in his prime, he may have been considered elite.
*************
With Carter, it’s always been his lack of “heart” and leadership abilities. He definitely had the basketball skill and athleticism to be elite. But to me, he never had the “heart” to be elite. The elite guys come up big in pressure situations, and it always seemed like Carter would wilt under pressure. And don’t get me started on his “softness”. Next to T-Mac, he may have been the softest star player I’ve ever seen.
O'Brien
March 4th, 2010
2:04 pm
I remember a couple seasons ago when Woody said he played JJ tons of minutes because he knew how important it was for JJ to get this 3rd straight all star appearance. Along those same lines, I think one of the reasons he leaves Crawford out there is to give him the opportunity to pad his stats.
Because even if the opposing team has gone perimeter, (assuming it’s a blowout either, winning or losing), then he can go with Teague, Mo Evans at SG, Marvin, ZaZa and RandMo to finish the game.
That being said, I’m okay with leaving Crawford out there, although if the game is already decided, you would like to see him chilling on the bench. I’m just afraid of Crawford getting hurt during mop up time.
The Truth
March 4th, 2010
2:21 pm
I think it was cruel and unusual punishment for the coach of Philly to leave his starters and star player (AI) in the game when the Hawks had blown them out with at least 4-3 min left on the clock. Most teams would clear their bench at that point. That’s a sign of a bad coach. He is damaging the psyche of the team. Perhaps this explains their record.
drmaryb
March 4th, 2010
2:24 pm
Things that. Make U. Say ……mmmmmmh:
1. Why Did BOOZER Bolt to UTAH after verbally agreeing to RE-SIGN w/ CLEVELAND?
2. Did he Smell a RAT in the Front Office?
3. Is Danny – Boy Ferry a MOLE in Negotiations?
4. Big-Z was there to see the Business – Side of the NBA! So is he REALLY on BOARD?
5. Does he TRUST Danny – Boy?
6. Will LeBron stay a Cavalier? – After all he is a “KING”!
7. Is there any HONOR amongst THIEVES?
8. Will “Z” follow the Money & Bolt to the HAWKS? & Why NOT make CLEVE. Pay for talking out of both sides of their NECKS! 1st. SHAQ 2.Then the trade for Jamison 3rd. Now SHAQ out for the season!
WHO KNEW – SHAQ was going down?
northcyde
March 4th, 2010
2:30 pm
Truth . . . you need to be following the Philly situation. Iggy has been a non-assertive player lately. Eddie Jordan wants him to take his game to the next level, but it looks like it’s not going to happen. Iggy looks like he simply doesn’t have the skill set to make the jump from good player to star player. He played a lot better in February, than he did in January. But Philly needs for Iggy to be THE GUY . . . and he’s just not responding.
He’d be a great “Pippen” to one of these elite players. But as the main guy? Nah . . . that’s just not him. His jumpshot prevents him from being as such.
Section 303
March 4th, 2010
2:42 pm
northcylde, I got it…didn’t look close enough at your criteria the first time…still, I’ve watched Oklahoma City a lot this year. I become a bigger fan of Durant everytime.
You know, despite all the pub he got as a rookie, I am thinking he is a tad underrated these days. He still gets some attention, but not like other players.
drmaryb
March 4th, 2010
2:42 pm
1. For the 1st time of his Career? The whole world is wondering what will “Z” do NEXT? & He is under
The SPOTLIGHT!
2. How will he RESPOND?
I believe it will be based SOLELY upon whether he knew Up-Front @ the TRADE DEADLINE moves.
3. IF he pulls a BOOZER in Cleveland – then we will know “Danny – Boy” is a MOLE & a SNAKE!
Just like Kevin McHale was in Minnesota & COLLUSIONS may cause THE – COMMISH to
Take away a DRAFT-PICK!
Mmmmmmh. Can U Ironically – Say … JOE SMITH? Wouldn’t that be a 360 – (Only if “Z”
Joins JOE SMITH in the “A”?
A TALE OF TWO – CITIES!
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
2:47 pm
Brand’s signing was obviously a risk, but the GM felt like a running team was not likely to do much long-term in theplayoffs. I don’t recall them getting out of the first round with Cheeks and that running squad (although I could be wrong). If you don’t have a decent half-court game, your playoff success is extremely compromised.
On a slighted related matter, I thought that Iguodala looked pretty awful last night. His coach had mentioned a lack of internal leadership the night before. I don’t know if he was sulking or if he was just tired but he didn’t play with the same high energy that I’m used to seeing. I was never a big fan but at least he usually was good for playing full-speed at all times. Last night, he looked disinterested to me.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
2:51 pm
Section 303, Durant won’t be underrated after this season. You can bet that the Thunder will be featured in plenty of naionally televised games next year. He will surely be cast as “the next big thing” and he deserves that billing. His talent is off the charts. And it helps that he has a really good group of players surrounding him.
The Truth
March 4th, 2010
2:58 pm
northcyde
I agree relative to the elite players listed, AI is certainly not one of them. But relative to Philly’s team, he is their star player.
Section 303
March 4th, 2010
2:58 pm
Astro Joe, I agree. Oklahoma City is quickly becomming my 2nd favorite team. If I’m one of the top teams in the west, I would rather not play the Thunder in the first round. The Thunder will put up a fight. Would love to see them spring an upset.
O'Brien
March 4th, 2010
3:02 pm
Truth, northcyde
I remember reading that the Suns were interested in trading for Iggy and Dalembert, using Stoudemire and Richardson I think. But Philly didnt want to have to deal with Stoudemire and Brand
@ AJ,
Another reason they chose Brand over Josh is probably because Josh was not showing the all aound skills he’s displaying right now, whereas Brand was supposed to be a 20 and 10 every night.
Oh well. Their loss was the Hawks gain.
drmaryb,
I remember the Boozer signing. The Cavs could have kept him under contract at a cheaper rate, but they thought he would sign a long term deal with them, so they did not pick up his option. Instead, he bolted for Utah. The Cavs front office said he double crossed them. He said they had no prior discussions, so it makes you wonder whats going on there…
I like Durant and Westbrook’s game. OKC should continue to get better, especially if they add one solid free agent
Melvin
March 4th, 2010
3:06 pm
Random thought. Since Lebron sent in his paperwork to have his number change (23 to 6) for next season, wouldnt that be an indication that he may stay in Cleveland. Uh, there’s no need for him to do the paperwork if he switch teams in the offseason. Just a thought..
Sautee
March 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
northcyde,
Since I gave you crap about loving Joe’s game overmuch, then I’ll have to give you props for saying this about him:
“No way can he go through this year’s playoffs averaging less than 20 ppg and shooting a low percentage from the field. He has to take his game to that next level once late April comes around.”
True dat.
Glad to see you with that kind of perspective.
Daniel
March 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
northcyde- I think that was a pretty fair breakdown of Joe, Pierce and Vince. I would say that the verdict is still out on Joe, because as you mentioned he has been improving in several of those areas. I do think getting foul calls is essential for Joe to be more effective, but ultimately it is going to come down to playoff performance. He needs to have a big run to move up in the standings.
The Truth
March 4th, 2010
3:31 pm
OB
This article supports your point
Sautee
March 4th, 2010
3:31 pm
If any of you saw the replay when Shaq got hurt by Big Baby, it was eerily reminiscent of Chuck Hayes slap-down on Al. We’re very lucky that Al didn’t go down for the year. That could have been disastrous. Well for the Hawks and most of the fans, anyway. I can think of at least one who would have celebrated.
Section 303
March 4th, 2010
3:32 pm
Sautee, let me refer you to last year’s game 7 with Miami…Joe did pretty good that day, I think.
He shows up when we need him.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Ensemble cast during the regular season… ensemble cast during the playoffs. If you expect shot sharing during regular season, don’t look for a “leading actor” during the playoffs. Hawks need ALL of their top 4-6 guys ready to ball during playoffs. And the coaching staff to be at the top of their game, too.
drmaryb
March 4th, 2010
3:35 pm
TROUBLE IN PARDISE?
THE JET -Is having EYE SURGERY .. FACIAL INJURY last nite after collision w/Corey Brewer!
First SHAQ & now TERRY?
All the Hawks gotta do is Stay HEALTHY & if Marvins keeps playing well & if “Z” comes to the
MONEY – HAWKS …. Mmmmmh? Look Out! BTW – JJ will RESIGN!
Great POST – OBRIEN!
Rod from College Park
March 4th, 2010
3:40 pm
Traceman,
“Marvin HAS played a lot more of the “Chillz role” with his offensive rebounding and cutting to the basket but in addition to that, he has shown the ability to post up defenders, create his own shot and play top notch defense (both team and man to man D) which Chillz did NOT do consistently.”
You are joking right. A Chills role? Marvin has two good games back to back against Philly and Chicago (without Deng and Noah). Let’s not go overboard. This is how a professional small forward in the NBA should look. This year we have played 60 games and I honestly remember Marvin being above average in about 5 to 10 of those games. He has shown the ability to post defenders in 2 games huh. The Chicago game they were checking him with Kirk Hinrich (6′4). I guess if you can post Kurt Hinrich, you have made it in the league. In two games he has defended the likes of Hinrich, James Johnson, Thad Young and Rodney Carney. That really makes him a top notch defender huh. These last two games prove to me that all this nonsense that you guys talk about how many shots Marvin gets, is just that, nonsense. If he proves to his teamates and his coach, that he can make shots, they will get him the ball. The comparison to Josh last year is comical. Josh, even when he has bad games, makes plays. Marvin turns invisible. I never got a chance to respond to your last post concerning how much better of a prospect Kevin Durant was than Marvin because for some reason none of my responses would post on this blog, so here we go. Here are some projections for Marvin prior to the draft.
Summary: Williams is Insider’s No. 1-ranked player in the draft. He’s a versatile forward who can play both inside and out. Still developing but has the trappings of a superstar.
Member of the underclassman all-star game at the 2002 adidas ABCD Camp. Terrific talent and ultra versatile. He can certainly play both forward positions. Not as tall as Drew Gooden but shares some of the same traits that made Gooden a star. Has such an incredible feel for the game. Super touch from all over the court. Has a presence about him that will make him a star.
Marvin Williams went second in a draft that included the likes of Bogut, Darren Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, Charlie Villanueva, David Lee, and Nate Robinson all drafted in the first round. Durant went second in a draft which included Oden, Horford, Conley, Jeff Green, Noah, Thaddeus Young, Aaron Brooks, Rudy Fernandez, and Al Thorton. I don’t think I would be wrong in saying that Marvin’s draft was more talented as there are 3 all- stars with Granger who is probably one of the best SF in the game, and Bynum and Bogut were on the verge of all-star consideration. Durant’s class has Durant and Horford (all stars), Noah right on the verge of all star voting.
People get upset at Billy Knight for not drafting Paul or Williams, but my beef is that if a long small forward with handles and an overall game was what you wanted, then trading down to get Granger at 17 would have been the play. No way then or now that you work out Granger and Marvin, in terms of skill or talent, and you choose Marvin. The only advantage would have been potential (upside).
I really would like Marvin to play up to his potential and become the star that he was supposed to be. It would only help the Hawks down the stretch and in the playoffs, but nothing in his basketball history in Atlanta, gives me reason to get excited. He bascially became a supporting member of the Hawks team the last 2 games and stopped riding the bus for free. Lets all hope that he does not go back into his invisible man role as he has done for most of this season.
Sautee
March 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
Sec 303,
Sure he did, and I praised him at the time. But overall, you’d have to say that his postseason results are less than we hoped for $70 million and 2 #1s. And I’ll throw out the stats from CLE series (when he was hurt) and STILL be overall disappointed.
That said, I STILL want him to re-sign with us. And I have a lot of faith that he wants to make up for previous post-seasons this year.
Clyde
March 4th, 2010
3:45 pm
FIRE WOODY
Melvin
March 4th, 2010
3:55 pm
Rod from CP,
Something tells me that folks have been anticipating your arrival for the past 24hrs…lol
Ken Strickland
March 4th, 2010
3:56 pm
Part of the reason JJ doesn’t draw many fouls when he goes to the hole is, like Marvin, he’s a vertical jumper and can’t go hard to the rim and elevate off one foot. That’s why you see him shoot a lot of runners and finger roll type layups when he gets into the lane. Unless he has both feet under him, he can’t attack the rim or the DEF player hard, or dunk, and we all know he can dunk. That’s also why all of his dunks are with 2 hands and with him directly under the basket, never when he’s attacking the basket.
The reason he doesn’t look as clumsy as Marvin does driving to the basket is due to his outstanding ball control and handling ability. Also, has anyone else noticed how Smoove’s scoring and FG% has been far better lately? Have you also noticed how it’s corresponded with his increased use of the glass when going to the basket? Before, he shot everything at the rim, and a lot of those shot attempts were rather weak and often fell short.
When he learns to pull up when denied a close shot at the basket, jump high and bank it off the backboard, he’ll become virtually unstoppable. Now that Marvin is starting to improve his OFF, I’d like to see him use that running hook he develop and used so successfully last yr.
Westurd
March 4th, 2010
4:07 pm
JEJE,
If Marvin steps up every 25 games, then he will be primed to make an impact in a playoff game……..
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
4:08 pm
Rod, so if his 2nd contract didn’t re-set Marvin’s forecast, will anything provide that new evaluation based on real data? Or should someone also be judging Joe Smith’s validity as a former #1 a decade or so later?
JeJe
March 4th, 2010
4:21 pm
Good job Westurd – you are very good at repeating what I say
ME: “Marvin steps up about once every 25 games. What’s this talk about him stepping up every so often? He is going to go back to his cuckoon and have one good game in the playoffs”
YOU: “If Marvin steps up every 25 games, then he will be primed to make an impact in a playoff game……..”
Some of you people really lack brain cells
O'Brien
March 4th, 2010
4:24 pm
JJ’s playoff average is very similar to his regular season average. I just dont know if 20, 4 and 4 will cut it in the playoffs.
That being said, AJ is right. Regardless of what JJ does, we will need major contributions from 4-6 players, and Woody.
Rod,
In Marvin’s defense, most media and publications had him in the top 2 (based on potential), so it wasn’t just Billy Knight. The problem for the Hawks, is that they had other forwards, and we really needed a PG. BK ignored CP3 and Deron, so 5 years later, here we are, and PG is our biggest issue again.
So far, Marvin has not lived up to his contract. But with 2 good games in a row (regardless of the opponent), I’m hoping (for the sake of the Hawks), that he will continue to play like that. If he can average close to 15 and 8 from here on out, that will do wonders for the Hawks, and Marvin’s confidence.
And if he can average close to 15 and 8, his contract would be very good value.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
4:54 pm
Assuming that the NBA season lasts 5 months and Marvin is signed for 5 years, then he is signed for 25 months. His “struggles” have so far lasted 3 months… just to put things in perspective.
Lastly, when asking for Woody to play his bench more, you have to be willing to watch some of the starter’s numbers shrink. If the Hawks average 102 points with little bench play, don’t expect 117 points with more bench play as the starters score at the same rate and the bench gets love additional scoring. The math doesn’t quite work like that.
Hawk fan
March 4th, 2010
6:09 pm
Long time reader, first time poster. Have been wondering something for a while but haven’t seen anything mentioned about it or this or any other Hawks blog…. But what is the deal with Morris? Is he still on the team?
KevinA
March 4th, 2010
6:53 pm
You can also say that JJ doesn’t have the killer instinct that those other guys have
Are you kidding me? He takes more shots than anybody on the team and many of them in a crowd.
“No way can he go through this year’s playoffs averaging less than 20 ppg and shooting a low percentage from the field. He has to take his game to that next level once late April comes around
20 pts is fine as long it is efficient points. What kills us are his 30 pt nights with 25 shots. Killer instinct only works if your making shots.
Let JJ get 18 pt’s on 10 shots and play great D is a better dream.
KevinA
March 4th, 2010
7:09 pm
Hawk fan
Morris is the 13th man. Only 12 can be suited up for any one game.
Rod from College Park
March 4th, 2010
7:11 pm
Astro Joe,
No, but his last contract was somewhat based off of his first contract due to the amount of money he was already making. You can keep acting like #2 in that draft means nothing now, but it actually means everthing. If he was not such a high draft pick he would not be starting, Chills would still be here, he would not have gotten an extension for 5 years, or the amount of money that he got. He got more money than Ariza and Artest based on what? He is not, or was not a better player.
O’Brien,
As I have said before, because I enjoy reading your post, please don’t hold you breath waiting on Marvin. I would hate for something bad to happen to you. It’s been 5 years, how much longer do you plan on waiting? Remember it was the shorthanded Bulls, and Philly. Before anybody says it, I would expect that a professional level SF should have a decent game against Golden State who plays no defense, and has no legitimate SF, if Maggette is out. Let’s talk after we play some playoff level teams, and see if Marvin can keep his own man from roaming and helping on defense.
Melvin,
two games, and he is the best thing since sliced bread. If they want to crown him, then crown him. I won’t. I’ve seen this movie before.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2010
7:12 pm
KevinA, I agree. Joe scores about 21% of the team’s points thus far. Lebron and Wade are around 27-29% of their team’s points. Joe also takes around 5-6 bases points fewer shots per game (as a percentage of the team’s total shots) as those other guys. Or said differently, they score more in part because they shoot more.
We’ve already seen peolpe attempt to compare Joe with those other guys. So unless there is support for Joe taking more shots per game in an attempt to be more Wade-like, then there is truly no need to suggest that Joe should be scoring like those guys (and no I did not read that statement TODAY, but I suspect I will read it in a few months).
The ensemble cast is on pace to win 50 (or more) games. No one should expect some type of evolution to a “Joe and the Pips” design when the playoffs start. All for one and …