Hawks Squawks: Pistons 90, Hawks 88

just beat the heat and the cavaliers in the playoffs…we’ll forget these two

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Actually MC, you are right, but since we’ve been saying the same thing for the entire season, it’s finally gotten tiring. So, I’m rolling with the Hawks and again if we beat the heat and get cavaliers it’s all okay dokay……

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Mike Woodson is to the Hawks as Michael Scott is to Dunder Mifflin.

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“Since the Hawks say these things over and over and yet still keep blowing these leads on the road, could it be they simply aren’t good enough?”

In terms of talent, they are easily good enough. That’s what gets all of us so frustrated when they blow games like this time and time again. If this was a one-man team like Miami or a scrappy overachiever like Milwaukee, we would probably be thrilled with 49 wins and wouldn’t care one way or another whether or not they drop a game like this every now and then.

The problem with this team is squarely between the ears, and that’s something they better get fixed before the playoffs start.

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Typical of today’s overpaid spoiled athletes to come in and not give full effort. Today’s players have no pride at all. Losing to a team like Detroit had out there today should leave the Hawk players feel embarrassed and you know they feel no such thing. They should have enough pride to play hard enough to make sure a loss like tonight doesn’t happen. But this is typical of the modern NBA and it’s a big reason why the league struggles and has such a small fanbase. Let’s face it, the NBA doesn’t have a lot of fans and it’s easy to see why.

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Didn’t catch the game tonight, but THE PISTONS?!!! REALLY?!! Groundhog Day once again.

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The Hawks haven’t truly been a good basketball team since being in Atlanta. That doesn’t change now.

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I hope Woody can figure things out before the playoffs. smh

FIRE WOODY

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IM ABOARD………….FIRE WOODRO

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I beg to differ. The 6 players who played, played hard, as far as I could tell. In the 4th qtr., they were gassed.”

If you think this team played hard and still lost to that team Detroit fielded tonight you can’t possibly believe the Hawks are a truly good basketball team. That was basically a minor league team the Hawks lost to tonight. The hawks ARE losers. The whole thing about them being gassed is nonsense.

I don’t count the 60’s when the league had so many white players.

The Hawks haven’t even made the finals. They’re a bad franchise. Nearly as bad as you will see in professional sports. Heck, the owners are even inept and can’t even get along.

It’s obvious why almost nobody cares about the Hawks. Truthfully, nobody should go watch them and only complete fools go to Hawks games.

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lol @grandad

FIRE WOODY

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The way I look at it right now, the Hawks are just facing a bit of adversity trying to adjust to playing without a key player in Joe Johnson. Think about how much of an impact Joe has on offense. Now, while that is something I think the Hawks need to get away from, it still isn’t going to happen instantly. As far as tonight’s loss, it was a 2 point loss, not a blowout, and this type of loss does not only happen to the Hawks. Think about the Laker’s road trip last week. They lost to just about everyone they faced and got destroyed by the Hawks, but unlike here, you don’t hear people saying that they are not good enough because they lost a couple of close games. The point is that this type of thing happens to even the best teams once in a while and the team’s record reflects how good they are.

The only key issue I see coming from this is that the Hawks tend to underestimate sub .500 teams a bit too often. On a positive note, you rarely see the Hawks with a lack of effort or a bad game against the elite teams in the league. So, as far as the playoffs are concerned, if the Hawks can defeat their first round opponent, they should have no lack of motivation for future rounds considering they will be facing some very prestigious teams from then on.

Right now, the biggest focus needs to be upon regaining that third seed. History has shown that any time the Hawks go on a mini-losing streak, they tend to rebound nicely, and it is likely that they will rebound from this well. Even if the third seed does not make much of a difference to some of you, it is a large token of accomplishment for the team, by not only signifying that this team will have finished the season above Boston since the Big 3 era, but it would be a great boost of confidence to the team knowing that their record not only improved, but that their positioning actually shows that as well. Additionally, I think Milwaukee would be a much more favorable first round match-up than Miami. While one of their main threat’s (Bogut) is out, the team’s main weapon right now is John Salmons, and while he has played some spectacular games against the Hawks, I don’t think his scoring alone is enough to beat the Hawks, plus the Hawks have an advantage in the frontcourt (even before the Bogut injury). Also, I feel like Miami has a great chance of defeating Boston in the first round, meaning they would face Cleveland in the second. Even if Miami didn’t beat Boston, either of those teams would be a nice match-up against the Cavs and could take them to the limits.

On the Hawks side of things, while I feel that the Hawks have a great chance against Cleveland in the playoffs judging by how they have played against them for the majority of the games in which they have met (I think the Hawks feel pretty confident that they can beat that team judging by their body language), I think it would be better to face the Cavs, later, rather than sooner since it is not a huge stretch of the imagination to think that the Cavs may be eliminated in the second round. I also feel that the Hawks struggles against the Magic in the first three meetings were mental issues more than anything else. The team should have much more confidence after finally defeating the Magic.

Now, looking at the final games of the season for the Hawks and Celtics, lets take a look at some possible predictions. The Hawks have a home game against the short-handed Raptors on Friday. That game is likely a win even without Joe Johnson, especially considering how the Hawks will be itching to avenge their most recent shortcoming in Detroit. After that, the Hawks play the wizards in Washington. Washington has been struggling heavily and will also be coming off a back-to-back, so I think the Hawks have a great chance of winning that one as well (the Hawks are 3-0 against the Wizards this season). Next, the Hawks play the Bucks on Monday night in Milwaukee. This game could be tough, but considering the Bucks will not have a strong frontcourt to handle Josh and Al, the advantage definitely goes to Atlanta. The Bucks would likely have to beat the Hawks by shooting jumpshots in order to pull out that win, and unless you are hot shooting the ball, that is not a very good strategy for winning games. Lastly, the Hawks wrap up the regular season with a home game against the Cavs. This one worries me a bit, not necessarily because I don’t think the Hawks can beat the Cavs, but because I worry about whether Lebron James will be playing or not. The Hawks, at home, definitely will be looking to finally get a victory over the Cavs in their final meeting in order to carry that momentum into the playoffs. The Cavs on the other hand, may just unload the bench in that one, considering they really have nothing to play for in the remaining games of the season as they’ve already secured the best record in the East. If James plays in this one, the Hawks definitely have to bring their A-game, since Lebron can basically get any call he wants. The Hawks need to not only outplay the Cavs, but vastly outplay them, in order to balance out all of the free throws that Lebron would be shooting. Still, the Hawks have about a 75% chance of going undefeated in these final 4 games if they maintain focus and play for 48 minutes each night.

Now, onto the Celtics. Their next game is at home vs. Washington. Obviously the Wizards are not a very big threat to most teams at this point in the season, but they do seem to give the Boston frontcourt some problems. The versatility and speed of Javale McGee and Andray Blatche always seems to both Perkins and Garnet, so I expect the Celtics will have to win that game through the backcourt. I’d say that Boston has about a 60% chance of winning that one. Now, onto Milwaukee, whom they play on Saturday. By saturday, Milwaukee will probably be pretty desperate trying to grab that 5th seed from the Heat, so I expect that one to be a war. Although, the advantage goes to Boston there as well, with only real threat coming in Salmons and maybe Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute, since they tend to give Garnett headaches. I think that game could go either way. Now, the Chicago game on Monday is probably the biggest threat I see for the Celtics out of the remaining games since just about every guy on the Bull’s starting lineup is a threat to boston, except for maybe Taj Gibson. Noah is more energetic, taller, and quicker than Perkins, Deng is stronger and more physical than pierce, and Derrick Rose is just a problem for any backcourt, plus he has the speed to guard rondo who is the key to the Celtics offense. I think the Bulls have the advantage and a better chance of winning that game than the Celtics, especially since they will be fighting for their playoff lives in that one. Lastly, Boston wraps things up with the second night of a back-to-back against Milwaukee. Regardless of the outcome of their previous meeting, I think the Bucks will be looking to make a statement against the Celtics (a potential first round matchup for them) heading into the playoff and, again, this one could go either way.

So, overall, the Celtics chances of going undefeated in their final four games of the season are definitely below 50%. Mainly because they will be playing more desperate teams who are still fighting for position. As long as the Hawks have a better record than the Celtics in the final 4 games of the season, this loss won’t mean much.

Lets hope the Hawks close out the season strong and the rest to Joe Johnson is worthwhile.

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@ CLYDE YEA LEMMIE GET ONE OF THE SHIRTS, WE NEED TO CAMPAIGN THIS THROUGHOUT THE CITY

FIRE WOODY

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The Hawks might take one game from Cleveland if Cle takes them lightly enough.

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David McDavid we need you to come save the Hawks. #Figureitout and find a way to get Woody and the Spirit Group out of Atlanta.

FIRE WOODY

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If you don’t think they were/are tired, then I would question
your basketball accumen.”

It’s not like basketball is a real job. Many of people do what they do just for fun. If they can’t handle playing 30 minutes they have some major issues.

” The owners situation will work itself out. That’s no excuse as
the owners have given the team resouces when excuses would have
been handy.”

Well, the owners are about as inept as Ted Turner was when he owned the Hawks. Not surprising the results have been teams that have failed to accomplish anything of importance.

‘John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”

The bible was written by lame brains that thought the world was flat. When we die we get pushed into a box and the maggots eat away at our rotting flesh and it’s all over.

The bible is worthless. All of them should bed p!ssed on and sat on fire.

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Clyde – I heard he [D.Mc.D.]went broke.
That settlement is probably going to pay bills.
If ASG can ever get rid of that albatross [Belkin],
I think they will try to do right.

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Damn Smooth, how long did it take you to type that?

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Longer than I probably should have spent on that post, Najeh. I just had a lot on my mind as that loss really bothered me, almost more than any loss has in a long time. I suppose I needed some time to vent and wanted to consider the positive aspects of the remainder of the season.

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It is clear by Anthony’s reasoning and offensive remarks that he is having an adolescent bout with immaturity. Don’t let his comments get to you, it is most likely his anger that is doing the talking as his reasoning is ill-conceived and relatively senseless.”

WRONG.

The bible was written by stupid people and it means nothing.

Everything I said about the team is true. They’re a lousy franchise and that’s why they’ve never had fan support. The fans only show up to watch Kobe play and not the Hawks players. The Hawks haven’t even won a division title since 1994 which alone makes them a bad franchise that they’ve went so long without even winning a division title. Everyone laughs at the Hawks and knows they’re a joke.

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i finally have it figured out.dan,drmaryb,tiger woo & northcyde are woody the woopecker. woody is the worst coach in the nba, it is catching his players are all getting as dumb as he is.

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Anthony;

Obviously, you are a person of conviction concerning your bias’.
My sentiment is that I may have lived quite a bit longer than you,
therefore, aquiring wisdom I never would, have without life’s experience. Is my reasoning & faith any more valid than yours is to you? Absolutely not. So, once again, Whether or not you believe
what the Bible has to say. Historically it has been proven accurate
and it is full of wisdom regardless of your belief.
Try ‘Proverbs’ just for fun, you sound like an intelligent young man.
Prov. 11:2
Prov. 12:18
Prov. 13:10
Good evening my new friend.

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I’m with you Anthony on the bible thing! However, we better watch out because we may really end up stonned to death!

As for the Hawks, let us be patient and see if Sun makes the right thing: resign JJ and fire Woody.

A Wooden doll would coach better than Woody.

We had a very effective line up last night with Craw, Mo, MW, Josh and Al and then Woody had an epifany: against a team which was settling for contested jumpers let’s put in Bibby.

And there it was: Bibby bricked all shots but the meaning last one, had two TO and failed to make a single entry pass into our bigs (he actually failed to reach the 3 point line with his dribble).

And more important: he was responsible for initiating all defensive miss matches which gave the Pistons open looks and easy baskets.

In contrast: whilst Teague was on floor, Bynum only had 2 points (a break away dunk off a mid court TO) and had difficulty penetratingband dishing out (the Pistons had several possessions during that span that went to the last seconds).

Bring on a mummy to coach this team, Anything would be better!

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Then don’t listen to everything it says.
You’re smart. Pick out the good stuff.
By the way some countries are still stoning folks.
Others do worse. ‘Waterboarding’ is no picnic.
Or, so I hear. People do bad stuff every day.
Did it then, do it now.
All we can do is try to help folks.
Try to make somebody happy every day.
@ least, thats what I get a kick out of!
Sorry, I dangled my participle, up there.

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vava74:

You & I know “the secret”.
On that level, read I cor. 1:10
I saw what you said about the Bible.
Hey, I’m not preachin’, I’m just an ol’ coach.
I used to have my teams read that verse.
Forget for a min. that it’s in the Bible.
Omit the greeting and read the words.
The perfect definition of ‘TEAM’.
Kinda like “the Secret”, Bill Simmons wrote a good book.
God wrote a better one. No secrets in his.
Seriously, get back to me after you read the def. of TEAM.

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Thanks guys for letting the PISTONS come out on top. Now the WIZARDS are tied with they, the WARRIORS, and KINGS for the third lottery slot. Ah, hope springs eternal. GO WIZARDS, more lottery balls please. You old-times here can relate, can you not?

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Unbelieveable. This team has no mental toughness whatsoever. In no way am I placing this defeat on Smith becuase there is plenty of blame to go around for this last minute debacle. But Smith HAS TO knock down those free throws with a minute left in the game. That was a killer and then give up the three point play on the other end.

If the Hawks are the fourth seed, there’s nothing to look forward to in the playoffs because we got Cleveland in the second round. I think Orlando is better than Atlanta but I still think the Hawks have a slight chance to knock them off in the Eastern Conf. Semis. The Hawks don’t have a chance against the Cleveland LeBrons.

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Folks,

Don’t be down on last night’s loss.

Let me remind you the last 2 years in the playoffs, we had major injuries. Last year obviously we had Horford and Joe among a few battling with injuries. However, two years ago, in that epic Boston series, Speedy Claxton was injured. We firmly believe that if he was healthy, we would’ve won the championship that year. He is that good.

So let me remind you that if we are healthy going into these playoffs, we should be the favorite to win the championship, given our DEFENSIVE TENACITY, ATHLETICISM, AND UPSIDE

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“This game could be tough, but considering the Bucks will not have a strong frontcourt to handle Josh and Al, the advantage definitely goes to Atlanta”

Is this what you said before the Detroit game last night, when they had THEIR 3 BEST PLAYERS + MAXIELL + WILCOX out?

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The Celtics won last night.

FIRE WOODY

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M. Cunningham…..Please keep bring the heat to the Dummy who is posing as Hawks Head Coach. Its time for him to go!!!! FIRE WOODY!!!!

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MC,

Different movie, same bad ending. Pistons were without Rip, Tayshaun, Stuckey, Maxiell, and Wilcox. And still beat us.

However, that should not be a surprise. You weren’t here then, but early in the season, the Pistons beat a healthy Hawks team with JJ, while the Pistons were missing Rip, Tayshaun, and Ben Gordon.

The players share some blame for not executing, turning the ball over, and missing FT, and blowing defensive assignments. Bibby was bad in the second half, Crawford did not play well in the 4th, and Josh seemed out of it sometimes. Marvin and Al had good games though.

But this is a loss where Woody had a chance to make a positive impact on the game, and he didn’t.

Mike Bibby started 4-4, and then went 1-9 the rest of the way (if you take away the meaningless 3 pointer at the end of the game). He had a costly TO, his defense was bad as usual, and he only had 3 assists in 36 minutes (our starting Center had 6 assists).

But it was obvious that Bibby was tired. Woody himself said Bibby was laboring. So why play him 36 minutes? Why play Teague only 5 minutes (especially since Teague played well in the second half of the Bobcats game)? FYI, this is what we mean by Teague’s PT being inconsistent.

As vava pointed out, the lineup of Crawford, Mo, Marvin, Josh and Al, were playing well in the 4th, but what does Woody do? He brings Bibby back in. And that is where the game went south.

Bibby’s average against the Pistons for the first 3 matchups of the season is 8.3 pts, and 4.6 assists per game, so it’s not like he tears it up against the Pistons anyway. Woody needs to realize that just because guys are veterans does not mean they don’t make mistakes.

Bad coaching from the coach, bad playing from the players. I’m just glad the season is only 82 games. Because at this rate, if it was 92 games, the Hawks might not finish 3rd/4th.

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As a season ticket holder for the last 5 years in section 117 I have a good view of the game and the hawks bench. No matter what some of you think Woody has no control of this team, and to be honest with you they do not pay him a lot of attention. It literally looks like he is scribbling on the clipboard, and it is a jumbled mess. The meat of most of his convos with the team is “come on guys pick it up”,”what are you doing”, and my favorite”com’ on smooth you gotta get that block and help crash the boards and and and” he does his favorite scowl and that’s it. His assistants even look unsupportive and disinterested.
That being said free throws and blocking out is basic and fundamental. And these guys have gotta do better

By the way say what you want but I sit less that 15 feet away from these guys and my uncle and I always comment how tired they are, esoecially Josh. He has his faults but you can not honestly say he does not give his best and all and he is spent. It makes them vulnerable I.e. OKC on king day.

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Man..a little discord here today. The Hawks have had great teams white players or not. Jumpin Joe Caldwell, Zelmo Beatty, Lou Hudson…..Maravich was great but could have been a winner if the whole team had stayed and was completely integrated into the system. They could never beath the smart teams from the North, the Knicks or the Celtics. Dominique Wilkens was great. Moses Malone…Mutombo….

Through the years, and this applies to now, the Hawks have always been erratic….totally unpredictable from one night to the next This bunch may be the best…..probably are and the only real hope now is that they will unpredictably go all the way.

“One thing I don’t understand is……” Josh Smith’s free throws. You have Mark Price (who was career 90% or above) on the frigging payroll as a shot teacher. You have Josh Smith one of the greatest athletes and getting better and better each year and who obviously refuses to be anything better than a complete player and who really, really wants to win.. What would it take to have them get together for 5 minutes each practice session?

The last 2 games don’t mean anything except we’ll probably play Miami and end up with injuries going into the second round. I remember that they beat us up last year, almost like on purpose.
The only time we’ll see the real Hawks is:
1. When they feel they have a challenge.
2. When they get really scared that they’ve lost so many games it’s obvious they’re not giving us the real Hawks. .

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I am not shocked by the Hawks inconsistency on the road, but I am disappointed with the overall focus. It’s terribly difficult to take this team as “serious playoff contenders” when they lose to teams they should clearly beat.

I can’t quite put a finger on it, but it’s definitely something Woody needs to address or the Hawks are looking at a 7 game series in the first round and a quick exit in the 2nd…sounds all too familiar.

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Great post Sam’l!

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Smooth says “the Hawks have about a 75% chance of going undefeated in these final 4 games if they maintain focus and play for 48 minutes each night.”

tell me when over any 4 game stretch these Hawks have maintained focus and played 48 minutes each night”???

Considering Crawford addition, lack of injuries and development of young team we should be 6-10 games better than last year. We aren’t.

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CLYDE

This was an unexplainable loss. What can I say?

GRAND-DADDY

Where do we go from here?

SO SO SOOO. SAADD.

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The Hawks, even at full strength, are no where as strong as they were in the first half of the season, and I just can’t figure out why, unless it is the coaching. Why do other teams come out of a timeout, score on their first possession, and play better for the next ten minutes or so? The Hawks hardly ever do that.

I’m not knocking Woodie, but I think he’s done all he can for these Hawks. When he has to remind 5-10 year veteran pros to “play good defense and rebound”, it’s obvious they aren’t paying attention anymore.

I had such high hopes for much of the season, but I don’t think they can now beat the Bucks, the Heat, or the Bobcats in the playoffs. They simply can’t finish games anymore.

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Grandad – Sounds like Buddhism would make a lot more sense for you….just sayin…
Peace!

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Anthony

April 8th, 2010
12:28 am
The Hawks haven’t truly been a good basketball team since being in Atlanta. That doesn’t change now.
_____________________________________

Based on his subsequent comments, Anthony definitely appears to have some issues, but so does Grandad for that matter. The difference is that Anthony is dead right about the Hawks, and history bears that out. NEVER in their 40-plus years in Atlanta have they advanced past the second round of the playoffs. That doesn’t change now.

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Last year, we won 47 games, with Josh missing time, Al missing time, Flip Murray as our 6th man, and Acie as our 3rd PG.

This year, we added Crawford (SMOY), Joe Smith, and Teague, and we have been the healthiest team in the NBA. But yet, the best we can do is 2-6 more wins than last year. Although Marvin, Bibby, and ZaZa have regressed, I think this team has underachieved. And part of that falls on coaching.

Ken S,

That was the Phoenix Suns game. Woody went with 6 guys the whole second half, and we got outplayed in the fourth by the Suns bench players. Same thing last night, because Detroit’s scrubs outplayed us down the stretch.

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Obrien you are right. Dallas game too. Not withstanding the Jason Kidd crap

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WOODSON AS A COACH….BAD!!!

This Year we added

We add a 19pts a game scorer to our bench(6th man of year).
Have the fewest injuries of any team in the NBA.
Al Horford an Allstar..Josh playing like an Allstar year………………WE MAY WIN 4 MORE GAMES THAN LAST YEAR!!!!!

He is the same coach that coach the Hawks to a 13 win season…WE JUST HAVE BETTER PALYERS!!

Every increase in win total was a direct result of a KEY PLYER ACQUISITION and ORGANIC GROWTH.

Joe 15mil a year 2005-06=26 wins
None free agent 2006-07=30 wins
AL 2007-08, Bibby part of 2007-08=37 wins
Bibby 15mil a year 2008-09=47 wins
Jamal 10mil a year 2009-10=51 wins

WITHOUT THE FREE AGENTS, WE ARE ARE A 30 WIN TEAM!!!!

WOODSON SUCKS!!!

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I can’t help but really feel that THE GHOST OF 4TH QUARTER HAWKS HORROR might show up to haunt us during the Playoffs…I predict we’ll lose in the 1st round and they’ll get rid of Woody and a few players in a minor shake up over summer….

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Man I can’t even defend last nights loss. That was horrible basketball in the 4th.

I wonders what’s our record when leading in the 4th quarter?

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Astro,

Josh’s free throws were bad, but what about the lazy pass from Bibby, the lack of shot clock management from Bibby and the total lack of D from everyone late. It wasn’t the 2 free throws that caused the game. It was a total meltdown from several folks. Mainly our floor general who should’ve been resting his toe while we watched to see how JTO would handle himself under pressure.

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What happened to gearing up for Playoff Basketball? I’m all about 100% support of the team, but right now we need to slap some kids in the face to wake them up! Joe Johnson or not, we should be able to compete! What if we were missing 3-4 starters like Detroit? Could we beat anyone by 2? We couldn’t even beat the Nets missing 2 starters the way we’re playing. Total lack of effort, intensity and professionalism.

They think 50 wins and the 4th seed is meeting expectations.

Only problem is Sund set the expectation to compete well or win in the 2nd round. With this kind of response we’ve got our work cut out for us.

RISE UP! Isn’t that an appropriate Hawks slogan these days.

Time is now Hawks! Rise Up!

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Drmaryb don’t be sad. Your a smart woman maybe you can help Woody #figureitout.

FIRE WOODY

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Has a another team in all of sports choked as much as the hawks have???????????????????

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MC, again you are right on point with your assessment of the Hawks. THAT HAD TO BE THE WORST LOSS OF THE SEASON. At lease, it felt like it. You can reache 50 wins, and cemented your stake on the third seed…and you lay another egg…no blowing sunshine today…that was bad…they must have missed Easter. lol

These guys lack the pose, focus, and will to execute under pressure with the game on the line. There is simply no floor leader to get in guys face and say enough is a Fing nough already…Woody can’t do it has to come from one of the players. Josh can’t fill that role because he plays too under discipline…and he can’t make free throws under pressure…you need some one that is consistent, discipline and thrives under pressure.

You have already stated that as much as we love JJ…he not an in face kind of guy. That leave one guy…YOU’LL NO WHO HE IS…tha no who he is…you’ll no who he is…tha no who he is. BIG A…I would put my money on Al with the game on the line in a lot of those situations…just to give team a change of pace…more often than not Al is going to make the right play. Woody better hurry up and figure that out…HIS TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!!lol

So, to your question on what the aforementioned teams have that the Hawks lack…a true floor leader…someone that thrives under pressure, and demand the team execute the game plan to perfection…even if it means getting in someones face. We don’t have that…Bibby is the closest we have…it is what it is.

I stated that I was very leery of Woody relying on that rotation with Bibby and JC on the floor for too long of stints…because of the defensive pressure your putting on the Bigs…and again it proved to be true. JC simply can’t provide the level of defense JJ can when he is out there on the floor…which makes him a huge liability depending on the opponents. Ben Gordon had struggled all season long…but you still can’t give him easy looks at the basket.

Take away that disheartening debacle at the end of the Pistons game by both guys…and you still have the problem of a weak defensive rotation with Bibby and JC in the game…it okay to go to it…you may not what to stick with it too long…like I said…it depends on the opponent. We are scoring…but so is the opponent. The scoring production you get from having both of them on the floor at critical points in the game…doesn’t always offset their defensive liability…which multiply by ten when the opponent has quick crafty guards that can score…in this case two quick crafty guards. lol

JC is starting me nervous with all the one on one razzle and dazzle…I watch him go down the court on four consecutive trips where didn’t even look for his team mate before he took the shot. He only scored on one of those trips…the rest was great shots…but he didn’t finished…which left guys out of position to get the rebound. MC, can you ask JC…can he please bring back the JC that played at the start of the season…the one that made a concerted effort to get his team mate easy looks…with his assortment of move going to the rack. I love watching him play…his moves are extraordinary…but can we have less razzle and dazzle…and more ball movement.

This can’t be the way a team with this much talent and pride…plans on going into the playoff…maybe it is time for a players only…or sumin.

PLEASE………..GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!LOL

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All the people no worried about the 1st round are some overly optimistic loons who think the hawks are some kind of juggernaut and can just run over teams.

WAKE UP, NO THEY ARE NOT

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Tired of wasting my time repeating the same things over and over. Here is a synopsis of my views:

1) JOSH IS A PROFESSIONAL NBA PLAYER MAKING 12 MILLION A YEAR BUT CANNOT MAKE A CLUTCH FREE THROW
2) WOODSON cannot keep this team focused. We have lost 7 games at home. We are beatable there. We lost twice to the KNICKs at home. Woodson has NO OFFENSIVE KNOWLEDGE and therefore WE GO ON 6 MINUTE COLD STREAKS IN THE 4TH
3) Marvin sucks and is NOT an impact player. I have no idea how the hell he scored 17 last night. Oh wait, he scored more when we lost — that makes sense
4) Horford’s iso offensive moves suck
5) Crawford does not get foul calls. One play he shot a 3 and was TACKLED and there was no call
6) Mo Evans is playing well. He is very streaky–either he is a factor or he is trash, but he has been the first lately.

EVEN BRIEFER SYNOPSIS:

FIRE WOODSON. HE HAS NO OFFENSIVE SYSTEM, AND OUR DEFENSE SUCKS

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“By the way say what you want but I sit less that 15 feet away from these guys and my uncle and I always comment how tired they are, esoecially Josh. He has his faults but you can not honestly say he does not give his best and all and he is spent. It makes them vulnerable I.e. OKC on king day.”

At the end of the day, that comment says more about what ails this franchise and has for the past 2 seasons than any of the multitude of personal attacks heaped upon the various coaches,players,staf and owners by people like me.

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JeJe: You are correct! Good Blog. I want to add something to your blog. Jamal Crawford, as good as he is, has a tendancy to hoist up too many 3pt shots; which are a very low percentage shot. When Crawford is on its fine but when he is ice cold, it might make more sense for him to shoot closer to the basket, maybe 10-20 feet in, and find his range again with short range jump shots to shoot himself out of a shooting slump. The only knock i have on crawford is he has a tendancy to continue firing 3s all game long, thinking he is “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Only the late Pistol Pete Maravich can stay out there behind the 3pt circle and make them all night long.

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I’m not a huge fan of Joe but if the team will suck like this iff he signs else where hawks are in for trouble

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OB and Fundamentals, there is a single time in basketball when the defense is NOT trying to stop the opposing team… at the free throw line. Marvin and Josh going something like 4-11 (or whatever it was) is a problem. It’s one thing when a fullback can’t run over a small CB to get that first down, it’s another when the FB trips on his on feet. When a player can’t convert a free throw, he is tripping on his own feet. Inexcusable.

My statement wasn’t to say that all the blame rests on those shoulders, but just that as I am reading the list of who should be blamed, I was shocked to see nothing mentioned about those 2 misses with 62 seconds left.

Think about that possession. Someone shoots (I think Jamal) we get an offensive rebound, instead of taking advantage of an unset defense, we run 4-corners. We take a shot late in the shot-clock, get a 2nd offensive rebound, again, instead of trying to score immediately, we run some clock. Smith gets fouled late in the shot clock and misses two free throws. Hawks were up by 4 at that time. Either the free throws or getting a better shot earlier in that possession would have given us a 6 point lead with lesws than 90 seconds. That forces a different strategy.

So, I would add to the list, the decision to play 4-corners instead of forcing the offensive action AND Smith “tripping over his own feet” when trying to cross the 1st down line.

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Fair enough Astro

Sherewshevsky

Fingers are flying everywhere here, but realize the coach can be held responsible. He can sit folks on the sideline and punish them for what they’re doing wrong. Hold them accountable. They can do it in little league, why not in the pros? Scared of the egos? If they won’t listen and he can’t sit them maybe JeJe is right. The coach has lost the team. The team has lost it’s focus and desire. Bad things happen if folks don’t wake up!

I’m praying this is a wakeup call. I’m praying for real playoff intensity. I think this team has what it takes to win night in and night out. They just don’t want to committ mentally or physically to playing mature professional basketball.

We have a tendency to do one of two things in this situation:

1) Rise up and “Shock the World”

2) Embarass the crap out of ourselves.

We’ll see what happens. Either we’ll finish strong or JeJe will have his wishes this July.

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VenomSpitter:

April 8th, 2010
11:49 am
Has a another team in all of sports choked as much as the hawks have???????????????????
________________________________

The answer, VenomSpitter, is probably not, with the possible exception of the Braves, Falcons, Thrashers, Flames, and Yellow Jackets–for nearly half a century. Thus our city’s troubling but well-earned monikor, “Losersville.”

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To be honest, Josh’s missed free throws weren’t the worst part of his game yesterday. He just had an all-around subpar game, and he hasn’t really played well since that putback game winning dunk against Orlando.

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In spite of reading all the comments from the frustrated fans, my comment is a little different from those before me. I believe that this year is the year of the HAWK. I think the Hawks will win the NBA title this year, despite how poorly the Hawks have played down the stretch. I think that this years team is a team of destiny and I think that Mike Woodsen is one lucky dude for inheriting a team that turned out this good. I saw two games this year that made me feel the Hawks would win the title. The fourth Hawks/Boston game where the Hawks completely dominated the Celtics and played a steller game where the Hawks looked invincable. The second game was the last Hawks/Laker game where the Hawks completely dominated the Lakers. Those two opponents have recently won NBA titles. If the Hawks can look that good against them then I think the Hawks are good enough to win the NBA title this year. The Hawks will prevail and I believe Joe Johnson & Company will finally get those coveted championship rings that theyve been working their entire lives for. Hawks will defeat the Lakers in seven games in the NBA Finals. Go Hawks!

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OB, I agree that lack of consistency is typically a coaching issue. In our case, I think it is 3 issues, coaching, a still fairly young nucleus and a lack of a true team leader (sorry, I obviously do not buy into the Josh Smith as team leader hype. It is laughable that a guy who is 78 games into the right side of “good Josh” could be considered a true team leader by his peers after 200 games of “WTF Josh”). My guess is that our top 8-10 players still have an average age younger than just about any other team at this level. I don’t blame Woody because this team often plays flat on the road, during weekday games, against bad teams. I think they don’t respect their opponents. I think that 99.9% of coaches (especially those “old school” types) can always find a reason to fear an opponent and likely preach that to their team constantly during pre-game prep. Heaven knows, Woody has a great deal of respect for the Pistons and their culture.

Those are the kind of games when a true team leader is in the ear of their teammates and riding them hard to push through the malaise and perform. We don’t have that and haven’t had anyone close to that since Jason Terry (IMO).

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People say, well we lost to them when JJ played, so this & Charlotte loss would have occurred with or without JJ, but what is our record without JJ? 2-3, a losing record, losing 60% of our games so far. I bet in the long run this is a barely .500 team without JJ, we are fighting for the 7th or 8th seed.
And now people are beginning to see Crawford’s shortcomings on defense as he got exposed, plus his offense is hit or miss, especially when they start paying attention to him or he gets mega minutes without the benefit of having JJ as the focus.

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Everybody knows that the hawks are the only team in the top four that can easily lose in the first round. Their coach doesn’t have them ready or adjusting and correcting their issues. I watched that game they lost against toronto where they dominated the whole game and still mangaged to give it away in the end. The players have been developing as they should for the past few years. The only consistent lack of growth is their coach. He is the reason you wouldn’t bet that they make it to the eastern conference finals. AND WILL SOMEBODY, ANYBODY GET IT THROUGH J SMOOVE’S HEAD THAT HE CAN’T SHOOT THE JUMPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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AJ,

Agreed on the team leader aspect. We need somebody to huddle the team together when the wheels are falling off. And we dont have that on the court.

I’m sure Woody tells them to play defense, crash the boards, be smart with the basketball etc. But for whatever reason, it either falls on deaf ears or they forget when the game gets tight.

Although this team is young in terms of age, I dont think they’re young in terms of basketball seasoning (except for Horford, but he spent time in college and won 2 championships along the way).

This is Josh 6th year, Marvin’s 5th, JJ’s 9th, Crawford’s 10th, and Bibby’s 12th, ZaZa and Crawford has been playing basketball for a long time too. Also, except for Crawford, the starting 5 has been the same for two and a half seasons, and the coach is in his 6th year. And we’ve had 2 consecutive playoff appearances.

How long will we continue to call them young?

NC Braves fan,

Different coaches handle that situation differently. But I dont think a coach can instill leadership, even if he benches the player. And I dont think you will ever see Woody do that to Bibby, JJ, or Crawford.

His style is to remind them of what they need to do, and hope they go out and do it better.

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Well dang . . do any of my posts show up?

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Having said that . . . these are the Detroit Pistons.

Since the fans believe that we have 4 All-Star caliber players on this squad ( JJ, Horford, Smoove, and Crawford ), and 3 of those guys played . . . there’s no way we should’ve lost to Detroit. No way that our “star players” should’ve let us lose a game like that.

And the bench that everybody loves, didn’t help themselves either, with the way they played to end that 1st quarter ( which negated the great start by the starters, and gave Detroit the lead right back. This was the bench’s “M-O” the first 50 games of the season, when they would routinely come into the game, and pretty much piss away whatever the starters built up. This was happening all the time, even when we were winning games at a high clip. This is partially why Woody doesn’t trust those guys, even if he should be playing them more.

This is why whenever people keep crying “Woody, Woody, Woody”, you guys better look at the other elements that are happening when this team loses as well. It can’t be “when we lose, Woody gets all the blame” . . but . . . “when we win, the players get all the credit”.

It either has to be ALL because of Woody . . or ALL because of the players . . or EVERYBODY had a hand in the win or the loss. Coaches have to put players in the best position to win games and know what is working and what isn’t working. But the players have to go out and perform as well. Woody had no business playing Bibby the entire 4th quarter, if Bibby was still hurting. And the players can’t melt down at the end like that, where they’re giving up lay-ups, taking bad outside jumpers, and missing critical free throws.

I hope JJ was watching the past 2 games, and understand that he needs to elevate his game to the highest level possible, for us to have a chance to make a deep run. Don’t worry about any name some of these fans will call you. You just go out and try to get the job done.

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Victor – Well said. Last evening, I felt like the young man needed to
get it out of his system & a more subtle approach was in order. Without
going into detail, my persuasion sounds much like yourself.

Buddah – Sorry, but I’m a rock solid Christian. To my fellow bloggers:
[full disclosure]I am a;
Christian Southern Democrat “Zell Miller” conservative/progressive socialist “Ron Paul” Libertarian “Bill Bradley”/”Obama” ‘YES’ Partier’.
Buddah again:
By the way,this is a b-ball blog & I was shying away from proselytizing.

DawgNole – Sir, If you would be so kind as to elaborate.
I like most have problems. None, that I could fathom,
came to bear last evening. Honestly, I’m @ a loss.
I thought I was most gracious to the young man.
Seriously, I would take kindly to a response.

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Wow, this has got to be the most disappointing and judgmental fan base of any NBA franchise. What a disgrace it is to think that a 49 win team gets almost nothing but negative criticism from its so-called fans. Apparently there are few people here who have heard of giving credit where credit is due. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Even the warriors, who are no where near the level of the Hawks and no where near making the playoffs have more loyal and cheerful fans. It’s nearly impossible to find positive comments on this blog. Maybe those of you who seem to love trashing the Hawks should find another team to follow.

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Roy . . . you’re right. It is frustrating though to see the team lose the exact way all the time though. It’s like the movie Groundhog Day. It’s the same thing over and over again.

What this fan base should know though, is that this team is NOTORIOUS for playing down to their opponent. Why? I don’t know. But they do it all the time.

That’s why when the playoffs come around, I’m not as concerned as some of these other guys about the Hawks, because they’ll be FORCED to focus for 48 minutes. This fan base can’t give up on these guys just because they throw away games vs bad teams.

We’ve just come off of a stretch of games in which we beat San Antonio, Orlando, LA Lakers, and battled Cleveland ( although in that game, it was another 4th quarter meltdown ). They’ve proven that they can raise their level of play vs the good teams in this league.

On the road though, it has to be JJ that leads us. He has to look to have MONSTER games on the road to take some of the scoring pressure off of the other guys. 20+ shots a game minimum is what we need from JJ.

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Astro Joe, I agree with on Josh not being a good candidate to be a true floor leader…at lease not at this point in his career. I mentioned that Josh would not be a good candidate for floor leader, because he plays to undisciplined and can’t make free throws under pressure in my previous…it probably got over looked…it was waaaaaaaaay to loooooooooooong…I got a lil carried away. lol

The gist of my blog was that Al is probable the best candidate to fill that role…based on the Hawks current roster…I would look for Al more in those situations…he has been consistent all season long…plus, he is clutch at the free throw line under pressure. More often then not Al will make the right play. Save for that, Bibby is the closest we have to a true floor leader.

Did you hear the Stinger’s comments on Marvin’s performance last night…I think he is on to something?

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Northcyde,

While I do support a leading role for Joe Johnson, I think the Hawks also need to utilize the front court more often offensively, especially Al Horford. He’s developed a very nice post game, and I don’t think people realize that even when Horford touches the ball in the post, even if he doesn’t decide to take the shot, that really opens up the offense since he’s consistently starting to draw more and more defensive attention and is getting doubled much more often. This leaves shooters open on the wings and creates more opportunities for cutters on the baseline. Inside-out style of play is definitely something that can be done with this team, which takes a lot of pressure off of the guards who sometimes try to hard to create their own offense when Joe is cold or out of the game.

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Sund . . pay attention to what the Atlanta Dream just did. They got the shot blocking woman that played at Mississippi St, to give them energy and shot blocking.

I hope you do the same, by drafting the shot blocking young man who can give you energy off the bench.

DRAFT JARVIS VARNADO in the 1st round. Please get that dude.

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Roy . . . totally disagree with you. That’s the problem. Those guys aren’t good enough offensively to rely on them like that. They can’t create their own shot. That’s part of the problem. Smoove can, and get fouled . . . but you saw what happened at the line last night.

When you watch the playoffs, watch how the star players who have been battled tested in the playoffs ( Kobe, Dirk, Wade, Lebron, etc ) play on the road. They look to take games completely over on the road, to take some of the pressure off of the complimentary guys. At home, they’re much more team players, because complimentary scorers almost always play better at home.

JJ and either Crawford or Smoove are going to have to be MONSTERS on the road, so that we’re not relying on other guys to give us balanced scoring.

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*DRAFT ALERT* northcyde – brought up the topic, so here goes.
Blast away fellow bloggers. Try & poke holes in this one. Serious.

My new draft philosophy for our [1st round]
draft pick for this summer 2010: (NOT a JOKE)

It is an amalgam of stategies which I read from [2] fellow bloggers.
[given the fact we are drafting low in the 1st round]
*Astro Joe [1st] – “the ‘niche’ player”: a player who exhibits a
specific skill that can immediately be put to use, therefore
helping the team compete for a championship.
*northcyde – reaching for said ‘niche’ player in the 1st round,
regardless of how ridiculous that pick may seem. [Wayne Chism]

(making sure THAT player is not gone when we/Hawks select in 2nd rd.)
I’m now making my case for…’Brian Zoubek’ !

*[7-1; 260, & Duke definitly has a wgt. rm.]
*best offensive rebounder in the nation [by a wide margin]
*Did I say he is 7-1 ?
*excellent passer
*most fundamental Big to come from the college ranks lately
[Kevin Love don't count, 6-7 & 1/2 sans shoes]
*7-1
*He’s big & strong enough to battle D.Howard.
*Joe’s not gonna let him shoot anyway, so scoring is irrelevant.
*less expensive than ‘Cheeseburger’
*He’s 7-1
*more to come [I'm on the 'Zoubek' express]

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northcyde,

I will agree that our bench play/performance has not been consistent all year. But how often have we seen Woody stick with the starters when they are sucking it up out there?

Or even when the starters are tired, Woody will still play them the entire fourth quarter (his only change is Crawford will be in to replace Bibby or Marvin), and act surprised when they falter down the stretch?

There have been games when the bench plays well enough in the first half but don’t play again in the second half (Joe Smith and Teague usually). Instead, they sit on the bench while starters are struggling, and Woody just stands there with his hands folded looking on in disbelief.

Overall, I think Woody does not have a good feel for when and how to mix and match the bench players with the starters. Players don’t do a good job of feeding the hot hand, and they dont execute when the game gets tight. But Woody does not do a good job of pulling the right strings either.

And I would not say we need 20+ shots a game from JJ. Good teams will force him to give up the ball or take a tough shot. I would like to see us do a better job of using JJ as a decoy, or capitalizing when JJ is doubled.

But our floor spacing is bad, our ball movement is bad, and we revert to jump shots too easily. It’s not all Woody’s fault, but as the HC, he has to figure out a way to help these guys get over the hump.

And he has not done that, because its deja vu all over again.

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Okay, have not heard this. We are down 3 points with 18 seconds. Why do we shoot a 3 point shot? We made several mistakes prior to that, call a timeout, and diagram a 3 -point shot? Take an easy 2, then foul and pressure them to hit both free throws. Also, Detroit wanted it more than the Hawks. They did not miss a free throw all game.

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I really do not see how Woodson gets much blame for last night. This is a player issue. Bibby, as well as he shot at the beginning, was a main reason why the game was p#ssed away at the end. The lazy pass, the foul, and the missed wideopen three…I’m officially on the boat calling for more Teague minutes. I’m done with Bibby…can’t play D and now he can’t perform down the stretch of tight games.

AG, I’m with you on Josh Smith. I am so sick of players turing every game into a lovefest. I’m not the biggest Kobe fan in the world, but I will give him one thing. You don’t see him loving on players from the other team. It is refreshing.

And, Josh Smith is starting to revert back to his old jump shooting ways. I can live with 2 or 3 a game, but he is starting to jack 7 or 8. Total regression from a player that is better than that. Right when I think that guy has turned the corner, he makes it clear he hasn’t.

Awful loss. This one is on the players, though. I stand by something I wrote after the GS loss…Hawks are out in the 1st round. Put it in the bank.

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I see from AG’s 4:48 p.m. post that I’m not the only one who noticed Josh Smith shuckin’ and jivin’ with a former acquaintance after the latest loss. Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser. This is what Atlanta professional sports franchises have always (for nearly half a century) been about; i.e., satisfied with (and eternally rationalizing/excusing) anything less than a championship. Thus the sad but accurate label: “Losersville.”

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i agree 100% with capedcrusader. the players have to be the one to turn this around if they are going to go far into the playoffs.this is the pros , not high school or college.we have our so called best players out with a little thumb injury and he fails to travel with the team, wow! the coach can only put them in position, theplayers have to execute and be focused.i agree, its as though bibby ,marvin williams, pachalia and joe johnson don’t care.jamal crawford plays and acts retarded on the floor.a pro coach does not have the full power as a college or high school coach.thats why the little brainy offensive genius minded coach won’t make it with this bunch.woodson is the only coach to handle this bunch.the players on this level must decide if they want to win or go home when the playoffs start.

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Crawford is starting to play a lot like Flip from last year. Coming down and chucking up shots on consecutive possessions without even looking for a teammate. I know he is here to score but when he is cold it makes it worse.

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Fundamentals,

Read that post by 117lady (forgot the name–sorry).

The guys are tired. No other team burns out the players with minutes besides the Warriors (haven’t looked at their minutes, but I know Nellie keeps that rotation short) and the Knicks. We are a legit contender if we play the right way. We are not a 7 man rotation athletic machine like so many people want us to be.

Woodson said “I don’t give a !@#$% about the offense–it takes care of itself.” He said this TWICE to the media!!!

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As a person, Mike Woodson might be ok; but as a coach – HE STINKS!

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I’m extremely disappointed in last nights game. I didn’t see the game so I can’t really comment on the flow of the game or the substitution pattern, but from what I heard on the radio and read in the blog there is plenty of blame to go around. Smoove was turning the ball over and missed key free throws. Jamal was 0-7 from the 3. I know that we have problems guarding small quick guards, but we still should have won this game.

What bothers me the most about this game is the poor finish AGAIN! I know that guys are tired because Woody still hasn’t figured out how to get the 2nd Unit consistent time in the 2nd half, but that’s a different issue. In this game the guys had a lead and but didn’t had the killer instinct to put the other team away. That attitude starts on the defensive end and should start at the guard position. The guys have to take it upon themselves to get stops to put teams away. All to often the guys rely on their offensive to bail them out of games and you can see how many times that has failed. The offensive should always start with Horford or Smoove, but those guys should never lead the team in assists. (Horford did last night) They should be drawing defenders in the paint, but passing the ball when doubled. The second pass out of the double team should be to the open shooter, not the first.

HAWKS GET YOUR MINDS RIGHT!!!

GO HAWKS!!!

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Northcyde said:
“I’ve been watching Woody coach enough to kind of figure out what he was thinking. When we finally started to stretch the game out, he wanted to keep those guys in there long enough to build a 12 to 15 point lead . . then take them out and play the other guys the rest of the way.”

My friend,if that was what he was truly thinking,that was the dumbest move he could have ever thought of!!

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Northcyde ,

I figured out why your posts weren’t coming through. It’s because you were criticizing Woody, and the system said that this must be an imposter.

No seriously….I think you’re right about JJ and how we need him to do in the playoffs. It all starts with him being healthy, though. I’d rather him miss the remainder of the regular season (and us end up a 4th seed even), than have him coming into the postseason at 75-85%. That’s how he was last season, and it got even worse in the second round.

As for his teammates not being guys that can be counted on to come through in the clutch, that’s what we needed out of Bibby (but can’t always get). Here’s the thing though: I think those days are coming to a close after a fashion. I think the guy who will become Joe’s compadre is Al Horford. He hasn’t shown it just yet, and we may or may not get that glimpse in the playoffs this time around.

But Horford has many of the tools that are needed. No, he doesn’t match up the best against all opposing big men, but he matches up quite favorably against most. He doesn’t have an unstoppable post move, or even a solidified array of post options…yet. But He can hit the 15-18 foot jumper consistently. He does good things with the ball in his hands. And he’s a decent free throw shooter. He’ll never be Tim Duncan (I have yet to see the guy who is), but he’s an all-star already, and can be a solid option in the frontcourt for years to come.

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i know its old footage,but i bet some of this is still in this guy..

this is the randolph morris that i want to see!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVL2PEpiTg&feature=PlayList&p=628B40B733B9F67C&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=23

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If the hawks hadn’t choked away these 4th quarter leads they’d handily have the 3 spot or southeast division title.

Astro hit it right on the head…..Josh makes both his free throws, hawks go home with win 50.

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Woody have the talent he just confuse as a coach, nunna yo biznezz i like that vid, i no it’s just high school but im telling you guys when morris and howard played against each other at tech coliseum morris dominated howard down low.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!

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Grandad, it doesn’t appear you handle criticism well at all, based on your reaction to my observations. You asked for a response and I gave you one. Now you’re all “pissed off”? Then don’t ask for a response. And Anthony made it all too clear that he didn’t want to read your drivel; you should’ve dropped him then instead of persisting. Again, if you have nothing better to do at 3 a.m., then you have issues. Deal with them. As far as the Hawks’ history, you’re just like the rest of the fans I described–always making excuses. The bottom line is that the team has NEVER (during its 40-plus years in Atlanta) made it past the second round of the playoffs. That’s not “five & dime psychology”; it’s simply the way it is, and it’s unacceptable–unless you’re a loser. Making excuses for them and describing them as a “good” team doesn’t change that one iota. And it’s that very mentality–from ownership on down–that has ensured they likely will never get past the second round in our lifetimes. It’s all part of what defines professional sports in Atlanta–always has been. Now go to bed.

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Looking at the play by play, Evans played about 20 seconds in the fourth quarter – with all the minutes going to Crawford and Bibby??? Josh took about a 2 minute break..everybody else played the entire quarter. Now a couple of you saying it is not coaching? Playing back to back away games, the entire 4th quarter? I am a big Josh fan, so he has to shoot and hit that shot to get respect in the NBA.- although only two or three a game is good enough for me!

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The question that I have asked on several occasions is even though I have never seen a Hawk practice, Teague has to demolish Bibby!!! He has to get more burn. I also believe Joe Smith outplays Marvin. Woodson needs to give his players tough love. If you are not performing, sit on the bench!

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Games like this won’t be what Woody is judged by.

Woody will be judged heavily in the playoffs. The Hawks will have to show out better than last year, and since they’re healthier and more potent…they should.

Joe is dang good, but he won’t get better. Sign him for more money, and you better be able to afford a better supporting cast as well.

If Teague doesn’t need minutes behind Bibby, then what rookie gets minutes behind Horford/Smith? SMH…

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I keep hearing all this noise about Jarvis Varnado, so I read up on him. Long-limbed, 6′9″, roughly 230 lbs. Can’t shoot outside of 5 feet, is a shot-blocker, rebounds pretty well. Lacks strength and fluidity.

Funny. I thought we already had Solomon Jones, and let him go to Indiana.

Then we kicked Othello Hunter to the curb to sign Mario West back, so he could play 20 minutes total for the rest of the season.

Varnado. Sounds like a good opportunity. With a team in which he’ll actually see the court, that is. Call his name on draft day, then listen to Woody talk about bringing him along slowly, but needing to be ready anytime there’s 17 seconds left in a blowout.

Sorry, I’m just not optimistic about the situation…

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Big Ray:

Vanardo – closer to 210 lbs. [Sherron Collins / 5-11 / wghs. 215]
6-9, tremendous wingspan.
great kid
very good comparison to ‘Solo’
probably wouldnt play much for @ least 2/3 yrs.

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I see y’all kicking around this guy Varnado’s name on the blog pretty frequently. I’ve only see Youtube highlights, but the dude is a 6′9″ rail-thin shot blocking specialist… I thought we needed size? Varnado is not going to guard Dwight Howard any better than Horford does. I’m with Big Ray. Dude seems like the poor man’s Solo to me.

For a team that will head into the draft not knowing whether their leading scorer will return, the Hawks should focus on accumulating as much talent as possible, at any position. Reaching for a guy whose ceiling is Keon Clark just to fill a need would be a terrible move.

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Looking at all the blown leads this team has somehow seemed to accomplish, they may not make it out of the first round.

Josh Smith(as good as he is), really needs to raise his B-ball I.Q. and hit the free throw line after practice. These guys make millions but cant make 1 free throw???!

Dont even get me started on the wasted roster spots that the big men take up. Jeez…i would have offered Motumbo some money to come back!

Blowing leads against the Suns, Golden State, Dallas, Detriot, OKC, Toronto and losing records to the Knicks (1-3), and the Heat (1-3) just shows that this team is not ready.

Woodson is stubborn when it comes to managing his players minutes. He still hasnt figured out that the more you play guys the less energy they are going to have late in games.

Theyve got some more work to do and while im still a big fan, i just dont see them making any more progress than they did last season. Time to go hard in the free agency market and drop Woody. Nice guy, but sometimes too nice, needs to learn how to coach his team to finish teams off.

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LOL . . I wonder what this fan base will say, if the Hawks get to the 2nd round in 5 games?

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I’ve been trying to post this for several days & the blog monster has
been eatin’ it.
This is not a spoof! Since the talk tonite has been draft related.

New draft philosophy for our [1st round]
draft pick for this summer 2010: (NOT a JOKE)

It is an amalgam of stategies which I read from [2] fellow bloggers.
[given the fact we are drafting low in the 1st round]

*AJ [1st] – “the ‘niche’ player”: a player who exhibits a
specific skill that can immediately be put to use, therefore
helping the team compete for a championship.

*northcyde – reaching for said ‘niche’ player in the 1st round,
regardless of how ridiculous that pick may seem.

(making sure THAT player is not gone when we/Hawks select in 2nd rd.)

I’m now making my case for…’Brian Zoubek’ !

*[7-1; 260, & Duke definitly has a wgt. rm.]
*best offensive rebounder in the nation [by a wide margin]
*Did I say he is 7-1 ?
*excellent passer
*most fundamental Big to come from the college ranks lately
[Kevin Love don't count, 6-7 & 1/2 sans shoes]
*7-1
*He’s big & strong enough to battle D.Howard.
*Joe’s not gonna let him shoot anyway, so scoring is irrelevant.
*less expensive than ‘Cheeseburger’
*He’s 7-1

Blast Away Guys.

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Might as well just lose out. Dont want no part of DWade and the refs in the 1st rd. Only problem is, with Bogut out, we’ll probably think we can just show up and win a series vs. the Bucks.

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IF JOE IS OUT WITH INJURY, WHY NOT START CRAWFORD? HE IS OUR #1 SCORER AFTER JOE

IS WOODSON JUST TRYING TO BE CUTE, SHOWING THAT JAMAL IS A TOP 6TH MAN?

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All I can tell you about the Hawks is: “IF THEY (THE HAWKS) PLAY 100% UP TO THEIR POTENTIAL, the Larry O’Brien trophy is theirs, and they (THE HAWKS) should be getting fitted for championship rings in the offseason after winning the title in June. Thats all I can say about the Hawks. This negative talk is just driving me out of my mind. Think about about it folks, the NBA is DOWN in terms of talent this year. THE HAWKS ARE AMONG THE NBAS ELITE ACCORDING TO THEIR RECORD. The Hawks are just as good as Cleveland, Orlando, Lakers, Nuggets, Spurs, Mavericks, Suns, Jazz, Celtics. The Hawks (THIS YEAR) can beat any or all of those teams in a 7 game series. iF THey manage to do that, they (THE HAWKS) will be crowned as champions in a couple of months. Just be patient folks, its about to happen so just brace yourself for the explosion!

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Can you tell I’m still disgusted with the lackluster effort & stubborn coaching? I’m beat down! I need some playoff excitement!

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If Horford is considered undersized for a center, how can bringing in someone smaller and shorter going to improve the situation? And don’t we already have a shotblocker in our starting lineup? Besides, even if we did have a shotblocking center, Woodson would still use his beloved switching DEF, in his warped attempt to hide Bibby’s NO D, which means he’d end up like the rest of our Bigs, above the key trying to defend the opposing teams PG or SG.

Horford, Smoove, Marvin and JJ are very good DEF players. But because of Woodson’s foolish and stubborn insistence on playing Bibby and his nonexistent DEF major mins, instead of utilizing Teague’s quickness, speed and solid DEF more, their DEF abilities are compromised by having to defend PG’s and SG’s on the permeter. Even JJ is unfairly taxed because of having to defend PG’s that Bibby can’t handle, which is most of them.

Somehow, in Woodson’s limited and distorted way of thinking, Bibby is better off switching off on C’s and PF’s and trying to defend against them under the basket. Since a chain is no stronger than it’s weakest link, how stupid does one have to be to think you can strengthen that chain by weakening the other links? You strengthen the chain by removing the weak link. STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!

We’re not dealing with a HC that’s capable of coaching on the playoff level. Hell, he’s having difficulty handling the regular season.

BIG RAY-The bit of reasoning was simply brilliant. With Woodson as our HC, there’s no way any rookie will be given a change to produce playing behind our frontline. If he won’t give Teague more than 10 inconsistent MPG, while playing behind a PG that’s regressed as badly as Bibby, who plays absolutely NO D, there’s no way he’s going to give a young player mins playing behind an Allstar C and an Allstar calibur PF? Hell, he won’t even give a veterans like JoSmith and Zaza consistent mins behind them. Woodson doesn’t seem to like change of any kind, and is very slow to institute change when he absolutely has too.

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Newkid, I disagree with you on some of what you said about Teague…his jump shot might look dreadful now…that doesn’t mean you can write him off as a dreadful shooter. Those are the same comments made about Chill shot…but he turned out to be a good player. Teague needs to work on his shot no doubt…and I’ve seen improved rhyme in shot of late. I think he will be a keeper at the PG position. With the spotty minutes he has played, there is going to be some rust in certain aspects of his game. I think he can be a great asset to the team…he just needs to keep working and make the most of the opportunity he gets. The jump shot is coming alone…his defense is where he needs to focus more of his attention on.

Interesting scenario on the Marvin trade, especially coming from a NC guy…I would like to see Marvin’s impact on the second unit before I would consider trading him away. Marvin has a long-term contract at a reasonable amount over the life of the contract…that is flexibility that will be invaluable during Al’s negotiations…I don’t see Sund making a knee jerk trade involving Marvin unless it is a deal like JC’s.lol

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Wasn’t the lack of an effective jumpshot the knock on Magic Johnson? And didn’t he develop an effective push shot, much like the one Teague uses? It’s amazing how the lack of an effective jumpshot is considered justification enough for keeping his speed, quickness, penetrating and solid DEF ability anchored to the bench. Yet, slow, methodical, one dimensional, regressing MBibby, who’s DEF ineptitude and inability to penetrate and create easy scoring opporunities for others, is somehow not seen as a problem.

Yet, there are some WOODY LOVERS who think no other HC could possibly do a better job of coaching this team, or developing and utilizing JTeague than Woodson. If you were JJ, would you really what to resign with Woodson as the HC, knowing you’d have to play heavy mins, play hurt, defend primarily PF’s, C’s, PG’s, and constantly get blamed for using ISO’s to closeout gms, because of the lack of an effective halfcourt OFF system?

I hate to say it, but I’m not confident about our chances of beating the Raptors, even though we’re at home and they’re missing CBosh. After all, we’ve lost to worse teams at home that were missing key starters. It’s funny, the 2 players Woody depends on the most no matter what, are the same 2 players that don’t listen to him or pay him any attention.

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Mike is Back,
I’m admittedly biased, but not blinded by my bias. And while I’m not even close to being in the ‘camp’ of those who share the views of ‘Rod from College Park’, my bias doesn’t prevent me seeing that Marvin just hasn’t worked here. In my opinion, it’s foolish to think (after a five-year trial) he ever will. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t have serviceable attributes others may find useful in their constructs. Hope so; that’s our best hope of salvaging something from this less than bountiful marriage. I’m not the least bit distressed by where he was drafted or the level of his current compensation. Both immaterial to what he’s contributing TODAY on the floor. Whether he’s paid 600K, 6M, or 60M, to paraphrase Magic GM Otis Smith, ‘…he’s not helpful us win.’ And as Mr. Smith says: “If he’s not helping me win, I move him.”

I’m certainly not convinced Teague can NOT become effective from the perimeter; justing stating the obvious: he’s not even close to being effective from range at this point. WILL he work his tail off during the summer to correct this deficiency? Hope so, but do we really know? If he doesn’t fix it, revert to previously cited quote from Mr. Smith.

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NewKid, u no I’m a WF guy…my daughters a freshmen there…so I admit a little bias myself. lol

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