Hawks Squawks: Bucks 98, Hawks 95

This team has a glaring deficiency on defense. Every team knows that the Hawks are switching and they know what match up favors them. And as for Marvin, it seems that if the ball is moving, he should be that open guy but it always manages to be Josh. Why is that? Could it be that Marvin does not move well without the ball? Maybe the answer to the Hawks problems is a new coaching staff. I think that Woody depends on Joe too much (and yes, it is Woody that screams out those ISOs and tells everyone else to clear out).

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Agreed Sam’l, keno and RLP.

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Its all about protecting the paint and the Hawks are one of the worst at it. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to us Wednesday night vs the Magic.

FIRE WOODY

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MC appreciate that link..

…not to try to find reasoning for that foul Joe committed 28ft away from the basket… but Joe likes to take away the space of the opponent.. its just usually you’ll see him do it after the catch. after John starting flailing Joe should have let up a bit… funny thing is the Bucks reach, grab, and hold an awful lot to not have a “elite” player. no complaints about the officiating though, i thought we got a way with a couple of goal tending violations. maybe its just certain match ups that are officiated differently, or players welcome certain challenges. pay close attention to how Dwight is officiated Wed. your best bet is to do your work early against him, but we tend to get an early whistle when this approach is taken. however, when watching the Leprechauns match up against him its a different story.. they’ll let Sheed and Big Perk battle and joust for position all day long and Dwight wont flop..

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Was that really a foul Joe committed? I have seen defenders give way more contact without a whistle being blown. I have seen Joe receive way more contact than that without a whistle being blown. That was about defensive respect and benefit of the doubt and Joe gets none from the refs. Guys like Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest can do that all game and its called good, hard defense. More importantly, that is not the reason the Hawks lost his game. The Hawks lost his game on the defensive end with the switching and mismatches.

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Good game for the most part. I see somebody in the organization does read these blogs. Somebody mentioned about Marvin always tugging and pulling on that arm brace, but now does not wear it. Also, the Hawks did not make a trade because they know they will only go as far as Marvin will take them. Unlike like last, no other Hawk starter took more than 10 shots, Joe took 27. Marvin, Hortford and Bibby 10-14 shooting. Lastly, I have told everyone, Marvin has to take 10 shots for the Hawks to win. They are 7-1 in March when he took 10 shots (he shot 1-10 in the Toronto loss), 1-1 in February and 3-0 in January. The Hawks are at 8-4 in March, finished 8-4 in February and 9-6 in January. For the season, 16-4 when Marvin takes 10 shots. Marvin is as skilled as Salmons, but he does not have the heart to do it day in and day out.

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Why do people have a problem with JJ actually playing like a superstar, when his shot is on? That’s what I want to know. If anybody else on the team does it, they’re celebrated. When JJ tries to do it . . he’s selfish.

LOL . . so what’s the REAL STORY behind that?

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I wish people stop living the lie that Al’s lack of offense is the problem we we dont win. Al’s 14 points a game come from the fact that jj and Crawford shoot so well that it opens up the middle for horford who is unable to create his own shots or draw double teams like JJ and Crawford.

When the Horford nutt huggers are planting wet kisses they never mention his defense, because they cant. Defense wins basket ball games not 14 pts agame. Play some freaking defense in the middle and the hawks win. Just that simple. When ever the hawks lose check and see, you will find we were outscored in the paint 99% of the time. As clear as that is its amazing the the nut hugging posse call 14pts a game all star material. That funny. Why dont you tell me about his block shot average? How many shots he’s altered? Who hes put on the seat of their pants? THAT’S WHAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS, NOT TRYING TO MAKE 14 PTS INTO 15!

1

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@wabe,
yeah the 4Q issue is still there. Seems like we can’t get 20 pts. or more to wrap up a win.

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Are we going to get out of this funk of losing to teams that seem to want it more than us? Especially when they have worse records.
Back to the coaching!

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Hawks lost the battle of the boards too. Bucks 49, Hawks 44. counting team rebounds.

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Sybil, your [-]basketball IQ amazes me.

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Another come-from-ahead loss

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The season is almost over, and people are still telling the old stubborn one to adjust. Please!

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So if we don’t resign Joe, we are screwed? We cannot go over cap by signing outside free agents. SIGNING JOE OR S&T JOE IS ONLY CHOICE

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If you scratch below the surface of Woody, you really don’t find that much in terms of coaching.

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Michael,

I had the same thoughts. I was afraid of the Bucks series, too. Not anymore. I think the Hawks will be able to outscore that team when they have to. Plus, in the playoffs, there will be no more back-to-backs.

If I have one concern, however, it is Solmans. He has become a Hawks Killer.

terrell, get off Marvin’s back. Really, how many chances did he have? Crawford took things over in the 2nd-3rd, and it was all Joe in the 4th. Marvin has been playing well. I think some on here just look for reasons to bash him.

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good game. starters played too many minutes. josh smith waited too long to be aggressive. marvin williams looked great taking it to the paint twice then he got scared and didn’t touch it. Marvin just isn’t good at running around on offense and getting open, he’s hardly even a distraction. I think he’s one of the tougher players on defense and to defend, he can wear down other teams when he wants to, but where is his heart? Joe and Jamal looked great today, needed a little more out of Josh and Marvin. Al is Al, he could be one of the best PF in the league. We throw Zaza at center. Marvin becomes a more agressive scorer and defender and stays at PF. Josh comes off the bench until he learns to do more than just block shots on D.

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@ lewis, josh come off the bench until he learns to do more than block shots. Maybe u are from the planet Zendron and haven’t watched the maturation of josh smith this season. When the shot blocker is on the bench who blocks the shots?

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Someone please explain something to me. Why do NBA teams use “getting in late” as a challenge to playing the next day (as Woodson did when referring to last night’s loss). These guys grow up playing basketball all day long, and now they find 80 minutes of basketball (and that’s if you’re Joe Johnson) in 24 hours a challenge?

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@ Tim, when is the last time your body has exerted the type of energy a NBA player body does over week. We are fragile humans and our bodies get tired. Athletes bodied are better tuned for heavy exertion more so the joe blow the traveling saleman and it tires. It requires rest.

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Lets just get 50 plus wins in the next 12. I don’t really care how that happens at this point.

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Well, that comes with the territory of playing in the NBA. All those guys know there are many back-to-back games and ‘in 1 city 1 night and in another city the next night’. That is no surprise for these guys. Its up to the coach to allow the main guys to get enough rest by playing the bench more. Teague didnt even touch the floor last night. Again, the coach needs to rest his players more, esp on a back to back night.

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Like MC said, you can tell the Hawks are a different level than the Bucks, even though they lost energy in the 4th (which is understanding from the last 2 OT games).

Let’s talk Orlando! Phillips needs to be RAWKIN tomorrow night!

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Two nights in a row Joe Johnson has missed a game winning or tying shot. Yet he thinks he is kobe and lebron. He’s not even Bosh. This is why this team will lose to Milwaukee in the first round. Joe is an overrated joke.

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The most strikingly stupid event of the game was Woody wasting his last TO to call a ISO play which did not even involve a pick or any decoy movement by Jamal.

Just a simple clear out ISO play.

Why did he waste a TO for that? To give enough time for Milwaukee to rest and focus on the inevitable ISO play?

This has been standard procedure with Woody: the Hawks have the ball following a miss by the opponents and instead of capitalizing on that fact – since following a miss a team’s spirit goes down and the nerves go up – he does the opposite: gives the adversary the opportunity to re-group and we take no advantage since there is no actual designed play drawn up from our side.

Then, the fact that it was our last TO makes it a stupid decision beyond belief.

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Truth-serum said this:

“When the Horford nutt huggers are planting wet kisses they never mention his defense, because they cant.”

I guess he’s forgotten this:

northcyde posted stats a couple of weeks ago that showed (at that time) that Horford gave the fewest points to the opposing center per 48 minutes of ANY center in the league.

That’s right. Numero Uno.

Shocked? northcyde and I both were stunned. I knew Al was solid, but I wouldn’t have guessed HOW solid.

Of course truth-serum can’t believe it. But, as he’s been known to say:

“The numbers don’t lie”

No center in the league gives up FEWER points to his opponent per 48 minutes than Al Horford. In the past week he’s TWICE blocked a 7′ players’ shot and we got the ball.

Inconvenient for those with an anti-Horford agenda. Kinda like Horford being named to the All-Star team.

Oh, that’s right…….it was a conspiracy by the head coaches of the league to make us THINK that Al is an All-Star so we won’t get another center.

LOL, isn’t that how the theory goes T-S?

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Andy, one more thing…I watch basketball. I’ve seen Kobe and LeBron miss plenty of last second shots. They don’t make them everytime, either. Just when they do, everyone has to glorify it so much…makes it seem like they always come through. They don’t.

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Marvin invisable again….

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The Hawks are simply NOT properly utilizing the talent thats on the roster. Marvin (the invisible man) can do a whole lot more, particularly when he comes off the bench. Williams should IMMEDIATELY be demoted to the bench. Bibby (the over-the-hill veteran) can do much more particular when he is coming off the bench. Bibby should IMMEDIATELY be demoted to the bench. Start Mo Evans in place of Bibby. Start Jamal Craford in place of Marvin Williams. With that starting lineup; Mo Evans, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford and Al Horford, I think those changes makes the Hawks a more potent team capable of winning more games. I would also give the rookie Teague more playing time because he needs to gain enough nba experience in case we need to call on him in the playoffs, provided Bibby is going stale. If you make those changes when you ring the bell to make substitutions to bring in Bibby or Marvin, they will come into the games fresh and bursting with energy and will play more passion and with more energy. I believe making those subtle changes will make a major difference in the Hawks and the results will be dramatic. If those changes dont get made immediately, line woody up in front of a firing squad and fire the guy.

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CoreyWilson

Why would Woodson make those changes, when what he’s doing is working. If the Hawks go 7-5 over the next 12 games they will be 5 games better than last year, and in a tougher conference.

You’re trying to fire a coach that’s gotten better. Now that makes a lot of sense. You would get GM of the year for that move

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When you ISO, you do not use decoys, you have no motion, you help the opposition.

We do not even use a clever iso, we only hand off and stand still. We are not utilizing anyone else.

Simply not good.

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“The Hawks might see the Bucks in the playoffs. I used to think it would be a tough series for the Hawks but I’m not so sure now. The Bucks play hard and are a good defensive team but for three quarters you could see how the Hawks boast much more offensive talent than the Bucks. Too much for the the Bucks to handle over a series, I think.”

Right, I can see how a team that has won 14 out of 16, and beaten teams like Cleveland, Boston, Denver, Utah, and the Hawks in that stretch wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Especially when one of those defeats was to the Hawks in OT in a game in which Milwaukee controlled until Joe got hot and took the game over…. I think Atlanta could be in real trouble if they get the Bucks in the first round.

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The Hawks will do fine if they are playing well, together as a team, AND they are sharing the basketball, playing unselfishly and looking for each other, playing team basketball, THE HAWKS THIS YEAR CAN WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP IF THEY PLAY LIKE THAT. If the Hawks do that they will be fine. If the Hawks look to play iso, 1-on-1 basketball, or hoisting up a ton of 3s, getting outrebounded and playing poor defense, they will lose to whomever they face in the playoffs. If the Hawks continue to play as they have been playing they are going to lose their opening round series. You shouldnt be worried about the Hawks because what I see in the Hawks as of today is a FEAST or FAMINE team. This is a team that as i said earlier can win a world title or they could lose an opening round playoff series. The pendulum can swing to both extremes withi the Hawks depending on how focused they are and how well they are playing.

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I just don’t get how/why the Hawks blow SO MANY fourth quarter leads, and so many of those have been double-digit ones. WHY!!!???

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I read this on nba.com talking about MJ and the Bobcats. I remember northcyde made similiar comments when talking about the ASG.

Jordan said “I don’t see a need to go over the luxury tax unless we go deep [in the playoffs] and we’re a player away or we’re close. I would [then] entertain that idea.”

Hopefully, the Hawks will make a deep playoff run this year. That will increase our likelihood of keeping JJ, and it will increase the possibility of the owners going over the tax.

As far as clutch, check out 82games.com where they have clutch stats. On their website, Clutch is defined as “4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points”.

Check out these clutch stats (FG%).

Kobe – .43%
Lebron – .49%
Billups – .46%
JJ – .46%
Crawford – .29%
Roy – .46%
Wade – .32%

The numbers say JJ is clutch. And watching the games, my eyes say JJ is clutch. Hawks need to resign JJ.

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Hawks gave a good effort, but as usual they wasted if by going completely to ISO Joe. During that forth quarter duel between Joe & Salmons, Salmons had other teammates step up and make shots. They must have scored on 8 or 9 straight possessions. The ball should have ended up with Jamal on occassion to give the defense something else to think about. Marvin disappeared again after playing light out in the previous game, but we still should have used Horford as facilitor on a couple of trips down the floor, his game was strong last night.

We can give them credit for winning 4 of last 6 games, but the two losses came after we blew big leads; same with a couple of the wins where we applaused them for being “tough”.

My wish is that we finish 5th, which would not improve our record or playoff position from last year. Using pure numbers Woody should be shown the door at year’s end. Too much talent to keep losing the same way with a team that is so much better than last year, but not a significant upgrade in team maturity & record to this point. Marvin should be running with the second unit where this type of inconsistency could be tolerated; it’s the role he played at North Carolina and he became a lottery pick.

Yes, finish 5th, get us a new coach (Fire Woody), and we still will get the same matchup with the Bucks. Steal home court by winning 1st game and presto its the same as finishing 4th…benefit Woody goes and we lose in second round to Boston, Orlando or the King James Gang (Cavs).

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WE MUST RESIGN JOE. WE CANNOT GO OVER THE CAP IF WE DO NOT RESIGN A CURRENT PLAYER

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That said, my final thought is I really hope the Hawks beat Orlando, and I know everybody here feels the same way (except maybe that Milwaukee blogger who even gave the Hawks props for being an interesting team). If anybody asked which way I went, tell them “thataway.”

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Bibby is fantastic at running a fast break. For a half-court, slow down offense or a more methodical time released offense, Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford can orchestrate or run those probably more effective than Bibby because Bibby has the tendency to hoist up 3s and he doesnt see the offense as well as he used to. The Hawks need a floor general, someone tall enough to see the court (like a Magic Johnson) who can see the plays develop early enough to make something happen. Chris Paul would have been good had we draft him instead of Marvin, but weve got to get someone in here who can run the offense. I say give MO EVANS the opportunity to learn how to do it. Maybe bring in MAGIC JOHNSON to teach Evans how to run the point. Dont let Bibby continue to do it because Bibby doesnt make the lightning quick, razer sharp passes he used to make and a lot of his passes get picked off and are thrown out-of-bounse as turnovers. You need a good floor general to get the ball and whip it around to the appropriate personal. Employee #24 (Marvin) cant do it because he hardly can get himself into the flow of the games. Just get somebody with experience at running the point. Then you will see the Hawks flourish and their talents will start to come alive.

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BarryWhistler

about this:

“The Hawks need a floor general, someone tall enough to see the court (like a Magic Johnson) who can see the plays develop early enough to make something happen. Chris Paul would have been good had we draft him instead of Marvin, but weve got to get someone in here who can run the offense.”

Barry this doesn’t make sense. Magic was 6′ 9″. CP3 is 6′ 0″.

But, hey, CP3 sees the court pretty well for a runt.

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Hey Y’all:

I love Joe Johnson to death, but we need to stop the “ISO JOE” stuff in critical moments of the game. With 5 minutes to go in the game, the Hawks stopped passing the ball around and instead let Joe do his “ISO JOE” routine. He did it a number of times and scored. He kept doing it all the way to the end of the game where he eventually missed the winning shot. The other players on the Hawks got cold standing around watching Joe do his ‘ISO” thing. They started missing shoots and movement at the critical points of the gam. The other team was pounding in 3’s while Joe was getting his ISO “2’s”. The Bucks eventually caught up and passed the Hawks due to the Hawks settled for Joe’s ‘ISO” 2’s. The entire team should have been in the attack during the final minutes. Points should have come from other players cutting, slashing, and shooting the ball. Not one players stopping and slowly backing into the rim while his team mates watch. Joe is great!! But too much “ISO JOE” during critical parts of the game can throw the whole team of. Especially when he miss with the team out of position to rebound.

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The Truth that was a great post. Its baffling that Woodrow says he needs to watch the tape to see what happens. If the team keeps doing the same thing over and over and over there should not be a need to watch tape. As a coach you should know whats going on seeing how your team keeps making the same mistakes. The problem is we have a coach who cant seem to make adjustments therefore the team keeps making the same mistakes in crucial situations. And whats everybody hung up on 50 wins for? If the Hawks don’t perform well in the playoffs those 50 wins wont matter. I’m not worried about how many games we win. I’m more concerned about how we are playing in these games.

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I heard on tv that if we get a center, AL would move to the 4 and Josh to the 3. WTF…Josh to the 3 spot? He can’t dribble..he can’t shoot…he can’t play one on one defense. Granted, he is good and getting his teammates the ball to score but I dont think him at the three is the answer.

1) Josh Smith should never be allowed to take a jumpshot in the 4th quarter under 6 minutes (especially if the game is close.

2) Who is our starting Power Forward?? Why is josh always at the three point line in our offensive sets??

LUV JOSH SMITH!!!! HATE MIKE WOODSON AND THIS OFFENSE!

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During this offseason, the Hawks had a wonderful chance to dramatically improve their ball club. They did so by bringing in Jamal Crawford, which was good, but the Hawks could have done even better by getting two more players that were let go by the Orlando Magic: Heido Turkelu AND Rafer Alsten. Had the Hawks signed those two guys, the Hawks would have been in a position to win the title. The Hawks problems so far has been a stagnant offense along with an offense that is predictable (isos for jj, which has become boring). Had the Hawks acquired those two guys-you could have made Rafer Alsten your point guard, and you literally had two guys through which you could run your offense through, either Alsten or Turkelu, either one. That would have been fabulous because both of those guys are great 3pt shooters. Of course, those two guys signed with two other teams: Alsten with Miami and Turkelu with Toronto. Its unfortunate because those are the two guys who could have solved ALL of the Hawks problems. They both have incredible scoring punch making 3s and jumpshots in general and they both have dynamic diversified games whereby either guy can score inside or out. Had the Hawks acquired those two guys their offense would never get stale and the Hawks probably would have had at least 60 wins by now. Who is our general manager anyway.

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How many more times does Woodson have to see teams taking advantage of us switching everything before getting it through his thick, stubborn head that some changes have to be made? Once again we saw Horford and Smoove switching off their assignment and getting isolated, backed out and taken off the dribble. HOW IN THE HELL CAN OUR 2 BIGGEST STARTERS AND BEST SHOTBLOCKERS PROTECT THE BASKET WHEN THEY’RE AT THE KEY TRYING TO DEFEND AGAINST QUICKER, FASTER PG’S, SG’S OR SF’S CONSISTENTLY ISOLATING THEM AND TAKING THEM TO THE BASKET?

WE’RE NOW GETTING A STEADY DIET OF THE SAME DAMNED THING, ESPECIALLY DURING CRUNCH TIME, AND WOODSON HASN’T MADE A SINGLE DOGGONE ADJUSTMENT TO STOP IT. WHY can’t we do what teams do to us, and that’s fight over picks? We should at least try it and see what happens, since we’ve seen how what we’re doing is hurting us.

In every post gm interview, we hear Woodson regurgitate the same BS about the team not playing good DEF, but he never knows why. Hell, what else can he expect if he continues to insist on playing his beloved swithching DEF, which constantly puts our players in disadvantageous matchups that teams successfully exploit.

Can anyone explain why we can get a sizable lead by running the OFF and moving the ball, but completely abandon the concept when it comes to protecting that lead in the 4th qtr? Own our last 2 OFF possessions they double teamed JJ, who forced 2 very difficult shots when he could have passed the ball to JCrawford, who was wide open both times.

I guess that’s what happens when a HC insists on closing out gms using SG’s, who are our primary one on one scorers, to run the OFF instead of installing or developing a PG to direct the OFF. It’s very easy for a DEF to double team the player with the ball, but the rules won’t permit double teaming a player without the ball. Why not let JJ or Crawford position themselves without the ball and force the DEF to prevent either from getting the ball with single coverage. That’s exactly what the Bucks did when JJ fouled Salmons, when he tryed to prevent him from getting the ball. That foul basically ended any chance we had of winning that gm.

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cp,

Co-sign

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WE MUST RESIGN JOE. WE CANNOT GO OVER THE CAP IF WE DO NOT RESIGN A CURRENT PLAYER..

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FIRE WOODY

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hawks fan # 11 i agree with you 100%. this type of play has caused a collaspe of our offense & a lot of losses

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Sam’l

March 23rd, 2010
7:29 pm

It now seems Hawks may finish fourth…due to the number of away games, 2 games against Cleveland, the big one against Orlando (go Hawks!), 3 back to backs, and all the various problems mentioned previously.

………………………………………………………..

from reading that and considering the way the Bucks are playing…..I wouldn’t be totally shocked if the Hawks finished in a HORSE RACE with MIL for 4th

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Ken S,

Woody is blind when it comes to the switching. The Bobcats abused the Hawks down the stretch by getting the matchup they want. Felton made a shot over Josh that would have been the game winner.

The Spurs abused the switching. We saw Manu and RJ drive by Smoove and get to the rim. The Bucks abused the switching. Even Ridnour was making shots over Horford.

MC,

Could you ask Woody about the switching defense? Ask him if when he watches film, does it look like teams are running the pick and roll until they get the matchups they want?

He implied we use the switching defense to hide guys on defense (which I assume is Bibby and Crawford). But yet, even when Bibby and Crawford are not in the game, we still switch. Why?

Or maybe you can share some of your comments (if possible) on the effectiveness of the switching.

As for the Magic, Hawks dont have a plan B, because Woody does not have a plan B. Woody’s plan B is to try harder at plan A, because the S#*t works.

I say play Howard straight up, but foul him and send him to the line often. We have Horford, ZaZa, Collins, and RandMo. Even Joe Smith. That’s a lot of fouls. I am okay with sending Howard to the line 20 times (based on his average, he will make 12). But stay on the shooters.

And then hopefully JJ and Crawford will have what it takes to lead us to victory. And we need the Marvin from the Spurs game.

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Truth-serum said this:

“Play some freaking defense in the middle and the hawks win. Just that simple. When ever the hawks lose check and see, you will find we were outscored in the paint 99% of the time.”

OK, I checked all of our losses this year. 99%, eh?

In EIGHT of our 25 losses we OUTSCORED our opponent in the paint.

99%? Try 68%

But it’s “just that simple”.

LOL in the game here against OKC we scored almost TWICE what they did in the paint (46-24) and STILL lost.

But we who talk about defense starting on the perimeter are all wrong.

Obviously.

BTW, we outscored MIL in the paint last night.

Hey, maybe it’s NOT “just that simple”.

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northcyde,

Do you think Horford should get more than 5 shots per game?

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like i have been saying MARVIN WILLIAMS is garbage He is a starter in the NBA and goes nights with sometime’s 2point’s-5point’s like lastnight he had 2 ponits he looks lost at times like he’s scared are have some wear to go his hands seem’s like they are too small he fumble the ball alot when he’s going to the basket. I hope this ATLANTA nightlife isn’t messing with my man.

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Truth-serum,

Ironic name since you are LYING yet again about Horford.

He is currently 19th in blocked shots among centers, NOT 26th or 27th as you lied just now. Here’s the link:

http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Blocks.jsp?league=00&season=22009&conf=OVERALL&position=1&splitType=9&splitScope=GAME&qualified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=

In fact here are the current rankings for other categories. In each case, I’m listing Horford’s ranking among centers:

Points 4th
Rebounds 5th
Assists 4th
Steals 6th
Dbl-dbl tied 4th
FG% 7th
Eff. 6th
FT% 6th
Blocks 19th

Well, it looks like our undersized center is playing larger than most of the centers in the league.

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i love al horford’s determination. hawks are holding his potential back big time. looking phenomenal in his 3rd year, he knows how hard u gotta work and how much u gotta want it to win it all. hawks players who are anywhere from 2-8 years older need to learn from him. he’s one of the few guys on the hawks who hits jumps and posts up with a high %. as he gets more post moves and his jumpshot gets even better, he will continue to make the all star team. I didn’t understand w hy he made it at first, but after watching him since the all-star break he reminds me every game. Josh Smith is athletically gifted and can be tough posting up in the paint, but he makes so many mental errors it almost cancels out his good hustle. gahhhhhhh…..i love this team but they drive me crazy

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Of course.

The question is, who do you take shots from, to get Horford more shots?

Crawford was red hot in the 1st half. JJ was red hot in the 4th quarter. They both were a combined 22 – 41 FGs last night and scored almost 50 points.

So in a situation in which our 2 star guards have it going, the complimentary scorers may have to find other ways to score, outside of plays being called for them. The offense will almost always defer to JJ and/or Crawford, when they’re on.

The misconception about Horford and Smoove, is that they’re good enough offensively to be counted on a nightly basis. That’s not true, because both of them are merely average scorers, when you talk about them creating their own shot.

Horford did get one look in that 4th quarter, got fouled, but then missed 2 FTs.

But when you look at last night, our offensive scoring mismatches were JJ vs Salmons and Crawford vs Ridnour. We shot 53% FG as a team. But we didn’t defend well at all in the 4th.

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@ Sautee . . . I prefer the style that gives us the best chance to wn that particular game. If it’s bal movement, great. If it’s someone individually taking over the game in ISO, that’s great too. It’s not about how “pretty” you play. It’s about winning the game, no matter what.

I personally can’t stand those high scoring – no defense games. What Golden St does is NOT CUTE, even if it is “exciting” basketball. They score a lot, but they don’t stop people. That’s why they lose a lot.

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great stats everybody,
questions for all of u,answer any or all..

1.Are we playing the kind of ball at this point of the season,that you thought we would be playing?

2.Do you think there is a chance that sund might suprise us all and sign woody before the playoffs or during the playoffs?? if so,would you agree on it or think he should wait till the end of the playoffs??

3.You might not like this one,but if u were advising the hawks playoffs opponents,how would you tell them to beat this team?

4.Having asked that question,what would you do differently with the hawks current roster and scheme to insure that we not only go far into the playoffs(including the finals)? Or,would they play the same scheme on offense and defense?

5.Looking at the current hawks roster we have now,(in any order and with any number of players)who are the locks to be this team next year?(Even if u had to eat contracts by trading or releasing someone)..

6.In now his 2nd year,are you satisfied or disatisfied with the performance,wheeling,and dealing with GM Rick Sund??

7.I know we’re all hawks fans,but,when the hawks are not playing,is there a 2nd team that u try to follow and keep up with? Who and Why?

8.Looking at the hawks coaching staff,is there a coach on this staff that you think other teams are interested in talking to after the season for a possible head coaching job? Whom would u think and why?

9.Are you satisfied with the ASG as owners,or would you prefer a “1 person owner”? And,which one of the ASG would u think would be the better owner of them all?

10.If the hawks should go on a roll,and beat the lakers,magic,and cavs(whom they play twice),would it be fair to cast them the team to take the eastern conference title and possibly the finals as well?? If not,why not?

11.And,If they were to lose all or most of those games,would you be suprised or not?

Lets play a game.
1st you are named the hawks GM for 2010,and the ASG says to you,”we want you to build our team to take us to the finals and win it this year”..

Who’s your coach??

Who’s on your coaching staff (if u had to pick them)?

What do you do with joe johnson?

What are your immediate needs?? and list if u would draft your needs or if they would be brought in thru trades or free agency..

What type of offense and defense would you run??

And if joe is gone,would you move crawford to the starting 5??

———————————————————-
Last game..
You are a current atlanta hawk player or coach,and im interviewing you..

how would you think these players would or should answer these questions:

To Josh Smith:You got a knock on being hard headed,taking dumb shots,your not focused in a lot games as well..do you think they were fair criticisms,or people just hating because they did not know your situation and what the coach asked you to do? also:what motivated you to play like your playing now? coaches?? fans who criticised your game?? someone you know personally?? or you????

To Jeff Teague: What is the deal with you and coach woodson? We see him get on you hard..To correct your play, what does he say to you or try to do with you in practice?? and are you one of those players who learn more from watching or more from playing?? And,if he is the coach of the hawks next year,do you think you will get more playing time next year?? if not,are you willing to sit around and wait another year or 2 before you do??

To Joe Johnson: Iso Joe is the normal talk among the blog talk on the hawks.Speaking to the fans,are the isolated calls for you helpful to the team in your opinion and if so,why?

To Coach Woodson: YOU GOT HATERS!!
WHAT WOULD U LIKE TO SAY TO THE HATERS WHO SAY YOU CAN’T COACH,CAN’T TEACH OR DEVELOPE YOUNG PLAYERS(ESPECIALLY PG’S),YOUR TEAM IS CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT,THEY CAN’T PLAY AGAINST A ZONE DEFENSE,AND THAT YOU ARE RUNNING JOE AND OTHERS INTO THE GROUND WITH THE MINUTES HE AND OTHERS HAVE PLAYED THIS YEAR??

THATS ALL…

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Nice article on Josh.

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/woelfel/2010/03/23/slight-fuels-smith/

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Dang . . . now I feel kind of slly going back and forth with HawksFan11. His name is HawksFan11.

11 = Crawford

HawksFan + Crawford

HawksFan11 = Crawford fan

So even though I’ll prove him wrong once again about that 4th quarter, it won’t matter, because as long as JJ is jacking up shots, it prevents Crawford from doing the same thing.

HawksFan11, all you have to do is go back and review that play by play transcript of the game on our ESPN site.

Ridnour ( twice ), Delfino, and Jerry Springer Stackouse all scored when JJ came back into the game. Luckily for us, JJ made 4 shots in a row, to keep us ahead of them.

THEN Salmons hit a shot.

So JJ wasn’t involved with Salmons in some shootout, he was simply keeping us in the lead. And then look what happened on the next 2 possessions.

* Horford draws a foul and goes to the line . . . he misses 2 FTs

* Next possession, a questionable offensive foul is called on Smoove.

Two possessions . . . no shots for JJ . . . but we lose our 2 point lead because Salmons hit two in a row while that was going on.

THEN JJ hits his next shot for 5 in a row for him.

********

The fact is, even before JJ took 4 shots at the end, the other guys DID have offensive chances to contribute

* Your boy Crawford misses a jumper

* Bibby had a 3 blocked

* Smoove scored on 2 close range shots, before missing the long jumper with around 3 min to go.

* Then JJ hits 2 shots in a row to put us up 2

*******

It’s all right there sir. If you didn’t record the game, simply look at the transcript to see what REALLY happened.

I’m sorry your boy Crawford didn’t get a chance to score 35 on Milwaukee. Maybe he’ll get a chance to do that against ORLANDO.

If he’s as hot in the 4th as JJ was last night, I’m not going to complain if Woody decides to go ISO CRAW . . . and it’s working.

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Northclyde

As far as the 11 is concerned, sorry, wrong guess, I’m not that simple minded. If you must know, I’m a former military pilot and my callsigns always ended in 11.

And just because you offer a difference of opinion doesn’t prove anyone right or wrong, we just see different things and draw different conclusions as to why they happened. Not about to get into a personal fight with you, but I do love a good debate with a worthy advesary.

Keep ‘em coming pal

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@Nunna

Great questions, let’s see here:

1.Are we playing the kind of ball at this point of the season,that you thought we would be playing?

No, I thought the Hawks would be leading th division based on their preseason and early season play. Midway throught the first half of the season, they began to look like last years team and here we are.

2.Do you think there is a chance that sund might suprise us all and sign woody before the playoffs or during the playoffs?? if so,would you agree on it or think he should wait till the end of the playoffs??

No, no surprises from Sund there. I think he should wait and see what happens in the playoffs. Many have said in the blog, and I agree, that Coach Woodson may have taken this team as far a he is capable. Go prove us all wrong coach.

3.You might not like this one,but if u were advising the hawks playoffs opponents,how would you tell them to beat this team?

This one is simple. Run if you can, the Hawks don’t get back on transition D. Stay close until the 4th qtr, and play zone D. You’re right, I hate it, but there it is.

4.Having asked that question,what would you do differently with the hawks current roster and scheme to insure that we not only go far into the playoffs(including the finals)? Or,would they play the same scheme on offense and defense?

Kill the switching D, they’ve all figured it out and use it against us. Let your bigs work the middle and they will, they’ve more than proven that they can. Make Josh play his position and ONLY his position. It’s a team sport, so play it like one. This team doesn’t have a closer, so stop tryimg to make one.

5.Looking at the current hawks roster we have now,(in any order and with any number of players)who are the locks to be this team next year?(Even if u had to eat contracts by trading or releasing someone)..

If I’m king for a day, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson. Everyone else is on the table.

6.In now his 2nd year,are you satisfied or disatisfied with the performance,wheeling,and dealing with GM Rick Sund??

You’re kidding, right?

7.I know we’re all hawks fans,but,when the hawks are not playing,is there a 2nd team that u try to follow and keep up with? Who and Why?

No other team. I’m loyal, if nothing else.

8.Looking at the hawks coaching staff,is there a coach on this staff that you think other teams are interested in talking to after the season for a possible head coaching job? Whom would u think and why?

Hard to tell, I never see any of them doing any in-game coaching. Hell, the only one I ever see do anything is Wally the trainer; he keeps track of the timeouts and tells Coach Woodson when to take them.

9.Are you satisfied with the ASG as owners,or would you prefer a “1 person owner”? And,which one of the ASG would u think would be the better owner of them all?

Don’t know enough about the business aspect to offer an opinion here. I do wish that they would have given themselves a chance this year with some mid-year deals though.

10.If the hawks should go on a roll,and beat the lakers,magic,and cavs(whom they play twice),would it be fair to cast them the team to take the eastern conference title and possibly the finals as well?? If not,why not?

As nice a thought as that is, it isn’t realistic. First, the guys themselves don’t believe they’re capable of it, and secondly, the league won’t allow it. We’ve all seen how little respect the Hawks get from the officials, even at home. And beating the Cavs is not going to happen this year, the league has too much invested in LeBron James to let that happen and the officials have made it perfectly clear all year long.

11.And,If they were to lose all or most of those games,would you be suprised or not?

Now that would surprise me. This is a good team with some very talented players on it. It’s what’s kept them in the hunt all year, raw talent. With a little leadership and cohesiveness, they could go all the way.

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LOL @ Woody calling timeout to set up the Joe Iso so we had no Timeouts left with 5 seconds to go. LOL!!!!!!!

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THE HAWKS WILL BE KNOCKED OUT FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS.

REMEMBER THIS POST WHEN IT HAPPENS…….. AND IT WILL.

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I’ll be at the house within te next hour or two. I need to answer those 11 questions before I go to bed.

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1.Are we playing the kind of ball at this point of the season,that you thought we would be playing?

Yep. I thought they would be a 52 win team before the season started, and they’ve pretty much played like a 50 – 55 win team all year. I also thought that Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, LA Lakers, San Antonio, and Denver all had a shot to win 60 games, making the league very top heavy. Seeing that those teams aren’t as dominant as I thought they would be, I definitely like where the Hawks are right now, in comparison to everyone except LA and Cleveland.

2.Do you think there is a chance that sund might suprise us all and sign woody before the playoffs or during the playoffs?? if so,would you agree on it or think he should wait till the end of the playoffs??

No chance in Hades. I think he’s already said that he’ll wait until the end of the year to evaluate Woody. Maybe if we won our last 12 games and finished tied for the best record in franchise history . . . maybe.

3.You might not like this one,but if u were advising the hawks playoffs opponents,how would you tell them to beat this team?

Keep them off the offensive glass and prevent transition baskets off of your missed shots. In turn, turn Hawk misses into transition baskets the other way, seeing that we’re a pretty bad transition defense team.

4.Having asked that question,what would you do differently with the hawks current roster and scheme to insure that we not only go far into the playoffs(including the finals)? Or,would they play the same scheme on offense and defense?

I’d reduce the bench to a solid 8 man rotation, and not try to go 10 deep. This would give Evans and Zaza a chance to play a little more and make a solid contribution on a nightly basis. Jeff Teague, Joe Smith, and Mario West would only play if people were in foul trouble or in a blowout.

On offense, I’d encourage Horford to post up less against the big centers, and rely more on the 15 foot jumper. Against guys his size, I’d tell him to attack. Most everyone’s else roles will go unchanged.

On defense, I’d keep challenging Crawford to be a better on the ball defender and fight through screens more. This would give Woody the ability to switch up defenses more frequently. And I’d stop double teaming post players who aren’t a big offensive threat.

5.Looking at the current hawks roster we have now,(in any order and with any number of players)who are the locks to be this team next year?(Even if u had to eat contracts by trading or releasing someone)..

Locks: Smith, Horford, Crawford and JJ if he’s re-signed. Everyone else at this point is expendable, if an upgrade can be found at that position.

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7.I know we’re all hawks fans,but,when the hawks are not playing,is there a 2nd team that u try to follow and keep up with? Who and Why?

Since I’m in Tennessee, and get to see a lot of their games, it’ll have to be the Memphis Grizzlies. If they were in the East, they’d be a playoff squad. Probably the #5 seed. They’re a young team and they play hard on a nightly basis. They’re outmatched on most nights vs the real good teams, but they still play them tough at home. They remind me so much of the 08 – 09 Hawks. A very nice team to watch.

8.Looking at the hawks coaching staff,is there a coach on this staff that you think other teams are interested in talking to after the season for a possible head coaching job? Whom would u think and why?

No.

9.Are you satisfied with the ASG as owners,or would you prefer a “1 person owner”? And,which one of the ASG would u think would be the better owner of them all?

People constantly rip the ASG, but when they brought in Mike Bibby 2 years ago, knowing that they’d be spending right up to the luxury tax for the next 2 years, that at least let me know that they are willing to spend money to put a quality product on the floor. They didn’t have to do that. They could’ve very easily kept Shelden, AJ, and Lue around here . . let their contracts expire . . and saved a lot of money. But they went out and got Bibby for a final playoff push in 08. Without that trade, there’s no telling what this franchise would look like right now. The Crawford trade further showed how committed they are to keep the Hawks at a high level. Now, let’s see if they’ll pass the final test, and re-sign JJ.

10.If the hawks should go on a roll,and beat the lakers,magic,and cavs(whom they play twice),would it be fair to cast them the team to take the eastern conference title and possibly the finals as well?? If not,why not?

Most of our fans will, but it’s like I’ve been saying for a few weeks now. The playoffs are a different animal. Losses to bad or mediocre teams are not an indication of how we’ll play in the playoffs. Conversely, wins vs good to great teams aren’t an indication either.

The Playoffs are all about matchups and adjustments. Denver losing to the Knicks tonight does not mean that Denver will lose in the 1st round of the Western Conference playoffs. In a 7-game series, the team that exploits matchups and plays “their” game, will win the series.

Us beating the Lakers, Cavs, and Magic will look REAL GOOD, but it’s not an indication of how good our chances are in the playoffs. You’re still talking about us having to win a playoff road game, if we faced one of those teams.

11.And,If they were to lose all or most of those games,would you be suprised or not?

The Hawks are mentally tough, and tend to play very well at home. They’ll win one of the home games vs the Magic or the Lakers. We’ve battled Cleveland twice this year. I expect another battle for Round 3 on the road, win or lose.

So yeah, if we lost all 3 games, I’d be surprised.

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Lets play a game.

Who’s your coach??

Mike Woodson?

I mean, when you start looking at some of the “hot names” in the coaching ranks, it’s not like there are a lot of guys out there who are available, that will coach us to a title. If Larry Brown still didn’t have a job, then maybe him. People love Hubie Brown’s commentary, but he’s 76 years old. He’s not coaching anybody’s team ever again. Avery Johnson? He lost in the 1st round with arguably the 5th best team in NBA history ( 67 – 15 record ) . . to Golden St.

The key to the Hawks winning a title, isn’t changing coaches, it’s upgrading the personnel, or seeing one or more of these young guys develop into legit All-Stars.

Who’s on your coaching staff (if u had to pick them)?

Wow . . . have no idea. Not that versed in assistant coaches

What do you do with joe johnson?

Re-sign him at all costs

What are your immediate needs?? and list if u would draft your needs or if they would be brought in thru trades or free agency..

Same as last year. A frontcourt defender/rebounder . . and a legit backup PG. With Mike Bibby becoming more of a liability on the court, we may need a PG who can really run the show. The jury is still way out on Teague, so if there is a guy in the draft who is better than him, it wouldn’t hurt to go get him. Maybe a Grevis Vasquez out of Maryland . . a big PG who can create his own shot and shoot the midrange jumper.

But I would prefer the frontcourt defender/rebounder first. I would love to have an active body like Jarvis Varnardo here. He’d have to beef up, but he’d be a great addition to the 2nd unit as a shot blocker and defender.

What type of offense and defense would you run??

High post, pick and pop, and Iso

And if joe is gone,would you move crawford to the starting 5??

Would have no choice but to. He’d be the only legit shot creator on the team, unless we went out and got someone else.

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Northcyde – your thoughts on who they acquire for immediate needs. It’s good to get some more big bodies down low, but have to still look for the athletic type of Horford who can run the floor. If we bring in some big slow BigZ style body, it lessens our nimbers on our fast break offense….just a thought.

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Toothfairy, at least we dont have to worry about a 4th qtr collapse tonight. We”ll probably be trying to make a 4th qtr comeback. But your’re right, this team should easily be 3 or 4 games ahead of Boston for the 3 spot.

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I meant, Cant fault Avery for that. Btw, didn’t they go to the Finals the following year?

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terrell,

I like Avery, but he does have some coaching warts too. I dont blame Avery for the entire meltdown, because as you mentioned, Dirk was MVP that year, and he had a bad playoff series.

However, Avery made one big mistake. He changed his lineup to match GS. When you have the #1 team in the league, you should force others to change their style and their lineups to match you. Instead, he tried to matchup with GS.

Also, his team had a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals, and lost (although Wade got almost every single call that series). And his other team lost in the first round of the playoffs too. So his playoff resume is not that impressive, given the talent he was working with.

Although I have been very critical of Woody, I think the ASG should bring him back (unless the Hawks collapse in the playoffs).

However, I would like him to change up his coaching staff. We need an offensive coordinator (I’d be willing to give Mark Jackson (really good PG and analyst) a try), and I need a defensive coordinator on staff (obviously, Woody would still have final say, but the switching needs to be more flexible).

Now if the Hawks collapse and Woody does not get a new contract, then I would be open to Avery.

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“Because Woody is coaching a team that is capable of winning 60 games,”- I see why they call you the ToothFairy .

Most experts picked this team to win 44-47 games and finish 4-8 in the pecking order. I will however agree with you that if you want to get woodson fired(as this site is dedicated to doing), you would have to do worse than what the experts predicted, which aint likely. In fact, if you visit normal blog pages, you will find Woodson is held in high esteem. Further you will find not only is he a coach of the year candidate for exceeding the projections but doing it with out a point guard who cant play defense and a center who doesn’t want to.

They have only 1 legitimate Allstar and a consolation pick.

Ok, heres a quiz; Name me two teams that have won a NBA championship with only 1 All star?

Bonus points; how many on the hawks bench have NBA championship rings?

terrell, absolutely! coaches dont play the game players do. At the end of the day its their job and what happens on the court is their responsibility. Your boss doesnt do your work for you he just tells you what it is. Get it done!

“He is currently 19th in blocked shots among centers, NOT 26th or 27th as you lied just ” I appreciate He is currently 19th in blocked shots among centers, NOT 26th or 27th as you lied just now.- Saltee by the end of each week stats are changing. Lets agree that whether hes 19th this week or 29th this is a horrible fact. He is consistently at the bottom levels in this defensive category.
The offensive numbers you post showed that at best he was in the fourth best center in 2 or 3 area’s but for the most part he is a middle of the pack guy offensively and near the bottom when defending. over 51% percent of the time the opposing center scores on him when there is an attempt, unlike the misinformation you tried to spread. Yes, like the many other powerforwards playing center til management can get a real one Horford is a middle of the pack guy.

As Ive said repeatedly, we wont win a championship with him at center. Bottom line.

NORTHCYDE- im going to CO-SIGN and acknowledge that we may have come to the same conclusion from different paths but the bottom line is we share the following sentiments, almost exactly:
Who’s your coach??

Mike Woodson?

I mean, when you start looking at some of the “hot names” in the coaching ranks, it’s not like there are a lot of guys out there who are available, that will coach us to a title. If Larry Brown still didn’t have a job, then maybe him. People love Hubie Brown’s commentary, but he’s 76 years old. He’s not coaching anybody’s team ever again. Avery Johnson? He lost in the 1st round with arguably the 5th best team in NBA history ( 67 – 15 record ) . . to Golden St.

The key to the Hawks winning a title, isn’t changing coaches, it’s upgrading the personnel, or seeing one or more of these young guys develop into legit All-Stars.

Who’s on your coaching staff (if u had to pick them)?

Wow . . . have no idea. Not that versed in assistant coaches

What do you do with joe johnson?

Re-sign him at all costs

What are your immediate needs?? and list if u would draft your needs or if they would be brought in thru trades or free agency..

Same as last year. A frontcourt defender/rebounder . . and a legit backup PG. With Mike Bibby becoming more of a liability on the court, we may need a PG who can really run the show. The jury is still way out on Teague, so if there is a guy in the draft who is better than him, it wouldn’t hurt to go get him.

And if joe is gone,would you move crawford to the starting 5??
Would have no choice but to. He’d be the only legit shot creator on the team, unless we went out and got someone else.

Now,

Is there any one else on this site with some sense? Hello-o-o-o-abyss….

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let woodson walk,sihn avery

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I wouldn’t be shocked if this team didn’t make it out of the first round.

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Addendum to previous post:
I can’t believe I left a name off my short list:
I would make a call to ‘Steve Smith’ & gauge his interest
in becoming a Head Coach. It would be great PR.
He has the intangibles, not sure about the desire.

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Tonight is the night to prove we are watching film, we can compete and we have a chance. If we pull the same, weak, no effort, no balls performace then stick a fork in the boys for the playoffs.

I can hear my buddies ribbing me already for sounding harsh, but it’s reality. Whomever wins the ECF will have to beat Orlando. We’ll meet MIL, CLE, then ORL. Tough road, but winnable if we give 100% physically and mentally.

All the talk about records and getting the 3 seed doesn’t matter. We can’t catch ORL so we won’t be getting homecourt in the second. We’re a definite 4 seed barring a collapse. Beating Boston in the chase for records doesn’t matter if you can’t get the higher seed. Face it, we’re playing for pride and playoff preparation.

Orlando and Cleveland are our measuring stick. I’ve preached giving chances and developing players all season. Time is now to step out as MEN and show us what you’re made of. It’s playoff time! Time to separate the pretenders from the contenders! We all have our opinion of who we might be.

Time is now, no excuses!

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We missed our chance at Doc just before signing Woodson. Steve Smith would be a good PR face, but I’ve never heard him mentioned in the coaching conversation. My wife longs for the days when we had Smitty commentating instead of hearing all about the heat checks and nimbers. Sorry Nique, but you need some coaching from Smitty.

Coaching debate is a situation I’m glad I can give 2 cents, but have no responsibility in making. I’m hopeful we’ll compete well in the 2nd round and maybe have a shot at the ECF. With that said we’ll most likely have Woodson on board in a new deal. He’s due if he can get this team to the next level. Many agree or disagree. It’s a tough decision, but I believe the man needs to be rewarded and respected for meeting and exceeding expectations each year. Expectations are set by ownership and management, not unrealistic fans with agendas. He’s met all expectations thus far. His next challenge is round 2 in the playoffs. If he fails miserably in the second round, by all means explore the opportunities, but remember, the grass ain’t always greener.

Main key for the offseason is adding some key position coaches would be nice. Adding a few peices such as a strong defensive/penetrating point guard and strong rebounding/defensive center to our rotation are critical to our future. All that will depend on what Joe decides to do? Ball is in his court. We’ll see what he’s all about this summer.

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We’ve suffered 6 consecutive beatdowns by the Magic, and that doesn’t include preseason. It’s past the time for Woodson to try something other than the same old thing against them, which hasn’t come close to working. He needs to get it through his thick stubborn head that we need to abandon his beloved switching DEF against them and change the lineup.

He should stop being a gutless coward of a HC and bench Marvin, move Smoove to SF and insert RMorris @ PF against them. That move would automatically create favorable mismatches for us at PF and SF, and would put a lot of DEF pressure on DHoward to protect the basket against RMorris, JSmith and AHorford.

While SF MBarnes is an excellent defender, he’s no match against Smoove in the paint. RMorris, and his polished inside moves would eat PF RLewis alive in the paint. Howard would be forced to drop back off Horford to provide help, and that’s when Horford and JJ would kill them with their midrange scoring ability.

We should pressure them full court to make their frontline come out and assist in getting the ball across halfcourt and take time off the clock. That move alone would force them getting into their OFF sets, as well as take away any sideline communictions and play calling from the sidelines, since everyone would have to concentrate on getting the ball across halfcourt.

We should let Horford, JSmith and RMorris go after DHoward relentlessly. You want to make him work hard on DEF, try to get him in foul trouble and/or force their other defenders to collapse and help him in the lane. Other than DHoward, should we really be so concerned about RLewis, MBarnes, JNelson and VCarter’s ability to set effective picks that we should be afraid to fight over them, rather than switching everything and creating favorable matchups for them?

These young, quick, fast, athletic and talented Hawks have reached the point in their development where what they now need most from their HC, Woodson has consistently demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to provide.

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The Hawks are capable of BLOWING OUT THE MAGIC TONIGHT. Why? Because like i said yesterday the Magic have a team that is worse than the team from a year ago. Last year the Magic had Hedo Turkelu (one of the five most talented players in the nba) and Rafer Alsen (one of the best point guards in the nba subbing for the injured Jamir Nelson). Last season the Magic won 59 games (nearly 60). They let Alsten and Turkelu go and compensated by picking up a horrible Vince Carter (who has allways underachieved his entire career). Picking Carter was a definite downgrade for the team and gave the Hawks a chance to win the southeast division. Unfortortunately for the Hawks, the Hawks didnt take advantage of it and lost about 10 games that they should have won. This year the Magic wont win as many because the team is not as good. The Hawks should have won 60 games this season and should have won the southeast division; but because Woody is still coaching them with his ghetto coaching style, the Hawks will finish winning between 44-48 games which is pathetic in light of their talent. The Hawks are capable of blowing out the magic tonight. Will they do it? No. The Hawks will get blown out by at least 30 points or more because they have a rotten coach and the players have no heart at all.

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Key Point: Having coach Mike Woodsen coach the Hawks is almost as bad as having Mike Vick coaching them. Both are underqualified to coach what they are incapable of coaching. At least if Vick were coaching the Hawks you could rest assured they would be a fast-paced, running and gunning team and would be running the fast break all the time.

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And I’m not the biggest Avery Johnson fan, I was just making a point.

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And yall no good and Darn well that STERN WASN’T GOING TO LET SHAQ AND WADE GET SWEPT. IT WAS AVERY COACHING AGAINST RILEY AND THE REFS AFTER THE MAVS TOOK THE 1ST 2 GAMES..

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Hey guys here is an interesting article on why the Hawks lose to the Magic so bad

http://www.hoopinionblog.com/?gcid=C12289×022&gtkw=Hoopinion

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Who actually thinks beat the Magic 2nite. I mean seriously.

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The Hawks have to close out games better than they have this season. They should have at least 7 more wins that they have.

The Spurs played the Hawks on Sunday, and went and beat OK City on Monday. They are an older team, and had the energy to come back on a back to back game.

I think that OK City is a better team than the Bucks, and the Hawks had less of a distance to travel than the Spurs, so that excuse (reason) goes by the wayside.

There’s some intangible missing from this team, and until they can get it on a consistant bases, they’re not going to compete night in and night out with the elite teams in the NBA.

Let’s Go Hawks, and beat Orlando tonight!!!

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Well I’m glad you are optimistic SWAT Native but I know you wouldn’t bet money on the Hawks winning now would you.

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We need solid effort on both ends. Moving Smoove to the 3 and going big would allow him more time to rebound and defend instead of being pulled out by Lewis. I don’t think we’ve got a solid big to start to give us that opportunity. I preached getting Morris, Collins and ZaZa groomed for this moment. Even preached signing a big on waivers or from the D-League just for athleticism, boards and D, but it didn’t happen. Nice try Ken, but it won’t happen cause we’re not there yet.

We need a monster game from all of our bigs to survive tonight. It starts and ends in the middle. We lose every shootout we enter – even against Golden State and New York. What makes them think they can outshoot the Magic? It all starts on D & ends with the boards.

We have a chance to win a close game. Only way there will be a blowout is the same one we saw the last 6 games. It all started with the surprise beat-down we gave them in their home opener. From that night they play us with a vengence. We’ve never responded.

When you get punched, punch back or at least quit crying for your Mama! MAN UP! Time is NOW!

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Venom Spitter,

I wouldn’t bet money on the Hawks winning, but only because it’s illegal in Georgia.

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I hope that Woody does somethin different this game. Like a Lineup changs. Or a different defensive scheme.

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Ken,

RandMo will not even dress tonight. We need West to provide perimeter defense to close quarters and he has proven to be useful as a utility man in that role.

RandMo has not seen enough daylight to warrant a start. Although I get your logic, I don’t think it is feasible since he is so rusty and mentally out of game shape that it would be Lewis eating him alive and not the opposite.

It’s bewildering why we keep on dragging this kid back and forth in street clothes when he could be seeing some daylight in Utah with our affiliate NBDL team.

OB,

As I said above, RandMo will not dress.

As for Ewing being responsible for much of Howard’s improvement, I don’t buy that. Ewing was not a polished low post player, relying a lot on jump shots and dunks more than in actual low post moves.

He was not good enough to lace Hakeem’s shoes and I think his contribution towards Howard’s game is limited, at best.

To be frank, Howard’s offensive game still s*cks big time and his production is materially linked to the refs allowing him to push and shove at will in a way that I can only qualify as sickening.

As for Hakeem, I have no idea why he is not earning millions as a special assistant somewhere since his moves were unstoppable.

Josh picked up a bit and should have gone back two more years to continue his apprenticeship.

At least one or two times a game Josh manages to coordinate himself and execute a perfect low post move and that clearly came from his short experience with Hakeem.

Al would also improve tremendously. His biggest problems is that NO ONE buys his pump fakes and he gets blocked or bothered going up a lot when he is down low.

Hakeem was listed many times as being 7′0” and 255lbs however he was closer to 6′10” according to more accurate reports which means that with more polished low post moves, Al could also be a monster.

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Rod,

Almost everyone who has mite of speed and a reasonable outside shot has been grilling us.

Our switching defense works well many times but it also converts scrubs into Allstars in as many others.

Indeed J-Williams killed us, but so did Anthony Johnson…

This means that we don’t need to focus on player A or B but to play sound man to man defense against teams which have a strong perimeter offense in order to avoid getting killed like we did against the Bucks.

Yes, Salmons was on fire, but the crucial element was AGAIN our poor perimeter defense and the three 3 pointers in a row, that cut our lead to almost nothing, sandwiching our 2 or 3 typically bad Hawks’ possessions: if I am not wrong, Jamal, Josh and Bibby missed from 3 during that period instead of driving and getting some easy baskets or fouls.

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LMAO at the Hawks!

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