Hawks Squawks: Bobcats 109, Hawks 100
Charlotte–Well, what to make of this one? You could hate on the Hawks for coming out with no urgency though they needed more of it without J.J and Bibby in the lineup. Or you can look at their 64-50 advantage in the second half and praise them for at least not folding.
– Shoot, I don’t know, maybe it’s something in between? “We didn’t come out ready to play,” Woody said. “It wasn’t pretty in the locker room at halftime. I thought we came out and played Atlanta Hawks basketball in the second half but the effort came too late.”
– The Bobcats raced out to a 21-8 lead and were up 34-14 after the first quarter. The Hawks had no energy, cohesion or communication. “We got off to a sluggish start,” Smoove said, and if you saw it you know that’s an understatement.
– The Hawks certainly looked like a different squad after halftime. Too bad they were already buried under Charlotte’s dunks and layups. “I don’t think we came out with enough energy to stop that early,” Al said.
– Another way to look at this game is to figure the Hawks didn’t have enough depth to beat a capable, desperate team that is tough on its court and just look at how the fill-ins played. “We are looking to see what guys are willing to step up and play in the absence of other guys,” Josh said. “We want guys who are not scared and can add that extra depth.”
– Mo was quiet early and great after halftime (20 points, 8/11 FG in the second half!). Teague was bad early and pretty good after halftime (seven points, four assists, no turnovers after halftime). And Mario . . . well, there’s a reason Mo played all 24 minutes in the second half (though Mario did have another nasty dunk).
– Teague said calmed down after Bibby pulled him to the side for a talk. ““That (bad start) let me know what I need to work on,” he said. “I was timid at first. When you are a rookie making your second start and things go bad, all of that is in your head. I’m glad I have veteran teammates who talk to me and support me.”
– “The rook’ was good,” Jamal said. “That’s what it’s all about is getting experience and getting comfortable out there.”
– “Jeff Teague did an outstanding job,” Smoove said. “He may have been a little shaken up in the first half but he came back in the second half and answered the bell.”
– Teague’s teammates are pulling for him. Woody wants Rook’ to do well, too. He said before the game he would let Teague play through mistakes, and he did until things started to get out of hand. And then he went back to him (yeah, I know, the options were slim but he put him out there).
– Woody credited Teague with sparking the Hawks after halftime. “I liked the way we picked it up,” he said. “Jeff Teague came in and was more aggressive offensively and pushed the ball. I like the way we competed in the second half.”
– Marvin’s early foul trouble hurt because Mario had to play small forward and the results were not good. Six points and three rebounds in 23 minutes from Marvin are just not enough when the Hawks are shorthanded. Teague had a more productive game in nearly equal minutes.
–Bibby tried to go at shootaround but couldn’t because of an ingrown toenail on his left big toe. He said he’s had issues with the nail before with the usually remedy to remove some skin so he can function without pain. But he said the right half of the nail was removed this time to avoid an infection.
– He said he’s not sure if he would play at Detroit. “I will try it when we get there,” he said. “I hope so. I hate to miss games.”
– The injury situation worsened for the Hawks when Jason Collins suffered a right foot injury before tipoff. Woody said he would have used him if healthy. Collins said X-rays were negative, so it’s probably a sprain.
– Then Zaza was lost to a hip injury in the second quarter. He said he has tendinitis in his right hip flexor. He’s also struggled with tendinitis in his left hip this season. “It was tight before the game,” he said. “I stretched it and warmed it up really good. I went in the game and it got worse and worse.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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116 comments Add your comment
Westurd
April 7th, 2010
10:39 am
Marvins killing me…………watching Marvin play is like watch Smoove shoot the 3 ball………it makes your insides queesy.
How many 6pt/3reb nights can we have from this starter. Start Mo already!! Dang…I’m getting pissy!
Westurd
April 7th, 2010
10:40 am
Marvin has had two good game this season……thats two more than Blake Griffin………
O'Brien
April 7th, 2010
10:55 am
Wabe,
Also, Mo Evans usually plays the same position as Marvin (although Mo plays mostly against backups). And in the games where Mo Evans has started in place of Marvin, or played starter minutes, he seems to have no trouble being aggressive and contributing
I understand the reasoning of starting Marvin right now. Chemistry is good, and there is no need to change the starting lineup this late in the season when we are going to win 50+ games, and Mo Evans is a good player to have coming off the bench.
But is there anyone out there, who is willing to argue that Marvin DESERVES to be the starter right now?
Clyde
April 7th, 2010
10:57 am
Woody needs to quit playing games and start Crawford and Mo in the playoffs. The only reason reason they start is because Woody shows them favor. With Joe and Bibby out Marvin should have had a better showing than 6 points. #imjustsaying
FIRE WOODY
KW
April 7th, 2010
11:00 am
Marvin Williams was a bad investment or draft chioice what ever, Management made a bad decision by resigning him and if you try to trade I don’t think they will have much luck because every other team think the same the only thing they can do is try to get a good small forward and a physical center during the off season and send Williams to the bench. I also fault Woodson he should have made Marvin Williams compeat for that position and bench his butt for under performing.
Delbert D.
April 7th, 2010
11:01 am
Come on, Hawks, pull it together. You can do it.
Clyde
April 7th, 2010
11:04 am
O’brien Marvin didn’t deserve the #2 pick in the draft but the Hawks were dumb enough to draft him. And on top of drafting him, signed him to a new contract instead of bringing back Jchill. smh
Based on Marvin Williams career so far he doesn’t deserve much.
FIRE WOODY
i_am_soulstar
April 7th, 2010
11:06 am
I was on my knees begging for the Hawks to trade Marvin for Stephen Jackson. I truly believe we would’ve been a 60 win team with him at SF. Come on Sund, no guts, no glory, you could’ve made it work easily with Marvin and another piece.
Here's whats going to happen
April 7th, 2010
11:14 am
The hawks will fall to 4th and get upset by the heat in the 1st round , maybe I am wrong but would it really surprise any long suffering fan to see it happen ?
Ken Strickland
April 7th, 2010
11:17 am
Has anyone else noticed how those who criticize Marvin, blame him for our losses when he doesn’t score a lot of points, and say he shouldn’t be starting, never ever say anything about Woodson’s insistence on starting him? Have you also noticed they never ever mention Woodson’s comments about him needing to get Marvin more involved in the OFF, but it never goes beyond just words?
Then we have those who insist on claiming Woodson is perfectly correct in playing Teague fewer than 10 inconsistent MPG, and that he’s not ready. Yet, Bibby will consistently go entire stretches where he’s nonproductive and will play worse than any rookie, especially on DEF, we hear absolutely nothing about his obvious regression, only a deafening silence from them.
THIS IS THE SAME LAME MENTALITY THAT REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE AND/OR ACCEPT THE NEED FOR CHANGE OR ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE’VE SEEN FROM WOODSON THROUGHOUT HIS HC CAREER. WOODY LOVERS seem to share the same mental flaws we see in Woodson, which might explain their blind obcession with defending him when his coaching is obviously having or causing problems. Just like their beloved Woody, they blame the players for everything that goes wrong, while going to extremes to absolved their hero of any blame.
Woodson has done a very good job in bringing this team to its current level, despite some obvious shortcomings on his part. However, he’s doing a sorry job of coaching this team and its talents to the next level. After 6yrs with this team, and having the same starting lineup for the last 3yrs, he still hasn’t:
(1) improved his halfcourt OFF,
(2) improved his ability to make ongoing changes or adjustments,
(3) learned to develop and trust his young players, and the guts to fully utilize and incorporate their talents.
(4) recognize the disadvantage of utilizing the cast system when dealing with players,
(5) recognized the importance of developing and consistently utilizing and extending his bench,
(6) seeking and accepting the advice and input of others when obviously needed,
(7) developing the ability to recognize when changes, adjustments, strategy or proactive and/or reactive decisions need to be made.
(8) recognize the importance and need to get involved in coaching gms and trying to make those needed adjustments or changes before halftime, or the Allstar break, rather than being forced to do so because of injuries.
No HC with a team that’s good enough to make the playoffs has done a worse job of coaching his team through injuries than Woodson over the yrs. The same goes for developing draft picks and using strategies. WOODSON IS JUST NOT THE BEST HC FOR THE ATLANTA HAWKS AT THIS STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. HE’S JUST TOO LIMITED, INFLEXIBLE AND RIGID IN HIS APPROACH TO COACHING OR DEALING WITH PLAYERS AND SITUATIONS. This team is definitely talent and player driven, with little impact for its HC at this stage, unlike the Bobcats. This explains why we suffer more than other teams when we suffer a loss due to injuries, even shortterm injuries.
Last night, the Bobcats revealed their strategy right out of the box, and they were allowed to build a sizable of lead. Other than putting JCrawford in the gm and moving Smoove to SF, Woodson couldn’t come up with a single adjustment or strategy to counter what they were doing successfully doing to us before halftime. He just suffled the same lethargic, underperforming players in and out of the gm.
LAST NIGHT, OUR PLAYERS GOT OUTPLAYED, AND WOODSON GOT OUTCOACHED AND SCHOOLED BY HIS MASTER. The sad thing for us is, Woodson seems to have learned very little from his yrs under Larry Brown. The OFF LBrown has designed for the Bobcats is obviously different than the one he designed for the Pistons, and the 76ers. He designs OFF’s to fit the skills and talents of his players, while Woodson tries to force the skills and talents of his players into his limited one dimensional OFF concept.
Woodson reminds me of 2 football HC’s, Marion Campbell and Wade Phillips, who were excellent DEF coordinators, but not very good HC’s.
Sautee
April 7th, 2010
11:27 am
ILL-logical,
You said this:
“Second, and what jumped out at me last night in between switches to the UCon-Stanford game(baby girl will be a Stanford grad in June) was that our current center is not a shot blocker. In fact, he is not a strong offensive rebounder either and it is in these two areas that the team’s playoff fortunes rest.”
OK I’ll grant that Horford is not a great shotblocker (though he had two last night), but to say that he’s not a strong offensive rebounder when he ranks 7th among all centers is pushing the point a bit. There will be 16 teams in the playoffs. Of those 16 teams, only 3 have centers who average more offensive rebounds than Al. (Bogut would have made it 4.)
THREE centers with more O boards!
Give Al some credit for competing at such a high level when he’s smaller and lighter than most of the centers he plays against.
And realize that he would likely have a higher shotblocking production if he were not versatile enough to switch out on perimeter players, leaving him far from the basket.
Here’s a link to the rebound stats for centers:
http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Rebounds.jsp?league=00&season=22009&conf=OVERALL&position=1&splitType=9&qualified=Y&yearsExp=-1&sortOrder=2&splitDD=All%20Teams
Westurd
April 7th, 2010
11:30 am
Ken,
Who’s got time to read the all that above? Seriously?
In regards to the first paragraph………….you think we should blame Woody for Marvin being craptastic? Then I guess we should blame Sund for having Woody coach the team….or wait, I think we should blame the Atlanta Spirit for hiring Sund who allows Woody to coach the team who keeps Marvin as a starter…….
You can deflect the blame anywhere you like, but if Marvin is playing like a third grade girl then its on him, not the coach!
Westurd
April 7th, 2010
11:34 am
one arguement in favor of Al is his ability to run the floor, take players off the dribble, and his all around athleticism. I prefer to see the hustle and energy then to see a big log in the middle of the lane.
Marcus
April 7th, 2010
12:10 pm
I like his potential and all….but I am starting to wonder if Marvin is the Hawks version of Falcons DE Jamaal Anderson.
Mike is Back
April 7th, 2010
12:15 pm
MC, great break down of the events that unfolded in the Bobcat game…you summed it well. The Bobcats will be a tough team to beat in the playoff.
For as bad as the Hawks looked in the first half…there is still two ways to look at this loss. Another dubious loss on the road for Hawks…and if you are the Bobcat you can’t take much solace in the fact that JJ and Bibby was missing and the Hawks still had a chance to win the game…even though you had a 23 point lead at the half.
I agree with Woody’s assessment on the game and Teague. I also agree with JC’s assessment, they will be better prepared and should respond better in Detroit. Woody said something about Teague I thought was very telling. He said once he picks up the defense, he will be right there. We seen it last night…for all those who questioned why so many of us feel this kid has the skills to be a PG in this league. He is making steady progress…however, closing out on the three-point shooter continues to be a struggle…he gave up some big threes in the second half. The thing I notice in the second half is he played with more confidence. That comment by Woody doesn’t sound like someone who has given up on Teague to me. WAY TO GO YOUNG FELLA.
Yeah, I’m just as concern as everyone else is with our pedestrian road record. Things like that usually come back to haunt you in the playoff…they handle that by winning today…THEY NEED TO BREAK THIS LOSING STREAK TONIGHT…and get number 50 out the way…that would salvage this road trip.
KEEP IT GOING….GET NUMBER 50 TONIGHT…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cp
April 7th, 2010
12:16 pm
Mario West should not be in the NBA. I hope this is his last year with the team….. I’m still baffled as to why Woodson took Teague out once he got hot and put Marvin in who had did nothing all night. If Bibby is not ready to go tonight go with Teague. Hopefully his confidence is still high.
Ken Strickland I am usually with you but I just cant agree with you about Marvin. We can blame Woodson for a lot of things but I just don’t see how he can be blamed for Marvin being terrible. If Mo Evans can start and get shots then why cant Marvin? You know why, because he is not aggressive. He defers to much and just kinda stands around out there. Its like someone said earlier, if he cant get up shots with both Joe and Bibby out then thats on him. Mo the rook and everybody else had no issue with putting up shots. Its time to just move on from Marvin this off-season. The kid just ain’t what the so called experts thought he would be.
JOE
April 7th, 2010
12:31 pm
marvin’s just collecting a check at this point, he’s an embarrasment….
Rod from College Park
April 7th, 2010
12:46 pm
“You can deflect the blame anywhere you like, but if Marvin is playing like a third grade girl then its on him, not the coach!”
Great post Westurd. Marvin is a bum on the basketball court. I said it when he was drafted. I said it 3 years ago when I first started on this blog. I will say it now. He will not get better in Atlanta, and if he does get better anywhere else it will only be minimal. He would not be the star on a NBDL team. His skills are limited, and he is only ajump shooter who can’t shoot. It is more than obvious that Mo Evans should be starting at the two and Joe at the three. The only thing offensively that the Hawks ask Marvin to do is hit the wide open corner jump shot or 3 point shot and get to the rim and finish, and Mo Evans does both much better than Marvin. Mo evans also plays with much more energy and aggressiveness, and brings a little nastiness to the team, something we really need. Whatever relationship Woodson has with Marvin, he really needs to re-evaluate it, because no production or defense from the 3 position is what will ultimately cost him his job.
cdog
April 7th, 2010
12:47 pm
je je, clyde and terrell. i love all of you.didn’t mean to upset you.i apologize for all that i said to you all.i want you to see what i’m talking about.can you blame woodson for not having heart and desire? no. look at it, we are fighting for the 2nd seed as well as the 3rd seed in the east and your two so called leaders go out with ingrown toenails and a thumb injury.are they concern about how they finish?no.these are injuries you got to play through this time of the year.the only player with heart and desire on the team is josh smith.thats what i meant when i said they have players who expect to lose to the cavs and majic.this not woodson’s fault
cdog
April 7th, 2010
12:49 pm
ALSO, WHATS SO BAD ABOUT THE SITUATION, THEY DON’T EVEN TRAVEL WITH THE TEAM.SOME COMMITMENT WOULDN’T YOU SAY?
O'Brien
April 7th, 2010
12:59 pm
I am a fan of Mario West, because despite his limited ability, he always gives 110%, and he plays agrressive defense (which is good more often that not). And he went to GT. But as we seen last night, when he is needed for more than just a few seconds here and there, you just dont know what to expect.
It still makes you wonder why the Hawks signed Othello Hunter, and then Mario West instead of Stackhouse. You never know when injuries might occur, and Mario (and Othello) do not seem like players that you want to give extended PT to. Plus, to be an elite team, you need options. And our options, are not that good.
Ken S,
As Rod from CP would say, “have you seen Marvin play?”. Have you seen anything about his game and his talent (right now) that would make Woody run plays for him?
He gets his shot blocked (by smaller guys sometimes), he fumbles and stumbles, not very good posting up (in fact, his best move is to try draw a foul and go to the FT line), and his jumper (despite his good form) is not consistent like it should be.
Plus, when Mo Evans starts in place of Marvin (or plays extended minutes), he has no problems getting his shots up. Why? Because he is more aggressive, and thats what Woody said he wants from Marvin. be mroe aggressive,.and stop deferring so much.
I can understand Marvin’s (offensive) shortcomings, so what I would like to see from him is to be a beast on the boards, and play very good defense (consistently). If he can excel at those 2 things, then his offensive contribution would be a bonus.
It’s like northcyde was saying about Teague. There has to be something that Marvin does well. And right now, the only thing he does well is shoot FTs. We need more that that for $7.5 mil.
I am looking forward to the game tonight. I really think the Hawks will play much better.
KW
April 7th, 2010
1:00 pm
Check this out Joe all season long Marvin Williams have done nothing really to contribute except when Mike Woodson called him Mike Bibby and ZaZa in his office after that he had 2 or 3 good games. He is doing just enough for the hawks to consider keeping him and I think Woodson speak up for Williams I really don’t understand why he wasn’t benched and Mo Evan moved into the lineup every other coach will do that in a heart beat except Woodson that’s why Teague is not getting much playing time because when Bibby was in that slump for most of the season Teague should have started a coach have to send a message to his team when they are under performing.
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:05 pm
Bad loss, low energy in the first half, two starters out with injuries and we maintain the third seed. Drop it, move on. Beyond that you are just making the same points about this team whether win or lose over and over. I would have thought people might have gained some perspective at this point in the season, but it is the same ole, same ole. Woody sucks, Marvin sucks, Bibby sucks (because he is injured) blah, blah, blah.
Bottom line the team will end up with 52 wins and probably the third seed, which every reasonable Hawks fan was hoping for at the begining of the season.
I hate to see them lose and while I am watching every game is the most important, until the next one…..
jgsbrids
April 7th, 2010
1:06 pm
i’ve said this all year–start joe smith and bring marvin off the bench. i watched about five minutes of the girls championship game last night and saw those two teams box out more in five possessions than i’ve seen the hawks do all year. butler and duke were also great at it–woody can you please teach this technique to our team before it’s too late?
DawgNole
April 7th, 2010
1:17 pm
Here’s what’s going to happen said:
“The hawks will fall to 4th and get upset by the heat in the 1st round, maybe I am wrong but would it really surprise any long suffering fan to see it happen?”
As a long-suffering (40-plus years) Hawks fan, I don’t think you’re wrong at all–and if your prediction comes true, no one SHOULD be surprised (although many will be, stupidly). The Atlanta chapter of this frachise boasts a record of futility–never getting past the second round of the playoffs in more than 40 years–matched by few in the history of American professional sports. That doesn’t change the fact that I will continue to pull rabidly for the players, and to curse them bitterly when they fail us once again, as their predecessors have done so many times before.
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:30 pm
KW- you really think that a NBA coach needs to “bench” a veteran proven player like Bibby to “send a message”? You do realize this is professional basketball and not high school. If a player of Bibby’s calibre hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt at this point in his career THEN woodson would be a bad coach. Sorry, but the NBA does not work the way you seem to think that it does. Embarrassing really.
JeJe
April 7th, 2010
1:32 pm
WTF IS WRONG WITH MARVIN?
Woodson REFUSES to call out players in the media.
WOODY IF YOU ARE READING THIS, SHAME ON YOU.
How do you not get on Marvin’s case? The guy LITERALLY scores 4 points a game half the time. FOUR POINTS AS A 2ND OVERALL PICK. This is an abomination. I’d rather take Kwame over the garbage Marvin provides for this team. It takes someone yelling at him for him to even try.
His interviews he gives this persona like he is all laid back, THAT HE DOESN’T WATCH BASKETBALL OR PLAY BASKETBALL VIDEO GAMES, and really doesn’t like competition.
He was the SIXTH man on a UNC team. He was NOT good enough to start.
And why the HELL do we not start Crawford if JJ is out? If JJ IS OUT, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE DOWN 20 PPG, SO WHY NOT START OUR 2ND BEST SCORER? GREAT JOB WOODY — I’M SURE ONE OF YOUR ASSISTANT COACHES TOLD YOU THIS, BUT YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR DETROIT DREAM DAYS
GOD DAMNIT
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:40 pm
DawgNole- I don’t understand your point. You say that you will continue to support this team rabidly, but others who may be suprised when they lose are “stupid”? Which is it? I would be suprised and disappointed if we lose in the first round, and I would NOT be stupid for thinking that. If we lose in the second round, I don’t think anyone would be that suprised, especially to the Cavs or Magic.
JeJe
April 7th, 2010
1:45 pm
Great post Ken Strickland.
You and I emphasize the same things: WOODSON SUCKS, Marvin and Bibby are severe underachievers, and again, Woodson is holding this team back. It’s for these reasons I just copy and paste previous posts into the new blogs. Why waste 15 minutes making a new post when I know I’m just reiterating the same things?
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:45 pm
Yeah, great advice JeJe. Publicly calling out players to motivate them has such a great track record with professionals. You can tell how good a coach is by how well and much he uses the media to critique his players. Boy, that is exactly what I want from my coach.
O'Brien
April 7th, 2010
1:46 pm
Maybe JJ and Bibby’s injuries could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
With JJ and Bibby not playing, our guys were reminded that you have to be ready to go from the start of the game. Too often, we’ve had slow starts, so maybe this will be a wakeup call as we get into the playoffs.
Also, with Bibby injured, Teague got some much needed PT. That way, if Bibby gets injured later, or if he is stinking up the joint, maybe Teague will play better assuming he builds on last night’s performance.
And with the thumb injury, it gave JJ a chance to get some rest from playing so many minutes, so hopefully he will be healthy and well rested for the playoff run.
Although Detroit beat us earlier in the year (with JJ playing), on a night when the Pistons were missing 3 or 4 of their regulars, I am looking forward to a better effort from the Hawks tonight.
They now know (again) that they cannot come out flat on the road, and expect to win, especially without their best player. And I’m sure Woody will be reminding them leading up to the game.
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:47 pm
or why waste time reposting it if you are just reiterating the same things?
Bobcats (109) Hawks (100) Game Recap | Soaring Down South | An Atlanta Hawks blog
April 7th, 2010
1:48 pm
[...] Hawks Blog – AJC [...]
BYC
April 7th, 2010
1:49 pm
Turned my TV on right as the 1st quarter ended and I was like what the hell??? Haven’t seen a game that lopsided after the 1st for a while…
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
1:49 pm
Wow, be careful there O’brien. You wouldn’t want to put the situation in perspective or find any positives even in a loss. You might make too much sense. Remember we are supposed to just ram home the same points (agenda) again and again, no matter the situation.
tiger woo
April 7th, 2010
2:02 pm
“LAST NIGHT, OUR PLAYERS GOT OUTPLAYED, AND WOODSON GOT OUTCOACHED AND SCHOOLED BY HIS MASTER. The sad thing for us is, Woodson seems to have learned very little from his yrs under Larry Brown. The OFF LBrown has designed for the Bobcats is obviously different than the one he designed for the Pistons, and the 76ers. He designs OFF’s to fit the skills and talents of his players, while Woodson tries to force the skills and talents of his players into his limited one dimensional OFF concept”.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
OK – if Larry Brown’s system is so much better than Woody’s, why do we have 8 more wins than the Bobcats this year ??????????????
DawgNole
April 7th, 2010
2:11 pm
Don’t distort what I wrote, Daniel. I did not write, “others who may be suprised when they lose are ’stupid’” I wrote that many will be surprised, and stupidly so, if the prediction of “Here’s what’s going to happen” (a 4th seed and first-round playoff loss) comes true. And indeed many will be, and they will be stupid–or ignorant, if you prefer–to be surprised at the early failure of this team. It is a franchise marked by early failures for 40-plus years. There should be no surprise whatsoever if yet another one occurs. And why would you question my rabid support of the team? Just because they have failed every year for 40-plus years doesn’t mean I no longer hope they will finally succeed. I want more than anything for them to bring an NBA championship to Atlanta, but I’m not a fool; I’m a realist. The biggest surprise of all would be if they got past the second round–not if they failed in the first, but there are many out there (they post on here every day) who fully expect them to survive the second round, stupidly.
BirdDawg
April 7th, 2010
2:17 pm
It’s a little disheartening to see “fans” on here that sell the team short. Someone sarcastically asked the question, “oh, so we’re supposed to be better than the Cavs and the Lakers now?” HELL YEAH, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER!!!! This team has more talent than Cleveland and as much talent as the Lakers. The difference, the Lakers have better coaching, more consistency and Kobe Bryant and Cleveland plays harder, has more conistency and they have Lebron James. The Hawks have a lot of flaws that would be easily corrected for most teams, but for them seem to be a chore. Kobe and Lebron are highly vocal and lead their teams by example, you see no such leadership from any of the players on the Hawks. As good as Joe is, he just isn’t the leader that that those guys are which, in my opinion, is the only thing keeping him from being on their level. Cleveland plays hard pretty much every minute of every game, the Lakers every minute of most games, the Hawks…well, you guys know how it goes with their effort. The only thing keeping this team from being a 60 win team is an inability to correct what should be minor shortcomings. We don’t need a big man, we need a defense that keeps ours near the basket for help defense instead of on the perimenter defending guards. We need our guards to consistently bring the same engery that our big men bring most nights. We need Marvin to wake the hell up out of his coma and we need the coach to start doing some real coaching.
tiger woo
April 7th, 2010
2:26 pm
“It’s a little disheartening to see “fans” on here that sell the team short. Someone sarcastically asked the question, “oh, so we’re supposed to be better than the Cavs and the Lakers now?” HELL YEAH, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER!!!! This team has more talent than Cleveland and as much talent as the Lakers. The difference, the Lakers have better coaching, more consistency and Kobe Bryant and Cleveland plays harder, has more conistency and they have Lebron James.”
————————————————————————————–
. . . and that’s a big difference – take away Kobe from L.A. and LeBron from Cleveland and see how far they get . . . in addition, those teams have a much better bench than we have – by far.
BirdDawg
April 7th, 2010
2:31 pm
No doubt, Tiger Woo, that is THE difference, but it is something that can be and should have been easily corrected. A bunch of multi-millionaire players and coaches can’t figure out how to give better effort? Woody can’t figure out how to correct the mistakes this team makes over and over? And I don’t think their benches are appreciably better than ours, but their benches’ talents are utilized better by their coaches.
F-105 Thunderchief
April 7th, 2010
2:37 pm
The Hawks look like they are going to limp into the playoffs, and, if they do, will be eliminated in the first round. They’ve got enough players to overcome being banged up. They just have to want it bad enough.
GeeMack
April 7th, 2010
2:37 pm
Daniel
You having an Ice Cube moment on here today.
“Check your self before you reck your self”
Great points though.
G-Money
April 7th, 2010
2:40 pm
The Hawks need to come with effort and intensity every game. They do not have the luxury to think of themselves as a team with a great star. They have good athletes who can play well when they are working together as a team. They have an advantage with their athleticism and youth, that has to be translated into defensive hustle and intensity.
tiger woo
April 7th, 2010
2:48 pm
Sorry BirdDawg – gotta disagree with you on the bench comparison:
Below is the list of the top 5 bench players for each team – we are lacking a bit in talent compared to L.A. and Cleveland (in my opinion):
Cleveland:
Anderson Varejao
Delonte West
Leon Powe
Z. Ilgauskas
Anthony Parker / Jamario Moon
L.A.
Lamar Odom
Shannon Brown
Jordan Farmar
Sasha Vujacic
Luke Walton
Atlanta:
Jamal Crawford
Zaza Pachulia
Mo Evans
Joe Smith
Jeff Teague
I will admit that our bench is better than last year’s edition.
GeeMack
April 7th, 2010
2:52 pm
BirdDawg, tiger woo
Phil Jax after 10 rings still hadn’t figured out how to the Lakers to play consistent offensively and defensively.
The Hawks have no where near the talent the Cavs, the Lakers, Magic, or the Spurs. Name 1 future Hall of famer on the Hawks.
There is one thing we are forgetting 2 years ago this team had a losing record. These guys are still learning to win consistently.
JuniperChestnut
April 7th, 2010
2:53 pm
As I stated before, the Hawks BLEW their chance to have the most improved team in basketball and be this years favorites to win the NBA title. During the offseason the Hawks could have acquired Heido Turkelu and Rafer Alsten, which would have given the Hawks the NBA championship. The additions that the Hawks had in offseason were dramatic, but if you add those two hall of fame talents to the mix the results would have been astounding and it would have eliminated ALL OF THE HAWKS CURRENT WEAKNESSES.
BirdDawg
April 7th, 2010
3:08 pm
Tiger Woo,
Other than Lamar Odom, I don’t see any player on the other units that would give the team a significant talent upgrade over what they already have. Anderson Varejao would bring some energy off the bench and Big Z some size, but not major talent. I don’t think either of them would bring much more to the table than Zaza. I wouldn’t choose any of those guards over Jamal and most of the other players produce off of the stars, Kobe/Lebron, that they have on their respective teams. Joe Smith’s age and Jeff Teague’s inexperience are the only real drawbacks to our bench that I can see.
BirdDawg
April 7th, 2010
3:18 pm
GeeMack,
I don’t think future Hall of Famers are an accurate assessment of a teams’ overall talent. The Celtics have three on their current roster, but are neck and neck with the Hawks and are 0-4 against them this season. And for that matter, the Hawks had more All-Stars this season than any of the teams you mentioned except for the Lakers and they had just as many as they did.
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
3:43 pm
DawgNole- Honestly, I am not trying to pick at you, but I still don’t understand how you are differentiating what I said from what you meant. You would consider someone to be stupid who is suprised at an early round loss is different from saying someone is stupidly suprised?!?
Maybe you meant that “people shouldn’t be suprised if the Hawks disappoint our expectations because of a long history of poor playoff performances.”
Still vastly different that being “stupid” or “stupidly suprised” by having reasonable expectations for the team you root for.
Daniel
April 7th, 2010
3:44 pm
Gee,
You know me… I’m comin’ straight out of Decatur… where it is greata and Marta is smarta.